Spatial distribution of Aspergillus flavus and its toxigenic strains on commercial cottonseed from south Texas and its relationship to aflatoxin contamination

The structure of Aspergillus flavus communities associated with south Texas cottonseed was determined by analysing samples from 178 truckloads of commercial cottonseed from 35 gins, extending from Fort Bend County in the north to the Rio Grande Valley in the south, from September 1999 to October 2001. The number of colony-forming units (CFU) of A. flavus on the cottonseed, and the percentage of S strain (%S) were both correlated with aflatoxin contamination of cottonseed. The number of CFU differed between both regions and seasons, while %S differed only between regions. Comparison of maps of CFU and %S revealed that CFU shows a higher variation across years, while %S shows higher spatial variation. The Rio Grande Valley had significantly lower CFU and %S strain than the Coastal Bend and Upper Coast regions. Cottonseed produced in 1999 had significantly more A. flavus than that produced in either 2000 or 2001. Identification of factors dictating geographical variation in S-strain incidence may provide insights that will lead to improved aflatoxin management.     

Spatial Clustering of Escherichia coli with Reduced Susceptibility to Cefotaxime and Ciprofloxacin among Dairy Cattle Farms Relative to European Starling Night Roosts

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) have been implicated in the dispersal of zoonotic enteric pathogens. However, their role in disseminating antimicrobial‐resistant organisms through their home range has not been clearly established. The aim of this study was to determine whether starling night roosts served as foci for spreading organisms with reduced susceptibility to antimicrobials among dairy cattle farms. Bovine faecal pats were collected from 150 dairy farms in Ohio. Each farm was visited twice (in summer and fall) between 2007 and 2009. A total of 1490 samples (10 samples/farm over two visits) were tested for Escherichia coli with reduced susceptibility to cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin. Using a spatial scan statistic, focal scans were conducted to determine whether clusters of farms with a high prevalence of organisms with reduced susceptibility to cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin surrounded starling night roosts. Faecal pats 13.42% and 13.56% of samples carried Escherichia coli with reduced susceptibility to cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin, respectively. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) spatial clusters of faecal pats with high prevalence of Escherichia coli showing reduced susceptibility to cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin were identified around these night roosts. This finding suggests that the risk of carriage of organisms with reduced susceptibility to antimicrobials in cattle closer to starling night roosts was higher compared to cattle located on farms further from these sites. Starlings might have an important role in spreading antimicrobial‐resistant E. coli to livestock environments, thus posing a threat to animal and public health.     

北方农牧交错带土地利用及其生态背景分析

在遥感和地理信息系统技术支持下,提取年降水量、≥10℃积温、年平均风速、海拔高度、坡度等数据作为生态背景基本要素,基于NOAA/AVHRR影像分类而成的北方农牧交错带全样带1989年和2000年两期土地利用数据进行空间分析,分别研究单一和复合生态背景下土地利用的时空变化特征及其与生态背景的关系。结果表明:年降水量和年平均风速对土地利用变化的影响较为明显,特别是在坡度<15°的区域,降水对耕地和草地、年平均风速对林地和草地的影响均比较明显。≥10℃积温的变化与土地利用关系则不明显。耕地、林地、草地和城镇用地主要分布在海拔1 000~3 500 m和500 m以下、坡度为15°以下的地区,水域主要分布在海拔200 m以下、坡度为5°以下的地区。     

不同放牧制度对荒漠草原短花针茅空间异质性的影响

在不同放牧制度下,以荒漠草原短花针茅植物种群为研究对象,采用GS＋软件和地统计学分析方法对其空间异质性分布进行了研究。结果显示：对照区和划区轮牧区或自由放牧区都表现出很强的空间自相关性,且结构是导致短花针茅空间变异的主要因素。对照区、划区轮牧区和自由放牧区,短花针茅空间格局的分形维数相近,都接近于2。不同放牧制度下短花...     

科尔沁沙地坨甸交错区土壤水分的空间变异规律

科尔沁沙地沙丘-草甸相间地区,地貌形态多样、土地利用类型众多,从而导致土壤水分空间分布的复杂性。通过对科尔沁沙地典型沙丘-草甸相间地区的调查取样与试验分析,运用统计学理论和方法,研究土壤水分的空间变异性及其空间分布规律。结果表明：水平方向上,土壤水分总体表现为草甸地大于沙丘地,过渡带介于两者之间。就草甸地而言,植物生长越好,其土壤水分越高,保水持水性能也越好;沙丘地则与之相反,植被最稀疏的流动沙丘,其土壤含水量大于半流动半固定沙丘与固定沙丘,且有良好的储水条件。垂向上,高覆盖草甸、低覆盖草甸和农田（草甸）土壤含水量在地表下0～40 cm波动最大,40～160 cm随深度增加而递增;流动沙丘、半流动沙丘和固定沙丘土壤含水量随深度增加呈微弱加大趋势。林地、撂荒地、农田（沙丘）变化程度居中。从空间分布看,研究区中东部土壤水分偏大,且向南北两侧区域递减。     

