Excessive oral administration of iron to sheep. 1. Digestibility of rations, results of fattening and carcass yields]

4 digestibility trials (4 male sheep per group) and 2 growth trials were carried out with 24 (V 1) and 32 (V 2) fattening lambs to investigate the effect of abundant oral Fe doses on the digestibility of crude nutrients in a ration of barley + dried green feed and on the results of fattening and carcass yields. Fe supplementation (less than 1400 mg per sheep/day) did not significantly change the digestibility coefficients of crude nutrients. Increasing Fe levels in the concentrates decreased the rates of liveweight increase and food consumption in both growth trials. Well-established statistical evidence was provided for the decline in absolute carcass yields resulting from the lower weight of the lambs at the end of the fattening period after Fe supplementation.     

Hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (HEV) infections in swine. Serologic indication for infectional occurrence in Denmark]

In 1956 a disease of nursing pigs previously unreported in Denmark, was observed in several swine herds. The disease syndrome appeared identical with that later described by Roe and Alexander in 1958 and by S. F. Cartwright and M. Lucas in 1968. Since 1956 there have been no reports of such outbreaks in Danish herds. To investigate whether the virus is still present, a survey was carried out to detect neutralizing antibodies in sera from a number of boars using a micro technique. In 144 sera from Jutland 12% had titers ranging from 10 to 32 ND-50, 22% from 32 to 90, 37% from 90 to 256, 14% from 256 to 724 and 3% above 724 ND-50 with a total of 86% positive. Of 174 sera from the rest of the country 16% had titers ranging from 10 to 32 ND-50, 18% from 32 to 90, 28% from 90 to 256, 13% from 256 to 724 and 3% exceeding 724 ND-50 with a total of 79% positive.     

Ovipositor length of threeApocrypta species: Effect on oviposition behavior and correlation with syconial thickness

We investigated oviposition behavior in three non-pollinating fig wasps: the sympatric speciesApocrypta bakeri Joseph onFicus hispida L.,A. westwoodi Grandi onF. racemosa L., andApocrypta sp. onF. semicordata Buch.-Ham. The oviposition behavior differs significantly between one pair of species (A. bakeri andA. westwoodi) and the other species (Apocrypta sp. onF. semicordata).A. bakeri andA. westwoodi were similar in the following aspects: the posture of the abdomen and the action of the hind legs before penetration, and the bending ovipositor sheath during penetration. In contrast, the oviposition behavior ofApocrypta sp. is quite different. This difference can be explained by the significant correlation between ovipositor length and syconial thickness.Apocrypta sp. has a shorter ovipositor than the two other species, which correlates with the thinner syconial wall of its host figF. semicordata. It is deduced that the ovipositor length adapts to the syconial thickness and induces the oviposition behavior in the different species to diverge. For all threeApocrypta species, the midleg length and hindleg length are significantly correlated with their ovipositor lengths. This may be explained as due to the fact that body movement adjusting the hindlegs and midlegs up and down, or forward and backward, is also influenced by the ovipositor length.     

外源Ca2+ 和ABA 对高温下黄瓜花药中Ca2 + 、ABA及蛋白质合成的影响

 外源Ca^{2 +}能降低高温下黄瓜单核期花药的胞内Ca^{2 +}水平并提高花粉萌发率, 而ABA的作用与此相反。外源Ca^{2 +}和ABA处理能显著提高高温下黄瓜花药内源ABA的水平, 并产生新的蛋白质。以上结果表明, 高温下外源Ca^{2 +}可影响黄瓜花药内ABA信号系统, 继而可能改变基因表达, 并获得耐热性;外源ABA亦能影响黄瓜花药内Ca^{2 +}信号系统。     

