兔骨髓间充质干细胞的分离培养及肝内示踪

通过分离培养兔骨髓来源的间充质干细胞(MSCs),示踪其肝内移植命运,为MSCs的细胞治疗肝脏疾病提供理论依据和试验支持.采取全骨髓贴壁培养法分离培养兔骨髓MSCs,利用携带增强型绿色荧光蛋白(EGFP)的慢病毒载体感染MSCs,选择最优转染效率,并移植入经D-氨基半乳糖诱导的急性/亚急性肝衰竭受体兔体内,荧光显微镜下...     

无线电追踪技术在地下啮齿动物研究中的应用

营地下生活的啮齿动物被誉为陆地生态系统的工程师,但其长期栖居于地下的生活习性难以被人们直接观察,给动物行为学和生态生物学等研究带来了挑战。随着科学技术的发展,无线电技术的小型化和轻量化为地下啮齿动物研究提供了可行性。国外学者已成功将无线电追踪技术应用于对地下啮齿动物洞道系统、活动节律、巢域面积变化以及社群制度等的研究。但国内将其应用于地下啮齿动物研究的较少。本文根据目前国内外研究现状,对无线追踪技术的研究内容和研究方法进行综述,以期为我国地下啮齿类研究提供参考。     

SCINTIGRAPHIC TRACKING OF MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS AFTER PORTAL,SYSTEMIC INTRAVENOUS AND SPLENIC ADMINISTRATION IN HEALTHY BEAGLE DOGS

Mesenchymal stem cells have been proposed to treat liver disease in the dog. The objective of this study was to compare portal, systemic intravenous and splenic injections for administration of mesenchymal stem cells to target the liver in healthy beagle dogs. Four healthy beagle dogs were included in the study. Each dog received mesenchymal stem cells via all three delivery methods in randomized order, 1 week apart. Ten million fat‐derived allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells labeled with Technetium‐99m (99mTc)‐hexamethyl‐propylene amine oxime(HMPAO) were used for each injection. Right lateral, left lateral, ventral, and dorsal scintigraphic images were obtained with a gamma camera equipped with a low‐energy all‐purpose collimator immediately after injection and 1, 6, and 24 h later. Mesenchymal stem cells distribution was assessed subjectively using all four views. Pulmonary, hepatic, and splenic uptake was quantified from the right lateral view, at each time point. Portal injection resulted in diffuse homogeneous high uptake through the liver, whereas the systemic intravenous injection led to mesenchymal stem cell trapping in the lungs. After splenic injection, mild splenic retention and high homogeneous diffuse hepatic uptake were observed. Systemic injection of mesenchymal stem cells may not be a desirable technique for liver therapy due to pulmonary trapping. Splenic injection represents a good alternative to portal injection. Scintigraphic tracking with 99mTc‐HMPAO is a valuable technique for assessing mesenchymal stem cells distribution and quantification shortly after administration. Data obtained at 24 h should be interpreted cautiously due to suboptimal labeling persistence.     

Tissue Doppler Imaging and Two-dimensional Speckle Tracking of Left Ventricular Function in Horses Affected with Recurrent Airway Obstruction before and after Clenbuterol Treatment

Cardiac effects of the β₂-adrenergic agent clenbuterol have been the focus of many studies, but effects on myocardial velocities and myocardial deformation parameters have not yet been evaluated in horses affected with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and two-dimensional speckle tracking (2DST). In our study, 7 horses affected by RAO were treated over 14 days with clenbuterol, 0.8 μg/kg every 12 hours. Standard echocardiographic, TDI (pulsed wave and color TDI), and 2DST examinations were performed before and after the treatment period. Myocardial function was recorded in the right parasternal short-axis view. Percent of fractional shortening and two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) measurements did not show any significant changes after 2 weeks of treatment. Early diastolic velocity, E, increased significantly after clenbuterol in the left ventricular free wall (LVFW; P = .001). The E/late diastolic velocity (A) quotient (P = .003) and the isovolumetric contractility (P = .035) also increased significantly after treatment. Time parameters, particularly the time interval between the Q-wave in the echocardiograph and atrial release, the time of diastole and Tei index (parameter of global ventricular function), decreased significantly after clenbuterol administration in the LVFW (P = .014/P = .028/P = .015, respectively). The 2DE speckle tracking revealed a significant increase of the early diastolic systolic strain rate (P = .01) in the LVFW after therapy. In conclusion, 2 weeks of treatment with clenbuterol at a dosage of 0.8 μg/kg every 12 hours led to improved cardiac function in severely RAO-affected horses. This could be a sign of myocardial restoration (re-remodeling) after therapy.     

