鹦鹉性别鉴定方法的研究进展

鹦鹉是雌雄单态的鸟类之一,从外观上难以直接对它们的性别做出判断。鹦鹉以其靓丽的羽毛以及能够模仿人类语言等特点,被大多数人欣赏和爱护,因而经常被人们作为宠物饲养。鹦鹉性别鉴定,尤其是幼鸟时期的性别鉴定意义重大,是开展鹦鹉育种、濒危鹦鹉物种保护工作以及进化研究的基础。总结了目前鹦鹉性别鉴定的常用技术与方法,在立足于雌雄鸟类自身激素分泌不同的基础之上,为鹦鹉性别鉴定方法提出了新的构想,旨在为鹦鹉性别鉴定以及育种工作提供新的思路。     

Congenital sensorineural deafness in dogs: a molecular genetic approach toward unravelling the responsible genes

Deafness is often diagnosed in different dog breeds and has been identified as a significant problem for breeders, owners and clinicians. The aetiology can be inherited or acquired, and a distinction must be made between sensorineural and conductive forms of deafness. This paper provides a brief overview of the varieties of findings in different dog breeds and in one breed in particular including prevalence, phenotypic and gender associations, histology, modes of inheritance and the number of contributing genes in congenital sensorineural deafness. We have also described molecular genetic approaches to canine hearing loss and discuss how comparative genomics could help reduce the prevalence of deafness in affected breeds leading to new insights into the molecular mechanisms of auditory function in both dogs and humans.     

Determination of serum biochemistry reference intervals in a large sample of adult greyhounds

Background : As large breed, highly muscled dogs, greyhounds are regarded as physiologically different to other breeds. Biochemistry reference intervals have previously been determined using small numbers of greyhounds or based on the observations from racing dogs. Objectives : The purpose of this study was to develop statistically defined reference intervals for biochemical analytes in healthy non‐racing greyhounds. Partitioning according to gender was also examined. Methods : Biochemical analytes from a population of non‐racing healthy greyhounds, including 269 males, 202 females and 28 dogs where gender had not been recorded, were examined using a non‐parametric statistical approach. The dogs were aged between one and nine years old. Results : Total protein, albumin, globulin and creatinine reference intervals differed from generic reference intervals used for dogs. The reference intervals for greyhounds in this study are similar to those obtained by other studies of greyhounds, but often had a narrower range of values, likely reflecting more accurate estimation associated with larger numbers of reference individuals. Recommended methods for assessment of partitioning do not indicate a need to partition according to gender.     

灰雁繁殖期的行为日节律及时间分配

2011年4～6月,采用瞬时扫描法对徐州睢宁金桥禽业发展有限公司2对繁殖良好的灰雁的繁殖行为时间分配和活动节律进行研究,采用非参数检验的Kruskal-Wallis H法分析不同性别灰雁繁殖前中后期行为的性别差异,以及相同性别的灰雁在繁殖的不同时期的行为差异。结果显示：灰雁在采食、理羽、静立、趴卧、孵化等行为上存在着明显的节律性。取食行为多发生在上午和下午的中间时段,孵化多在早晨和傍晚,而中午的大部分时间处于休息状态。孵化期内雌雄个体的行为差异很大,灰雁繁殖时期各种行为所占的比例不仅存在着一定的性别差异,而且同一性别个体在不同的繁殖阶段各种行为所占的比例也有很大变化。     

Tail-in-mouth Behaviour Among Weaner Pigs in Relation to Age,Gender and Group Composition Regarding Gender

Male pigs are significantly more often found to be tail-bitten at slaughter than are females. Age is also thought to be a crucial factor in relation to the ontogeny of tail-biting among slaughter pigs. Tail-in-mouth behaviour (TIM) among young pigs is probably the precursor of the damaging tail-biting in older pigs. Hence, this experiment aimed to elucidate the frequency of TIM in relation to gender, age and group composition regarding gender in weaner pigs. Pigs were reared in groups of 24 until 5 weeks of age and then divided into three groups: (A) eight female pigs, (B) eight castrated male pigs and (C) four female and four castrated male pigs (mixed pen). Observations was performed through video-recording 12 h per day, 1 day per week, for 4 consecutive weeks. The number of TIM events (counts) as well as the identity of the performer and the receiver of TIM were recorded. The results showed that the level of TIM activity in the single-gender pens was significantly lower than in the mixed pen (P<0.05). In the mixed pen, TIM tended to be more directed towards the opposite gender and female pigs tended to perform more TIM than the males. Finally, the frequency of TIM increased significantly with age in all three pens (P<0.01).     

