Hepatitis E virus in Cuba: A cross-sectional serological and virological study in pigs and people occupationally exposed to pigs

Surveillance of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in risk groups is an important strategy to monitor its circulation pattern and to timely detect changes thereof. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to estimate the prevalence of HEV infections in pigs and humans from different regions of the country, to identify risk factors for increasing anti-HEV IgG prevalence and to characterize HEV strains. The presence of anti-HEV antibodies was assessed by commercial ELISA in serum samples from the general population, farm and slaughterhouse employees, as well as pigs sampled in the three regions of Cuba from February to September 2016. Overall, individuals with occupational exposure to swine or swine products (70/248, 28.2%) were 4 times more likely to be seropositive compared to the general population (25/285, 8.7%; OR: 4.18; p < .001). Within the risk group, risk factors included age, number of years working in a professional activity with direct exposure to swine, geographic region and distance between residence and closest professional swine setting, while wearing gloves had a protective effect. Prevalence of total anti-HEV antibodies in swine was 88.2% (165/187) and HEV RNA was detected by real-time RT-PCR in 9.2% (16/173) swine stools. All HEV strains sequenced clustered within genotype 3. Some strains clearly belonged to subtype 3a, while another group of strains was related with subtypes 3b and 3 k but partial HEV sequences did not allow unequivocal subtype assignment. These findings suggest that the high HEV exposure in Cuban individuals with swine-related occupations could be due to enzootic HEV in certain regions, direct contact with infectious animals or their products as well as environmental contamination.     

CO2-O2混合喷吹对铁液中C、V元素氧化的影响

为了验证用CO2替代部分O2进行转炉氧化提钒的可行性,在实验室进行了CO2-O2混合喷吹提钒模拟实验。结果显示C的氧化量与C的氧化速率随CO2含量的增加而升高;V的氧化量随CO2含量的增加而降低,其中CO2含量为20%与纯O2对C、V的氧化量接近;纯O2喷吹时C的氧化量为34.56%,V的氧化量为96.85%;CO2含量为20%混合气体喷吹时C的氧化量为36.83%,V的氧化量为93.29%;以V的相对氧化量与C的相对氧化量的比值(ΔV/ΔC)来衡量提钒保碳能力,CO2含量为20%的最终ΔV/ΔC为5.96,CO2含量,40%、60%、80%的最终ΔV/ΔC均小于3.8;反应前期,V的氧化速率随CO2含量的增加而升高,反应后期V的氧化速率随CO2含量的增加而降低。     

城市交叉口公交优先信号协调模式探讨

对混合交通条件下基本车道饱和流量的各影响因素进行了分析,对比基本车道饱和流量影响因素修正方法,给出了基本车道饱和流量及各类车道通用校正系数常用计算方法。分析了公交车在连线上的运行特性,基于单点定时式公交优先信号配时模型,以人均延误最小为目标,建立了定时式两相邻交叉口公交优先信号协调配时模型;基于以人总延误最小为目标建立了定周期两相邻交叉口公交优先信号协调配时模型。利用实际调查数据,采用仿真分析方法验证本文提出的混合交通条件下定时式两相邻交叉口公交优先信号协调配时模型的正确性。     

利用有益微生物菌调控池塘水质效果试验

在高温季节,对高密度养殖池塘每10 d泼洒1次EM复合菌,施用量为每次600 g/(667 m2.m),使用后试验池水体中的氨氮、亚硝酸盐等有害物质及总磷、总氮含量显著下降,溶氧量增加。水质改善后,鱼类的体质增强、发病率下降,水质调控效果较显著。经测算,试验池养殖成本降低354.0元/667 m2,鱼病发生率降低32.2%,增产28.0 kg/667m2,7-9月平均节水1 036 t/667 m2。     

28％苄嘧磺隆·二氯喹啉酸WP对水稻秧田杂草及产量的影响

研究了28％苄嘧磺隆·二氯喹啉酸对水稻秧田稗草[Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv.]、鸭舌草[Monochoia vaginalis(Burm.f.)]等的防除效果,并测定了杂草对氮、磷、钾和水分的影响以及对水稻产量的影响.结果表明,28％苄嘧磺隆·二氯喹啉酸WP对水稻秧田的主要杂草具有良好的防治效果,有效成分用量为168～420 g/hm2的28％苄嘧磺隆·二氯喹啉酸对水稻秧田稗草密度防效和鲜重防效分别为84.06％～98.50％、91.55％～98.63％,对鸭舌草的密度防效和鲜重防效分别为94.06％～100.00％、90.94％～100.00％,显著优于对照药剂10％苄嘧磺隆WP和50％二氯喹啉酸WP.28％苄嘧磺隆·二氯喹啉酸施用后,增产效果总体优于对照药剂,在水稻秧田具有良好的推广前景.     

