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Long-term single tillage causes serious deterioration of land quality and reduction of crop yield. Tillage rotation can alleviate the problems caused by long-term single tillage. However, the effects of different tillage rotations are still very limited. A tillage rotation experiment was conducted in the North China Plain to evaluate the impacts of tillage rotation on soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (STN) and crop yield. There were eight treatments with two main factors: tillage practice (four types: rotary tillage (R, 2002-2017), subsoiling tillage (S, 2002-2017), rotary to subsoiling tillage (RS, 2015-2017) and subsoiling to rotary tillage (SR, 2015-2017)) and straw management (two types: straw return (F) and straw removal (0)). RSF treatment yielded the highest SOC, at 12.53 g/kg. RSF significantly increased SOC by 41.4% compared to RF, while SRF significantly reduced SOC by 11.1% compared to SF. In addition, RSF significantly increased STN content by 21.7% compared with that under RF. Compared with SF, SRF promoted the uniform distribution of soil nitrogen in the 0-20 cm soil layer. Among the treatments, the RSF treatment yielded the highest SOC stock (SOC_S) and STN stock (STN_S), which were 67.68 t/ha and 6.63 t/ha, respectively. Compared with RF treatment, RSF treatment greatly increased SOC_S, by 31.7%. Both tillage rotation treatments increased STN_S by 13.3% under RSF compared to RF, and by 2.3% under SRF compared to SF. In 2016, the annual yield was highest under RSF treatment at 19.80 t/ha. In 2017, the annual yield was highest under SF treatment at 21.37 t/ha, and next highest under RSF at 20.94 t/ha. In summary, long-term rotary tillage followed by subsoiling tillage combined with straw return (RSF) can significantly increase SOC, STN and crop yield. The rotation of rotary tillage to subsoiling tillage combined with the straw return is an effective measure for improving soil quality and increasing crop yields in the North China Plain.

Indonesia's current potato cultivation areas are mainly in the highlands (1 000 m above sea level - a.s.l.). However, there are obstacles to potato cultivation in the highlands, including erosion, declining land productivity, limited area, and high production costs (i.e. labour wages, fertilisers, and pesticides). This study was aimed at analysing the effects of both an ethanol application and moderate altitudes on the potato production and quality. This study was conducted at the Horticulture Seed Station in the Ulu Ere subdistrict, Bantaeng Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. A split randomised plot design with two factors was used. The main plots were set at two elevation levels: 500 and 700 m a.s.l. The split plots were subjected to the addition of four ethanol concentration levels: 0, 10, 20, and 30%. The results showed that the ethanol application did not significantly affect the potato growth at the moderate elevation, except for the tuber diameter. Moreover, the 20% ethanol concentration produced better results than the 0% ethanol concentration. The application of 10% ethanol at an altitude of 700 m a.s.l. and 30% ethanol at an altitude of 500 m a.s.l. resulted in the best growth and yield among the studied treatments.

One of the most important machines in the olive oil extraction line is the horizontal three-phase centrifugal separator machine or Tricanter. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the machine designed on the basis of Tricanter and to evaluate the quality of extracted olive oil. For this purpose, four different olive cultivars from Gilan Province in Iran were used. In this research the rotational speed of the Tricanter machine was tested at three levels of 2 500, 3 000, and 3 500 rpm and the content of water added to olive paste was used at three levels of 10, 20, and 30% of the paste mass. Peroxide value (PV) and percentage of acidity were measured for oil extracted from all four olive cultivars. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test showed that rotational speed and the content of added water had an effect on the acidity and PV for all samples of olive cultivars. The measured values showed that the best speed for the Tricanter machine is 3 500 rpm. At this rotational speed, the peroxide and acidity values are lower than the standard values.

The natural regeneration of the sessile oak [Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.] is an important aspect of sustainable forest management, especially given the ongoing global climate change and the need to maintain forest stand stability and productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of various regeneration methods on the growth of naturally regenerated sessile oak in the Masaryk Forest Training Enterprise Křtiny, Czech Republic. The research was conducted in seven forest stands where regeneration felling was applied after masting in 2022 (winter 2022/2023) using clear-cut (CC) and shelterwood (S) systems. A total of 531 seedlings were collected from these seven research plots, and the following morphological traits were measured: shoot length, root collar diameter, and biomass allocation. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) in shoot length, main root length and total seedling length between the CC and S variants. However, there were no significant differences in root collar diameter or any of the dry-mass parameters between the clear-cut with standards (CC1) variant and the shelterwood plots. Individuals from the CC variants have a 10.3–47.0% wider root collar diameter, 22.3–91.4% more dry mass of the root system, and 51.7–90.4% more dry mass of the aboveground part than individuals in the S variants. These results indicate that the early growth of sessile oak seedlings is greatly influenced by light availability: full sunlight stimulates the development of above- and below-ground parts, whereas canopy cover restricts early growth, particularly in terms of height. The findings highlight the need to consider light and site conditions when planning silvicultural treatments aimed at establishing stable and vigorous oak stands in the face of changing climate conditions.