Team approach to teaching participatory group process involving natural resources and agriculture

Contemporary issues are defined by people who share diverse and often strongly defended views about the topic. In Oregon, citizens are increasingly being asked or expected to participate in complex decisions that require a consensus. Rather than teach one professor's synthesis of a contemporary natural resource issue, faculty from six disciplines coach group process, interactive learning skills, and systems thinking as a way to address complex issues from multiple perspectives. Students learn by grappling with a natural resource issue of their choice within groups based on a diversity among majors, degree status, and gender. Students define situation (S), brainstorm new or different targets (T), and analyze two or more pathways (P), using an STP learning and action process. Exploring potential pathways involves defining possible consequences, stakeholder views, feasibility (ecological, social, economic, and political), and planning that includes expected behavior of the improved system over time. Students present their topics and improvements showing systemic relationships, systematic analysis, and integration of scientific facts and secondary data at midterm and during finals. Reflective learning is fostered throughout the course with prompted questions in a journal notebook. Grading criteria promote meaningful inquiry and participation in group process combined with integration of scientific facts and reflective learning.     

Veterinary students' views on animal patients and human clients, using Q-methodology

Veterinarians serve two masters: animal patients and human clients. Both animal patients and human clients have legitimate interests, and conflicting moral claims may flow from these interests. Earlier research concludes that veterinary students are very much aware of the complex and often paradoxical relationship they have and will have with animals. In this article the views of veterinary students about their anticipated relationship with animal patients and human clients are studied. The main part of the article describes discourses of first-year and fourth-year students about their (future) relationship with animals and their caretakers, for which Q-methodology is used. At the end of the article, the discourses are related to the students' gender and their workplace preferences.     

Evaluation of zones of iris hypoplasia in horses and ponies.

Mass-like lesions of the iris were evaluated in 15 horses or ponies of various ages and breeds. Breed or gender predilection was not found. These lesions were most often found in blue irides at the 12 o'clock region. Because the lesions transilluminated and changed shape rapidly with changes in pupillary size, they were hypothesized to be zones of iris hypoplasia. Histologic evaluation of one specimen supported this interpretation. The lesions were not associated with any other ocular or systemic abnormality.     

Live weight assessment based on easily accessible morphometric characteristics in the double-muscled Belgian Blue beef breed

Live weight is an important trait in cattle farming. Weighing is not always feasible and therefore live weight is often estimated from easily accessible data. In this study, data on live weight, age and gender, and four body measurements, withers height (WH), heart girth (HG) and width of the shoulders (SW) and hind quarters (BcW) of double-muscled Belgian Blue beef (DM-BBB) farm animals were used to develop multivariable non-linear and linear regression models that predict live weight from these easily accessible data. The relationship between the logarithm of the live weight and the logarithm of time is adequately described by a general logistic function. The age period from 100 to 600 days of age is contained in the linear part of the logistic function. This region is of particular economic interest because it contains the yearling age and slaughter age that are important in DM-BBB breeding and management. Adding one of the body traits in the linear models that contain age and gender as fixed effects decreases the coefficient of variation. A model with withers height and shoulder width has the lowest coefficient of variation, with no further significant improvement when adding either heart girth or width of the hind quarters.     

