Candidate Genes Associated with Economically Important Traits of Sheep - A Review

Sheep give meat, milk, wool to the human population and this makes them a significant part of the world livestock industry. The basis of meat, milk and wool production is reproduction, respectively the success of reproduction. The result of reproduction is under the direct influence of genotypes and external factors and their interaction. The most important sheep product is meat and it is the main reason why sheep are raised in most countries. Milk is an important product of sheep, it is the basic food of young lambs and it plays an important role in the diet of the population. Wool makes sheep unique and therefore they are recognizable at first sight, in other words, different from other types of animals. Wool is a characteristic product of different and very variable economic importance, in some countries it is the most important product of sheep which provides the largest part of income. Many genes correlated with diverse economically significant phenotypic characteristics and their roles have been reported in domestic animals to date. In animal breeding, the identification of candidate genes correlated with economically important traits of sheep is crucial. The detailed information of the classified genes connected with significant traits helps to improve production capacity and productivity of sheep. Moreover, in this way the sheep processing industry can be increased, and thus the profitability and benefit of sheep breeders. The aim of this review is to provide complete information on the identified candidate genes associated with important production traits of sheep

INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION - A NEW MODEL OF COMMUNICATION ON RISKS IN FOOD

I male greške u komunikaciji o rizicima u hrani mogu narušiti ugled i povjerenje u institucije ukljucene u sustav sigurnosti hrane ili proizvoace hrane i srušiti trud koji je potrebno godinama ulagati u izgradnju povjerenja kod potrošaca. U kriznim situacijama tvrtke koje proizvode hranu mogu se preko noci naci u situaciji u kojoj se od njih ocekuje isprika, objašnjenje, tumacenje razine opasnosti za potrošace i sl. Pri tome je i za državne institucije i za proizvoace hrane bitno razumijevanje razlicitosti u percepciji javnosti na pojedine opasnosti u hrani, kao i predvidivost mogucih reakcija javnosti. Ukljucivanje svih zainteresiranih strana u dijalog olakšava upraviteljima rizika proces evaluacije rizika, identificiranje i balansiranje izmeu mogucih opcija upravljanja rizikom, kao i implementaciju i evaluaciju donesenih mjera, a u proizvo- aca hrane reducira gubitak povjerenja potrošaca. Ovaj dvosmjerni sustav naziva se interaktivna komunikacija o rizicima u hrani.Even small mistakes in communication on the risks in food can tarnish reputation and confidence in institutions included into the system of food safety or food producers, and inflicts damage to the effort which takes years to invest to earn consumers’ confidence. In crisis situations, companies that produce food can find themselves overnight in a situation where they are expected to apologize, justify, explain the level of danger for consumers, etc. In that process, it is important even for the public institutions and food producers to understand the differences in perception of the public of certain risks in food, as well as to predict any possible reactions of the public. Including all the interested parties to a dialogue makes it easier for risk managers to evaluate the risk, to identify and balance between the possible options in risk management, as well as to implement and evaluate measures to be taken up, and it also reduces the loss of consumers’ confidence to a food producer. This two- way system is called interactive communication on risks in food

Determination of arsenic content in tea samples available on Republic of Srpska market by atomic absorption spectrophotometry

Introduction. Arsenic exists in various forms in nature and living organisms.Toxic elements, including arsenic, which are present in some plants,can severely damage haemopoietic, immune, nervous and reproductivesystems. For this reason, a content of heavy metals is one of the criteria forthe assessment of the safe use of plant material in the production of traditionalmedicines and herbal infusions. This instigates the need for constantand organized safety control of plants that are used as raw materialsin pharmaceutical industry.The aim of this study is to determine the arsenic content in selected teaswhich are available on the market of the Republic of Srpska.Methods. The 10 g samples of 13 herbal and 3 fruit teas were mineralizedby dry ashing and arsenic contents were determined by the atomicabsorption spectrophotometer Agilent Technologies Series 200 with anair-acetylene burner and D2 background correction.Results. Mean arsenic concentrations in the herbal tea samples rangedfrom 0.009 to 0.145 mg/kg. The lowest arsenic concentration in a singlesample of 0.007 mg/kg was found in Chamomile tea and Uva ursi collectedas a wild plant at elevation above 1200 m. The highest arsenic concentrationwas found in the sample of Sambucus nigra tea (0.145 mg/kg). Infruit teas, the arsenic concentration ranged from 0.014 mg/kg (Cranberry)to 0.027 mg/kg (Fruit mix).Conclusion. Arsenic content in all analyzed tea samples is below the valuestipulated by the national legislation

