Cut Height Research Articles

Establishment and persistence of zoysiagrass–tall fescue mixtures

AbstractZoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.) is adapted to the transition zone but some end‐users find it undesirable because of the dormancy color. The objective of this study was to evaluate mowing height and tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus Schreb) seeding strategy and rate for the establishment and persistence of a mixed stand with seeded zoysiagrass. Separate identical experiments were done in Manhattan, KS, and Olathe, KS. ‘Compadre’ zoysiagrass was seeded in all plots at 1 lb pure live seed (PLS) 1,000 ft–2 in June 2015. ‘Corona’ tall fescue was seeded in subplots at 2, 4, or 8 lb PLS 1,000 ft–2 either in June 2015 with the zoysiagrass seed or in September 2015 into established zoysiagrass. The percentage green coverage (PGC) was up to 18% higher when tall fescue was seeded into established zoysiagrass than when seeded with zoyiagrass. Seeding tall fescue at 8 lb PLS 1,000 ft–2 resulted in up to 10% more PGC than 2 lb PLS 1,000 ft–2, primarily within the first 2 years after planting. A polystand mixture of seeded zoysiagrass and tall fescue was most successfully established by seeding tall fescue at 8 lb PLS 1,000 ft–2 into established zoysiagrass mown at a 0.75‐inch cut height. The mixture enhanced PGC of the turf during zoysiagrass dormancy for 3 years.

Improving the reliability and service life of the pneumatic distributor for distributing feed to cages

In this paper, we consider effective delivery of feed to fish cages. The rotary feeders design analysis is performed. Their disadvantages are analyzed. Possible ways to improve reliability are identified: rotor balancing, elimination of moving parts in design. The design of the feeder without moving parts is proposed, which provides the required parameters of feed distribution in cages and at the same time has high reliability and almost unlimited service life. To justify the design parameters of the feeder, we developed design factors that affect the feed distribution process (height of the pipe cut, height of the cone position, radius of curvature of the generatrix), and an integral criterion for evaluating the quality of feed distribution. The integral criterion includes an assessment of the effective area of feed distribution in the cage and its uniformity. A numerical multifactor study was performed and the optimal values of design factors were determined with the maximum value of the integral criterion that determines the efficiency of the feed distribution process. Based on the results of processing the obtained data, the high quality of feed distribution in cages and the prospects of the proposed design of the feeder as a whole were determined.

GPR research on damaged road pavements built in cut and fill sections

We present the GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) results dealing with flexible road pavements located on cut and fill sections. The aim is to evaluate the road damage (particularly the ramified cracks) taking into consideration also the cut and fill sections height and the traffic load. GPR evaluation was carried out on 14 sites selected in the secondary non-urban road network of L’Aquila, a medium-size urban area of Central Italy. Stress induced by traffic load generally affects a road section thickness of about 1.5 m. A monostatic 1600 MHz GPR antenna was used because it is quite high-resolution when inspecting road damage. GPR acquisition was carried out in damaged and adjoining undamaged road sites, to compare GPR data of the two areas. GPR data analysis was based on the sweep-rectified power approach to evaluate the radar signal attenuation curve vs. depth, which permitted to single out different road types of damage and to discuss the factors which caused them.

Variaciones analizadas de la producción de huizache (Acacia farnesiana) en una población nativa versus una plantación urbana de la región centro sur de Chihuahua

La investigación se realizó en una población nativa de huizache de Naica, Saucillo y una plantación urbana de Delicias, Chihuahua. En el ecosistema nativo se realizó un estudio exploratorio con tres tratamientos (10%, 15%, 20%) de una hormona y un testigo, para determinar la altura de aplicación del fuste principal que fue desde 50 cm y la distancia de corte de las ramas secundarias desde su bifurcación que fue de 15 cm. La longitud de corte fue de 2.5 cm y la profundidad de 0.5 cm. Se observó que las plantas no manifestaron signos externos en el follaje y en la producción de flores y vainas en el ciclo siguiente. Se realizó como segunda fase, un experimento de bloques completamente al azar con los tres tratamientos de la hormona vegetal con seis repeticiones. Los resultados promedio por tratamiento indicaron que el 20% fue el mejor tratamiento con 170.97 gr. de goma durante dos meses. En la plantación urbana de una hectárea de huizache, se aplicó el mismo diseño experimental evaluando los mismos tratamientos. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que el mejor tratamiento en promedio fue el de 10% con 374.14 gr. de goma durante tres meses.

MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF THE MECHANISM POST-TRAILED KPP-4.2

Maintaining the required cut height minimizes losses and ensures continuous shoe contact with the surface. Thus the excessive pressure of the shoe destroys the stubble and leads to its accelerated wear, and insufficient pressure is accompanied by increased losses and provokes the galloping of the header. An analytical solution to the problem of modeling the mechanism of the KPP-4.2 hanging is an iterative execution of the analysis procedures based on the formed hypothesis, as well as the procedures of comparison and selection of options in the procedure of parametric synthesis. It is a choice of a combination of internal parameters of the flattening device, which, while satisfying the functional limitations, simultaneously stabilize the whole mechanism. A study and analysis of the hanging mechanism of a mower-conditioner trailed KPP-4.2 using methods of theoretical mechanics, differential and integral calculus, probability theory, mathematical modeling and computer software. A geometric model has been created for calculating and optimizing the operation of the hanging mechanism. The MVA KPP-4.2 output parameters were calculated for three different cut heights.

Експериментальне дослідження статистичного розподілу висоти виступання головок коренеплодів буряків над поверхнею ґрунту

The purpose. Reduction of losses of sugarcane mass and amount of residues of the hives after carrying out a continuous copyless cut of the hives from the heads of the root crops of sugar beets on the root by experimental justification of the statistical distribution of the height of the projection of the heads of the roots above the soil surface and the height of the cut. Methods. The researches were carried out using the methods of conducting field experimental researches and statistical processing of the obtained results on PC. Results. Experimental studies and operational tests of the latest models of beet harvesters in Europe and America, the results of which are covered in many scientific papers by domestic and foreign scientists, indicate a significant loss of sugar mass in the process of sugar beet harvesting. Moreover, the main source of these losses is the unsatisfactory pruning of the root heads on the root. Therefore, there is a need for scientific research to substantiate the necessary engineering solutions that will reduce the loss of sugar mass and the presence of residues of hives on the heads of roots. The result of the studies of this work is an experimental confirmation of the hypothesis about the normal height distribution of the heads of the roots above the soil surface. Conclusions. The statistical parameters of the specified normal distribution were determined: mathematical expectation m = 40...60 mm, standard deviation m = 20...30 mm. The laboratory facility for conducting experiments and the field studies conducted with its help have created sufficient prerequisites for the development of a new system for automatic control of the cutting height of the heads of root crops on modern beet harvesters, which will ensure minimal losses of sugarcane mass.

Interference of speed at cutting height and damage to rootstock in mechanical harvesting of sugarcane

In the mechanized harvest, the quality of the basal cut becomes one of the most important factors because it is associated with sprouting of the cane field. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of speed at cutting height and damage to the rootstock in function of mechanized harvesting of sugarcane. The variety used was CTC 15, with an average yield of 92.5 t ha-1. The mechanized harvest was conducted without previous burning of the cane field, in an area with a slope of 6% and a spacing of 1.5 meters between rows of planting. Three speeds were selected for movement of the harvester: V1: 3.0, V2: 5.0 and V3: 7.0 km h-1, performed with four replications. The evaluation of the quality of the mechanized harvest in relation to the basal cut was determined with the evaluation of the remaining stumps and the damages caused to rootstocks after the passage of the harvester. The height of cut was measured with a tape measure. For the damages to rootstocks, the chi-square test was applied. The cut height measurements were submitted to ANOVA and the averages were analyzed by Tukey test at 5% probability. The results showed that increase in speed during the operation of mechanized harvesting of sugarcane increased the average height of cut in evaluated treatments, as well as the damages to rootstocks which was higher according to the increase in the speed of the harvester. The increase in the speed of displacement of the sugarcane harvester influenced the height of the cut and the damage to the rootstock.

