Prediction of breeding values for osseous fragments in fetlock and hock joints, deforming arthropathy in hock joints, and pathologic changes in the navicular bones of Hanoverian Warmblood horses

The results of a standardised radiological examination of 5928 Hanoverian Warmblood horses selected for sale at auction were used to predict relative breeding values (RBV) in the 23,662 horses included in the last four generations of the probands' pedigrees. The distribution of the RBV was investigated in the whole four-generation pedigree, in the probands and in those stallions that contributed at least three offspring to the probands. The RBV of the probands' sires were further compared with the officially published performance-based relative breeding values, i.e., total indices dressage (TID) and jumping (TIJ). The sires' level of dressage indices was considerably higher (mean TID=110) than of the jumping indices (mean TIJ=98). Total indices radiographic findings (TIR) were calculated for the sires with varying weighting given to the individual RBV. In each case, this resulted in a mean TIR of 99. Finally, total indices were derived from TIR and TID and/or TIJ in order to develop different selection schemes for all-purpose breeding and for breeding focused on dressage and show jumping. All breeding values under consideration increased by between 1% and 19% when radiographic findings were weighted with between 30% and 60% complementary to the corresponding performance parameters, and when only sires were selected with above average total indices. At the same time, the prevalences of the radiographic findings investigated here were lowered by up to 10% each. When only one radiographic finding was considered at a time, the maximum attainable response to selection was a 16-23% increase in the relative breeding values and a relative decrease in prevalences of radiographic findings of between 31% and 52%. The results of this study indicate that it is possible in horse breeding to consider simultaneously health and performance traits. Medical data should be included in the prediction of breeding values in order to improve the radiological status of today's riding horses.     

雪莲资源及应用价值

雪莲是传统珍贵藏药,具有散寒除湿,活血通经,抗炎镇痛等作用。本文论述了青海雪莲植物资源、应用价值以及雪莲的研究概况与发展动向。指出雪莲资源可持续发展及保护措施。     

东北12种灌木热值与碳含量分析

采用快速灰化法、量热法、吸收质量法分别测定东北12种灌木的树叶、树枝、干皮的灰分含量、去灰分热值和碳含量。不同器官的灰分的质量分数为:树叶0.43%~0.88%,树枝0.46%~2.37%,干皮0.47%~2.55%;去灰分热值为:树叶20.66~21.90kJ·g-1,树枝20.10~21.39kJ·g-1,干皮19.75~21.01kJ·g-1;碳的质量分数为:树叶43.41%~44.80%,树枝44.82%~46.05%,干皮45.12%~46.25%。12种灌木不同器官的灰分含量、去灰分热值和碳含量均具有显著差异(t检验,p<0.01)。     

Isotopic fractionation during N2 fixation by four tropical legumes

To quantify the contribution of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) to legume crops using the ¹⁵N natural abundance technique, it is necessary to determine the ¹⁵N abundance of the N derived from BNF—the B value. In this study, we used a technique to determine B whereby both legume and non-N₂-fixing reference plants were grown under the same conditions in two similar soils, one artificially labelled with ¹⁵N, and the other not. The proportion of N derived from BNF (%Ndfa) was determined from the plants grown in the ¹⁵N-labelled soil and it was assumed that the %Ndfa values of the legumes grown in the two soils were the same, hence the B value of the legumes could be calculated. The legumes used were velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens), sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) and soybean (Glycine max) inoculated, or not, with different strains of rhizobium. The values of %Ndfa were all over 89%, and all the legumes grown in unlabelled soil showed negative δ¹⁵N values even though the plant-available N in this soil was found to be approximately +6.0‰. The B values for the shoot tissue (B_s) were calculated and ranged from approximately −1.4‰ for inoculated sunnhemp and groundnut to −2.4 and −4.5‰ for soybean inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain CPAC 7 and Bradyrhizobium elkanii strain 29W, respectively. The B (B_wp) values for the whole plants including roots, nodules and the original seed N were still significantly different between the soybean plants inoculated with CPAC 7 (−1.33‰) and 29W (−2.25‰). In a parallel experiment conducted in monoxenic culture using the same soybean variety and Bradyrhizobium strains, the plants accumulated less N from BNF and the values were less negative, but still significantly different for soybean inoculated with the two different Bradyrhizobium strains. The results suggest that the technique utilized in this study to determine B with legume plants grown in soil in the open air, yields B values that are more appropriate for use under field conditions.     

