Epidemiological studies of piglet diarrhoea in intensively managed Danish sow herds. II. Post-weaning diarrhoea

This study comprised 48,931 litters in 89 sow herds. During the study (1976-82) weaning age decreased from approx. 42 days to approx. 30 days. The mean incidence of post-weaning diarrhoea was 6.0% of litters weaned, with little variation by year but with considerable variation among herds. Within the individual herd increased incidence occurred over limited periods, probably associated with specific infections. Litters with diarrhoea during the suckling period had increased risk of post-weaning diarrhoea. The incidence of post-weaning diarrhoea increased with litter size at weaning. Thus, a litter of 11-12 piglets at weaning had 1.2 times higher risk than litters with 8-10 piglets. In contrast to pre-weaning diarrhoea, there was no association between parity of the sow and diarrhoea in the litter after weaning. Litters weaned below 2 weeks of age had a 2-fold risk of developing diarrhoea after weaning and a 2.4-fold higher mortality rate than did litters weaned at 6-7 weeks. Similarly, litters weaned at an individual piglet weight below 3 kg bodyweight had a 3-fold higher risk of developing diarrhoea after weaning and a 5-fold higher mortality rate than did pigs from litters weaned at a bodyweight of 7-8 kg. The incidence of post-weaning diarrhoea decreased with increasing herd size. Piglets from litters with post-weaning diarrhoea had reduced weight gains after weaning and were 2.3 days older at 25 kg bodyweight than piglets from non-diarrhoeic litters. Likewise, diarrhoea after weaning was associated with an increased incidence of diseases of the skin and respiratory tract. Thus the risk of contracting respiratory disease was 4 times greater in diarrhoeic litters.     

D-Dimer Improves the Prognostic Value of Combined Clinical and Laboratory Data in Equine Gastrointestinal Colic

The discriminating ability of 15 parameters alone or in combinations, including results from analysis of plasma endotoxin, the Nycomed plasma D-Dimer test and phospholipase A₂, were analyzed to predict morbidity and mortality in equine gastrointestinal colic. Endotoxaemia was a characteristic feature of the colic horses. The problem of adequately predicting non-survivors among colic horses required several parameters to be included in the logistic model: if the “classical parameters”, (heart rate, respiratory rate, PCV, anion gap) were included in the model, addition of plasma D-dimer, phospholipase A₂, and Cl^- significantly improved the predictive value of the logistic model. Increasing heart rate and D-dimer together with decreasing chloride was a risk factor for nonsurvival. The sensitivity of this three-parameter logistic model to predict nonsurvival was 78% and specificity 77%. The Nycomed D-Dimer test is recommended as a horse-site test to predict disseminated intravascular coagulation and nonsurvival in equine colic.     

高压电击法防治黄斑星天牛的研究

对黄斑星天牛虫害木(毛白杨)施以高压电击的实验结果表明,高压电击法对杀灭黄斑星天牛1～3龄幼虫效果明晃,死亡率达70%～80%;各龄幼虫停止取食率80%～90%.高压电击法在防治木材害虫、树木蛀干害虫及木材检疫上具有广阔的开发应用前景.     

Using traffic flow theory to model traffic mortality in mammals

Traffic has a considerable effect on population and community dynamics through the disruption and fragmentation of habitat and traffic mortality. This paper deals with a systematic way to acquire knowledge about the probabilities of successful road crossing by mammals and what characteristics affect this traversability. We derive a model from traffic flow theory to estimate traffic mortality in mammals related to relevant road, traffic and species characteristics. The probability of successful road crossing is determined by the pavement width of the road, traffic volume, traversing speed of the mammals and their body length. We include the traversability model in a simple two-patch population model to explore the effects of these road, traffic and species characteristics on population dynamics. Analysis of the models show that, for our parameter ranges, traffic volume and traversing speed have the largest effect on traffic mortality. The population size is especially negatively affected when roads have to be crossed during the daily movements. These predictions could be useful to determine the expected effectiveness of mitigating measures relative to the current situation. Mitigating measures might alter the road and traffic characteristics. The effects of these changes on traffic mortality and population dynamics could be analysed by calculating the number of traffic victims before and after the mitigating measures. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Changes in technical efficiency of the broiler production in Poland, 1994–2013

1. The effects of changes in technical efficiency on the increase of broiler production are presented for the period 1994–2013 based on the panel data from seven farms located in southern and central Poland. A total of 766 cycles were analysed.

2. The Cobb–Douglas production function was used to assess the changes of output elasticities as well as technical changes in broiler production, for 5-year sub-periods separately.

3. Technical indices of broiler production significantly improved between years 1994–2013: feed conversion ratio decreased from 2.50 kg/kg to 1.78 kg/kg, mortality rate from 8.8% to 4.0% and daily weight gain increased from 37.1 g/d to 58.7 g/d, respectively.

