“WaterMan”: an on-farm water management game with heuristic capabilities     

Mohammed Z. Shaban  Gary P. Merkley 《Irrigation Science》2016,34(6):483-499

A modern computer-based simulation tool (WaterMan) in the form of a game for on-farm water management was developed for application in training events for farmers, students, and irrigators. The WaterMan game utilizes an interactive framework, thereby allowing the user to develop scenarios and test alternatives in a convenient, risk-free environment. It includes a comprehensive soil water and salt balance calculation algorithm. It also employs heuristic capabilities for modeling all of the important aspects of on-farm water management, and to provide quantitative performance evaluations and practical water management advice to the trainees. Random events (both favorable and unfavorable) and different strategic decisions are included in the game for more realism and to provide an appropriate level of challenge according to player performance. Thus, the ability to anticipate the player skill level, and to reply with random events appropriate to the anticipated level, is provided by the heuristic capabilities used in the software. These heuristic features were developed based on a combination of two artificial intelligence approaches: (1) a pattern recognition approach and (2) reinforcement learning based on a Markov decision processes approach, specifically the Q-learning method. These two approaches were combined in a new way to account for the difference in the effect of actions taken by the player and action taken by the system in the game world. The reward function for the Q-learning method was modified to reflect the suggested classification of the WaterMan game as what is referred to as a partially competitive and partially cooperative game.  相似文献   

Retrospective study of clinical observations on insect hypersensitivity and response to immunotherapy in allergic dogs          下载免费PDF全文

Rothstein E  Miller WH  Scott DW  Mohammed HO 《The Canadian veterinary journal. La revue veterinaire canadienne》2001,42(5):361-363

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Plants as de-worming agents of livestock in the Nordic countries: historical perspective, popular beliefs and prospects for the future.     

PJ Waller  G Bernes  SM Thamsborg  A Sukura  SH Richter  K Ingebrigtsen  J H?glund 《Acta veterinaria Scandinavica》2001,42(1):31-44

Preparations derived from plants were the original therapeutic interventions used by man to control diseases (including parasites), both within humans and livestock. Development of herbal products depended upon local botanical flora with the result that different remedies tended to develop in different parts of the world. Nevertheless, in some instances, the same or related plants were used over wide geographic regions, which also was the result of communication and/or the importation of plant material of high repute. Thus, the Nordic countries have an ancient, rich and diverse history of plant derived anthelmintic medications for human and animal use. Although some of the more commonly used herbal de-wormers were derived from imported plants, or their products, many are from endemic plants or those that thrive in the Scandinavian environment. With the advent of the modern chemotherapeutic era, and the discovery, development and marketing of a seemingly unlimited variety of highly efficacious, safe synthetic chemicals with very wide spectra of activities, herbal remedies virtually disappeared from the consciousness--at least in the Western world. This attitude is now rapidly changing. There is a widespread resurgence in natural product medication, driven by major threats posed by multi-resistant pest, or disease, organisms and the diminishing public perceptions that synthetic chemicals are the panacea to health and disease control. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive account of the depth of historical Nordic information available on herbal de-wormers, with emphasis on livestock and to provide some insights on potentially rewarding areas of "re-discovery" and scientific evaluation in this field.  相似文献   

Tyrosine Ameliorates Some of the Clinical,Biochemical and Haematological Effects of Acute Stress Associated with Transportation of Desert Sheep     

Ali BH  Al-Qarawi AA  Mousa HM  Mohammed SM 《Veterinary research communications》2001,25(6):503-510

We studied some clinical, biochemical and haematological variables in Desert (Najdi) sheep acutely stressed in the course of individual road transportation, and the influence thereon of pretreatment with tyrosine. Transportation for 30 min resulted in variable but statistically insignificant increases in heart, pulse and respiratory rates. It also caused significant increases in the plasma concentration of cortisol (from 43.5 to 101.7 mmol/L) and glucose (from 3.1 to 4.5 mmol/L), and a decrease in that of magnesium (from 0.85 to 0.72 mmol/L). The endogenous thiocyanate level was unaffected. The transportation stress also decreased the haematocrit (PCV) and the number of lymphocytes, and increased the concentration of haemoglobin. Pretreatment of sheep with tyrosine at a dose of 100 mg/kg by the intravenous route significantly ameliorated the stress-induced clinical, biochemical and haematological changes. The treatment caused no overt adverse effects.  相似文献   

Are Endocrine Disrupting Compounds a Threat to Farm Animal Health,Welfare and Productivity?     

