The effect of breed,sex, and oral meloxicam administration on pain biomarkers following hot-iron branding in Hereford and Angus calves

Hot-iron branding uses thermal injury to permanently identify cattle causing painful tissue damage. The primary objective was to examine the physiological and behavioral effects of oral meloxicam (MEL), compared to a control, administered at the time of hot-iron branding in Angus and Hereford steers and heifers. The secondary objectives were to investigate breed and sex effects on pain biomarkers. A total of 70 yearlings, consisting of 35 heifers and 35 steers (Angus, Hereford, or Angus × Hereford), were enrolled in the study. Animals were blocked by sex, randomized across weight, and assigned to receive MEL (1 mg/kg) or a placebo (CON). Biomarkers were assessed for 48 h after branding and included infrared thermography (IRT), mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT), accelerometry and a visual analog scale (VAS), and serum cortisol and prostaglandin E₂ metabolites (PGEM). Wound healing was assessed for 12 wk. Hair samples to quantify cortisol levels were taken prior to and 30 d post-branding. Responses were analyzed using repeated measures with calf nested in treatment as a random effect, and treatment, time, treatment by time interaction, breed, and sex as fixed effects. There was a treatment by time interaction for PGEM (P < 0.01) with MEL having lower values than CON at 6, 24, and 48 h (MEL: 18.34 ± 3.52, 19.61 ± 3.48, and 22.24 ± 3.48 pg/mL, respectively; CON: 32.57 ± 3.58, 37.00 ± 3.52, and 33.07 ± 3.48 pg/mL; P < 0.01). MEL showed less of a difference in maximum IRT values between the branded (2.27 ± 0.29 °C) and control site (3.15 ± 0.29 °C; P < 0.01). MEL took fewer lying bouts at 0–12 h (4.91 bouts ± 0.56) compared with CON (6.87 bouts ± 0.55; P < 0.01). Compared with Hereford calves, Angus calves exhibited greater serum but lower hair cortisol, greater PGEM, more lying bouts, and less healed wound scores at 3, 4, and 5 wk. Compared with heifers, steers exhibited lower PGEM, lower branding site and ocular IRT, higher MNT, and lower plasma meloxicam levels. Steers spent more time lying, took more lying bouts and had greater VAS pain, and more healed wound scores at 5 wk than heifers. Meloxicam administration at branding reduced branding and control site temperature differences and reduced lying bouts for the first 12 h. Breed and sex effects were observed across many biomarkers. Changes from baseline values for IRT, MNT, lying time, step count, VAS pain, and wound scoring all support that branding cattle is painful.     

双孢菇工厂化生产环境因子调控系统设计

双孢菇工厂化生产中环境因子是影响双孢菇的生长发育的主要因素。为此,针对双孢菇高效工厂化生产对环境条件的要求,开发了控温、调湿装置,设计了多因素模糊控制策略,实现了环境温湿度、培养料土温湿度的综合调控。试验结果表明:系统正常运行状态下,培养料土温度控制偏差小于0.7℃,温度上升响应速度大于0.4℃/h;环境湿度调控偏差小于3.5%,湿度上升响应速度大于5%/h;喷淋后培养料土各点位均处于最适含水量范围,含水量标准差约为4.04%。所设计环境调控系统整体性能稳定可靠,能够满足双孢菇生长所需环境要求。该系统可为双孢菇工厂化生产环境自动精准调控提供技术支撑。     

Antibody response to Raboral VR-G® oral rabies vaccine in captive and free-ranging black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas)

Rabies is a zoonotic disease that remains endemic in large parts of southern Africa because of its persistence in wildlife and domestic dog vectors. The black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) is primarily the wildlife vector responsible for rabies outbreaks in northern parts of South Africa. Two trials were carried out to investigate antibody responses to the oral rabies vaccine Raboral V-RG® in black-backed jackals under captive and free-ranging conditions. In captive jackals 10/12 (83%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 52% – 98%), seroconverted after single oral vaccination. Nine captive jackals had protective antibody titres (> 0.5 IU/mL) at 4 weeks (median: 2.1 IU/mL; inter quartile range [IQR]: 0.6–5.7) and 10 jackals had at 12 weeks (median: 3.5 IU/mL; IQR: 1.5–8.3) and three maintained antibody titres for up to 48 weeks (median: 3.4 IU/mL; IQR: 2.0–6.3). Four sites were baited with Raboral V-RG® vaccine for wild jackals, using fishmeal polymer and chicken heads. Baits were distributed by hand or from vehicle at three sites in north-eastern South Africa, with an average baiting density of 4.4 baits/km² and at one site in central South Africa, at 0.12 baits/km². This resulted in protective antibody titres in 3/11 jackals (27%; 95% Cl: 6–61) trapped between 3 and 12 months after baiting in north-eastern South Africa, compared with 4/7 jackals (57%; 95% Cl: 18–90) trapped after 3–18 months in central South Africa. This study shows the potential utility of oral rabies vaccination for the control of wildlife-associated rabies in north-eastern and central South Africa, but extensive studies with wider distribution of bait are needed to assess its potential impact on rabies control in wild jackals.     

