Effects of the anti-sucking device «SuckStop Müller» on calf behavior.

INTRODUCTION When cross-sucking persists beyond calf-hood, it represents an important problem in dairy heifers and cows. It can cause teat injuries and severe mastitis and lead to significant economic losses. The «SuckStop Müller,» a novel anti-sucking device, is designed to give the calf a negative feedback when cross-sucking on a conspecific. The aim of this study was to assess whether wearing a SuckStop would result in behavioral changes other than cross-sucking and thus, impair welfare in the short- and longer-term. Sixteen group-housed calves were observed in groups of four on five days, before and after fitting the SuckStop: day -2, day -1, day 0, day 1, and day 9. Maintenance behaviors (e.g., feeding, drinking, lying) were recorded using instantaneous scan sampling. In addition, the frequency of contact behaviors (e.g., exploring the feeding fence, touching own body) was recorded by means of continuous focal animal observations. Contact behaviors were classified as «impaired» or «normal» depending on whether or not the calf flinched in response to the contact. Finally, the number of visits to the milk and concentrate feeders was extracted from the computer-controlled feeding system. Fitting a SuckStop resulted in a higher proportion of observations spent lying and less exploration behavior on day 0 and day 1 than on day -2, day -1, and day 9. On day 0 and day 1, 6,3 % of exploration behaviors were classified as impaired, compared to 0,4 % (day -2, day -1) before and 0,2 % (day 9) after fitting the SuckStop. On day 9, all calves had superficial ulcerations on the nasal septum. In four calves, these ulcerations were moderately severe, whereas all other calves had slight ulcerations. In summary, the calves habituated quickly to this novel anti-sucking device. Follow-up studies are necessary to assess the long-term relevance of tissue alterations in the nasal septum for calf welfare as well as the effect of the SuckStop on cross-sucking behavior

Finding hens in a haystack: Consistency of movement patterns within and across individual laying hens maintained in large groups

\ua9 2018, The Author(s). We sought to objectively quantify and compare the recorded movement and location patterns of laying hens within a commercial system. Using a custom tracking system, we monitored the location within five zones of a commercial aviary for 13 hens within a flock of 225 animals for a contiguous period of 11 days. Most hens manifested a hen-specific pattern that was (visually) highly consistent across days, though, within that consistency, manifested stark differences between hens. Three different methods were used to classify individual daily datasets into groups based on their similarity: (i) Linear Discriminant Analysis based on six summary variables (transitions into each zone) and total transitions; (ii) Hierarchical Clustering, a na\uefve clustering analysis technique, applied to summary variables and iii) Hierarchical Clustering applied to dissimilarity matrices produced by Dynamic Time Warping. The three methods correctly classified more than 85% of the hen days and provided a unique means to assess behaviour of a system indicating a considerable degree of complexity and structure. We believe the current effort is the first to document these location and movement patterns within a large, complex commercial system with a large potential to influence the assessment of animal welfare, health, and productivity

Hydrolysis of organic phosphorus in soil water suspensions after addition of phosphatase enzymes

Additions of enzymes involved in organic phosphorus (P) hydrolysis can be used to characterize the hydrolyzability of molybdate-unreactive P (MUP) in soil water extracts. Our aim was to test the feasibility of enzyme additions to soil water suspensions with respect to (1) suitable enzyme preparations and (2) recovery of molybdate-reactive P (MRP). To this end, we compared the substrate specificity of seven commercially available enzyme preparations (acid and alkaline phosphomonoesterase, phytase, and nuclease preparations) and optimized the assay conditions in microplates. We then measured MRP release after the addition of the enzymes to soil water suspensions and filtrates of two Swiss grassland soils (midland and alpine). In some cases, commercial preparations of the same enzyme differed in their specificity, presumably due to contamination with other enzymes, and also in their efficiency in soil suspensions. Addition of EDTA to the buffer was required to decrease sorption of released P in soil suspensions. Enzymatic release of P was consistently equal or higher in soil suspensions than in soil filtrates. However, also more dissolved MUP was present in soil suspensions than in filtrates, since the buffer interacted with the solid phase. Of the total dissolved MUP in soil suspensions, 94 and 61% were hydrolyzable in midland and alpine soil, respectively. More specifically, 60 and 17% of MUP were in nucleic acids, 6 and 39% in simple monoesters, and 28 and 5% in inositol hexakisphosphate in midland and alpine soil, respectively. Thus, we show that the characterization of hydrolyzable organic P in soil suspensions with hydrolytic enzyme preparations may be useful to better understand the availability of soil organic P to enzymatic hydrolysis, but that it requires soil-specific adaptation for optimum P recover

Measurement of the Surface Gravity of η\eta Boo

Direct angular size measurements of the G0IV subgiant $\eta$ Boo from the Palomar Testbed Interferometer are presented, with limb-darkened angular size of $\theta_{LD}= 2.1894^{+0.0055}_{-0.0140}$ mas, which indicate a linear radius of $R=2.672 \pm 0.028 R_\odot$. A bolometric flux estimate of $F_{BOL} = 22.1 \pm 0.28\times 10^{-7}$ erg cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ is computed, which indicates an effective temperature of $T_{EFF}=6100 \pm 28$ K and luminosity of $L = 8.89 \pm 0.16 L_\odot$ for this object. Similar data are established for a check star, HD 121860. The $\eta$ Boo results are compared to, and confirm, similar parameters established by the {\it MOST} asteroseismology satellite. In conjunction with the mass estimate from the {\it MOST} investigation, a surface gravity of $\log g=3.817 \pm 0.016$ [cm s$^{-2}$] is established for $\eta$ Boo.Comment: To appear in March 1, 2007 ApJ v657 n

Monocyte biology conserved across species: Functional insights from cattle.

