Risk factors associated with brucella seropositivity in sheep and goats in Duhok Province, Iraq

Sera from 432 small ruminants (335 sheep and 97 goats) from 72 farms in Duhok Province, northern Iraq, were collected to investigate risk factors associated with brucellosis seropositivity. Serum samples were tested using the Rose Bengal test (RBT) and an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). Using parallel interpretation, RBT and iELISA results showed that 31.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 26.1, 36.3) of sheep and 34.0% (95% CI: 24.7, 44.3) of goats had antibodies against Brucella in the study area. A random-effects multivariable logistic regression model indicated that a higher chance of being seropositive (odds ratio (OR) = 1.7; 95% 1.4; 2.2) was associated with an increase in the age of animals. The odds of Brucella seropositivity in flocks where sheep and goats grazed together was 2.0 times higher (95% CI: 1.08; 3.9) compared to flocks where sheep and goats grazed separately. The odds of Brucella seropositivity in small ruminants was 2.2 higher (95% CI: 1.2; 4.3) for animals originating from farms with a history of goat abortion in the preceding 12 months. In contrast, for every 1000 Iraqi Dinars (~0.85 US Dollar) spent by the farmers on control of Brucella in their flocks, the odds of Brucella seropositivity decreased significantly (OR = 0.9, p-value = 0.021). The final model also indicated significant differences in Brucella seropositivity between the different districts of Duhok Province. This study provides a contribution to the epidemiology of brucellosis in small ruminants in northern Iraq

Les chevauchements, enregistrés automatiquement lors de la reproduction des ovins, sont indicateurs de la libido des béliers et de la valeur reproductive des brebis

