No evidence for avoidance of black rat scent by the presumably less competitive Natal multimammate mouse in a choice experiment

In Africa, indigenous multimammate mice (Mastomys natalensis) only appear to live commensally in houses when invasive black rats (Rattus rattus) are absent, yet little is known about the underlying mechanism. Avoidance through smell may cause the absence of M. natalensis from areas occupied by R. rattus, but this hypothesis has not yet been tested. We conducted a Y-maze choice experiment where 15 M. natalensis were offered a choice between corridors containing conspecific scent, R. rattus scent and a control scent. Residence time in the R. rattus corridor was greater than that in the control corridor but equal to that in the M. natalensis corridor, suggesting that multimammate mice do not actively avoid the scent of their invasive competitor.     

似士维螨(Schwiebea similis)在九种作物上的取食与繁殖选择

似士维螨(Schwiebea similis Manson)是陕西省留坝县西洋参种植区内的新害螨,为了探索农业防治的潜在效应,选用9种食料作物设5个温阶进行室内取食与繁殖选择试验,探讨其嗜好性.采用拉丁方和二因素法设计、执行2批室内试验,对目标螨虫培养、观察1代,以供试食物上的螨虫均值评价其取食及繁殖选择.综合两批试验,供试食物上似士维螨均值间差异极显著(P＜0.01),作物排序为:蒜(鳞茎瓣)＞马铃薯(块茎)＞薯蓣(块茎)＞西洋参(主根)＞萝卜(主根)＞胡萝卜(主根)＞葱(葱白)＞生姜(根茎)＞小麦(须根).在供试的培养温度范围内,螨虫均值间亦有极显著差异(P＜0.01);对于存活和繁殖而言,24.5℃最佳、15.6～21.2℃适宜、而27.2℃欠适宜.目标螨虫不喜食小麦(须根),由此预示根螨类种群密度在前茬为小麦或其他禾本科作物田内较低,适于轮作西洋参.     

紫花苜蓿不同品种对卡那霉素敏感性分析

组织培养条件下卡那霉素(Kan)对不同紫花苜蓿品种(秘鲁、富平、甘农3号)愈伤组织诱导及芽分化的影响进行了研究,实验结果表明:不同的外植体对卡那霉素的敏感性差异较大,不同品种间也存在差异。子叶对卡那霉素的敏感性高于下胚轴,当卡那霉素的浓度为20mg/L时,子叶的愈伤率极低。子叶愈伤阶段卡那霉素的有效工作浓度为15~18mg/L,分化阶段为40mg/L。下胚轴对卡那霉素的敏感性因品种不同:秘鲁苜蓿愈伤阶段的选择压为60mg/L,分化阶段以50mg/L为宜。富平苜蓿和甘农3号苜蓿愈伤阶段的选择压力分别为80mg/L9、0mg/L,分化阶段选择压降低到60mg/L。另外,如果在愈伤阶段加入选择压,后期分化中应适当降低压力或除去压力,以利于体细胞胚的产生和发育。     

Assessment of quality of life in equine patients

Reasons for performing study: Assessing patients' quality of life (QOL) is a core part of clinical decision making. Various methodologies for assessing patients' QOL have been developed in human medicine and small animal veterinary disciplines. In contrast, the lack of aids for QOL assessment in equine veterinary practice leaves practitioners reliant on subjective assessments of QOL, which may be prone to avoidable errors. Objectives: This paper suggests pragmatic ways in which QOL may be enhanced, while remaining appropriate for the time, financial and owner‐based constraints within equine practice. Methods: Through interdisciplinary research, this paper identifies, adapts and applies insights from several areas of research and practical experience in order to develop an overarching approach to making QOL‐based decisions in clinical cases. Results: The paper identifies 6 steps involved in QOL‐based decision making and provides examples of how these steps may be practically applied. These include deciding what each clinician feels is important; deciding how to evaluate it, including taking owners' views into consideration; making decisions about each case and achieving the desired clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Practitioners can draw their own conclusions on how they may improve QOL assessment in practice and may usefully share these with colleagues. Reporting cases and sharing practical examples of QOL tools used on the ground are vital to the development of this field and appropriate methodologies. Potential relevance: Improvements in QOL assessment are relevant to all areas of equine veterinary practice, and several areas of research. Further research may develop QOL assessment in practice, but more important are the personal improvements that each practitioner may achieve. See also correspondence by Grove     

