Effect of Oil Overlay on Inhibition Potential of Roscovitine in Sheep Cumulus‐Oocyte Complexes

Inhibitors of cyclin‐dependent kinases, as roscovitine, have been used to prevent the spontaneous resumption of meiosis in vitro and to improve the oocyte developmental competence. In this study, the interference of oil overlay on the reversible arrest capacity of roscovitine in sheep oocytes as well as its effects on cumulus expansion was evaluated. For this, cumulus‐oocyte complexes (COCs) were cultured for 20 h in TCM 199 with 10% foetal bovine serum (Control) containing 75 μm roscovitine (Rosco). Subsequently, they were in vitro matured (IVM) for further 18 h in inhibitor‐free medium with LH and FSH. The culture was performed in Petri dishes under mineral oil (+) or in 96 well plates without oil overlay (?) at 38.5°C and 5% CO₂. At 20 and 38 h, the cumulus expansion and nuclear maturation were evaluated under stereomicroscope and by Hoechst 33342 staining, respectively. No group presented cumulus expansion at 20 h. After additional culture with gonadotrophins, a significant rate of COCs from both Control groups (+/?) exhibited total expansion while in both Rosco groups (+/?) the partial expansion prevailed. Among the oocytes treated with roscovitine, 65.2% were kept at GV in the absence of oil overlay while 40.6% of them reached MII under oil cover (p < 0.05). This meiotic arrest was reversible, and proper meiosis progression also occurred in the Control groups (+/?). So, the culture system without oil overlay improved the meiotic inhibition promoted by roscovitine without affecting the cumulus expansion rate or the subsequent meiosis progression.     

12～17周龄金定蛋鸭色氨酸适宜需要量的研究

通过试验研究色氨酸对12～17周龄金定蛋鸭的免疫指标和性成熟指标的影响,最终确定后备蛋鸭色氨酸的需要量。选择12周龄健康的金定蛋鸭180只,随机分成5组,每组6个重复,每个重复6只。处理Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ、Ⅴ组饲喂色氨酸水平分别为0.199%、0.22%0、.24%、0.26%、0.30%。采用二次曲线方程确定后备蛋鸭的色氨酸适宜水平。结果表明:①0.252%～0.269%的色氨酸能显著提高试鸭血清白细胞介素(IL-2)和免疫球蛋白G(IgG)含量(P<0.05),显著降低血清皮质醇(Cort)和免疫球蛋白M(IgM)的含量(P<0.05)。0.252%～0.255%的色氨酸能显著提高试鸭的胸腺指数、法氏囊指数和脾指数(P<0.05)。②0.242%～0.260%的色氨酸对试鸭促卵泡激素(FSH)和雌二醇(E2)分泌影响不显著(P>0.05),对血清中促黄体生成素(LH)和孕酮(P4)影响显著(P<0.05)。0.247%～0.250%的色氨酸能促进试鸭生殖器官的发育,但不显著(P>0.05)。试验结果提示:以免疫指标及性成熟为评价指标1,2～17周龄金定蛋鸭的适宜色氨酸水平为0.242%～0.269%。     

Increased tolerance to annual ryegrass toxicity in sheep given a supplement of cobalt

SUMMARY To determine whether oral cobalt supplements could modify the clinical onset of annual ryegrass toxicity, groups (n = 5) of sheep were dosed orally with 0, 4 or 16 mg cobalt/day. After 3 weeks on this treatment, toxic ryegrass seed was added to their feed to provide 0, 0.15 and 0.30 mg corynetoxins/kg body weight, daily. Sheep receiving cobalt ingested 30% more toxin than did unsupplemented sheep before clinical signs developed (P = 0.03). There was no significant difference between groups receiving 4 and 16 mg cobalt. The results showed that cobalt delayed, but did not prevent, the onset of clinical signs of annual ryegrass toxicity.     

三门湾春秋季鱼类群落特征及其与环境因子的关系

根据2014年11月(秋季)和2015年5月(春季)在三门湾进行渔业资源调查以及同步调查的6个主要环境因子数据(水温、盐度、悬浮物、p H、溶解氧及化学需氧量等),对三门湾鱼类群落结构及其与6个主要环境因子的关系进行了研究。结果显示,共捕获鱼类33种,其中以季节性洄游种类和暖水性种类为主。春、秋季优势种各有5种,其中棘头梅童鱼、龙头鱼和孔虾虎鱼为共同优势种。应用非度量多维测度分析(NMDS)和单因子相似性分析(ANOSIM)可得,春、秋鱼类群落均可划分为2组,其中1组主要分布在湾内,而另1组主要分布在湾口,在不同站位组间均存在极显著差异。长度谱分析结果显示,鱼类群落长度谱的斜率和截距有明显的季节性差异。RDA分析结果表明,鱼类群落主要受温度、溶解氧、悬浮物和p H等环境因子影响。     

Assessment of pentachlorophenol toxicity in newborn calves: clinicopathology and tissue residues