Metode za ranu procjenu laktacijskog tijeka u holstein prvotelki

The aim of this research was to define methods for early prediction (based on I. milk control record) of lactation flow in Holstein heifers as well as to choose optimal one in terms of prediction fit and application simplicity. Total of 304,569 daily yield records automatically recorded on a 1,136 first lactation Holstein cows, from March 2003 till August 2008., were included in analysis. According to the test date, calving date, the age at first calving, lactation stage when I. milk control occurred and to the average milk yield in first 25th, T1 (and 25th-45th, T2) lactation days, measuring monthcalving month-age-production-time-period subgroups were formed. The parameters of analysed nonlinear and linear methods were estimated for each defined subgroup. As models evaluation measures, adjusted coefficient of determination, and average and standard deviation of error were used. Considering obtained results, in terms of total variance explanation (R2 adj), the nonlinear Wood’s method showed superiority above the linear ones (Wilmink’s, Ali-Schaeffer’s and Guo-Swalve’s method) in both time-period subgroups (T1 - 97.5 % of explained variability; T2 - 98.1 % of explained variability). Regarding the evaluation measures based on prediction error amount (eavg±eSD), the lowest average error of daily milk yield prediction (less than 0.005 kg/day), as well as of lactation milk yield prediction (less than 50 kg/lactation (T1 time-period subgroup) and less than 30 kg/lactation (T2 time-period subgroup)); were determined when Wood’s nonlinear prediction method were applied. Obtained results indicate that estimated Wood’s regression parameters could be used in routine work for early prediction of Holstein heifer’s lactation flow.Ciljevi su provedenog istraživanja bili definirati metode za ranu procjenu (temeljem podatka utvrđenog pri I. kontroli mliječnosti) laktacijskog tijeka u prvotelki holstein pasmine te izabrati optimalnu s aspekta predikcijske točnosti te aplikacijske jednostavnosti. Analizom je obuhvaćeno ukupno 304.569 zapisa dnevne količine mlijeka izmjerenih na 1136prvotelki holstein pasmine u razdoblju od ožujka 2003. do kolovoza 2008. godine. U ovisnosti o datumu mjerenja, datumu teljenja, dobi pri prvom teljenju, stadiju laktacije pri I. provedenoj kontroli mliječnosti te prosječnoj dnevnoj proizvodnji u prvih 25, T1 (te 25-45, T2) dana laktacije, kreirane su podgrupe mjesec mjerenja - mjesec teljenja - dob - proizvodnost - vremenski period. Parametri analiziranih nelinearnih i linearnih metoda procijenjeni su za svaku definiranu podgrupu. Kao mjere evaluacije korišteni su korigirani koeficijent determinacije te prosjek i standardna devijacija pogreške. Utvrđeni rezultati, s aspekta udjela pojašnjene varijabilnosti (R2 adj), ukazuju na superiornost nelinearne Woodove metode u odnosu na linearne (Wilminkova, Ali-Schaefferova, te Guo-Swalvejeva metoda) u obje podgrupe vremenskog perioda (T1 - 97,5% pojašnjene varijabilnosti; T2 - 98,1% pojašnjene varijabilnosti). Obzirom na iznos predikcijske pogreške (eavg±eSD), najmanja pogreška procjene dnevne (manje od 0,005 kg/dan), te laktacijske količine mlijeka (manje od 50 kg/laktaciji (T1 vremenski - period podgrupa), te manje od 30 kg/laktaciji (T2 vremenski - period podgrupa)); utvrđena je pri aplikaciji Woodove nelinearne metode procjene. Rezultati utvrđeni provedenim istraživanjem ukazuju na mogućnost uporabe procijenjenih Woodovih regresijskih parametara za rutinsku ranu procjenu laktacijskog tijeka u prvotelki holstein pasmine

