Peste des petits ruminants has been widely present in southern India since, if not before, the late 1980s

Because previous authorities had suggested that small ruminants were playing a part in the dissemination of rinderpest, and a rinderpest-eradication campaign was about to begin, it was necessary to make precise virus identifications from a number of small-ruminant “rinderpest” outbreaks. When this was done using a database created from passive disease reports, we found that epidemics—reportedly due to rinderpest—were in fact due to peste des petits ruminants (PPRs). Although such cases had been common in India for a number of years, earlier clinical and laboratory reports no longer should be regarded as definitive. PPR outbreaks have been frequent in recent years. Further, we suggest that PPR is not a recent invader of India.     

Energy expenditure in Awassi sheep grazing wheat stubble in the northern Negev Desert of Israel

In semi-arid Mediterranean areas, small grain aftermath stubble represents an important summer source of food for grazing flocks of small ruminants. Wheat stubble is a mediocre source of forage and flocks are grazed in summer under harsh conditions of temperature and air dustiness. However, stubble grazing procedures are changing, water and shading are more frequently available between grazing sessions (“improved management”), and the biological soundness of this ancestral practice needs to be re-visited. The present study was aimed at evaluating the cost in energy of “improved” wheat stubble grazing, compared with feeding a similar diet indoors. The intake of stubble was first quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated in Awassi sheep. Ewes consumed daily 980 ± 100 g day^− 1 of wheat stubble. Ewes were then housed and fed diets consisting of wheat hay, straw and grain formulated to be iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous to diets consumed from wheat stubble. The average intake of ME was similar during the confinement and the pasture periods (6.4 ± 0.5 and 7.6 ± 0.8 MJ day^− 1of ME, respectively). During 2 days of each period, animals were fitted with external electrodes and data loggers of heart rate and skin temperature. Energy expenditure (EE) was calculated from oxygen consumption estimated as the product of heart beats rate measured for the two days by the amount of oxygen delivered to body tissues at each heart beat (O₂ pulse). The O₂ pulse was determined by simultaneously measurement of oxygen consumption and HR twice daily on two occasions, while grazing stubble and indoors. Energy expenditure and energy balance were not different in sheep while grazing wheat stubble (11.1 and − 3.5 MJ day^− 1) or fed indoors (11.1 and − 4.8 MJ day^− 1). Our data show that stubble did not cover nitrogen and energy requirements for maintenance, and that the cost of summer stubble grazing carried out under conditions described here is less than thought before.     

Pre-weaning eating activity and morphological parameters in the small and large intestine of piglets

The effect of pre-weaning eating activity on the intestinal morphology in piglets was investigated on the day of weaning and 5 days post-weaning. The eating activity of each piglet was recorded by means of direct observations. On day 5 post-weaning the villous heights were reduced and the crypt depths were increased irrespective of the pre-weaning eating activity. In the caecum and colon the crypt depth was increased post-weaning and no effect of pre-weaning eating activity was observed. The muscle thickness in the small intestine did not change during the immediate post-weaning period whereas the muscle thickness in the large intestine was doubled in the same period. In conclusion, pre-weaning eating activity did not affect the structural alterations of the small and large intestine. However, the actual number of piglets consuming creep feed prior to weaning was low and the eating activity was highly variable. Therefore, more or later weaned piglets may be needed to show effects of pre-weaning eating activity.     

Creep feed intake during lactation enhances net absorption in the small intestine after weaning

The aim of the study was to measure the effect of creep feeding during lactation on net absorption in the small intestine at 4 days after weaning. Intermittent suckling was used to increase creep feed intake during lactation. Creep feed containing chromic oxide was provided. Based on the colour of the faeces, piglets were classified as ‘eaters’ or ‘non-eaters’, respectively. At day 4 after weaning, an in vivo small intestine segment perfusion test was performed at 5 sites along the small intestine in 24 piglets (12 eaters and 12 non-eaters). At both sides of each intestinal segment a tube was fitted to perfuse and drain fluid in order to assess net absorption. Net absorption was higher in eaters than in non-eaters (P < 0.001). Net absorption varied greatly between and within piglets and was highest in the caudal segments of the small intestine (P < 0.001). These data suggest that creep feeding could be a useful tool in the prevention of post-weaning diarrhoea.     

