传送带式蔬菜移栽机的设计与研究

为解决当前我国蔬菜移栽机存在的结构复杂、配件繁多、操作麻烦且投苗率低及伤苗率高的问题,设计研究了传送带式蔬菜移栽机。该机结构简单、使用方便、工作效率高且对秧苗损伤小,使用时由拖拉机牵引,人工投苗,可实现半自动化移栽。通过更换从动链轮可对株距进行调节,通过调整传送带支架及固定架的数量及其在底盘上的位置可实现移栽行数、行距的改变,从而满足不同地区不同蔬菜的移栽农艺的要求。     

TMS320DM642汇编优化方法在棉种在线筛选系统应用

为了提高基于机器视觉的棉种在线筛选系统的筛选效率,介绍了使用汇编语言优化TMS320DM642程序的几种方法。优化过程中利用了软件流水并实现了"扩展指令的使用""延时间隙的利用""循环展开""并行指令使用"等多种方法。其中"扩展指令的使用"优化了原有的处理算法;"延时间隙的利用"和"循环展开"消除了循环内多余的NOP语句;"并行指令的使用"和软件流水技术提高了DSP8个功能单元的利用率。实验使用图像尺寸为215*640像素的YUV格式图像数据,优化前处理一帧图像用时16.76ms,优化后为1.03ms,优化部分代码执行时间缩短为原来的1/16,充分证明了使用优化方法大大缩短了代码的执行时间,提高了整体系统的实时性,并为后续的复杂算法提供时间保障。     

Canine fetal echocardiography: correlations for the analysis of cardiac dimensions

The aim of this study was to develop regression models for correlation of canine fetal heart development with body size to characterize normal development or suggest cardiac anomalies. Twenty clinically healthy pregnant bitches, either brachycephalic and non-brachycephalic, were examined ultrasonographically. Transabdominal fetal echocardiography was conducted every 4 days from the beginning of cardiac chambers differentiation until parturition. Ten cardiac parameters were measured: length, width and diameter of the heart; heart area; left and right ventricular dimensions; left and right atrial dimensions; and aortic and pulmonary artery diameter. Femoral length, biparietal diameter and abdominal cross-sectional area were also recorded. Regression equations were developed for each parameter of fetal body size, and linear and logarithmic models were compared. The model with the highest correlation coefficient was chosen to produce equations to calculate relative dimensions based on the correlations. Only the left-ventricular chamber differed between the two racial groups. Biparietal diameter was the independent parameter that produced the highest correlation coefficient for the most fetal cardiac dimensions, although good correlations were also observed using femoral length and abdominal cross-sectional area. Heart width and heart diameter were used as surrogates of cardiac development, as these measurements showed the best statistical correlation. Quantitative evaluation of fetal cardiac structures can be used to monitor normal and abnormal cardiac development.     

Tenogenic induction of equine mesenchymal stem cells by means of growth factors and low-level laser technology

Tendons regenerate poorly due to a dense extracellular matrix and low cellularity. Cellular therapies aim to improve tendon repair using mesenchymal stem cells and tenocytes; however, a current limitation is the low proliferative potential of tenocytes in cases of severe trauma. The purpose of this study was to develop a method useful in veterinary medicine to improve the differentiation of Peripheral Blood equine mesenchymal stem cells (PB-MSCs) into tenocytes. PB-MSCs were used to study the effects of the addition of some growth factors (GFs) as TGFβ3 (transforming growth factor), EGF2 (Epidermal growth factor), bFGF2 (Fibroblast growth factor) and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor) in presence or without Low Level Laser Technology (LLLT) on the mRNA expression levels of genes important in the tenogenic induction as Early Growth Response Protein-1 (EGR1), Tenascin (TNC) and Decorin (DCN). The singular addition of GFs did not show any influence on the mRNA expression of tenogenic genes whereas the specific combinations that arrested cell proliferation in favour of differentiation were the following: bFGF2 + TGFβ3 and bFGF2 + TGFβ3 + LLLT. Indeed, the supplement of bFGF2 and TGFβ3 significantly upregulated the expression of Early Growth Response Protein-1 and Decorin, while the use of LLLT induced a significant increase of Tenascin C levels. In conclusion, the present study might furnish significant suggestions for developing an efficient approach for tenocyte induction since the external administration of bFGF2 and TGFβ3, along with LLLT, influences the differentiation of PB-MSCs towards the tenogenic fate.     

Immunological and pathological investigations in equine experimental uveitis

Background

The pathogenic mechanism of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is still poorly defined and many variations between experimental animal models and spontaneous disease exist.

Objectives

The aim of our study was to investigate if Th17 cell-mediated response plays role in the pathogenesis of the used experimental model in horses and to reveal its pathological findings.

Methods

Experimental uveitis was induced in 6 healthy horses. The concentrations of retinal autoantigen CRALBP and IL-17 were measured using ELISA in aqueous humor and vitreous body of the 12 inflamed eyes as well as in 12 control non-inflamed eyes taken from 6 horses in slaughter house. After centrifugation of the two eye media, smears were prepared and cytological investigation was performed. Tissue specimens were taken from all eye globes and were submitted to histopathological investigation.

