放牧和刈割对呼伦贝尔草甸草原物种多样性的影响

研究了内蒙古呼伦贝尔草甸草原贝加尔针茅（Stipa baicalensis)群落物种多样性对放牧和刈割的响应。结果表明,放牧条件下优势种贝加尔针茅的重要值高于刈割利用的,而样方内的物种数、Margalef指数、Shannon Wiener指数和Pielou指数均低于刈割利用,说明刈割利用较放牧增加了草原贝加尔针茅群落的α多样性。     

Detection and Quantification of Phytophthora ramorum from California Forests Using a Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay

ABSTRACT The timely and accurate detection of pathogens is a critical aid in the study of the epidemiology and biology of plant diseases. In the case of regulated organisms, the availability of a sensitive and reliable assay is essential when trying to achieve early detection of the pathogen. We developed and tested a real-time, nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the detection of Phytophthora ramorum, causal agent of sudden oak death. This technique then was implemented as part of a widespread environmental screen throughout California. The method here described is sensitive, detecting less than 12 fg of pathogen DNA, and is specific for P. ramorum when tested across 21 Phytophthora spp. Hundreds of symptomatic samples from 33 sites in 14 California counties were assayed, resulting in the discovery of 10 new host species and 23 infested areas, including 4 new counties. With the exception of a single host, PCR-based discovery of new hosts and infested areas always was confirmed by traditional pathogen isolations and inoculation studies. Nonetheless, molecular diagnostics were key in early pathogen detection, and steered the direction of further research on this newly discovered and generalist Phytophthora species.     

中国西藏小反刍兽疫的发生状况与防控

2007年7月,我国首次在西藏自治区阿里地区发生了小反刍兽疫疫病流行.从2007年7月9日到11月15日,先后在阿里地区革吉、日土、札达、改则4个县出现疫情,共20个疫点,羊发病6122只,死亡1888只.2008年6月,在那曲地区尼玛县双湖区再次发现小反刍兽疫疫情,病羊及同群羊合计6690只.为消灭该病,采取了扑杀、...     

Effects of animal liver and bile extracts on biochemical values of rat ethanol‐induced fatty liver

The purposes of this study were to assess the improvement of fatty liver induced by ethanol with animal liver and bile extracts. This research aimed to increase the economic values of animal liver and bile extracts and used these to reduce damage of ethanol‐induced fatty liver. Extracts came from animal liver and bile, including pig bile powder, pig liver extract, a mixture of pig bile powder and pig liver extract, chicken bile powder, chicken liver extract, and a mixture of chicken bile powder and chicken liver extract, and these were fed to Long‐Evans rats. The results showed that rats fed ethanol for long terms could increase values of aspartate transaminase, cholesterol, γ‐glutamy‐transferase and alkaline phosphatase. Pig bile powder could decrease the values of aspartate transaminase, cholesterol and γ‐glutamy‐transferase. The significances also decreased on aspartate transaminase, γ‐glutamy‐transferase and aspartate transaminase, which were carried out with the pig liver extract treatment. These results suggest pig bile and liver extracts have high potential to improve rats' ethanol‐induced fatty liver with serum biochemical parameters.     

Superconductivity in hydrogen dominant materials: silane

The metallization of hydrogen directly would require pressure in excess of 400 gigapascals (GPa), out of the reach of present experimental techniques. The dense group IVa hydrides attract considerable attention because hydrogen in these compounds is chemically precompressed and a metallic state is expected to be achievable at experimentally accessible pressures. We report the transformation of insulating molecular silane to a metal at 50 GPa, becoming superconducting at a transition temperature of Tc = 17 kelvin at 96 and 120 GPa. The metallic phase has a hexagonal close-packed structure with a high density of atomic hydrogen, creating a three-dimensional conducting network. These experimental findings support the idea of modeling metallic hydrogen with hydrogen-rich alloy.     

Evaluation of a screening programme for identification of mannosidosis heterozygotes in angus cattle

Sir, — In recent years, much research effort has been directed towards identifying the cause of Ryegrass staggers (RGS). Many promising leads have been investigated, including studies of fungi in soil, ryegrass leaves, and dead leaf litter that could produce tremorgenic mycotoxins⁽³⁾. Several groups of fungi produce tremorgens⁽⁴⁾ which, when injected into sheep, produce symptoms similar to those in field outbreaks of RGS. However, under field conditions, populations of these fungi have not been shown to differ significantly between toxic and non-toxic pasture⁽⁷⁾ (McKenzie &; Byford, unpublished data).     