嗜热毛壳菌纤维素酶对小尾寒羊瘤胃代谢的影响

本试验研究不同水平嗜热毛壳菌纤维素酶对小尾寒羊瘤胃代谢的影响。试验动物为4只安装有永久性瘤胃瘘管的成年小尾寒羊公羊(平均体重为45 kg),采用4×4拉丁方试验设计,在基础日粮中分别添加0％、0．3％、0．6％和0．9％4个水平酶制剂,采集瘤胃液测pH值、氨氮浓度和挥发性脂肪酸(VFA)浓度。试验结果表明:各组试羊瘤胃液平均氨氮浓度的变化范围为10．01-12．80 mg/dL,各组之间相同时间点差异不显著(P>0．05)。瘤胃液平均pH值在6．50-6．80范围内变动,试验组pH值低于对照组(P<0．05),以0．6％水平较好。各组试羊瘤胃乙酸、丙酸及总 VFA浓度的变化规律基本相同,即喂料后逐渐上升,其中乙酸和总VFA浓度在2 h后达到最高点,丙酸浓度在4 h 达到最高点,随后平稳下降于饲喂前降至最低点,再次采食后又重复出现此规律。试验组瘤胃乙酸和总VFA浓度显著或极显著高于对照组(P<0．05或P<0．01),以0．6％水平组最高。     

黑皮黄瓤小西瓜新品种雪峰小玉8号的选育

雪峰小玉8号是湖南省瓜类研究所最新育成的长椭圆形、黑皮、黄瓤、耐贮运二倍体小果型西瓜新品种。植株生长势强,抗病抗逆性强,坐果性好。全生育期85d左右,果实发育期25d左右。皮厚约0.7cm,果皮硬度26kg/cm2,不裂果;中心可溶性固形物含量12%～13%;单果重2～3kg,667m2产量2000～3500kg。2007年2月通过湖南省农作物品种审定委员会审定。     

陶赛特羊和小尾寒羊在青海湟源地区的生态适应性分析

为评定引入青海省湟源县良种肉羊繁育基地的陶赛特羊和小尾寒羊两个绵羊品种的生态适应性,对其18个生理生化指标进行了系统测定分析,结果表明：①引入的陶赛特羊和小尾寒羊两个绵羊品种大多数生理生化指标在品种内或不同品种间的不同性别、不同年龄个体间以及同性别、同年龄个体间差异不显著（P〉0.05）。②两绵羊品种所测血浆CO2结合力远超出本地藏绵羊水平;体温（T）、呼吸频率（R）、脉搏（P）和瘤胃蠕动频率以及白细胞数（WBC）、红细胞数（RBC）、血红蛋白含量（HGB）的测定结果均大致在本地藏绵羊的各生理指标测定范围之内。③与已引入青海牧区的小尾寒羊大多数生理生化指标相比,本次引进的小尾寒羊在经过一段时间的适应性饲养后,其大多数生理生化指标已与其基本接近或一致;同时,引入的陶赛特羊和小尾寒羊与原产地相应品种在基础生理指标上相比较接近。     

Effect of road density on abundance of white-footed mice

While several studies have demonstrated that roads can act as barriers to small mammal movement, the relationship between road density and small mammal abundance has not yet been investigated. In southeastern Ontario, Peromyscus leucopus (white-footed mice) suffer high over-winter mortality rates, resulting in small springtime populations and frequent local extinctions. Peromyscus leucopus movement is known to be inhibited by roads, which should result in lower rates of immigration into and recolonization of habitats in landscapes with high road density. We tested two predictions: (1) Forest sites situated in landscapes with high road densities have a higher chance of P. leucopus being absent during the early spring than forest sites situated in landscapes with low road densities and (2) P. leucopus populations during the summer are smaller in forest sites situated in landscapes with high road densities than in landscapes with low road densities. We sampled P. leucopus in focal patches within nineteen landscapes (7 rural, low-road-density landscapes; 7 rural, high-road-density landscapes; 5 urban landscapes). There was no significant relationship between road density and the presence/absence of P. leucopus during the early spring. We found a significant positive effect of road density on P. leucopus relative abundance during the summer, even when we excluded the urban landscapes and based the analysis on only the 14 rural landscapes. Our results suggest that any negative effect of roads on P. leucopus populations, created by their inhibition to moving across roads, is far outweighed by some positive effect of roads on P. leucopus abundance. We suggest that the two most likely explanations are that roads are positively correlated with an important as-yet-undetermined component of habitat quality, or that roads positively affect P. leucopus by negatively affecting their predators.     

河沟流域水分入渗的数学模型

本文采用现场实地人工模拟降雨试验 ,并结合双环入渗测定以及天然降雨条件下的径流小区观测等手段 ,对河沟流域各类型下垫面水分入渗规律及特征进行了较为深入系统地研究 ,并对各入渗模型的优劣进行了分析、比较及评价。结果表明 :考斯加可夫 (Kostiakov)公式以及霍顿 (Horton)公式较符合河沟流域的实际入渗情况     

小水电工程施工期环境监理研究:以乐东县富光水电站为例

小水电工程施工对生态环境的影响是严重的，通过施工期环境监理，实施合理的环境保护措施，有效监管小水电施工期中的环境影响行为，将有效地使生态环境影响降到最低。富光水电站工程施工期引入环境监理后，从遵循自然规律和生态学原理、维护良好的生态环境出发，确保工程完工后，大大减免了工程施工期对生态环境带来的负面影响，取得社会、经济和生态效益的协调、统一、共赢。