Privatization of Veterinary Services in Developing Countries: A Review

Increasing fiscal constraints on the government, a lackadaisical performance by public sector animal health and breeding services and pressure from donor partners have prompted the governments of various developing countries to rethink the role of the public sector in the provision of veterinary services. Various countries have started to implement, or have already implemented, privatization of some veterinary services. The results are mixed. It is established that private provision alone is not optimal, and a blend of private and public sector veterinary services is required to utilize the virtues of both.The privatization process has also begun in India. Certain state governments in India are pursuing a cost recovery approach and are encouraging private practitioners to cope with the financial constraints and to deliver broad and effective animal health and breeding services. This paper considers the global aspects of the privatization of veterinary services as well as the scenario in India, so as to gain an insight into the very complex and debatable issue of privatization of veterinary services.     

黄土丘陵区流域主要植被类型养分循环特征

以黄土丘陵沟壑区典型小流域纸坊沟流域为例,系统研究流域在植被稳定恢复期1种乔木、4种灌木和9种草地植被类型的养分循环平衡特征。结果表明,乔灌植被类型的叶片养分含量明显高于当年的新生枝条,新生枝条则明显高于枝干;乔木植被类型的生物量、氮磷养分累积量明显高于灌木植被类型,灌木植被类型则高于草地植被类型;乔木的氮养分循环速率是0.789,灌木为0.742,草地为1.000;乔木P2O5循环速率是0.881,灌木为0.758,草地为1.000。乔木的氮养分年盈余量是333.0 kg/km2,灌木为508.5 kg/km2,草地为597.0 kg/km2;乔木的P2O5年盈余量是333.0 kg/km2,灌木为423.0 kg/km2,草地为531.0 kg/km2。     

内蒙古典型草原区植被动态与植被恢复——以锡林郭勒盟典型草原区为例

内蒙古草原植被是一个极脆弱的生态系统,易受干旱等自然灾害影响。自1999年以来,全区大部分地区连续三年干旱和虫害(蝗灾),造成严重的草原退化和沙化。2002年后,内蒙古天然植被整体上有不同程度好转,草原生态环境有所改善。本文以锡林郭勒1999至2004年MODIS和TM影象数据和地面样点数据为依据,从宏观和微观两方面揭示了锡林郭勒草地植被动态规律和变化趋势,并系统分析了草地植被发生的变化原因、驱动因素和机理,阐明了锡林郭勒盟典型区草地所面临的问题,以期为我区草原植被恢复应采取的对策和措施提供依据。     

黄土坡面土壤性质随退耕时间的动态变化研究

退耕还林还草是控制水土流失和防治土壤退化的关键措施,黄土高原退耕还林还草从试验到推广已有几十年历史。该文通过对黄土高原地区退耕区的实地调查,测定不同地区不同退耕年限植被恢复区表层土壤的理化性质,分析黄土坡面土壤理化性质随退耕时间的动态变化规律。结果表明:随着退耕植被恢复时间的增长,土壤物理结构将日趋改善,土壤养分含量水平将逐渐的提高,并主要集中在植被恢复10~20年期间,20年后,尤其是30年后,土壤理化性质较为稳定,而且,植被维护的好坏往往影响其稳定性。同时,水热条件较好的安塞地区土壤理化性质随退耕时间的改善程度更明显,而水热条件较差的皇甫川流域土壤理化性质随植被类型和植被恢复程度的影响更为显著。结果可为退耕的环境影响评价预测以及土地利用的调控提供科学依据。     

Electro-acupuncture and Chinese herbs for treatment of cervical intervertebral disk disease in a dog

A non-ambulatory dog with tetraparesis following a pain episode that had evolved over 2 months was submitted for medical treatment and diagnosed with intervertebral disk disease at C3-C4 and dorsal extradural compression at C1-C2 and C3-C4 using myelography and computed tomography. The dog experienced ambulation recovery after 15 days of treatment with only electroacupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, with marked improvement occurring after only 10 treatments. Six months of follow-up demonstrated that the dog was stable and had no recurrence of symptoms. Therefore, it was concluded that the combination of electroacupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine was responsible for motor rehabilitation.     

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN RETRACTED Exergy as an ecological application used in the recovery process of benthic communities

Exergy, the thermodynamic function that represents the distance of an open system from equilibrium, is proposed as an ecological indicator for summarizing the complex dynamics occurring in a disturbed community during its recovery processes. These complex dynamics can be difficult to capture by using classical indices. In this study, we sampled macrobenthos using the BACI scheme (before versus after; control versus impact) in tidal wetlands of west Chongming Island, China, an area that has been disturbed by ecological engineering measures. Exergy storage is estimated for benthic communities. The control area is proposed as dynamic reference for estimating local exergy storage of the benthic community. Three different methods were used for estimating exergy on the basis of coefficients: (a) taken for taxa groups; (b) estimated from coding genes given for broad taxonomic groups; and (c) estimated from genome size taken as close as possible to the taxonomic level of the species, providing a basis for inferring similarities. We found a decrease of local exergy content in the disturbed area 9 days after the disturbance. Subsequently, the reference exergy of the benthic community increased (i.e. in the surrounding control area) in accordance with the proposed hypothesis regarding the dynamics of exergy storage during a system's development. Estimates of local exergy arrived at using the three methods provided comparable results. Based on this, we then discuss the feasibility of using the more readily available genome size data for estimating exergy. This result may have important implications for broader application of this indicator to biological systems. Moreover, the adjacent control samples seem to represent an appropriate dynamic reference for estimating the local exergy of disturbed communities. We found that exergy was a useful indicator that integrates the processes underlying the recovery of the benthic community after disturbance.     