Newborn Holstein bull calves were fed either analytical pentachlorophenol (aPCP) or technical pentachlorophenol (tPCP) for 6 wk to establish and compare the clinical and pathologic manifestations of toxicity. Four groups of three calves/group were each fed either 1 or 10 mg X (kg body weight)-1 X d-1 of either aPCP or tPCP. A fifth group served as control. Dosages of both PCP preparations were normalized to contain equal concentrations of PCP. Toxic effects were observed only at the 10 mg/kg dose in the tPCP-treated calves. These effects included decreased body weight gain, anorexia, decreased serum protein concentration, elevated serum gamma glutamyl transferase, and decreased triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) concentrations. Histologic lesions included cortical atrophy in the thymus and squamous metaplasia and hyperkeratous changes in the Meibomian gland of the eyelid. Thyroid function, which was assessed in vivo by measuring the rate of T3 and T4 production over 4 h after thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-challenge, was not impaired suggesting an extrathyroidal site of toxic action. Although serum chemistry indicators were suggestive of hepatic injury there were no discernable lesions. Organ weight analyses were inconclusive but there was a tendency toward enlargement of liver, kidneys and thyroid and decreased weight of lungs, spleen and thymus. A toxic effect clearly related to PCP and not its contaminants was depressed active transport of p-aminohippurate measured in kidney slices in vitro. Steady state concentrations of PCP in serum were about 40 and 90 ppm for the 1 and 10 mg/kg groups, respectively. Concentrations of PCP among the major organs were comparable.     

色氨酸水平对12～17周龄金定蛋鸭抗氧化性能影响的研究

试验旨在通过研究不同水平色氨酸对12~17周龄金定蛋鸭抗氧化指标的影响,最终确定最佳的色氨酸水平。试验采用单因素完全随机分组法,将12周龄健康的金定蛋鸭300只随机分成5组,每组设6个重复,每个重复10只。Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ、Ⅴ组饲喂的色氨酸水平依次为0.199%、0.220%、0.240%、0.260%、0.300%。采用二次曲线方程确定12~17周龄金定蛋鸭色氨酸的最佳水平。结果表明:0.250%~0.267%水平的色氨酸能显著提高试鸭血清和肝脏过氧化氢酶(CAT)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-PX)和总抗氧化能力(T-AOC)(P<0.05),显著提高试鸭肝脏超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性(P<0.05),但是对试鸭血清SOD活性影响不显著(P>0.05),显著降低试鸭血清和肝脏丙二醛(MDA)浓度(P<0.05)。综上,0.250%~0.267%水平的色氨酸对12~17周龄金定蛋鸭抗氧化功能具有最好的调节作用。     

Decomposition of cattle dung on grazed signalgrass (Brachiaria decumbens Stapf) pastures in monoculture or intercropped with tree legumes

Livestock excreta is one of the major nutrient sources in natural grasslands. Understanding how livestock diet and season affects the decomposition dynamics is critical to nutrient cycling models. We hypothesised that livestock diet and season of the year affect dung decomposition. This study evaluated the decomposition and release of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Na from faeces of cattle collected in dry and wet seasons. Treatments were signalgrass (Brachiaria decumbens Stapf) in monoculture or mixed with sabiá (Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth.) or gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp.). Excreta samples were incubated in nylon bags for 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 and 256 d. The single negative exponential mathematical model was adequate (P < 0.0001) to explain the decomposition. The relative rate of dung decomposition (k) was greater for samples that originated from cattle grazed on signalgrass (k = 0.00284 g g^?1 d^?1), followed by sabiá (k = 0.00233 g g^?1 d^?1), and gliricidia (k = 0.00200 g g^?1 d^?1) pastures. The rate of nutrient release showed a time effect for all variables and interaction between time and season for Ca (P = 0.0042) and Mg (P = 0.0013). Faeces collected from cattle grazing/browsing intercropped pastures tended to have lower decomposition rates.     

日本海神蛤人工繁殖及早期生长发育

为探究日本海神蛤规模化人工苗种繁育的可行性,在国内首次开展了日本海神蛤人工繁殖及早期生长发育研究.结果 显示,日本海神蛤繁殖盛期为5月和10月,单次产卵量为300～500万粒/个,卵径为75～85μm.春季人工将水温升至18.6～19℃,6～9日龄和15～18日龄幼虫生长缓慢,壳长生长速率仅为1～3 μm/d.其他各日...     

Novel Wx alleles induced by chemical mutagens in rice,Oryza sativa L.

From mutant pools of two Taiwanese elite japonica cultivars, Tainung 67 and Taikeng 8, we identified 13 mutant lines possessing opaque endosperm with relatively low amylose contents (AC) ranging from 1.5% to 7.1%. Because of different AC, paste viscosities of these 13 mutant lines differed, as revealed by palatability and physicochemical properties. The mutated gene conferring opaque endosperm was isolated from the F₂ population of one mutant line, WY1× indica cv. ‘Taichung Sen 17’, by positional cloning, revealing a G3018→A3018 substitution at exon 9 of Waxy leading to a non‐synonymous mutation from alanine to valine. Two additional alleles were identified from the other 12 mutant lines, for which single‐nucleotide substitutions G2708 → A2708 and G3029 → A3029 occurred in exons 8 and 9, leading to non‐synonymous mutations from arginine to histidine and glutamic acid to lysine, respectively. The three novel wx alleles had different effects on grain quality, specifically on eating and cooking quality, and could be applied in rice breeding programmes to develop new low AC varieties by marker‐assisted selection.