Effect of the Pietrain breed used as terminal boar on Post-weaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS) in the offspring in four PMWS-affected farms

The aim of this study was to determine the potential risk factors for PMWS at the individual pig level and assess the effect of the Pietrain paternal genetic background of the animals in a cohort study. The survey was set up in four PMWS-affected farms with 2 repetitions (batches) per farm. A representative sample of 60 pigs per batch, stratified according to the paternal genetic background (Pietrain: yes vs. no), was randomly selected after farrowing. The representative cohort was divided into 8 batches and the pigs were individually monitored from birth to slaughter. Survival analysis was used to determine the factors related to the time to PMWS. The litter-cluster effect was taken into account using the marginal Cox model (robust estimation of the covariance matrix) and the gamma shared frailty model which were compared.No protective effect of the Pietrain breed on the time to PMWS and the proportion of affected pigs in the offspring was found in this study. Piglets showing low circovirus type 2 (PCV2) titres at 7 weeks-old with no subsequent seroconversion and piglets from PCV2 negative sows were most likely to be affected by PMWS (HR=7.0 and 2.8, respectively). Active infection of the pregnant dams with parvovirus was related to an increased risk of PMWS in the offspring (HR=2.3). Neck injuries due to poorly performed injections in the dams were associated with an increased risk of PMWS with the marginal model (HR=2.1). Oxytocin injection (dams) during farrowing was protective against PMWS in the offspring (HR=0.6).     

Therapeutic effects of recombinant human growth hormone on rat sepsis

AIM:To investigate therapeutic effects of recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH) on rat sepsis and its possible mechanisms.METHODS:Mean arterial pressure (MAP), levels of plasma TNFα, IL-1β and endotoxin, leukocyte count and survival rate within 1 week were determined after E. coli injection among control group, sepsis group and sepsis+rhGH group.RESULTS:(1)rhGH diminished the decrease of MAP, reduced plasma endotoxin and TNFα levels and increased neutrophil ratio in total leukocytes in sepsis rat. rhGH increased survival rate within 1 week on sepsis rat. (2)No changes were found in IL-1β level among the three groups.CONCLUSION:rhGH showed desirable beneficial effects on rat sepsis, which may attribute to: improving circulatory function;maintaining intestinal mucosa barrier, attenuating bacteria/endotoxin translocation and inhibiting the production and release of TNFα.     

Predicting effective doses for the joint action of two fungicide applications

A function was derived to predict fungicide efficacy when more than one application of a single active ingredient is made to a crop, given parameters describing the dose–response curves of the component single-spray applications. In the function, a second application is considered to act on that proportion of the total pathogen population which was uncontrollable at the time of the first application (represented by the lower asymptote of the dose–response curve for the first treatment), plus any additional part of the population which survived the first application as a result of a finite dose being applied. Data to estimate the single-spray dose–response curve parameters and validate predictions of two-spray programme efficacy were obtained from separate subsets of treatments in four field experiments. A systemic fungicide spray was applied to wheat at a range of doses, at one or both of two times (t₁ and t₂), in all dose combinations. Observed values of the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) for septoria leaf blotch (Mycosphaerella graminicola) were used to construct response surfaces of dose at t₁ by dose at t₂ for each culm leaf layer. Parameters were estimated from single-spray and zero-dose treatment data only. The model predicted a high proportion (R² = 71–95%) of the variation in efficacy of the two-spray programmes. AUDPC isobols showed that the dose required at t₂ was inversely related to the dose at t₁, but the slope of the relationship varied with the relative timings of t₁ and t₂ in relation to culm leaf emergence. Isobols were curved, so the effective dose – the total dose required to achieve a given level of disease suppression – was lower when administered as two applications.     

华北驼绒藜雨季移栽成活率研究

本文是不同季节移栽华北驼绒藜(Ceratoides arborescens)系列研究之一。干旱区春季生态建植有补水之苦,雨季移栽表明,不需坐水或补水,成活率可高达60%,浸根可提高成活率至90%;说明雨季移栽是可行的。移栽植株数日内叶片含水量和叶绿素含量急剧下降、脯氨酸含量骤然升高,含量恢复过程则较缓慢,说明移栽使植株突然损伤,但终能恢复至正常生理状态。     

