bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of supplements and variation in the stocking rate in cow - calf systems on temperate pastures in Chile: a simulation approach
Authors: Catrileo A. R. , Toro P. M. , Aguilar C. D. , Vera R.
Published: November 2009

A simulation model was developed to evaluate the productive and economic effect of the variation in feed practices and stocking rate of a cow–calf system in Chile. Winter supplementation at grazing, stocking rate and economic aspects of the system were analysed. The supplementation of straw v. pasture hay at two different stocking rates was evaluated in the temperate pasture zone in La Araucania, Chile. Data were simulated using a decision support tool to help analyse the system. Simulations with the model involved 20 replicates of a factorial combination of two stocking rates (1.0 and 1.4 cows/ha) with differences in the initial weight (‘light’ v. ‘heavy’ with weights of heifers, primiparous and multiparous cows being 340 v. 380, 400 v. 450 and 440 v. 480 kg, respectively), at the same grazing pressure (kg liveweight/ha), two winter supplements (oat straw v. pasture hay) and two levels (6 v. 8 kg straw, and 5.1 v. 6.8 pasture hay). The model was validated with data collected from an experiment conducted with permanent pastures and a beef cattle cow–calf system from 1984 to 1989. The results indicate that there was a significant (P < 0.01) effect of a cow’s weight on the calves at 180 days, and on their reproductive performance, with the heavier cows increasing their calving rate by 20% relative to the lighter group. The stocking rate and the type and amount of supplement, however, did not influence (P > 0.05) the weight of female and male calves at the time of sale. Finally, supplementation with pasture hay, as opposed to oat straw, incurred a larger (P < 0.01) mean cost at an equivalent level of provision of metabolisable energy. Although difficult to analyse under real conditions, the economic and productive benefits of various feed practices and stocking rates were successfully evaluated in the present study using simulation tools.
Seed and seedling management.
Authors: Dixon G. R.
Published: November 2009

This chapter discusses the genetic control of seed development and physiological maturity in brassicas. It also describes some examples of germination and vigour tests and highlights their importance in the reliable prediction of seed quality and seedling vigour in brassicas.
Fruit ripening and fruit quality.
Authors: Saltveit M. E.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the following subjects: ripeness classification of tomatoes, measurements of fruit ripeness, the respiratory and ethylene climacteric, quality characteristics (pigments, size and shape, surface appearance, firmness, composition and flavour, volatiles, vitamins, and physiological disorders), and genetic improvements (achieved by traditional breeding techniques and genetic engineering).
Greenhouse tomato production.
Authors: Peet M. M. , Welles G.
Published: November 2009

Greenhouse tomato production is discussed under the following topics: importance of the industry, costs of production, greenhouse structures, cropping schedules, transplant production, plant spacing and extra stems, cultivars, crop management (training systems, side-shooting and trimming, pollination, de-leafing, fruit pruning and development, topping plants at the end of the crop), substrates and substrate systems, nutrition and irrigation (nutrition, controlling growth, recirculating systems, irrigation), environmental control (relative humidity, temperature, carbon dioxide, light intensity, air pollutants, pest and disease management - insect and disease problems, biological control, biopesticides, conventional pesticides, cultural practices to avoid insect and disease problems, diseases in the root environment, root grafting), marketing, harvest, postharvest packing and storage, and potential production.
Propagation and nursery tree quality.
Authors: Wertheim S. J. , Webster A. D.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the different methods of propagating apples including seed propagation, vegetative or clonal propagation, micropropagation, tree raising, budding and grafting, branching and defoliation and digging up of trees.
Orchard-floor management systems.
Authors: Merwin I. A.
Published: November 2009

This chapter describes the general principles and objectives for orchard floor management (OFM), compares different weed and soil management systems used by fruit growers and suggests opportunities for improving the sustainability of fruit growing by optimizing and integrating OFM systems.
The evolving nature of competition and sustainability.
Authors: Ritchie J. R. B. , Crouch G. I.
Published: November 2009

This chapter examines the changing nature of a destination's competitiveness and sustainability. Since these forces are in a constant state of evolution, destination managers must monitor the world around them rigorously to ensure they are anticipating tomorrow rather than reacting to yesterday. In order to do this most effectively, it is essential for them to understand the basic theoretical foundations of the complex concepts of competition and sustainability. Because of the unique nature of tourism, the true ability of a tourism destination to compete involves not only its economic strengths but also its social, cultural, political, technological and environmental strengths. Thus, what makes a tourism destination truly competitive is its ability to increase tourism expenditure, to increasingly attract visitors while providing them with satisfying, memorable experiences, and to do so in a profitable way, while enhancing the well-being of destination residents and preserving the natural capital of the destination for future generations.
Biotechnology.
Authors: Litz R. E. , Raharjo S. , Matsumoto K. , Witjaksono Witjaksono
Published: November 2009

