Can treatment of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachiaria decumbens</Emphasis> (signal grass) improve its utilisation in the diet in small ruminants?—a review

Brachiaria decumbens is an extremely productive tropical grass due to its aggressive growth habit and its adaptation to a varied range of soil types and environments. As a result of the vast availability, treated B. decumbens demonstrates as a promising local material that could be utilised as an improved diet for sheep and goats. Despite the fact that the grass significantly increases weight gains in grazing farm animals, there were many reports of general ill-thrift and sporadic outbreaks of photosensitivity in livestock due to the toxic compound of steroidal saponin found in B. decumbens. Ensiling and haymaking were found to be effective in removing toxin and undesirable compounds in the grass. Biological treatments using urea, activated charcoal, polyethylene glycol, and effective microorganisms were found to be useful in anti-nutritional factor deactivation and improving the nutritive values of feedstuffs. Besides, oral administration of phenobarbitone showed some degree of protection in sheep that fed on B. decumbens pasture. In this review, we aim to determine the effect of B. decumbens toxicity and possible treatment methods on the grass to be used as an improved diet for small ruminant.     

Genomic characterization of the first oral avian papillomavirus in a colony of breeding canaries (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Serinus canaria</Emphasis>)

Papillomaviruses are non-enveloped, DNA viruses that infect skin and mucosa of a wide variety of vertebrates, causing neoplasias or simply persisting asymptomatically. Avian papillomaviruses, with six fully sequenced genomes, are the second most studied group after mammalian papillomaviruses. In this study, we describe the first oral avian papillomavirus, detected in the tongue of a dead Yorkshire canary (Serinus canaria) and in oral swabs of the same bird and other two live canaries from an aviary in Madrid, Spain. Its genome is 8,071 bp and presents the canonical papillomavirus architecture with six early (E6, E7, E1, E9, E2, E4) and two late open reading frames (L1 and L2) and a long control region between L1 and E6. This new avian papillomavirus L1 gene shares a 64% pairwise identity with FcPV1 L1, so it has been classified as a new species (ScPV1) within the Ethapapillomavirus genus. Although the canary died after showing breathing problems, there is no evidence that the papillomavirus caused those symptoms so it could be part of the oral microbiota of the birds. Hence, future investigations are needed to evaluate the clinical relevance of the virus.     

Knowledge,attitudes and practices towards <Emphasis Type="Italic">cystic echinococcosis</Emphasis> in livestock among selected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Uganda

A cross-sectional study was done from March 2013 to May 2014 to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards cystic echinococcosis (CE) or hydatidosis among selected pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Uganda. A structured questionnaire was administered to 381 respondents. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to find the relationship between knowledge about CE and factors such as age, sex, and level of education across all regions. The odds ratio and confidence interval were used to determine the difference in responses across regions. It was shown that age above 36 years was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with awareness about CE in livestock. Likewise, uneducated (p < 0.0001) and agro-pastoralists (p = 0.01) were significantly less knowledgeable than the educated and pastoralists across all regions. The overall knowledge towards CE in livestock was low 17.8% (95% CI = 14.0–21.6). Dog ownership was high and they never dewormed their freely roaming dogs. Dogs shared water with livestock. In conclusion, knowledge about CE in livestock was low across all regions. Therefore, public health education and formulation of policies towards its control by the relevant stakeholders should be done. Also, the true prevalence of CE in livestock needs to be done so that the magnitude and its public health significance are elucidated.     

水貂铜绿假单胞菌检测方法研究进展

水貂出血性肺炎是由铜绿假单胞菌引起的威胁养貂业的重要疾病之一。为了解该病相关检测方法的最新研究进展,本文从病原学和分子生物学方面,介绍了细菌分离培养、生化试验、特异性抗原及其抗体检测、PCR技术和LAMP技术等。通过比较各种方法的优缺点和实用性,为临床兽医科技工作者快速、简便、准确、实用地诊断提供参考。     

草鱼呼肠孤病毒生长特性研究

以草鱼呼肠孤病毒(GCRV)873毒株为试验材料,建立了GCRV荧光定量PCR检测方法;用GCRV873株感染CIK细胞及草鱼,通过对病毒RNA复制水平、子代病毒含量以及细胞病变等情况进行监测,研究其在CIK细胞及草鱼体内的生长特性。在CIK细胞中,GCRV感染后12 h即可检测到子代病毒,36 h时,所有细胞被感染;72 h时,病毒滴度达到最高,为10~(6.75) TCID_(50)/mL。在草鱼的肝、脾、肾中,均能检测到GCRV RNA,其中肾脏中含量最高,其次是肝脏,脾脏中最少。本试验为研究GCRV致病机理及制备细胞灭活疫苗奠定了试验基础。     

遵义市辣椒产业发展的现状、问题与对策

本文概述了遵义市辣椒产业发展的基本情况及存在的问题,进一步提出了当前遵义辣椒产业发展的思路与措施。     

在实际支撑系统中合理运用扣件式钢管脚手架的施工技术

本文主要通过工程实例介绍扣件式钢管脚手架在高大跨度梁板模板支撑中的应用,并根据有关规范规定、现场实际情况及现有材料等,结合实践经验对其进行探讨和总结.     

