Estimating maize seedling number with UAV RGB images and advanced image processing methods

Precision Agriculture - Accurately identifying the quantity of maize seedlings is useful in improving maize varieties with high seedling emergence rates in a breeding program. The traditional...     

Safe conservation and utilization of peanut germplasm resources in the Oil Crops Middle-term Genebank of China

Peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.)is an important oil and cash crop in the world.Peanut germplasm collected in China are abundant,which provides important material gua...     

Effects of the acid-tolerant engineered bacterial strain Megasphaera elsdenii H6F32 on ruminal pH and the lactic acid concentration of simulated rumen acidosis in vitro

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the acid-tolerant engineered bacterial strain Megasphaera elsdenii H6F32 (M. elsdenii H6F32) on ruminal pH and the lactic acid concentrations in simulated rumen acidosis conditions in vitro. A mixed culture of ruminal bacteria, buffer, and primarily degradable substrates was inoculated with equal numbers of M. elsdenii H6 or M. elsdenii H6F32. The pH and lactic acid concentrations in the mixed culture were determined at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 h of incubation. Acid-tolerant M. elsdenii H6F32 reduced the accumulation of lactic acid and increased the pH value. These results indicate that acid-tolerant M. elsdenii H6F32 could be a potential candidate for preventing rumen acidosis.     

Investigation of the Role of Androstenedione-19-oic Acid in the Presence of 19-Norandrostenedione in Intact Male Horse Plasma Using Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to confirm the presence of androstenedione-19-oic acid in intact male equine plasma and to show the source of 19-norandrostenedione in equine plasma. Androstenedione-19-oic acid was recovered from acidified plasma by liquid–liquid extraction using methyl tert-butyl ether and separated on an Ace 5 C₈ column. A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was used to detect the analytes in negative electrospray ionization mode. Limits of detection, quantification, and confirmation of the method were 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 ng/mL, respectively. The linear dynamic range of quantification was 0.5–50 ng/mL. The presence of androstenedione-19-oic acid was confirmed in all plasma samples obtained from intact male horses but not those from gelded and female horses; the average concentration was 3.1 ± 1.6 ng/mL, suggesting androstenedione-19-oic acid is an endogenous compound only in intact male horse plasma samples. The conversion of androstenedione-19-oic acid to 19-norandrostenedione in equine plasma was demonstrated by spiking androstenedione-19-oic acid into blank plasma and monitoring the generation of 19-norandrostenedione and its increase in concentration during storage. Results indicated that androstenedione-19-oic acid was readily converted into 19-norandrostenedione; the higher the storage temperature, the faster the conversion. The conversion was not affected by the types of plasma samples collected from gelded and female horses or by anticoagulants used in blood collection to harvest plasma. Compared with other matrices such as water, methanol, and phosphate-buffered saline, the conversion of androstenedione-19-oic to 19-norandrostenedione in equine plasma was faster, suggesting that there is an unknown factor(s) in equine plasma that enhances the conversion.     

Apoptosis‐Like Events and In Vitro Fertilization Capacity of Sex‐Sorted Bovine Sperm

This study utilized three staining assays (Annexin V, mitochondrial membrane potential (JC‐1) and TUNEL) for flow cytometric analysis of apoptosis in sex‐sorted sperm from four different bulls (A, B, C and D). Correlations between sperm quality and IVF efficiency were then assessed to determine which assay provided the best prediction of IVF efficiency. The results of the Annexin V assays, as well as measures of viable sperm, early apoptosis, necrotic sperm and mitochondrial membrane potential (?ψm) showed that the sex‐sorted sperm collected from bull A significantly differed from those of the other three bulls (p < 0.05). In addition, the levels of DNA fragmentation in sex‐sorted sperm from bull A were significantly lower than those from bulls B and C (p < 0.05). The percentage of cells reaching the cleavage and blastocyst stages in sex‐sorted sperm from bull A were significantly greater than those from the other bulls (p < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was observed between viable sperm and the percentage of cells at the cleavage or blastocyst stages (p < 0.05). In contrast, a negative correlation was found between early apoptotic sperm and the percentage of cells at the cleavage or blastocyst stages (p < 0.05). In conclusion, these results indicated that the Annexin V assay was the most reliable technique for the prediction of the IVF success of sex‐sorted bovine sperm.     

