Yield Stability of Winter Wheat (Triticum sp.) Cultivars and Lines

The purpose of this study was to compare responsiveness to environment as well as the stability of newly developed promising lines with traditional commercial cultivars. Subject research was conducted in Ankara between 1983-1989 on common and durum wheat cultivars and lines. Regression coefficient (b) was used as the criterion of genotypes' responsiveness to environment whereas deviation from regression (S²d) and coefficient of determination (r²) were used as stability parameters. Each experiment year was regarded as an environment and yield average of each year was used as the environmental index.
In consequence of the research, it was determined that new varieties with high yield, adaptable to diverse environments could be developed by means of hybridizations between parents having different genetic characteristics which were provided from diverse ecological regions.     

Biochemical and histological effects of gibberellic acid on Locusta migratoria migratoria fifth instar larvae

Experiments were conducted to assess the effect of gibberellic acid (GA₃), a plant growth regulator, on Locusta migratoria migratoria fifth instar larvae. Newly emerged larvae were exposed to various concentrations of GA₃ administered by topical application or by forced ingestion. Results showed that treated insects exhibited toxic symptoms with a dose-dependent mortality. GA₃ toxicity was also demonstrated by perturbation of the moult processes. In fact, we noted that treated insects present exuviations difficulties due to the impossibility to reject the old integuments causing mortality in the 5th instar larvae. Histological study of proventriculus revealed alterations in the epithelial cells and absence of apolysis phenomenon. Data also showed that GA₃ induced significant quantitative variation of haemolymph metabolites. These changes result in a significant decrease in the total concentration of proteins and carbohydrates and an increase in the total concentration of haemolymph lipids.     

End-of-Season Carcass and Reproductive Traits in Original and Replacement Male Broiler Breeders

Reproductive efficiency of male broiler breeders declines toward the end of a production cycle. It is common to add young, replacement males (spiking) to a breeder flock to maintain or increase fertility. To date, no study has reported if there are differences in the carcass and reproductive morphology between original and spiked males at the end of the breeding period. In this study, the weight, fleshing traits, footpad condition, and testes size of 327 Hubbard males (237 original and 90 replacement) from a commercial operation were examined. The original birds (63 wk of age) had significantly higher BW, breast weight, girth measurement, keel length, and spur length than the spiked males (48 wk of age). While external indicators of size and fleshing differed betweenreplacement and original roosters, testis weight was not affected by the age of the bird. It was found that average testis weight correlated well with BW in birds in which testicular regression had not taken place but only weakly with spur length. Because original males had a higher BW and were more heavily fleshed than replacement males, their ability to successfully complete matings may have been impeded. Further research is needed to link growth profiles with semen quality, sexual behavioral, and longevity of a male breeder in a commercial flock.     

岩羊和马鹿对人与机动车反应的差异分析

人为干扰会对野生动物种间关系、个体适合度、群落结构和繁殖成功率等产生中长期的影响。因此,研究野生动物反干扰行为对于我们认识该物种对其生境的行为适应和进化机制具有重要意义。2017年11—12月在内蒙古贺兰山国家级自然保护区内通过建立多元逻辑斯蒂回归模型研究了岩羊(Pseudois nayaur)、马鹿(Cervus elaphus)的反干扰策略,本研究共设置33条样线,记录了10种在人为干扰下可能会影响岩羊、马鹿反应行为的变量,经模型分析发现影响岩羊反应行为的变量有5种,影响马鹿反应行为的变量有4种,共同影响因子分别是干扰源、性别、头的朝向和地形特征,而植被类型则只对岩羊产生影响。最后根据逻辑模型得出的数据计算发生比,从而了解各个分类变量与反应行为的关系。     

Yak interferon-alpha loaded solid lipid nanoparticles for controlled release

To explore the potential of a novel animal interferon formulation for controlled release, the yak interferon-alpha (IFN-α) glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and the purified recombinant IFN-α was encapsulated into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) by double emulsion solvent evaporation (w/o/w) method. The particle size and zeta potential of IFN-α-loaded SLN were 124.2 ± 10.2 nm and −11.2 ± 0.6 mV. The encapsulation efficiency of IFN-α and loading capacity of the SLN were 83.7 ± 4.5% and 1.73 ± 0.15%, respectively. In vitro release study and antiviral assay demonstrated that the IFN-α released from the SLN in a 16-day period exhibited antiviral activity in Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells against vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), and showed a release pattern of an initial burst release followed by a sustained and slow release. Cytotoxicity assay in cell culture demonstrated that the SLN were not toxic. The results of this exploratory study suggest that the IFN-α-loaded SLN could be a useful formulation for controlled release in veterinary therapeutics.     