国有林场树种结构调整及稳定性分析--以湖南省国有武冈林场为例

运用目标规划模型对湖南省国有武冈林场的森林树种结构进行优化,得到其理想的树种结构,然后计算出理想树种结构的信息熵和信息熵相对值,用于评价该场的树种结构稳定性.评价结果表明:该场1990～1999年的树种结构信息熵变化不大,稍有增势,比理想的树种结构信息熵偏小,这说明该场现有的树种结构处于过于有序状态,即,人工干扰过大,会损失某些利用功能.该评价结果可为其森林经营结构的调整提拱科学的参考依据.     

Appraisal and standardization of curvilinear velocity (VCL) cut‐off values for CASA analysis of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) sperm

One of the basic steps in objective analysis of sperm motility is the subdivision of a motile sperm population into slow, medium and rapid categories based on their velocity. However, for CASA analysis of quail sperm, the velocity values for categorization of slow, medium and rapid sperm have not yet been standardized. To identify the cut‐off values of “velocity curvilinear” (VCL) for quail sperm categorization, we captured and analysed 22,300 tracks of quail sperm using SCA^®‐CASA. The median and mean VCL values were 85 and 97 μm/s. To define the VCL cut‐off values, we used two methods. In the first, we identified the upper (rapid sperm) and lower (slow sperm) cut‐off values using: (i) median VCL ± 25% or ± 50% or ± 75% of median VCL value; (ii) first and third quartile values of VCL data (i.e. 25% cut‐off setting); and (iii) 33% and 66% of VCL data. Among these settings, sperm categories and their corresponding motility characteristics recorded using the “25%” setting (i.e. slow ≤36 ≤ medium ≤154 ≤ rapid) were found the most realistic and coherent with male ranking by fertility. In the second method, we calculated heteroscedasticity in the total VCL data using PCA and the two‐step clustering method. With this approach, the mean of the high and low clusters was 165 and 51 μm/s, respectively. Together, the mean from two methods suggested that, for SCA^®‐CASA categorization of quail sperm, sperm should be classed as “rapid” at VCL ≥160 μm/s and “slow” at VCL ≤45 μm/s.     

基于生态文明价值观的家庭林场发展研究

家庭林场经营模式的优点,除了创新经营管理体制,解放农村生产力,调动广大林农的生产经营积极性,促进林农脱贫致富外,还在于该模式内涵丰富的生态文明价值理念,能够将生态文明价值观在代际间传递延续,指导生产实践,保护生态环境,实现永续发展,这对促进生态文明建设、构建美丽中国具有重大的现实作用和深远的影响意义。本研究在阐明家庭林场内涵丰富的生态文明价值理念的基础上,阐释了发展家庭林场的经济、社会和生态效益,并针对目前家庭林场发展存在的问题提出对策建议。     

食源性致病菌单细胞观测与预测的研究进展

微生物在单细胞水平下的生长普遍具有随机性和变异性,同时低菌量污染食品所造成的危害风险亦不可忽视,因此食源性致病菌单细胞的生长观测及预测研究逐渐成为食品预测微生物学及食源性致病菌风险评估的研究热点。在分析现有相关文献的基础上,将目前主要的食源性致病菌单细胞生长观测研究分为间接推断和直接观测两类方法;同时对食源性致病菌单细胞生长预测的模型参数与建模过程进行概述,比较了传统预测微生物的决定模型与微生物单细胞的随机模型二者之间的区别,强调了单细胞生长模型需在随机建模的基础上开展,并通过个体建模方法进一步联系其与所在食品环境之间的关系。最后,分析了食源性致病菌单细胞生长观测与预测的现状,并展望了其未来与食品安全风险评估相结合的发展趋势。     

The cultural model of “the good farmer” and the environmental question in Finland

Farmers' relationship with nature isdetermined by the significance of agriculturefor human beings. When agriculture is definedas human activity that uses renewable naturalresources and aims to produce usable food andfiber products, agriculture is explicitlydefined as production. Farmers' relationshipwith nature is based on the principle ofproduction. This article discusses thecontradiction between the peasant values ofprotection of nature that many farmers inFinland still have and the environmental harmtheir production-oriented farming style causes.When farmers interpret their farming practicesas harmonious co-operation with nature, it isdifficult for them to see the polluting effectsof their work. Paul B. Thompson's suggestionthat three religious–philosophical doctrines(hard work, the doctrine of grace, and the mythof garden) have made it easy for farmers toadopt productionist farming strategy is used asa framework to interpret farmers' narrativesconcerning their relationship with nature. Theresearch is qualitative and biographical. Thedata include life stories and biographicaltexts farmers wrote for a competition in1997.