A 10 year review of the number of bovine dairy holdings and the dairy bovine population on the Maltese Islands

The process of identification and registration of bovines and bovine holdings on the Maltese Islands has been computerised since 2002, with the introduction of the National Livestock Database of Malta. This is a computerised and centralised system which has made collection, management and analysis of data possible. The aims of this paper were to study in detail ten year trends in the number of bovine dairy holdings together with the bovine population on these holdings and to compare these trends with those reported in other European countries. Six trends related to the number of bovine dairy holdings and their bovine population were analysed in the study. The general trends showed that there was a significant decrease in the number of dairy holdings, in the bovine population and in the number of female bovines greater than 2 years of age during the study period. The average herd size and the average number of females greater than 2 years of age on the dairy holdings showed no statistically significant changes. On the other hand, a significant increase in the ratio of female to male bovines was registered on these holdings.peer-reviewe

The ionic composition of ten reservoirs in southern Brazil

La composition ionique de dix réservoirs de l'Etat de Sao Paulo est analysée à partir d'échantillons obtenus dans la zone euphotique, durant les saisons sèche et pluvieuse. Les réservoirs ont présenté de faibles valeurs de conductivité et d'alcalinité, exception faite pour le réservoir d'Americana, fortement influencé par les rejets d'eaux usées. En fonction de leur concentration, les cations se présentent dans l'ordre suivant : Na>Ca>K>Mg. L'anion qui domine est le bicarbonate. La quantité inhabituelle de sodium est provoquée par la faible concentration de calcium, résultant des caractéristiques édaphiques des bassins. La composition relative observée est semblable à celle d'autres plans d'eau douce du centre et sud-est du Brésil. (Résumé d'auteur

Standing-stock and potential of phytoplankton production in the bay of Santos, Brazil

Phytoplankton primary production and the maximum photo synthetic index (Pb m) from the region of Bay of Santos were measured every two months during 1976 by simulated incubations using 14C method and incandescent lamps (737 µE.m-2 .s-1;40 klux) . The results obtained for production rates (maximum of 204.6 mgC.m-3.hr-1 in winter and 488.3 mgC m-3.hr-1 in summer) are among the highest recorded for tropical marine environments. A high capability of light adaptation under high temperatures was also verified. The photo synthetic indexes obtained were also very high and seems to be due to the high nutrient level of the region. The eutrophic state is supported by the high nutrient and chlorophyll-a concentrations and by the phytoplankton cells number

Vrednovanje stope smrtnosti u teladi mliječnih goveda uzgajanih na otocima Malta i Gozo.

The aim of this study was to determine the overall mortality rates of live born calves up to 180 days of age in dairy herds on the islands of Malta and Gozo. Five risk factors, namely: the island of birth, sex of calf, average herd size, the year and season of birth, were also studied. The data set used in the study consisted of a total of 44,078 calves, born between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2011, from all the dairy herds of both islands. From this dataset, 28,848 calves were born on Malta and 15,230 on Gozo. In total 2,821 calves were registered as having died before reaching 180 days of age. The overall calf mortality rate in live born calves up to 180 days of age was found to be 7.08 %. On Malta the overall mortality rate was 6.05 % and on Gozo 8.80 % (P<0.001). The overall mortality rate was 8.48 % for male calves and 5.99 % for females (P<0.001). Holdings with a lower average herd size had a significantly lower calf mortality rate (P = 0.01), whereas no significant difference was found when the season of birth was taken into consideration. A significant difference (P<0.001) was present when calf mortality was stratified by the year of birth, with the last 3 years of the study having a lower mortality rate than the first 5 years. This study is of relevance since calf mortality rates and the risk factors described are being investigated for the first time on Malta and Gozo.Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi ukupne stope smrtnosti do 180. dana u živorođene teladi mliječnih goveda, uzgajanih na otocima Malta i Gozo. Istraženo je i pet čimbenika rizika: otok rođenja, spol teleta, prosječna veličina stada te godina i sezona teljenja. Skup podataka uključivao je ukupno 44 078 teladi, oteljene između 1. siječnja 2004. i 31. prosinca 2011. godine u svim stadima mliječnih goveda s oba otoka. Od navedenog broja 28 848 oteljeno je na Malti, a 15 230 na otoku Gozo. Ukupno 2 821 tele uginulo je prije postizanja dobi od 180 dana, što čini ukupnu stopu mortaliteta od 7,08 %. Na otoku Malta ukupna stopa smrtnosti bila je 6,05 %, a na otoku Gozo 8,80 % (P<0,001). Ukupna stopa smrtnosti za mušku telad bila je 8,48 %, a za žensku telad 5,99 % (P<0,001). Držaoci goveda s nižom prosječnom veličinom stada imali su značajno nižu stopu smrtnosti teladi (P = 0,01), što nije bilo kada se u obzir uzela sezona teljenja. Značajna razlika (P<0,001) utvrđena je kada se smrtnost teladi razvrstala prema godini teljenja, pri čemu je smrtnost u posljednje 3 godine istraživanja manja u odnosu na smrtnost u prvih 5 godina istraživanja. Istraživanje je važno s obzirom na prvi opis stope mortaliteta i čimbenika rizika u teladi s otoka Malta i otoka Gozo

Sex of offspring influences metabolism during early transition period in dairy cows