SMANJENJE RAZNOLIKOSTI FLORE NA OBRADIVIM POVRŠINAMA

Changes in floristic composition of weed flora were assessed comparing two phytocoenological surveys carried out during vegetation seasons in 2005 and in 2017 on the Istrian Peninsula. A total of 50 fields (row crops, cereals, alfalfa fields, orchards/vineyards and ruderal areas) were surveyed for each of the sampling time using Braun-Blanquet cover-abundance scale. Altogether 175 vascular plant species were recognized in both investigations. The most abundant species in 2005 were Avena fatua, Setaria verticilata, Lolium multiflorum and Veronica persica. In the recent survey these species became very rare or were even not detected in some habitats. In contrast, some species with very low relative abundance or not recorded in the earlier survey were found abundant in 2017. These are: Pastinaca sativa, Conyza canadensis, Picris echioides, Polygonum aviculare, and Heliotropium europaeum. The species richness was significantly higher in the earlier survey when 143 (82%) weeds were detected compared to only 97 species (55%) found in 2017. Only 64 species were found in both surveys, and these were considered frequent weeds. The comparison of weed communities from the earlier to the recent survey reflects the reduction of the weed flora at the regional scale, as well as at the field scale. The mean values of Shannon-Wiener diversity index were also higher in the earlier period and it decreased over time, particularly in row crops, cereals and ruderal habitats. This decrease was related to decline of species richness, and to the increase in inequality in the relative abundance of species. On the whole, canonical correspondence analysis indicated the major variations in species composition between different habitats.Promjene u florističkom sastavu korovne flore Istre procijenjenje su putem dvije fitocenološke analize vegetacije izvršene tijekom 2005. i 2017. godine. U oba istraživanja pregledano je 50 polja korištenjem kombinirane procjene brojnosti i pokrovnosti vrsta metodom po Braun-Blanquetu. Ukupno je na istraživanom području evidentirano 175 vrsta vaskularne flore. Najvećom abundacijom u 2005. isticale su se Avena fatua, Setaria verticilata, Lolium multiflorum i Veronica persica, dok su u 2017. bile vrlo rijetke ili su čak nestale s nekih staništa. Nasuprot tome, neki korovi koji su bili neznatno zastupljeni ili ih nije bilo u ranijem istraživanju zabilježeni su s visokom abundacijom u istraživanjima 2017. godine. To su vrste Pastinaca sativa, Conyza canadensis, Picris echioides, Polygonum aviculare i Heliotropium europaeum. Floristički su bogatija bila istraživanja iz 2005. godine kada je utvrđeno 143 vrste korova (82 %) u odnosu na istraživanja izvršena 2017. kada je zabilježeno samo 97 vrsta, odnosno 55 % od ukupno evidentirane flore. Zajedničke u oba istraživana razdoblja bile su 64 korovne vrste koje pripadaju tipičnim i frekventnim korovima istraživanog područja. Promjene unutar korovnih zajednica utvrđene su ne samo na regionalnoj razini veći i unutar samih polja. Na to ukazuje i smanjenje Shannon-Wienerova indeksa raznolikosti (H’), posebice u okopavinama, žitaricama i na ruderalnim staništima. Na smanjenje Shannon-Wienerova indeksa raznolikosti utjecala je redukcija broja vrsta kao i njihova nejednaka abundacija. U konačnici, multivarijantna analiza (CCA) potvrdila je fluktuacije u florističkom sastavu korovne zajednice