This chapter reviews current research on various aspects of biotechnology applications (breeding and genetics, molecular markers, gene cloning, micropropagation, somatic cell genetics, somatic embryogenesis, haploid recovery, protoplast isolation and culture, genetic transformation, somatic hybridization, and cryopreservation) in longan and litchi (Litchi chinensis).
Cultivars and plant improvement.
Authors: Menzel C. M. , Huang XuMing Huang XuMing , Liu ChengMing Liu ChengMing
Published: November 2009

This chapter summarizes research on cultivar development, cultivar identification, genetic analysis and genetic improvement in litchi (Litchi chinensis) and longan, and describes litchi cultivars in China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines, Indonesia, southern Africa, Israel, Australia and the USA, and longan cultivars in China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia and the USA.
Genetic modification of the chicken: new technologies with potential applications in poultry production.
Authors: Sang H. M.
Published: November 2009

The ability to genetically modify any organism provides a powerful tool with many applications both in contributing to basic science and with the potential for practical applications. The development of methods to genetically modify the chicken has only recently made significant advances. We have shown that gene transfer vectors derived from lentiviruses (for example HIV) can be used to introduce transgenes with high efficiency. The efficiency of the production of founder transgenic birds relates to the titre of the vector that is produced. We have efficiencies ranging from 100% to approximately 10%, with transmission through the germline from the founder transgenic cockerels ranging from 45 to 0.2%. Transgenes introduced using lentiviral vectors are stable through several generations and transgene expression is also maintained, in contrast to transgenic birds generated using retroviral vectors. A second new method for production of transgenic chickens, involving long-term in vitro culture of primordial germ cells (the precursors of the gametes), has recently been described. This approach has significant potential as the basis for sophisticated methods for genetic modification of chickens. We are using this technology in a range of applications. Transgenesis can be used to develop very useful tools for the study of development in chick embryos and to investigate the function of genes thought to regulate development. Gene function is often investigated by knocking out a gene and we are developing the use of lentiviral vectors to deliver microRNA(miRNA)-expression constructs to knockdown the expression of specific target genes. One application of this technology is to express miRNA constructs to knockdown specific mRNAs of viral genes to interfere with viral replication or investigate function of viral genes during the course of infection. The potential to utilize the protein synthetic capability of the laying hen's oviduct to synthesize human therapeutic proteins was proposed many years ago. We have shown that regulatory sequences from the ovalbumin gene can be used to direct expression of three candidate human therapeutic proteins in a tightly tissue-specific manner.
Prospects for sex determination in poultry.
Authors: Nandi S. , Clinton M.
Published: November 2009

In developmental biology terms, sex determination describes the differentiation of the gonadal primordia into testes or ovaries. In mammals, testis differentiation is initiated by expression of the male-specific Sry gene, and many of the genes that regulate the subsequent tissue remodelling have been identified. In birds, although the process of gonadal development appears morphologically similar to that in mammals and a number of differentially expressed genes have been identified, the molecular regulation of sex determination is not conserved in mammals and birds. To the poultry industry, sex determination is also of interest, although this usually equates to finding a means of altering sex ratios: layer breeders would prefer to raise only female offspring whereas broiler and turkey breeders would prefer males. This short chapter will briefly review how our basic research findings can impinge on efforts to manipulate sex ratios in the poultry industry.
Endocrinology and genetics of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.
Authors: Dunn I. C. , Ciccone N. A. , Joseph N. T.
Published: November 2009

Hypothalamic control of the pituitary-gonadal axis in broad terms operates at two levels. The first level mediates longer-term responses to maturational signalling, to environmental and behavioural factors such as changes in photoperiod and availability of food, and to the expression of incubation behaviour. The second level of control mediates shorter-term reproductive responses. Dopamine is emerging as a potential key regulator at both levels of control, being stimulatory at the GnRH-I cell body and inhibitory at the median eminence. This article discusses the hypothalamic control; role of cGnRH-I in key events in the reproductive cycle; neurotransmitter and neuropeptide control of cGnRH-I; pituitary glands; avian GnRH receptors; avian GnRH receptor structure and function; follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH); luteinizing hormone (LH); gonadotrophe common alpha subunit; gonadotrophin inhibitory hormone (GnIH); other forms of GnRH; ovarian gonadotrophin receptors; and the genetics and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in poultry.
Vaccination: theory and practice.
Authors: Cserep T.
Published: November 2009

