Raised environmental temperature and food rationing as means of restricting growth of the replacement pullet

1. Four rearing temperature regimes (15, 20, 25, 30 °C) and three feeding schedules (ad libitum, restricting to the ad libitum intake of the 12th week and feeding 70% of this rate) were carried out with layer replacement pullets to 170 d of age. From this age, during lay, birds were kept at either 21 °C or on a 24‐h cycle of 21 for 18 h and 28 °C for the 6 h before lights out. Both a white and a brown egg‐laying strain were used.

2. Body weight at 169 d of age varied from, on average, 1409 g (15 °C, ad libitum) to 943 g (30 °C, 70% schedule) for the white strain and 1947 to 1250 g for the same treatments respectively for the brown strain. Sexual maturity was considerably delayed by the 70% feeding schedule, only slightly by rearing at 30 °C.

3. Rearing at 30 °C tended to depress subsequent egg output. The 70% feeding schedule at least maintained egg output compared with birds fed ad libitum in rearing.

4. There was a highly significant effect of temperature treatment during lay on food intake. The reduction in food intake due to the 21–28 °C cycle, however, appeared small.     

工厂化水产养殖水质监测系统

工厂化水产养殖的密度高、风险大,养殖对象对pH、溶解氧、温度、氨氮、亚硝酸盐等水质参数的变化敏感,受影响严重,监测水质参数极为重要。本文针对工厂化水产养殖水质监测特点和需求,研发了工厂化水产养殖水质监测系统。分析研究pH、溶解氧、温度、亚硝酸盐等水质参数的阈值,设计水质监测数据无线采集节点和基于Zigbee的无线监测网络,建立水质监测系统软件平台。结果表明,该系统能够实现工厂化水产养殖水质实时监测,保证生产安全,提高水产养殖生产效率。     

黄土耕作坡面溅蚀过程中微地形响应特征

[目的]探究60mm/h雨强下不同耕作坡面在溅蚀阶段的微地形变化特征,为黄土坡地水土保持耕作方式布设提供科学依据。[方法]在室内人工模拟降雨试验的基础上,采用激光扫描量测方法分别获取溅蚀前后4种不同耕作方式(人工锄耕、人工掏挖、等高耕作、耙磨整平)黄土坡面微地形相对高程,并对能反映微地形变化的高精度M-ΔDEM进行了分析。[结果]不同耕作措施下坡面微地形均具有较弱的空间变异,其空间分异主要受耕作措施的影响;降雨对微地形具有一定的夷平效应,且不同耕作坡面在1~1.3m尺度范围内均表现出侵蚀平衡现象;不同耕作微地形对溅蚀均具有阻滞作用,其中人工掏挖和等高耕作具有较强的水土保持作用。[结论]微地形水系分维能较好地反映复杂的微地形特征,而坡面耕作方式是溅蚀过程中微地形时空变异分布状况的控制性因子。     

大型灯泡贯流式泵站振动研究概述

机组和泵房的振动是泵站运行中最为常见的问题,直接影响泵站的安全可靠运行。对大型灯泡贯流式泵站振动研究现状和抗振安全评价计算分析方法作了详细的介绍,对研究机组振动诱发泵房振动的共振校核法、拟静力法、谐响应求解法和瞬态动力时程法等进行了阐述,并对这几种方法进行了分析比较,就其存在的问题作了总结概述。     

利用沙尘暴进行荒漠化草原表土再造技术原理及实践

依据风沙学原理,利用沙尘暴现象对内蒙古荒漠草原进行了表层土壤再造试验。采用地表撒松散杂草(秸秆)后用尼龙网罩固定的方法,拦截沙尘暴所携带的尘土。再造后的土壤掩埋了裸露的植物根系和地表面的砾石,比对照土壤有效锌增加114.8%、有机质增加33.3%、全氮增加77.1%、有效磷增加150.0%、速效钾增加7.8%、pH值降低了1.3%。此方法为如何利用沙尘暴这一自然现象开辟了新的思路。     

Hepatotoxicity of stanozolol in cats

OBJECTIVE: To determine hepatotoxicity of stanozolol in cats and to identify clinicopathologic and histopathologic abnormalities in cats with stanozolol-induced hepatotoxicosis. DESIGN: Clinical trial and case series. ANIMALS: 12 healthy cats, 6 cats with chronic renal failure, and 3 cats with gingivitis and stomatitis. PROCEDURES: Healthy cats and cats with renal failure were treated with stanozolol (25 mg, i.m., on the first day, then 2 mg, p.o., q 12 h) for 4 weeks. Cats with gingivitis were treated with stanozolol at a dosage of 1 mg, p.o., every 24 hours. RESULTS: Most healthy cats and cats with renal failure developed marked inappetence, groomed less, and were less active within 7 to 10 days after initiation of stanozolol administration. Serum alanine transaminase (ALT) activity was significantly increased in 14 of 18 cats after stanozolol administration, but serum alkaline phosphatase activity was mildly increased in only 3. Four cats with serum ALT activity > 1,000 U/L after only 2 weeks of stanozolol administration had coagulopathies; administration of vitamin K resolved the coagulopathy in 3 of the 4 within 48 hours. All 18 cats survived, and hepatic enzyme activities were normal in all cats tested more than 4 weeks after stanozolol administration was discontinued. Two of the 3 cats with gingivitis developed evidence of severe hepatic failure 2 to 3 months after initiation of stanozolol treatment; both cats developed coagulopathies. Histologic evaluation of hepatic biopsy specimens from 5 cats revealed diffuse hepatic lipidosis and cholestasis without evidence of hepatocellular necrosis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that stanozolol is hepatotoxic in cats.     

Can Batesian mimicry help plants to deter herbivores?

Several authors have suggested that edible plants could avoid herbivory by mimicking olfactory cues of toxic plants. However, very few studies have been carried out to test this hypothesis. The aims of the present study were to identify the volatiles of three clover species and to test whether a species lacking chemical defences, such as red clover, could avoid being grazed by rabbits by mimicking the volatiles of the cyanogenic white clover. Two main volatiles were identified in all three clover species, and a further two volatiles were present in white clover only. Rabbits presented with a choice between white clover, red clover and red clover sprayed with white clover extract ate significantly more red clover than white or white-flavoured red clover. The results suggest that the volatiles of toxic plants could be used and exploited as a source of natural, safe and effective repellents to control the impact of pest herbivores on plants.