Exogenous eFSH, follicle coasting, and hCG as a novel superovulation regimen in mares

The objective of this study was to evaluate various equine follicle-stimulating hormone (eFSH) treatment protocols and the effect of “follicle coasting” on ovulation and embryo recovery rates in mares. Cycling mares (n = 40) were randomly assigned to one of four groups 7 days after ovulation: (1) 12.5 mg eFSH twice daily until follicles were 35 mm or larger; (2) 12.5 mg eFSH twice daily until follicles were 32 mm or larger; (3) 12.5 mg eFSH twice daily for 3.5 days followed by 12.5 mg eFSH enriched with luteinizing hormone (LH) twice daily until follicles were 35 mm or larger; and (4) 25 mg eFSH once daily until follicles were 32 mm or larger. Mares in groups 1 and 3 were injected with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) (2500 IU intravenously) at the end of eFSH treatment, whereas mares in groups 2 and 4 were given hCG approximately 42 and 54 hours, respectively, after the last eFSH treatment (“follicle coasting”). Nonsurgical embryo collection was performed 6.5 to 7.5 days after ovulation. Each mare experienced a nontreated estrous cycle before being reassigned to a second treatment. Ovulation rates for mares in treatment groups 1 to 4 were 3.3 ± 0.4, 4.1 ± 0.4, 3.5 ± 0.4, and 2.8 ± 0.4 (mean ± SEM; P < .05), respectively. One or more embryos were recovered from more than 80% of mares in each treatment group, and embryo recovery rate per flush was similar among treatment groups (1.9 ± 0.3, 2.6 ± 0.3, 1.9 ± 0.3 and 1.9 ± 0.3, respectively; P > .05). The overall embryo recovery rate was 2.1 ± 1.5 embryos per flush. In summary, ovulation rate was higher for mares treated with eFSH (3.4 ± 0.4) compared with non-treated controls (1.1 ± 0.2). Ovulation rate in mares in which hCG was delayed (follicle coasting) was higher (P < .05) when treatments were given twice per day versus once per day. Administration of equine luteinizing hormone (eLH) in conjunction with eFSH did not have an advantage over mares treated only with eFSH.     

Do coarse resolution U.S. presettlement land survey records adequately represent the spatial pattern of individual tree species?

Presettlement land survey records (PLSRs) are a valuable and unique source of information for the reconstruction of presettlement forest patterns. The purpose of this study was to determine whether coarsely resolved PLSRs are adequate to characterize the spatial patterns of individual tree species over large areas. The General Land Office Survey records of the PLSRs of Minnesota were used and species selected in the analysis were based on their abundances and degrees of clustering. A geostatistical procedure was developed to analyze observations of bearing-tree point-locations, at progressively coarser resolutions from 1×1 mile to 24×24 miles, to create spatially continuous probability surfaces of species occurrences across the landscape. Statistical and visual analyses of the geostatistical predictions indicated that coarsely resolved PLSRs, as coarse as 24×24 miles, can adequately represent the spatial pattern of individual species over large areas. Mean errors in predictions increased as more coarsely resolved data were used, primarily in response to the decreased abundance of a species and minorly in response to the degree of spatial clustering of a species. The results indicate that coarsely resolved township-level data of 6×6 miles can be used for presettlement vegetation reconstruction of large areas of several counties.     

新疆北屯绿洲弃耕农田的植被变化特征

在北屯绿洲选择了3组不同年限的次生盐渍化弃耕农田,分别计算了样地内每种植物的重要值,采用Shannon-Wiener指数、Pielou指数、Simpson指数测定了生物多样性.结果表明:3组群落组成存在显著差异,优势种更替明显.3组群落构成依次为,一年生草本、一年生草本 多年生小半灌木、多年生草本 灌木.物种多样性表现为2年群落＞5年群落＞13年群落;群落均匀度表现为2年群落＞5年群落,而5年与13年群落相当,但是生态优势度却表现出与物种多样性相反的趋势,即2年群落＜5年群落＜13年群落.     

饲料中苏丹红染料的测定

建立用Agilent1100高效液相色谱法(HPLC)检测饲料样品中苏丹红含量的方法。采用C18柱(250mm×4.6mmi.d.,5μm),以乙腈和水的混合溶液为流动相,对比采用不同处理方法后,苏丹红Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ和Ⅳ相应的平均回收率。结果表明,在0.1、0.2、0.5、1.0、2.0mg/kg5种添加浓度下,苏丹红Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ和Ⅳ相应的回收率均高于90%。说明该方法具有较好的准确性。