不同豆类对绿豆象发育繁殖的影响

为给综合治理绿豆象提供理论支撑,在室内(28±2℃)条件下,饲养绿豆象,并观察了6种豆类对绿豆象发育和繁殖的影响。结果表明:绿豆象的卵孵化后,幼虫仅在绿豆、红小豆、大豆上可蛀入危害;在绿豆、红小豆和大豆上的世代发育历期分别为26.50、29.90、52.00天;在绿豆、红小豆、大豆上的存活率分别为52.11%、56.45%、1.60%;绿豆象成虫在不同豆种上的产卵历期差异不显著(P0.05);但雌成虫在不同豆种上的产卵量差异显著(P0.05)。综上认为绿豆象的发育和繁殖明显受储粮豆类的影响。     

修剪方式对广玉兰大树移植成活率及生长的影响

为提高大树移植成活率及探索修剪方式与大树移植成活生长的关系,以20a以上生广玉兰为试材,以全冠移植为对照(CK),分别采用剪去1/3枝叶量的轻度修剪(QX)、剪去2/3枝叶量的中度修剪(ZX)和不留枝叶的截干回缩修剪(JX)3种方式修剪后移植,经过3a连续试验观察,研究不同修剪方式对广玉兰大树移植成活率和生长的影响。结果表明,与CK相比,3种修剪方式极显著提高广玉兰移植后的成活率和新生叶片数、第2年(2013年)和第3年(2014年)的侧梢数、侧梢长度和底径以及第1年(2012年)和第3年(2014年)冠幅生长;与其他2种修剪方式相比,JX显著提高广玉兰移植成活率、第2年(2013年)和第3年(2014年)的侧梢数、顶梢长度、侧梢长度及冠幅生长以及第3年(2014年)的新生叶片数;显著提高第2年(2013年)和第3年(2014年)的侧梢底径。表明截干回缩修剪更有利于广玉兰大树移植的成活和复壮生长。     

甜菜根产量和含糖率性状的QTL定位

为了进行目的基因克隆等进一步的研究,选育高产、高糖、抗病的新品种,由‘JV34-2’和‘2B023’杂交获得F2代群体200株甜菜为材料,利用123个SRAP标记和18个SSR标记,对甜菜的根产量性状和含糖率性状进行QTL定位分析。利用完备区间作图软件QTL icimapping3.1,共检测出根产量和含糖性状的17个QTLs,定位于已构建的遗传图谱的6个连锁群中。根产量性状定位了7个QTLs,LOD值为2.5322~4.0098,可解释变异为4.5704%~12.3782%。含糖率性状定位了10个QTLs,LOD值为2.5385~10.8314,可解释变异为2.3482%~19.3828%。本试验是国内甜菜重要经济性状定位研究中获得QTL定位位点最多的。     

Prognostic factors in cats with chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in cats. HYPOTHESIS: Some baseline variables are associated with shorter survival times in cats with CKD. ANIMALS: Client-owned cats. METHODS: Cats with CKD with initial plasma creatinine concentration > or =2.0 mg/dL and urine specific gravity (USG) < or = 1.025 were recruited into a prospective clinical trial that compared benazepril with a placebo. We describe baseline variables in 190 cats and their influence on renal survival time in the placebo group (95 cats), which was followed for up to 1,097 days. Renal survival time was defined as the time from initiation of therapy to the need for parenteral fluid therapy, euthanasia, or death related to renal failure. RESULTS: Of the 95 cats treated with a placebo, 58 were censored and 37 reached the renal survival end point (died, n = 0; euthanized, n = 17; parenteral fluids, n = 12; parenteral fluids followed by euthanasia, n = 8). Increased plasma creatinine concentration, increased urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPC), and increased blood leukocyte count were significantly (P < .01) associated with a shorter renal survival time and were independent risk factors. Increased concentrations of plasma phosphate or urea, and lower blood hemoglobin concentration or hematocrit were significantly (P < .01) associated with a shorter renal survival time and were dependent risk factors, because they also were significantly (P < .01) correlated with plasma creatinine concentration at baseline. CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Several variables were significantly associated with a shorter renal survival time in cats with CKD.     

Study on Optimum Design of Rectangular Sedimentation Tanks

In this paper,the flow velocity fields,suspended solids concentration fields and flow-through curves in rectangular sedimentation tanks with different reaction baffles location,inlet horizontal velocity and length height ratio are simulated in detail using a developed mathematical model given in Reference 2.According to the numerical results,the influence of different reaction baffles location,inlet horizontal velocity and length height ratio on the operating efficiency is analyzed.Finally,the rational reaction baffles location,inlet horizontal velocity and length height ratio are presented.