Comparison of a point-of-care serum amyloid A analyzer frequently used in equine practice with 2 turbidimetric immunoassays used in human and veterinary medicine

Rapid, accurate detection of serum amyloid A (SAA) is needed in equine practice. We validated a patient-side point-of-care (POC) assay (Stablelab; Zoetis) compared to the turbidimetric immunoassays LZ-SAA (TIA-Hum) and VET-SAA (TIA-Vet; both Eiken Chemical). Analytical performance was assessed at 3 different concentration ranges and with interferences. Inter-method comparison using 49 equine serum samples revealed a significant difference between median SAA results (p < 0.0001), with the strongest bias between the POC and TIA-Vet (median 1,093 vs. 578 mg/L). The median SAA value obtained with the TIA-Hum method was 752 mg/L. Correlation between POC/TIA-Hum and between POC/TIA-Vet was fair (r_s = 0.77 and 0.69) and excellent between both TIAs (r_s = 0.93). Bias between POC/TIA-Hum, POC/TIA-Vet, and TIA-Hum/TIA-Vet was −56.7%, –80.9%, and −28.2%, respectively. POC intra- and inter-assay CVs (16.1–30% and 19.8–35.5%) were higher than TIA CVs (generally <12%). Bilirubin and hemoglobin had a negative bias on POC and TIA-Vet results (−16.6 to −45.6%); addition of intralipid yielded a positive bias (35.9–77.4%). The POC had good linearity of SAA concentrations up to 10,312 mg/L (R² = 0.92). A hook effect was present at SAA >3,000 mg/L for the POC assay. Equine serum SAA was stable over a median period of 2.5 y when stored at −80°C. Overall, there was excellent-to-moderate correlation between tests, but imprecision and hook effect of the POC, as well as bias between the methods, must be considered.     

篇章类英语试题的考点效度验证

在我国大规模英语考试试卷中基于篇章类的试题占相对比较高的比例,其考点效度关乎整份试卷的效度。本文通过对篇章类英语试题考点所属构念效度的例析,说明从考点层面所获取的相关效验证据对基于篇章类试题的考点效度进行了有效验证。     

CERES-Rice模型在中国主要水稻生态区的模拟及其检验

本文利用水稻生长观测资料和气象资料,采用CERES-Rice模型在中国主要稻区开展应用研究,对水稻产量、开花期和生物量等的模拟能力进行了评价。所选试验站点分布在不同的水稻生态区,地跨北纬20º02´(海南海口)至北纬45º45´（黑龙江五常）。结果表明,在不同的水稻生态区,CERES-Rice模型模拟水稻开花期     

Operating model design in tuna Regional Fishery Management Organizations: Current practice,issues and implications

The five Regional Fishery Management Organizations dedicated to tunas (tRFMOs) are all either developing or implementing Management Strategy Evaluations (MSEs) to provide advice for the stocks under their competencies. Providing a comparative overview will help tRFMOs to learn from one another and to collaborate on common solutions and may also help to more clearly define the challenges of building decision support tools in contexts of large scientific uncertainty and where management requires cooperation across multiple stakeholders characterized by unequal power and divergent interests. For example, our overview showed that in most cases, a grid‐based design with an emphasis on structural uncertainty has been adopted. However, uncertainties such as sampling errors and non‐stationarity of important ecological processes, which are of potentially equal significance for demonstrating robustness of management procedures, were not considered. This paper identifies key issues for operating model (OM) design that challenges the tRFMOs, compares how these challenges are being met, summarizes what lessons have been learned and suggests a way forward. Although the current approach of using assessment models as the basis for OM design is a reasonable starting point, improvements should be made to the conditioning of OMs, especially with respect to enabling the inclusion of other important processes and uncertainties that are difficult to account for in stock assessments but that can crucially affect the robustness of advice. Attempts should also be made to improve documentation and communication of uncertainties that are included and those that are excluded from consideration in the process.     