Vaccination plays an essential role in disease control in the modern poultry industry. Without vaccination productivity could not have progressed so successfully and as rapidly as it has since the late 1950s. Although there are areas where further research is needed to understand the fundamental aspects of immunology, the theoretical basis of avian immune responses to disease challenges and vaccinations is reasonably well understood and this is outlined in the first part of this chapter. Live and inactivated vaccines are used in vaccination programmes for poultry and other avian species to induce specific and long-lasting protection against infectious diseases. The efficacy of these vaccines depends on correct timing, preparation and administration. Details of various mass and individual administration techniques are discussed in the second part of the chapter. Vaccination in conjunction with biosecurity and management is an essential part of a complex disease strategy to minimize the economic impact of infectious diseases and make poultry production commercially viable.
History of cultivation and trends in China.
Authors: Huang HongWen Huang HongWen , Cheng ZhongPing Cheng ZhongPing , Zhang ZhongHui Zhang ZhongHui , Wang Ying Wang Ying
Published: November 2009

This chapter discusses peach cultivation in China during the Pre-Qin Dynasty (1100-221 BC), Eastern and Western Han Dynasty (222 BC-220 AD), from Wei-Jin Dynasty to Sui-Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties period (221-960 AD), and Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasties and Republican period (961-1948 AD). Current status and trends in peach production in China (peach germplasm collection, repositories, evaluation and utilization in China; main peach cultivars, peach production and growing regions in China; rapid development of greenhouse production; peach postharvest management, processing and marketing in China; and problems faced by the Chinese peach industry) are described.
Propagation techniques.
Authors: Loreti F. , Morini S.
Published: November 2009

This chapter discusses various peach propagation techniques, covering the following aspects: nursery seedling propagation (nursery site and soil, and propagation from seed); nursery hardwood cutting; greenhouse semi-hardwood cutting; micropropagation (preparation of the propagation material, explant disinfection and setting-up aseptic culture, shoot proliferation, rooting and preparation for in vivo growth, transfer and acclimatization of young plants, culture medium, and problems connected to in vitro propagation); embryo culture; stoolbeds and layering; scion propagation; budding and grafting; micrografting; and herbaceous grafting.
Carbon assimilation, partitioning and budget modelling.
Authors: DeJong T. M. , Moing A.
Published: November 2009

In this chapter, the uptake and metabolism of carbon by specific sink tissues of peach, and broader aspects of carbon partitioning and utilization at the whole-plant level are discussed. Topics covered consisted of: carbon assimilation, leaf photosynthetic characteristics, fruit photosynthesis, canopy carbon assimilation, carbon partitioning (carbon partitioning within source leaves, carbon transport from leaves, carbon partitioning within fruit, carbon partitioning within vegetative growing sink organs, carbon partitioning and mobilization in perennial parts, carbohydrate partitioning at the whole-plant level, and effect of biotic stress), and models of carbon economy in peach (models of fruit growth and carbon economy, and tree growth and carbon economy).
Orchard planting systems.
Authors: Corelli-Grappadelli L. , Marini R. P.
Published: November 2009

In this chapter, the evolution of training and pruning techniques for peach, as well as the scientific bases underpinning these technical achievements, are reviewed. A detailed discussion of the most widely adopted training systems and a forecast of future trends in this important part of peach cultivation are presented. Specific topics covered are: evolution of training and pruning principles (minimum pruning, summer pruning, cropping as a tool in training, and intensification of peach orchard systems); light and tree physiology (photosynthetic characteristics, light interception and distribution, fruit quality, and flower bud differentiation); modern orchard systems (open vase, palmette, central leader, Y-shaped tree, meadow orchards and protected cultivation); and effects of training system and planting density on yield (tree form effect on yield, effect of planting density on yield, and effect of tree density plus tree form on yield).
Diseases of peach caused by fungi and fungal-like organisms: biology, epidemiology and management.
Authors: Adaskaveg J. E. , Schnabel G. , Förster H.
Published: November 2009

This chapter focuses on the epidemiology and management of blossom, foliage and fruit diseases (brown rot, jacket rot and green fruit rot, shot hole, scab, rust, peach leaf curl and powdery mildew), trunk and scaffold diseases (silver leaf disease, Leucostoma canker, fungal gummosis, and constriction canker), root and crown diseases (Phytophthora root and crown rots, Armillaria root rot, Verticillium wilt and peach tree short life), postharvest diseases (brown rot and grey mould, Rhizopus rot, Gilbertella and Mucor decays and sour rot), and other diseases of peach and nectarine.
Crop storage and dormancy.
Authors: Brewster J. L.
Published: November 2009

