Epidemiological studies of piglet diarrhoea in intensively managed Danish sow herds. II. Post-weaning diarrhoea

This study comprised 48,931 litters in 89 sow herds. During the study (1976-82) weaning age decreased from approx. 42 days to approx. 30 days. The mean incidence of post-weaning diarrhoea was 6.0% of litters weaned, with little variation by year but with considerable variation among herds. Within the individual herd increased incidence occurred over limited periods, probably associated with specific infections. Litters with diarrhoea during the suckling period had increased risk of post-weaning diarrhoea. The incidence of post-weaning diarrhoea increased with litter size at weaning. Thus, a litter of 11-12 piglets at weaning had 1.2 times higher risk than litters with 8-10 piglets. In contrast to pre-weaning diarrhoea, there was no association between parity of the sow and diarrhoea in the litter after weaning. Litters weaned below 2 weeks of age had a 2-fold risk of developing diarrhoea after weaning and a 2.4-fold higher mortality rate than did litters weaned at 6-7 weeks. Similarly, litters weaned at an individual piglet weight below 3 kg bodyweight had a 3-fold higher risk of developing diarrhoea after weaning and a 5-fold higher mortality rate than did pigs from litters weaned at a bodyweight of 7-8 kg. The incidence of post-weaning diarrhoea decreased with increasing herd size. Piglets from litters with post-weaning diarrhoea had reduced weight gains after weaning and were 2.3 days older at 25 kg bodyweight than piglets from non-diarrhoeic litters. Likewise, diarrhoea after weaning was associated with an increased incidence of diseases of the skin and respiratory tract. Thus the risk of contracting respiratory disease was 4 times greater in diarrhoeic litters.     

D-Dimer Improves the Prognostic Value of Combined Clinical and Laboratory Data in Equine Gastrointestinal Colic

The discriminating ability of 15 parameters alone or in combinations, including results from analysis of plasma endotoxin, the Nycomed plasma D-Dimer test and phospholipase A₂, were analyzed to predict morbidity and mortality in equine gastrointestinal colic. Endotoxaemia was a characteristic feature of the colic horses. The problem of adequately predicting non-survivors among colic horses required several parameters to be included in the logistic model: if the “classical parameters”, (heart rate, respiratory rate, PCV, anion gap) were included in the model, addition of plasma D-dimer, phospholipase A₂, and Cl^- significantly improved the predictive value of the logistic model. Increasing heart rate and D-dimer together with decreasing chloride was a risk factor for nonsurvival. The sensitivity of this three-parameter logistic model to predict nonsurvival was 78% and specificity 77%. The Nycomed D-Dimer test is recommended as a horse-site test to predict disseminated intravascular coagulation and nonsurvival in equine colic.     

三种幼虫外寄生蜂蛋白酶含量与离体培养饲料的关系

在离体培养幼虫外寄生蜂过程中，发现不同的蜂对饲料中的蛋白质及游离氨基酸的含量有不同的要求，本文对麦蛾茧蜂（Ｂ．ｈｅｂｅｔｏｒ），矛茧蜂（Ｏ．Ｐｌａｌｉａｔｕｓ），管氏肿腿蜂（Ｓ．ｇｕａｎｉ）的蛋白酶活性，饲料中蛋白质及游离氨基酸含量进行了测定．实验表明：蛋白酶含量低的蜂，饲料中含高游离氨基酸及低蛋白；蛋白酶含量高的蜂，饲料中含低游离氨基酸及高蛋白。     

高压电击法防治黄斑星天牛的研究

对黄斑星天牛虫害木(毛白杨)施以高压电击的实验结果表明,高压电击法对杀灭黄斑星天牛1～3龄幼虫效果明晃,死亡率达70%～80%;各龄幼虫停止取食率80%～90%.高压电击法在防治木材害虫、树木蛀干害虫及木材检疫上具有广阔的开发应用前景.     

Using traffic flow theory to model traffic mortality in mammals

Traffic has a considerable effect on population and community dynamics through the disruption and fragmentation of habitat and traffic mortality. This paper deals with a systematic way to acquire knowledge about the probabilities of successful road crossing by mammals and what characteristics affect this traversability. We derive a model from traffic flow theory to estimate traffic mortality in mammals related to relevant road, traffic and species characteristics. The probability of successful road crossing is determined by the pavement width of the road, traffic volume, traversing speed of the mammals and their body length. We include the traversability model in a simple two-patch population model to explore the effects of these road, traffic and species characteristics on population dynamics. Analysis of the models show that, for our parameter ranges, traffic volume and traversing speed have the largest effect on traffic mortality. The population size is especially negatively affected when roads have to be crossed during the daily movements. These predictions could be useful to determine the expected effectiveness of mitigating measures relative to the current situation. Mitigating measures might alter the road and traffic characteristics. The effects of these changes on traffic mortality and population dynamics could be analysed by calculating the number of traffic victims before and after the mitigating measures. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Changes in technical efficiency of the broiler production in Poland, 1994–2013

1. The effects of changes in technical efficiency on the increase of broiler production are presented for the period 1994–2013 based on the panel data from seven farms located in southern and central Poland. A total of 766 cycles were analysed.

2. The Cobb–Douglas production function was used to assess the changes of output elasticities as well as technical changes in broiler production, for 5-year sub-periods separately.

3. Technical indices of broiler production significantly improved between years 1994–2013: feed conversion ratio decreased from 2.50 kg/kg to 1.78 kg/kg, mortality rate from 8.8% to 4.0% and daily weight gain increased from 37.1 g/d to 58.7 g/d, respectively.

4. Before accession to the EU, there was a substantial increase of fixed capital connected with modernisation of buildings and equipment. In the period 1994–2013, inputs of fixed capital per kilogram of livestock increased by 72% and at the same time the input of labour decreased by 56%.

5. Technical changes in years 1994–1998 contributed to a rapid production increase at a rate of 4.6% annually and only by up to 0.7% annually during 2009–2013. The slowdown of production rate increase after 2009 was partially caused by decreasing the stocking density.     

用模糊综合评判法预测马尾松毛虫幼虫高峰期发生量

为了提高马尾松毛虫一代、二代幼虫高峰期发生量预报的准确性,为有效防治马尾松毛虫提供科学依据,本文运用模糊综合评判的6个数学模型预测安徽省潜山县马尾松毛虫一代、二代幼虫高峰期的发生量,验证预报1989年、1994年、2002年和2017年一代马尾松毛虫幼虫高峰期发生量,预报结果分别为2级、4级、2级和1级,与实况级别完全吻合,预报结果准确。预报1989年、1994年、2002年和2017年二代马尾松毛虫幼虫高峰期发生量,预报结果依次是4级、5级、2级和1级。同样与实况级别全部相同。预报的准确率为100%,模糊综合评判法是一个运算简便、准确性高的预报方法。