PROJECT BE COOL, DO NOT BE A BULLY

Većina ljudi se u djetinjstvu susrela sa međuvršnjačkim nasiljem bilo kao sudionik, bilo kao promatrač. U Hrvatskoj je 2012. godine bilo prijavljeno 1039 slučajeva međuvršnjačkog nasilja u osnovnim školama. Posljedice međuvršnjačkog nasilja su osim „akutnih“ često i „kronične“ te se mogu očitovati teškim depresivnim i anksioznim poremećajima što izrazito negativno utječe na daljnje funkcioniranje u životu. Udruga narodnog zdravlja Andrija Štampar je u sklopu svojih aktivnosti prepoznala ovaj problem te je na isti odlučila djelovati. Već 6 godina za redom provodi program „ Budi cool, ne budi bully“ u suradnji sa OŠ Kaje Adžića Pleterničanina u Pleternici. U posljednjih 6 godina obuhvaćeno je 48 razreda odnosno preko 750 djece. Cilj projekta je prevencija međuvršnjačkog nasilja djece osnovnoškolske dobi. Osnovnu metodu rada predstavlja interaktivna radionica pod nadzorom i moderiranjem dva educirana izvoditelja programa. Udruga najprije organizira edukaciju provoditelja radionice u suradnji sa Školom narodnog zdravlja Andrija Štampar te Medicinskim fakultetom Sveučilišta u Zagrebu pod strogim nadzorom i profesionalnim normama. Nakon edukacije provoditelja započinje se s održavanjem radionica u trajanju od 45 minuta s djecom/učenicima osnovnih škola u dobi od 10-14 godina (peti do osmi razred). Kroz interaktivnu izmjenu mišljenja, stavova i ponašanja, znanstveno provjerenim pedagoškim metodama moderator razvija i sudjeluje u izgradnji pozitivnih stavova. S obzirom da je najbolji način prevencije edukacija, UNZAŠ svojim djelovanjem pokušava djeci ukazati na probleme koje međuvršnjačko nasilje donosi te smanjiti učestalog istog u njihovom okruženju.Most of the people meet with peer violence in childhood, either as a participant or as an observer. In Croatia in 2012 were registered 1039 cases of peer violence in elementary schools. The consequences of peer violence, apart from "acute" and often "chronic" and can manifest major depression and anxiety disorders as extremely negative impact on the further functioning in life. The Association of Public Health Andrija Štampar as part of its activities has recognized this problem and has decided to act on it. For 6 consecutive years been implementing the program Be cool, do not be a bully in cooperation with the elementary school in Pleternica. In the past 6 years has been included 48 school units or more than 750 children. The project aims to prevent peer violence of children of primary school age. The basic method of work is interactive workshop under the supervision and moderation two trained contractor program. The association first organized training implementers workshop in collaboration with the School of Public Health Andrija Štampar School of Medicine and the University of Zagreb under the strict supervision and professional standards. After education implementers begins with maintenance workshops for 45 minutes with the kids / primary school pupils aged 10-14 years (fifth to eighth grade). Through an interactive exchange of opinions, attitudes and behavior, scientifically proven pedagogical methods moderator develops and participates in building positive attitudes. Given that the best way of prevention education, UNZAŠ its activities to children trying to point out the problems that brings peer violence and reduce the frequency of the same in their environment

Svojstva trupa i boja mesa janjadi iz različitih sustava proizvodnje.

