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The purposes of this pilot study were to explore the temperature changes of the paw pads in healthy cats before and after a 6-min walking test (6MWT), and to further compare the accuracy of the point and line region of interest (ROI) selection methods of the thermal imaging. Five healthy intact cats were recruited and trained to run on the treadmill, and to keep still during the standing phase on a glass panel when capturing thermographic imaging data. The paw pad temperature was recorded using a thermal camera and then analysed using both the point and line ROI before and after the 6MWT. The symmetry index (SI) between the limbs (left and right) was further calculated. Compared to the baseline, there were significant increases in the paw pad temperature of the forelimbs (point of left P < 0.001, point of right P = 0.048, point of average P = 0.002, line of left P < 0.001, line of right P = 0.007, line of average P < 0.001), hindlimbs (point of left P < 0.001, point of right P < 0.001, point of average P < 0.001, line of left P < 0.001, line of right P < 0.001, line of average P < 0.001), and average value after the 6MWT both using the point and line ROI selection methods. However, there is no temperature difference between the point and line ROI either before or after the 6MWT. In addition, no difference in the SI was found between the baseline and post-test or between the point and line ROI. These results preliminarily indicated that a 6WMT and thermal imaging could be a good combination for further clinical practices to recognise lameness or any other gait disabilities in cats, and both the point and line ROI selection methods can be considered when analysing thermographic data.

In the last decade, the pig sector in Slovakia has been changing continuously, especially in regard to the proportion of pigs coming from foreign breeding programs. These changes lead to changes in carcass characteristics and to a change in the distribution of carcasses within the classes of the Union scale for the classification of pig carcasses. Therefore, this study was undertaken to analyse the actual state of pig carcass classification in the Slovak Republic and to investigate the needs of updating the equations for the classification methods and possible steps to improve the quality of pork produced within the country. Results showed that an increased number of pig carcasses originated from Danish breeding program, and also from the Czech Republic and Poland. When compared to carcasses in 2009, these changes resulted in lower backfat thickness and higher muscle thickness of the longissimus dorsi muscle and thus higher lean meat content of carcasses. This results in a higher number of carcasses classified in the S and E classes. Slight differences between two instrumental classification methods were calculated. The study showed the need for updating the equations for classification methods, and also suggested possible further steps in order to improve the quality of pork.

Anthracnose leaf spot caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is an important disease of apples, resulting in serious damage to the fruit production. In this paper, the pathogenic and physiological characters of sixteen isolates and the wild isolate "Stj16" were studied. In the current study, we generated C. gloeosporioides strains expressing green fluorescence by introducing a GFP gene via an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT). To confirm the subcellular localisation of the A2799 gene, an A2799gfp fusion expression mutant was constructed. After observation of the fusion expression, the A2799gfp fusion expression protein was located in the peroxisomes of the cell. The pathogenicity results showed that the mutants A4204, M44, A1919, A3638 and A1598 lost the pathogenic capability and virulence, however, the virulence of the mutants A1764, A439, A3885, G1183, A3144, A1649 and A2675 increased significantly to the apple fruits compared to the wild isolate "Stj16". The biological study indicated that a Rose Bengal Agar (RBA) medium decreased the mycelium growth, but it can increase the sporulation for most of the isolates. The mutant A4204 does not grow well at pH 4.0 and pH 8.0, and mutant M44 just has the optimum growth at pH 8.0, and a 12 h light and 12 h dark condition stimulates the sporulation for most of the tested mutants, but the A1764 mutant more sporulated at regular dark conditions. All the mutants and "Stj16" grew vigorously at 25 °C-30 °C, for "Stj16", it produced the highest number of conidia at 30 °C compared with the other temperatures. Based on the biological study, we found the best growing and sporulation conditions for all the tested isolates. The information generated in the present study will facilitate molecular research on this devastating fungus.

