THE USE OF HORMONAL METHODS ON GILTS REPRODUCTIVE CYCLES

The main purpose of the current research was to conduct the reproductive cycle ongilts, using hormonal methods to induce estrus in non-cycling and late pubertal giltsand to group in a short period of time the breedings and, in the same time, to inductfarrowings. The gilts that have made the object of this experiment were distribute intwo equal lots and they were treated with PG 600 (400 I.U. PMSG and 200 I.U.hCG) to induce estrus in two consecutive weeks. The main reproductive objectivesthat we have observed were the percentage of gilts that came into heat, the timerange when the gilts showed signs of estrus and the gestation rate after pregnancycheck at 28 and 56 days from breeding. The percentage of the gilts that were in heatafter PG 600 was 67 %. The majority (44.8 %) of gilts were in heat after 72-96hours from PG 600. The gestation rate at 28 days after insemination was 64.6 % andat 56 days after insemination was 53.0%

THE INFLUENCE OF THE PUERPERAL AFFECTIONS ON INSEMINATION INDEX AND UTERINE REPOSE IN COWS

The observations were made, through a year, at SD Timisoara on cows fromHolstein-Friesian and Fleckvieh breed. The puerperal period was observed, theincidence of the endometrites was recorded and there were calculated tworeproduction parameters: the Insemination Index (Ig) and the Uterine Reposeduration (UR) (Open days). The Insemination Index (service/conception) (Ig)represents the mean number of artificial inseminations performed in order to obtaina pregnancy. Uterine Repose represents the time interval, in days, from calving untilthe fecund insemination. The Uterine Repose has two components: VoluntaryWaiting Period (VWP) (time interval from calving until the introduction of thefemale to reproduction) and Service Period (SP) (time interval from the end of theVWP until the fecund insemination). There were noticed that the incidence of theuterine infections were significant higher (p<0.05) at cows from Holstein-Friesianbreed (63.3%), compared to the cows from Fleckvieh breed (41.3%). TheInsemination Index was significant lower (p<0.05) at cows without uterine infections(1.9), compared to the cows with uterine infections (2.5). The mean duration of theUterine Repose was significant lower (p<0.05) at healthy cows (114.7 days),compared with cows with uterine infections after calving (182.2 days). It seams thatthe cows from Fleckvieh breed are more resistant to the exploitation conditions formilk production than compared with cows from Holstein-Friesian breed

Ultraviolet writing of channel waveguides in proton-exchanged LiNbO₃

We report on a direct ultraviolet (UV) writing method for the fabrication of channel waveguides at 1.55 µm in LiNbO3 through UV irradiation of surface and buried planar waveguides made by annealed proton exchange and reverse proton exchange. A systematic study of the guidance properties as a function of the UV writing conditions is presented

A two-way photonic interface for linking Sr+ transition at 422 nm to the telecommunications C-band

We report a single-stage bi-directional interface capable of linking Sr+ trapped ion qubits in a long-distance quantum network. Our interface converts photons between the Sr+ emission wavelength at 422 nm and the telecoms C-band to enable low-loss transmission over optical fiber. We have achieved both up- and down-conversion at the single photon level with efficiencies of 9.4% and 1.1% respectively. Furthermore we demonstrate noise levels that are low enough to allow for genuine quantum operation in the future.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Envelope Determinants of Equine Lentiviral Vaccine Protection