The Method of Calculating Cut Length for Flail and Double Chop Forage Harvesters

Introduction. Many studies show that the chopped feed quality depends on the plants chopping quality. The quality of plant chopping, provided by a forage harvester, is defined by particle length distribution. It is important to find the theoretical basis of grass chopping regimes for making haylage and other kinds of feeds. The purpose of this study is to develop an algorithm and techniques to assess the quality of plant chopping based on mathematical models of chopping with the flail and double chop forage harvesters. Materials and Methods. Mathematical models of a flail type unit and double chop unit were presented and used to develop the algorithms and method of calculating the cut length distribution. Results. The algorithms and computation methods of cut length distribution were presented for a flail type unit and a double chop unit. The effect of the plant height, the height of cut, feed and the average length of cut on the mass fraction of particles within the specified ranges of lengths were investigated. Discussion and Conclusion. A flail forage harvester is not able to harvest the grass crops for making haylage with 45–75 % forage particles, the length of which is in the range from 8 mm to 19 mm. A double chop forage harvester allows harvesting the grass crops for making haylage only when auger angular velocity and/or flywheel or cylinder drum angular velocity is regulated. A double chop device can be used to chop plants for preparation of various forages if auger angular velocity and/or flywheel or cylinder drum’s angular velocity is regulated.

Ecology and management of earthworm casting on sports turf.

Earthworm activity is beneficial in most natural and agricultural systems, but excessive earthworm casting is a problem on sports fields worldwide. Expulsion of soil-rich earthworm fecal matter, or casts, as mounds of soil on the turf canopy can muddy the surface, reduce photosynthesis, and lead to thinning, weed invasion and surface softening. Casts affect ball roll on sports fields, cause fouling of maintenance equipment, and dull mower blades. Build-up of cast material on reel mower units can affect height and quality of cut. Casting activity is dependent on environmental conditions such as soil texture, temperature, moisture, pH, and organic matter. Response to environmental conditions varies by species. Management options are limited, because no pesticides are specifically labeled for earthworm control at this time, and cultural control methods such as soil modification, turfgrass clipping removal, and sand topdressing have limited and inconsistent efficacy. Products containing plant-derived saponins and irritants show promise for earthworm management. Pest management practices to mitigate excessive earthworm casting will likely need to be species-specific, but limited knowledge of earthworm identification by end-users further inhibits the efficacy of control measures. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Short osteotomy use in orthognathic surgery:benefit, disadvantage and perspective

The short osteotomy was first reported by Blair in 1907 and was later described and characterized by Kater and Paulus in 2013. The technique involves an oblique supra-lingular osteotomy from internal to external, from top to bottom and from back to front. It is designed to divide the ramus into two segments, the joint and the mandibular body, and to ensure minimal valve equivalents. Both osseous valves were maintained in contact by obtaining surface contact proportional to the angle of the osteotomy. We present a series of 82patients to demonstrate the benefits of this technique in terms of stability and conservation of sensitivity. 82patients were included, of which 74 (90%) described normal sensitivity and 8 (10%) reported modified sensitivity two years post-surgery. On account of the nature and height of the short osteotomy cut, it is possible to avoid direct manipulation of the lower alveolar nerve. The postoperative sensitivity level is identical to the pre-operative level in more than 90% of cases. In good indications, this technique could be used preferentially to optimize postoperative nerve recovery. We also discuss the current limitations of this orthognathic surgery procedure, as well as the perspectives linked to the development of 3D printing and preoperative planning.

Study on the Parameters of Roadside Support after the Cantilever Beam of the Basic Roof with Height of Fracture Zone Cut by Deep-Hole Blasting

In order to determine the reasonable parameters of roadside support, based on the analysis of the law of surrounding rock activity in gob-side retaining roadway, it is proposed that the relationship between different parameters of roadside support wall and its supporting resistance is calculated and analyzed by using the improved mechanical model after deep-hole blasting roof cutting and improving the external mechanical environment of surrounding rock then. The mechanical equation for calculating the width and strength of supporting wall near roadway is derived. The analytical solution of width and strength value of roadside support under roof cutting condition is obtained, and field application is carried out in 3207 working face of Nanyang Coal Mine. The results show that it is feasible to set the height of the upper-side fissure zone of the goaf beside the roadway as the height of the cutting roof; it is reasonable to calculate the height of the cut roof as the height of the static block; the formula of the width with a certain strength of the roadway support wall obtained in this paper and the redundant safety factor of the parameters of the roadway support wall tried to be adopted are effective. Finally, after improving the external mechanical environment of retained roadway surrounding rock, reasonable parameters of roadside support are the guarantee to ensure the stability and integrity of retained roadway structure along goaf.