The impacts of deforestation on edaphic mesostigmatid mites were investigated in oak forests of Lordegan, southwestern Iran, from April to October. A total of twenty-one species belonging to eighteen genera and ten families were collected and identified. The Shannon-Wiener, Simpson, Jaccard's and Margalef biodiversity indices were used for data analyses. Among the collected species, Antennoseius bacatus with 29% and Sessilunchus hungaricus with 16% relative abundance were the most abundant and dominant species in human-disturbed and natural forests, respectively. The estimated values were higher in natural oak forest than in disturbed and cultivated habitat. Significant differences were observed in soil nitrogen content and soil organic carbon between the two habitats, but not in pH values. Significant effects of sampling time and habitat were found on all four indices, but the effect of their interactions on these indices was not significant. It can be concluded that the changes in soil quality that resulted from deforestation may have a major role in reducing the soil mite density and related diversity indices in disturbed forests.

The objective of this prospective randomised clinical study was to determine the differences in the tracheal, oesophageal and rectal temperature in spontaneously breathing or mechanically ventilated dogs. A total of thirty dogs were allocated to the SPO-group breathing spontaneously (n = 15) or the MEC-group ventilated mechanically (n = 15). Anaesthesia was established using a medetomidine-butorphanol-propofol-isoflurane combination. The tracheal (T-Tra), oesophageal (T-Oes), rectal (T-Rec), inspired gas (T-Gas), room (T-Room) temperatures, respiratory frequency (f_R), heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and end-tidal carbon dioxide concentration (ETCO₂) were measured after connecting to a re-breathing system (baseline) and subsequently in 10-minute intervals for 60 minutes. The data were analysed using ANOVA and Steel-Dwass tests (P < 0.05). In the SPO-group, the T-Tra, was significantly lower at T30, T40, T50, T60, the T-Oes and T-Rec at T40, T50, T60, compared to the baseline. In the MEC-group, the T-Tra and T-Oes was significantly lower at T30, T40_, T50, T60, the T-Rec at T40, T50, T60, compared to the baseline. In the SPO-group, the f_R was significantly lower for all the times and the ETCO₂ higher at T10, T20, T30, T40, T50 compared to the MEC-group. No other differences were detected. During anaesthesia, there is a comparable decrease in body temperatures, regardless of whether the dogs are breathing spontaneously or ventilated mechanically.

Boron (B) is a plant nutrient and a limited mineral resource. Therefore, secondary B sources such as end-of-life cellulose fiber insulation (CFI) should be preferred for B fertiliser production over primary borates. In addition, crop B fertilisation is challenging because B is only weakly adsorbed in soils and prone to leaching in particular if the soil pH is below 7. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of pyrolysed CFI (B-Biochar) on crop B uptake in the field and on B leaching in a lysimeter study. B-Biochar was pyrolysed at 600 °C and tested (1) in a field experiment with maize (Zea mays L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), and (2) in a lab microlysimeter experiment to study B leaching under simulated rainfall. In the field experiment, B concentration in plant tissue increased by up to 100% with B-Biochar compared to the control (from 29.6 to 61.6 mg B/kg in young sunflower leaves) and was only slightly lower (-10% to -20%) than with water-soluble Na-tetraborate (Borax). This lower uptake was attributed to the slow-release properties of the B-Biochar. In the lysimeter experiment, 41% and 55% of added B through B-Biochar was leached below 16 cm depth when fertilised with 1 and 2 kg B/ha, respectively, but B concentration of the leachate remained below the 1 mg B/L threshold value for drinking water in the European Union. In conclusion, CFI has a strong potential as a secondary B source for fertiliser production, and pyrolysis appears to be a suitable process for that purpose. During the processing of CFI to fertiliser, more focus should be given to slow B release in the future in order to reduce losses by leaching.