Automatically recorded mountings of rams provide information on their libido and breeding value of ewes.Abstract:The demand for livestock products pushes farmers to reduce inputs and remove hormonal treatments used to control ewe’s reproduction. These trends put forward research lines that are aimed to study sexual behaviours of both rams and ewes. The electronic oestrus detector, developed by UMR Selmet, looked promising but still had to be accompanied by further experimental validation. Our studies were conducted on Merino’s d’Arles sheep of Domaine de Merle, which are bred in an extensive farming system with a mating period occurring in spring as many other Mediterranean breeds. Our first step was to validate the electronic detector on sheep by comparison to video observation. We showed that 93% of mounts are registered, and as ewes in oestrus accept multiple mounts: all the ewes are detected with this device. In a second step we used several rams (n=6) with a larger number of ewes (n = 60). This confirmed that ewes express a strong variability 1) of the timed response to hormonal treatments, 2) of the oestrus duration and 3) the total number of mounts per ewe. We also demonstrated that the wide dispersion of the number of mounts done by rams was however repeated, with the same flock, in subsequent cycles.Then, we focussed on ram sexual behaviour by placing them with few oestrus ewes under visual test (the reference method). We evaluated 6 intact Merino rams and 6 vasectomized rams of the Mourerous breed, this test was done thrice: at spring one year apart and also at the autumn. We found conventional amplitude of seasonal variations on the activities of rams during the three seasons. We demonstrated that male libido, defined by the sum of their pre-copulatory and copulatory activity, was well correlated (r = + 0.80, n = 18) with the counted mounts by the detector of the same rams but with several hundreds of ewes. Therefore, the libido can be estimated by number of mounts. In addition, we get a clear correlation between the observed copulatory activities and automatically collected mounts within a flock of ewes. We found that ranked rams’ libido scores are repeated. This is very stable within-season (one cycle) and between-seasons (from one season to the next). A one year apart repeatability of mounts was better (94%) within the flock than when measured by mounts number during tests (80%). Given that fertility of undernourished ewes is lower, we studied the behavior of ewes that underwent three contrasting diets applied for 3 months. We observed that receptivity and proceptivity of ewes do not change according to their nutritional status, through against their ability to attract the rams (attractiveness) is much stronger if they are heavier and/or had favorable metabolic profiles (metabolites and hormones). These results were further confirmed within rams’ mating flock (when bodyweight are widespread). In the discussion, we resume our results that show that within extensive livestock system, ewe plays a central role in attracting or not the rams. These rams, although chosen for breeding, have very variable but repeated libido score. The electronic oestrus detector, included in a precision farming system, could be used to improve the breeding of sheep, based on this knowledge.Keywords: sexual behaviour, preferential mating, libido, attractiveness, receptiveness, proceptivity and precision farming.La demande en produits animaux pousse les éleveurs à réduire les intrants et supprimer les traitements hormonaux pour la maîtrise de la reproduction des ovins. Ces exigences ont relancé les études sur des méthodes qui s’appuient davantage sur les comportements spontanés des mâles et des femelles. Le détecteur électronique des chaleurs, développé par l’UMR Selmet, semblait prometteur et il fallait l’accompagner de validations expérimentales. Ces études ont été réalisées en race Mérinos d’Arles du Domaine du Merle qui sont élevées en système d’élevage extensif et se reproduisent à contre saison. Nous avons tout d’abord validé ce détecteur sur des brebis suivies par vidéo. Nous montrons que 93% des chevauchements sont effectivement enregistrés et comme les brebis en œstrus acceptent plusieurs chevauchements : toutes les brebis sont détectées. Dans une deuxième étape nous avons utilisés plusieurs béliers avec des effectifs plus importants (n=60). Ceci nous a confirmé, pour la brebis des fortes variabilités 1) de la réponse aux traitements hormonaux, 2) de la durée des chaleurs et 3) du nombre de chevauchements par brebis. Pour les béliers, nous avons mis en évidence une forte dispersion du nombre de chevauchements qui s’est répétée, avec les mêmes brebis, sur les cycles suivants. Nous avons ensuite étudié plus précisément le comportement sexuel des béliers en les plaçant en test visuel (méthode de référence) avec quelques brebis en chaleur. Pour cela nous avons évalué 6 béliers entiers Mérinos et 6 béliers vasectomisés Mourérous, à un an d’intervalle lors de la lutte de printemps et aussi à celle d’automne. Nous avons retrouvé les amplitudes classiques des variations saisonnières sur les activités des béliers aux trois saisons.Nous avons montré que la libido des mâles définie par la somme de leurs activités pré-copulatoires ou copulatoires était bien corrélée (r=+0,80, n=18) aux chevauchements mesurés avec le détecteur sur plusieurs centaines de brebis la libido peut être assimilée aux activités copulatoires que nous mesurons avec les chevauchements. De plus, nous obtenons une corrélation claire entre les activités copulatoires observées et collectées automatiquement en troupeaux. Le classement des béliers selon leur libido sont était très répétable intra-saison (de cycle a l’autre) et enter-saison (d’une saison à l’autre). A un an d’intervalle la répétabilité a été meilleur (94%) avec les chevauchements qu’avec les mesures des tests (80%). Sachant que la fertilité des brebis sous-alimentées est plus faible, nous avons étudié les comportements de brebis ayant subi 3 régimes alimentaires contrastés appliqués pendant 3 mois. Nous montrons que la réceptivité et la proceptivité de brebis ne changent pas selon leur état nutritionnel, par contre leur capacité à attirer les béliers (attractivité) est d’autant plus forte qu’elles sont plus lourdes et/ou qu’elles avaient des profils métaboliques favorables (métabolites et hormones). Ces données, obtenues en lot expérimental par des méthodes de référence, ont été validées en troupeau avec le détecteur électronique. Dans la discussion générale, nous reprenons nos résultats pour montrer qu’en système d’élevage extensif les brebis jouent un rôle central dans l’attraction, ou pas, des béliers. Ces béliers, bien que choisis pour la reproduction, ont des libidos très variables mais répétables. Le détecteur de chaleur, inclus dans un système d’élevage de précision, pourrait servir en élevage pour améliorer la reproduction des ovins en s’appuyant sur ces connaissances

Automatically recorded mountings of rams provide information on their libido and breeding value of ewes