Identification of a novel Bacillus species isolated from Calculus Bovis

A novel Bacillus species of Calculus Bovis (cow gallstone) was isolated and identified in this study. Morphological features, bacterial fatty acid analysis using a microbial identification system, carbon source utilization profiles using Biolog system and 16S rDNA sequencing were employed to identify the isolated bacterium. This isolated bacterium was observed to be Gram‐negative, aerobic growing, rod‐shaped and short chain. The results of bacterial fatty acid analysis and physiological characteristics were not matched to the database. The main fatty acids found in the bacterium were 65.96% branched chain saturated fatty acids (iso C_11:0, anteiso C_11:0 and iso C_13:0～anteiso C_19:0). The bacterium oxidized 35 carbon sources and weakly responded with 49 of the 95 different carbon sources analyzed with the Biolog identification system. Based on 16S rDNA sequence analysis, this bacterium was classified as a novel Bacillus species.     

Seroepidemiology and genotyping of hepatitis E virus in Singapore reveal rise in number of cases and similarity of human strains to those detected in pig livers

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes 20 million infections worldwide yearly, of which only about 3.3 million are symptomatic. In developed Asian countries, HEV strains detected in human sera and in food sources were genetically similar, suggesting that indigenous HEV infections may be largely food‐borne. To assess the burden of hepatitis E in Singapore, we performed a seroepidemiologic study of the infection. Additionally, we carried out HEV genotyping on archived, residual HEV IgM‐positive serum samples collected between 2014 and 2016 (n = 449), and on pig liver samples (n = 36) purchased from wet markets and supermarkets. Our study shows a rise in hepatitis E incidence (IgM) from 1.7 to 4.1 cases per 100,000 resident population from 2012 to 2016 and an increase in hepatitis E IgG positivity rate among residents from 14% in 2007 to 35% in 2016. Other findings also suggest the epidemiology of hepatitis E in Singapore has shifted, from it being mainly a disease imported from the Indian subcontinent, to one that is now increasingly prevalent in our resident population. Genotypes obtained from 143 human samples identified the majority to be genotype 3 (n = 121), 21 to be genotype 1 and one to be genotype 4. Further phylogenetic analyses suggest genotype 3a to be the cause of indigenous infections in residents, which showed genetic similarity to the genotype 3a strains detected in pig livers. This link between the strains in the majority of human samples and those in pig livers consumed by the public suggests a possible food‐borne route of HEV infection in Singapore.     

Large B-cell lymphoma in the colon and mesocolon of a Thoroughbred racehorse: Detection prior to development of clinical signs using clinicopathological markers of inflammation

In this report, we describe an investigation into the cause of chronic inflammation in a clinically normal 5-year-old racing Thoroughbred, finally confirmed to be associated with B-cell lymphoma. Over a 14-week period, the horse was regularly evaluated by sequential blood testing, revealing persistent inflammation of unknown origin, unresponsive to treatment. Eventually, an abdominal mass was identified by transabdominal ultrasound and rectal palpation. Surgical exploration revealed an extensive, invasive soft tissue mass in the abdomen. At post-mortem examination, a mass involving the colon, mesocolon and mesocolonic lymph node was sampled and confirmed as a large B-cell lymphoma by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. In cases of unexplained chronic inflammation in a horse, neoplasia should be considered as a possible aetiology.     

The pathogenesis of paraesophageal empyema in dogs and constancy of radiographic and computed tomography signs are linked to involvement of the mediastinal serous cavity

The mediastinal serous cavity is a normal anatomic space in the caudal mediastinum. Aims of this anatomic and case series study were to describe the signs of pathologic expansion of the mediastinal serous cavity observed during computed tomography (CT), review the underlying anatomy, perform a literature review, and evaluate the medical records of several dogs with mediastinal serous cavity empyema (paraesophageal empyema). The mesothelial lined mediastinal serous cavity is a cranial extension of the omental bursa, separated from the peritoneal cavity by the diaphragm, in the dorsal part of the caudal mediastinum, to the right of the esophagus, between the heart base and diaphragm. In five adult, large‐breed dogs with surgically and histologically confirmed paraesophageal empyema, macroscopic plant material was found at surgery in two dogs, adherence to adjacent lung was present in three different dogs, accessory lobectomy was performed in two dogs with subacute‐chronic pyogranulomatous pneumonia, and one dog had concurrent pyothorax and mediastinitis, but none had esophageal abnormalities. This study expands our understanding of the pathogenesis and basis for the imaging appearance of paraesophageal empyema in dogs by clarifying the underlying anatomic structures that direct development of this condition. The term empyema accurately describes this condition because the purulent material accumulates within an existing body cavity. The study also provides initial evidence that the development of paraesophageal empyema might be due to local extension of lung disease, such as foreign body migration or pneumonia. Computed tomography was helpful for diagnosis, assessing size, and determining the spread of disease.