A proposal to leverage high-quality veterinary diagnostic laboratory large data streams for animal health,public health,and One Health

Test data generated by ~60 accredited member laboratories of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) is of exceptional quality. These data are captured by 1 of 13 laboratory information management systems (LIMSs) developed specifically for veterinary diagnostic laboratories (VDLs). Beginning ~2000, the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) developed an electronic messaging system for LIMS to automatically send standardized data streams for 14 select agents to a national repository. This messaging enables the U.S. Department of Agriculture to track and respond to high-consequence animal disease outbreaks such as highly pathogenic avian influenza. Because of the lack of standardized data collection in the LIMSs used at VDLs, there is, to date, no means of summarizing VDL large data streams for multi-state and national animal health studies or for providing near-real-time tracking for hundreds of other important animal diseases in the United States that are detected routinely by VDLs. Further, VDLs are the only state and federal resources that can provide early detection and identification of endemic and emerging zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases are estimated to be responsible for 2.5 billion cases of human illness and 2.7 million deaths worldwide every year. The economic and health impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is self-evident. We review here the history and progress of data management in VDLs and discuss ways of seizing unexplored opportunities to advance data leveraging to better serve animal health, public health, and One Health.     

寒冷地区草原有毒有害牧草监测与防治

草原是内蒙古地区草食畜牧养殖产业健康发展的基础,同时也是优质牧草的主要来源。有毒有害牧草生长扩散预示着草场退化,对当地草食畜牧养殖产业健康发展会造成毁灭性打击。有毒有害植物生长发育,不仅会危害牲畜健康且还会严重消耗土壤的水分和养分,妨碍优良牧草繁殖生长,使草场产量和质量显著下降。在长时间草场利用过程中,很多农牧民群众只注重索取,不注重生态环境保护,使草场生产能力和抵抗能力逐渐变差,给有毒有害牧草繁殖生长提供了条件。因此需要加强寒冷地区草原有毒有害牧草的监测,并采取针对性措施进行防控,降低发病率。该文主要探讨内蒙古呼伦贝尔市寒冷地区草原有毒有害牧草的种类,并提出相应的防治措施。     

Estimation of Runoff,Peak Discharge and Sediment Load at the Event Scale in a Medium‐Size Mediterranean Watershed Using the Annagnps Model

In this paper, the Annualized Agricultural Non‐Point Source (AnnAGNPS) model has been used to estimate runoff, peak discharge and sediment load at the event scale in a Mediterranean watershed. The study area is the Carapelle torrent, Southern Italy (area = 506 km²), where continuous rainfall, streamflow and sediment load data are available. Nineteen flood events have been registered in the period 2007–2009 and were used for the application of the model. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the predictive accuracy of the model at the event scale, in a medium‐size watershed, given the specific conditions of the semi‐arid environments. A sensitivity analysis has been carried out to assign the correct parameterization: the mean normalized output variation of the most meaningful input parameters pointed out the influence of the curve number on runoff, peak discharge and sediment load predictions (values greater than 1); the MN Manning's roughness coefficient and K, C and P factors of the universal soil loss equation showed a moderate influence on sediment load simulations (values between 0·5 and 1). The selection of the Soil Conservation Service synthetic storm types has been based on the observed storm events analysis to improve the peak discharge simulations. The model prediction has proved to be good for runoff (R² = 0·74, NSE = 0·75, W = 0·92) and peak discharge (R² = 0·85, NSE = 0·70, W = 0·94), and satisfactory for sediment yield (R² = 0·70, NSE = 0·63, W = 0·91). The relative error is lower for high events; this result is quite interesting in semi‐arid environments, where most of the annual sediment yield is concentrated in a few, severe events. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Changes in Physical Properties of Soils with Land Use Time in the Brazilian Savanna Environment

Soils from central Brazil have been intensively used over the last decades because of the rapid conversion of savannas ( Cerrado ) into corn/soybean fields. The objective of this work is to study modifications in the physical properties of soils in the Rio Verde watershed, as a function of the land use time for agriculture, determined from classification of Landsat satellite images between 1980 and 2010. Soil samples were collected at surface (0–20 cm) and subsurface (20–40 cm) horizons for the different classes of land use time (<10, 10–20, 20–30, and >30 years). The following physical properties were measured: bulk density (BD), air permeability (K_a), penetration resistance (PR), microporosity (MI), macroporosity (MA), and total porosity (TP). Results showed a strong expansion with time of agriculture that occupied 35·3% (1980), 37·4% (1990), 51·3% (2000), and 60·9% (2010) of the watershed area. When properties were compared with those from the reference areas (preserved soils under native vegetation), significant differences were observed for all the physical attributes of soils for a land use time higher than 20 years. Overall, BD and PR increased with land use time, and the opposite was verified for K_a, MA, and TP. Some physical properties presented values (e.g., 1·54 g cm⁻³ for BD and 0.06 cm³ cm⁻³ for MA) close to the critical ones reported to affect crop development, but they were not still impacting on local soybean yield. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