4. Before accession to the EU, there was a substantial increase of fixed capital connected with modernisation of buildings and equipment. In the period 1994–2013, inputs of fixed capital per kilogram of livestock increased by 72% and at the same time the input of labour decreased by 56%.

5. Technical changes in years 1994–1998 contributed to a rapid production increase at a rate of 4.6% annually and only by up to 0.7% annually during 2009–2013. The slowdown of production rate increase after 2009 was partially caused by decreasing the stocking density.     

Effect of oak (Quercus persica) acorn level on apparent digestibility,ruminal fermentation,nitrogen balance and urinary purine derivatives in pregnant goats

The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of dietary oak (Quercus persica) acorn (OA) level on dry matter intake (DMI), apparent nutrient digestibility, nitrogen (N) utilization, ruminal fermentation, protozoa population and urinary purine derivatives (PD) during the last 60 days of goat pregnancy. Twenty‐four multiparous pregnant goats (41.7 ± 2.3 kg BW) were assigned to one of three experimental diets consisted of control diet (C, without OA) and diets containing 20 (OA₂₀) or 40 g/100 g of OA (OA₄₀) on a DM basis in a completely randomized block design. Goats fed OA₄₀ had lower DMI (p < .01), DM (p < .01), OM (p < .01) and NDF (p < .05) digestibility, ruminal NH₃‐N concentration (p < .01), N intake (p < .01) and N retention (p < .01). Crude protein digestibility and ruminal acetate and total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration were lower in animals fed OA‐contained diets (p < .01), whereas ruminal propionate concentration was higher in goats fed the C diet (p < .01). Animals fed OA₄₀ had higher faecal N excretion and lower urinary N excretion (p < .01). Urinary PD was lower in goats fed diets containing OA in relation to those fed the C diet (p < .01). Total protozoa population decreased linearly with increasing OA level in the diet (p < .05). These results suggest that feeding OA, especially high level, has negative impacts on DMI, nutrient digestibility, VFA concentration, N retention and urinary PD excretion that may have adverse effects on metabolism and performance of pregnant goats.     

地表火对宝天曼栎类森林生态系统服务功能的影响研究

2008年4月至2010年6月采用时间序列代替空间序列的方法,对宝天曼栎类森林生态系统服务功能受地表火影响在不同时间的涵养水源、保育土壤、固碳释氧、生物保育、积累营养物质、负离子提供和森林病虫害防治等7个方面进行了初步评估。结果表明,地表火干扰造成宝天曼栎类森林生态系统服务功能损失的价值在时间序列上依次为1年是24.95万元.hm-2,5年是11.68万元.hm-2,10年是4.91万元.hm-2,15年是0.68万元.hm-2;各项服务功能价值量损失排序为保育土壤>涵养水源>病虫害防治>固碳释氧>积累营养物质>净化大气>生物保育,其中保育土壤和涵养水源两项的损失占总损失量的70%左右,这表明地表火主要影响宝天曼栎类森林生态系统中的保育土壤和涵养水源功能。     

制造橡木桶用木材的微观结构研究

为比较制造橡木桶用木材的微观结构特征,选用10种橡木(Quercus L.)为试验材料,通过显微镜观察橡木的导管、木射线和轴向薄壁组织,分析常见橡木的共性与个性。结果表明,栓皮栎(Q.variabilis Bl.)导管内侵填体较少,液体流透性比较高;美国红橡(Q.rubra L.)管孔较大,与外界的空气接触过多,二者均不适合制造橡木桶。夏橡(Q.robur L.)、卢浮橡(Q.sessiliflora Salisb)、孚日橡(Q.pendunculata L.)、无梗花橡[Q.petraea(Matt.)Liebl.]、星毛橡(Q.stellata Wangenh)、美洲白橡(Q.alba L.)、沼生白橡(Q.bicolor Willd.)、蒙古栎(Q.mongolica Fisch.ex Ledeb)这8种橡木适合制造橡木桶,其共同特征是有合适的管孔大小,具有一定的透气性,可以与外界空气发生微氧反应;有丰富的侵填体,可以堵塞橡木桶内壁管孔,降低气体和液体在木材中的渗透性,从而保证陈酿过程中酒的口感。10种橡木的木射线和轴向薄壁组织无明显区别。为此,橡木的导管大小和侵填体多少是判定是否适合制造橡木桶的关键要素。     

Contrasting population demographics and reproductive investment of white crappie in three eutrophic reservoirs

Abstract White crappie, Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, provides important sport fisheries across North America but sometimes exhibits slow growth and fails to reach sizes acceptable to anglers. Three dissimilar white crappie populations were studied to assess whether differences in growth were associated with size and age at maturity and subsequent larval production. Similar to other species, female white crappie matured at younger ages and smaller sizes and contained larger ovaries in the population with the slowest growth; this population also had the lowest annual mortality. Larval production (number m^?3) in this population was intermediate to that of the other populations. Attempts to improve growth of white crappie in the slow‐growing population will probably be hindered by these individuals’ greater reproductive investment, which reduces the amount of energy available for somatic growth.