Tail-in-mouth behaviour in slaughter pigs,in relation to internal factors such as: age,size, gender,and motivational background

Tail-in-Mouth (TIM) behaviour has occasionally been observed among pigs living under semi-natural conditions. It is therefore considered to be a normal, low-frequency behaviour. Under certain conditions, TIM behaviour may increase in frequency and progress into tail biting per se. Several factors, such as age, gender, and size, are believed to enhance this development. This study aimed to elucidate the frequency of TIM behaviour among slaughter pigs, specifically in relation to age, gender, size, and group composition regarding gender. Similarly, we intended to characterize the motivational context in which TIM behaviour occurs. Two batches consisting of 24 pigs each, weighing between 40 and 50 kg, were allocated into 3 groups: 1) Eight female pigs; 2) Eight castrated male pigs; 3) Four female and four castrated male pigs (mixed-gender group). Observation was performed by video recording 4 h per day, 1 day per week, for four consecutive weeks. The pigs were weighed once a week during the experiment. The number of TIM events (counts) as well as the identity of the performer and the receiver of TIM behaviour was recorded. The results showed that the frequency of TIM behaviour in the male group was significantly lower than in the female and mixed-gender groups (P=0.003). Size expressed as weight or growth rate did not influence the amount of TIM behaviour performed or received. TIM behaviour was positively related to social exploration and environmental exploration (P<0.001). Finally, TIM behaviour was most often performed while the pigs were standing still or lying down (P<0.001).     

Vaccination: a management tool in veterinary medicine

Conventional vaccines have been used for some 200 years, primarily to control infectious diseases. It is envisaged that such vaccines will continue to be used and new ones developed using conventional technology. However, in addition to conventional vaccines, novel approaches using biotechnology are already in use and many more are in various stages of development. These novel vaccines are not only being used to control infectious diseases, but also to improve productivity of livestock by modulating hormones, for gender selection, as well as in controlling ectoparasites. The recent developments in vaccination technology in all of these areas are described.     

Patient variation in veterinary medicine--part II--influence of physiological variables

In veterinary medicine, the characterization of a drug's pharmacokinetic properties is generally based upon data that are derived from studies that employ small groups of young healthy animals, often of a single breed. In Part I of the series, we focused on the potential influence of disease processes, stress, pregnancy and lactation on drug pharmacokinetics. In this Part II of the series, we consider other covariates, such as gender, heritable traits, age, body composition, and circadian rhythms. The impact of these factors with respect to predicting the relationship between dose and drug exposure characteristics within an animal population is illustrated through the use of Monte Carlo simulations. Ultimately, an appreciation of these potential influences will improve the prediction of situations when dose adjustments may be appropriate.     

应用B型超声波鉴别马胎儿性别

通过胎儿尾部和脐带之间的生殖器结节定位进行马性别诊断，雄性胎儿准确率97．8％（182／186），雌性胎儿99．4％（160／161）。胎儿性别测定的最适时间为妊娠后59d和68d之间。妊娠中期胎儿性别诊断也非常可靠。超声波性别鉴定准确率达100％。在雄性，从100d到220d妊娠常规获得阴茎或包皮的图像；在雌性，从118d到227d妊娠马观察到胎儿乳腺和乳头。在马繁殖上常规使用的5MHz线性传感器，大多数情况下一直可用到妊娠160d。当胎位太高或其大小超过超声设备监测范围时，须使用3．5MHz探头。若掌握好性别鉴定的最适时间和认识正确的解剖结构，两种方法都是非常精确的。     

Trends in gender, employment, salary, and debt of graduates of US veterinary medical schools and colleges

Objective-To characterize trends in gender, employment, starting salaries, and educational debt of graduates of US veterinary medical schools and colleges from 1988 to 2007. Design-Meta-analysis. Sample Population-Veterinary medical graduates from 26 or 27 of 27 US veterinary schools and colleges from 1988 through 2007. Procedures-Data were obtained from surveys published in the JAVMA. A chi(2) test for trend was used to analyze trends in choices of employment and educational indebtedness for the veterinary graduate populations over time. Results-The greatest changes in employment occurred in predominantly large animal practice, which attracted 10.7% of new graduates in 1989 but only 2.2% in 2007, and in advanced study, which attracted 15.2% of new graduates in 1989 and 36.8% in 2007. In 2007, 75% of graduates were women, but this gender shift was not associated with the decline in the percentage of graduates entering rural practice. From 1989 through 2007, starting salaries in private practice increased at a rate of 4.60%/y. During the same period, educational debt increased at an annual rate of 7.36%, or 60% higher than the rate of increases for starting salaries. As a result, debt at graduation increased from 1.1 times the starting salary in 1989 to 2.0 times the starting salary in 2007. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Veterinary students are now more in debt than they have ever been. This trend together with a substantial increase in the rate of interest charged for government-backed education loans create conditions for new graduates that appear unsustainable.     

