Impact of localized badger culling on tuberculosis incidence in British cattle

Pathogens that are transmitted between wildlife, livestock and humans present major challenges for the protection of human and animal health, the economic sustainability of agriculture, and the conservation of wildlife. Mycobacterium bovis, the aetiological agent of bovine tuberculosis (TB), is one such pathogen. The incidence of TB in cattle has increased substantially in parts of Great Britain in the past two decades, adversely affecting the livelihoods of cattle farmers and potentially increasing the risks of human exposure. The control of bovine TB in Great Britain is complicated by the involvement of wildlife, particularly badgers (Meles meles), which appear to sustain endemic infection and can transmit TB to cattle. Between 1975 and 1997 over 20,000 badgers were culled as part of British TB control policy, generating conflict between conservation and farming interest groups. Here we present results from a large-scale field trial that indicate that localized badger culling not only fails to control but also seems to increase TB incidence in cattle.     

Transmission intensity and impact of control policies on the foot and mouth epidemic in Great Britain

The foot and mouth disease (FMD) epidemic in British livestock remains an ongoing cause for concern, with new cases still arising in previously unaffected areas. Epidemiological analyses have been vital in delivering scientific advice to government on effective control measures. Using disease, culling and census data on all livestock farms in Great Britain, we analysed the risk factors determining the spatiotemporal evolution of the epidemic and of the impact of control policies on FMD incidence. Here we show that the species mix, animal numbers and the number of distinct land parcels in a farm are central to explaining regional variation in transmission intensity. We use the parameter estimates thus obtained in a dynamical model of disease spread to show that extended culling programmes were essential for controlling the epidemic to the extent achieved, but demonstrate that the epidemic could have been substantially reduced in scale had the most efficient control measures been rigorously applied earlier.     

地球反照对月表亮温的影响：基于CE-1 MRM数据分析

嫦娥一号（CE—1）搭载的微波辐射计（MRM）获得了全月微波亮度温度（阳）数据,但其中包含的大量信息（例如地球反照等）尚未被挖掘．地球反照是影响月表夜晚阳的重要热源,也是研究全球气候变化的重要途径．根据月球同步自转的特点,本研究基于CE-1MRM数据初步提取了地球反照影响下的月球正面的澄海和低纬度带的高地地区的亮温信息．结果表明：澄海地区的亮温主要在1．0-1．6K之间,低纬度带的高地地区则在0．2—0．6K之间．     

超数排卵与采卵对供体牛产奶量及繁殖性能影响的实验研究

目前,超数排卵和胚胎移植技术是良种奶牛快速扩繁的最佳手段和途径,但有人担心超数排卵、采卵等不良刺激会对供体牛的产奶量和繁殖性能产生不良影响.2003-2004年对90头供体牛超数排卵和采卵后的繁殖情况和产奶量进行了记录,并与未经超排的成乳牛和育成牛进行比较,发现超数排卵与采卵对供体牛的产奶量和繁殖性能均无显著影响.     

Cloned pigs produced by nuclear transfer from adult somatic cells

Since the first report of live mammals produced by nuclear transfer from a cultured differentiated cell population in 1995 (ref. 1), successful development has been obtained in sheep, cattle, mice and goats using a variety of somatic cell types as nuclear donors. The methodology used for embryo reconstruction in each of these species is essentially similar: diploid donor nuclei have been transplanted into enucleated MII oocytes that are activated on, or after transfer. In sheep and goat pre-activated oocytes have also proved successful as cytoplast recipients. The reconstructed embryos are then cultured and selected embryos transferred to surrogate recipients for development to term. In pigs, nuclear transfer has been significantly less successful; a single piglet was reported after transfer of a blastomere nucleus from a four-cell embryo to an enucleated oocyte; however, no live offspring were obtained in studies using somatic cells such as diploid or mitotic fetal fibroblasts as nuclear donors. The development of embryos reconstructed by nuclear transfer is dependent upon a range of factors. Here we investigate some of these factors and report the successful production of cloned piglets from a cultured adult somatic cell population using a new nuclear transfer procedure.     