Despite various treatment options for canine atopic dermatitis (cAD), therapeutic limitations still exist, including adverse effects and low absorption ratios. This study evaluated the effects of a membrane-free stem cell extract (MFSCE) on the clinical signs of atopic dogs. Thirty client-owned dogs previously diagnosed with cAD were separated into placebo (n = 10) and MFSCE-treated groups (n = 20). The dogs were treated with a cream (MFSCE and placebo) via dermal administration twice daily for 14 days, and the clinical response was recorded on days 0, 7, and 14. The MFSCE-treated group showed significantly decreased severity of pruritus on day 14 compared to that on day 0. In addition, the erythema, pigmentation, skin dryness, and thickness were remarkably decreased in the MFSCE-treated group on day 14 compared to those on day 0 whereas no significant changes were observed in the placebo-treated group. No general clinical signs or adverse effects were observed in this study. These results suggest that MFSCE could be a surrogate treatment option for cAD.

Salinisation threatens the sustainability of irrigated olive orchards in Tunisia. Electromagnetic induction measurements and soil spectral index calculations could help to survey the soil salinity. This study aimed to map changes in the soil salinity spatial pattern using geostatistical techniques and soil spectral index regression. The study area is located in Sminja, Tunisia. It is a 665 ha olive orchard, landscaped in ridges and furrows and managed following a very high-density planting system (1.5 × 4 m²). Electromagnetic readings measured in situ with an electromagnetic device (EM38) that was fitted, in turn, to the electrical conductivity of the saturated paste of five soil depths namely: 0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60-80 and 80-100 cm and to the average electrical conductivity of the saturated paste of the 0-100 cm soil depth. Both the ordinary kriging and universal kriging performed similarly and well in mapping the soil salinity. (R²= 0.86 and 0.89 for the 0-20 cm and the 0-100 cm depths, respectively). Our results prove that mapping the soil salinity based on electromagnetic induction and kriging methods is an effective approach, which allows one to monitor the soil salinity within permanent croplands in semi-arid conditions. Salinisation that reaches intolerable values by olive trees, is especially accumulated on the top of the ridges, where the drippers are installed. Furthermore, based on two Landsat 8 images acquired on April 30, 2019 and May 16, 2019, respectively, we calculated seven soil spectral indices. Nevertheless, multiple regression models between the electromagnetic readings and various combinations of soil spectral indices were poor. In the coming investigations, under permanent land cover, spectral index regression models should integrate not only the soil, but also vegetation indices.

The effect of glutamine and/or probiotic (Enterococcus feacium) supplements on piglet performance, intestines structure, and microbial status was estimated on 181 piglets (16 litters) of Polish Landrace. The piglets were allocated to 2 groups with 8 litters in each, kept in group pens, and fed a standard feed mixture (negative control, group C) or the same mixture supplemented with 2% of glutamine (Group GT). In each group half the animals received Cylactin^® added in the amount of 0.35 × 10⁹ CFU per kg feed. The probiotic consists of dehydrated cells of Enterococcus faecium strain NCIMB 10415. Feed and water were available ad libitum. The piglets were weaned at 28 days of life. At 60 days of life, 6 piglets from each subgroup were slaughtered and their intestines were taken for analysis. Digesta from the digestive tract was removed and the length and weight of particular parts of the intestines were measured. The structure of ileum mucosal epithelium was examined. The acidity of the digesta and the short chain fatty acids (SCFA) content of chyme from the jejunum and caecum were analyzed. Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens counts in these parts of the intestines were also estimated. At the beginning of the experiment, the glutamine significantly improved and the probiotic lowered the piglet body weight gains. Later the probiotic improved but the glutamine lowered weight gains. There was no difference in feed intake or feed utilization. The intestines of the piglets receiving glutamine were lighter and shorter than those of the control ones. The total content of SCFA was significantly higher in the caecum of the piglets fed probiotic than in the control animals. Supplements had no effect on villi height, but both had strong antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens. There was no synergy in the effect of glutamine and probiotic.