Abstract. A study using 20 Holstein Friesian cows was conducted to investigate the influence of calf gender on metabolism during the transition period in dairy cattle. Blood samples were collected at three time points: 2–4 days prepartum (time 1), and 1 week and 2 weeks postpartum (time 2 and time 3 respectively). Serum samples obtained were analysed for total proteins, albumin, urea, glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). Depending on the sex of the offspring, cows were divided into two groups: Group 1 consisted of cows with heifer offspring (n = 12) and Group 2 consisted of cows with bull offspring (n = 8). A two-way repeated measures ANOVA and t tests for unpaired data were used to analyse the pattern of studied parameters and differences between the two groups. The results indicate differences in metabolic parameters between the two groups. These results highlight the importance of considering fetal sex as a factor that influences maternal metabolism during the early transition period in dairy cows

A criança pequena argumenta? Uma proposta de estudo para o discurso de L. (2,6 a 3,6 anos)

This text, based on two data extracted from the corpus of our master’s research, aims to discuss L.’s argumentative discourse, specifically the role of gestures and multimodality (Cavalcante, 1994, 2012; Vasconcelos, 2017), within the discursive movements of argument – counter-argument – response (Leitão, 2006, 2007a, 2007b, 2008), based on the categories of analysis proposed by Vieira (2011) and from a dialogic-discursive theoretical perspective (Bakhtin, 2016; Bruner, 1983; Del Ré et al. 2006, 2014a, 2014b, 2016, 2021; Volóchinov, 2018; Vygotsky, 2005). This is therefore an excerpt from a longitudinal, naturalistic (observations take place in familiar contexts) and qualitative case study, the corpus of which is part of the NALíngua group database (Del Ré et al., 2016). The text provides a brief methodological and theoretical contextualization and, at the end, presents some considerations about the analysis and preliminary results.O presente texto, a partir de dois dados extraídos do corpus de nossa pesquisa de mestrado, tem como objetivo discorrer sobre o discurso argumentativo de L., especificamente o papel da gestualidade e multimodalidade (Cavalcante, 1994; Cavalcante/Brandão, 2012, 2018; Cavalcante/Almeida, 2018; Vasconcelos, 2017), dentro dos movimentos discursivos de argumento – contra-argumento – resposta (Leitão, 2006, 2007a, 2007b, 2008), a partir das categorias de análise propostas por Vieira (2011) e sob uma perspectiva teórica dialógico-discursiva (Bakhtin, 2016; Bruner, 1983; Del Ré et al. 2006, 2014a, 2014b, 2016, 2021; Volóchinov, 2018; Vygotsky, 2005). Trata-se, portanto, de um recorte de um estudo de caso, de caráter longitudinal, naturalístico (as observações se dão em situações de contexto familiar) e qualitativo, cujo corpus integra o banco de dados do grupo NALíngua (Del Ré et al., 2016). O texto realiza uma breve contextualização metodológico-teórica e, ao final, apresenta algumas considerações acerca das análises e resultados preliminares.&nbsp

Thermographic study of the ovine mammary gland during different working vacuum levels

Thermography is a non-contact, non-invasive technique that detects surface heat emitted as infrared radiation. Because skin temperature reflects the status of underlying tissue metabolism and blood circulation, abnormal thermal patterns can signify areas of superficial inflammation or circulatory impairments (i.e. congestion). In sheep different methods have been adopted to measure udder blood circulation and the effect of cold exposure and lactation on the distribution of blood flow. The effect of milking procedures on udder and teat skin temperature was investigated in cows through thermographic scanning. Thermography results in a very useful tool to evaluate, estimate and differentiate short and longer-term tissue reactions to machine milking. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of working vacuum level on udder and teat temperature changes during milking procedures and the recovery by indirect monitoring of the circulatory impairments of teat tissue via infrared thermography. Two groups of six lactating Sarda ewes were milked experimentally at two vacuum levels (28 and 42 kPa) and same pulsation parameters (120 cycles/min and 60% ratio). Thermographic images (Flir System, ThermaCam P25, sensitivity of 0.08 °C) of posterior udder area (PUA) and teats (teat base – TB; mid teat – MT and teat tip – TT) were taken pre-milking (PM), during milking (M) (only for PUA), and immediately after milking (IAM) up to 2 minutes after milking (AM+). Temperatures were recovered by processing the thermographic images in ThermaCam Researcher Basic 2.8 SR-1 Software (Flir System). The PUA showed a drop of 1°C in both treatments between PM and M. After milking, values did not show remarkable changes. The vacuum level effect on teats temperature results to be different between treatments. Results during IAM indicate a general drop of the teats temperatures and specifically for high vacuum level (from 39.82 to 37.92°C and from 39.71 to 37.75°C for low and high vacuum level respectively). During AM+ (monitored up to 60 sec - AM +30; up to 90 sec - AM+60 and up to 120 sec – AM+90) the increase of teat temperatures were different (P&lt;0.05) between vacuum levels (AM+30: 38.12 vs 37.54°C; AM+60: 38.19 vs 37.96°C and AM+90: 39.02 vs 38.58°C for low and high vacuum level respectively). Differences among TB, MT and TT were evident also at AM+90 only for the high vacuum level while in low one, at the same time, it was persistent only the difference between TT and TB. The higher teat temperature for the low vacuum level could be attributable to a faster return to a normal condition of the blood flow in all teat locations. Teat circulation impairments due to milking procedures need further surveys