插秧机作业面积测量远程监测系统软件设计——基于VisualBasic.NET 2010

为实现对插秧机作业区域自动识别和作业面积的自动测量,实时掌握跨区作业插秧机远程作业面积参量值,以VisualStudio平台上的VisualBasic.NET2010为开发环境,开发了一套高速插秧机跨区作业面积远程测量监测系统软件。该软件功能主要包括GPS定位轨迹及作业区域的识别、面积测量、数据通讯、数据显示和数据存贮。系统采用VisualBasic.NET2010语言进行开发,将远程跨区作业的插秧机面积测量监测数据经由GPRS网络进行无线传输到上位机,并采用SOCKET组件和ADO.NET技术实现系统数据通信,完成PC机与下位机之间数据的传输,对测量结果进行显示存储,同时通过系统误差分析完成系统的可行性判断。     

基于无线传感器网络的水质监测系统研究

针对国内外水质环境研究中水质样品异地监测分析存在的巨大缺陷,研究了水质自动监测系统。文章介绍了基于无线通讯传感器网络的简易水质自动监测系统,实现水质数据自动采集和实时上传,可以实现对钱塘江源头水质（衢州水质）进行更好的监测及保护。     

干旱胁迫对3种冷季型草坪草光谱反射率及生理特征的影响

为探讨高光谱分析技术在草坪草水分监测上的应用,以草地早熟禾、高羊茅、多年生黑麦草为试验材料,测定了干旱胁迫下3种冷季型草坪草生理指标及光谱反射率。结果表明:随着干旱胁迫程度的加深,供试草坪草叶片相对含水量和叶绿素含量显著下降(P0.05),丙二醛含量、脯氨酸含量及敏感波段的(550和760 nm)的光谱反射率显著上升(P0.05),3种草坪草抗旱性能的强弱顺序为:高羊茅多年生黑麦草草地早熟禾。3种草坪草敏感波段光谱反射率(R_(550 nm),R_(760 nm))及高光谱参数(Rg,R0,GNDVI)与生理指标间呈显著或极显著相关,以R_(550 nm)与生理指标间的相关系数绝对值最大。同时R_(550 nm)构建了供试草坪草生理指标的估测模型,经检验,模型估测值与实测值相关性达显著或极显著水平。     

The nearest-plant method is robust and powerful enough for different survey teams to monitor change in mesic grassland species composition

A long-term rangeland monitoring programme needs to employ a field survey technique that is practicable, precise, powerful enough to distinguish change, not prone to worker bias, and able to distinguish real change from operator error arising from staff turnover. These criteria were used to evaluate a widely used grassland sampling technique in South Africa – the nearest-plant (with 200 points) method (NP) – against common alternatives, namely NP excluding forbs (NP-nf), the plant number scale (PNS; a cover-abundance method) and quadrat frequency (QF), using multivariate ordination and permutation tests. Four trained teams surveyed four grasslands using each method. PNS took more than twice as long as the other techniques, which were similarly rapid. Estimates of composition using NP methods were the most precise and PNS was least repeatable, with QF intermediate. Compositional differences between sites were most finely distinguished using NP-nf, followed by NP and QF. PNS was able to detect only marked differences and had the greatest potential for surveyor bias. The NP method, with or without including forbs, is therefore recommended for monitoring the species composition of mesic, dense grassland. Some suggestions for monitoring agencies on how best to use multivariate methods are presented.     

Genetic monitoring of ex situ African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) populations in South Africa

The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) has suffered population declines and is listed in the IUCN Red List as Endangered. The species is endemic to the coast of southern Africa, and breeding colonies are distributed on the south-western coast of Africa. Currently, African Penguins are being kept in zoo and aquarium facilities throughout South Africa. In this study, molecular genetic data based on 12 microsatellite markers from 1 119 African Penguin samples from four facilities were generated in order to determine the level of genetic variation, population structure and differentiation, and effective population size to assist in the development of an effective captive management plan. Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.57 to 0.62, and allelic richness from 4.2 to 5.1. However, based on differences between first- and second-generation captive birds, we conclude that the ex situ population is at risk of losing genetic variability in the future and management programmes should include exchange of birds between captive facilities in order to induce gene flow and increase effective population size. Adding individuals from in situ populations should also be considered in the future in cases where these birds cannot be rehabilitated. Molecular genetic analyses of wild penguin populations should be carried out for comparison, and to ascertain to what degree ‘in situ genetic diversity’ is represented among ex situ populations. With regular resampling and analyses, the extent of the effect of processes such as genetic drift on diversity in the ex situ penguin populations will become evident.