Biochemical proximates of pumpkin (Cucurbitaeae spp.) and their beneficial effects on the general well‐being of poultry species

There is a growing need to increase productivity in poultry. Growth hormones and antibiotics have the ability to improve health, weight gain and feed efficiency in meat‐producing animals. The growth‐promoting antibiotics are administered to poultry to improve the general performance of the chicken. However, the use of the xenobiotic drugs in food‐producing animals has been a concern and a sensitive issue of debate for several decades in the EU and many other regional blocks of the world. Consequently, the use of hormones in animal production has been banned in Italy, Denmark and Germany for over 4–5 decades, while Belgium and Greece had never permitted its use for livestock fattening purposes. Bioactive phytochemicals exhibit antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antiprotozoal, antifungal and anti‐inflammatory properties and consequently have several beneficial effects on appetite, growth and the immune status of the animal. In South Africa, different species of pumpkin are produced for food due to their high nutrient content. The flesh serves as a traditional food, while the seeds and peels are commonly discarded. Pumpkin seed extract is reported to be useful for immunomodulation, reproductive health, therapeutics over a wide range of disease conditions and stimulates metabolism of accumulated fats. Studies have also shown that pumpkin seeds are a valuable source of protein and fat. Their complexity and extent of bioactivity offers sustainable prospects for natural control of pathogenic/parasitic organisms, stimulate nutrition or enhance resistance to disease infections, and reduce abdominal fat and serum levels of harmful lipids, while increasing serum levels of beneficial lipids.     

Effects of oral supplementation of probiotic strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Enterococcus faecium on diarrhoea events of foals in their first weeks of life

Foal first diarrhoea is one of the most prominent problems in the early life of horses. Probiotics might have the potency to prevent or at least diminish neonatal diarrhoea. We hypothesised that the treatment of foals with probiotic strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Enterococcus faecium starting early after birth and then daily over 2 weeks would prevent or mitigate foal heat diarrhoea. The influence of this probiotic treatment on diarrhoea incidence and growth and health performance of young foals was investigated. Thirty‐four foals were randomly allocated to two groups. From day 1 to 14 of life, the foals received either placebo (PG, n = 16) or the probiotic treatment (TG, n = 18). Clinical examination was performed, and the faeces consistency score (FCS, 1–5; with diarrhoea defined by ≤3) was recorded once per day in weeks 1 and 2 and once weekly in weeks 3–8 of life (WL). The body height was measured at birth and after two and eight WL. Diarrhoea occurred in the 1st WL in 19% and 61% of PG and TG foals respectively. In the 1st WL, diarrhoea lasted 0.3 ± 0.8 and 1.6 ± 1.4 days in PG and TG foals respectively. In the 2nd WL, diarrhoea occurred in 94% and 84% of PG and TG foals, respectively, and lasted for 3.0 ± 1.5 and 3.7 ± 1.6 days respectively. At least two periods of diarrhoea developed in 33% and 65% of PG and TG foals respectively. The TG foals grew slightly slower than the PG foals. The results indicated that the probiotic treatment of neonatal foals as performed in this study was not suitable to reduce diarrhoea within the first two WL, because contrary to the hypothesis, the TG foals suffered more frequently and for longer periods from diarrhoea than the PG foals.     

高校心理健康教育网络课程模式的构建与实例分析

计算机多媒体技术和网络技术日新月异的发展,教育信息化的推进,为努力实现高校心理健康教育课程教学内容、教学手段和教学方法的全面创新,本文以《心理健康教育》网络课程为例,尝试剖析其在模式构建、教学设计、交互安排、教学应用等方面的特征,以期为开辟高校心理健康教育课程的新模式提供思路。     

土地整治项目对农田生态系统影响的能值分析

为在项目尺度构建土地整治农田生态系统能值分析框架,以江苏省宜兴市土地整治项目作为案例,根据设定的土地整治工程使用年限,从项目建设-使用过程和项目全生命周期2个时间维度,对土地整治工程建设对农田生态系统的影响进行了研究。结果表明:在项目建设-使用过程维度,1)项目建设期大量物料投入和电力等资源输入,导致能值投入加大,能值产出下降;2)受土地整治影响,项目建设导致农田生态系统自给能力减弱,对外界经济投入依赖度增加,净能值产出率下降,环境负载率增大,农田生态系统可持续发展能力下降;从生命全周期来看,3)由于土地整治工程的影响,各项能值指标在项目建设期出现陡增和陡降现象,随着土地整治工程竣工以及效益发挥,各项能值开始趋于平稳,并在全周期末各项指标优于土地整治前各项指标,全生命周期内预计给农田生态系统带来2.23E+19sej能值产出和60.15万美元能值-货币价值。综合而言,土地整治在项目建成后的10年内对项目区农田生态系统具有积极影响,但此后,可能将对项目区的生态环境造成了一定的压力。     

