[Monitoring and driving force analysis of net primary productivity in native grassland: A case study in Xilingol steppe, China]. / 天然草原净初级生产力变化监测与驱动力分析­­ä»¥é”¡æž—郭勒草原为例.

Grassland is an important type of terrestrial ecosystem. Using remote sensing technology to study the change and driving force of native grassland productivity at large scale is an important way to understand the ecological status of grassland. In this study, potential and actual net primary productivity (NPP) of Xilingol steppe from 2000 to 2018 were examined based on climatic model and light-use efficiency model, respectively. NPP damage value driven by human activities was calculated from the difference between potential and actual NPP. The least square method was used to analyze the temporal and spatial variation of NPP in Xilingol and the driving role of climate and human activities on NPP. The results showed that NPP in Xilingol increased from west to east, with mean annual NPP being 271.54 g C·m-2·a-1, the area with increased NPP (grassland restoration) being 36500 km2, and the area with decreased NPP (grassland degradation) being 59900 km2. The potential NPP tended to rise under the driving force of temperature and precipitation, with an average annual increase of 6.5 g C·m-2·a-1, which indicated that regional climate played a positive role in the improvement of NPP in Xilingol steppe, and that human activities were the main driving force for grassland degradation. The value of NPP damage driven by human activities decreased from east to west and from south to north, with the highest value in Wuzhumuqin meadow and southern steppe. Human activities, such as mining and reclamation, had the most obvious negative impact on grassland NPP.

Prognostic nomogram for the combination therapy of percutaneous catheter drainage and antibiotics in pyogenic liver abscess patients.

PURPOSE: To identify the predictors for recovery of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) patients treated with percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) and antibiotics, and then develop an effective nomogram to predict the recovery time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The retrospective study included consecutive PLA patients treated with PCD and antibiotics. We defined the overall recovery time (ORT) as the time from the PCD procedure to the time of clinical success or failure. Based on the ORT, its predictors were identified with univariate and multivariate analyses. Then, a nomogram was developed to predict the ORT, and was internally validated by using Harrell's c statistic. RESULTS: A total of 116 patients and 142 PCD procedures with a median ORT of 15.0±10.6 days were included. Gas-formation (GF; HR: 0.486 [95% CI 0.312-0.757]; P = 0.001), diabetes mellitus (DM; HR: 0.455 [95% CI 0.303-0.682]; P<0.001), and preinterventional septic shock (PSS; HR: 0.276 [95% CI 0.158-0.483]; P < 0.001) were identified as predictors for the ORT of combination therapy after univariate and multivariate analyses, which indicated a significantly longer ORT than those patients without. The prognostic analyses demonstrated that the more predictors (GF, DM, and PSS) a patient exhibited, the longer ORT for the combination therapy. A nomogram was developed to predict the ORT and revealed high accuracy, with Harrell's c statistic of 0.73. CONCLUSION: GF, DM, and PSS were predictors for the recovery of PLA patients treated with PCD and antibiotics. The nomogram was effective in predicting the ORT of combination therapy.

Luteal lifespan and fertility after estrus synchronization in goats.

The present experiment aims to examine the efficiency of estrus synchronization using progesterone and equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) and to look at luteal function. During the non-breeding and breeding season, 5 adult female Korean native goats were injected intramuscularly with 2.5 ml of physiological saline as the control. A progesterone impregnated intravaginal sponge was then kept in the same goats for 10 days followed, after a week, by an intramuscular injection of 500 IU eCG. Five adult female Nubian goats were mated with a fertile buck during the non-breeding season. During the non-breeding season 2 of the 5 goats showed a normal estrous cycle (ranging from 18 to 21 days) and 3 a short estrous cycle (ranging from 3 to 6 days). During the breeding season the equivalent figures were 1 and 2. The major axes of the corpus luteum (CL) were measured by means of calipers built into the ultrasonography system, and the concentrations of plasma progesterone (P(4)) were determined by double antibody radioimmunoassay. The mean major axes of the CL in goats showing the short cycle (6.1 +/- 0.5 mm) was significantly smaller than in those showing the normal cycle (8.9 +/- 0.5 mm; p < 0.01) and also the value of P(4) in goats showing the short cycle (4.2 +/- 2.1 ng/ml) was significantly lower than for those showing the normal cycle (10.3 +/- 4.3 ng/ml; p < 0.05) at day 3 following ovulation. Three out of 5 Nubian goats became pregnant but only one goat carried to full term. The present experiment indicated that a combination of progesterone and eCG was effective in inducing estrus, although it resulted in a high incidence of short luteal lifespan. The low kidding rate and high incidence of embryonic loss may be due to the instability of the luteal lifespan.