近似法计量施用有机肥料对培肥水稻土土壤的研究

用近似法计量施用有机肥培肥土壤,测定土壤有机质矿化率和农肥及作物根茬的腐殖化系数。5a试验结果表明,土壤有机质矿化率在轻壤质良水型水稻土上平均为2.44%,轻壤质滞水型水稻土上平均为1.39%。有机质的腐殖化系数:马粪为35%～40%;猪粪为28%～34%;水稻根茬为45%。根据上述结果,计算了有机肥的建议施肥量,该计算值在水稻土上基本符合生产实际情况。     

大型海藻基生物炭中多环芳烃分布特征及毒性评价

研究大型海藻基生物炭中多环芳烃(Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons,PAHs)分布特征及毒性可为其资源化利用提供重要的依据。该研究利用索氏提取结合气相色谱质谱法分析了不同热解温度(200、300、400、500和600℃)的大型海藻(瓦氏马尾藻(Sagassum vachellianum)、羊栖菜(Sargassum fusiforme)、鼠尾藻(Sargassum thunbergii)、带形蜈蚣藻(Grateloupiaturuturu)、粗枝软骨藻(Chondriacrassicaulis)及孔石莼(Ulvapertusa))基生物炭中16种PAHs含量并对其毒性进行评价。结果表明,大型海藻基生物炭中均能检出PAHs(总量浓度为78.2～2 244.2μg/kg),且其生成量整体随热解温度升高先增加后降低。大型海藻基生物炭中PAHs含量均低于欧洲生物炭标准(EuropeanBiochar Certificate,EBC,10.1版)规定的EBC-AgroOrganic等级限量值(4±2)mg/kg。大型海藻基生物炭中PAHs以2环和3环为主,4环PA...     

苹果外部缺陷全表面在线检测分选装置研发

中国是水果消费大国,但在水果产后检测装备方面相对滞后。针对目前在线检测装置无法采集苹果全表面图像信息且无法精确计算缺陷面积的问题,该研究以表面缺陷面积的快速检测为主要目标,提出苹果全表面图像合成算法,设计了一套苹果外部品质在线检测及分级装置。该研究以苹果为例,基于球模型提出苹果全表面图像合成算法、缺陷面积校正算法精确计算苹果的表面缺陷面积。通过试验验证,对苹果表面图像进行分割合成后,整体的图像的漏检率为0。提出缺陷面积校正算法,可以计算图像中位于任意位置的苹果缺陷真实面积,选取了120个样本进行验证,其中擦伤样本、碰伤样本、痘斑病样本、表面腐败样本各30个。4种表面损伤面积的预测值和真实值的决定系数R²均在0.97以上,均方根误差(Root Mean Squared Error, RMSE)在4 mm²以下。在偏角试验中,4种表面损伤面积的预测值和真实值的决定系数R²均在0.974 2以上,RMSE在6.304 4 mm²以下。装置检测苹果的速度为2个/s,评级准确率为95%。研究结果表明,检测与苹...     

Root exudation of prometryn and its metabolites from Chinese celery (Apium graveolens)

Root exudates from Chinese celery (Apium graveolens) and Chinese cabbage (pak choi, Brassica chinensis) plants treated by prometryn, an herbicide, were qualitatively and quantitatively investigated and compared under hydroponic cultivation. Prometryn and its metabolites released into the nutrient solution were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatograph coupled with orbitrap mass spectrometer to investigate whether this xylem-mobile herbicide is exuded from the roots. The results showed that celery and pak choi had different root exudation profiles. Celery metabolized prometryn to prometryn sulfoxide and released both compounds from the roots. In contrast, pak choi barely metabolized or actively released prometryn from the roots. The concentration of prometryn sulfoxide released from celery after 96 hr was 21 µg/L, which was nearly one-third that of released prometryn. Our results indicate that the root exudation and translocation of xylem-mobile herbicides could be significant in plants and are highly species dependent compared with phloem-mobile herbicides.     

Improving Drought Tolerance of Rice by Designed QTL Pyramiding

Drought is the most important factor limiting rice yields in the rainfed areas of Asia. To overcome the problem, we developed a new strategy ＇designed QTL pyramiding＇ to more efficiently develop drought tolerant （DT） rice cultivars. In the first phase of this strategy, we developed large numbers of introgression lines （ILs） in elite backgrounds using backcross （BC） breeding, each of which carries multiple genomic segments for improved DT from a known donor. Then, we genotyped all ILs with SSR markers to track the genomewide pattern of introgression in the DT ILs of 16 BC populations derived from crosses between 2 recipients （IR64 and Teqing） and four different donors. X^2 tests and linkage disequilibrium analyses of introgression in the DT ILs revealed significant frequency shifts at many loci across the genome and non-random associations at the multilocus level as a result of selection for DT in the ILs, which led us to the discovery of putative genetic networks underlying DT in the ILs. The networks each containing all DT loci detected in ILs from a BC population showed some interesting features.     

Mapping QTLs for Yield Stability in Durum Wheat Grown under Different Water Regimes

Among the most important Mediterranean annual crops, durum wheat is widely grown in drought-prone areas. Therefore, improving water-use efficiency （WUE） of durum wheat represents a major breeding goal. IDu-WUE （Improving Durum wheat for Water Use Efficiency and yield stability through physiological and molecular approaches） is a collaborative project among public and private research centres in Italy, Spain and WANA （West Asia and North Africa） countries （Morocco, Tunisia, Syria and Lebanon） funded by the European Union aimed at investigating the genetic variation for WUE and yield stability in durum wheat grown in Mediterranean droughtprone areas. During the first year of the project, a number of morpho-physiological traits （e.g. early vigour, flowering time, leaf rolling, number of fertile tillers, etc.）, WUE, WUE-related traits （e.g. carbon isotope discrimination, canopy temperature, chlorophyll fluorescence, etc.）, yield and its components have been investigated in a RIL population （249 lines） and a collection of ca. 190 durum wheat accessions characterized by a high level of linkage disequilibrium （Maccaferri et al., 2005）,