La demande en produits animaux pousse les éleveurs à réduire les intrants et supprimer les traitements hormonaux pour la maîtrise de la reproduction des ovins. Ces exigences ont relancé les études sur des méthodes qui s’appuient davantage sur les comportements spontanés des mâles et des femelles. Le détecteur électronique des chaleurs, développé par l’UMR Selmet, semblait prometteur et il fallait l’accompagner de validations expérimentales. Ces études ont été réalisées en race Mérinos d’Arles du Domaine du Merle qui sont élevées en système d’élevage extensif et se reproduisent à contre saison. Nous avons tout d’abord validé ce détecteur sur des brebis suivies par vidéo. Nous montrons que 93% des chevauchements sont effectivement enregistrés et comme les brebis en œstrus acceptent plusieurs chevauchements : toutes les brebis sont détectées. Dans une deuxième étape nous avons utilisés plusieurs béliers avec des effectifs plus importants (n=60). Ceci nous a confirmé, pour la brebis des fortes variabilités 1) de la réponse aux traitements hormonaux, 2) de la durée des chaleurs et 3) du nombre de chevauchements par brebis. Pour les béliers, nous avons mis en évidence une forte dispersion du nombre de chevauchements qui s’est répétée, avec les mêmes brebis, sur les cycles suivants. Nous avons ensuite étudié plus précisément le comportement sexuel des béliers en les plaçant en test visuel (méthode de référence) avec quelques brebis en chaleur. Pour cela nous avons évalué 6 béliers entiers Mérinos et 6 béliers vasectomisés Mourérous, à un an d’intervalle lors de la lutte de printemps et aussi à celle d’automne. Nous avons retrouvé les amplitudes classiques des variations saisonnières sur les activités des béliers aux trois saisons.Nous avons montré que la libido des mâles définie par la somme de leurs activités pré-copulatoires ou copulatoires était bien corrélée (r=+0,80, n=18) aux chevauchements mesurés avec le détecteur sur plusieurs centaines de brebis la libido peut être assimilée aux activités copulatoires que nous mesurons avec les chevauchements. De plus, nous obtenons une corrélation claire entre les activités copulatoires observées et collectées automatiquement en troupeaux. Le classement des béliers selon leur libido sont était très répétable intra-saison (de cycle a l’autre) et enter-saison (d’une saison à l’autre). A un an d’intervalle la répétabilité a été meilleur (94%) avec les chevauchements qu’avec les mesures des tests (80%). Sachant que la fertilité des brebis sous-alimentées est plus faible, nous avons étudié les comportements de brebis ayant subi 3 régimes alimentaires contrastés appliqués pendant 3 mois. Nous montrons que la réceptivité et la proceptivité de brebis ne changent pas selon leur état nutritionnel, par contre leur capacité à attirer les béliers (attractivité) est d’autant plus forte qu’elles sont plus lourdes et/ou qu’elles avaient des profils métaboliques favorables (métabolites et hormones). Ces données, obtenues en lot expérimental par des méthodes de référence, ont été validées en troupeau avec le détecteur électronique. Dans la discussion générale, nous reprenons nos résultats pour montrer qu’en système d’élevage extensif les brebis jouent un rôle central dans l’attraction, ou pas, des béliers. Ces béliers, bien que choisis pour la reproduction, ont des libidos très variables mais répétables. Le détecteur de chaleur, inclus dans un système d’élevage de précision, pourrait servir en élevage pour améliorer la reproduction des ovins en s’appuyant sur ces connaissances.Automatically recorded mountings of rams provide information on their libido and breeding value of ewes.Abstract:The demand for livestock products pushes farmers to reduce inputs and remove hormonal treatments used to control ewe’s reproduction. These trends put forward research lines that are aimed to study sexual behaviours of both rams and ewes. The electronic oestrus detector, developed by UMR Selmet, looked promising but still had to be accompanied by further experimental validation. Our studies were conducted on Merino’s d’Arles sheep of Domaine de Merle, which are bred in an extensive farming system with a mating period occurring in spring as many other Mediterranean breeds. Our first step was to validate the electronic detector on sheep by comparison to video observation. We showed that 93% of mounts are registered, and as ewes in oestrus accept multiple mounts: all the ewes are detected with this device. In a second step we used several rams (n=6) with a larger number of ewes (n = 60). This confirmed that ewes express a strong variability 1) of the timed response to hormonal treatments, 2) of the oestrus duration and 3) the total number of mounts per ewe. We also demonstrated that the wide dispersion of the number of mounts done by rams was however repeated, with the same flock, in subsequent cycles.Then, we focussed on ram sexual behaviour by placing them with few oestrus ewes under visual test (the reference method). We evaluated 6 intact Merino rams and 6 vasectomized rams of the Mourerous breed, this test was done thrice: at spring one year apart and also at the autumn. We found conventional amplitude of seasonal variations on the activities of rams during the three seasons. We demonstrated that male libido, defined by the sum of their pre-copulatory and copulatory activity, was well correlated (r = + 0.80, n = 18) with the counted mounts by the detector of the same rams but with several hundreds of ewes. Therefore, the libido can be estimated by number of mounts. In addition, we get a clear correlation between the observed copulatory activities and automatically collected mounts within a flock of ewes. We found that ranked rams’ libido scores are repeated. This is very stable within-season (one cycle) and between-seasons (from one season to the next). A one year apart repeatability of mounts was better (94%) within the flock than when measured by mounts number during tests (80%). Given that fertility of undernourished ewes is lower, we studied the behavior of ewes that underwent three contrasting diets applied for 3 months. We observed that receptivity and proceptivity of ewes do not change according to their nutritional status, through against their ability to attract the rams (attractiveness) is much stronger if they are heavier and/or had favorable metabolic profiles (metabolites and hormones). These results were further confirmed within rams’ mating flock (when bodyweight are widespread). In the discussion, we resume our results that show that within extensive livestock system, ewe plays a central role in attracting or not the rams. These rams, although chosen for breeding, have very variable but repeated libido score. The electronic oestrus detector, included in a precision farming system, could be used to improve the breeding of sheep, based on this knowledge.Keywords: sexual behaviour, preferential mating, libido, attractiveness, receptiveness, proceptivity and precision farming