APLIKASI RHIZOBAKTERI PEMACU TUMBUH (RPT) DARI AKAR TITONIA (Tithonia diversifolia) TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN STEK MELATI (Jasminum officinale) PADA ULTISOL

Jasmine plant is a horticultural crop that has promising prospect to be developed in trading. The development of jasmine cultivation is determined by the quality of seedling that can be produced rapidly for planting in the field. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of application of Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) from titonia root (Tithonia diversifolia) in increasing the growth of jasmine cuttings (Jasminum officinale). This experiment used Completely Randomized Design (RAL) which consists of 7 treatments with 5 replications. The treatments were: A (control), B (Growtone), C (Growtone + 1 ml PGPR), D (Growtone + 2 ml PGPR), E (Growtone + 4 ml PGPR) , F (Growtone + 6 ml PGPR) and G (Growtone + 8 ml PGPR). Data obtained were analyzed statistically with F test at 5% level. The results showed that the application of PGPR can increase the growth of jasmine cuttings. However, the increase in PGPR dose did not have a significant effect on the increase of leaf number, branch number and height of jasmine cuttings. The highest number of leaves, branch and plant height at two months seedling age were found in treatment (C) 1 ml PGPR with 48.60 leaves, 5.80 branch and 22.90 cm plant height that significantly different from other treatments,. Treatment (D) 2 ml PGPR application increased the population of P solubilizing bacteria in rhizosphere from 2.59x104 cfu/g of soil at control to 5.05x105 cfu/g soil and fixing bacteria N (Azospirillium) 3x104 cfu/g soil to 1.41x105 cfu/g soil and Azotobacter to 1.2x 103 cfu/g soil.Key words : Jasmine, PGPR, cuttings, Ultisol

Arthritic Patterns of Subchondral Cysts in Patients Evaluated for End-stage Ankle Arthritis

Category: Ankle Arthritis Introduction/Purpose: Most current total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) designs attempt minimal bone resection and depend on bone ingrowth for long term survival. The arthritic process may cause subchondral bone cysts (SBCs), which could influence the available bone stock of the already limited distal tibia and talus. The prevalence or pattern of SBC formation in ankle arthritis has not been described. Furthermore, the ability of standard radiographs identifying and quantifying SBC formation is unknown. The purpose of our study is to define the prevalence and patterns of periarticular SBCs in the arthritic ankle and determine the efficacy of radiographs to identify SBCs. We hypothesized that the prevalence of SBCs is greater than determined from radiographs and that SBCs often extend beyond standard cuts for some TAA implants. Methods: We identified patients who presented with end-stage ankle arthritis and had pre-operative weight bearing x-rays and CT or MRI. Demographic data was obtained for each patient. Radiographs were reviewed to determine coronal plane deformity (varus/valgus), as well as the qualitative and quantitative presence of SBCs. The tibia and talus were divided into 6 zones: 1) antero-medial, 2) antero-lateral, 3) centro-medial, 4) centro-lateral, 5) postero-medial, and 6) postero-lateral. The same zones were used when evaluating CT or MRI. SBCs were measured to determine volume. The evaluation of all x-rays and CT/MRI’s was performed independently by three foot and ankle trained orthopaedic surgeons. We determined SBCs that extended >5 mm from the subchondral bone to be significant. We defined diffuse SBCs to be present in three or more zones in either the tibia or talus. Intra and inter-observer reliability was determined. Results: Ninety-five patients were included in our study. The average age was 69.3 years and 69% were male. Definitive treatment included 69 (73%) TAA and 26 (27%) ankle fusions. Neutral alignment occurred in 12%, congruent varus 15% and valgus 0%, and incongruent varus 54% and valgus 19%. Radiographs identified SBCs in 46% of patients and CT/MRI identified SBCs in 92% (p < 0.05). Cysts were present in the distal tibia 26% anterolateral, 17% anteromedial, 17% centrolateral, 17% posterolateral, 15% centromedial, and 9% posteromedial. Cysts were present in the talus 26% centromedial, 19% centrolateral, 19% posterolateral, 14% anterolateral, 12% anteromedial, and 10% posteromedial. 38% of the patients had diffuse SBCs. 52% of the cysts extended beyond 5 mm on either the distal tibia or talar dome. Conclusion: Our study suggests that SBCs are common in end stage ankle arthritis and may be diffuse and extend beyond standard cuts for TAA. Poor residual bone stock could compromise implant longevity and may explain early failures. Radiographs and coronal plane deformity are poor predictors for identifying extent, size, and location of SBCs. The authors recommend CT scans for all patients considered for TAA for preoperative planning for bone grafting, altering bone cut height, implant selection, or determining if the bone stock is suitable for TAA. Further study is needed to determine adequate bone stock for TAA.