Major histocompatibility complex and mate choice in the polygynous primate: the Sichuan snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana)

The highly polymorphic genes within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) not only play a major role in immunity resistance, but also seem to provide hints for mate choice in some animal populations. In the present study we investigated MHC‐related mate choice in a small natural population (group size 40–55 individuals) of a polygynous primate, the Sichuan snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana). We found that there was no evidence either for MHC‐disassortative mating, or for females to mate with males based on MHC heterozygosity or specific alleles. Nevertheless, of the 11 alleles identified, we found that the frequencies of 2 alleles, Rhro‐DRB2 (P < 0.01) and Rhro‐DRB5 (P < 0.05) were higher in offspring than in their parents. These findings suggest that MHC‐DRB in this population of R. roxellana is unlikely to be associated with mating preferences. Limited female opportunities for mate choice are likely due, in part, to the harem breeding structure present in R. roxellana, and the relatively small number of resident adult males in our study band (N = 4–6). In addition, we suggest that differences in the frequency of particular alleles across generations may be linked to parasite resistance in a fluctuating environment; however, confirmation of this finding requires further study.     

不同朝代及现代绢丝织物中蚕丝的形貌分析

采用光学显微镜对不同朝代及现代绢类织物的表面和纤维截面形貌进行观察,并利用像素法对蚕丝纤维截面积进行测试与分析,探讨蚕丝纤维截面积变化的原因。不同朝代及现代的9批绢类织物样品表面的完整度、光洁度、污染度以及老化程度不同,可能与样品来源墓地的环境有关;不同样品蚕丝纤维截面形状有的较扁平,有的较饱满,还有一些呈碎块或空壳状,反映出蚕丝纤维老化程度不同,可能与当时的养蚕技术水平相关;不同朝代样品间、同一朝代样品间的经纬纱线粗细及经纬纱线排列密度有差别,可能与绢类织物的种类及丝织技术水平有关。9批绢类织物样品的蚕丝纤维截面积存在差异,且大多数样品的蚕丝纤维截面积方差数值较大,其中:东周到清代绢类织物样品的蚕丝纤维截面积从38.57μm2增加至75.80μm2,可能与根据织物最终用途而选用的蚕丝原料以及家蚕长期驯养后茧丝的变化有关;现代绢类织物样品的蚕丝纤维截面积在115μm2左右,明显大于古代绢类织物样品的蚕丝纤维截面积,这种变化可能与长期的蚕品种遗传改良以及饲养技术和缫丝工艺的改进有关。     

Influence of the Expert Effect on Cultural Models

We examined hunters’ perceptions of fauna to see if expert hunters and other hunters perceive wildlife abundance similarly. We used cultural consensus analysis (CCA) to assess the knowledge of 25 hunters in the Bolivian Amazon about the abundance of 38 animals. CCA indicated highly shared beliefs among hunters concerning wildlife abundance (average agreement = .62). However, expert hunters (as judged by their reported successful hunts of rare species, having hunted recently, and consuming more game in their diet) perceived more animals as abundant than did non-experts, although they all shared the same model. Since the expert hunters did not always agree on which species was more abundant, they had low cultural knowledge scores in CCA results. These experts may be unwilling to curtail hunting efforts on key species that they perceive to be abundant.     

水样中氟化物的测定方法比较

研究了氟离子选择性电极法和氟试剂分光光度法测定水样中氟化物的差异,探讨了2种方法的优劣.结果表明:电极法标准曲线的相关性好于分光光度法;氟化物浓度为5～10mg/L时,2种方法准确度和精密度在0.05水平上无差异;电极法的回收率高于分光光度法;电极法的最低检出限为0.011 mg/L,分光光度法的最低检出限为0.037mg/L.