Most of this chapter is concerned with the dormancy and storage of onion bulbs, this being both interesting physiologically and the most economically important aspect of allium storage. Garlic dormancy and storage, which has close parallels with onion, is then considered. Finally, and as a contrast, the storage of leeks and salad onions is described.
Section I. Cassava: origin and history.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the domestication, discovery, origin, related species and geographical distribution of cassava.
Section I. Cassava: taxonomy and botany.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the taxonomy, morphology and cytology of cassava and related species.
Section I. Cassava: breeding and genetics.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the following aspects of cassava breeding and genetics: breeding objectives and selection criteria; sexual reproduction and sterility; crossing techniques and true seed production; selection methods and programmes; heritability of major traits; genotype × environment interactions; use of related species in breeding; polyploidy breeding; rapid vegetative propagation (including micropropagation); molecular markers; transgenic technologies; and germplasm conservation.
Section I. Cassava: pests and diseases.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the pests (mites, insects and nematodes) and diseases (caused by bacteria, fungi and viruses) of cassava, and their management (cultural, chemical and integrated control methods).
Section II. Sweet potato: breeding and genetics.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter on sweet potato breeding and genetics covers the following: breeding objectives and selection criteria; sexual reproduction, incompatibility and sterility; crossing techniques and true seed production; selection methods and programmes; heritability of major traits; genotype × environment interactions; use of related species in breeding; rapid vegetative propagation (micropropagation); use of molecular markers; transgenic technologies; and germplasm conservation.
Section II. Sweet potato: developmental physiology.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter on sweet potato developmental physiology covers the following: growth cycle, photoperiodism, temperature requirement, nutrition; water stress and yield potential.
Section II. Sweet potato: agronomy.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the following aspects of sweet potato agronomy: soil preparation, propagule selection and preparation, plant densities and crop establishment, intercropping, weeding (physical and chemical control methods), fertilizer application and nutrient disorders, and harvesting.
Section II. Sweet potato: pests and diseases.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers sweet potato pests (insects and nematodes) and diseases (caused by bacteria, fungi and viruses), and their management (through biological, cultural, physical, chemical and integrated control methods).
Section III. Yams: breeding and genetics.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the following aspects of yam (Dioscorea spp.) breeding and genetics: breeding objectives and selection criteria; sexual reproduction and sterility; crossing techniques and true seed production; selection methods and programmes; heritability of major traits; genotype × environment interactions; use of related species in breeding; polyploidy breeding; rapid vegetative propagation (including micropropagation); molecular markers; transgenic technologies; and germplasm conservation.
Section III. Yams: agronomy.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the following aspects of yam (Dioscorea spp.) agronomy: soil preparation, propagule selection and preparation; crop density and establishment; intercropping; weeding (physical, cultural and chemical weed control methods); fertilizer application and nutrient disorders; and harvesting.
Section IV. Aroids: origin and history.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the discovery, origin, domestication, and geographical distribution of aroids (mainly Alocasia macrorrhiza, Amorphophallus campanulatus, Colocasia esculenta, Cyrtosperma merkusii and Xanthosoma sagittifolium).
Section IV. Aroids: taxonomy and botany.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the taxonomy, morphology, cytology (including chromosome numbers) and related species of major aroids (mainly Alocasia macrorrhiza, Amorphophallus campanulatus, Colocasia esculenta, Cyrtosperma merkusii and Xanthosoma sagittifolium).
Section IV. Aroids: breeding and genetics.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the following aspects of the breeding and genetics of major aroids (mainly Alocasia macrorrhiza, Amorphophallus campanulatus, Colocasia esculenta, Cyrtosperma merkusii and Xanthosoma sagittifolium): breeding objectives and selection criteria; sexual reproduction and sterility; crossing techniques and true seed production; selection methods and programmes; heritability of major traits; genotype × environment interactions; use of related species in breeding; polyploidy breeding; rapid vegetative propagation (including micropropagation); molecular markers; transgenic technologies; and germplasm conservation.
Section IV. Aroids: developmental physiology.
Authors: Lebot V.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the following aspects of the development physiology of major aroids (mainly Alocasia macrorrhiza, Amorphophallus campanulatus, Colocasia esculenta, Cyrtosperma merkusii and Xanthosoma sagittifolium): growth cycle (establishment of the plant with root formation and leaf production, rapid root and shoot development with corm initiation, maximum root and shoot growth with rapid increase in corm size, rapid dry matter accumulation in aerial parts, senescence period characterized by decreasing root and shoot growth with continuous increase in corm and cormel size, and dormancy and decreasing corm weight due to new vegetative growth); photoperiodism; response to temperature and water stress; nutrition; and yield potential.
Introduction.
Authors: Erskine W. , Muehlbauer F. J. , Sarker A. , Sharma B.
Published: November 2009

This chapter provides an overview on lentil morphology, nutritive value, origin, domestication and spread, uses (as food, packing material and feed), productivity, adaptability, production constraints (biotic and abiotic stresses), and breeding. Its role in human, animal and soil health improvement (e.g. as a nitrogen-fixing crop), occupying a unique position in cereal-based cropping systems, is briefly described.
Breeding for short season environments.
Authors: Rahman M. M. , Ashutosh Sarker Ashutosh Sarker , Shiv Kumar Shiv Kumar , Asghar Ali Asghar Ali , Yadav N. K. , Rahman M. L.
Published: November 2009

