Two anatomic resources of canine pelvic limb muscles based on CT and MRI

Advances in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and three-dimensional (3D) modeling software provide the tools necessary to create sophisticated, interactive anatomic resources that can assist in the interpretation of MR images of extremities, and learning the structure and function of limb musculature. Modeling provides advantages over dissection or consultation of print atlases because of the associated speed, flexibility, 3D nature, and elimination of superimposed arrows and labels. Our goals were to create a diagnostic atlas of pelvic limb muscles that will facilitate interpretation of MR images of patients with muscle injury and to create a 3D model of the canine pelvic limb musculature to facilitate anatomic learning. To create these resources, we used structural segmentation of MR images, a process that groups image pixels into anatomically meaningful regions. The Diagnostic Atlas is an interactive, multiplanar, web-based MR atlas of the canine pelvic limb musculature that was created by manually segmenting clinically analogous MR sequences. Higher resolution volumetric MR and computed tomography (CT) data were segmented into separately labeled volumes of data and then transformed into a multilayered 3D computer model. The 3D Model serves as a resource for students of gross anatomy, encouraging integrative learning with its highly interactive and selective display capabilities. For clinicians, the 3D Model also serves to bridge the gap between topographic and tomographic anatomy, displaying both formats alongside, or even superimposed over each other. Both projects are hosted on an open-access website, http://3dvetanatomy.ncsu.edu/     

Zero-inflated models for identifying disease risk factors when case detection is imperfect: Application to highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in Thailand

Logistic regression models integrating disease presence/absence data are widely used to identify risk factors for a given disease. However, when data arise from imperfect surveillance systems, the interpretation of results is confusing since explanatory variables can be related either to the occurrence of the disease or to the efficiency of the surveillance system. As an alternative, we present spatial and non-spatial zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regressions for modelling the number of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreaks that were reported at subdistrict level in Thailand during the second epidemic wave (July 3rd 2004 to May 5th 2005). The spatial ZIP model fitted the data more effectively than its non-spatial version. This model clarified the role of the different variables: for example, results suggested that human population density was not associated with the disease occurrence but was rather associated with the number of reported outbreaks given disease occurrence. In addition, these models allowed estimating that 902 (95% CI 881–922) subdistricts suffered at least one HPAI H5N1 outbreak in Thailand although only 779 were reported to veterinary authorities, leading to a general surveillance sensitivity of 86.4% (95% CI 84.5–88.4). Finally, the outputs of the spatial ZIP model revealed the spatial distribution of the probability that a subdistrict could have been a false negative. The methodology presented here can easily be adapted to other animal health contexts.     

Implications of global and regional patterns of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 clades for risk management

This paper analyses the publicly available data on the distribution and evolution of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 clades, whilst acknowledging the biases resulting from the non-random selection of isolates for gene sequencing. The data indicate molecular heterogeneity in the global distribution of HPAIV H5N1, in particular in different parts of East and Southeast Asia. Analysis of the temporal pattern of haemagglutinin clade data shows a progression from clade 0 (the ‘dominant’ clade between 1996 and 2002) to clade 1 (2003–2005) and then to clade 2.3.4 (2005 onwards). This process continuously produces variants, depending on the frequency of virus multiplication in the host population, which is influenced by geographical variation in poultry density, poultry production systems and also HPAI risk management measures such as vaccination. Increased multilateral collaboration needs to focus on developing enhanced disease surveillance and control targeted at evolutionary ‘hotspots’.     

不同放牧制度对荒漠草原表层土壤氮素空间异质性的影响

以荒漠草原不同放牧制度下表层土壤氮素含量为研究对象,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,划区轮牧区表层士壤碱解氮含量显著低于对照区和自由放牧区,土壤全氮含量没有发生显著性变化.样点间土壤氮素含量差异表明,表层土壤氮素含量存在空间异质性.划区轮牧使得土壤碱解氮含量和土壤全氮含量空间分布受随机因素影响大,自由放牧使土壤全氮含量空间分布受随机因素影响大,围封状态的对照区土壤碱解氮含量和土壤全氮含量空间分布几乎不受随机因素影响.划区轮牧能够减小土壤氮素空间分布的异质性,自由放牧导致表层土壤碱解氮含量空间差异较大.在划区轮牧区,土壤碱解氮含量和土壤全氮含量空间分布都比较均匀,呈片状分布,自由轮牧区土壤碱解氮整体呈破碎斑块分布.     

采用根滤去污工艺的污水净化植物补救系统决策支持软件

为了开发利用植物去除因吸收污染水而产生的重金属的商业化根滤系统和植物去污补救工艺,研究开发了微型计算机软件,以便为该系统的设计与运行提供参考。建立了一个基于Michaelis-Menton方程的工艺模型,可以定量确定在根滤系统中的植物积累和去除毒素物质的能力。采用一系列的算法处理信息并编入一个根滤设施的系统模型内。该系统模型将植物补救系统的物理元件——植物苗圃、根过滤系统、水的前处理与后处理、植物生物质的产后处理等与系统设计的工程方面包括工艺、运行、设施和系统集成结合起来。该软件内含的工程经济分析工具可用于分析主要设计变量对系统效率的影响     

副猪嗜血杆菌S-核糖基高半胱氨酸酶基因序列分析与推导蛋白三维结构的分子模拟

利用PCR方法获得副猪嗜血杆菌S-核糖基高半胱氨酸酶(luxS)基因全长DNA,将PCR纯化产物与pMD18-T载体连接并转化E.coil DH5α菌株,重组阳性质粒测序并采用生物信息学软件对所推导的氨基酸序列进行三维结构分析。结果表明,该基因全长510bp,并与GenBank中登录的其他5株菌株luxS基因完整参考序列进行比较,同源性均在70%以上。用ExPAsy软件包预测了推导蛋白的特性,运用Swiss-PDB viewer软件的SWISS-Model处理器,并利用同源建模的思想建立HPS-luxS的三维结构。拉马钱德兰图证明,构建的luxS蛋白的空间结构是合理的。     

