Day-to-Day variation of the urine protein: creatinine ratio in female dogs with stable glomerular proteinuria caused by X-linked hereditary nephropathy

BACKGROUND: Interpretation of serial urine protein:creatinine (UPC) values is confounded by a lack of data regarding random biologic variation of UPC values in dogs with stable glomerular proteinuria. HYPOTHESIS: That there is minimal day-to-day variability in the UPC of dogs with unchanging proteinuria and the number of measurements needed to reliably estimate UPC varies with the magnitude of proteinuria. ANIMALS: Forty-eight heterozygous (carrier) female dogs with X-linked hereditary nephropathy (XLHN) causing stable proteinuria. METHODS: Urine samples were obtained daily by cystocentesis for 3 consecutive days on 183 occasions (549 samples). The UPC was measured for each sample with a single dry-film chemistry auto-analyzer. Data were analyzed retrospectively by a power of the mean model because the variance of UPC values within the 3-day evaluation periods increased as the magnitude of proteinuria increased. RESULTS: To demonstrate a significant difference (P < .05) between serial values in these proteinuric dogs, the UPC must change by at least 35% at high UPC values (near 12) and 80% at low UPC values (near 0.5). One measurement is adequate to reliably estimate the UPC when UPC <4, but 2-5 determinations are necessary at higher UPC values. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: These guidelines for interpretation of serial UPC values in female dogs with XLHN may also be helpful for interpretation of UPC values in dogs with other glomerulopathies.     

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis: clinical and morphologic findings in nine affected Polish Owczarek Nizinny (PON) dogs

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical and morphologic features of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) in the Polish Owczarek Nizinny (PON) breed of dog. ANIMALS: Nine Swedish PON dogs of both sexes were included in the study. PROCEDURE: All dogs underwent a detailed clinical evaluation, with emphasis on ophthalmic exams. Histopathology and electron microscopy were performed on the eyes, brain and various internal organs. Immunohistochemical staining for detection of sphingolipid activator proteins (SAPs) and mitochondrial ATP synthase (SCMAS) was performed on the eyes and brain. RESULTS: The dogs showed behavioral abnormalities, motor disturbances and visual impairment or blindness. Pupillary responses were abnormal while fundus changes varied from normal to severe retinal atrophy. Electroretinography (ERG) showed variable changes, from slight alterations in the process of dark adaptation to severely reduced or nonrecordable ERG a- and b-wave amplitudes. Histopathology revealed intracytoplasmic storage bodies within neurons of the brain and in retinal cells, especially the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Round to oval granular type of inclusion bodies, known as granular osmiophilic dense deposits (GRODS), were found in neuronal cells in the brain and in the retina. Immunohistochemistry identified the storage material in the brain and retina as consisting of SAPs. CONCLUSION: The presently described NCL disease in PON dogs shows similarities to previously recorded cases in the Miniature Schnauzer. The closest human equivalent to this disease is infantile NCL (CLN1), in which the major stored proteins are SAPs and the ultrastructure of the inclusion bodies of neuronal cells is granular.     

基于最大熵模型预测小火蚁在我国的适生区

小火蚁是中国大陆新发现的重要外来入侵害虫, 目前对该虫的传入来源和在我国的适生区范围尚不明确?为明确我国小火蚁适生区范围, 有效防控该虫在我国的扩散和蔓延, 本研究通过该虫全球已有的分布数据, 采用最大熵模型对其适生区进行了预测?研究表明, 最大熵模型预测小火蚁适生区精度较高?预测结果显示, 我国小火蚁的潜在适生区主要分布于南方, 其中, 高适生区分布在台湾?海南?云南南部边境?广西西南局部?福建西南部?广东南部及其沿海地区?预测结果与该物种现有地理范围的生态条件一致?年降水量对小火蚁的适生性影响最大, 理论年降水量为2 040 mm时小火蚁分布的概率最高?随着全球气候变暖, 未来我国小火蚁的适生区有向北扩大的趋势, 但主要适生区还是以南方为主?     

我国松毛虫发生率的空间分布格局及其驱动因子

了解我国松毛虫发生的空间分布格局及其驱动因子, 对松毛虫暴发的预防?控制和治理具有重要意义?本研究基于我国各行政区2004年-2012年间每年松毛虫发生面积及其寄主植物面积, 使用一般线性模型分析气候因子是否以及如何驱动我国松毛虫发生的空间分布格局?结果表明:在全国尺度上, 最暖季降水量是松毛虫发生的主要气候驱动因子, 松毛虫平均发生率与最暖季降水量显著正相关?在最暖季降水量的作用下, 我国松毛虫的发生呈现明显的空间分布格局, 最暖季降水量较高的南方和北方部分地区松毛虫发生率较高, 而降水量较低的西北和青藏地区松毛虫发生率较低?我们的研究结果可为松毛虫暴发的预防和管理工作提供指导?     