Intercropping system plays a crucial role in improving crop yield, nitrogen utilisation efficiency (NUE) and economic benefit. The difference in crop yield and interspecific relationship under different bandwidth and row ratio allocation patterns are still unclear. A field experiment was carried out to explore change regularities between crop yield and interspecific relationships under maize soybean intercropping with different bandwidths and row ratios. The results showed that the yield of intercropped crops was lower than that of the sole crop. The nitrogen accumulation (NA), NUE and nitrogen competition ratio was the highest under the intercropping mode with a bandwidth of 2.0 m, which indicated that this mode was more conducive to the N uptake and utilisation in crops. In all intercropping systems, nitrogen equivalent ratio (NER) and land equivalent ratio (LER) were all greater than one, indicating that intercropping systems were conducive to improving land utilisation efficiency and NUE. Under the same bandwidth pattern, expanding the maize soybean row ratio from 2:4 to 3:4 was beneficial to the improvement of LER, NER, NUE, crop group yield. In conclusion, it was preferable in the NA, NUE, crop group yield under the system of bandwidth 2.0 m and row ratio 2:2, which could be a reference for maize soybean intercropping system.

Soils that contain rock fragments (particles > 2 mm in diameter) are distributed all over the world. The presence of these small rock fragments can have a great impact on soil water retention properties, as well as on the soil-water infiltration and vegetation restoration in semi-arid regions. To quantitatively describe the transport of water in stony soils, repacked soil cores were used to determine the infiltration rates for different rock fragment contents (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) and rock fragment sizes (2-5, 5-8, 8-11, and 2-11 mm). The results showed that both the content and size of the rock fragments and their interaction significantly affected the infiltration process. The infiltration rates over time and the saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s) decreased with an increasing rock fragment content to an observed minimum value for a 40% rock fragment content. The soil-water infiltration processes were accurately described by the Kostiakov model. The measured and calculated K_s values decreased with an increasing rock fragment content, which was in accordance with the published data and in accordance with the K_s obtained by five empirical methods. The variations in the measured K_s were likely due to the variations in the soil properties caused by the soil sample repacking. The results of this study may improve the understanding of the effects of the rock fragment content and size on the infiltration processes in arid and semi-arid desert steppes.

Farms generally produce products with low differentiation. To reach an increase in the profit and sales, product differentiation is one of the potential strategies that could be successfully applied. This paper identifies "Intermediate Consumption/Total Output" as a simple and user-friendly indicator for farm product differentiation performance and comparison assessment in the Czech Republic, based on a two-step cluster analysis performed on 1 225 farms with different operating conditions and reproduction process characteristics in the Czech Republic. The data are sourced from Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN CZ). Four farm clusters based on product differentiation levels are identified and described from the point of view of the production process and conditions. The resulting cluster profiles, in general, indicate the production conditions and process affecting the resulting product differentiation. Nevertheless, farms deliver extraordinary product differentiation values in fields with less favourable conditions and production processes. Those have the potential to be an inspiration for farms with lower product differentiation values. The result of this paper provides hope, less favourable conditions are not a limit for formidable performance. This paper result can be practically applied by anyone aiming to easily identify, evaluate, and compare farm product differentiation levels.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of essential and toxic elements between the orange juice and orange flesh of various orange cultivars. Different orange cultivars, such as Abousorah [Citrus sinensis (L.)], Aseear (Citrus aurantium), Afandi (Citrus reticulata Blanco), Helo (Citrus sinensis), and grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), were collected from local markets. Elemental analysis was carried out after microwave-assisted digestion using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in 18 samples. Eleven elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, and Pb) were analysed. Their average concentrations ranged from 0.006 µg g^-1 to 7.13 µg g^-1 in both orange juice and flesh (wet weight). There was a high increase in the average concentrations of all elements in the juice compared to the flesh of up to 40-fold.

