Selenium (Se) is an essential element for humans and animals, which occurs ubiquitously in the environment. It is present in trace amounts in both organic and inorganic forms in marine and freshwater systems, soils, biomass and in the atmosphere. Low Se levels in certain terrestrial environments have resulted in Se deficiency in humans, while elevated Se levels in waters and soils can be toxic ...

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are progressive neurodegenerative diseases and include bovine spongiform encephalopathy of cattle, chronic wasting disease (CWD) of deer and elk, scrapie in sheep and goats, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. An abnormally folded form of the prion protein (designated PrP(TSE)) is typically associated with TSE infectivity and may constitute ...

Globally, plant-derivatives especially cereals and legumes are the major staple food sources for animals. The seeds of these crops comprise of phytic acid, the major repository form of the phosphorus, which is not digestible by simple-stomached animals. However, it is the most important factor responsible for impeding the absorption of minerals by plants that eventually results in less use of f...

cadmium (cd) concentration in soil solution and its bioavailability is controlled by sorption-desorption reactions. the objective of this research was to compare cd adsorption behavior in six calcareous and four acid soils. soil samples were equilibrated with 0.01 m ca(no3)2 containing 25 to 3200 mg cd l−1. results showed that the tendency for adsorption was high at low cd concentrations (0-400...

Mulches bring several benefits to lettuce cultivation.A study on the lettuce ‘Red Rapids’ has been conducted to determine the influence of the different colored plastic mulch on its growth. The experiment consisted of five color treatments as follows; treatment 1- metallic silver (control), treatment 2- red, treatment 3- orange, treatment 4- yellow and treatment 5-green. Results showed that the...

The last several decades have seen dramatic increases in ungulate populations worldwide, and whitetailed deer in the eastern United States currently exist at unprecedented densities in many areas. Numerous studies have demonstrated the effects of high densities of white-tailed deer on forest communities. However, few studies have simultaneously examined the effects of deer on multiple component...

This paper offers a new theory of destructive competition. We compare minimum resale price maintenance (RPM) to retail market clearing in a model with a monopolistic manufacturer selling to competitive retailers. In both the RPM and Flexible-Pricing Games, retailers must order inventories before the realization of demand uncertainty. We find that manufacturer profits and equilibrium inventories...

The improvement of New Zealands pastures over the last ISO years has increased the nutrient status of the soil as a result of the application of fertiliser, an increased soil organic matter content and increased biological activity. The grazing animal has also influenced the nutrient status of the soil by increasing the rate at which nutrients cycle between the soil, plants and animals. However...