Milk production of pseudopregnant multiparous does

The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the milk production of pseudopregnant does. In this experiment, data of multiparous, inseminated, pregnant (IP, n=15) does and two groups of presumably pseudopregnant multiparous does: inseminated, non-pregnant (INP, n=17) and induced to ovulation by GnRH (1.5 microgram per animal) at the day of insemination (11 d after parturition) (non-inseminated, ovulating: NIO, n=15) were analysed. The progesterone level was measured at the 12th d after treatment to determine if females were pseudopregnant. All IP and NIO does were pregnant and pseudopregnant, respectively. Within the INP group, 10 and 7 does were diagnosed as positive (INPO) or negative (INPNO) for pseudopregnancy. Two of the INPNO does perished during lactation. The average milk production of groups IP, INP and NIO was 212, 92 and 72 g/d, respectively (P160 g in the various groups were: IP=0, 0, 0, 0 and 100%, NIO=20, 13, 27, 40 and 0%, INP=15, 15, 15, 55 and 0%, respectively. The daily milk yield of the 5 INPNO does was 2, 6, 27, 84 and 139 g, respectively. These results demonstrated that multiparous empty does, pseudopregnant or non-pseudopregnant, can produce milk, but in lower quantities than multiparous does after kindling.Szendrö, Z.; Matics, Z.; Brecchia, G.; Theau-Clément, M.; Nagy, Z.; Princz, Z.; Biró-Németh, E.... (2010). Milk production of pseudopregnant multiparous does. World Rabbit Science. 18(2). doi:10.4995/WRS.2010.18.1018

Effect of group size and stocking density on productive, carcass, meat quality and aggression traits of growing rabbits

[EN] The aim of the experiment was to examine the effect of group size and stocking density on productive, carcass and meat quality traits. The trial was conducted using 230 Pannon white rabbits weaned at 5 weeks and reared until the age of 11 weeks. Seven groups were formed with different cage/pen sizes (group size) and stocking densities: SC16=small cage (0.12 m2), 16 rabbits/m2 (2 rabbits/cage); LC16=large cage (0.50 m2), 16 rabbits/m2 (8 rabbits/cage); LC12=large cage, 12 rabbits/m2 (6 rabbits/cage); SP16=small pen (0.86 m2), 16 rabbits/m2 (13 rabbits/cage); SP12=small pen, 12 rabbits/m2 (10 rabbits/cage); LP16=large pen (1.72 m2), 16 rabbits/m2 (26 rabbits/cage); LP12=large pen, 12 rabbits/m2 (20 rabbits/cage). Stocking density did not affect production significantly, as stocking densities lower than 16 rabbits/m2 had no effect on the growing rabbits¿ performance. Group size (size of the cage or pen) had an effect on certain growth, carcass and meat quality traits. Increasing group size resulted in lower values for weight gain (SC: 39.2>LC: 39.0> SP: 38.7> LP: 37.8 g/d; P=0.22) and body weight (SC: 2506>LC: 2498> SP: 2487> LP: 2446 g; P=0.35), similarly to other results in the literature, but the differences were not significant. Aggressive behaviour was observed to be more frequent in the larger group sizes. At the age of 11 weeks the proportion of rabbits with ear lesions in the SC, LC, SP and LP groups were 0.0, 7.1, 8.7, and 17.4%, respectively, demonstrating that larger group size increases the risk of ear lesions. The effect of group size on the ratio of the fore part to the reference carcass (SC: 28.5, LC: 28.2, LP: 29.0%; P=0.02) and on the amount of perirenal fat (SC: 21.3, LC: 18.0, LP: 13.7 g; P<0.001) was significant. Meat quality traits (dry matter, protein, fat and ash content, drip loss, pH, L*, a*, b* values) were not affected by group size (cage vs. pen), but successful discriminations were performed using the NIRS method.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance received from the GAK OMFB-01335/ALAP1- 00121 project.Szendrö, Z.; Princz, Z.; Romvári, R.; Locsmándi, L.; Szabó, A.; Bázár, G.; Radnai, I.... (2009). Effect of group size and stocking density on productive, carcass, meat quality and aggression traits of growing rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 17(3):153-162. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2009.65515316217