基于体外模拟法评价蔬菜中Cd的健康风险与污染土壤修复效果

为探明北方地区常见蔬菜中Cd的健康风险，以北京地区Cd污染的大棚菜地土壤为对象，利用盆栽实验测定了韭菜和小油菜对Cd的吸收、转运特征及2种修复剂（沸石+蚯蚓粪，凹凸棒+蚯蚓粪）对Cd污染土壤的修复效果，基于体外模拟法和人体健康风险评价方法对污染土壤修复前、后的2种蔬菜中Cd的有效性及人体健康风险进行评价。结果表明，污染土壤上的2种蔬菜中Cd含量均超过《食品安全国家标准食品中污染物限量》，但2种蔬菜对Cd的吸收具有显著差异，小油菜中Cd的含量为韭菜的2.04倍；体外模拟法测定结果表明，韭菜和小油菜中Cd在模拟人体胃液中的有效浓度分别为0.027、0.039 mg·kg^-1，韭菜中的Cd对人体具有更高的生物有效性；基于人体健康风险评价方法对2种蔬菜中Cd进行健康风险评价，结果表明，污染土壤上种植的2种蔬菜中Cd对人体具有较高的致癌风险，其中，对0~6岁儿童的致癌风险大于成人（>18岁）的风险；添加修复剂可使韭菜和小油菜中Cd含量最大分别降低65.2%和72.3%；2种修复剂处理的韭菜与小油菜中Cd的生物有效性和致癌风险值显著下降，其中凹凸棒+蚯蚓粪处理土壤的2种蔬菜中Cd的致癌风险值接近安全水平。     

京津冀潮白河区域土地利用变化对生态系统服务的影响

为探讨京津冀潮白河区域不同时期内的土地利用变化和生态系统服务（ES）的动态演变情况，采用土地利用动态度模型、当量因子法、敏感性指数法，分析该区域2001、2005、2009、2013年和2017年近20年来的土地利用数据。结果表明：在2001-2017年期间该区域耕地和农村居民点面积明显减少，城镇用地和水域面积明显增加；该区域的主要土地利用类型为耕地、农村居民点和城镇用地，且耕地和农村居民点的比例逐渐减少，城镇用地比例逐渐增大；城镇用地、工矿用地和水域的动态度呈现大幅增加趋势，农村居民点、耕地、草地和林地的动态度呈现较大幅的减少趋势。近20年来该区域的生态系统服务价值（ESV）整体上呈现增加的趋势，水域的生态系统服务价值增加对该流域生态系统服务价值变化起决定性作用。2001-2017年该区域内各地类的敏感性指数（CS）均小于1，敏感性指数从大到小依次为耕地 > 水域 > 林地 > 草地。综上，应根据该区域内土地利用变化对生态系统服务产生的影响，制定合理化政策、构建合理的土地利用格局，从而提升生态系统服务。     

升金湖湿地生态系统健康评价与越冬候鸟的响应

湿地生态环境及越冬水禽是升金湖自然保护区主要保护对象,其生态系统健康评价对生态系统修复及越冬水禽数量的恢复具有重要意义。利用ERDAS软件将1986、1990、1995、2000、2004、2008、2011及2015年共计8个年份冬季的TM影像数据解译划分为8种景观类型,用FRAGSTATS软件计算出各个年份的景观指标。根据升金湖湿地压力、状态、响应3方面选取10个指标,构建了升金湖湿地生态系统健康评价指标体系,利用逻辑斯蒂增长曲线模式(Logisticgrowthmodel)对这些单项指标进行评价,然后运用层次分析(AHP)的方法确定各个单项因子在指标体系中的权重,最后对1986到2015年升金湖湿地生态系统运用综合评价模型进行综合的评价分析。2015年升金湖生态系统健康综合评价值为0.430,属于亚健康的状态,应及时加强升金湖湿地生态保护措施。通过1995年与2015年对比得知人口密度增长10%以上,人类干扰指数增长了6.685,人类的干扰压力是导致湿地功能下降的主要因素;从状态分析与响应分析可以看出升金湖湿地修复功能处于不稳定的状态。通过越冬候鸟数量与湿地生态系统健康的关系可以看出越冬侯鸟数量的变化是随着湿地的生态系统健康评价状况变化而变化。