Sheep production in Croatia is primarily based on indigenous breeds and different production systems determined by specific environmental conditions and tradition. The aim of this research was to determine the influence of sex on birth weight, daily gain, pH value, and meat colour as well as the slaughter and carcass traits of lambs derived from three different sheep production systems. For that purpose a total of 306 lambs from three breeds reared in three production systems with different production goals were randomly selected: I - milk production, Pag sheep (total 112 lambs: 66 males and 46 females); II - lamb meat production, Dalmatian Pramenka (total 96 lambs: 52 males and 44 females), and III - milk and lamb meat production, Istrian sheep (total 98 lambs: 54 males and 44 females). Sex only had a significant influence on daily gain and age (P<0.01), and weight at slaughter (P<0.05) in production system III. The effect of sex on slaughter characteristics between the investigated breeds was variable. The highest pH value of m. longissimus dorsi (MLD) was determined in production system III, while the L* value of the same muscle differed (P<0.001) between all three production systems and the b* value was significantly lower in production system II. The highest value of L* and b* parameters of m. rectus abdominis (MRA) was determined in production systems III and I, respectively. Sex significantly affected the b* parameter of MRA in production system I, L* parameters of MLD and MRA in production system II, and pH value and L* parameter of MLD in production system III. The results of this study indicate that in a rather small geographical area the possibilities exist for the production of lamb carcasses with specific quality characteristics.Ovčarska proizvodnja u Hrvatskoj primarno se temelji na izvornim pasminama i različitim sustavima proizvodnje te je određena tradicijom i specifičnim uvjetima okoliša. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi utjecaj spola na porođajnu masu, dnevni prirast, pH vrijednost i boju mesa kao i klaoničke pokazatelje te odliku trupova janjadi iz tri različita sustava ovčarske proizvodnje. Za tu svrhu nasumično je odabrano ukupno 306 janjadi triju pasmina uzgajane u tri različita proizvodna sustava: I. – proizvodnja mlijeka, paška ovca (ukupno 112 janjadi: 66 muške i 46 ženske); II. – proizvodnja janjećeg mesa, dalmatinska pramenka (ukupno 96 janjadi: 52 muške i 44 ženske) i III. – proizvodnja mlijeka i janjećeg mesa, istarska ovca (ukupno 98 janjadi: 54 muške i 44 ženske). Spol je značajno utjecao na dnevni prirast i dob (P<0,01) te tjelesnu masu prije klanja (P<0,05) samo u proizvodnom sustavu III. Utvrđen je varijabilan utjecaj spola na klaoničke pokazatelje janjadi istraživanih pasmina. Najviša pH vrijednost m. longissimus dorsi (MLD) utvrđena je u proizvodnom sustavu III namijenjenom proizvodnji mlijeka i mesa. L* vrijednost MLD-a razlikovala (P<0,001) se između sva tri proizvodna sustava, dok je b* vrijednost bila značajno niža u proizvodnom sustavu II. Najviša vrijednost L* pokazatelja m. rectus abdominis (MRA) utvrđena je u proizvodnom sustavu III, a najviša vrijednost b* pokazatelja MRA-a u proizvodnom sustavu I. Spol je značajno utjecao na b* pokazatelj MRA u janjadi paške ovce, L* pokazatelj MLD-a i MRA u janjadi dalmatinske pramenke te pH vrijednost i L* pokazatelj MLD-a u proizvodnom sustavu III. Rezultati ovog istraživanja sugeriraju da unutar malog zemljopisnog područja postoje mogućnosti za proizvodnju janjećih trupova sa specifičnim kvalitativnim karakteristikama

Značaj korova s rubova polja za oprašivače

Field margins are pollinator-friendly habitats and important refuges for many pollinators. As a valuable food resource throughout the vegetation season, not just when crop species are in flower, field margins need to be protect or restore in areas of intensive farming. This paper examines the floristic and functional structure of weed communities on field margins in the northeastern part of the Republic of Croatia. A phytocoenological survey was conducted during the summer period of 2017 and 2018. A total of 32 field margins was analyzed for species richness, abundance and their role for entomofauna. Floristically rich field margins consist of 72,6% plant species beneficial to pollinators. Foraging period can be stretching throughout the year, but stabile and high flowering period is from May to end of September. Among highest ranked honeybee plants, several invasive species with significant relative abundance are: Solidago gigantea, Asclepias syriaca and Amorpha fruticosa who pose a serious threat to plant biodiversity. Positive role of vegetation from field margins was not valuable for pollinators only, but they also serve as supply the substrates that provide a shelter and nesting sites.Rubovi polja su pogodna staništa za brojne oprašivače. S obzirom da su vrijedan izvor hrane korisnoj entomofauni tijekom cijele vegetacijske sezone, a ne samo u vrijeme cvatnje usjeva, potrebno ih je sačuvati ili obnoviti, osobito na prostorima intenzivne poljoprivredne proizvodnje. U ovom radu ispitana je floristička i funkcionalna struktura korovne zajednice na rubovima polja u sjeveroistočnom dijelu Republike Hrvatske. Fitocenološka istraživanja su provedena tijekom ljetnog razdoblja 2017. i 2018. godine. Bogatstvo vrsta, abundacija i njihova uloga za entomofaunu analizirani su na ukupno 32 poljska ruba. Florom bogati rubovi polja sadrže ukupno 72,6% biljnih svojti korisnih za oprašivače. Razdoblje paše može trajati tijekom cijele godine, ali najjači intenzitet je u vrijeme pune cvatnje od svibnja do kraja mjeseca rujna. Među najviše rangiranim medonosnim biljkama sa značajnom relativnom abundacijom nalaze se i invazivne vrste Solidago gigantea, Asclepias syriaca i Amorpha fruticosa koje predstavljaju ozbiljnu prijetnju biološkoj raznolikosti. Pozitivna uloga vegetacije rubova polja ne pogoduje samo oprašivačima, nego služi i kao podloga koja osigurava sklonište i prostor za formiranje gnijezda