Accuracy of tibial cuts with patient-specific instrumentation is not influenced by the surgeon's level of experience.

It was hypothesized that surgeon's experience as well as bone density play a significant role in achieving accurate cuts with patient-specific instrumentation (PSI). The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of the tibial cuts in different bone densities made by a highly experienced orthopedic surgeon on one hand and a less experienced orthopedic surgeon on the other. Tibial models from three different sawbone densities were developed for this study. Each surgeon performed 21 cuts. A coordinate measuring machine was used to analyse the cuts. The K-Cohen test was performed to evaluate the results. The analyzed parameters were guide positioning and deviation from the guide cut to the tibial cut, including varus/valgus angle, the tibial slope, cut height, planarity (mm2), and rugosity (mm). There was a significant difference in the positioning of the tibial cut guide between the two surgeons for the tibial slope (p < 0.05), while no difference was observed for the varus/valgus angle (n.s.) and the cut height (n.s.). No significant difference in the tibial cut was observed between the surgeons for the tibial slope angle (n.s.), varus/valgus angle (n.s.), planarity (n.s.), and rugosity (n.s.). In the different bone types, no significant difference was observed for the tibial slope (n.s.) and varus/valgus angle (n.s.), while planarity and rugosity showed significant differences (p < 0.05). Our study showed no significant difference in the tibial cuts for the tibial slope, varus/valgus angle, planarity, and rugosity between the two surgeons. In the present study, it could be demonstrated that accuracy of the cuts is ensured by PSI not depending on the surgeon's experience and the bone mineral density. This speaks to its clinical significance: PSI might be suited for less experienced surgeons to reduce outliers in total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Design and Construction of Mowing Track for Turfgrass Experimentation in Greenhouses

Core Ideas Common hand‐mowing methods can consume large amounts of time in turfgrass greenhouse experiments.There is minimal publication on greenhouse mowing apparatuses for turfgrass research.Utilizing a mowing track can save time and labor compared to greenhouse hand‐mowing methods.A mowing track provides a more uniform height of cut compared to other greenhouse mowing methods. Common hand‐mowing methods require large amounts of time and may not provide a uniform height of cut in turfgrass greenhouse experiments. Greenhouse mowing apparatuses are not uncommon in turfgrass research; however, there is little literature on apparatus specifications. Therefore, a simplified mowing track for turfgrass greenhouse experimentation was designed, built, and tested. An experiment was conducted to examine the differences in mowing time required and mowing uniformity among four greenhouse mowing methods. The amount of time required to set up and mow ranged from 0.74 to 1.18 min m−2 for the mowing track, 6.44 to 6.70 min m−2 with hand shears, 6.82 to 7.49 min m−2 with hedge shears, and 2.95 to 3.37 min m−2 with sheep shears. The mowing track resulted in less variation in height of cut compared to the other tested methods. Overall, a mowing track can save time, labor, and provide a more uniform height of cut compared with other greenhouse mowing methods.

