Geo-referenced spatiotemporal analysis of the urban citrus canker epidemic in Florida

ABSTRACT Five areas in urban Miami were identified to study the spread of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri to determine if the practice of removing exposed citrus trees within 38.1 m of trees affected by citrus canker was adequate to curtail further bacterial spread. To accomplish this, 18,769 trees in dooryards were surveyed, geo-referenced by differential global positioning systems (GPS), and assayed for disease severity, age of infection, citrus cultivar, location of infection in tree, and canopy size. For each tree, the date the tree became infected was estimated and used to separate trees into contiguous 30-day categories. For each area studied, distance measurements between focal trees and newly infected trees were calculated for various temporal periods of 30, 60, 90, and 120 days in duration, corresponding to intervals of inspection survey. A visual basic application was used to calculate the distances between each newly diseased tree and all prior focal trees. The nearest distance was used because it was considered the most conservative estimate possible. It is therefore likely to be an underestimate of spread but is a good estimate of the minimum possible distances of spread. For the first four 30-day periods among the five study areas, calculated maximum distances of spread ranged from 12 to 3,474 m, indicating a broad continuum of distance for bacterial spread was possible. Disease increased during the first two-thirds of the time studied and reached an asymptote due to dry conditions in the final one-third of the duration of the study. Cross correlation analysis indicated that disease was best visualized 107 days following rainstorms with wind. Analysis of regional spatial point patterns was performed temporally for each 30-day period via a modified Ripley's K-function. Spatiotemporal analyses between periods over areas larger than previously examined were accomplished via spatiotemporal semivariogram analysis. These methods in combination demonstrated rapid increases in range of spatial dependency and range of spatiotemporal dependency for all study sites. This corresponded to rapid spread of disease across the regions studied in response to rainstorms with wind followed by a "filling in" of disease on remaining noninfected susceptible trees through time by less intense rain events. A stochastic quadratization technique demonstrated that disease incidence and disease severity were not greatly affected by urban host density but were positively correlated to host susceptibility within local 0.25-km(2) quadrats.     

Single ventricle,total transposition,and hypoplastic aorta in a calf

A purebred Ayrshire calf was born with multiple congenital cardiac defects. The major defects included absence of an interventricular septum (i.e., single ventricle), transposition of the aorta and pulmonary trunk, interatrial septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and aortic arch anomalies. Despite the severity of the anomalies, the calf survived to 5 days of age, when it was found dead. This particular combination of cardiac defects has not been previously described in domestic animals.     

Comparison of the trotting gaits of Labrador Retrievers and Greyhounds

OBJECTIVE: To compare the trotting gaits of Labrador Retrievers and Greyhounds to determine whether differences in locomotion are attributable to differences in their manner of moving or to body size and shape differences between these 2 breeds. ANIMALS: 8 healthy 5-month-old Greyhounds and 5 healthy Labrador Retrievers between 6 and 18 months old. PROCEDURE: A series of 4 force platforms was used to record independent ground reaction forces on the forelimbs and hind limbs during trotting. Values of stride parameters were compared between breeds before and after normalization for size differences. Standard values of absolute and normalized stride period and stride length were determined from linear regressions of these parameters on relative (normalized) velocity. Forces were normalized to body weight and compared at the same relative velocity. RESULTS: Greyhounds used fewer, longer strides than the Labrador Retrievers to travel at the same absolute speed. After normalization for body size differences, most measurable differences between breeds were eliminated. Subtle differences that did persist related to proportion of the stride that the forefoot was in contact with the ground, timing of initial hind foot contact relative to initial forefoot contact, and distribution of vertical force between the forelimbs and hind limbs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that apparent differences in the trotting gait between Labrador Retrievers and Greyhounds are mainly attributable to differences in size, and that dogs of these 2 breeds move in a dynamically similar manner at the trot.     