SM Rhind 《Reproduction in domestic animals》2005,40(4):282-290

Contents The sources and characteristics of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are reviewed and discussed with respect to their potential effects on farm animal health, welfare and productivity. The importance of certain properties of these compounds in relation to the expression of their biological effects is addressed together with potential routes of exposure. It is concluded that little is known of factors affecting the tissue concentrations of EDCs in farm animals, the concentrations that are required to perturb physiological function in these species, the effects of prolonged exposure to low doses, the effect of cocktails of EDCs and other pollutants or the responses of specific organs and physiological systems that are affected by EDCs. Much of the available information pertaining to EDCs is derived from epidemiological studies of wildlife species and from laboratory animal studies and while these studies have significant limitations, they are considered to be valuable indicators of potential effects in farm animal species. The results of such studies, together with the small amounts of data from studies of ruminants, indicate that there may be significant effects of exposure to environmental levels of EDCs on farm animal health, even although effects are not generally apparent in practice, at this time.  相似文献   

Concentrations of trace minerals in the spinal cord of horses with equine motor neuron disease     

Polack EW  King JM  Cummings JF  Mohammed HO  Birch M  Cronin T 《American journal of veterinary research》2000,61(6):609-611

OBJECTIVE: To compare concentrations of trace minerals in the spinal cord of horses with equine motor neuron disease (EMND) with those of horses without neurologic disease (control horses). ANIMALS: 24 horses with EMND and 22 control horses. PROCEDURE: Spinal cord trace mineral concentrations in horses with EMND and control horses were analyzed by use of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, zinc, aluminum, cobalt, and chromium), atomic absorption spectrophotometry (lead and cadmium), flameless atomic absorption (mercury), and fluorometry (selenium). RESULTS: Copper concentration was significantly higher in the spinal cord of horses with EMND, compared with control horses; spinal cord concentrations of all other trace minerals were similar between groups. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Among spinal cord trace minerals investigated in the study, only copper concentrations were significantly different between horses with EMND and horses without neurologic disease, which suggests that copper may be involved in the pathogenesis of EMND. An hypothesis of oxidative injury in this disease is supported by the finding of increased copper concentrations in the spinal cord and by low vitamin E concentrations reported by other researchers.  相似文献   

龙胆泻肝汤药理学与毒理学研究进展     

郜平光  Mohammed Kouadir  王志刚  李青  许小琴 《中兽医医药杂志》2007,26(6):30-32

龙胆泻肝汤为中医经典名方,源于清代汪昂《医方集解》,由龙胆草、黄芩、栀子、柴胡、当归、生地黄、木通、车前子、泽泻、甘草10味组成[1]。由于其疗效显著,在临床上被广泛应用。近年来对其药理学、毒理学进行了广泛研究,取得了可喜成绩。1药理学研究1.1中兽医药理论龙胆泻肝汤是以“凉肝猛将”大苦大寒的龙胆草为君,上清肝胆实火,下利三焦湿热,泻火除湿两擅其功;臣以黄芩、栀子泻火;泽泻、木通、车前子除湿,使邪出有路;佐以生地、当归养血益阴,使祛邪不伤正,燥湿不伤阴,并用柴胡疏畅肝胆。综观全方,泻中有补,利中有滋,降中寓升,祛邪不伤正,…  相似文献   

银合欢落叶层对苗圃生长的森林一农田作物的他感作用(英文)     

Romel Ahmed  A. T. M. Rafiqul Hoque  Mohammed Kamal Hossain 《林业研究》2008,19(4)

利用随机区组试验评估了孟加拉国吉大港大学苗圃内的银合欢落叶对森林作物种白格、黄金檀和农田作物种长豇豆、鹰嘴豆和木豆的他感作用。结果表明,凋落叶诱导抑制作物的萌发和生长,该抑制作用依赖于萃取物浓度、凋落物及受体物种类型。萃取物浓度越高则他感作用越强。受体植物的生长响应随应用的凋落叶而变化。低浓度(10g·m-2)凋落叶对农田作物嫩芽生长有促进作用,而其他浓度的凋落叶则呈现明显的抑制作用,施用的凋落叶浓度越大抑制作用也越大。但是不同处理所表现出的抑制趋势并不均一,根系生长受到的影响大于嫩芽。图3表4参34。  相似文献   

Prevalence ofSarcocystis in food animals in the Sudan     

Hussein S. Hussein  Mohammed Warrag 《Tropical animal health and production》1985,17(2):100-101

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The acute phase reaction detected in dogs by concanavalin A binding     

P. D. Eckersall  M. Sullivan  D. Kirkham  N. A. Mohammed 《Veterinary research communications》1985,9(1):233-238

Using a kinetic turbidimetric assay based on the binding of serum glycoprotein to concanavalin A the acute phase reaction has been detected in dogs. Raised levels of glycoprotein were found in dogs which had undergone surgery, had been treated with bacterial endotoxin and had various inflammatory conditions.  相似文献