Habitat use and home range of black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) on farmlands in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa

Black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) are an abundant mesopredator on farmlands (croplands and rangelands) across South Africa. Given their adaptability in a changing anthropogenic landscape, knowledge of spatial movements can provide important ecological information on the species. We captured, collared and monitored five black-backed jackals in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal to determine their home range and habitat use in farmlands. The 95% fixed kernel (95% FK) home range sizes were large, showing a marked seasonal variation in movement. One adult male dispersed 150?km over two seasons (winter and spring) and thereafter settled into a home range that it maintained. Transient home ranges of males and juveniles were larger than resident home ranges. The mean resident home ranges (95% FK) across seasons for adult males, adult female and juvenile males were 11.4 ± 4.3 km², 5.6 ± 0.36?km² and 2.15 ± 0.45?km², respectively. The mean transient home ranges (95% FK) of all the seasons for adult and juvenile males were 1 181.93 ± 575.81 km² and 104.27 ± 35.64?km², respectively. Adult jackal preferred croplands in spring, summer and autumn but avoided croplands in winter. Variable habitat use and large home ranges in our study confirmed the species’ ability to adapt to agricultural areas.     

ASVCP guidelines: quality assurance for portable blood glucose meter (glucometer) use in veterinary medicine

Portable blood glucose meters (PBGM, glucometers) are a convenient, cost effective, and quick means to assess patient blood glucose concentration. The number of commercially available PBGM is constantly increasing, making it challenging to determine whether certain glucometers may have benefits over others for veterinary testing. The challenge in selection of an appropriate glucometer from a quality perspective is compounded by the variety of analytic methods used to quantify glucose concentrations and disparate statistical analysis in many published studies. These guidelines were developed as part of the ASVCP QALS committee response to establish recommendations to improve the quality of testing using point‐of‐care testing (POCT) handheld and benchtop devices in veterinary medicine. They are intended for clinical pathologists and laboratory professionals to provide them with background knowledge and specific recommendations for quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC), and to serve as a resource to assist the provision of advice to veterinarians and technicians to improve the quality of results obtained when using PBGM. These guidelines are not intended to be all‐inclusive; rather they provide a minimum standard for management of PBGM in the veterinary setting.     

Evaluation of transpulmonary ultrasound dilution cardiac output in piglets: accuracy,precision and trending ability with room temperature injectate

ObjectiveTranspulmonary ultrasound dilution (TPUD) is a minimally invasive technique to measure cardiac output (CO) using a 1 mL kg^–1 isotonic 37 °C saline injectate indicator. The objective was to evaluate the performance of TPUD using a room temperature saline injectate.Study designProspective experimental trial.AnimalsA total of seven anesthetized male Yorkshire piglets.MethodsPiglets aged 1 month and weighing 7.7–9.0 kg were anesthetized with detomidine–ketamine–hydromorphone–isoflurane and a pulmonary artery flow probe (PAFP) placed via a median sternotomy. The thoracic cavity remained open during measurement of CO by PAFP and TPUD. The TPUD indicators of 1 mL kg^–1 0.9% saline at 37 °C and 20 °C were compared during infusions of phenylephrine and dobutamine, blood withdrawal and replacement. Bias, limits of agreement (LoAs) and percentage error (PE) between each iteration of PAFP and TPUD were measured with Bland–Altman plots. Trending ability via concordance, angular bias and radial LoA were compared.ResultsBland–Altman plots showed negligible bias with varying LoAs. PEs of 22% and 38% were found for 37 °C and 20 °C saline injectates, respectively. In the four-quadrant plots, the concordance rate was 94% and 100% for measurements obtained with 37 °C and 20 °C saline injectates, respectively. Angular bias for both were < ±5 °, with radial LoA < ±7 °.ConclusionsTPUD was accurate when using 1 mL kg^–1 of isotonic saline at 37 °C in a range of CO within 0.2–0.8 L minute^–1, and it reliably tracked positive and negative changes in CO. Room temperature (20 °C) indicator was less accurate but equally able to track direction of changes in CO.Clinical relevanceThe use of room temperature injectates allows an easy, readily available clinical application of TPUD CO monitoring while preserving the trending ability of the monitor.     

国内外致泻大肠埃希氏菌O157:H7的检测标准比较及建议

致泻大肠埃希氏菌O157:H7（STEC O157:H7）是大肠埃希氏菌中致病性最严重的一种食源性致病菌,主要存在于牛肉、牛奶、水果及其制品中,对身体健康造成很大危害,甚至引发死亡。食品中STEC O157:H7检测尤为重要。本文对国内外STEC O157:H7的检测标准进行比较,提出我国标准在样品前处理、快速筛选方法的应用等方面需要加强,以便为该菌快速准确检测提供帮助,实现与国际标准化体系建设接轨,满足实验室检测需要。     

Data Collection Based on Web Services

To construct data warehouse with heterogeneous, self-governing and distributed database system is a challenge. Two problems have to be solved: one is how to collect data from heterogeneous data sources by an effective method, the other is how to clear up and change the format of the data collected from data sources. The opening and the interact-operation property of Web Services is Analyzed. A Data Collection System based on Web Services, which communicates with heterogeneous data sources with SOAP and HTTP, has been designed. A Data Collector is introduced to clear up and to transform data with composition technology. The pivotal XML technology of transforming and loading up the data are discussed.     

Two-level Fuzzy Method for Evaluation of the Supplier''s System in Automobile Industry

This paper analyses the importance of the suppliers' evaluation in automobile industry. Based the conception of system, all the corporations' suppliers are regarded as an integer. On condition that the corporation has evaluated the single supplier's performance, the model for evaluate the performance of supplier's system is established, the performance by two-level fuzzy method is evaluated. Finally, the method sets with an example as the illustration.     

Opportunities and Challenges in Chinese Housing Industry

This article studies the opportunities and challenges in housing industry in China and proposes its development tendency.