杨树固沙林密度、配置与林木生长过程的关系

在科尔沁沙地证明低覆盖度行带式固沙林具有显著的防风效果后,进一步对雨养条件下杨树(赤峰-36号)固沙林的密度、配置及林木生长过程与林龄的动态关系进行研究.结果表明: 1)1～5 a林木的生长基本不受密度的影响,密度大单位面积材积量大;6～11 a是密度对林木生长的显著影响阶段,杨树固沙林的胸径、株高和材积量的增长率随林龄增大而逐年加快;大约在11 a之后趋于稳定;单位活立木蓄积最大(153.39 m3·hm-2)的固沙林密度是825株·hm-2,其他密度按蓄积大小排序依次为540株·hm-2、420株·hm-2和1 215株·hm-2;2)边缘林木的平均胸径和单株材积量分别比林内高20%～70%和90%～260%,且低密度林分的边缘林木的生长优势比高密度林分边缘林木的生长优势更加明显;3)同密度(500株·hm-2)13 a的一行一带式固沙林,其胸径、树高和材积量分别比等株行距的片林高37.4%、17.4%和81%;而10 a的两行一带式的胸径、树高和材积量分别比等株行距的片林高19.8%、16.2%和64.8%,说明行带式配置还具有生物生产力优势.     

日本北海道北部寒温带森林流域林冠层凋落物及其养分归还量的景观格局(英文)

Within a forested watershed at the Uryu Experimental Forest of Hokkaido University in northern Hokkaido, overstory litterfall and related nutrient fluxes were measured at different landscape zones over two years. The wetland zone covered with Picea glehnii pure stand. The riparian zone was deciduous broad-leaved stand dominated by Alnus hirsuta and Salix spp., while the mixture of deciduous broadleaf and evergreen conifer dominated by Betula platyphylla, Quercus crispula and Abies sachalinensis distributed on the upland zone. Annual litterfall averaged 1444, 5122, and 4123 kg.hm^-2·a^-1 in the wetland, riparian and upland zones, respectively. Litterfall production peaked in September-October, and foliage litter contributed the greatest amount （73.4%-87.6 %） of the annual total litterfall. Concentrations of nutrients analyzed in foliage litter of the dominant species showed a similar seasonal variation over the year except for N in P glehnii and A. hirsuta. The nutrient fluxes for all elements analyzed were greatest on riparian zone and lowest in wetland zone. Nutrient fluxes via litterfall followed the decreasing sequence： N （11-129 kg.hm-2.aq） 〉 Ca （9-69） 〉 K （5-20） 〉 Mg （3-15） 〉 P （0.4-4.7） for all stands. Significant differences were found in litterfall production and nutrient fluxes among the different landscape components. There existed significant differences in soil chemistry between the different landscape zones. The consistently low soil C：N ratios at the riparian zone might be due to the higher-quality litter inputs （largely N-fixing alder）.     

Concentration variations of several ions in stream after a wildfire

In May 2006, a high intensity wildfire occurred in Songling forest region in Daxing＇an Mountains, China. The concentration changes of eight ions （K^＋, Na^＋, Ca^2＋, Mg^2＋, Cl^-, Br^-, NO3^- and SO4^2-） were measured in burned and tmbumed streams after fire from May to Oct., 2006. Results show that the most ions flux were higher in burned stream than that in unburned stream during the sampling period, and the greatest concentrations of most ions transported from burned stream occurred in July. After fire, the most amplitude chemical ion was Ca^2＋, whose average concentration was 5.50 mg·L^-1 higher than that in unburned stream, and the total concentration of every chemical ion presents a trend Ca^2＋〉SO4^2- 〉Na^＋〉Mg^2＋〉NO3^- . The average concentrations of Ca^2＋, SO4^2- , Na^＋＇Mg^2＋,NO3^- showed an increase trend, but those of K^＋, Cl^- , Br had a decreased trend. SO4^2- had the largest loss among these anions, followed by NO3^-. Overall, the increase degree of cation was greater than that of anion after burning.