Dietary protein for young grazing sheep: Interactions with gastrointestinal parasitism

Effects of protein supplementation and of nematode control on production responses in young grazing sheep and on nematode population dynamics were assessed. Young Merino wether sheep (n = 270) were allocated to one of three supplementation (Su) treatments and one of three regimes of nematode control (drench, Dr) in a factorial design. Each of the nine treatments was replicated three times in a randomised complete block. Animals received no supplement (SuO) or were given supplements at a level equivalent to 200 g day⁻¹, fed three times a week. The supplements contained 25% lucerne meal with either 75% sunflower meal (Su1) or 75% formaldehyde-treated sunflower meal (Su2). Nematode control regimes were: not drenched unless survival of individual animals was threatened (DrO); drenched according to a strategic drenching programme (Dr1); treatment with a controlled-release albendazole capsule (Dr2). Infections with Haemonchus contortus were suppressed by use of closantel. Due to drought conditions and lack of pasture growth, lucerne hay was fed to all sheep from Week 14 onwards (350 g per head per day, fed twice a week). Supplementation reduced the need for ‘survival drenching’ in Dr0 sheep considerably. Live-weight gain was increased significantly by supplementation with Su1 or Su2 during the 36-week experiment. Undrenched animals given Su1 or Su2 tended to grow faster than unsupplemented animals in the Dr1 and Dr2 groups. Greasy wool production and fibre diameter were increased by supplementation and anthelmintic treatment. Faecal worm egg counts (FEC) in undrenched sheep were significantly lower for Su1 and Su2 sheep than for Su0 sheep. There were no effects of supplementation on FEC in Dr1 or Dr2 sheep. Worm burden was generally unaffected by supplementation, while the drenching treatments Dr1 and Dr2 reduced worm burden at Week 16 and to a lesser extent at Week 27. Trichostrongylus colubriformis was the predominant nematode species, with smaller numbers of Nematodirus spp., Trichostrongylus vitrinus, Trichostrongylus axei and Ostertagia circumcincta also present. It was concluded that supplementary feeding with protein meal substantially reduced production losses attributable to nematode infections in young grazing sheep. This appears to be due to an enhanced resilience of the host, rather than any major changes in development of protective immunity.     

Chromosomal and Plasmid Diversity of Agrobacterium Strains Isolated from Ficus benjamina Tumors

Agrobacteria were previously isolated from tumors developing on branches and aerial and hypogeous roots of weeping fig plants in Italy and in The Netherlands. A representative group of 48 strains was analyzed by PCR–RFLP of 16S and 16S + IGS ribosomal regions, PCR–RFLP of six Ti plasmid (pTi) regions and characterized for plasmid content. Two groups of agrobacteria were separated by cluster analysis of PCR–RFLP profiles of rrs gene: seventeen strains were similar to the new species Agrobacterium larrymoorei, while the remaining strains were included within the agrobacterium biovar 1 group. Sixteen different plasmid profiles from one to five plasmids were observed. In addition, 21 ribotypes and 20 pTi structures were arranged in many different combinations, showing that fig agrobacteria were characterized by a wide heterogeneity. A general lack of correlation between strain ribotypes and plasmid content was observed.     

鄂尔多斯市工业化进程中产业结构的演进分析

鄂尔多斯市是我国重要的能源重化工基地,因其工业经济呈现出超常规的发展态势,被称为鄂尔多斯现象。文中以鄂尔多斯市的工业经济和三次产业为研究对象,利用1949～2009年间的产值与就业结构统计数据,对其工业化进程与产业结构的变动轨迹进行了分析。结果表明:60a来,鄂尔多斯市工业化发展阶段性特征明显,目前其工业经济已进入重工业化的中后期阶段。三次产业中,第一产业的产值与就业比重快速下降,二、三产业比重持续上升,并行发展;就业结构虽逐年优化,但仍相对滞后于产业结构与工业化进程,产业结构与就业结构的协调度较低。近年来工业结构的重化趋势凸显,工业主导型的产业结构与主导产业群已经形成。     

幼年牦牛松果体的光镜和电镜观察

利用光镜和电镜技术对幼年牦牛松果体的组织形态结构特征进行了研究。结果表明，光镜下，幼年牦牛松果体由松果体细胞、少量的神经胶质细胞、毛细血管和神经等组成。电镜下，松果体细胞的电子致密度低，细胞质内含有丰富的线粒体、粗面内质网、滑面内质网、高尔基复合体、微管、微丝和核糖体，典型异质细胞器突触带呈球形，多位于质膜附近。神经胶质细胞内的线粒体丰富，胞体突起呈球形膨大伸入到松果体细胞之间。松果体细胞以及神经胶质细胞间均存在突触和连接复合体。牦牛松果体内的毛细血管为连续型，远腹侧血管周围可见色素细胞。     

