Physiological basis of prolapse of the oviduct in turkeys

Prolapse of the oviduct is a common problem which results in 5% mortality of female male-line breeding turkeys that have been selected for high meat yield. Prolapse is rare in unselected traditional-line turkeys. Male-line turkeys are characterised by large multiple ovulating ovaries compared to traditional-line turkeys.It was proposed that the large ovary of the male-line resulted in a high plasma oestradiol concentration, which stimulated collagen degradation in the oviduct, impairing the structural integrity of the oviduct and predisposing the male-line to prolapse.There was no disproportion in growth of the oviduct, ovary, uterus, vagina, sphincter ani muscle or muscular cord of ventral ligament in the male-line compared to the traditional-line. Histological investigation of the uterus, vagina, sphincter ani muscle and muscular cord of ventral ligament from traditional-, male-line and prolapsed male-line turkeys revealed no abnormalities that could be associated with prolapse.The male-line had a lower vaginal collagen content than the traditional-line, while male-line turkeys with prolapse had an even lower vaginal collagen content. No differences were seen in the collagen content of the uterus between the different groups. It was concluded that reduced vaginal collagen in the male-line impaired the structural integrity of the vagina and predisposed the strain to prolapse.The collagen of the prolapsed turkeys had fewer mature cross-links than the collagen of the non-prolapsed turkeys that would substantially reduce the strength of the tissue. This suggested that there may be increased collagen turnover in the prolapsed turkeys.The male-line had a lower plasma oestradiol concentration than the traditional-line, and there was no significant difference in plasma progesterone concentration between the two strains.Administration of oestradiol increased plasma oestradiol concentrations but had no effect on the vaginal collagen content in either strain. Progesterone administration also had no effect on vaginal collagen content in either strain although plasma progesterone was raised.Ovulatory cycle changes in plasma concentrations of oestradiol, progesterone and luteinizing hormone in traditional and male-line turkeys were compared. It was concluded that male-line turkeys did not have higher concentrations of oestradiol or progesterone at any time during the ovulatory cycle.Incubation of ovarian follicles from traditional- and male-line turkeys to measure the output of progesterone and oestradiol demonstrated that the multiple follicular hierarchy of the male-line had a physiological and anatomical basis. Oestradiol output was lower from male-line follicles compared to those from the traditionalline, even in the presence of luteinizing hormone. This was consistent with the lower plasma oestradiol concentration of the male-line. Aromatase activity was also lower in small follicles from the male-line than the traditional-line. The results suggest that ovarian steroidogenesis is reduced in male-line turkeys.Food restriction of male-line turkeys to reduce body weight at sexual maturity to 0.6 of ad libitum fed controls inhibited the onset of lay, but had no effect on the multiple hierarchy, plasma oestradiol concentration or the vaginal collagen content of those in lay. Delaying photostimulation of male-line turkeys by 5 weeks also had no effect on the multiple hierarchy, plasma oestradiol concentration or vaginal collagen contentIt was concluded that prolapse in male-line turkeys was associated with low vaginal collagen and that this was not caused by high plasma concentrations of oestradiol

Award reliance

The study was conducted by the Workplace Research Centre, University of Sydney in collaboration with fieldwork company ORC International on behalf of the Fair Work Commission. It explores findings from the Award Reliance Survey (comprising a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) and an online survey) with around 11 500 non-public sector national system employers conducted from January to April 2013. Data were collected on the size, structure and characteristics of these organisations, the nature of employment arrangements within these organisations as well as information on bargaining activity within them. The approach of undertaking the survey at the enterprise level was important given the lack of firm level data available by pay-setting arrangement. The study aimed to identify the incidence of award reliance across surveyed organisations and their employees. It found that around 25 per cent of organisations were award reliant (in which at least one employee has their pay set at the specified award rate) and a further 27 per cent of organisations were ‘award-based’ in which they used other pay-setting arrangements where an award is used in some way to guide the pay-setting decision. The research also aimed to identify the nature of award reliance—the mix or ‘categories’ of award-reliant employees and, where possible, their location on award classification scales—across these award-reliant organisations. A particular focus of the research was to identify professionals and other employees on higher award classifications whose pay is set at the specified award rate. The study also examined wage-setting practices of employers and reasons why employees were paid award rates. The most common reasons given by organisations for award reliance were that: award rates were appropriate or fair remuneration; and affordability. The most common reasons that award-reliant organisations set wages over the applicable award rate for some employees was that they wanted to reward employees with higher wages and that the applicable award rates were not competitive for attracting and retaining workers in the industry/sector

A Vision for How Technology will Change the Work of the HSC by the Year 2020

On June 29, 2010, the HSC Executive Leadership Council participated in a 3-hour retreat to envision how technology will change the way we work at the HSC across all mission areas by the year 2020. The purpose of the retreat, a goal for CY10, was to give the Council a dedicated opportunity to talk about technology outside of the HSCs regular strategic planning process. This narrative is an attempt to inter-relate the concepts brought forward at this retreat, in which a modified Delphi process was used, and provide some context so they will be more readily understood.\u2

