Characterization of the morphological,physical, and mechanical properties of seven nonwood plant fiber bundles

The morphological, physical, and mechanical properties of the nonwood plant fiber bundles of ramie, pineapple, sansevieria, kenaf, abaca, sisal, and coconut fiber bundles were investigated. All fibers except those of coconut fiber had noncircular cross-sectional shapes. The crosssectional area of the fiber bundles was evaluated by an improved method using scanning electron microscope images. The coefficient factor defined as the ratio of the cross-sectional area determined by diameter measurement, to the cross-sectional area determined by image analysis was between 0.92 and 0.96 for all fibers. This indicated that the area determined by diameter measurement was available. The densities of the fiber bundles decreased with increasing diameters. The diameters of each fiber species had small variation of around 3.4%-9.8% within a specimen. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of ramie, pineapple, and sansevieria fiber bundles showed excellent values in comparison with the other fibers. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus showed a decreasing trend with increasing diameter of fiber bundles.     

Cat and dog ownership and management patterns in central Italy

Three hundred and ninety-seven randomly selected households were interviewed by telephone to determine the numbers and management of owned cats and dogs in the Teramo Province of Italy. The households were selected using stratified random sampling for each municipality; municipalities were combined into coastal, central hills and mountain regions for analysis. The interviews were completed during May and June of 2004 with a response rate of 74% (397/536). Forty-six percent of households (n=181) owned pets; 15% of all households (n=60) owned cats and 33% (n=130) owned dogs. Twenty-seven of these households (7%) owned both cats and dogs. Data were provided on 91 cats evenly divided between males and females. The median age was 3 years (range 0.2-10 years). Forty-one percent of cats (36/87) entered the household as strays. Nearly half lived entirely outside. Seventy percent (62/88) had visited a veterinarian at least once; 43% (39/91) were sterilized. About 1/3 had had a litter and all litters were considered accidental rather than planned. Age, indoor/outdoor status, veterinarian visit and region were all associated with sterilization. Age, confined to a yard, veterinary visit and region were associated with allowing the cat to roam freely. Data were provided on 182 dogs. Sixty-two percent (113/181) were male, with a median age of 4 years (range newborn to 17 years) and 40% (72/181) were purebred. Almost half were acquired as a gift. Sixty-two percent (112/180) were kept entirely outside despite the fact that 82% (147/180) were considered companions rather than working dogs. Almost all of the dogs had been to a veterinarian at least once; only 20% (n=29) were sterilized. Male dogs were significantly less likely to be sterilized than females. Almost half the dogs had had at least one litter. Seventy-six percent (137/180) of dogs knew some basic commands. Sex, source and training to sit/stay/come were significantly associated with whether the dog was sterilized. Dog size, confinement to a yard, trained to leash walk, veterinary visit and region were predictors of roaming freely. Source and trained to leash walk were associated with dog registration. For cats and dogs, education about sterilization seemed to be critically important. For dogs, factors relating to training, which may reflect the strength of the human-animal bond, were also important.     

Factors associated with gastrointestinal parasite infection in dogs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Factors associated with parasitism by helminths and protozoans in 500 dogs presented to three veterinary clinics in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro from November 2003 to September 2004 were evaluated. Dogs were submitted to physical examination and owners were interviewed about the animal's management. One fecal sample from each dog was examined by centrifugal flotation and sedimentation methods followed by the safranin–methylene blue staining technique. Positive results for gastrointestinal parasites were detected in 46.4% of the examined samples. Infection with protozoans (29.6%) was more frequent than with helminths (23.2%). Cryptosporidium sp. (26.2%) and Ancylostoma sp. (15.2%) were the most frequent parasites. Logistic regression analysis showed that age (p < 0.001), access to soil (p < 0.001), hygiene of the environment (p = 0.001), illness (p = 0.007), owner's level of education (p < 0.006) and veterinary clinic (p = 0.043) were associated with gastrointestinal parasite infections in dogs. Treatment and control are especially important for puppies. Adult dogs should be submitted to fecal examination before treatment, placing special emphasis on those that present one or more factors associated with infection.     