茭白肉质茎膨大过程中的糖代谢与激素含量变化

 以单季茭白品种‘蒋墅茭’和双季茭白品种‘葑红早’为试材, 研究了秋季肉质茎膨大过程中物质运转的相关生理生化变化。结果表明, 随着肉质茎鲜质量、干质量快速增加, 非结构性碳水化合物主要成分含量总体上升, 后期出现下降, 蒋墅茭肉质茎中蔗糖含量较高; 糖分转化关键酶活性总体较高,转化酶活性以酸性转化酶较高且呈快速下降, 蒋墅茭的酸性转化酶活性高于葑红早而中性转化酶活性较低;蔗糖合成酶的分解方向活性显著高于合成方向, 且后期维持较高水平, 葑红早的双向活性均高于蒋墅茭;Z + ZR总体含量最高、下降最明显, GA₄ 其次, IAA也呈缓慢下降趋势, GA₃、ABA含量极低, 且各激素均以葑红早高于蒋墅茭。茭白肉质茎干、鲜质量处于快速增长阶段的同时, 而内部生理生化快速下降, 说明茭白肉质茎膨大过程具有特殊性, 并且品种间存在差异。     

平阴玫瑰花粉亚显微形态及品种分类研究

 对平阴玫瑰24个品种的花粉亚显微形态进行了扫描电镜观察研究, 并进行了主成分分析和聚类分析。结果表明, 在花粉亚显微形态特征方面, 各品种之间既有共性, 也存在明显差别, 特别是外壁纹饰的不同可作为玫瑰品种鉴别的重要依据。聚类分析将平阴玫瑰花粉分为两大类, 即玫瑰系和蔷薇系, 与传统形态分类结论基本一致, 但也存在一定的差异。     

Breeding objectives for beef cattle used in different production systems: 2. Model application to production systems with the Charolais breed

A general bio-economic model for beef cattle production was used to define breeding objectives for Charolais cattle to be utilized in a variety of linked production systems. Economic weights were calculated for 16 traits (some with both direct and maternal components) in three production systems (pure-breeding and terminal crossing with beef or dairy cows) and two marketing strategies (sale or fattening of weaned surplus calves). Economic weights for the total breeding objective were calculated as weighted averages, where weights were numbers of cows expected to be mated with Charolais bulls in each production system and marketing strategy. Results suggest that the direct component of calving performance and cow longevity were of primary economic importance in all systems. Conception rate of cows and weaning weight reached about 50% of the standardized economic weight of calving performance in purebred systems with sale of weaned calves, whereas in purebred systems with fattening the economic importance of the direct component of cow conception rate, losses at calving, mature weight of cows, weaning weight, and fattening traits were of equal importance (each approximately about 20% that of calving performance). In terminal crossing systems, weaning weight was important when calves were sold at weaning, and fattening traits were important for systems selling fattened animals. The bio-economic model performed well under the conditions of this demonstration and could easily be customized for other applications.     

Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Verocytotoxic Escherichia coli,and Antibiotic Resistance in Indicator Organisms in Wild Cervids

Faecal samples were collected, as part of the National Health Surveillance Program for Cervids (HOP) in Norway, from wild red deer, roe deer, moose and reindeer during ordinary hunting seasons from 2001 to 2003. Samples from a total of 618 animals were examined for verocytotoxic E. coli (VTEC); 611 animals for Salmonella and 324 animals for Campylobacter. A total of 50 samples were cultivated from each cervid species in order to isolate the indicator bacterial species E. coli and Enterococcus faecalis/E. faecium for antibiotic resistance pattern studies. Salmonella and the potentially human pathogenic verocytotoxic E. coli were not isolated, while Campylobacter jejuni jejuni was found in one roe deer sample only. Antibiotic resistance was found in 13 (7.3%) of the 179 E. coli isolates tested, eight of these being resistant against one type of antibiotic only. The proportion of resistant E. coli isolates was higher in wild reindeer (24%) than in the other cervids (2.2%). E. faecalis or E. faecium were isolated from 19 of the samples, none of these being reindeer. All the strains isolated were resistant against one (84%) or more (16%) antibiotics. A total of 14 E. faecalis-strains were resistant to virginiamycin only. The results indicate that the cervid species studied do not constitute an important infectious reservoir for either the human pathogens or the antibiotic resistant microorganisms included in the study.