A site for the potentiation of GABA-mediated responses by benzodiazepines

The benzodiazepines have been well characterised as minor tranquillizers and attempts to explain their unique spectrum of activity have included suggestions that they may interact with a variety of neurotransmitter systems. Recently, a possible interaction with the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system has received most attention. Benzodiazepines potentiate the actions of both synaptically released and exogenously administered GABA on mammalian neuronal preparations but the site of action within the GABA response mechanism has not been determined. Binding studies suggest that benzodiazepines combine with highly specific sites in the neuronal membrane and that these sites have some indirect association with GABA receptors. To investigate this association further in a functioning GABA system, quantitative studies have been made in vitro on neuronal depolarisations mediated by GABA receptor activation. Evidence has already been presented that bicuculline is most probably a competitive antagonist at the GABA receptor while picrotoxin acts as an antagonist at a separate site. Here flurazepam is shown to attenuate preferentially the action of picrotoxin rather than bicuculline and a model is suggested for the site of action of these drugs within the GABA response mechanism.     

Veterinary epidemiology: vaccination strategies for foot-and-mouth disease

When foot-and-mouth disease struck the United Kingdom in 2001, the traditional 'stamping out' policy of 1967-68 was supplemented by the pre-emptive culling of animals in premises contiguous to infected premises. A model proposed by Tildesley et al. indicates that the introduction of vaccination should at least halve the number of premises that would need to be subjected to culling in the event of another outbreak. We contest, however, that the overlapping confidence intervals of the outputs of their model, and the inconsistency of their results compared with those from previous models, call into question the model's value as a decision tool, while adding little to the recognized tenet of ring vaccination.     

86例HIV阳性肺TB临床X线征象分析

总结ＨＩＶ并肺ＴＢ的临床及胸部Ｘ线表现特点。方法：分析了８６例ＨＩＶ阳性病人肺ＴＢ的临床及胸部Ｘ线表现，男４５例、女４１例，年龄１７～５８岁。结果：咳嗽、胸痛、发热、消瘦、皮疹等为常见症状，但无特异性。Ｘ线表现：病变多位于中下肺野，单侧浸润稍多于双侧，多为浸润型肺ＴＢ（７０例），可合并心包炎、气胸。肺空洞少见。结论：ＨＩＶ阳性合并肺ＴＢ，临床表现无特征性；Ｘ线表现：结核浸润可发生于任何肺段，多见于中下肺野，空洞形成较少，有别于单纯性肺ＴＢ。     

Cell-mediated immunity to Theileria-transformed cell lines.

In East and Central Africa the protozoan parasite Theileria parva causes a disease of cattle called East Coast fever (ECF). In Kenya alone between 60,000 and 85,000 cattle die from ECF every year. Infected animals can recover from ECF either naturally or after treatment with tetracyclines or menoctone and are subsequently able to resist challenge with the homologous strain of parasite. That this acquired resistance is due to cell-mediated rather than humoral immunity has been suspected but never decisively shown. A major difficulty in studying immunity to ECF has been the lack of inbred animals for studying Theileria-specific immunity in the absence of allogeneic histocompatibility barriers. We have avoided this problem by measuring cell-mediated immune responses in a syngeneic system in vitro. Unidirectional mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC) were set up using bovine peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) as responder cells and autologous cell lines transformed in vitro by T. parva as stimulator cells. In these cultures, DNA synthesis was induced in PBL from both normal and Theileria-immune animals. However, cytotoxic lymphocytes were induced only in cultures containing responder lymphocytes from Theileria-immune cattle. The results show that Theileria-transformed cells express antigens which are recognized by effector cells and provide evidence that cell-mediated cytotoxic mechanisms function in immunity to ECF.     