县域耕地土壤养分时空变异特征研究

土壤养分空间变异研究是精准农业实施的前提,对提高粮食作物单位面积产量和保护农业生态环境具有重要作用。为掌握陕西渭北旱塬区土壤养分时空变异规律,综合空间自相关和重心模型,分析1980—2007年、2007—2017年白水县耕地土壤有机质(SOM)、速效磷(AP)和速效钾(AK)的时空变异特征。结果表明：(1)研究区土壤SOM的平均含量分别增加了1.29、3.22 g·kg^-1,AP的平均含量分别增加了6.89、24.45 mg·kg^-1,仅有AK的平均含量呈现出先减少后增加的趋势。(2)三期耕地土壤养分的变异系数范围为30.2%～90.8%,属于中等变异。1980—2017年,耕地土壤SOM、AP和AK的全局Moran’s I指数均降低,空间结构性减弱,随机因素作用增强。(3)土壤SOM、AP和AK含量均有不同程度的增加,土壤SOM含量总体呈北低南高分布,土壤AP、AK含量分布情况较为一致,呈东高西低。(4)土壤SOM含量重心在东南方向发生偏移,AP、AK含量重心在东北方向发生偏移。土壤养分标准差椭圆空间分布格局同研究区分布方向一致,转角呈现“...     

基于MaxEnt模型预测梨火疫病菌的潜在地理分布

为探究梨火疫病菌解淀粉欧文氏菌Erwinia amylovora在全球的潜在地理分布,基于其全球分布数据和筛选得到的环境变量,利用MaxEnt模型对其在当前气候和未来气候条件下的潜在地理分布进行预测,并利用刀切法和皮尔逊相关性分析法筛选对梨火疫病菌分布有重要影响的环境变量。结果显示,对梨火疫病菌分布有重要影响的环境变量包括2月平均最高温度、1月平均降水量、7月平均最低温度、温度变化方差、昼夜温差月均值和7月平均降水量,表明春季和夏季的温度和降水对梨火疫病菌的分布有较大影响。在当前气候条件下,梨火疫病菌在全球的适生区分布较广,适生区总面积达到5.58×10⁷ km²,且高适生区主要分布在北美洲沿海地区、地中海沿岸和亚洲中部及东部的部分地区;梨火疫病菌在我国的适生区总面积为7.36×10⁶ km²,占全国陆地总面积的76.70%;在未来气候SSP126和SSP585情景下,梨火疫病菌在全球的适生区总面积分别为5.52×10⁷ km²和5.24×10⁷ km²。表明梨火疫病菌对我国大部分地区有潜在威胁,应加强监测与防控。     

Genomic prediction for meat and carcass traits in Nellore cattle using a Markov blanket algorithm

This study was carried out to evaluate the advantage of preselecting SNP markers using Markov blanket algorithm regarding the accuracy of genomic prediction for carcass and meat quality traits in Nellore cattle. This study considered 3675, 3680, 3660 and 524 records of rib eye area (REA), back fat thickness (BF), rump fat (RF), and Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF), respectively, from the Nellore Brazil Breeding Program. The animals have been genotyped using low-density SNP panel (30 k), and subsequently imputed for arrays with 777 k SNPs. Four Bayesian specifications of genomic regression models, namely Bayes A, Bayes B, Bayes Cπ and Bayesian Ridge Regression methods were compared in terms of prediction accuracy using a five folds cross-validation. Prediction accuracy for REA, BF and RF was all similar using the Bayesian Alphabet models, ranging from 0.75 to 0.95. For WBSF, the predictive ability was higher using Bayes B (0.47) than other methods (0.39 to 0.42). Although the prediction accuracies using Markov blanket of SNP markers were lower than those using all SNPs, for WBSF the relative gain was lower than 13%. With a subset of informative SNPs markers, identified using Markov blanket, probably, is possible to capture a large proportion of the genetic variance for WBSF. The development of low-density and customized arrays using Markov blanket might be cost-effective to perform a genomic selection for this trait, increasing the number of evaluated animals, improving the management decisions based on genomic information and applying genomic selection on a large scale.     

三道湾水电站正常溢洪洞及泄洪排

试验表明，三道湾水电站原设计存在以下问题：泄洪排沙洞单独全开运行工况下，其进口上方存在贯通性吸气漏斗漩涡；正常溢洪洞进口侧收缩十分严重，泄流量不足，闸后存在水翅、折冲波等不良流态，下游消能效果不佳；针对实际情况，试验通过在泄洪排沙洞进口增设消涡格栅，在正常溢洪洞进口设置椭圆形导墙、延长闸后收缩段，下游采用扩散挑流消能等措施，很好地解决了上述问题。