Leucine markedly regulates pancreatic exocrine secretion in goats

Four goats (30.1 ± 1.3 kg) with common bile duct re‐entrant catheter and duodenal catheter were used to evaluate the effects of duodenal leucine infusion on pancreatic exocrine secretion and plasma parameters with two 4 × 4 Latin square design experiments. In the long‐term infusion experiment, goats were fed twice daily [700 g/day, dry matter (DM) basis] at 8:00 and 18:00 hours and were duodenally infused with 0, 3, 6, 9 g/day leucine for 14 days. Pancreatic juice and jugular blood samples were collected over 1‐h intervals for 6 h daily from d 11 to 14 days to encompass a 24‐h day. In the short‐term experiment, goats were infused leucine for 10 h continuously at the same infusion rate with Experiment 1 after feed deprivation for 24 h repeated every 10 days. Pancreatic juice and blood samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 h of infusion. The results showed that the long‐term leucine infusion did not affect pancreatic juice secretion, protein output, trypsin and lipase secretion and plasma insulin concentration, but linearly increased α‐amylase secretion. No changes in pancreatic protein and lipase secretion were observed in the short‐term infusion. Pancreatic juice and α‐amylase secretion responded quadratically, with the greatest values observed in the 3 and 6 g/day leucine respectively. Trypsin secretion linearly decreased, while plasma insulin concentration increased linearly with increased leucine infusion. The results demonstrated that duodenal leucine infusion dose and time dependently regulated pancreatic enzyme secretion not associated with the change in plasma insulin concentration.     

HPLC-PDAD法检测3种中兽药散剂中违规添加4种喹诺酮类药物的研究

为了建立检测中兽药散剂中违规添加氧氟沙星、诺氟沙星、环丙沙星、恩诺沙星4种喹诺酮类药物的反相高效液相色谱法（HPLC-PDAD）,采用Atlantis T3（十八烷基硅烷键合硅胶．4．6min×250mm,5μm）色谱柱,流动相为磷酸溶液：乙腈：甲醇（85．5：7.0：7．5）,流速为1．0mL／min。检测波长为283nm。4种喹诺酮类药物检查方法的线性关系良好,r〉0．9999;回收率均在98．4％～104．6％范围内,RSD均在0．9％～2．3％之间;4种喹诺酮类药物在肥猪散、健胃散、银翘散3种中兽药散剂中的检出限均为200mg／kg。该方法可用于中兽药散剂中违规添加喹诺酮类药物的检测。     

“以奖促治”典型村环境质量监测与评价的探讨

选取具有代表性的洪湖市南昌村作为“以奖促治”典型村开展了农村环境监测,结果表明：该村环境空气质量达到国家二级标准,地表水富营养化污染严重,地下水不适合直接饮用,土壤中农药残留超标。通过典型案例研究,对典型地区农村空气、水、土壤等环境要素的污染源与危害现状进行了调查研究,提出了农村环境监测优化布点方法和监测指标,以及农村环境质量评价的技术方法。     

大学生党员在校园文化活动中的引领作用及其实践途径和机制

指出了大学生党员是新时期校园文化活动的主力军,而校园文化活动又是大学生党员发挥引领作用、提高素质及能力的重要载体。从大学生党员发挥引领作用入手,探讨了大学生党员在建设先进校园文化中如何发挥其积极作用,从而建立一套完整的机制使大学生党员充分发挥其在校园先进文化建设中的作用,为建设社会主义和谐社会提供参考。     

滚动轴承故障诊断及其维护

滚动轴承作为旋转机械的关键零件,对其故障诊断及维护来减小经济损失、延长使用寿命具有十分重要的意义。以故障检测确定失效模式,针对其失效模式的特点提出解决方案使轴承正常工作。同时做好滚动轴承的维护,提高其使用价值,将为机械制造业带来巨大的经济效益和低风险的保障。