Optimering av klassrumsmiljön i en ny skolbyggnad i Västerås : En studie om fönsterplacering och energiförluster

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to plan blueprints for a school located Härbregatan and Vallby Skolgata in Västerås with a focus on energy losses and window placement to choose the most suitable types of windows to obtain a good internal environment. Method: The methodology used to conduct this thesis was based on earlier case studies, literature book and literature reviews in the form of legal specification from Boverket Byggregel (BBR) that had a significant impact on how the school was designed, interior and exterior views. Results: The study demonstrated how important window types and selection was for the students and the teachers occupying the classrooms because windows are a vital source of light, energy and encouragement due to the daylight. Larger windows minimize the need for electrical lighting but increases the risk of energy loss due to inadequate insulation resulting in an impact on the indoor environment and causing a higher energy usage. The size of the window also has an impact on specific transmission losses, thermal bridges, heat losses and as well as the solar radiation passing through the glass, according to this study. Conclusions: The study came to the conclusion that while windows have a significant role in these aspects, additional aspects that include the size of walls, doors, floors and ceiling also play an essential part. Larger windows lead to increased transmission losses and thermal bridges, but at the same time it lets in more daylight and sunlight in the form of heat energy, therefore larger windows are a better choice to use in the school building

Optimering av klassrumsmiljön i en ny skolbyggnad i Västerås : En studie om fönsterplacering och energiförluster

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to plan blueprints for a school located Härbregatan and Vallby Skolgata in Västerås with a focus on energy losses and window placement to choose the most suitable types of windows to obtain a good internal environment. Method: The methodology used to conduct this thesis was based on earlier case studies, literature book and literature reviews in the form of legal specification from Boverket Byggregel (BBR) that had a significant impact on how the school was designed, interior and exterior views. Results: The study demonstrated how important window types and selection was for the students and the teachers occupying the classrooms because windows are a vital source of light, energy and encouragement due to the daylight. Larger windows minimize the need for electrical lighting but increases the risk of energy loss due to inadequate insulation resulting in an impact on the indoor environment and causing a higher energy usage. The size of the window also has an impact on specific transmission losses, thermal bridges, heat losses and as well as the solar radiation passing through the glass, according to this study. Conclusions: The study came to the conclusion that while windows have a significant role in these aspects, additional aspects that include the size of walls, doors, floors and ceiling also play an essential part. Larger windows lead to increased transmission losses and thermal bridges, but at the same time it lets in more daylight and sunlight in the form of heat energy, therefore larger windows are a better choice to use in the school building