Great Lakes Runoff Intercomparison Project Phase 3: Lake Erie (GRIP-E)

Hydrologic model intercomparison studies help to evaluate the agility of models to simulate variables such as streamflow, evaporation, and soil moisture. This study is the third in a sequence of the Great Lakes Runoff Intercomparison Projects. The densely populated Lake Erie watershed studied here is an important international lake that has experienced recent flooding and shoreline erosion alongside excessive nutrient loads that have contributed to lake eutrophication. Understanding the sources and pathways of flows is critical to solve the complex issues facing this watershed. Seventeen hydrologic and land-surface models of different complexity are set up over this domain using the same meteorological forcings, and their simulated streamflows at 46 calibration and seven independent validation stations are compared. Results show that: (1) the good performance of Machine Learning models during calibration decreases significantly in validation due to the limited amount of training data; (2) models calibrated at individual stations perform equally well in validation; and (3) most distributed models calibrated over the entire domain have problems in simulating urban areas but outperform the other models in validation

Dynamische Kultivierung verkleinerter humaner Ohrmuscheln mit septalen Chondrozyten in einem neu entwickelten Bioreaktor

Einleitung: Für die Rekonstruktion von Knorpeldefekten mit Hilfe von Tissue Engineering ist eine in vitro Kultivierung von Chondrozyten auf Trägermaterialien erforderlich. Durch die Entwicklung von Bioreaktoren versucht man, den unphysiologischen Bedingungen in statischen 3D-Zellkulturen zu begegnen. Ziel der Arbeit war es zu zeigen, dass der neuentwickelte Bioreaktor für die Kultivierung von Knorpelgewebe in der Form menschlicher Ohrmuscheln geeignet ist.Material/Methoden: Zwei 3-D-Modelle humaner Ohrmuscheln mit einer Größe von etwa 3 x 2 cm wurden aus prozessiertem dezellularisiertem porcinem Septumknorpel (DECM) hergestellt, mit humanen nasalen Chondrozyten besiedelt und in einem neuen Bioreaktorsystem unter konstanten vollautomatisierten Bedingungen kultiviert. Ein externes Computerprogramm ermöglichte eine kontinuierliche Messung von O2-Gehalt, Temperatur und pH, sowie eine Steuerung von Temperatur und Strömung im Bioreaktor. Nach 28 bzw. 42 Tagen wurde jeweils eine Ohrmuschel aus dem Bioreaktor entnommen und histologisch sowie immunhistochemisch aufgearbeitet. Ergebnisse: Während des gesamten Kultivierungszeitraums zeigten sich keine Anzeichen für eine Kontamination, die O2-Sättigung und die Strömungsverhältnisse blieben konstant. Es ließ sich eine mit zunehmender Kulturzeit verstärkte Migration der Chondrozyten in die dreidimensionalen Scaffolds sowie die Synthese knorpelspezifischer Matrixbestandteile nachweisen, die jedoch in Abhängigkeit von der Lokalisation innerhalb der Ohrmuscheln deutlich variierte. Schlussfolgerung: Mithilfe des neuen Bioreaktors ist eine dynamische Kultivierung von in vitro aus DECM hergestelltem Knorpelgewebe in der Form von humanen Ohrmuscheln möglichUnterstützt durch: BMBF, FKZ 03FH00813, Projekt Bioop-TissDer Erstautor gibt keinen Interessenkonflikt an

Estimation of the bioaccumulation potential of a nonchlorinated bisphenol and an ionogenic xanthene dye to Eisenia andrei in field-collected soils, in conjunction with predictive in silico profiling