This chapter discusses the current status of lentil breeding for short season environments. Also discussed are: the production base; production constraints; timing of flowering; history of improvement; breeding objectives; breeding strategy; creation of variability; breeding methods; and future concepts.
Improvement in developed countries.
Authors: Muehlbauer F. J. , Mihov M. , Vandenberg A. , Tullu A. , Materne M.
Published: November 2009

In Developing Countries particularly in the West Asia and North Africa region, the major lentil breeding goals are development of cultivars with higher yields, resistance to major diseases, suitability for mechanical harvesting and improved residue yields because of the value placed on lentil straw as animal feed. By contrast, improved disease resistance, reduced tendencies to lodge, reduced pod and seed shatter, increased seed yield and improved seed quality traits are principal breeding goals in Developed Countries. Techniques of breeding lentil are similar to those used for other self-pollinating crops with some modifications.
Advances in molecular research.
Authors: Ford R. , Mustafa B. , Baum M. , Rajesh P. N.
Published: November 2009

This chapter discusses current advances in lentil molecular research. These include: genomics and gene identification; genetic manipulation through transformation; molecular screening of existing germplasm resources; molecular markers; genome and gene mapping; trait mapping, QTL analysis, and marker-assisted breeding; and the future of lensomics.
Breeding and management to minimize the effects of drought and improve water use efficiency.
Authors: Shrestha R. , Siddique K. H. M. , Turner D. W. , Turner N. C.
Published: November 2009

This chapter reviews the effects of water deficits on growth and yield of lentil and explores the genetic and agronomic options to minimize the effects of drought on dry matter (DM) production and seed yields.
Mechanization.
Authors: Diekmann J. , Al-Saleh Y.
Published: November 2009

This paper discusses the different practices considered in lentil field crop mechanization including: field selection; soil tillage (deep tillage, shallow tillage and zero tillage); seedbed preparation; sowing; rolling; weed management; harvesting (hand harvesting, two-stage harvest and single-stage harvest); cleaning and storage; losses; and costs.
Virus diseases and their control.
Authors: Kumari S. G. , Larsen R. , Makkouk K. M. , Muhammad Bashir Muhammad Bashir
Published: November 2009

In this chapter, the transmission, symptoms, ecology and epidemiology of the most economically important viruses that infect lentil are discussed. Sensitive assays available for detection (immunological protein-based methods and molecular nucleic acid-based methods), and appropriate measures (breeding for resistance, and cultural, chemical and integrated control methods) for the management of these viruses are briefly described.
Breeding and genetics.
Authors: Iyer C. P. A. , Schnell R. J.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the following aspects of mango breeding and genetics: origin, distribution and cultivation of cultivars; reproductive mechanisms (polyembryony, floral biology and pollination incompatibility, and cytology); inheritance of characters (dwarfness, regular bearing and precocity, flesh colour, skin colour, flowering time, beak, disease resistance, and other horticultural traits); breeding objectives; methods of breeding (selection from open-pollinated seedlings and controlled pollination); handling of hybrid populations and selection (criteria for initial selection, pre-selection, marker-assisted selection, and molecular markers); minimizing problems in breeding (heavy fruit drop, long juvenile phase, and polyembryony); achievements of conventional breeding in India and other countries; mutations (somatic mutations and induced mutations); and breeding potential of wild species.
Crop production: propagation.
Authors: Ram S. , Litz R. E.
Published: November 2009

This chapter describes the various methods of mango seed propagation (monoembryonic seed and polyembryonic seed) and vegetative propagation (attached methods, detached methods of grafting, top and double working, rooting and micropropagation).
Postharvest physiology.
Authors: Brecht J. K. , Yahia E. M.
Published: November 2009

This chapter discusses the following aspects of mango postharvest physiology: ripening physiology; climacteric behaviour; ethylene production and responses; changes in composition during fruit maturation and ripening (organic acids, soluble sugars, structural polysaccharides, pigments and colour, phenolic compounds, and flavour compounds); transpiration and water loss; physical damage and physiological disorders (chilling injury and heat injury); modified atmospheres and controlled atmospheres (injuries associated with modified atmospheres and controlled atmospheres, modified atmosphere packaging, semipermeable coatings, and insecticidal controlled atmospheres); and manipulation of postharvest physiology by molecular biology.
World mango trade and the economics of mango production.
Authors: Evans E. A. , Mendoza O. J.
Published: November 2009

This chapter covers the following aspects of world mango trade and production economics: recent trends in world and USA mango production, trade and consumption (world situation, and USA mango production, imports and consumption), and sample costs and returns associated with the establishment and production of mango orchards (general approach to estimating cost of production of orchard crops, main assumptions, discussion of establishment phase budget, discussion of production phase budget, and profitability analysis).
Toxic plants and companion animals.
Authors: Severino L.
Published: November 2009

