Monitoring the Immune Status of Broilers Against Reoviruses Using Challenge and Serologic Data

Reoviruses are an important cause of suboptimum performance in commercial broilers worldwide. Integrators use the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against the S1133 antigen for monitoring serum of breeders for indicating pullet vaccine success. However, without correlating serology to reovirus challenge, it is difficult to determine whether titers reflect protective immunity. We developed a broiler challenge test against 2 common reovirus isolates (2408 and S1133) to evaluate the efficacy of reovirus pullet vaccine programs. Two reovirus serologic and challenge studies were undertaken using chicks from broiler integrators from the southeastern United States. Breeder flocks, from which the chicks were obtained, received at least 1 live and 2 inactivated reovirus vaccines during their pullet phase. One-day-old progeny were collected from 6 breeder flocks. At 1 d of age, 20 chicks from each broiler flock were bled, and serum was analyzed for antibodies. At 3 to 4 d of age, 20 progeny per flock were challenged with the 2408 reovirus by intratracheal route. At 10 to 14 d of age, another 20 birds per flock were challenged with the S1133 reovirus by footpad. Twenty birds per flock were used as nonchallenged controls. At 3 wk of age, all birds were killed and weighed. Percentage of protection was calculated for each flock based on the absence of gross lesions. Flocks with at least 50% protection were considered well protected. Most flocks were well protected against both viruses. The percentage of protection correlated with day-old enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay titers. Chicks from younger hens had higher titers and the best protection against challenge. Producers, whose hen flocks were monitored herein, were doing a good job of immunizing pullets against reovirus. They are now using reovirus progeny challenge studies along with breeder antibody titers to determine vaccination success of their pullets.     

黑龙江省兴凯湖保护区的基本特点及其有效管理

兴凯湖保护区是我国东北穆棱一三江平原湿地最具代表性、保存最好、面积最大的区域，而且与俄罗斯接壤，可以说是湿地生物多样性保护的一个热点区域。在当前提倡对湿地、淡水水域和海域加大保护力度的关键时刻，集中相应的人力、物力对它给予更多的关注是十分必要的。本文对其基本特点、有效管理的成就和存在的问题作简要介绍，并提出相应的建议，供有关方面参考。     

新世纪保护区面临的挑战及其有效对策

道路、水库、建筑物、不断扩大的农田和土地退化正在使自然景观的完整性受到严重破坏。所保存的未经干扰或少受干扰的天然生态系统的面积日益缩小，犹如海洋中的孤岛。生物多样性受到严重的威胁。在自然保护区中，物种迁移和基因流动的可能性也在不断地降低。生物区域规划被认为是一种较好的选择，它力求把保护区和栽培地区视为一个有机整体，遵循保护和发展密切结合的方针，制定行动计划并予以实施。本文根据保护区的管理情况、工作条件和科研状况等，对保护区或区域的类型进行了划分，针对现实，提出了如何实施生物区域规划。     

Landscape improvement, or ongoing degradation – reconciling apparent contradictions from the arid rangelands of Western Australia

Recent quantitative site-based monitoring and qualitative aerial and ground traverses provide contrasting assessments of the health of much of the arid shrublands of Western Australia extensively grazed by livestock (‘rangelands’). Although these results seem incompatible, we explain the apparent contradictions based on landscape succession processes operating at multiple levels of ecological organisation. Specifically, we suggest that the intact areas in which site-based monitoring is conducted are contracting as catchment canalisation and desiccation increase. However, the impacts of these processes have not yet become manifest at the site scale. The site-based system addresses important regional questions. These relate to the large, relatively intact areas away from most active surface flows, which should be a focus for resource conservation, given practical limits to repairing widespread degradation with low management inputs. We provide a complementary set of questions to provide a more comprehensive audit of rangeland dynamics in the context of underlying hierarchical landscape patterns and processes that might threaten intact areas. We recognise the need to match questions and levels of ecological organisation and the implications these have for sampling. We also recognise the difficulty in producing concise statements of change for clients when reporting on complex ecological issues and processes. Without a clearly articulated, and well understood, hierarchical model of pattern and process within which apparently contradictory findings can be reported meaningfully, policy makers may be confused by the results, with the consequent risk of policy inaction.     

Simulating the cumulative effects of multiple forest management strategies on landscape measures of forest sustainability

While the cumulative effects of the actions of multiple owners have long been recognized as critically relevant to efforts to maintain sustainable forests at the landscape scale, few studies have addressed these effects. We used the HARVEST timber harvest simulator to predict the cumulative effects of four owner groups (two paper companies, a state forest and non-industrial private owners) with different management objectives on landscape pattern in an upper Michigan landscape managed primarily for timber production. We quantified trends in landscape pattern metrics that were linked to Montreal Process indicators of forest sustainability, and used a simple wildlife habitat model to project habitat trends. Our results showed that most trends were considered favorable for forest sustainability, but that some were not. The proportion of all age classes and some forest types moved closer to presettlement conditions. The trend for the size of uneven-aged patches was essentially flat while the average size of patches of the oldest and youngest age classes increased and the size of patches of the remaining age classes decreased. Forest fragmentation generally declined, but edge density of age classes increased. Late seral forest habitat increased while early successional habitat declined. The owners use different management systems that cumulatively produce a diversity of habitats. Our approach provides a tool to evaluate such cumulative effects on other landscapes owned by multiple owners. The approach holds promise for helping landowner groups develop and evaluate cooperative strategies to improve landscape patterns for forest sustainability.     