Analysis of the toxic potential of Palicourea corymbifera (Müll. Arg.) Standl. in laboratory animals

Palicourea species may produce bovine toxicity. Palicourea corymbifera grows in terra firme forests within the Amazon rain forest and in Tropical America, particularly in spots that gave place to gazing areas. The lyophilized extract done with the aerial organs of P. corymbifera were analyzed in male and female mice. Results revealed a significant toxicity: LD50 was 1.10 (1.04-1.15)g/kg for male mice, and 1.05 (1.00-1.10)g/kg for female mice. Locomotion was affected as well as there were reflexes linked to environmental stimuli in addition to changes in posture. Progressive central nervous system stimulus signs such as trembling and convulsions were detected, the latter followed by the animal's death. Macroscopic histopathological exams performed on the liver, kidneys and lungs of mice submitted to necropsy did not indicate the existence of lesions. General activity of animals, measured in an open field, was reduced as a result of the administration of the extract. Duration of locomotion and rearing frequency were reduced, in opposition to an increase in the duration of immobility. Thin layer chromatography analysis showed that monofluoroacetic acid is present in the lyophilized extract, but other qualitative techniques as gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance showed that the MFAA was not present in the extract, and that the toxicity is related to other compound, although the toxic profile is very similar to that of MFAA. P. corymbifera was shown to be significantly toxic to laboratory animals and investigation of the possible toxic substance shall be done.     

鄂尔多斯油蒿-本氏针茅群落生物量

在5年逐月观测基础上，利用多元分析方法，建立鄂尔多斯高原沙地油蒿－－本氏针茅群落地上生物量对气候因子影响的逐月回归模型，结果表明，气候因子在不同时期对植物生长的作用差异显著，降水因子在各月都是影响生物量的显著因子，二者呈正相关，日照时数仅在6月对生物量产生显著影响，。平均气温在各月都不对生物量产生显著影响，7－10月各月生物量都受前月生物量的显著影响，说明植物生长的持续性对生物量的形成和积累是重要的，应用本文建立的模型对3种不同气候条件下，各月生物量的波动范围进行预测，建立累积回归模型，将逐月回归模型，累积回归模型的模拟值与实测值进行比较，结果在多数年份，逐月回归模型都比累积回归模型更接近实测值，与传统的累积回归模型相比，本模型具有三方面的优越性，即可揭示气候影响植物生长的重要细节，具有预测能力以及精度更高，因此是对传统累积气候模型进行的有益改进。     

蒲草垫料水浸出物、醇浸出物、醚浸出物的急性毒性试验及小鼠饥饿试验研究

小鼠在正常状况下仅有撕咬垫料行为，在饥饿状态下少量嚼食薄草垫料，但不引起小鼠中毒。急性毒性试验表明，蒲草的水浸出物，醇浸出物，醚浸出物的ＬＤ５０分别大于蒲草２２．４、１５．７、１９．６ｇ／ｋｇ体重，灌胃后小鼠行为、反应正常，无中毒症状。４日后处死剖检结果，脏器亦无病变。大鼠经皮肤涂抹浸出物（每次剂量分别相当于蒲草７６．０、５３．３、６６．７ｍｇ／ｃｍ２，重复３次）后，无全身中毒症状，涂抹部位无临床上肉眼可见病变。兔滴眼试验（每次剂量分别相当于蒲草１２８．５、９０．２、１１２．７ｍｇ／ｋｇ体重，重复３次）证明，眼无临床上肉眼可见病变。大鼠经口及兔经皮试验亦得到相同结果。说明蒲草垫料的三种浸出物对动物无毒害作用。     

Egg production forecasting: Determining efficient modeling approaches

Several mathematical or statistical and artificial intelligence models were developed to compare egg production forecasts in commercial layers. Initial data for these models were collected from a comparative layer trial on commercial strains conducted at the Poultry Research Farms, Auburn University. Simulated data were produced to represent new scenarios by using means and SD of egg production of the 22 commercial strains. From the simulated data, random examples were generated for neural network training and testing for the weekly egg production prediction from wk 22 to 36. Three neural network architectures-back-propagation-3, Ward-5, and the general regression neural network-were compared for their efficiency to forecast egg production, along with other traditional models. The general regression neural network gave the best-fitting line, which almost overlapped with the commercial egg production data, with an R(2) of 0.71. The general regression neural network-predicted curve was compared with original egg production data, the average curves of white-shelled and brown-shelled strains, linear regression predictions, and the Gompertz nonlinear model. The general regression neural network was superior in all these comparisons and may be the model of choice if the initial overprediction is managed efficiently. In general, neural network models are efficient, are easy to use, require fewer data, and are practical under farm management conditions to forecast egg production.