175 The Effects of Cut Height and Fungicide Application on Whole Plant Corn Silage Yield.

175 The Effects of Cut Height and Fungicide Application on Whole Plant Corn Silage Yield.

Signed Differential Co‐Expression Network Analysis Suggests Differential Regulation of SP/KLF Family of Transcription Factors in Dilated Cardiomyopathy

INTRODUCTIONCo‐expression analyses utilize correlation to identify co‐regulated gene groups. Differential co‐expression (DC) networks asses the differential co‐regulation of genes across conditions. Differences in properties of networks with unsigned and signed (with a sign on the magnitude) edges have been previously documented (e.g. in social networks). However, research in biological DC networks, have rarely focused on the influence of signed edges prior to network clustering and their biological interpretation. To address this, we developed an approach to DC network analysis from signed, weighted co‐expression data and apply it to understand dilated cardiomyopathy.METHODSA signed scalar matrix of difference (δ) was first calculated using absolute Fisher r to z‐scores of correlations from each condition (1 and 2). Taking a difference in absolutes allowed us to capture the change in magnitudes of correlations between conditions 1 and 2. For e.g., positive δ indicated higher magnitudes of correlation in condition 1. Adjacency matrix was then calculated from δ and hierarchically clustered. Cut height was dynamically determined to identify differentially co‐expressed modules (M). We defined signed node connectivity to measure “hubness” of a gene as conn+ (u)‐ conn− (u); where, conn+/− (u) is the sum of all +/− edge weights incident at node u from all nodes in M respectively.RESULTSWe used the above approach to understand mechanisms underlying ischemic (ICM) and idiopathic dilated (IDCM) cardiomyopathy‐ two progressive, largely irreversible complex heart diseases. We obtained publicly available cardiac muscle expression data (from Gene Expression Omnibus), for ICM and IDCM. Using our approach on a list of 4363 genes across 166 ICM and 149 IDCM samples, we identified 11/28 modules as significantly differentially co‐expressed (p&lt;0.05, via permutation testing). Functional analysis corresponded well with current understanding of aberrant processes underlying dilated cardiomyopathy (Tbl. 1). Interestingly, all 11 modules were significantly associated with protein‐protein interactions (p&lt;0.05, extracted from STRING database) (Tbl. 1). 152 hub genes were identified in the 11 significant modules with 100/152 in top 5 modules (identified via module ranking metrics). Topological assessment of 100 hubs exhibited strong associations with known markers of ICM and IDCM, such as BMP6, ACVRL1, VCAM1 and IRS2. Hubs were also enriched for variants in cis‐eQTL within heart left ventricle (p&lt;0.05, from the GTeX consortium's cis‐eQTL data within the heart left ventricle) (Tbl. 2). SP/KLF family of transcriptional factors and its targets (Fig. 2) were over‐represented in significantly differentially co‐regulated modules, suggesting their differential role in ICM and IDCM.CONCLUSIONWe provide a scalable and unsupervised approach to identifying signed DC from two condition studies. Our results not only corroborate the extant knowledge on dilated cardiomyopathy but provide novel insights for further scientific research in identifying mechanistic differences between ICM and IDCM.Support or Funding InformationSupported by NIH Grants R01 HL108735, R01 HL106579, U01 CA200147, U01 CA198941, and NSF Grant CCF‐0939370.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Productivity of forage cultivars in Northeast of Brazil

With the objective of evaluating and selecting adapted forage for wild ecosystem, we evaluated 04 cultivars of the species Panicum maximum (Mombaça, Milenio, Tanzania and Massai) and 03 cultivars of Urochloa brizantha (Xaraés, Marandu and Piatã). The experiments were conducted at the Federal University of Alagoas / Campus Arapiraca in a completely randomized design with three replications in plots of 4.0 m². The cultivars of U. brizantha was sown in the field to haul experimental and when the plants reached about 30 cm to 15 cm were collected. Cultivars of the species P. maximum were germinated in trays containing commercial substratum and were later transplanted into the experimental area and were taken according to the height of each cultivar as follows: Milenio cultivars and Mombasa were cut to a height of 90 cm and 15 residual cm, to cultivate Tanzania was cut to 70 cm high and 30 cm residue and cultivate Massai was cut 50 cm in height and 20 cm residue. After cutting the plants were separated into blade, stem and dead material after drying and were evaluated to produce total dry mass, dry mass of leaf, stem and dead material. Production assessments for a square of 0,25 m2 was allocated randomly to the plots when the plants reached the height of cut. Immediately after the cuts the plants were weighed and separated into blade, stem and dead material, then the botanical components were dried in a forced air oven at 55 ° C until constant weight. From the results, we estimated the productivity. To bromatological assessments, were held in Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectrocospy (NIRS) in Animal Nutrition Laboratory at Embrapa Beef Cattle. The results indicate that cultivars Marandu and Xaraés (U. brizantha) and Tanzania (P. maximum) are those of greater productivity in the ecosystem Agreste.

