Effect of melatonin on follicular development parameters in a fixed-timed artificial insemination programme in water buffalo

It is well known that buffaloes have seasonal anoestrus and that the use of melatonin reduces the effects of season in reproduction, particularly among sheep and goats. This study evaluates the use of melatonin on water buffaloes to increase pregnancy rates in a fixed-time insemination programme. The study was conducted on an Argentinian buffalo herd, located in the Corrientes Province, during an unfavourable reproductive season. Artificial insemination cycles were performed in September and December 2018. Sixty animals were selected, and melatonin was administered to 29 females at a dose of 18 mg/50 kg. Ten days after the melatonin implant, ovulation synchronization was started. Animals were inseminated with frozen semen of a single bull. Pregnancy was evaluated by ultrasound 35 days after insemination. The pregnancy rate of the two repetitions was 34.62% for September and 6.4% for December (P=0.007). No significant differences were found in the parameters associated with follicular development and formation of the corpus luteum. Analysis of the effects of melatonin on the two replicates showed that there was no statistically significant effect of ovarian response regarding the analysed follicular development parameters. There was also no effect on pregnancy rates (17.85% vs. 20.68%; P=0.15), or on follicular development for treatment and control. In conclusion, this study was not able to demonstrate an effect of melatonin on the ovarian response of buffaloes as reported by other authors. Other factors, such as environmental conditions of subtropical areas and species specificities, may have a more significant effect on buffalo endocrinology. These factors should be evaluated to improve the results of fixedtimed artificial insemination programmes.Fil: Berdugo, Jesus Alfredo. Universidad Nacional de Colombia; ColombiaFil: Konrad, José Luis. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Yuponi, Roberto Gregorio. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Bandeo, Alexis Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Camelino, Ramon. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Cardona Maya, Walter D.. Universidad de Antioquia; ColombiaFil: Crudeli, Gustavo Angel. Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral; Argentin

Rendimiento de la canal y ganancia de peso en vacas de descarte con inducción del anestro por vías quirúrgica versus mecánica

Orquera, M.L.; Pochon, D.O.; Flores, S.; Konrad, J.L.; Crudeli, G.A.: Rendimiento de la canal y ganancia de peso en vacas de descarte con inducción de anestro por vías quirúrgica versus mecánica. Rev. vet. 22: 1, 64–67, 2011. Palabras clave: vaca descarte, dispositivo intrauterino, castración quirúrgica, ganancia de peso, performance de canal

Determinación de ácidos grasos en leche bubalina (Bubalus bubalis) producida en Corrientes, Argentina

El objetivo del estudio fue determinar los valores de ácidos grasos saturados e insaturados, especialmente ácido linoleico conjugado (CLA) y ácidos omega 3 y 6, en leche de búfalas de la Provincia de Corrientes. Se emplearon 16 búfalas multíparas de raza Murrah y mestizas Murrah x Mediterránea, distribuidas en 2 grupos integrados por 8 animales cada uno (4 Murrah y 4 mestizas). El primero fue alimentado con pasturales naturales ad libitum y el segundo con pasturas naturales y un suplemento diario de 2 kg de maíz molido por animal. El ensayo duró 35 días. En los días 1 y 35 se obtuvieron muestras de leche de todas las búfalas (32 muestras). Para la dieta de pastura natural con y sin suplementación, los ácidos grasos saturados fueron de 56,91 y 57,10%, en tanto que los insaturados fueron de 43,68 y 42,89% respectivamente. De estos últimos, el 37,24 y 36,92% correspondieron a monoinsaturados y el 5,84 y 5,97% a polinsaturados respectivamente. Entre los ácidos grasos saturados predominó el C16:0 y entre los insaturados el C18:1. El ácido C14:0 reveló diferencias significativas según época de muestreo y dieta (p<0,05), resultando mayor al día 35 y en animales suplementados. El nivel de CLA en búfalas no suplementadas fue de 10,29 mg/g de grasa láctea. Existió una correlación positiva entre CLA y acido vaccénico en la grasa láctea (r = 0.87). La relación de ácidos grasos omega 6 y omega 3 fue de 2,07/1 al final del ensayo. En conclusión, se establecen valores de referencia para ácidos grasos en leche bubalina y se espera que estos datos asuman importancia al momento de compararlos con los obtenidos mediante otras estrategias dietarias, con el propósito de incrementar el contenido de CLA y omega 3 en la leche de búfalas