Tumour of the oral cavity is a rare condition in young animals. The most frequent are odontomas - locally invasive tumours with no metastatic potential. The article describes a case report of 4-month-old male puppy diagnosed with mandibular odontoma with cystic appearance. Authors present clinical features, histopathological examination of odontoma and the surgical management using deep curettage and hydroxyapatite granules deposition. Odontomas can form bone cyst-like structure padded with membrane forming denticles. A deep curettage is acceptable method of treatment but should be supplied with hydroxyapatite deposition if the cyst is present.

The aim of the study was to determine the interaction of herbicides and herbicides with biostimulants on the accumulation of dry matter and starch in potato tubers. In a three-year field experiment based on the method of randomised sub-blocks, two factors were taken into account. The first factor were potato cultivars: Bartek, Gawin, Honorata. The second factor were five methods of herbicides and biostimulants application: (1) the control object without chemical protection (CO); (2) herbicide linuron + clomazone (Harrier 295 ZC) (H); (3) herbicide linuron + clomazone (Harrier 295 ZC) and biostimulant Ecklonia maxima (Kelpak SL) - (H + K); (4) herbicide metribuzin (Sencor 70 WG) - (S); (5) herbicide metribuzin (Sencor 70 WG) and biostimulant sodium para-nitrophenol, sodium ortho-nitrophenol, sodium 5-nitroguaiacol (Asahi SL) - (S + A). The cultivars and weather conditions significantly affected the content and yields of dry matter and starch. The herbicides and biostimulants used determined the starch accumulation as well as dry matter and starch yields. Most starch in tubers (more by 3.7 g/kg) and the highest dry matter and starch yields (more by 2.87 and 1.79 t/ha, respectively), compared to the control object, were obtained after the application of the herbicide Sencor 70 WG and biostimulant Asahi SL.

Insect pollination is one of the most important ecosystem services. Pollinator communities are rarely studied across years and crops in the same location. The aim of this study was to investigate the pollinator community structure on five different fruit crops, as well as the activity of different pollinator groups during the day and their temperature preferences. Pollinator activity was observed across two years on apple trees and blueberry, strawberry, blackcurrant and raspberry bushes. Pollinator community structure varied by plant and year. Honeybees were the most numerous pollinators on all plants except blueberry bushes (39-95% of visits). Bumblebee numbers were high on blackcurrant (up to 28%) and blueberry bushes (up to 61%). Solitary bees visited all plants except blueberries. Honeybees, solitary bees, and hoverflies were most active in the middle of the day, while bumblebees became active earlier in the morning and remained active later in the evening. Pollinators also differed greatly in their temperature preferences. This knowledge gained is necessary for less harmful pesticide application management and the development of more sustainable agriculture to maintain pollinator diversity and thus reliable pollination in extreme weather conditions.

The aim of this study was to monitor the Czech Aberdeen Angus population for backfat thickness (BT), musculus longissimus lumborum et thoracis (MUSCLE) and live weight (LW) in relation to environmental and genetic conditions. In this study, we also wanted to display the potential for future inclusion of these parameters into national monitoring. Parameters of BT, MUSCLE and LW were measured at 120, 210, and 365 days of age in 769 Aberdeen Angus calves (417 bulls and 352 heifers) on seven farms. Statistical evaluation was performed in the SAS v9.3 software. The bulls achieved significantly higher (P < 0.01) weights and larger MUSCLE compared to the heifers, although the heifers had higher BT. The age of the dam at calving significantly influenced the growth ability of tested calves, but it did not influence BT nor MUSCLE. The nested effect of the year-season, farm and sire bulls (or genetic background) significantly affected LW, BT and MUSCLE of tested calves. The use of the same breeding bulls on different farms resulted in significant differences in growth parameters. Our results displayed the potential of nationwide monitoring of MUSCLE and BT of beef breeds, as official parameters of the beef performance testing in the Czech Republic. The inclusion of these globally used traits in the Czech breeding system would allow to predict breeding values for the Czech beef population. This would lead not only to general improvement of MUSCLE in the population, but also to the production of better breeding animals and slaughter animals with higher value.