Poisoning by substances of plant origin is unusual in both dogs and cats, yet it is possible; as many veterinarians do not know which plants can contain toxic active principles, the possibility of intoxication by ornamental plants commonly used to decorate houses, gardens and parks cannot be considered in clinical practice; on the other hand, overestimating the problem is the opposite risk. Being aware of the conditions under which these poisonings can occur and carrying out all the necessary preventive measures, poisoning incidence can be reduced. The aim of the present work is to help veterinarians to know which plants can be responsible, even occasionally, for intoxication in companion animals. This review is not a botanical report, so specific works are suggested for a more detailed description of the plants mentioned; nevertheless, for each plant, the parts responsible for the intoxication, toxic principles and clinical symptoms following the ingestion of the latter and the correct therapeutic practice in cases of such poisoning are described.
Land use choice and land resource assessment in agriculture.
Authors: Baja S.
Published: November 2009

Land degradation is continuing to occur in many different environmental conditions. This is because land use choice in a particular area always goes beyond the capability and suitability of that area for such type of land use. Traditionally, land use choice depends very much on the criteria used, but in essence it should embrace three different and sometimes conflicting aspects: productivity, workability and the environment. The decision criteria derived from environmental attributes that represent degradation potential will become important determinants for sustained use of the land. As land qualities vary in space and change over time, land use is a dynamic entity which is subject to human intervention, socio-economic conditions and changing land use policy, and land is usually subject to degradation, effective land resource assessment is crucial for decision-making to arrive at an optimal land use choice. The primary aim of this review is to discuss some important aspects related to a fundamental concept of land use choices with the perspective of resources and the environment in agriculture. A case study is also presented that implements some analytical tools in decision-making procedures of land use allocation, following a proposed scheme in land resource assessment. The proposed scheme and the case study presented here reveal that much effort should be put in making use of land attribute information (criteria) and analytical tools that can provide an aid in support of optimal spatial decision-making in future land use placements.
Review of life-cycle assessment research for the Australian grain industries.
Authors: Biswas W. , John M.
Published: November 2009

This paper seeks to review the existing, published life-cycle assessment (LCA) analyses of the grain supply chain in Australia that have identified 'hot spots' requiring environmental improvement. This article also discusses the application of cleaner production strategies for reducing life-cycle ecological footprints, and achieving further economic and environmental benefits in the grain supply chain. In conclusion, some recommendations are made to overcome some existing drawbacks for LCA grain research.
Adopting biological control for ornamental crops in greenhouses.
Authors: Marsh T. L. , Gallardo K.
Published: November 2009

This review addresses economic issues relating to the adoption of biological control methods by greenhouse growers who produce predominantly ornamental crops. Adoption of biological control for ornamental crops in greenhouses is interesting and unique, because the controlled greenhouse environment allows use of management strategies generally not feasible in traditional agricultural production and because aesthetic thresholds are important for ornamental markets. Selected literature is presented. The economic decision is outlined and important factors that impact adoption rates are identified and discussed.
Use of DSSAT to model cropping systems.
Authors: Sarkar R.
Published: November 2009

Crop simulation models have great significance in transferring new technologies to the farmers and decision-makers and Decision Support Systems for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) have been one of the most important of them. Ten years of endeavour in developing DSSAT by scientists of the International Benchmark Sites Network for Agrotechnology Transfer (IBSNAT) has turned DSSAT as a really useful tool for researchers and policy-makers for decision-making and to answer what - if questions related to a cropping system. Since its first release it has been customized and modified as a better suite of models to represent a system or simulate one or more crops with a system approach based on the soil and climate condition. Attachment of weather generators, genetic coefficients, GIS, databases and different decision support tools made DSSAT even more supportive to agriculturists for taking the right decision at the right time while keeping future scenario in mind. DSSAT have been widely used to simulate crop yield of a system under different management strategies, select management practices for optimum resource use and sustainable crop production with minimum malefic effect on environment, take right decision based on economic return of a system and alter management options based on weather changing. Although it has been extensively used in both developed and developing countries to increase food production and for nutrient and water management, it can still be exploited to solve many problems in this present age of information.
Sustainability of food, energy and environment with biofuels.
Authors: Khanna M. , Hochman G. , Rajagopal D. , Sexton S. , Zilberman D.
Published: November 2009

Growing reliance on food-based biofuels has created considerable controversy about their impact on food prices and the environment and led to scepticism about their sustainability. This review describes the concept of sustainability in the context of biofuels and then discusses the factors affecting the economic viability of current and next-generation biofuels and their environmental and social sustainability. Cellulosic biofuels from dedicated energy crops offer considerable promise for reducing the competition for land and avoiding many of the negative environmental impacts associated with corn-ethanol. But the production of any type of biofuel is likely to involve trade-offs among the multi-dimensional aspects of sustainability. Technological innovation and policy incentives are needed to develop more sustainable biofuels and to guide the mix of feedstocks, their methods and locations of production.
Progress in the development of tuberculosis vaccines for wildlife.
Authors: Buddle B. M. , Aldwell F. E. , Corner L. A. L.
Published: November 2009