A Simple Apparatus for Frequent Measurement of Gastrointestinal Intraluminal PCO2

The accuracy and precision of an end-tidal infrared CO₂ monitor and customized capnography tubing system designed to measure gastrointestinal intraluminal CO₂ partial pressure (P_iCO₂) were tested in vitro. Samples were taken from the customized capnography tubing placed in either 5% or 10% CO₂ gas at discrete intervals ranging from one minute to twelve minutes. For a given time interval, the tubing PCO₂ measurement was a constant fraction of the actual PCO₂ (all standard errors < 0.02). For increasing time intervals, the ratio of the tubing PCO₂ to actual PCO₂ increased logarithmically. In the 5% and 10% CO₂, the regression coefficients were 0.89 and 0.85 for 8 French tubing and 0.99 and 0.91 for 6 French tubing. Beacuase of its accuracy and precision, this system may provide automated gastrointestinal CO₂ partial pressure monitoring at short intervals (e.g. 5 minutes), facilitating testing of the role of gastrointestinal P_iCO₂ information in treatment algorithms. (Vet Emerg & Crit Care, 1998; 8: 109–116)     

基于ZigBee无线网络的大棚种植温度监测系统

针对大棚种植温度监测系统,讨论了无线温度监测系统的技术要求,阐述了基于ZigBee无线检测网络的系统结构与硬件、软件设计。随着规模农业的快速发展,无线网络农业自动化系统将有非常广阔的推广应用前景。     

农药产品中添加未经登记成分的调查与分析

通过连续6年的福建省农药市场监测,对擅自添加未经登记农药成分的278份样品进行统计分析,研究表明:被添加农药的产品主要为杀虫剂,剂型主要为乳油、可湿性粉剂,多登记在蔬菜、果树、茶树、水稻、棉花上;添加的农药品种主要为有机磷类和拟除虫菊酯类杀虫剂,其防治对象与原产品相比有的属于防治谱相同,有的属于扩大杀虫谱。同时指出该行为的危害性,提出加强监管、出台检测标准和判定标准的建议。     

Effects of the 1995–1997 drought on nitrate leaching in lowland England

Abstract. The effect of drought between summer 1995 and 1997 on stream and river nitrate concentrations was investigated using sites close to the long-running meteorological station in Oxford, UK. Nitrate concentrations in the River Windrush were relatively low during the drought, but after it had ended reached the highest level since records began in 1973. The low concentrations during the drought probably reflect a reduced contribution from agricultural runoff. High nitrate concentrations were found in a field drain at Wytham Environmental Change Network site during and after the drought, but discharge was greatly reduced. A woodland stream at Wytham had much lower nitrate concentrations than the field drain but these similarly increased during and after the drought. There was evidence that both a concentrating effect of low water volumes and enhanced soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates were causing concentrations to rise. The effects of mineralization and nitrification were more important in woodland than agricultural land. Nitrate load over the course of a year was determined largely by discharge, but steeper gradients for the relationship between cumulative load and cumulative discharge were seen during and after the drought than before, reflecting the higher concentrations.     

Watershed Health Characterization Using Reliability–Resilience–Vulnerability Conceptual Framework Based on Hydrological Responses

An attempt was made to employ the reliability (R_el)–resilience (R_es)–vulnerability (V_ul) conceptual framework to develop a typical indicator system for quantitative assessment of watershed health. The study aimed to conceptualize and customize the R_elR_esV_ul framework to watershed health assessment for the Shazand Watershed in Markazi Province, Iran, for the period of 1977–2014. To this end, four easily, reliable, available and accessible criteria viz. standardized precipitation index (SPI), low and high flow discharges (LFD and HFD), and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) were selected, and corresponding indices for reliability–resilience–vulnerability (R_elR_esV_ul) framework were accordingly conceptualized and calculated. The thresholds of 0.1, 0.16 m³ s⁻¹, 12.63 m³ s⁻¹ and 25 mg l⁻¹ day⁻¹ were thus selected for SPI, LFD, HFD and SSC, respectively. The results showed a decreasing trend in R_el and R_es, and an increasing trend in V_ul for SPI and LFD in the Shazand Watershed. The results further showed an increasing trend in R_el, and a decreasing trend in V_ul for HFD and SSC. A decreasing trend was ultimately recognized in watershed health index for all criteria except SSC. Additionally, the integrated hydrological watershed health index of 0.16 ± 0.11 obtained from the geometric mean of the R_elR_esV_ul framework indices also showed a decreasing trend for the Shazand Watershed health during the study period. The results of the present initiative study can be considered as a baseline by decision makers and managers to effectively adjust watershed management strategies to handle land degradation issues in the area. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.