The role of preparations supporting plant growth is mainly to reduce the harmful effects of various stress factors on plants and to ensure high yields of good quality. This experiment compared the effect of the mineral stimulator Tytanit® and the biological preparation Effective Microorganisms (EM) on the physiological and biochemical activity, as well as the yield of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The photosynthetic pigments, free proline and malondialdehyde were assayed and compared at three phenological phases of the bean: 15 BBCH, 24 BBCH, 65 BBCH. The yield parameters included the average number of pods per plant, as well as their fresh and dry mass. Additionally, the nutrient content in the pods was determined according to the atomic absorption spectrometry method. The study revealed a positive effect of both preparations on increasing the content of chlorophyll a, b, and the carotenoids in the bean leaves. Plants treated with Tytanit® were characterised by the highest content of malondialdehyde and proline, while EM maintained the aldehyde content on a similar level compared to the untreated plants and significantly reduced the proline content. Both preparations significantly decreased the Mn, Mg, P, and Ca content in the pods and did not have a substantial impact on the yield.

Honey is an important functional food for human health and nutrition that is collected by honey bees and stored in the honeycombs. In this study, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity and volatile compounds of 13 different honey samples collected from various districts of Malatya province were investigated. As a result of this study, it was determined that the total phenolic content varied between 8.50 mg GAE 100 g^-1 and 73.90 mg GAE 100 g^-1 and it was observed that the honey samples were rich in aldehydes, aliphatic acid and esters, alcohols, hydrocarbons, carboxylic acid esters, ketones, terpenes, fatty acids and esters. In addition, the antibacterial effects of honey samples were determined against 18 different pathogenic bacteria using agar well diffusion (AWD) method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). In AWD assay, it was recorded that inhibition zone diameters varied between 9 mm and 14 mm and honey samples were found to have a partial inhibitory effect against selected target pathogens.

The aim of the study was to trace the presence of the internal carotid artery in the system of cerebral arteries of the domestic cat and to determine the role of this artery in supplying blood to the brain in ontogenesis. The available publications provide ambiguous or even contradictory information. The authors of some studies claim that there is no extracranial segment in the domestic cat's internal carotid artery. Other authors reported the internal carotid artery in the arterial pattern of the encephalon base. The study was conducted on sixty-one domestic cats: fifteen foetuses, sixteen juvenile cats, and thirty adult cats were analysed. The internal carotid artery - a vessel with a relatively large lumen - was fully preserved in all the foetuses and most of the juvenile animals. This artery was not complete with regard to the adults and some juvenile individuals, because it had lost the extracranial segment as a result of the obliteration process. A precise description of this area is not only of biological, but also of clinical, significance. The knowledge of the anatomical structure of cerebral vessels is particularly important to correctly interpret images obtained during diagnostic tests and to conduct surgical procedures correctly.

Potential of Trichoderma harzianum IS005-12 (TH-IS005-12) to promote seed germination and seedling growth of Italian ryegrass (IRG) forage was evaluated in vitro. Non-desiccated seeds and those pre-harvestly desiccated with total herbicide were treated 25 days (freshly harvested) and 178 days after harvest (mature) with TH-IS005-12 spore suspensions at 0 (T0), 1.8 × 10⁷ (T1) and 1.2 × 10⁹ (T2) spore/mL. TH-IS005-12 promoted the early and final germination and seedling growth in all non-desiccated and desiccated, freshly harvested as well as mature IRG seeds. It was more effective in pre-harvestly desiccated freshly harvested seeds where T2 treatment increased final germination rate for 24%, root number per seedling 1.6-fold and seedling vigour 1.9-fold compared to the untreated control. Moreover, TH-IS005-12 showed an inhibitory activity against seedborne fungi Alternaria alternata and A. ventricosa suppressing their growth in vitro by 82% and 77%, respectively.