Rearrangement of bacterial community structure during peat diagenesis

The relationship between microbial diagenesis of Sphagnum peat (SP) and reed-sedge peat (RSP) and the spatial organization of peat bacterial communities was studied. Peats were aerobically incubated at 18-22 °C for 4 months. Changes in molecular composition of peat organic matter were monitored with solid-state ¹³C NMR, and the respective amount of functional groups was determined by integration of corresponding peaks. No abiotic peat transformation was detected. SP diagenesis caused about a 4% loss of parent materials with a similar yield of ketones, phenols, aromatic, and carbonyl compounds; whereas about 20% of RSP carbohydrates, along with ketones and methoxyl compounds were gradually transformed into carbonyl and aliphatic compounds. SP and RSP substantially varied in bacterial composition. To address spatial community structure, bacterial populations were dissected by a differential elution technique into three fractions based on the degree of their attachment to peat. Community composition was surveyed with T-RFLP (HhaI, MspI, and RsaI). The fragments were further attributed to freely-dispersed (FD), particle-associated (PA), or omnipresent (OMN) bacterial fractions. In both peats, bacterial communities have gradually shifted with the progress of diagenesis. In SP, numbers of exclusively FD or PA bacteria slightly decreased while in RSP their numbers more than doubled after 4-month incubation, and the number of OMN bacteria respectively decreased. The substantially greater changes in the spatial structure of RSP bacterial community compared to SP were consistent with the chemical transformations detected in these peats suggesting the diagenesis-driven divergence of RSP bacterial community into FD and PA sub-communities.     

祁连山退化草地狼毒群落土壤种子库的空间格局

采用野外调查和室内分析相结合的方法,对祁连山退化草地狼毒群落土壤种子库进行研究。结果显示:(1)狼毒群落土壤种子库毒杂草物种的数量和密度占优势;(2)禾草的种子库密度随退化梯度的增加而减少直至消失,多年生杂草存在于各个植被梯度且密度较大;(3)群落物种数量及其密度呈现0~5cm10~15cm5~10cm的分布规律,各土层内密度差异明显;(4)不同梯度下种子库(0~15cm)的Shannon-wiener指数、均匀度指数和丰富度指数波动变化趋势基本一致,而优势度指数与之变化趋势相反,土壤种子库0~5cm与种子库(0~15cm)物种多样性的变化具有较大的相似性;(5)随着退化梯度的增加,种子库和植被的相似系数减小,狼毒等毒杂草的大量繁衍显著的改变了草地群落的功能群结构,自然状态下种子库对原生地带性植被建群种更新的贡献率降低,植被恢复问题严峻。     

山西铁杆蒿草地群落碳、氮密度区域差异及其驱动因素

为明确山西铁杆蒿（Artemisia sacrorum）群落碳、氮密度的区域差异,以及导致这种空间变化的驱动因素,本试验以山西省铁杆蒿草地群落为研究对象,通过测定晋北半干旱地区和晋南半湿润地区铁杆蒿群落的碳（C）、氮（N）密度,分析了其与年均气温、年降水量、土壤理化性质和地上、地下生物量等生态因子的相关性。结果表明：山西南北铁杆蒿群落碳、氮密度空间分布存在差异,晋南地区铁杆蒿群落的群落碳、氮密度分别为651.83 g C·m^-2和20.63 g N·m^-2,晋北地区铁杆蒿群落的群落碳、氮密度分别为418.89 g C·m^-2和13.90 g N·m^-2。以群落各组分碳、氮密度代表样点进行RDA（Redundancy analysis）冗余分析排序得出造成两地区群落碳、氮密度分异的主要生态因子均为地上生物量、地下生物量、年均气温、年降水量、土壤有机碳含量以及土壤砾石比。可见,山西晋南和晋北地区铁杆蒿群落碳、氮密度空间分布存在差异,不同气候区铁杆蒿群落碳、氮密度空间差异与生物量的积累密切相关,驱动晋南和晋北地区铁杆蒿群落碳氮密度分异的环境因素为年均气温、年降水量、土壤有机碳含量以及土壤砾石比。     

Emerging viral zoonoses: frameworks for spatial and spatiotemporal risk assessment and resource planning

Spatial epidemiological tools are increasingly being applied to emerging viral zoonoses (EVZ), partly because of improving analytical methods and technologies for data capture and management, and partly because the demand is growing for more objective ways of allocating limited resources in the face of the emerging threat posed by these diseases. This review documents applications of geographical information systems (GIS), remote sensing (RS) and spatially-explicit statistical and mathematical models to epidemiological studies of EVZ.Landscape epidemiology uses statistical associations between environmental variables and diseases to study and predict their spatial distributions. Phylogeography augments epidemiological knowledge by studying the evolution of viral genetics through space and time. Cluster detection and early warning systems assist surveillance and can permit timely interventions. Advanced statistical models can accommodate spatial dependence present in epidemiological datasets and can permit assessment of uncertainties in disease data and predictions. Mathematical models are particularly useful for testing and comparing alternative control strategies, whereas spatial decision-support systems integrate a variety of spatial epidemiological tools to facilitate widespread dissemination and interpretation of disease data. Improved spatial data collection systems and greater practical application of spatial epidemiological tools should be applied in real-world scenarios.