In Hawaii, past use of arsenical pesticides has left elevated levels of arsenic (As) in some soils. Sorption isotherms of an Andosol and an Acrisol showed that the former required 1100 mg/kg, and the latter 300 mg/kg of added As to maintain 0.20 mg As/L in solution, the maximum allowable As level in streams/rivers in Hawaii. Greenhouse experiments were conducted on an Andosol (315 mg/kg total As), which was amended with 0, 5 g/kg compost, 5 g Fe/kg as amorphous Fe(OH)₃, or 250 mg P/kg as Ca(H₂PO₄)₂, and on a low-As (15 mg/kg) Acrisol, which was spiked with 0, 150 or 300 mg As/kg as Na₂HAsO₄.7 H₂O. Brake fern (Pteris vittata L.) was used as the test plant. Arsenic concentration in the fern fronds averaged 355 mg/kg in the Andosol, and 2610 and 1270 mg/kg (from consecutive plantings, 2 and 12 months after As addition, respectively) in the Acrisol spiked with 300 mg/kg of As. Chemical reactions, as suggested by sequential extractions, likely controlled the availability and uptake of soil As. Mehlich-3 extraction could be used to identify As-contaminated soils and potential phytoremediation as it correlated well with bioaccessible As and with As in fern fronds.

Arundo donax L. is an energy crop with the potential use as a renewable fuel. This study focused on the drying process of the canes in field and laboratory conditions to determine the effect of the harvest conditioning on the kinetics parameters of whole and slashed canes. The lab drying test was conducted in a thin layer dryer at temperatures between 30 and 80 °C and a 0.5 m.s^-1 air velocity. The whole and slashed canes showed faster water evaporation rates as the temperature increased, but the slashed canes achieved a lower final moisture content in a shorter time. The effective diffusion coefficient varied between 3.67 × 10^-12 and 1.28 × 10^-11 m².s^-1 and showed a significant effect of the temperature, but not between samples; its temperature dependence was determined by the Arrhenius equation giving activation energies of 24.4 and 20.2 kJ.mol^-1 for the whole and slashed canes respectively, not significantly different. The modelling of the experimental drying data to six thin layer drying models achieved good performance (R² > 95.9%), although the Logarithmic model showed the best fit for both samples (R² > 99.4%). In addition, a temperature dependent equation for the drying constant was included in the Logarithmic model for the whole and slashed canes which predicted with good performance (R² > 97%) the moisture loss. The developed tools constitute an adequate model for the simulation of the drying process of Arundo donax L. that could be useful for the design of various equipment and systems.

Grasslands are the main land use types in China, but their reclamation into croplands can influence the terrestrial carbon and, consequently, impact the global carbon balance. The long-term reclamation of alpine-cold grasslands to croplands are expected to decrease the soil organic carbon (SOC) and its fractions. Here, we conducted an in situ systematic study to measure the SOC and its fraction in soils sampled in an alpine-cold grassland with a gradient of cultivation history from 0 to 40 years. The SOC and its fractions significantly decreased after reclamation (P < 0.05), and the changes in the 0-20 cm soil layer were the greatest among the three sampling depths. After 40 years of reclamation, the SOC content and storage at 0-20 cm decreased by 74 and 60%, respectively. The decreases in the soil labile carbon fractions were more rapid and apparent than the SOC, especially the particular organic carbon (POC), which decreased by 82%. The soil humus carbon fractions also decreased, particularly the humic acid carbon (HAC), which decreased by 81%. The reduction rates of SOC and its fractions gradually decreased with an increase in the cultivation history. Besides, the ratios of the optical densities or absorbances of humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) solutions at 465 and 665 nm (E₄/E₆ ratios) and the hue coefficient (Δlog K values), which is the logarithm disparity between the 400 and 600 nm absorbance of the HA (FA) substance, in the solution gradually decreased, indicating that the quality of the soil humus decreased. The reclamation significantly decreased the SOC and its fractions in the alpine-cold soils, which should not be underestimated in the impact on the terrestrial carbon cycles and balance in the long run.

Environmental strategies and their effects on firm performance are receiving increased attention in the literature, but the results are inconclusive. To fill this gap, we propose to evaluate the effect of environmental strategies on firm performance, thereby making two significant contributions. The first is the use of Bayesian techniques to estimate a stochastic frontier model with random coefficients to evaluate the relationship between environmental strategies and performance at the individual firm level, thus adequately incorporating heterogeneity; the second is the adoption of profit efficiency as a measure of firm performance. To test this idea, we studied the effect of a set of pollutants on profit efficiency in a sample of livestock firms in Spain. The results reveal that i) the success of environmental strategies depends on the properties and internal characteristics of each firm and the environment in which it operates and ii) the mean efficiency is 55.80%, which implies that these firms are losing on average 44.20% of their maximum potential profit. These results have significant strategic implications for firms' ability to achieve a competitive advantage.

The plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Streptomyces sp. TOR3209 induces plant tolerance in a wide range of stress conditions. However, the protection of photosystem under cold stress has not been fully understood. Here we reported that the photochemistry activity of photosystem II (PSII) was increased in tomato plants receiving TOR3209 treatment, including the maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), PSII operating efficiency (ΦPSII), PSII maximum efficiency (Fv’/Fm’), and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). Microscopic study revealed that the integrity of chloroplast structure was greatly improved by TOR3209, which was damaged at low temperature. Moreover, TOR3209 treatment resulted in good protection on leaf stomatal and guard cell size. In response to TOR3209 treatment, the intercellular CO₂ concentration (Ci) and stomatal limitation values (Ls) were decreased while the mesophyll conductance (g_m) and chloroplast CO₂ concentration (Cc) were increased. The carotenoid content in TOR3209-treated tomato was accumulated at a higher level, which was involved in photoprotection and biosynthesis of abscisic acid (ABA), as well as the increased amounts of ABA in the leaves were subsequently verified in the plants treated with TOR3209. These results demonstrated that TOR3209 treatment comprehensively protected tomato photosynthesis at low temperatures.

Biochar has been studied extensively in terms of its influence on soil hydrophysical properties, but only small part of results was obtained from the field experiments. In this study, the soil water content was measured in 5-10 cm depth at experimental plots which received 20 t/ha and 0 t/ha (control) of biochar amendment at the Malanta area (Slovakia). The experimental area was cultivated with maize in 2015 and spring wheat in 2016. Our field measurements show that the positive effect of biochar amendment (20 t/ha) on soil water content is strongly related to the type of the crop grown and not straightforward. Unexpectedly, during the monitoring campaign in 2015 the soil water content of the biochar-amended soil was lower than control. In 2016, negligible differences were observed in soil water contents at both experimental plots, especially during the dry spells. However, higher soil water content was measured at the plot with biochar amendment after the series of precipitation events during the physiological maturity of the spring wheat. Moreover, the biochar amendment did not increase the biomass production and yields of maize in 2015, but it significantly increased the biomass production and yields of spring wheat in 2016.

In a pot experiment, arsenic-hyperaccumulating Pteris cretica cv. Albo-lineata plant ferns were cultivated and exposed to low and high doses of arsenate (20 and 100 mg As/kg, respectively) for six months. Physiological and morphological changes of roots, as well as changes in soil quality of the root zone and bulk soil (water-soluble fraction of elements and activity of soil enzymes), were determined. The results showed that the accumulation of inorganic As, mainly in the form of As3+, did not significantly affect the yield of roots, but caused changes in root morphology (deformation of root cell walls due to lignification) and metabolism (decrease of auxin indole-3-acetic acid and 2-oxoindole-3-acetic acid contents). Although the soil quality results varied according to the As dose, there was a clear difference between the root zone and the bulk soil. The activities of enzymes in the root zone were greater that those in the bulk soil. The results showed a significant influence of the high dose of As (100 mg As/kg), which decreased the activity of arylsulfatase, nitrate reductase, and urease in the root zone, while a decrease in acid phosphatase and nitrate reductase was observed in the bulk soil. The water-soluble fractions of As, organic nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and organic carbon were significantly affected by the high dose of As.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible stimulating effects of Nigella sativa (N. sativa) honey, natural Saudi Sider honey, and honeybee pollen to the in vitro maturation (IVM) medium of sheep oocytes on their subsequent development. Hence, immature oocytes were exposed to various concentrations of natural Nigella sativa (N. sativa), and Saudi Sider honey (5, 10, and 20%), as well as honeybee pollen (1, 10, 50 μg/ml) during an in vitro maturation period (24 hours). After the exposure time, the maturation rate, glutathione (GSH) concentration, and candidate gene expression (GDF-9, MPF, CMOS, IGF-1, and BAX) were evaluated. Our results showed that the maturation rate was higher in the groups challenged with the lowest level of the bee products (5% and 1 μg/ml) when compared with that in the control group; where the mean number of oocytes in the metaphase II stage reached 0.360 for the honeybee pollen-treated group, 0.293 for the N. sativa-treated group, and 0.203 for the natural Saudi Sider honey-treated group. The glutathione level was significantly increased in the group exposed to N. sativa honey when compared with the other groups. Concerning the gene expression results, the Saudi Sider honey treatment showed the best results for all the genes except the CMOS gene, which was significantly higher than the GI and GII groups and lower than the GIV group and the BAX gene which did not show a significant difference when compared with the other groups. In conclusion, the addition of natural honey and honeybee pollen at a low concentration to an IVM medium improved the in vitro maturation rate, increased the glutathione level, and gene expression of the in vitro matured ovine oocytes.