Control and supervision activities in the field of forest management are a type of activity of state authorities to detect, prevent forest violations. The purpose of this study is to analyse the dynamics and nature of violations in the forest sector on the example and in comparison of such regions of Russia as the Krasnodar territory and the Republic of Bashkortostan. The research methodology is selected taking into account the characteristics of the object under study. With the assistance of employees of the environmental inspectorate, search operations were organized in the areas where the greatest amount of forest damage occurs in the studied regions. The authors concluded that one of the reasons for the existing problems is the lack of interest of the state in the development of this sector of economy. The paper focuses on specific types of forest violations and the problems of their prevention. The authors believe that illegal logging belongs to the most common and socially dangerous forest violations. The article concludes that when adopting new regulations for control and supervisory activities in the field of forest management, the legislator must take into account requirements of administrative reform, regulatory guillotine, and risk-based approach.

In most developing countries, the agricultural industry has the potential to alleviate poverty at a faster rate compared to other sectors. As such, many governments have initiated policies and programme to improve agricultural performance. However, some of these projects have not achieved success because the local agricultural markets are often controlled by a small group of stakeholders who tend to hide information in the market despite having huge market power. This paper aimed to determine the issues and impacts of the lack of market information in developing countries and to provide strategies for solving such problems. Results show that the presence of an oligopsonic market system, current information and communication technology (ICTs), the lack of market infrastructure and gender limitations are the main issues related to a lack of information. In turn, lack of information leads to an inefficient agricultural market, causes negative impacts on market participants, and ultimately leads to harmful socio-economic effects. Thus, to solve these problems, it is necessary to improve capacity building, increase access to ICTs and improve market infrastructure.

The study is aimed at evaluating the pod shattering resistance of F₈ soybean lines based on the shattering incidence and shattering severity. The materials consist of fourteen F₈ soybean lines and two check cultivars. The pod shattering incidence was examined by using the oven-dry method, meanwhile, the shattering severity was evaluated based on the severity of the pod opening. The pod shattering resistance based on the shattering incidence resulted in five resistant lines (7-10% shattering), seven moderate lines (13-23% shattering), one susceptible line (53% shattering), and one very susceptible line (100% shattering). The pod shattering resistance based on the shattering severity showed that the pod opening on the ventral side differed between the lines and between the shattering degree, and it tends to form sigmoid curves with a different peak position for each shattering degree. The shattering severity of the resistant, moderate, and susceptible lines reached a peak at 60 °C, 50 °C, and 40 °C, respectively. A longer pod length indicated by the length of the dorsal (r = 0.827**) and ventral (r = 0.880**) sides of the pod, a higher total pod weight (0.827**), and a larger seed size (0.794**) will increase the degree of susceptibility to pod shattering. Those characteristics were considered to be the ones that should be used as the selection criteria in the breeding programme for pod shattering resistance in soybeans.

Finding an appropriate method with the highest rate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) removal from naturally polluted soils is an important research issue. A pot factorial experiment (using contaminated soil samples from the Isfahan Refinery, Iran) was conducted in a 90-day period to compare the following bioremediation strategies: (1) natural attenuation (NA): the inherent ability of soil for bioremediation; (2) bioaugmentation (BA): inoculating soil with PAH degrading microbes Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus; (3) biostimulation (BS): using N, P and K nutrients for the stimulation of bioremediating soil bacteria to achieve the C:N:P ratio of 100:10:1, and(4) bioaugmentation + biostimulation (BS + BA). Treatments NA (22.8%) and BA + BS (63.9%) resulted in the least and the highest rate of PAH removal from the soil. The 2-4 ring compounds had a significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher rate of degradation than the 5-6 ring compounds. The highest rates were resulted by fluorene (76.41%) and acenaphthylene (72.28%) using the BA + BS treatment. However, the lowest degradation rates were resulted by indeno (1,2,3-cd) pyrene (10.05%), benzo [b] fluoranthene (10.17%), benzo (g, h, i) perylene (12.53%), and benzo [k] fluoranthene (13.67%), using NA treatment. The BA + BS treatments are the most effective method for the bioremediation of PAH polluted soils.