Judging a book by its cover: interface elements that affect reader selection of ebooks

Digital library research has demonstrated the impact of content presentation on both search and reading behaviours. In this paper, we scrutinise the influence of ebook presentation on user behaviour, focussing on document thumbnails and the first page view. We demonstrate that flaws in presentation increase the volume of short time-span reading, and reduce the likelihood of long-span reading when compared to other documents. This reflects other patterns of information seeking behaviour that demonstrate increased short-term reading when information content is uncertain, and suggests an ineffective use of reader time on less useful content

The influence of facility and home pen design on the welfare of the laboratory-housed dog

We have an ethical and scientific obligation to Refine all aspects of the life of the laboratory-housed dog. Across industry there are many differences amongst facilities, home pen design and husbandry, as well as differences in features of the dogs such as strain, sex and scientific protocols. Understanding how these influence welfare, and hence scientific output is therefore critical. A significant proportion of dogs’ lives are spent in the home pen and as such, the design can have a considerable impact on welfare. Although best practice guidelines exist, there is a paucity of empirical evidence to support the recommended Refinements and uptake varies across industry. In this study, we examine the effect of modern and traditional home pen design, overall facility design, husbandry, history of regulated procedures, strain and sex on welfare-indicating behaviours and mechanical pressure threshold. Six groups of dogs from two facilities (total n=46) were observed in the home pen and tested for mechanical pressure threshold. Dogs which were housed in a purpose-built modern facility or in a modern design home pen showed the fewest behavioural indicators of negative welfare (such as alert or pacing behaviours) and more indicators of positive welfare (such as resting) compared to those in a traditional home pen design or traditional facility. Welfare indicating behaviours did not vary consistently with strain, but male dogs showed more negative welfare indicating behaviours and had greater variation in these behaviours than females. Our findings showed more positive welfare indicating behaviours in dogs with higher mechanical pressure thresholds. We conclude that factors relating to the design of home pens and implementation of Refinements at the facility level have a significant positive impact on the welfare of laboratory-housed dogs, with a potential concomitant impact on scientific endpoints

Inbreeding in cattle

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311

The Student-Centered University: A Survey of Peer Institutions

Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution of higher education located in a large urban setting. During the last two decades, the university has experienced rapid growth in student enrollment, faculty size, and physical plant. The university\u27s recent successes are in no small part due to a visionary president who now declares that becoming a student-centered is a top priority during the remaining years of his tenure. In the past, VCU was known as a commuter college, where a large portion of the student body lives off campus and may attend school part-time. As VCU aspires to become one of the best higher education institutions in the country, the administrators, faculty and student leaders desire to make it a truly student-centered university. What does it take to become student-centered? An answer to that question will help the university develop a strategic plan to achieve the goal

Refining dosing by oral gavage in the dog: A protocol to harmonise welfare

Introduction: The dog is a frequently-used, non-rodent species in the safety assessment of new chemical entities. We have a scientific and ethical obligation to ensure that the best quality of data is achieved from their use. Oral gavage is a technique frequently used to deliver a compound directly into the stomach. As with other animals, in the dog, gavage is aversive and the frequency of its use is a cause for welfare concern but little research has been published on the technique nor how to Refine it. A Welfare Assessment Framework (Hall, 2014) was previously developed for use with the laboratory-housed dog and a contrasting pattern of behaviour, cardiovascular and affective measures were found in dogs with positive and negative welfare. Methods: Using the framework, this study compared the effects of sham dosing (used to attempt to habituate dogs to dosing) and a Refined training protocol against a control, no-training group to determine the benefit to welfare and scientific output of each technique. Results: Our findings show that sham dosing is ineffective as a habituation technique and ‘primes' rather than desensitises dogs to dosing. Dogs in the control group showed few changes in parameters across the duration of the study, with some undesirable changes during dosing, while dogs in the Refined treatment group showed improvements in many parameters. Discussion: It is recommended that if there is no time allocated for pre-study training a no-sham dosing protocol is used. However, brief training periods show a considerable benefit for welfare and quality of data to be obtained from the dogs' use

Streetsport: Supporting and facilitating the development of enhanced graduate attributes.

Streetsport is a programme that aims to exercise social innovation by reducing instances of youth crime and anti-social behaviour; whilst promoting health and wellbeing through sport, physical activity and creative endeavour. As a vehicle for delivery the initiative facilitates work based educational experiences that are embedded within disadvantaged communities; supporting the development of enhanced graduate attributes by way of collaborative teaching and learning support. Adopting a collaborative partnership model, the programme brings together multiple courses, students and stakeholders to work within communities resulting in activities that react and respond to local needs, interests and demand

The Secret to Successful User Communities: An Analysis of Computer Associates’ User Groups

This paper provides the first large scale study that examines the impact of both individual- and group-specific factors on the benefits users obtain from their user communities. By empirically analysing 924 survey responses from individuals in 161 Computer Associates' user groups, this paper aims to identify the determinants of successful user communities. To measure success, the amount of time individual members save through having access to their user networks is used. As firms can significantly profit from successful user communities, this study proposes four key implications of the empirical results for the management of user communities