Assessment of the welfare of working horses, mules and donkeys, using health and behaviour parameters

Working animals provide an essential transport resource in developing countries worldwide. Many of these animals are owned by poor people and work in harsh environments, so their welfare is a cause for concern. A protocol was developed to assess the welfare of working horses, mules and donkeys in urban and peri-urban areas, using direct observation of health and behaviour parameters. In this study, 4903 animals used for draught, pack and ridden work in Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Jordan and Pakistan were assessed between December 2002 and April 2003. The data showed that donkeys were more likely than mules or horses to demonstrate avoidance or aggressive behaviour towards an observer, while horses were most likely to make a friendly approach. Fewer than 8% of working equines had abnormal mucous membranes, ectoparasites or poor coat condition. Body lesions occurred predominantly in the areas of the breast/shoulder, withers and girth in all three species, with mules having the highest prevalence of lesions in these areas (22.5, 21.3 and 28.4%, respectively). Among horses and donkeys, the prevalence of these lesions was influenced by the type of work carried out. Lesions on the head, neck, ribs, flank and tail base were seen in less than 10% of animals. Across all three species approximately 70% of animals were thin, having a body condition score (BCS) of 2 or less on a scale of 1–5 (1, very thin; 5, very fat) and more horses were in very thin condition (BCS 1) than mules or donkeys. Over 75% of animals demonstrated limb deformities and abnormalities of gait. The results of this study are being used as the initial stage of a long-term strategy to inform priorities for welfare interventions in working equines and to establish a welfare benchmark. Subsequent stages will rank the welfare concerns identified, assess the contributing risk factors and implement specific interventions to address these risks. Following intervention, success in improving welfare will be measured by repetition of this protocol and comparison with the benchmark.     

The effects of different knowledge-dissemination interventions on the mastitis knowledge of Tanzanian smallholder dairy farmers

We developed three different knowledge-dissemination methods for educating Tanzanian smallholder farmers about mastitis in their dairy cattle. The effectiveness of these methods (and their combinations) was evaluated and quantified using a randomised controlled trial and multilevel statistical modelling. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has used such techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of different knowledge-dissemination interventions for adult learning in developing countries.

Five different combinations of knowledge-dissemination method were compared: ‘diagrammatic handout’ (‘HO’), ‘village meeting’ (‘VM’), ‘village meeting and video’ (‘VM + V’), ‘village meeting and diagrammatic handout’ (‘VM + HO’) and ‘village meeting, video and diagrammatic handout’ (‘VM + V + HO’). Smallholder dairy farmers were exposed to only one of these interventions, and the effectiveness of each was compared to a control (‘C’) group, who received no intervention. The mastitis knowledge of each farmer (n = 256) was evaluated by questionnaire both pre- and post-dissemination.

Generalised linear mixed models were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the different interventions. The outcome variable considered was the probability of volunteering correct responses to mastitis questions post-dissemination, with ‘village’ and ‘farmer’ considered as random effects in the model. Results showed that all five interventions, ‘HO’ (odds ratio (OR) = 3.50, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 3.10, 3.96), ‘VM + V + HO’ (OR = 3.34, 95% CI = 2.94, 3.78), ‘VM + HO’ (OR = 3.28, 95% CI = 2.90, 3.71), ‘VM + V’ (OR = 3.22, 95% CI = 2.84, 3.64) and ‘VM’ (OR = 2.61, 95% CI = 2.31, 2.95), were significantly (p < 0.0001) more effective at disseminating mastitis knowledge than no intervention.

In addition, the ‘VM’ method was less effective at disseminating mastitis knowledge than other interventions. Combinations of methods showed no advantage over the diagrammatic handout alone. Other explanatory variables with significant positive associations on mastitis knowledge included education to secondary school level or higher, and having previously learned about mastitis by reading pamphlets or attendance at an animal-health course.     