基于地统计的额济纳绿洲地下水位埋深空间异质性研究

利用地统计学方法定量研究了额济纳绿洲地下水位埋深的空间异质性.结果表明:额济纳绿洲地下水位埋深分布有较大的空间异质性,地下水位埋深的理论模型为球体模型;额济纳绿洲地下水位埋深主要受结构性因子的影响;地下水位埋深的变程在22.6km左右.地下水位埋深的空间分布总体上表现为从南到北,从西向东逐渐增大的分布格局.局部分布上,...     

A Gis-derived integrated moisture index to predict forest composition and productivity of Ohio forests (U.S.A.)

A geographic information system (GIS) approach was used in conjunction with forest-plot data to develop an integrated moisture index (IMI), which was then used to predict forest productivity (site index) and species composition for forests in Ohio. In this region, typical of eastern hardwoods across the Midwest and southern Appalachians, topographic aspect and position (rather than elevation) change drastically at the fine scale and strongly influence many ecological functions. Elevational contours, soil series mapping units, and plot locations were digitized for the Vinton Furnace Experimental Forest in southeastern Ohio and gridded to 7.5-m cells for GIS modeling. Several landscape features (a slope-aspect shading index, cumulative flow of water downslope, curvature of the landscape, and water-holding capacity of the soil) were used to create the IMI, which was then statistically analyzed with site-index values and composition data for plots. On the basis of IMI values for forest land harvested in the past 30 years, we estimated oak site index and the percentage composition of two major species groups in the region: oak (Quercus spp.), and yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) plus black cherry (Prunus serotina). The derived statistical relationships were then applied in the GIS to create maps of site index and composition, and verified with independent data. The maps show the oaks will dominate on dry, ridge top positions (i.e., low site index), while the yellow poplar and black cherry will predominate on mesic sites. Digital elevation models with coarser resolution (1:24K, 1:100K, 1:250K) also were tested in the same manner. We had generally good success for 1:24K, moderate success for 1:100K, but no success for 1:250K data. This simple and portable approach has the advantage of using readily available GIS information which is time-invariant and requires no fieldwork. The IMI can be used to better manage forest resources where moisture is limiting and to predict how the resource will change under various forms of ecosystem management.     

东佛里生羊MSTN基因多态性及其与生长性状的关联分析

试验旨在研究肌肉生长抑制素(myostatin,MSTN)基因多态性及其对东佛里生羊生长性状的影响。从324只东佛里生羊全血中提取DNA,对MSTN基因外显子序列和非翻译区(untranslated region,UTR)序列进行PCR扩增,采用一代测序技术鉴定单核苷酸多态性(single nucleotide polymorphism,SNP)位点,分析不同位点的遗传多态性,并将不同基因型与东佛里生羊的生长性状进行关联分析。结果显示,在东佛里生羊MSTN基因外显子中未检测到突变;在3'-UTR区的272 bp处存在G→A单碱基突变,该位点只检测到AG和AA基因型,且AA基因型频率高于AG基因型;在5'-UTR区的176 bp处存在C→A突变,该位点只检测到CC和AC基因型,且CC基因型频率高于AC基因型。遗传多样性参数分析结果表明,东佛里生羊群体MSTN基因3'-UTR-272和5'-UTR-176位点的纯合度分别为0.827和0.887,杂合度分别为0.173和0.113,2个位点的多态性均较低(PIC<0.25),其群体基因型分布均符合哈代-温伯格平衡(P>0.05)。关联分析发现,3'-UTR-272位点AG基因型体斜长显著高于AA基因型(P<0.05),5'-UTR-176位点CC基因型胸围显著高于AC基因型(P<0.05),其余指标均无显著差异(P>0.05)。综上,东佛里生羊MSTN基因3'-UTR和5'-UTR突变位点可作为其目标性状选育的分子标记。     

我国农村专业技术协会研究综述及展望

农村专业技术协会（简称农技协）诞生于改革开放初期,是由广大农民创建的群众性科技组织,在构建农业科技社会化服务体系和农村现代化进程中正发挥着越来越大的作用。检索并统计中国知网数据库1986-2013年农技协的文献,重点综述2007年以来国内学界对于农技协的相关研究状况,并对未来的研究方向提出建议。