6种高丛蓝莓叶片形态解剖特征的比较研究

以辽南地区引种的6个高丛蓝莓品种为试验材料,通过叶片扫描、“指甲油印迹法”和石蜡切片法对比研究了各品种叶片形态解剖特征。结果表明：北高品种叶片的分形维数高于南高,大粒蓝金最大,库帕最小,但北高品种叶厚小于南高;南高品种气孔大于北高,而气孔密度小于北高品种,品种间气孔形状无明显差异;气孔分布随观察视野的变大皆呈均匀分布到随机分布,北高品种先于南高变为随机分布;南高品种表皮细胞、栅栏组织、海绵组织厚度大于北高,角质层和中脉厚度南北差异较小,但北高品种的中脉与叶片厚度之比高于南高品种;叶片组织紧密度、疏松度和栅海比南北两大种植品系之间无规律性变异,品种之间却存在显著差异。     

Effects of three kinds of calcium activator on the proliferation of cultured vascular smooth muscle cells in rats

AIM: To investigate the effects of intracellular free calcium ([Ca²⁺]i) from different resources on the proliferation mediated by mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). METHODS: Cultured VSMCs were used in all experiments. Calcium influx was stimulated by angiotension Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ). The release of intracellular calcium stores was induced by inositol trisphosphate (IP₃) and ryanodine (RY). MAPK activity was measured by [γ-³²P]-ATP incorporation MAPK protein expression by western blot, VSMCs proliferation by [³H]-Leucine ([³H]-Leu) and [³H]-Thymidine ([³H]-TdR) incorporation. RESULTS: Compared to the control VSMCs, Ang Ⅱ, IP₃ and RY significantly increased [Ca²⁺]i concentration activity of MAPK and its protein content in VSMCs. The promotion of [³H]-Leu and [³H]-TdR incorporation in VSMCs was also observed (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The study indicated that calcium activator-induced increase in the activity and protein content of MAPK was involved in the proliferation of VSMCs, which was closely related to the [Ca²⁺]i concentration but independent to its origin.     

Replant diseases: Bacterial community structure and diversity in peach rhizosphere as determined by metabolic and genetic fingerprinting

Peach tree replant disease, though reported on in the literature for more than two centuries, has yet to have its causes clearly defined. Decline in peach productivity has been attributed to toxic agents, insects, nutritional disturbances, spray residues, fungi and nematodes. Bacteria has also been indicated as a contributing factor.Peach replant disease was reproduced by using two successive cultures on the same soil. Bacterial communities were isolated and characterized from healthy and diseased peach trees. The potential role of cyanide production by rhizobacteria in the replant problem of peaches was studied. Culture-dependent (evaluation of the number of culturable bacteria, metabolic activities, Biolog^® GN2) and independent (ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis, RISA) methods were used, in order to compare bacterial community structure and diversity in healthy and sick soils and to evaluate the possible role of cyanide.Bacterial densities were significantly increased in sick soils. Metabolic activities (Biolog^® GN2) and genetic structure, observed through RISA, were also significantly modified in sick soils. Changes in the composition of individual microbial groups in the rhizosphere of peach trees excavated from healthy or sick soil indicated the involvement of rhizobacteria in the etiology of the replant sickness of peach soil. More than 60% of the strains isolated from healthy soils corresponded to Pseudomonas sp. and 58% of the isolates from sick soils were Bacillus sp. This study determined that Bacillus were able to produce in vitro HCN. It also appeared that in sick soil, there was a shift in the structure of bacterial communities with an increase noted in phytotoxic microorganisms capable of producing HCN compounds.     

蛋白结晶技术在病毒学中的应用

病毒及其亚单位蛋白的三维结构 (3 D)解析是认识病毒蛋白功能的有力手段。对病毒结构的认识正经历着病毒粒子电镜结构、纳米水平的精细结构及病毒组成蛋白原子水平 3 D结构的变化。晶体的 X射线衍射技术可在原子水平上认识病毒蛋白的结构。这为从结构生物学的角度认识病毒复制、病毒粒子的装配、病毒的致病与免疫机理及抗病毒药物设计提供了技术平台     

干旱区绿洲农业生态经济系统结构与功能分析—以塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘的墨玉县为例

在分析国家和新疆自治区重点扶持的贫困县———墨玉县农业生态系统的水土资源结构、农业种群结构和产业结构的基础上,对其绿洲农业生态经济系统进行了能量流、物质流和价值流的分析。结果显示其水土资源结构不平衡、种群结构单一、产业结构不甚合理,决定了绿洲功能较差,产投比低下的特点,并据此从可持续发展的角度提出了以发展生态农业为中心,改善绿洲农业生态经济系统结构并提高其功能的对策与建议。     

利用血液蛋白及酶多态性分析技术鉴定山羊亲缘关系的研究

选择血红蛋白(Hb)、运铁蛋白(Tf)、亮氨酸胺肽酶(LAP)、前白蛋白3(Pa3)、淀粉酶(Amy)对可能为同卵双生波尔山羊的亲缘关系鉴定。结果发现，除淀粉酶(Amy)和亮氨酸胺肽酶(Lap)外，其余位点均有多态性。由蛋白位点的基因型判定羔1、羔2基因型完全一致，是供体后代的概率为75G，受体后代的概率为22．8％，从而确认羔1、羔2的双亲为供体公羊和供体母羊。