Wildlife reservoirs of
Mycobacterium bovis
(bovine tuberculosis) serve as an important source of infection for domestic animals and impede attempts to eradicate the disease in many countries. In addition, wildlife reservoirs of bovine tuberculosis cause serious problems in game parks and hunting estates, where infection can spill over to iconic or endangered wildlife species. In the past decade, much progress has been accomplished towards designing vaccines aimed at wildlife species. Indeed, vaccination is emerging as a promising strategy for control of disease in wildlife, and
M. bovis
bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been tested in a range of wildlife species, with very encouraging results. A crucial development has been the formulation of an oral bait delivery system, which provides a practical and cost-effective means of delivering a tuberculosis vaccine to wildlife. Major progress has been made in the development of the experimental challenge models in wildlife species, bait technology and the effectiveness of the vaccines against experimental challenge as well as to natural exposure to
M. bovis
. The aim of this review is to indicate the role for vaccines in control of bovine tuberculosis in wildlife and to provide an update on the development of these vaccines.
Encapsulation technologies for functional foods and nutraceutical product development.
Authors: Kailasapathy K.
Published: November 2009

In the recent past, there has been significant interest in research and development of smart functional foods that maximize therapeutic health benefits to consumers. However, the food and nutraceutical industry is increasingly facing challenges in incorporating bioactive and health-promoting ingredients into food and nutraceuticals for sustained bioactivity without compromising their bioavailability and biofunctionality. Protection of bioactivity and controlled release of ingredients at the right location and at the right time is a key functionality that can be provided by encapsulation technologies. This review gives an overview of the recent trends in the various encapsulation techniques, application of encapsulation in the delivery of micronutrients and probiotic micro-organisms in the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals.
Digestibility of food allergens.
Authors: Velickovic T. C. , Radosavljevic J. , Stanic D.
Published: November 2009

Almost all known food allergens that sensitize via the gastrointestinal system belong to the prolamin and cupin protein superfamilies of allergens. These are mainly characterized by resistance to heat and digestion. Though appealing, the hypothesis that allergenicity is directly linked to stability to pepsin digestion remains controversial. Besides allergen structure, new data are emerging on the influence of various other factors on allergen survival and uptake by the gut immune system, some of them related to the properties of the food matrix, and others to the way we process food. Nevertheless, the accumulation of knowledge on all those various and complex interactions between food components and gut immune system will help us understand better food allergies and manufacture safer food.
A review of functional food: government, firms and consumers.
Authors: Puspa J. , Kühl R.
Published: November 2009

Recently, the functional food market has been confronted with some controversial dilemmas with respect to regulation; market convergence and consumer acceptance and psychological reaction towards it. Rigid regulation on health claims is not only designed to protect consumers from misleading and false marketing campaigns but it is also made to protect disruption of innovation. To develop and market a functional food, a firm needs to comply with this complex regulation and to manage its competencies and resources. Several pertinent competencies relevant for functional food market converge, including a selective measure of managing the firm's capabilities to adopt new technology and knowledge on the issues of consumer's dynamic behaviour, product development and commercialization of innovation. The main aim of this review is to provide insights into three key areas related to functional foods, i.e. regulation, problems encountered when developing a product and entering the functional food market and consumers' psychological set towards functional foods.
Evaporative lithographic patterning of binary colloidal films
Authors: Harris Daniel J. , Conrad Jacinta C. , Lewis Jennifer A.
Published: November 2009

Evaporative lithography offers a promising new route for patterning a broad array of soft materials. In this approach, a mask is placed above a drying film to create regions of free and hindered evaporation, which drive fluid convection and entrained particles to regions of highest evaporative flux. We show that binary colloidal films exhibit remarkable pattern formation when subjected to a periodic evaporative landscape during drying.
A non-local rheology for dense granular flows
Authors: Pouliquen Olivier , Forterre Yoel
Published: November 2009

A non-local theory is proposed to model dense granular flows. The idea is to describe the rearrangements occurring when a granular material is sheared as a self-activated process. A rearrangement at one position is triggered by the stress fluctuations induced by rearrangements elsewhere in the material. Within this framework, the constitutive law, which gives the relation between the shear rate and the stress distribution, is written as an integral over the entire flow. Taking into account the finite time of local rearrangements, the model is applicable from the quasi-static regime up to the inertial regime. We have checked the prediction of the model in two different configurations, namely granular flows down inclined planes and plane shear under gravity, and we show that many of the experimental observations are predicted within the self-activated model.
A complementary systems account of word learning: neural and behavioural evidence
Authors: Davis Matthew H. , Gaskell M. Gareth
Published: November 2009