Actinidia arguta (Siebold et Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq. is functionally a cryptic dioecious plant and successful pollination is crucial for achieving high quality fruit. The extent and bases of morphological variability in female genotypes have been well studied, but here we focus on the males. Mature plants of seven male A. arguta genotypes were studied in 2016 and 2017 during which a suite of phenological and morphological features was measured on ten randomly chosen one-year-old canes on each plant. This analysis was complemented by two other, specialized measures potentially related to pollination efficiency, namely pollen quality, and quantity. The time of bud break was similar each year across all genotypes and the pollen quality was uniformly very high (viability - 95.0-99.9% and germination - 89.0-97.3%). However, the ten genotypes exhibited high variability in both the number of flowers per inflorescence and pollen quantity, indicating marked differences in their flowering potential and efficiency as pollinizers. The male kiwiberry indicators developed in this study - flowering potential and pollen efficiency, appear to be effective tools for the comparative evaluation of male A. arguta genotypes.

The research article's primary aim was to provide a comprehensive and systematic view of a new dimension of logistics in the form of logistics innovations in agricultural enterprises in Slovakia. The intention thereof was to define and then analyse selected logistics innovations in agricultural enterprises. The research object was formed by 95 agricultural enterprises in Slovakia. A questionnaire was used as the research instrument. MS Excel and IBM SPSS Statistics 20 were used to process the data in the questionnaire. The univariate descriptive statistics and multivariate descriptive statistics were used to interpret the data. The research results were tested and evaluated by means of Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Medium-sized agricultural enterprises in Slovakia represented the largest segment (68%) of the study. The agricultural enterprises mostly understand the use of smart technologies as an innovation in logistics (mean = 4.43). The results of the research showed that the analysed agricultural enterprises intend to innovate mainly the production logistics (mean = 3.20). Out of the logistics processes, the agricultural enterprises want to innovate mostly the inventory management (mean = 4.55). Lean logistics is the most frequently implemented logistics innovation in agricultural enterprises (mean = 3.64). The hypothesis testing has proven that there is a statistically significant relationship between the utilisation of lean logistics and production logistics innovation. In addition, it was proven that there is a statistically significant relationship between the utilisation of radio frequency identification (RFID) and the logistics process innovation - inventory management.

We herein report the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in a brain meningioma in a pet rat (Rattus norvegicus domestica). A 1.5-year-old pet rat was referred for depression, ataxia, tremors and bilateral nystagmus; a brain MRI was elected suspecting an intracranial neoplasia. The study was performed with a 0.25 T scanner. The MRI revealed a well-defined oval mass with a heterogeneous appearance, hyperintense in T1 and T2, and with extra-axial localisation and severe brain compression, the mass appeared strongly and diffusely contrast-enhancing. Euthanasia was elected, with the necropsy confirming the presence of a voluminous extra-axial mass. Histologically, a well-differentiated, benign meningotheliomatous meningioma was diagnosed, with the histochemical stains allowing one to exclude a granular cell tumour. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of MRI investigations on a pet rat intracranial meningioma.

Drought stress is a major environmental factor limiting crop growth and productivity. Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) plays an essential role during stress response by acting as a signal molecule that activates multiple stress tolerance mechanisms. In this study, the effects of H₂O₂ on agronomic traits were studied in rice (Oryza sativa L.) cv. Khao Dawk Mali 105 (KDML 105) was subjected to drought stress. H₂O₂ was applied by either seed priming or foliar application method with a concentration of 1, 5, and 15 mmol/L. The results showed that both seed priming and foliar application with H₂O₂ improved some yield components. The tiller numbers, number of panicles, number of filled grains, filled grain weight, and harvest index were improved approximately 1.13, 1.04, 1.23, 1.21, and 1.1 times compared to the untreated plants. Foliar application, however, helps the plant by reducing yield loss as indicated by a 0.5-time reduction in the number of unfilled grain and lower unfilled grain weight. It was suggested that 5 mmol/L H₂O₂ was the most effective concentration to alleviate the effect of drought stress during the reproductive stage in rice.