In recent decades, adverse effects of unexpected contaminants on the quality of crops have threatened both the food security and human health. Vegetable production in heavy metal contaminated soils is a serious concern regarding the quality of food. Glutamic acid has been extensively studied as a stress-responsive antioxidant molecule and its function is involved in triggering plant growth during abiotic stress. Therefore, in the present study, the alleviating role of exogenously applied glutamic acid was examined in soil grown cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) under four levels of cadmium (0, 5, 10, and 20 mg Cd/kg) and two levels of glutamic acid (0, 10 mM). The results showed that the Cd stress reduced the plant growth and chlorophyll contents in the cucumbers. Significant decreases were more pronounced in the photosynthetic parameters under the Cd stress alone in both cultivars. However, pronounced deleterious effects were observed in the Ashly cultivar as compared to SSC-228 in respect to the plant growth and photosynthetic attributes. However, the exogenous treatment of glutamic acid significantly improved the plant growth and chlorophyll contents of plants under the Cd stress. The glutamic acid also decreased the Cd contents in the cucumber roots and leaves, and further decreased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) which were elevated by the high Cd concentrations. Interestingly, the antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD and POD) increased under the different elevated Cd levels in the leaves of the cucumber plants. However, the CAT and APX activities were reduced with an increasing Cd concentration in the soil in both cultivars. Meanwhile, the exogenously applied glutamic acid exhibited synergic effects and further activated the antioxidant enzyme activities in the cucumber leaves under the Cd stress. In this study, the SSC-228 cultivar was found to be more tolerant to Cd stress as compared to the Ashly cultivar. Furthermore, the findings of this study highlight that a glutamic acid application can play a significant role in enhancing the plant growth and stimulating the biochemical activities in cucumbers under Cd stress.

This study assessed both the soil and litter copper (Cu) levels and their relationships with soil microbial activity, in fruit-tree production areas of central Chile where Cu-based pesticides are intensively sprayed. Samples of soil (0-20 cm depth) and litter from a number of selected orchards (kiwi, table grape, plum, and cherry) were collected and analysed for their Cu content and C-induced soil microbial activity. Results showed that the mean total soil Cu level was 225 mg/kg and soluble soil Cu was less than 0.01% of total soil Cu, as expected from pH values of study soils (range of 6.33 to 7.93). However, leaf litter Cu content was 3-7 times higher than in soil (mean of681 mg/kg). Despite the soil and leaf litter Cu concentrations, no effect was observed on the C-induced soil microbial activity. We conclude that leaf litter exerts a protective role, preventing the entry of Cu into the soil and thus soil microbial toxicity.

Tamil Nadu ranks high in groundnut production in India. The yield prediction of the crop over Tamil Nadu will be highly useful in improving the efficiency of the production. This article aims to identify an efficient machine learning model to predict the groundnut crop yield and analyse the performance of the tested models. The study used the irrigation, rainfall, area and production data as factors for the groundnut crop yield across the districts of Tamil Nadu. This article identified the best set of features for training the models and studied various prediction models to evaluate the performance on the collected data. The trained and tested data were evaluated using various performance measures. The results of the study show that LASSO and ElasticNet provide the optimal results with the lowest RMSE and RRMSE values of 491.603 and 490.931 kg.ha^-1, 20.68 and 20.66%, respectively. The models showed the lowest MAE and RMAE values as well (333.154 and 331.827 kg.ha^-1 and 14.53%, 14.51%, respectively) when compared to other models. The identification of the right time to sow and area to irrigate through feature selection and the prediction of the yield will improve the yield of the groundnut crops. This helps farmers to make practical decisions and reap the benefits.

The effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP1 80% O2/20% CO2 and MAP2 70% N2/30% CO2) on the selected parameters (ammonia, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances /TBARS/) and antioxidant capacity in chilled meat (2 ± 2°C) of organic chickens (breast and thigh) was evaluated. Control samples were packaged using a polyolefin film. The experiment was conducted on day 2 and repeated on day 7, 10, and 14 of storage. TBARS of samples in MAP1 were higher than in samples stored in MAP2. Ammonia in meat in MAP2 was constant during storage. In general, the DPPH inhibition percentage of meat in MAP1 was lower than that in meat in MAP2. Results of the present study indicated that MAP2 could be preferable for the packaging of organic chicken meat.