Dataset per l’analisi locale: universo delle imprese e tassi di risposta

Il presente capitolo illustra costruzione e caratteristiche dei dataset che vengono impiegati nell’analisi condotta su Innovazione, relazioni indu-striali e risultati economici per un insieme di imprese localizzate nella provincia di Reggio Emilia. Gli ambiti della ricerca sono molteplici, come già descritto nel capitolo precedente. L’analisi condotta si basa principalmente su due dataset le cui modalità di costruzione e caratteristiche generali, prevalentemente in termini di tassi di risposta e grado di copertura, sono presentate in questo capitolo. Le pagine che seguono renderanno chiari i problemi a cui si è dovuto far fronte, in fase di rilevazione, per ottenere dataset coerenti e completi attra-verso la somministrazione di questionari. Il capitolo è strutturato come segue. Nei primi due paragrafi vengono presentate le fonti statistiche impiegate nella costruzione della lista di impre-se coinvolte nell’indagine mediante intervista e le tre principali fasi del pro-cesso di rilevazione seguite. Nel terzo paragrafo si illustrano i dataset che sono stati costruiti e che vengono impiegati nel corso dell’analisi empirica. Particolare spazio è dedicato alla presentazione del tasso di risposta ai que-stionari sottoposti alle direzioni aziendali ed alle rappresentanze dei dipen-denti

Phyto- and zooplankton paleofluxes during the deposition of sapropel S1 (eastern Mediterranean): biogenic carbonate preservation and paleoecological implications

The relative and absolute abundances and accumulation rates of foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils were quantified in a box core containing sapropel S1 from the Florence Rise area (SE of Cyprus; 2302 m water depth). The main objective of this study was to reconstruct in detail variations in paleoecological conditions of water masses during the deposition of this sapropel. In particular, we qualitatively evaluated the importance of carbonate dissolution on planktonic assemblages to better interpret the abundance profiles obtained from the two investigated taxa. Selective carbonate corrosion in the core is shown by (1) the decrease in shell mass weight of selected species of planktonic foraminifera, (2) the decrease in accumulation rate of dissolution-susceptible holococcoliths and coccolith species, and (3) the absence of pteropods. However, the presence of other relatively dissolution-susceptible coccolith species throughout all of the S1 interval suggests moderate dissolution. Florisphaera profunda shows a marked increase in paleofluxes within the sapropel coupled with a decrease in the accumulation rate of the upper–middle photic zone coccoliths, suggesting an ecological depth-separation of the water column, probably characterised by higher nutrient availability at depth and nutrient-depleted surface waters between ~10 and 6.5 kyr BP. In the same interval Turborotalita quinqueloba and Globigerina bulloides, two foraminiferal species frequently occurring during periods of high fertility, increase in relative abundance. The maximum increase in relative abundance of Globigerinoides ruber (var. alba and rosea) marks the climatic optimum phase and the maximum stratification in surface water that occurred at the beginning of sapropel S1 deposition when the bottom waters were anoxic. An important change in foraminiferal assemblages occurs at ~8 kyr BP and corresponds with a negative shift in CaCO3, Ba and Corg contents. This short interval marks the establishment of relatively less anoxic conditions in the bottom water, introducing the last phase of sapropel formation. After ~6.5 kyr BP, a progressive re-establishment of normal oceanographic conditions occurred before the real end of the sapropel S1. This transition is well recorded by the reoccurrence and major accumulation rate of the mixing indicator foraminiferal species Globorotalia inflata and by the gradual decrease in abundance of F. profunda