我国贝类中人源诺如病毒检出状况的荟萃分析

人源诺如病毒(Human Noroviruses, HuNoVs)是引发食品安全事件的重要病原微生物。贝类为滤食性动物,是HuNoVs污染传播的重要媒介。本研究搜集了我国贝类污染调查的横断面研究文献,综合评价了贝类中HuNoVs的污染现状。通过检索中国知网、维普、万方、中国生物医学文献数据库、PubMed和EMbase数据库,从所获得的600篇关于贝类污染HuNoVs相关文献中筛选纳入37篇。采用Stata 14.0软件进行荟萃分析,结果显示,我国贝类中不同基因型HuNoVs的混合检出率达15%(95%CI:11%～18%)。亚组分析显示,GⅡ基因群检出率(11%)高于GⅠ基因群(4%);地理位置对贝类中病毒污染水平影响显著(P<0.01),华南地区、华北地区、华东地区的检出率分别达到19%、17%和11%,而东北和西北地区则分别为4%和9%;此外,季节差异明显,其中,冬季的病毒检出率最高(25%),而夏季仅为10%,春季、秋季则分别为16%和12%;不同品种贝类的病毒污染同样存在差异,其中,牡蛎(Ostreidae)(16%)、贻贝(Mytilusedulis)(10%)和蛤(...     

Management factors associated with Babesia bovis seroprevalence in cattle from eastern Yucatán, Mexico.

The effect of management on the seroprevalence of Babesia bovis was studied in 399 Bos indicus cattle 1–2 years old from 92 farms in the eastern Yucatán, México. The management factors studied were: farm-type, production system, herd size, farm size, stocking density, vector control, dipping interval, type of dipping, type of acaricide and cattle introduction to the farm. A cross-sectional study was carried out (2-stage cluster sampling). The number of serum samples was proportionally distributed according to the number of farms in the nine locations of eastern Yucatán, México (399 animals from 92 farms). Antibody activity to B. bovis was tested using an indirect ELISA. The farms with a seroprevalence ≤75% were considered as cases and those with seroprevalence >75% were considered as controls. The variables with p ≤ 0.20 were included in fixed effects logistic regression. The seroprevalence of the zone was 73.8% (66.3–81.3%). The following risk factors were found: Stocking density (<1 head/ha, OR = 4.04, CI (OR) = 1.20–13.62) and dipping interval (>60 days, OR = 5.07 CI (OR) = 1.26–20.48).     

Management factors associated with Babesia bovis seroprevalence in cattle from eastern Yucatán, Mexico

The effect of management on the seroprevalence of Babesia bovis was studied in 399 Bos indicus cattle 1–2 years old from 92 farms in the eastern Yucatán, México. The management factors studied were: farm-type, production system, herd size, farm size, stocking density, vector control, dipping interval, type of dipping, type of acaricide and cattle introduction to the farm. A cross-sectional study was carried out (2-stage cluster sampling). The number of serum samples was proportionally distributed according to the number of farms in the nine locations of eastern Yucatán, México (399 animals from 92 farms). Antibody activity to B. bovis was tested using an indirect ELISA. The farms with a seroprevalence ≤75% were considered as cases and those with seroprevalence >75% were considered as controls. The variables with p ≤ 0.20 were included in fixed effects logistic regression. The seroprevalence of the zone was 73.8% (66.3–81.3%). The following risk factors were found: Stocking density (<1 head/ha, OR = 4.04, CI (OR) = 1.20–13.62) and dipping interval (>60 days, OR = 5.07 CI (OR) = 1.26–20.48).     