Accuracy of the TurfTrax Racing Data System for determination of equine speed and position

Reasons for performing study: The speed and position data collected by TurfTrax Racing Data Limited during UK Thoroughbred racing have potential to benefit equine science and welfare. The size (the 2006 data set alone consists of 30,932 individual horse starts across 2667 races) and nature (speed and 2D position for each horse at 4 updates per second) of the data make it a unique resource for questions in equine safety, welfare, performance, and animal locomotion. Objective: To determine the accuracy of the TurfTrax tracking system in estimating the speed and position of horses during racing. Methods: Measurements from the TurfTrax wireless tracking system were compared with those of a survey‐grade global positioning system (GPS) receiver. Results: The TurfTrax system was found to give position measurements to within ± 11 and ± 64 cm in the fore‐aft and lateral directions, respectively, averaging ± 38 cm (interquartile range) and speed to within 0.15 m/s. Potential relevance: The data collected by the TurfTrax system are of sufficient accuracy to inform new diagnoses, training regimens and basic locomotor scientific studies. The position data can provide the precise distance, going, inclination, rate of turn and pack positioning through which each horse has raced. The speed profile can be used to examine the level of exertion, effect of training regimens and influence of racecourse features on performance. A first clinical application would be to analyse retrospectively these factors on occurrence of injury to compare with past training regimens, levels of exertion, and/or racecourse conditions.     

Video tracking analysis of behavioral patterns during estrus in goats

Here, we report a new method for measuring behavioral patterns during estrus in goats based on video tracking analysis. Data were collected from cycling goats, which were in estrus (n = 8) or not in estrus (n = 8). An observation pen (2.5 m × 2.5 m) was set up in the corner of the female paddock with one side adjacent to a male paddock. The positions and movements of goats were tracked every 0.5 sec for 10 min by using a video tracking software, and the trajectory data were used for the analysis. There were no significant differences in the durations of standing and walking or the total length of movement. However, the number of approaches to a male and the duration of staying near the male were higher in goats in estrus than in goats not in estrus. The proposed evaluation method may be suitable for detailed monitoring of behavioral changes during estrus in goats.     

履带车辆自适应预瞄跟踪模糊控制算法

针对现有单边制动履带车辆跟踪控制算法同周期内并行控制难、跟踪精度低、转向控制次数较多等问题,该研究以电控化改装后江苏筑水农机 3B55 型履带运输车为试验平台,开展单边制动履带车辆路径跟踪控制算法研究。通过单边制动履带车辆运动学分析,构建车辆预瞄跟踪模型,提出一种预瞄跟踪模糊控制算法,将横向偏差与航向偏差作为多输入输出模糊控制器输入参数,实现车辆同一控制周期内转向与直线行驶的并行控制。为了优化车辆路径跟踪精度与转向控制次数,提出改进麻雀搜索算法(sparrow search algorithm, SSA)的自适应前视距求解算法,考虑车辆的横向偏差和转向路径角度约束,解析较优前视距离,通过仿真和田间试验对算法进行跟踪精度与转向控制次数综合评价。仿真结果表明：基于自适应预瞄跟踪模糊控制算法跟踪多角度规划路径时,车辆转向控制次数为89次,误差面积为1.74 m²。田间作业路况下,由于试验路面起伏不平,并且随速度增加车辆跟踪精度下降,但跟踪精度及转向控制次数随前视距离的变化规律与仿真结果一致,当车辆分别以0.14、0.47和0.83 m/s跟踪路径时,自适应预瞄跟踪模糊控制算法相对于固定前视距离预瞄跟踪模糊控制算法车辆转向控制次数分别减少13.59%、9.87%和11.25%,误差面积分别减少19.93%、48.48%和54.59%,验证了算法的有效性。研究结果可为单边制动履带车辆的农机自动导航技术提供创新思路与技术支撑。     