Abies concolor was introduced to Europe in the 19^th century and commonly planted as an ornamental tree. In 2018, after several very warm and dry vegetation seasons, which has likely caused abiotic stress in the trees, a sudden dieback of A. concolor was observed in the city of Aranđelovac in Serbia. The external symptoms were the rapid discoloration of needles in a larger part of the crown and eventually the dieback of the trees. The aim of this study was to identify the possible agents of damage by analysing the fungal communities associated with symptomatic needles using high-throughput sequencing as no symptoms of damage were seen on the branches or stems. Symptomatic needles were collected from the lower branches of five standing trees. Half of the needles were surface sterilised and the remaining were left unsterilised. DNA was extracted, amplified using ITS2 rDNA as a marker and sequenced. Quality filtering showed the presence of 6 191 high quality reads, which, following a clustering analysis, was found to represent 79 non-singletons fungal taxa. The most common fungi in both surface sterilised and unsterilised needles were the pathogens Cytospora friesii (59.7%) and Sydowia polyspora (20.6%). The results demonstrated that C. friesii and S. polyspora can cause a rapid decline of A. concolor trees subjected to abiotic stress.

We describe here a case study of a 16-month-old female European shorthair cat examined about 6 months after the osteosynthesis of a femoral fracture. Clinical examination revealed a non-weightbearing left limb, pain upon manipulation of the hip joint, complete immobilisation of the stifle joint and muscle atrophy in the left thigh. Low-field magnetic resonance images were acquired in sagittal, transverse and dorsal planes with T1-weighted spin echo, T2-weighted fast spin echo, T1-weighted gradient echo, gradient echo short tau inversion recovery and T1-weighted XBone sequences. Total examination time was 59 min 20 s. The obtained images revealed the presence of osteophytes on the surface of the femoral head, subluxation of the hip joint, atrophy and fatty infiltration of the quadriceps femoris muscle. The symmetry and size of callus in the fracture site were also evaluated. Based on the results of the magnetic resonance imaging exam, the patient was diagnosed with hip osteoarthritis, atrophy and fatty degeneration of the quadriceps femoris muscle with homogeneous and symmetrical distribution of callus in the fracture site. The results of this study confirm the high diagnostic value of low-field magnetic resonance imaging in diagnostics of musculoskeletal injuries in cats.

Mastitis is a complex, common and economically problematic issue in dairy cattle production. In this study, breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) and toll-like receptor 1 (TLR1) genes were taken as candidate genes for mastitis resistance. This study investigated whether BRCA1 and TLR1 genes were associated with milk production traits (daily milk yield, fat, and protein content) and somatic cell score (SCS). A total of 105 cows (25 Holstein, 48 Simmental, and 32 crossbred Holstein) were genotyped using the PCR-RFLP method. Cows with the BRCA1 c.46126G>T GG genotype had significantly lower SCS than the other genotypes. The TLR1 g.60438363C>T SNP influenced the protein content in all cows, with genotype CC having a higher content than TC. The same SNP in the Simmental breed showed that cows with the CC genotype had significantly higher SCS than the heterozygote. Cows with the GG genotype of TLR1 g.60437324A>G had significantly lower SCS and higher fat and protein content than the heterozygote. The results of this study indicate that BRCA1 c.46126G>T and TLR1 g.60437324A>G SNPs could be useful for improving mastitis resistance in dairy cattle through marker-assisted selection.

An experiment with laying hens and broiler breeders of two ages (young 22 vs. 36 weeks, old 83 vs. 64 weeks) and at temperatures of 20 and 28°C was carried out to evaluate the interactions between oviposition time (7:30; 11:30, and 15:30 h), age, and temperature on the one hand and egg quality on the other. A significant interaction (P ≤ 0.011) was determined in oviposition time. The highest number (25.8%) of eggs was laid at 7:30 h by young laying hens kept at 20°C and the lowest (3.7%) by young layers at 15:30 h kept in the same temperature. Time of oviposition was delayed by age and a higher temperature. Egg weight was significantly influenced by production type (P ≤ 0.001; 60.5 vs. 68.1 g), age (P ≤ 0.001; 59.4 vs. 69.3 g), oviposition (P ≤ 0.001; 66.5, 63.7, 62.8 g), and temperature (P ≤ 0.022; 65.1 vs. 63.6 g). The significant three-way interaction of age, oviposition, and temperature in Haugh unit score (P ≤ 0.013) and four-way interaction of production type, age, oviposition, and temperature (P ≤ 0.05) in specific gravity show that rather than by a single factor the valuable characteristics of egg quality are considerably affected by a combination of factors.

