Characterizing the Economic Value and Impacts of Wild Pig Damage on a Rural Economy

Wild pigs are a free-ranging invasive species capable of inflicting significant damage on rural property. Wildlife management personnel may benefit from understanding the negative societal impact of wild pigs. A statewide mail survey of randomly selected landowners was conducted in rural Tennessee counties known to have wild pigs. The economic value of damage caused by wild pigs in 2015 in these counties was estimated at $26.22 million, whereas the cost incurred in control and eradication was $2.09 million. Input-output modeling of damage in these counties on the state’s economy showed $32.8 million in lost industrial output, $4.6 million in lost labor income, and 332 jobs or job equivalents affected. Findings are useful in understanding the types of damage, and the extent of these impacts on the rural economy. They could also facilitate comparing the expected benefit with the cost of control programs in Tennessee and comparable areas facing similar invasions from wild pigs.     

RADIOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF FELINE APPENDICULAR DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE VS. MACROSCOPIC APPEARANCE OF ARTICULAR CARTILAGE

Degenerative joint disease (DJD) is common in domesticated cats. Our purpose was to describe how radiographic findings thought to indicate feline DJD relate to macroscopic cartilage degeneration in appendicular joints. Thirty adult cats euthanized for reasons unrelated to this study were evaluated. Orthogonal digital radiographs of the elbow, tarsus, stifle, and coxofemoral joints were evaluated for the presence of DJD. The same joints were dissected for visual inspection of changes indicative of DJD and macroscopic cartilage damage was graded using a Total Cartilage Damage Score. When considering all joints, there was statistically significant fair correlation between cartilage damage and the presence of osteophytes and joint‐associated mineralizations, and the subjective radiographic DJD score. Most correlations were statistically significant when looking at the different joints individually, but only the correlation between the presence of osteophytes and the subjective radiographic DJD score with the presence of cartilage damage in the elbow and coxofemoral joints had a value above 0.4 (moderate correlation). The joints most likely to have cartilage damage without radiographic evidence of DJD are the stifle (71% of radiographically normal joints) followed by the coxofemoral joint (57%), elbow (57%), and tarsal joint (46%). Our data support radiographic findings not relating well to cartilage degeneration, and that other modalities should be evaluated to aid in making a diagnosis of feline DJD.     

Radiosensitivity and capacity for radiation-induced sublethal damage repair of canine transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) cell lines

Understanding the inherent radiosensitivity and repair capacity of canine transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) can aid in optimizing radiation protocols to treat this disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate the parameters surviving fraction at 2 Gy (SF(2) ), α/β ratio and capacity for sublethal damage repair (SLDR) in response to radiation. Dose-response and split-dose studies were performed using the clonogenic assay. The mean SF(2) for three established TCC cell lines was high at 0.61. All the three cell lines exhibited a low to moderate α/β ratio, with the mean being 3.27. Two cell lines exhibited statistically increased survival at 4 and 24 h in the dose-response assay. Overall, our results indicate that the cell lines are moderately radioresistant, have a high repair capacity and behave similarly to a late-responding normal tissue. These findings indicate that the radiation protocols utilizing higher doses with less fractionation may be more effective for treating TCC.     

黑河(额济纳河)下游绿洲生态系统受损与生态保育对策的思考

额济纳绿洲是我国西北干旱区中心的一道生态防线。 2 0世纪后半世纪绿洲生态系统严重受损 ,景观结构急剧恶化 ,黑河的供水量逐年趋于下降 ,由 50年代的 1 2 .2 5亿 M3 下降到 90年代的 7.2 4亿 M3。地下水位也相应地降低 ,土地盐化也在加剧。胡扬与沙枣林面积由3 .45万公顷减少到 2 .2 0万公顷 ,并以老龄林为主。红柳灌丛也减少了 50 % ,并且多已成为稀疏矮化的群落。各种禾草草甸严重退化 ,多已演替成为苦豆子群落。为了维护我国西北的这一生态屏障 ,必须坚持以恢复与保护自然绿洲为主 ,恢复胡杨林、沙枣林及红柳灌丛的覆盖率 ;建立人工草地 ,改善土地覆盖 ,建设自然一人工复合绿洲。在绿洲建设与保育工程中必须保证充分供水 ,调控水盐动态 ,发挥生物一景观多样性的系统耦合效应 ,实现绿洲生态系统健康     

Variation in the level of grain defect light flecks and spots on cattle hides.

The occurrence of hide damage light flecks and spots was determined on tanned hides from 28 herds during a period of 8 to 12 months. Light flecks and spots are described as small areas of grain loss up to 3 mm in diameter that are seen on dyed crust cattle leather. Damage was found on 75.8% of all hides. The neck and shoulders were the anatomical region with the highest prevalence of damage. Sixty-eight per cent of all hides had light flecks and spots in this region. The forelimbs and dewlap were the anatomical region with the second highest occurrence with a prevalence of 39.1%. This distribution corresponded to the known distribution of lice in cattle. No significant differences were observed in age, sex, prevalence of lice in the herd assessed in March or infestations with different lice species. The frequency of light flecks and spots varied significantly during the year. The frequency was highest in the late winter and early spring, decreased significantly during the summer and was lowest in the autumn. This variation supported the importance of lice in the development of light flecks and spots and suggested a relatively long healing period for the damages induced by lice.     