A model of the spring migration into the North Sea by Calanus finmarchicus overwintering off the Scottish continental shelf

A particle tracking model was used to investigate the annual spring invasion of the North Sea by Calanus finmarchicus copepodites which overwinter in deep water off the Scottish continental shelf. Flow fields generated by a hydrodynamic model (HDM) were used to simulate the advection of zero drag particles representing the copepods. Particles were released simultaneously from a regular lattice of start positions at a given depth ( D ₁), and ascended at a fixed rate ( dD/dt ) until they reached a final depth ( D ₂) in the surface layers. The proportion of particles reaching target areas in the northern North Sea was relatively insensitive to a moderate degree of variation (±20%) around chosen default values of the vertical migration parameters ( D ₁, D ₂ and dD/dt ), derived from field data. The inclusion of horizontal diffusion velocities and diel vertical migration in surface layers did not significantly affect the results. Sensitivity to wind direction was investigated by applying flow fields from HDM runs with different wind forcing scenarios. For the default vertical migration parameters, only north-westerly winds resulted in particles entering the North Sea from release locations north of the Iceland–Scotland Ridge, where dense aggregations of overwintering copepods were encountered during field surveys. The particle tracking model predicted that the major routes for the spring Calanus invasion into the North Sea were the East of Shetland Atlantic Inflow and the Norwegian Trench Atlantic Inflow, which agreed with seasonal trends observed in Continuous Plankton Recorder data. Overall, despite its relative simplicity, particle tracking was confirmed as a robust tool to explore the causal mechanisms behind the annual invasion of the North Sea by C. finmarchicus emerging from diapause in the deep waters off the Scottish continental shelf.     

Incremental predictive value of echocardiographic indices of right ventricular function in the assessment of long-term prognosis in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease

IntroductionFew studies have evaluated the utility of echocardiographic indices of right ventricular (RV) function in predicting prognosis in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD).AnimalsSixty-seven client-owned dogs were diagnosed with MMVD.Materials and methodsclinical cohort study. Dogs diagnosed with American college of veterinary internal medicine (ACVIM) stage B2, C or D between April 2014 and March 2017 were enrolled. Long-term outcomes were assessed by telephone or from the medical record. The primary end-point was defined as cardiac-related death. Echocardiographic indices of RV function, including the RV Tei index, free wall and septal RV longitudinal strain, were obtained. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard analyses were used to identify variables predictive of cardiac-related death.ResultsTwenty-four dogs died during the follow-up period. The median follow-up time was 482 days, and the median survival time for dogs with cardiac-related death was 230 days. For cardiac-related death, peak early diastolic mitral inflow velocity, ACVIM stage C or D, tricuspid regurgitation velocity, RV Tei index and RV end-diastolic area were predictors in univariable Cox proportional hazard analysis. In multivariable Cox proportional analysis adjusted for the left atrial to aorta ratio, peak early diastolic mitral inflow velocity and ACVIM stage, an increase in the Tei index by 0.1 increased the hazard ratio of cardiac-related death by 33% (95% confidence interval, 16–70%; P = 0.002).ConclusionsIn dogs with MMVD, RV dysfunction assessed by the Tei index is an independent predictor of cardiac-related death.     

履带式拖拉机自动驾驶系统路径智能跟踪控制研究

为实现复杂环境下履带式拖拉机田间作业的路径跟踪控制,设计了履带式拖拉机自动驾驶系统,并对路径跟踪与控制算法进行了研究。自动驾驶系统由MCU、双源激光定位系统、速度控制系统、点火/熄火控制系统、液压转向系统等组成。采用模糊算法对行驶过程中的路径偏差进行补偿,实现对路径的跟踪控制。为验证算法的有效性,进行了Matlab/Simulate仿真与田间试验。结果显示对于NF502型履带拖拉机,该系统在100 m范围内可实现有效控制,表明该算法能实现对行驶路线跟踪与控制。