Development of a mobile application for effective mental health intervention

The global surge in depression and anxiety, intensified by challenges such as cost and stigma, emphasizes the pressing need for accessible, evidence-based digital solutions. The research centers on the creation of a mobile application specifically designed to address mental health challenges. By integrating cognitive behavioral therapy techniques and features like appointment bookings and mindfulness feedback tools, the app is positioned to improve user outcomes. Utilizing platforms like React Native and React, combined with NestJS for enhanced backend security, the application adheres to the rigorous standards required for mental health interventions. Collaborative efforts with experts, notably the counseling unit of IIUM, ensure the app's alignment with contemporary best practices and research. Preliminary findings indicate a promising tool with the potential to address the global mental health treatment disparit

An electronic device allowing estrus detection in the ewe or libido scoring in the ram

An electronic device allowing estrus detection in the ewe or libido scoring in the ram. 18. International Congress on Animal Reproduction (ICAR

An automated method for the evaluation of ram libido in real mating conditions

We investigated if sexual behaviour of rams can be assessed with an electronic Alpha-Detector (AD) which automatically records mounts of mating rams. To evaluate the rams' libido (i.e. all sexual activities), we used six intact and six vasectomised rams in pen tests in three different seasons (late spring, autumn and early spring). The pen tests consisted of 30-min visual observations of each ram placed in a group of six Merino ewes (three ewes in oestrus and three ewes not in oestrus). In the pen tests, sexual behaviour was recorded and divided into two categories: pre-copulatory and copulatory. For validation purposes, during the pen tests the 12 rams were equipped with the AD and the number of times the 18 oestrous ewes were mounted were counted over a period of 3 days. Of the 1191 mounts visually identified in the six 30-min sessions, 1026 were recorded automatically by the AD (i.e. 94%). The paddock test is an automated method consisting of the same rams wearing an AD and placed in a flock of ~250 Merino ewes on two occasions (late spring (spring 1) and early spring of the following year (spring 2)), their copulatory activities were automatically recorded over a 5-day period. The results of the pen tests in the three seasons revealed no difference between the two types of rams (breeding v. detecting rams). Based on live observations high correlations (r=+0.81, P<0.003 for breeding and r=+0.76, P<0.02 for detecting rams) were found between pre-copulatory and copulatory behaviours. The libido of the two types of rams measured in pen tests showed high repeatability across the three seasons (83 and 75%, P<0.05 for copulatory and pre-copulatory behaviours, respectively). When measured automatically in paddock tests over two consecutive springs, even higher repeatability was observed in both breeding (94%; P<0.01) and detecting rams (97%; P<0.004) in the number of mounts. In addition, high correlations (+0.89<r<+0.94) between copulatory behaviours, as measured by live observations, and those measured by the AD were obtained. The automatic measurement of ram libido in paddock tests appears to be more reliable than pen tests and far less time consuming. We therefore recommend this automated method to estimate the libido of rams. In addition, this method can be used at any season of the year provided that ewes in oestrus are present in the flock

Automatic oestrus detection system enables monitoring of sexual behaviour in sheep

An experiment was conducted to observe the oestrous behaviour in ewes through an automated oestrusdetection system. Five mature adult Merino male rams, equipped with an electronic detector (Alpha-D),were included with a total of 60 ewes from the same breed. The libido of the males was assessed asthe number and frequency of mounts. The accepted mountings by ewes were recorded by an electronicidentifier worn by the female. In the first synchronized oestrus (C1), the ewes were exposed to ramswearing an anti-mating apron. In the following spontaneous cycle (C2), all the rams were allowed tomate. In the third cycle (C3) and the fourth cycle (C4), the rams were assumed to detect ewes in oestrus(open ewes). After the exclusion of isolated readings, the mean interval from sponge withdrawal to onsetof oestrus was 31 ± 11 h and duration of oestrus in C1–C3 was 22 ± 18, 16 ± 11 and 16 ± 8 h, respectively.The libido differed widely among the rams and cycles number with an average number of mounts perram in C1–C4, that were 213, 322, 85 and 3 respectively. It is concluded that all the females were correctlydetected and the assessed libido of males was repeated