Proizvodnja i kakvoća mlijeka creskih ovaca i njihovih križanaca s avasijem i istočnofrizijskom ovcom

The objective of this study was to establish the impact of crossing the indigenous Cres sheep with Awassi and, respectively, Awassi and East Friesian sheep on the milk yield and quality. For this purpose, through regular monthly milk yield recordings a total of 824 individual milk samples from 139 sheep in the second lactation of the same flock were collected, of which: 46 purebred Cres sheep, CS; 33 crosses with 50 % Cres sheep and 50 % Awassi, CA; 60 crosses with 50 % Cres sheep, 25 % Awassi and 25 % East Friesian, CAEF. The obtained results show a significant (P<0.05; P<0.01) impact of the genotype and the lactation stage on the yield and chemical composition of milk, and the somatic cell count. The most milk was yielded by CAEF crosses (690 mL/ewe/day, i.e., 133.8 L per lactation) and the least by CS (340 mL/ewe/day, i.e., 58.48 L per lactation). The content of total solids, fat and protein increased as lactation advanced, whereas the trend of the lactose content was opposite. The highest content of total solids, fat and protein were established in the milk of the indigenous Cres sheep. A positive correlation was established between the amount of yielded milk and the somatic cell count, whereas a negative correlation was established between the amount of milk and the content of solids, fat and proteins.Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi utjecaj križanja izvorne creske ovce s avasijem, odnosno s avasijem i istočnofrizijskom ovcom na proizvodnju i kakvoću mlijeka. Redovitim mjesečnim kontrolama mliječnosti prikupljeno je ukupno 830 pojedinačnih uzoraka mlijeka od 139 ovaca u drugoj laktaciji koje potječu iz istog stada (46 čistokrvnih creskih ovaca; 33 križanke creska (75 %) x avasi (25 %), CA; i 60 križanki creska (50 %) x avasi (25 %) x istočnofrizijska (25 %), CAEF). Genotip i stadij laktacije značajno su utjecali na proizvodnju i sastav mlijeka, kao i na broj somatskih stanica u mlijeku. Najviše mlijeka proizvele su križanke CAEF (690 mL po ovci dnevno, odnosno 133,8 L u laktaciji), a najmanje čistokrvna creska ovca (340 ml po ovci dnevno, odnosno 58,48 L u laktaciji). Sadržaji suhe tvari, mliječne masti i proteina povećavali su se s odmicanjem laktacije, dok je sadržaj laktoze imao suprotan trend. Najviši sadržaj suhe tvari, masti i bjelančevina utvrđen je u mlijeku creskih ovaca. Pozitivna korelacija utvrđena je između količine proizvedenog mlijeka i broja somatskih stanica u mlijeku, dok su negativne korelacije utvrđene između proizvodnje mlijeka i sadržaja suhe tvari, masti i proteina u mlijeku