Lentiviral envelope (Env) antigenic variation and associated immune evasion present major obstacles to vaccine development. The concept that Env is a critical determinant for vaccine efficacy is well accepted, however defined correlates of protection associated with Env variation have yet to be determined. We reported an attenuated equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) vaccine study that directly examined the effect of lentiviral Env sequence variation on vaccine efficacy. The study identified a significant, inverse, linear correlation between vaccine efficacy and increasing divergence of the challenge virus Env gp90 protein compared to the vaccine virus gp90. The report demonstrated approximately 100% protection of immunized ponies from disease after challenge by virus with a homologous gp90 (EV0), and roughly 40% protection against challenge by virus (EV13) with a gp90 13% divergent from the vaccine strain. In the current study we examine whether the protection observed when challenging with the EV0 strain could be conferred to animals via chimeric challenge viruses between the EV0 and EV13 strains, allowing for mapping of protection to specific Env sequences. Viruses containing the EV13 proviral backbone and selected domains of the EV0 gp90 were constructed and in vitro and in vivo infectivity examined. Vaccine efficacy studies indicated that homology between the vaccine strain gp90 and the N-terminus of the challenge strain gp90 was capable of inducing immunity that resulted in significantly lower levels of post-challenge virus and significantly delayed the onset of disease. However, a homologous N-terminal region alone inserted in the EV13 backbone could not impart the 100% protection observed with the EV0 strain. Data presented here denote the complicated and potentially contradictory relationship between in vitro virulence and in vivo pathogenicity. The study highlights the importance of structural conformation for immunogens and emphasizes the need for antibody binding, not neutralizing, assays that correlate with vaccine protection. © 2013 Craigo et al

The process of recovery of people with mental illness: The perspectives of patients, family members and care providers: Part 1

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It is a qualitative design study that examines points of divergence and convergence in the perspectives on recovery of 36 participants or 12 triads. Each triad comprising a patient, a family member/friend, a care provider and documents the procedural, analytic of triangulating perspectives as a means of understanding the recovery process which is illustrated by four case studies. Variations are considered as they relate to individual characteristics, type of participant (patient, family, member/friend and care provider), and mental illness. This paper which is part of a larger study and is based on a qualitative research design documents the process of recovery of people with mental illness: Developing a Model of Recovery in Mental Health: A middle range theory.</p> <p><b>Methods</b></p> <p>Data were collected in field notes through semi-structured interviews based on three interview guides (one for patients, one for family members/friends, and one for caregivers). Cross analysis and triangulation methods were used to analyse the areas of convergence and divergence on the recovery process of all triads.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In general, with the 36 participants united in 12 triads, two themes emerge from the cross-analysis process or triangulation of data sources (12 triads analysis in 12 cases studies). Two themes emerge from the analysis process of the content of 36 interviews with participants: (1) <it>Revealing dynamic context</it>, situating patients in their dynamic context; and (2) <it>Relationship issues in a recovery process</it>, furthering our understanding of such issues. We provide four case studies examples (among 12 cases studies) to illustrate the variations in the way recovery is perceived, interpreted and expressed in relation to the different contexts of interaction.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The perspectives of the three participants (patients, family members/friends and care providers) suggest that recovery depends on constructing meaning around mental illness experiences and that the process is based on each person's dynamic context (e.g., social network, relationship), life experiences and other social determinants (e.g., symptoms, environment). The findings of this study add to existing knowledge about the determinants of the recovery of persons suffering with a mental illness and significant other utilizing public mental health services in Montreal, Canada.</p

Unlocking the Potential of Genomic Data to Inform Typhoid Fever Control Policy: Supportive Resources for Genomic Data Generation, Analysis, and Visualization

The global response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic demonstrated the value of timely and open sharing of genomic data with standardized metadata to facilitate monitoring of the emergence and spread of new variants. Here, we make the case for the value of Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) genomic data and demonstrate the utility of freely available platforms and services that support the generation, analysis, and visualization of S. Typhi genomic data on the African continent and more broadly by introducing the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's Pathogen Genomics Initiative, SEQAFRICA, Typhi Pathogenwatch, TyphiNET, and the Global Typhoid Genomics Consortium

Robustly Safe Compilation

Secure compilers generate compiled code that withstands many target-level attacks such as alteration of control flow, data leaks or memory corruption. Many existing secure compilers are proven to be fully abstract, meaning that they reflect and preserve observational equivalence. Fully abstract compilation is strong and useful but, in certain cases, comes at the cost of requiring expensive runtime constructs in compiled code. These constructs may have no relevance for security, but are needed to accommodate differences between the source and target languages that fully abstract compilation necessarily needs