西门塔尔牛与本地黄牛杂交试验效果分析

为了探索西门塔尔牛对凉山本地黄牛杂交改良效果,选择示范区测定了初生、6月龄和12月龄西本F1代的体重、体尺并与本地黄牛进行了比较,西本F1代牛的各项指标均比黄牛有明显的提高,并在全县29个乡得到了推广应用,经济效益显著。     

分枝杆菌细胞壁脂质PDIM致病机制研究进展

 结核分枝杆菌(Mycobacterium Tuberculosis,MTB)是导致人和动物结核病的病原体。MTB细胞壁成分复杂,功能多样,不但帮助分枝杆菌抵御外界不良的生活环境,同时在细菌逃逸宿主免疫攻击和致病过程中也发挥重要作用。脂质占细胞壁干重的60%以上,其高含量与细菌毒力密切相关。MTB不含内毒素,也不产生外毒素和侵袭性酶类,其致病性主要与占细胞壁干重60%以上的脂质成分密切相关。PDIM(phthiocerol dimycocerosate)作为细胞壁组分中独特而重要的结构,在维持细菌正常结构上发挥重要作用。由于PDIM在细胞壁分布的广泛性,研究发现PDIM在病原体-宿主的相互作用过程中也扮演重要角色,尤其是在细菌的早期侵染及进入巨噬细胞环节中发挥积极作用。对PDIM重要致病和毒力损伤机制研究,不仅加深对病原体-宿主互作网络中的理解,还有望为结核病的治疗带来新的希望与突破。     

Deep structure at northern margin of Tarim Basin

In this paper, a 2D velocity structure of the crust and the upper mantle of the northern margin of the Tarim Basin （TB） has been obtained by ray tracing and theoretical seismogram calculation under the condition of 2D lateral inhomogeneous medium using the data of seismic wide angle reflection/refraction profile from Baicheng to Da Qaidam crossing the Kuqa Depression （KD） and Tabei Uplift （TU）. And along the Baicheng to Da Qaidam profile, 4 of the 10 shot points are located in the northern margin of the TB. The results show that the character of the crust is uniform on the whole between the KD and TU, but the depth of the layers, thickness of the crust and the velocity obviously vary along the profile. Thereinto, the variation of the crust thickness mainly occurs in the middle and lower crust. The Moho has an uplifting trend near the Baicheng shot point in KD and Luntai shot point in TU, and the thickness of the crust reduces to 42 km and 47 km in these two areas, respectively. The transition zone between the KD and TU has a thickest crust, up to 52 km. In this transition zone, there are high velocity anoma- lies in the upper crust, and low velocity anomalies in the lower crust, these velocity anomalies zone is near vertical, and the sediment above them is thicker than the other areas. According to the velocity distributions, the profile can be divided into three sections： KD, TU and transition zone between them. Each section has a special velocity structural feature, the form of the crystalline basement and the relationship between the deep structure and the shallow one. The differences of velocity and tectonic between eastern and western profile in the northern margin of the Tarim Basin （NMTB） may suggest different speed and intensity of the subduction from the Tarim basin to the Tianshan orogenic belt （TOB）.     

Distribution and risk factors of hand,foot, and mouth disease in Changchun,northeastern China

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a public health problem, and there have been increasing numbers of outbreaks in mainland China since 2008. Over 17,000 HFMD cases have been reported in Changchun between 2008 and 2011. This study characterized the temporal and spatial distribution of the disease and identified the risk factors for HFMD. The main findings were as follows: (i) there were significant differences in HFMD incidence among age groups, with 86.8 % of reported cases in children younger than 5 years old, and boys showed a higher incidence than girls (<6 years); (ii) The disease affected the whole region and spanned a large geographic area, but there was a higher incidence in urban areas (median = 242 per 10,000 persons) and urban–rural border areas (median = 135 per 10,000 persons), compared with rural areas (median = 75 per 10,000 persons); and (iii) the incidence of HFMD in Changchun was significantly associated with the distance to the nearest freeway, GDP per capita, and the type of township.     