Results

CRALBP and IL-17 concentrations were significantly elevated in eye media of horses with experimental uveitis in comparison with controls. Cytological and histopathological findings corresponded to the changes characteristic of chronic immune-mediated inflammation with mononuclear cell infiltration of uvea, choroid, retina, and eye media as well as severe retinal destruction.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated the involvement of the retinal autoantigen CRALBP as well as IL-17 in the pathogenesis of experimental uveitis in horses. These findings suggests that this experimental uveitis in horses may serve as a suitable animal model for investigation of IL-17- mediated immune response during spontaneous autoimmune uveitis in horses as well as in humans.

     

Development and evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on recombinant nucleocapsid protein for detection of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PEDV) antibodies

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) based on recombinant nucleocapsid (N) protein generated in Escherichia coli was evaluated for its sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PEDV) infection. The N gene encoding the N protein was cloned and expressed as a fusion protein with His tag protein in E. coli. The recombinant N protein was migrated at 48 kDa and reacted with six histidine tag specific monoclonal antibody by immunoblotting. Recombinant N protein ELISA (rnELISA) demonstrated 98.7% specificities among (80) PEDV-free individuals, and 98% sensitivity ranging among (103) clinical samples with PEDV. On testing 884 field samples, an overall agreement of 88.3% was generated between the SN and rnELISA. Taken together, these results indicated that nucleocapsid protein may be a useful antigen for the sera-diagnosis of PEDV and it was also suggested that the ELISA is a highly sensitive and specific test for detecting antibodies to PEDV.     

Stepwise in-straw dilution and direct transfer using open pulled straws (OPS) in the mouse: a potential model for field manipulation of vitrified embryos

In the present study, mouse blastocysts were employed to investigate the feasibility and efficiency of stepwise in-straw dilution and direct transfer using the open pulled straw (OPS) method. In experiment I, the effects of various vitrification solutions (VS) on embryo survival were examined. After thawing, the expanded blastocyst rates (97.59 and 95.05%) and hatching rates (80.48 and 78.95%) achieved in the EDFS30 [15% ethylene glycol (EG), 15% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), Ficoll, and sucrose] and EFS40 [40% EG, Ficoll, and sucrose] groups were no different from those (96.15% and 83.33%) of the control group. However, the rates in the EFS30 [30% EG, Ficoll, and sucrose] (87.80 and 55.43%) and EDFS40 [20% EG, 20% DMSO, Ficoll, and sucrose] (95.69 and 70.97%) groups were significantly lower than those (96.15 and 83.33%) of the control group (P<0.05). In the experiment II, the effects of the volume of VS in the OPS on the survival of embryos after in-straw thawing were investigated. When the length of the VS in the column was less than 1 cm, the in vitro viability of embryos thawed by stepwise in-straw dilution was no different among the experimental and control groups. The embryos could be successfully thawed by immersing the OPS in 0.5 M sucrose for 3 min and then 0.25 M sucrose for 2 min. In experiment III, the effect of immersion time of the OPS in diluent (PBS) on the viability of vitrified embryos was investigated. After in-straw thawing, OPSs were immersed immediately in 1 ml PBS for 0 to 30 min. When the immersion time of the OPSs in PBS was less than 12 min, in vitro development of the in-straw thawed embryos was no different from that of the controls. In experiment IV, in-straw thawed blastocysts were directly transferred to pseudopregnant mice to examine their in vivo developmental viability. The pregnancy (91.67%) and birth rates (42.42%) of embryos in-straw thawed and directly transferred were no different from those of the unvitrified controls (90.90 and 40%) and embryos thawed by the conventional method (84.61 and 46.94%). These results demonstrate that mouse embryos vitrified with OPS could be successfully thawed by stepwise in-straw dilution and transferred directly to a recipient and that this method might be a model for field manipulation of vitrified embryos in farm animals.     

草栖钝绥螨对二斑叶螨的捕食作用

为明确草栖钝绥螨Amblyseius herbicolus对二斑叶螨Tetranychus urticae的控制潜能,在温度分别为19、22、25、28和31℃、相对湿度均为（85±5）%、光周期均为16 L∶8 D条件下测定草栖钝绥螨对二斑叶螨各螨态的捕食偏好性、捕食功能反应及自身干扰反应。结果表明,草栖钝绥螨对二斑叶螨幼螨和第1若螨具有嗜食性,对其捕食选择系数分别为2.22和1.27,均大于1.00,对二斑叶螨卵、第2若螨和雌成螨捕食选择系数分别为0.61、0.68和0.22,均小于1.00。在不同温度条件下,草栖钝绥螨对二斑叶螨各螨态的捕食功能反应均符合HollingⅡ型;在19～31℃范围内,草栖钝绥螨对二斑叶螨各螨态的瞬时攻击率、最大日捕食量和捕食能力均随着温度升高呈先升高后降低的趋势,在28℃时达到最大值;而草栖钝绥螨对二斑叶螨各螨态的处理时间随着温度升高呈先缩短后延迟的趋势,在28℃下处理时间最短。在相同温度下,草栖钝绥螨对二斑叶螨卵、幼螨和第1若螨的捕食作用较强。在有限的捕食空间和二斑叶螨密度固定的条件下,草栖钝绥螨单头捕食量和捕食作用率随其自身密度的增加而逐渐下降,说...