Groundwater in Saudi Arabia contains high concentrations of nitrates. Nitrates are respected as the main groundwater pollutant causing dangerous health and environmental influences. The removal of nitrate from groundwater in Al-Qurayyat, Saudi Arabia, was investigated in this work using palm wastes. Palm fibers (PFI) and palm fronds (PFR) were initially employed as feedstock for the manufacturing of adsorbents, which were activated by heating to 300 °C. The activation of PFI and PFR resulted in an increase in surface area. Batch tests were used to determine the best environment for nitrate adsorption on PFI and PFR. The best factors for nitrate removal were as follows: the contact time was 20 min, the initial concentration of NO₃^- was 20 mg/L, the dose was 2 g/L and the pH was 6. The adsorption capacity of the PFI and PFR was 72% to 77%. In terms of nitrate removal effectiveness under local optimal circumstances, comparisons with commercial activated carbon (CAC) and anion exchange resin (Purolite A 520E) revealed that PFI and PFR are inferior to CAC and Purolite A 520E. However, the PFI and PFR were able to remove nitrate economically even under the most basic operating parameters.

In order to increase the reuse of wastes and residues, as required by the Waste Framework Directive, the potential use of waste, residue and natural minerals as low-cost permeable reactive barrier (PRB) materials was investigated. The performance of a kitchen waste compost, sepiolite and steel slag was compared with that of volcanic slag, pumice and activated carbon in removing specific contaminants from landfill leachate. The experiments represented that the activated carbon removed 27% of the ammonium (NH4+), 75% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 100% of the phosphate (PO43-), zinc (Zn2+) and nickel (Ni2+) from the landfill leachate. Volcanic slag exhibited removal efficiencies of 50% COD and 100% PO43- and pumice exhibited removal efficiencies of 20% NH4+, 27% Zn2+, 65% COD and 100% PO43-. The reactive materials were also checked for their potential in releasing unwanted constituents and represented different levels of the solute (e.g., PO43-, SO42-, NH4+) release. Among the reactives, sepiolite was found to be the reactive material reflecting a minor release (e.g., Zn2+, Cd2+ and Ni2+), but also delivering removal efficiencies of 40, 50, 65, 95, 97, 98, 98 and 100% for Ni2+, COD, Zn2+, SO42-, Cl-, F-, NH4+ and PO43-, respectively. The results show that the studied materials have the potential as reactives for PRB systems treating high strength contaminant plumes.

The objective of this research is the identification of burned forest areas that occurred in Syria from September 2^nd to October 15^th, 2020. Forest fire risk classes were determined using Sentinel-2 images. Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR), and Burned Area Index for Sentinel-2 (BAIS2), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were used for the identification how much the forests have been destroyed and to establish fire risk classes. According to the study results, the size of the vegetation area that was destroyed due to fire was determined, and the probability of the forest fire exposure of these areas was established. The fires also altered some chemical properties in the soil during the combustion process. Thus, this study was focused on the impact of fire on the availability of soil nutrients. Soil samples were collected from three depths (0-10 cm, 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm) under the forest land a month after the fire in three locations: Al-Fazeen, Sawda and Gard Al-rihan. Pine (Pinus brutia) trees cover these areas. The results of this study indicated that the fire increased pH, EC and sand, the fire also led to an increase in the solubility of the available major soil elements N, P and K. There was an increase in the solubility of the soil microelements Zn, Cu, Mn and Fe while the content of organic material and silt and clay ratio decreased at the three sites in comparison with unburned soil.

The study aimed at an evaluation of fattening and slaughter performance as well as meat quality of the native Złotnicka Spotted (ZS) pigs and its crosses with Duroc pigs. The experimental material comprised 60 fatteners, divided into three genetic groups of 20 animals (100% ZS, 75% ZS and 50% ZS). The specific character of conservative breeding results in low values of fattening and slaughter performance traits observed in ZS breed. Among the analysed groups, animals with 100% share of ZS genes in their genotype were characterised by low daily weight gains (0.59 kg), considerable backfat thickness (34.96 mm), slight muscle thickness (48.05 mm), and low leanness (41.83%). These parameters were higher in both groups of crosses. Differences between the 100% ZS group and the 50% ZS group were significant for backfat thickness and highly significant for leanness. Acidity and colour parameters analysis showed that meat from all the genetic groups analysed was characterised by a good quality. The highest pH₄₅ values were in the 75% ZS group, and meat from this group had the darkest colour (L* = 49.73) and the highest red colour share (a* = 5.11). Statistical analyses showed that ZS breed retained its original traits through the years of breeding. It was confirmed that meat of Złotnicka Spotted breed is characterised by excellent quality. The results indicate that ZS and Duroc breeds crossing improves fattening and slaughter performance, while maintaining good meat quality in their crosses. Results of this study may also be used by breeders. They indicate that crosses of both the breeds kept in extensive breeding may be successfully used in high quality meat production. Pork from such animals may be a raw material for market niche production, such as regional products. The use of meat from crosses in meat processing may improve both quality of the processed products and efficiency of production based on the native Złotnicka Spotted breed.

Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) is a potential circulating mediator connecting nutritional factors and fat metabolism, however, information is lacking on the exact role of ANGPTL4 on triglyceride metabolism in the thigh muscles and livers of broilers. The objective of this study was to determine the changes in the triglyceride metabolism in the thigh muscles and livers of broilers injected intravenously with ANGPTL4. In experiment 1, 36 male Arbor Acres broilers at 35 days of age were randomly allocated into six treatments with six replicates. The broilers were subjected to intravenous injection of polyhistidine-small ubiquitin-related modifier-ANGPTL4 (His-SUMO-ANGPTL4) once at a dose of 0, 20, 100, 500, 2 500, or 12 500 ng/kg body weight (BW), respectively. The results showed that the injection of His-SUMO-ANGPTL4 at a dose of 500, 2 500 and 12 500 ng/kg BW decreased (P < 0.05) the broilers' heart-fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) mRNA expression in the thigh muscle. All of the His-SUMO-ANGPTL4 broiler injected groups had a lower (P < 0.05) adipocyte-fatty acid-binding protein mRNA expression in the thigh muscle. In experiment 2, 18 male Arbor Acres broilers at 35 days of age were randomly allocated into three treatments with six replicates. The broilers were given an injection of normal saline (NS), His-SUMO, or His-SUMO-ANGPTL4 (500 ng/kg BW) once. The results showed that the broilers receiving an injection of ANGPTL4 at a dose of 500 ng/kg BW decreased (P < 0.05) the H-FABP mRNA expression in the thigh muscle. Besides, the broilers given an injection of ANGPTL4 at a dose of 500 ng/kg BW increased (P < 0.05) the fatty acid synthase mRNA expression and activity and decreased (P < 0.05) the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein mRNA expression in the liver. However, the concentrations of the high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein, insulin, growth hormone and leptin in the serum were not affected by the ANGPTL4 injection. In conclusion, ANGPTL4 has the ability to change the triglyceride metabolism in the thigh muscles and livers of broilers.

Catharanthus roseus seedling was treated with different concentrations (1.5, 3.16, 15, and 30 mmol) and forms (K₂SO₄ and KNO₃) of potassium (K⁺) via Hoagland's nutrient solution. Ascorbic acid (AsA) was sprayed twice (plant days 68 and 78) with different concentrations (750 and 1 500 mg/L) on the leaves. Vinblastine, vincristine, tryptophan contents, D4H and DAT genes expression, peroxidase activity, and H₂O₂ content of leaves were measured. Potassium in KNO₃ form increased vinblastine (60%) and vincristine (50%), compared to 30% and 20% using K₂SO₄. Vinblastine and vincristine inhibit microtubule assembly and ultimately metaphase-arrested caused by the polymerisation. The genes expression was higher 3 times in KNO₃ and 2.5 times in K₂SO₄ in excess of K⁺. Foliar application of 750 mg/L AsA led to an increase in vinblastine (20%) and vincristine (16%). Both concentrations of AsA had the same additional effect on the expression of D4H and DAT about 30% and 60%, respectively, compared to the control plant. Tryptophan decreased 2.5 times in excess of K⁺ and 35% due to the exterior of AsA. H₂O₂ decreased while peroxidase activity increased along with AsA treatment. A positive interaction existed between the K⁺ and AsA on the amount of vinblastine, vincristine, tryptophan, and gene expression.

The aim of the present research was to evaluate the effect of feeding graded levels of whole barley (WB) on broiler chicken growth and carcass performance, gastrointestinal morphology, and function. A total of 800 male Ross 308 broiler chickens (1-day-old) were randomly assigned to four treatment groups with four replicate pens of 50 birds each. Diets differed in their WB dosage: without WB (NO-WB); low WB amount (LOW-WB) dosages: 4% (1-7 days of age), 8% (8-21 days of age), 15% (22-35 days of age); medium WB amount (MEDIUM-WB) dosages: 6% (1-7 days of age), 12% (8-21 days of age), 20% (22-35 days of age); high WB amount (HIGH-WB) dosages: 8% (1-7 days of age) 16% (8-21 days of age), 25% (22-35 days of age). Body weight, average daily gain, and mortality of chickens did not statistically differ between treatments (P > 0.05). The feed conversion ratio was higher in the treatments diluted with WB. There were no differences in ammonia nitrogen concentration except for increased butyrate concentration in the caecum and reduced digesta viscosity in the broiler ileum in groups fed LOW-WB, MEDIUM-WB, and HIGH-WB diets (P < 0.05). The high WB amount in the diets increased Lactobacillus spp. in the ileal contents and improved ileum morphology (P < 0.05). The inclusion of graded levels of WB in the diets had no effect on carcass performance but it seemed to enhance the gastrointestinal tract development.