Evaluation of unconstrained and constrained mathematical functions to model girth growth of rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) using young age measurements

No attempt has been made to date to model growth in girth of rubber tree (Hevea brasiliansis). We evaluated the few widely used growth functions to identify the most parsimonious and biologically reasonable model for describing the girth growth of young rubber trees based on an incomplete set of young age measurements. Monthly data for girth of immature trees (age 2 to 12 years) from two locations were subjected to modelling. Reparameterized, unconstrained and constrained growth functions of Richards (RM), Gompertz (GM) and the monomolecular model (MM) were fitted to data. Duration of growth was the constraint introduced. In the first stage, we attempted a population average (PA) model to capture the trend in growth. The best PA model wasfitted as a subject specific (SS) model. We used appropriate error variance-covariance structure to account for correlation due to repeated measurements over time. Unconstrained functions underestimated the asymptotic maximum that did not reflect the carrying capacity of the locations. Underestimations were attributed to the partial set of measurements made during the early growth phase of the trees. MM proved superior to RM and GM. In the random coefficient models, both Gf and G0 appeared to be influenced by tree level effects. Inclusion of diagonal definite positive matrix removed the correlation between random effects.The results were similar at both locations. In the overall assessment MM appeared as the candidate model for studying the girth-age relationships in Hevea trees. Based on the fitted model we conclude that, in Hevea trees, growth rate is maintained at maximum value at t0, then decreases until the final state at dG/dt ≥ 0, resulting in yield curve with no period of accelerating growth. One physiological explanation is that photosynthetic activity in Hevea trees decreases as girth increases and constructive metabolism is larger than destructive metabolism.     

基于两层次线性混合效应模型的杉木林单木胸径生长量模型

基于两层次线性混合效应模型方法,建立江西省杉木人工林单木胸径生长量模型.研究所用数据来自于长期观测的固定样地数据,数据库包括82个区域、365个样地、5416株树木共计16248条记录.为了解决不同区域及不同样地之间的差异,本文构建的混合模型分别考虑样地层次、区域层次及两层次的随机参数效应.针对数据存在的重复测量及嵌套结构特性,在模拟时选择合适的异方差和自相关模型矩阵来解决此类问题.最后利用独立的抽样验证数据对模拟结果进行验证.结果表明:林分断面积、对象木胸径、林分内大于对象木的断面积之和与对象木胸径的比值以及海拔对单木胸径生长量有显著影响.与林业中常用的传统最小二乘方法相比,采用混合效应模型方法后模型的模拟精度和验证精度均有提高.选择适合的异方差和自相关函数后,模型比只考虑参数的随机效应有更好的适应性,并体现出了混合效应模型的灵活性和准确性.     

Genetic diversity and mixed infections of begomoviruses infecting tomato, pepper and cucurbit crops in Nicaragua

Begomoviruses were detected in Nicaraguan fields of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) and adjacently growing plants of pepper ( Capsicum annuum ), chilli pepper ( C . baccatum ), cushaw ( Cucurbita argyrosperma ) and Mexican fireplant ( Euphorbia heterophylla ) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and universal begomovirus primers. All tomato and Mexican fireplant plants showing symptoms were infected with begomoviruses, while only 30–46% of the pepper, chilli pepper and cushaw plants showing symptoms tested virus-positive. No begomoviruses were found in potato. The virus species were provisionally identified by sequencing 533 bp of the viral coat protein gene ( AV1 ). Tomato severe leaf curl virus (ToSLCV), Tomato leaf curl Sinaloa virus (ToLCSinV) and Pepper golden mosaic virus (PepGMV) were found to infect both tomato and pepper. A new provisional species designated Tomato leaf curl Las Playitas virus (ToLCLPV) was detected in a tomato plant. Squash yellow mottle virus (SYMoV) and PepGMV were found in cucurbits, the latter for the first time in this host. Euphorbia mosaic virus (EuMV) was detected in Mexican fireplant. Sequencing of a larger number of PCR-amplified clones from selected plants revealed intraspecific viral sequence variability, and also multiple begomovirus infections which could represent up to three species in a single tomato or cushaw plant. Phylogenetic grouping of virus sequences did not correlate with the host of origin.     

稻田蜘蛛混合种群空间分布的动态研究

稻田蜘蛛混合种群的空间分布在水稻的不同发育期存在差异。其空间分布主要由稻田蜘蛛本身的扩散程度及生殖 ,游猎型和定居型数量的多寡 ,主要目标害虫的数量及其分布 ,栖息环境的变化及其耕作方式和稻田蜘蛛的种群密度及其种间竞争程度决定。