Similar to human monocytes, bovine monocytes can be split into CD14highCD16- classical, CD14highCD16high intermediate and CD14-/dimCD16high nonclassical monocytes (cM, intM, and ncM, respectively). Here, we present an in-depth analysis of their steady-state bulk- and single-cell transcriptomes, highlighting both pronounced functional specializations and transcriptomic relatedness. Bulk gene transcription indicates pro-inflammatory and antibacterial roles of cM, while ncM and intM appear to be specialized in regulatory/anti-inflammatory functions and tissue repair, as well as antiviral responses and T-cell immunomodulation. Notably, intM stood out by high expression of several genes associated with antigen presentation. Anti-inflammatory and antiviral functions of ncM are further supported by dominant oxidative phosphorylation and selective strong responses to TLR7/8 ligands, respectively. Moreover, single-cell RNA-seq revealed previously unappreciated heterogeneity within cM and proposes intM as a transient differentiation intermediate between cM and ncM

Photospheric and chromospheric activity in four young solar-type stars

We present a photometric and spectroscopic study of four G-K dwarfs, namely HD 166, epsilon Eri, chi1 Ori and kappa1 Cet. In three cases, we find a clear spatial association between photospheric and chromospheric active regions. For chi1 Ori we do not find appreciable variations of photospheric temperature, and chromospheric Halpha emission. We applied a spot/plage model to the observed rotational modulation of temperature and flux to derive spot/plage parameters and to reconstruct a rough three-dimensional map of the outer atmosphere of kappa1 Cet, HD 166 and epsilon Eri.Comment: 12 pages, 3 tables, 9 figures. Submitted to Ap

The night-sky at the Calar Alto Observatory

We present a characterization of the main properties of the night-sky at the Calar Alto observatory for the time period between 2004 and 2007. We use optical spectrophotometric data, photometric calibrated images taken in moonless observing periods, together with the observing conditions regularly monitored at the observatory, such as atmospheric extinction and seeing. We derive, for the first time, the typical moonless night-sky optical spectrum for the observatory. The spectrum shows a strong contamination by different pollution lines, in particular from Mercury lines, which contribution to the sky-brightness in the different bands is of the order of ~0.09 mag, ~0.16 mag and ~0.10 mag in B, V and R respectively. The zenith-corrected values of the moonless night-sky surface brightness are 22.39, 22.86, 22.01, 21.36 and 19.25 mag arcsec^-2 in U, B, V, R and I, which indicates that Calar Alto is a particularly dark site for optical observations up to the I-band. The fraction of astronomical useful nights at the observatory is ~70%, with a ~30% of photometric nights. The typical extinction at the observatory is k_V~0.15 mag in the Winter season, with little dispersion. In summer the extinction has a wider range of values, although it does not reach the extreme peaks observed at other sites. The median seeing for the last two years (2005-6) was ~0.90", being smaller in the Summer (~0.87") than in the Winter (~0.96"). We conclude in general that after 26 years of operations Calar Alto is still a good astronomical site, being a natural candidate for future large aperture optical telescopes.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publishing in the Publications of Astronomical Society of the Pacific (PASP

The accuracy of stellar atmospheric parameter determinations: a case study with HD 32115 and HD 37594

We present detailed parameter determinations of two chemically normal late A-type stars, HD 32115 and HD 37594, to uncover the reasons behind large discrepancies between two previous analyses of these stars performed with a semi-automatic procedure and a "classical" analysis. Our study is based on high resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra obtained at the McDonald Observatory. Our method is based on the simultaneous use of all available observables: multicolor photometry, pressure-sensitive magnesium lines, metallic lines and Balmer line profiles. Our final set of fundamental parameters fits, within the error bars, all available observables. It differs from the published results obtained with a semi-automatic procedure. A direct comparison between our new observational material and the spectra previously used by other authors shows that the quality of the data is not the origin of the discrepancies. As the two stars require a substantial macroturbulence velocity to fit the line profiles, we concluded that neglecting this additional broadening in the semi-automatic analysis is one origin of discrepancy. The use of FeI excitation equilibrium and of the Fe ionisation equilibrium, to derive effective temperature and surface gravity, respectively, neglecting all other indicators leads to a systematically erroneously high effective temperature. We deduce that the results obtained using only one parameter indicator might be biased and that those results need to be cautiously taken when performing further detailed analyses, such as modelling of the asteroseismic frequencies or characterising transiting exoplanets.Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRA

The rotation and coma profiles of comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz)

Aims. Rotation periods of cometary nuclei are scarce, though important when studying the nature and origin of these objects. Our aim is to derive a rotation period for the nucleus of comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz). Methods. C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) was monitored using the Merope CCD camera on the Mercator telescope at La Palma, Spain, in January 2005, during its closest approach to Earth, implying a high spatial resolution (50km per pixel). One hundred seventy images were recorded in three different photometric broadband filters, two blue ones (Geneva U and B) and one red (Cousins I). Magnitudes for the comet's optocentre were derived with very small apertures to isolate the contribution of the nucleus to the bright coma, including correction for the seeing. Our CCD photometry also permitted us to study the coma profile of the inner coma in the different bands. Results. A rotation period for the nucleus of P = 9.1 +/- 0.2 h was derived. The period is on the short side compared to published periods of other comets, but still shorter periods are known. Nevertheless, comparing our results with images obtained in the narrowband CN filter, the possibility that our method sampled P/2 instead of P cannot be excluded. Coma profiles are also presented, and a terminal ejection velocity of the grains v_gr = 1609 +/- 48 m/s is found from the continuum profile in the I band.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted by A&