In this paper we present a novel theory of the cognitive and neural processes by which adults learn new spoken words. This proposal builds on neurocomputational accounts of lexical processing and spoken word recognition and complementary learning systems (CLS) models of memory. We review evidence from behavioural studies of word learning that, consistent with the CLS account, show two stages of lexical acquisition: rapid initial familiarization followed by slow lexical consolidation. These stages map broadly onto two systems involved in different aspects of word learning: (i) rapid, initial acquisition supported by medial temporal and hippocampal learning, (ii) slower neocortical learning achieved by offline consolidation of previously acquired information. We review behavioural and neuroscientific evidence consistent with this account, including a meta-analysis of PET and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies that contrast responses to spoken words and pseudowords. From this meta-analysis we derive predictions for the location and direction of cortical response changes following familiarization with pseudowords. This allows us to assess evidence for learning-induced changes that convert pseudoword responses into real word responses. Results provide unique support for the CLS account since hippocampal responses change during initial learning, whereas cortical responses to pseudowords only become word-like if overnight consolidation follows initial learning.
Evolutionary conservation and adaptation in the mechanism that regulates SREBP action: what a long, strange tRIP it's been
Authors: Osborne Timothy F. , Espenshade Peter J.
Published: November 2009

Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) are a subfamily of basic helix–loop–helix leucine zipper (bHLH-LZ) transcription factors that are conserved from fungi to humans and are defined by two key features: a signature tyrosine residue in the DNA-binding domain, and a membrane-tethering domain that is a target for regulated proteolysis. Recent studies including genome-wide and model organism approaches indicate SREBPs coordinate cellular lipid metabolism with other cellular physiologic processes. These functions are broadly related as cellular adaptation to environmental changes ranging from nutrient fluctuations to toxin exposure. This review integrates classic features of the SREBP pathway with newer information regarding the regulation and sensing mechanisms that serve to assimilate different cellular physiologic processes for optimal function and growth.
A pH-responsive riboregulator
Authors: Nechooshtan Gal , Elgrably-Weiss Maya , Sheaffer Abigail , Westhof Eric , Altuvia Shoshy
Published: November 2009

The locus alx, which encodes a putative transporter, was discovered previously in a screen for genes induced under extreme alkaline conditions. Here we show that the RNA region preceding the alx ORF acts as a pH-responsive element, which, in response to high pH, leads to an increase in alx expression. Under normal growth conditions this RNA region forms a translationally inactive structure, but when exposed to high pH, a translationally active structure is formed to produce Alx. Formation of the active structure occurs while transcription is in progress under alkaline conditions and involves pausing of RNA polymerase at two distinct sites. Alkali increases the longevity of pausing at these sites and thereby interferes with formation of the inactive structure and promotes folding of the active one. The alx locus represents the first example of a pH-responsive riboregulator of gene expression, introducing a novel regulatory mechanism that involves RNA folding dynamics driven by pH.
Magnetic behaviour of synthetic Co2SiO4
Authors: Sazonov Andrew , Meven Martin , Hutanu Vladimir , Heger Gernot , Hansen Thomas , Gukasov Arsen
Published: November 2009

Synthetic Co2SiO4 crystallizes in the olivine structure (space group Pnma) with two crystallographically non-equivalent Co positions and shows antiferromagnetic ordering below 50 K. We have investigated the temperature variation of the Co2SiO4 magnetic structure by means of non-polarized and polarized neutron diffraction for single crystals. Measurements with non-polarized neutrons were made at 2.5 K (below T
N), whereas polarized neutron diffraction experiments were carried out at 70 and 150 K (above T
N) in an external magnetic field of 7 T parallel to the b axis. Additional accurate non-polarized powder diffraction studies were performed in a broad temperature range from 5 to 500 K with small temperature increments. Detailed symmetry analysis of the Co2SiO4 magnetic structure shows that it corresponds to the magnetic (Shubnikov) group Pnma, which allows the antiferromagnetic configuration (Gx
, Cy
, Az
) for the 4a site with inversion symmetry \bar{1} (Co1 position) and (0,Cy
,0) for the 4c site with mirror symmetry m (Co2 position). The temperature dependence of the Co1 and Co2 magnetic moments obtained from neutron diffraction experiments was fitted in a modified molecular-field model. The polarized neutron study of the magnetization induced by an applied field shows a non-negligible amount of magnetic moment on the oxygen positions, indicating a delocalization of the magnetic moment from Co towards neighbouring O owing to superexchange coupling. The relative strength of the exchange interactions is discussed based on the non-polarized and polarized neutron data.
Space groups P1 and Cc: how are they doing?
Authors: Marsh Richard E.
Published: November 2009

A survey of recent entries in the Cambridge Structural Database suggests that the percentage of structures described in space groups of inappropriately low symmetry has decreased from about 10% in the early 2000s to less than 5% today for space group Cc, but that for space group P1 it remains close to 8%.