In silico-based model predictions, originating from structural and mechanistic (e.g., transport, bioavailability, reactivity, and binding potential) profiling, were compared against laboratory-derived data to estimate the bioaccumulation potential in earthworms of 2 organic substances (1 neutral, 1 ionogenic) known to primarily partition to soil. Two compounds representative of specific classes of chemicals were evaluated: a nonchlorinated bisphenol containing an -OH group (4,4\u2032-methylenebis[2,6-di-tert-butylphenol] [Binox]), and an ionogenic xanthene dye (2\u2032,4\u2032,5\u2032,7\u2032-tetrabromo-4,5,6,7-tetrachloro-3\u2032,6\u2032-dihydroxy-, disodium salt [Phloxine B]). Soil bioaccumulation studies were conducted using Eisenia andrei and 2 field-collected soils (a clay loam and a sandy soil). In general, the in silico structural and mechanistic profiling was consistent with the observed soil bioaccumulation tests. Binox did not bioaccumulate to a significant extent in E. andrei in either soil type; however, Phloxine B not only accumulated within tissue, but was not depurated from the earthworms during the course of the elimination phase. Structural and mechanistic profiling demonstrated the binding and reactivity potential of Phloxine B; this would not be accounted for using traditional bioaccumulation metrics, which are founded on passive-based diffusion mechanisms. This illustrates the importance of profiling for reactive ionogenic substances; even limited bioavailability combined with reactivity can result in exposures to a hazardous substance not predictable by traditional in silico modeling methods.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Ecotoxicity of xanthene dyes and a non-chlorinated bisphenol in soil

Soil eco-toxicity testing was conducted in support of Canada's Chemical Management Plan (CMP) to fill data gaps for organic chemicals known to primarily partition to soil, and of which the persistence and inherent toxicity are uncertain. Two compounds representative of specific classes of chemicals: non-chlorinated bisphenols containing an -OH group (4,4'-methylenebis(2,6-di-tert-butylphenol (Binox)) and xanthene dyes (2',4',5',7'-tetrabromo-4,5,6,7-tetrachloro-3',6'-dihydroxy-, disodium salt (Phloxine B), 2',4',5',7'-tetrabromofluorescein (TBF), 4',5'-dibromofluorescein (DBF), and 4,5,6,7-tetrachlorofluorescein (TCF)) were evaluated. The effect of these substances on plant growth (Elymus lanceolatus and Trifolium pratense) and soil invertebrate survival and reproduction (Folsomia candida and Eisenia andrei) were assessed using a field-collected sandy soil. Binox was persistent throughout testing (up to 63d) with an average recovery of 77\ub12.9% at test end. Binox was not toxic to plants (IC50s>1076mgkg-\ub9) or E. andrei (IC50s>2651mgkg-\ub9); however, a significant reduction in F. candida adult survival and reproduction (IC50=89 (44-149) mgkg-\ub9) was evident. Phloxine B was also persistent throughout testing, with an average recovery of 82\ub13.0% at test end. Phloxine B was significantly more toxic than Binox, with significant reductions in plant root growth (IC50s 6511mgkg-\ub9) and invertebrate reproduction (IC50s 6522mgkg-\ub9). DBF toxicity was not significantly different from that of Phloxine B for plant root growth (IC50s 6530mgkg-\ub9), but was significantly less toxic for shoot growth (IC50s 651758mgkg-\ub9), and invertebrate adult survival (IC50s 652291mgkg-\ub9) and reproduction (IC50s 65451mgkg-\ub9). A comparison between all four xanthene dyes was completed using F. candida, with the degree of toxicity in the order of Phloxine B 65TBF~DBF>TCF. The results from these studies will contribute to data gaps for poorly understood chemicals (and chemical groupings) under review for environmental risk assessments, and will aid in the validation of model predictions used to characterize the fate and effects of these substances in soil environments.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Response of fattening rabbits reared under different housing conditions. 1. Live performance and health status

In a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial experiment the effects of housing system (pair caged (cage): 2 rabbits/0.122 m(2) vs open top pen housed (pen): 13 rabbits/0.86 m(2): same stocking density), floor type (wire mesh vs plastic net) and environmental enrichment (with vs without gnawing stick) were studied on live performance, health status and welfare (ear lesions) of growing rabbits (n = 176). The housing system significantly influenced the body weight at 11 weeks of age (2630 vs 2557 g: in cage or pen, respectively) and the feed conversion (3.12 vs 3.38 g/g; in cage or pen, respectively). Floor type did not affect the traits tested. Gnawing stick consumption affected the body weight at 11 weeks of age (2553 vs 2622 g; without or with gnawing stick, respectively). the percentage of ear lesions (18.5 vs 1.20%; without or with gnawing stick, respectively). Some of the live performance traits of rabbits reared in pens was slightly lower. The presence of gnawing stick, especially in pens, reduced the aggressive behaviour and improved the welfare