鱼类年龄鉴定研究概况

鱼类年龄鉴定是渔业资源评估的基础内容,经过长时间的发展,众多的方法被应用到这一领域。综述了目前应用较广泛的一些年龄鉴定方法,包括硬组织鉴定法和长度分析法两大部分方法,并分析了它们的优点和缺点。目前,鱼类年龄鉴定工作中存在的主要问题有:鉴定方法的精确度不高;鉴定方法多数较冗繁,耗时耗力;鱼类年龄鉴定未经标准化。有鉴于此,有必要对各种鉴定方法进行校验。介绍了几种常用的年龄校验方法,并对其进行了分析。     

LncRNA在柑橘木虱与黄龙病病原菌互作中的差异表达分析及验证

为明确柑橘黄龙病的唯一自然传播媒介——柑橘木虱Diaphorina citri的长链非编码RNA(long non-coding RNA,lncRNA)是否参与调控黄龙病病原菌Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus(CLas)的侵染及复制,采用生物信息学预测及PCR扩增方法进行lncRNA的预测、特征分析、验证及差异表达分析。结果显示,柑橘木虱的13个转录组RNA-Seq数据中共有10 192个lncRNA基因,对应15 747条lncRNA转录本;与蛋白质编码基因相比,柑橘木虱lncRNA具有更少的外显子数量和更短的转录本长度;随机选取的10条lncRNA基因中,有7条lncRNA基因在无菌柑橘木虱广州品系或赣州品系中有表达,其中1条lncRNA基因TCONS_00034665在无菌广州品系和无菌赣州品系中存在差异表达;带菌和无菌柑橘木虱成虫中预测获得2个差异表达的lncRNA基因TCONS_00096118和TCONS_00234564,实时荧光定量PCR验证发现TCONS_00234564与预测结果一致,在带菌柑橘木虱成虫中高表达。表明lncRNA参与了黄龙病病原菌与寄主柑橘木虱的互作。     

基于主成分-灰色关联度的农民生活水平评价

首先选择合适的测评经济发展的因素变量,基于全国各省的数据,通过聚类分析,在一个合适的准则下选择8个经济发展水平相近的省份进行进一步的分析.然后利用主成分和灰色关联度相结合的方法,选取评价农民生活水平的指标因素,构建农民生活水平的评价体系,对8个省份的农民生活水平进行分析并排序.最后根据结果分析了这一现状形成的原因,并提出了促进这些省份农民生活水平进一步提高和均衡发展的对策和建议.     

Modelling of surface and 3D pellet distribution in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) cages

Feed represents the greatest single cost factor in the production of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). Focusing on the problem of maximising the available feed for the fish while minimising the feed waste, a mathematical model of the feeding process has been developed. The model covers the feed spreader delivering the feed, water currents, pellet sinking speed and turbulent diffusion, fish appetite as a function of temperature, gut fullness and population structure, and is intended as a tool both for optimising general feeding strategies, and to support the daily handling of the feeding process. The process of horizontal and vertical diffusion of feed pellets in the model has been parametrised and validated through two low level validation experiments. Furthermore, global distribution patterns simulated by the model were verified by comparisons with experimental data from the literature.     

Serum paraoxonase type-1 activity in pigs: Assay validation and evolution after an induced experimental inflammation

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is a serum enzyme synthesised and secreted primarily by the liver. It possesses anti-inflammatory properties limiting the production of pro-inflammatory mediators. The objectives of this study were to validate three spectrophotometric assays for the quantification of PON1 activity in pig serum, and to determine if PON1 activity in porcine behaves as a negative acute phase protein (APP), decreasing in inflammatory conditions. An analytical validation using three different substrates – 5-thiobutil butyrolactone (TBBL), phenylacetate (PA) and 4-(p)-nitrophenyl acetate (pNA) – was performed. In addition, inflammation was experimentally induced in five pigs by subcutaneous injection of turpentine oil, while five control pigs were left untreated. The treated pigs showed significant increases in CRP and decreases in albumin, indicating an inflammatory condition. The three substrates used would be suitable for PON1 activity measurements in serum samples, since they offer adequate precision (coefficients of variation < 10%), sensitivity (0.01, 0.15, 0.02 U/mL for TBBL, pNA and PA respectively) and accuracy (r = 0.99). In addition, PON1 behaves as a negative APP in pigs since a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in its activity after 72 h of the induction of the inflammation was observed with all substrates.