宰前免疫应激对肉鸡抗氧化性能与肉品质的影响

 研究旨在探讨细菌脂多糖(1ipopolysaccharide,LPS)诱导的宰前免疫应激对肉鸡抗氧化性能和肉品质的影响。24只体重相近的39 d肉仔鸡随机分为3组, 两个试验组分别在39 d、40 d和41 d腹部皮下注射LPS生理盐水稀释液(1 000和2 000 μg/kg BW),对照组注射等量生理盐水。结果表明,与对照组相比,胸肌pH24h极显著下降（P<0.01）,失水率极显著增高（P<0.01）,4 ℃保存3 d b*值和6 d的L*值显著升高（P<0.05）;腿肌pH45min及pH24h均极显著下降（P<0.01）,4 ℃保存3 d b*值显著升高（P<0.05）;血浆、胸肌和腿肌MDA含量均显著升高（P<0.05）,血浆T AOC极显著降低（P<0.01）。本研究表明宰前免疫应激会引起肉鸡机体氧化损伤和抗氧化机能下降,进而导致肉鸡生长性能和肉品质显著下降,而且这些负面效应的大小取决于应激强度。     

驼绒藜属3种植物开花习性及雌花柱头微形态研究

研究驼绒藜属3种植物开花规律、开花日动态、结实率及柱头微形态。结果表明．华北驼绒藜和驼绒藜雄花开花高峰均在上午8：00—10：00,有利于传粉和受精,而北美驼绒藜雄花在中午11：00-13：00达开放高峰,其雌雄花开花高峰期不一致,不利于传粉、受精,从而结实率降低。三者的开花最适温度基本一致,都在20～24℃。三者的雌花均在下午14：00左右达到开放高峰。雌花柱头微形态研究结果表明,华北驼绒藜的柱头有利于接受花粉,而北美驼绒藜的柱头不利于接受花粉。此外．华北驼绒藜与驼绒藜的雌、雄花花期相遇结实率较高,而北美驼绒藜因花期不遇．故导致结实率低。     

基于界限温度的贵德木本花卉观赏期确定

近年来,贵德县以生态为本、旅游为基,大力发展观光农业,为了做好观光农业的气象服务,选取贵德三河地区观光农业中主要种植的月季和牡丹两种木本花卉,应用贵德1961~2016年国家基本站观测资料,通过文献查证花卉的开始生长至开花期的气象指标,分析贵德地区月季和牡丹开始生长至开花期相关的界限温度,确定出贵德地区月季和牡丹萌芽期,利用积温法确定出开花期的积温指标,确定出最佳赏花期,以便提高各特色观光园中花卉的种植,来延长园中花卉观赏期,游客选择各花卉的最佳观赏期,提高观赏效果。     

饲喂氧化鱼油对新生仔猪肠道黏膜免疫应答的影响及大豆异黄酮的干预作用

本试验旨在通过研究饲喂氧化鱼油对新生仔猪生长性能、肠道黏膜氧化相关指标、免疫因子、氧化和免疫共同相关因子的影响以及添加大豆异黄酮(SI)对其的干预作用,探讨氧化应激对新生仔猪生长、肠道免疫应答的影响机制.试验选用4日龄新生仔猪96头,分成4组,每组6个重复,每个重复4头仔猪,各组饲粮中分别添加5%新鲜鱼油(Ⅰ组)、5%...     

苜蓿花期调控与传粉效率的研究

针对苜蓿花期与昆虫活动不遇的问题,通过刈割进行花期调控,以提高初花期及盛花初期的传粉效率,并探讨对种子产量及构成因素的影响.结果显示:刈割后苜蓿的花期明显推迟,传粉效率显著提高,其中访花频次由原来的23次/10m2·d提高到刈割后的180次/10m2·d;在初花期及盛花初期标记的花序结荚率及荚内种子粒数分别由对照的(17.12±2.83)%和(3.94±0.31)粒提高到刈割后的(84.1±1.21)%和(5.31±0.22)粒;整个花期的平均结荚率/花序由刈割前的43.77%增加到刈割后的59.43%;刈割后的苜蓿种子产量与各构成因素的相关性依次为:花序数/枝＞荚果数/枝＞荚内种子粒数＞结荚率/花序＞分枝数＞单花数/花序.对种子产量与构成因素进行多元回归分析,单枝条产量(Y)与花序数/枝(X1)、结荚率/花序(X2)具有真实回归关系Y=-1.735+0.034 X1+0.036 X2(R=0.788).在该地区确定适宜的刈割时间可明显推迟花期,提高种子产量.合理的刈割时间是在花期得到推迟的情况下,使生育期尽可能长.