Parameter estimates for direct and maternal genetic effects on yearling, eighteen-month, and slaughter weights of Korean native cattle

Data collected by the National Livestock Research Institute of the Rural Development Administration of Korea were used to estimate genetic parameters for yearling (YWT, n = 5,848), 18-mo (W18, n = 4,585), and slaughter (SWT, n = 2,279) weights for Korean Native cattle. Nine animal models were used to obtain REML estimates of genetic parameters: DP-2 included genetic, uncorrelated dam, and residual random effects; DQ-2 included genetic, sire x region x year-season interaction, and residual random effects; DPQ-2 was based on DQ-2 but included both interaction and dam effects; DMP-2 was based on DP-2 but with dam effect partitioned to include maternal genetic and permanent environmental effects; and DMPQ-2 was based on DMP-2 but also included sire interaction effects. Those five models included two fixed factors: region x year-season and age of dam x sex effects. Models DP-3, DQ-3, DPQ-3, and DMPQ-3 were based on DP-2, DQ-2, DPQ-2, and DMPQ-2 but included as a third fixed factor whether or not identification of the sire was known. Estimates of heritability with DMPQ-3 for YWT, with DPQ-3 for W18 and SWT when analyzed with single-trait analyses were .14, .11, and .17, respectively, and were nearly the same with bivariate analyses. Estimate of maternal heritability for YWT from single-trait analysis was .04, with estimates for other traits near zero. For bivariate analyses, the estimate for YWT was .01. With single trait analysis, estimate of the direct-maternal genetic correlation for YWT was negative (-.81). Estimates of direct genetic correlations between YWT and W18, YWT and SWT, and W18 and SWT were .99, 1.00, and .97, respectively. Estimates of environmental correlations varied from .60 to .81; the largest was between W18 and SWT. Including a fixed factor for whether sire identification was missing or not missing reduced the estimate of heritability for slaughter weight. The results suggest that the sire x region x year-season interaction is important for yearling weight and may be needed in a model for slaughter weight. Maternal effects may be of slight importance for yearling weight but of no importance for W18 and SWT. Models for national cattle evaluations for Korean Native cattle for YWT should be considered that include maternal genetic and permanent environmental as well as sire x region x year-season interaction effects, but those effects seem not to be needed for models for W18 and SWT. Not much reranking of sires occurred when ranked was based on the different models for W18 and SWT.     

酸与胆汁耐性芽孢益生菌的筛选

试验选用允许直接饲喂的安全微生物中的芽孢杆菌,按照益生菌的特定要求,考察各菌株对低pH和高胆盐的耐受性及产酶特性。筛选获得的凝结芽孢杆菌AHU1366,耐受性优良,并能产生淀粉酶和蛋白酶,是一株比较理想的饲用益生菌。     

建设生态奶源基地,促进奶业持续发展

生态奶业是指为适应社会进步和满足人们对牛奶营养卫生及环保需求，应用生态工艺实现奶业高产、优质，在奶业经济增长过程中达到环境保护，实现可持续发展的一种现代化生产模式。具体说来，就是加强对秸秆、粪尿等有机废弃物的利用，采用生物技术提高生物质能的转化率，利用生物防治和营养调控技术提高奶牛健康水平，减少有害物质的排放，生产出绿色牛奶和无污染能源。它代表了我国奶业的发展方向．也是中国奶业具备国际竞争力的重要体现。     

面对目前奶业形势,奶农、企业、政府应采取的对策--调整牛群结构、强化技术培训、建立股份合作体、加强乳业市场预测和监管力度是其今后工作的重点

1当前的奶业形势据统计．2004年全国奶牛存栏1063万头，比1998年增长了149％．年均增长16．4％；奶类总产量2368万吨．比1998年增长了217％，年均增长21．2％。乳品加工每年以30％的速度增长，加工能力已初具规模。但自2003年下半年以来．我国奶业进入低谷。     

犬常用抗病毒药物的临床应用

病毒性疾病严重危害犬的的健康,且具有高度传染性,病毒易发生变异,在犬传染病占有很大的比例,发病率呈上升趋势.本文依据抗病毒药的类型及作用特点,对现有常用的犬抗病毒药的临床应用作一介绍. 一、抗病毒药物的作用机理 抗病毒药物可以直接抑制或杀死体内病毒抑制病毒的生物合成;阻止病毒穿入细胞或抑制病毒释放;增强宿主抗病毒能力.     

训犬员情感变化及对训练效果的影响

一、情感变化的内涵及与训练的关系在警犬训练中,训犬员是训练的主导者,是犬的复杂综合刺激者。犬始终是受训犬员(主导者)的影响     

均匀有效抗体是构建新型生物安全体系的核心

<正>中国现行饲养环境条件下,除了一些大型的养禽场外,大多数家禽是一家一户分散饲养。小型饲养户由于禽舍简陋,设备陈旧,技术和管理相对落后等原因,疾病控制难度较大。另外,近年来兴起的集约化养殖场和