论梁启超前期的新闻思想

对梁启超前期的新闻思想 ,用“去塞求通”四个字是无法全面准确地加以概括和反映的 ,“去塞求通”仅仅是其新闻思想的一部分。梁启超前期的新闻思想集中表现在对“报馆有益于国事”及“报章体例”的探讨上 ,提出了开风气、求通达、教愚民的报刊功能观以及文义并举的新闻业务思想。     

Effectiveness of nine polymorphic microsatellite markers in parentage testing in Posavina, Croatian Coldblood and Lipizzaner horse breeds in Croatia

The global biodiversity crisis extends to autochthonous local breeds of livestock. There is an increasing danger that these rare breeds become extinct and with them their locally adapted gene pool. Modern molecular tools such as parentage testing using microsatellite genotyping are powerful in guiding management and conservation. We tested nine microsatellite markers in three Croatian horse breeds and obtained high exclusion probabilities (EPs) for the most common test scenario ‘one parent and offspring known and the other parent tested’ (99.9% in Posavina and Croatian Coldblood and 99.3% in Lipizzaner), despite that Lipizzaner has an overall lower genetic variability at microsatellite loci. To become a useful tool in breed management in countries with developing economies, genetic screening systems must be designed to be statistically powerful yet economically viable. Therefore, a suite of six markers that can be run in two multiplex systems and which still gives high exclusion probabilities (99.5% in Posavina and Croatian Coldblood and 98% in Lipizzaner) was chosen.     

试论青海省发展“生态-技术“农牧经济的意义与对策

青海地处青藏高原生态脆弱区 ,青海经济发展必须以保护和治理环境为根本出发点。根据青海农牧业经济现状和社会经济发展的客观要求 ,必须依靠先进技术为根本手段 ,生态保护为基本目标 ,即走“生态—技术”农牧业发展道路。     

农业综合开发项目“先建后补”的几点思考

2008年,江苏省对宜兴、溧阳两市的省级丘陵山区农业综合开发项目进行了“先建后补”的试点．2009年又进一步扩大了试点范围。实践证明“先建后补”,一是可以简化项目管理程序,降低管理成本．提高工作效率,促进项目提前建设及早发挥效益;二是能充分调动业主投入农业综合开发的积极性,做大农业综合开发规模,形成多元开发的新局面。“先建后补”是一个管理机制创新,尚存在一些不容忽视的问题,结合近几年农业综合开发项目规划与管理的实践与探索。提出了具体的发展对策。     

胡昌浩先生学术思想与玉米栽培研究成就

胡昌浩先生是国内著名玉米栽培研究专家,他在玉米栽培方面的理论创新和实践探索为我国玉米栽培学科发展和玉米增产增收做出了卓越贡献。他开创的玉米叶龄模式、叶片结构与功能、品种演进的生理机制、群体光合性能与产量的关系等许多研究创新性强,取得多项科研成果。他大力推广的栽培技术为玉米增产起到了重要作用。总结他的学术思想和科研育人成就对今天的科学研究、人才培养和社会服务理念都有良好的启迪作用。     

小麦籽粒发育过程游离氨基酸的变化

小麦籽粒游离氨基酸的百分含量在开花后４～１２天急剧增加,然后又迅速下降直到成熟,以籽粒为单位表示的各氨基酸含量均在开花后１６～３２天处于较高水平,丙氨酸,谷氨酸和丝氨酸是游离氨基酸的主要组分,脯氨酸在开花后８～１２天增长较多,甘氨到从１６天后有明显增加,其余氨基酸变化不大,结果表明,小麦籽粒游离氨基酸含量随组分的变更而变化,不同氨基酸在籽粒发育的不同时期达到一个最高值,这些占优势的游离氨基酸可能为     

利用非竞争性饲料资源发展非粮型畜牧业的战略研究

本文根据我国国情特点,以及近年来畜牧业发展的实践,提出中国发展畜牧业适宜于采用以非粮型牛羊生产为主,兼顾节粮型猪禽生产的新模式。所谓非粮型畜牧业,指科学地利用非竞争性饲料资源,大力发展牛羊等家畜的生产。非竞争性饲料资源包括牧草、秸秆、糟渣、糠麸、饼粕、畜禽粪便、骨粉、饲用矿石资源、非蛋白氮以及生物饲料等.应用该模式可使我国的畜牧业结构发生重大改变,牛羊奶、肉、毛、绒、皮的产量得到大幅度提高。这是一个有关中国畜牧业发展模式和发展重点大转移的重要战略问题。必将对畜牧业协调而快速地发展,从根本上解决人畜争粮的矛盾,改善整个国民的营养结构,提高整个中华民族的身体素质以及丰富人民生活产生深远的影响。     

新农村建设视角下的乡村旅游开发研究

乡村旅游对于促进农业产业结构调整、增加农民收入、利用农村剩余劳动力资源和维护农村社会经济可持续发展具有重要作用,成为促进新农村建设的主要途径之一。分析了乡村旅游发展的成因,构建了乡村旅游发展的动力机制模型,归纳出乡村旅游的3种主要开发模式,并针对存在的主要问题提出了相应的建议。