Cultivation and expansion of canine Schwann cells using reexplantation

Despite the numerous available possibilities for the surgical treatment of peripheral nerve lesions found in the dog, the success of these treatments is often unsatisfactory. It has been proven that Schwann cells (SC) have a positive influence on the regeneration of nerve stumps. Implanting a guidance channel seeded with autologous SC at the lesion site could be a new therapeutic approach. The aim of this research was to investigate the in vitro cultivation and expansion of canine SC as the main requirement for the treatment referred to above. Biopsies were carried out on 17 nerve samples originating from dogs of different breed, age, gender and condition. The reexplantation method was employed, followed by dissociation using hyaluronidase, collagenase and trypsin and further expansion. The samples were divided into six groups which were treated with a varying combination of mitogens (forskolin, bovine PEX, choleratoxin, heregulin). To obtain the quantities of SC, the specimens were immunostained by a p75-antibody. By employing a growing number of agents it was possible to obtain an increase in both the quantity of cells and purity of cultures. A maximum of 16x10(5) cells per millilitre of suspension was achieved. The largest SC purity measured 27.1%. The maximum SC quantity achieved was 43.3x10(4) SC per millilitre.     

Clinical features of hypoadrenocorticism in soft-coated wheaten terrier dogs: 82 cases (1979–2013)

The objective of this retrospective case series, which included 82 client-owned soft-coated wheaten terriers, was to characterize clinical features of hypoadrenocorticism in this breed. Median age at diagnosis was 3.5 years. There was no gender predilection. Clinicopathologic findings included sodium/potassium ratio < 27 (85%), hyperkalemia (76%), hyponatremia (63%), elevated blood urea nitrogen (83%) or creatinine (71%), and hypercalcemia (36%). Nine dogs with normal sodium and potassium (11%) were older and less often azotemic, hyperphosphatemic, or hypercalcemic. Twenty-one dogs (26%) developed protein-losing nephropathy (n = 18) and/or end-stage renal disease (n = 3). Overall median survival time was 5.4 years, but was shorter in dogs with normal sodium and potassium at diagnosis (4.2 years), or those with subsequent protein-losing nephropathy (4.2 years). This population showed no gender predilection, unlike that reported in the general canine population with hypoadrenocorticism, and more comorbid protein-losing nephropathy than in the general soft-coated wheaten terrier population.     

Cytotoxic chemotherapy: new players, new tactics

Veterinary clients often seek the same new and innovative cancer treatment options for their companion animals that they read about in the press or on the Internet. It is, therefore, necessary for the practitioner to have an understanding of the development of new and innovative cytotoxic drugs and delivery techniques. This article describes the drug development process and how a new product eventually finds its way into clinical use. Some of the newer drugs and delivery techniques applied to small animals are reviewed.     

Gender and veterinary medicine: global historical perspectives

This essay will suggest research methodologies for historians interested in the history of gender and veterinary medicine over the past 200 years. This topic is a very timely one, because we are currently living through a transition in the interactions between gender and veterinary medicine. Traditionally male-dominated, veterinary medicine has recently experienced a world-wide increase in the number of women entering veterinary schools and practicing in all areas of the profession. Understanding this transition requires us to ask historical, cultural, and sociological questions in order to illuminate the roles of gender ideologies and the participation of women in the development of modern veterinary medicine. The following paragraphs outline three specific methodological strategies that historians have used to study the interactions between gender and science and gender and medicine. I will propose ways that we veterinary historians can use these strategies to study gender and veterinary medicine. It is beyond the scope of this paper to summarize the literature on women and veterinary medicine; but it will nonetheless highlight a few studies from nations around the world to illustrate the methodological strategies that I propose. I hope to provide scholars with ideas for future studies in the history of gender and veterinary medicine.