北京市保护区管理状况分析

近年来中国保护区事业发展迅速,但是管理不能跟上发展的步伐,甚至很多人没有意识到保护区管理工作的重要性,导致目前的这种粗放的管理体系和落后的管理效率,无法起到使生态资源得到合理保护的重要作用。保护区管理评价是对保护区管理的考察和信息搜集工作,并且将有关信息整理、分析得出结论,再反馈到保护区管理系统当中的重要参考资料。采用国际通用的保护区管理评价框架,对北京郊区的三个自然保护区(松山、云蒙山、喇叭沟门)进行调查评价。将获得的资料整理,分别从行政管理、经济管理、森林资源管理、内部人员管理、保护工作管理和生态旅游管理六个方面的情况进行分析,得出结论,并在涉及局部经济政策、保护区管理模式改进、管理系统和体制的完善方面提出了七项建议。     

A Study of Tensile Strength Tests of Arborous Species Root System in Forest Engineering Technique of Shallow Landslide

0IntroductionVegetationfor slope protectionis a kind of newtechnology making full play of soil-fixation ofroot systemin a bid to stabilize the shallow Land-slide.In comparison with the traditional civil engi-neering,not only is vegetation for slope protectionto protect slope,but beyondcomparablein other as-pects.Onthe one hand,itis abletoas quickas pos-sible restore the ecological environment destructedby human constructions,remain ecological balance,beautifylandscape,and refersh air,onthe oth…     

The abundance threshold for plague as a critical percolation phenomenon

Percolation theory is most commonly associated with the slow flow of liquid through a porous medium, with applications to the physical sciences. Epidemiological applications have been anticipated for disease systems where the host is a plant or volume of soil, and hence is fixed in space. However, no natural examples have been reported. The central question of interest in percolation theory, the possibility of an infinite connected cluster, corresponds in infectious disease to a positive probability of an epidemic. Archived records of plague (infection with Yersinia pestis) in populations of great gerbils (Rhombomys opimus) in Kazakhstan have been used to show that epizootics only occur when more than about 0.33 of the burrow systems built by the host are occupied by family groups. The underlying mechanism for this abundance threshold is unknown. Here we present evidence that it is a percolation threshold, which arises from the difference in scale between the movements that transport infectious fleas between family groups and the vast size of contiguous landscapes colonized by gerbils. Conventional theory predicts that abundance thresholds for the spread of infectious disease arise when transmission between hosts is density dependent such that the basic reproduction number (R(0)) increases with abundance, attaining 1 at the threshold. Percolation thresholds, however, are separate, spatially explicit thresholds that indicate long-range connectivity in a system and do not coincide with R(0) = 1. Abundance thresholds are the theoretical basis for attempts to manage infectious disease by reducing the abundance of susceptibles, including vaccination and the culling of wildlife. This first natural example of a percolation threshold in a disease system invites a re-appraisal of other invasion thresholds, such as those for epidemic viral infections in African lions (Panthera leo), and of other disease systems such as bovine tuberculosis (caused by Mycobacterium bovis) in badgers (Meles meles).     

野花生豆(Crotalaria mucronata)凝集素的细胞表面受体的研究

研究了异硫氰基荧光素和~(125)I标记的野花生豆凝集素,对A型细胞和牛精细胞表面的凝集素受体的定位、分布和数量。结果表明这些细胞表面的凝集素受体比较复杂,难以用一般动力学方法加以说明。D-葡萄糖、D-甘露糖、D-半乳糖和N-乙酰半乳糖胺等糖类和Con A、PHA、BSA对标记凝集素与A型细胞结合的影响各不相同。通过饱和曲线计算出A型细胞和牛精细胞表面的凝集素受体数目,分别为1.29×10~7和3.09×10~6个/细胞.     

基于可编程GPU的三维地形场景中树的渲染优化技术

充分利用当前高性能可编程图形硬件特性及OpenGL 4的最新性能,结合LOD加速技术,采用多遍绘制技术,以及图像遮挡剔除技术来进行树实例的可见性剔除可以优化三维地形场景的渲染。实验主要是对地形场景中树的渲染进行优化,数据结果表明这些优化方法在保证地形场景的真实性的同时减少了场景的几何复杂度,提高了帧刷新率。     

试论公共政策有效执行的重要性及意义

在公共政策的理论中,公共政策的执行和实施过程是一个相当重要的问题.因为,一项公共政策的成功与否,要依赖于它的有效监测、问题认定和正确的制定,但更重要的是它要得到正确的执行.