Cross-sectional study of the seroprevalence to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and granulocytic Ehrlichia spp. and demographic, clinical and tick-exposure factors in Swedish horses

A cross-sectional study of the seroprevalence to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and granulocytic Ehrlichia spp. in Swedish horses was conducted to evaluate associations with demographic, clinical and tick-exposure factors. From September 1997–1998, blood samples from 2018 horses were collected from the animals presented to veterinary clinics affiliated with the Swedish Horserace Totalizator Board (regardless of the primary cause for consultation). Standardized questionnaires with information both from owners and attending veterinarians accompanied each blood sample. The apparent seroprevalences to B. burgdorferi s. l. and granulocytic Ehrlichia spp. were 16.8 and 16.7%, respectively. The northern region had the lowest seroprevalences. Four logistic models were developed (controlling for demographic variables). In the disease model of seropositivity to B. burgdorferi s. l., age, breed, geographic region, the serologic titer to granulocytic Ehrlichia spp., season and the diagnosis coffin-joint arthritis were significant. In the tick-exposure model of B. burgdorferi s. l., pasture access the previous year and gender were significant. Age, racing activity, geographic region, season and the serologic titer to B. burgdorferi s. l. were associated with positivity to granulocytic Ehrlichia spp. In the tick-exposure model of granulocytic Ehrlichia spp., pasture access was a risk factor. An interaction between racing activity and geographic region showed that the risk of positive serologic reactions to Ehrlichia spp. was increased in the horse population in the south and middle of Sweden, but only among horses not used for racing. Except for the positive association between coffin-joint arthritis and serologic reactions to B. burgdorferi s. l., there were no significant associations in the multivariable models between non-specific or specific clinical sign or disease with seropositivity to either of these agents.     

Does time spent on visits to green space mediate the associations between the level of residential greenness and mental health?

ObjectiveThe objective of the current study was to explore whether time spent visiting green space near home acts as a mediator in the association between level of residential greenness and perceived mental health.MethodsQuestionnaire data and satellite data of residential greenness were gathered in four European cities (total n = 3748): Barcelona (SP), Doetinchem (NL), Kaunas (LT) and Stoke-on-Trent (UK).ResultsMediation analyses showed that time spent visiting green space near home was a weak, but statistically significant, mediator in the pooled data and in the Dutch sample only.ConclusionsThe findings provide little support for the hypothesis that purposeful visits are a mediator linking indirectly greenness with mental health. More research is needed to explore other mediators related to different exposure pathways, such as visual exposure, and alternative mechanisms, such as (perceived) safety.     

中国能源利用效率省际分异与影响因素的实证研究

根据中国能源利用效率的省际差异显著而且当前节能任务艰巨的事实，提出了进行能源效率地区差异因素分析的必要性。基于2007年的截面数据，运用偏最小二乘回归建模，分析了各因素对能源效率地区差异的影响方向和影响程度。研究结果表明，各地区固定资产投资中外商投资比重、工业增加值中高耗能产业比重以及煤炭消费比重的差异是造成能源效率地区差异显著的主要原因。要在短期内缩小地区间的能源效率差距，必须严格限制高耗能行业的过快发展，加强高耗能行业的结构调整，加快淘汰落后生产能力，大力提升煤炭的使用效率。     

Forest observational studies-an essential infrastructure for sustainable use of natural resources

This contribution complements Forest Ecosystems＇ Thematic Series on ＂Forest Observational Studies＂. We provide essential clarification regarding the definition and purpose of long-term field studies, review some of the extensive literature and discuss different approaches to collecting field data. We also describe two newly established forest observational networks that serve to illustrate the scope and diversity of forest field studies. The first is a large-scale network of forest observational studies in prominent natural forest ecosystems in China. The second example demonstrates observational studies in mixed and uneven-aged pine-oak forests which are selectively managed by local communities in Mexico. We summarize the potential for analysing and modeling forest ecosystems within interdisciplinary projects and provide argumentation in favour of long-term institutional commitment to maintaining forest observational field studies.