Short storage of in vitro cultures under slow-growth conditions is included in the commercial large-scale micropropagation process. It is dictated by the organizational scheme that provides temporary stop multiplication of shoots for some months. To avoid subculturing to fresh media every 4 weeks, which is obligatory for gooseberry, they can be kept in conditions that protect them from ageing, by slowing down their metabolism. To develop a rational schedule of gooseberry micropropagation, two experiments were used to adopt a temperature and length of time for storage. The best results were obtained with storage conditions at 2 °C for two or four months for proliferating cultures. Under these conditions, the percentage of necrotic shoots was low (< 10%), and shoot proliferation in the subsequent passages was at a level similar to proliferation cultures incubated in the growth room and sub-cultured monthly. The rate of shoots > 1 cm was higher than in the control in the growth room. Storage at 4 °C increased the probability of necrotic shoots up to 80% and decreased the number of all shoots and shoots > 1 cm in subsequent passages.

Taking action aimed at creating an attractive agritourism product contributes to the development of rural tourism. The main purpose of this study is to present reflections regarding the assumptions of the experience economy and their possible application in developing an agritourism product. The conducted empirical research involved a diagnostic survey method based on a standardized questionnaire. The study results show that the owners of Polish agritourism farms, when focusing on the material components of their offer, should also recognize the need to design memorable experiences for their clients.

The standardisation of protocols and discussion of therapeutic procedures in the rehabilitation of turtles affected by oil spills are necessary to optimise the recovery time and increase the chances of survival of these animals. This study aimed at reporting the processes adopted for the stabilisation, decontamination, rehabilitation and release of an oiled olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), rescued alive on September 23, 2019, at Santa Rita Beach, Extremoz municipality, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Its entire body was covered by oil. At first, the animal was mechanically dry cleaned using a gauze soaked in mineral oil in the keratinised regions (carapace and plastron) and a gauze soaked in vegetable oil was used on the oral, nasal, ocular, and cloacal mucous membranes. The second stage of the oil removal consisted of washing the animal with heated pressurised water (39 °C) and a neutral detergent using a soft foam sponge. The animal received treatment with antitoxins, antibiotics, analgesics, gastrointestinal protectors, and fluid therapy. After 7 days of treatment, the blood count showed that all the parameters were within the normal range. The oil cleaning process and the therapeutic protocol used in the rehabilitation of the olive ridley sea turtle were efficient.

Sustainable cropping systems require efficient usage of fossil energy. This study performed on a long-term field experiment in the Pannonian Basis investigated the energy efficiency of four tillage systems (mouldboard plough (MP), deep conservation tillage (CT_d), shallow conservation tillage (CT_s) and no-tillage (NT)) for sugar beet and soybean production, taking fuel consumption, total energy input (made up of both direct and indirect inputs), crop yield, energy output, net-energy output, energy intensity and energy use efficiency into account. The input rates of fertiliser, chemical plant protection, and seeds were set constant across years; whereas measured values of fuel consumption were used for all tillage treatments. NT required a considerably lower energy input than MP and CT_d as no fuel is needed for tillage and just slightly more fuel for additional spraying of glyphosate. Anyhow, the energy efficiency parameters did not differ between tillage treatments, as theses parameters were mainly determined by energy output, which was considerably higher than the energy input. However, year effects on the energy efficiency were observed for both crops. Nitrogen fertilisation and diesel fuel consumption were identified as the most energy-intensive inputs. Consequently, the energy input for sugar beet was higher than that for soybean, which was identified as a low-input crop. But sugar beet attained a more than 4 times higher net-energy output, a 2.5 times higher energy use efficiency, and an energy intensity for yield production of less than 3 times those of soybean.