Computed Tomography- and Radiography-Based Morphometric Analysis of the Lateral Mass of the Subaxial Cervical Spine in the Indian Population.

Study DesignThis was a double-blinded cross-sectional study, which obtained no financial support for the research.PurposeTo obtain a detailed morphometry of the lateral mass of the subaxial cervical spine.Overview of LiteratureThe literature offers little data on the dimensions of the lateral mass of the subaxial cervical spine.MethodsWe assessed axial, sagittal, and coronal computed tomography (CT) cuts and anteroposterior and lateral X-rays of the lateral mass of the subaxial cervical spine of 104 patients (2,080 lateral masses) who presented to a tertiary care public hospital (King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai) in a metropolitan city in India.ResultsFor a majority of the parameters, males and females significantly differed at all levels (p<0.05). Females consistently required higher (p<0.05) minimum lateral angulation and lateral angulation. While the minimum lateral angulation followed the order of C5<C4<C6<C3, the lateral angulation followed the order of C3<C5<C4<C6. The lateral mass becomes longer and narrower from C3 to C7. In axial cuts, the dimensions increased from C3 to C6. The sagittal cut thickness and diagonal length increased and the sagittal cut height decreased from C3 to C7. The sagittal cut height was consistently lower in the Indian population at all levels, especially at the C7 level, as compared with the Western population, thereby questioning the acceptance of a 3.5-mm lateral mass screw. A good correlation exists between X-ray- and CT-based assessments of the lateral mass.ConclusionsLarger lateral angulation is required for Indian patients, especially females. The screw length can be effectively calculated by analyzing the lateral X-ray. A CT scan should be reserved for specific indications, and a caution must be exercised while inserting C7 lateral mass screws.

Color, Transfer, and Application Parameters of Turfgrass Colorants

Core Ideas Turf colorants can be used as an alternative to winter overseeding, therefore saving turf managers resources.Multidimensional scaling analysis can be used to separate turf colorants into groups, allowing turf managers to better select products based on color parameters.Turf colorant transfer varies greatly among products and can result in severe staining. Turfgrass colorants are primarily used as an alternative to winter overseeding. Information on colorants is limited in the scientific literature. The primary objective of this field study was to evaluate the effect turfgrass colorants had on color parameters (colorant intensity, color, and hue angle) of dormant bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.). Secondary objectives were to examine colorant transfer (wipe off) from the turfgrass surface to an absorbent material and to measure product viscosities. Twenty‐five colorants were applied at two spray volumes (75 and 112 mL m–2) on dormant bermudagrass at two heights of cut (0.3 and 1.5 cm). Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis were used to separate colorants based on measured color parameters. Group 1 colorants maintained colorant intensity the longest, but colorant color was reduced at application due to the appearance of bright blue (e.g., Munsell 5BG/6/6) and bright green (e.g., Munsell 7.5GY/7/10) colors. Group 2 colorants provided the darkest green (e.g., Munsell 5GY/4/4) color, while Group 3 colorants provided minimal color change of dormant turfgrass. Among the Group 2 colorants, Green Lawnger, Lesco Green, Ultradwarf Super, Southwest Green, and Endurant provided a natural green color. Measurements of colorant transfer showed that Blue, Regreen, SprayMax, Green Dye Turf, Titan Green Turf, Solarogen, and Endurant have the highest propensity to disassociate from treated turfgrass. The use of multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis provided new information regarding a number of turf colorants. Grouping products by measured parameters indicated that products within Group 2 provided superior performance.