Prediction of Nitrogen Inputs for Sugar Beet.An Evaluation of Soil Tests and Soil

End of Project ReportCurrently, advice on nitrogen (N) use for tillage crops employs an index system based on crop management. However, there has not been a systematic evaluation of several of its components or of the relevance of soil tests, alone or in conjunction. The objective of the current study, therefore, was to evaluate relevant soil management data, various biological and chemical soil tests, and measurements of Nmin (NH4 + NO3) in the root profile, for prediction of fertiliser N requirements. The data used in the study were derived from a data bank of results of field and laboratory experiments for sugar beet. The following topics were addressed: selection of regression models based on soil management criteria; sustainability of contribution of soil N reserves; limitations of soil tests for N; long-term trends in Nmin and biomass C; relationship of mineral-N flush with biomass C; relevance of Nmin with growing-season rainfall; implications of winter rainfall for residual effects and their justification within the current soil N index.European Union Structural Funding (EAGGF

The effect of exogenous glucose infusion on early embryonic development in lactating dairy cows

peer-reviewedThe objective of this study was to examine the effect of intravenous infusion of glucose on early embryonic development in lactating dairy cows. Nonpregnant, lactating dairy cows (n = 12) were enrolled in the study (276 ± 17 d in milk). On d 7 after a synchronized estrus, cows were randomly assigned to receive an intravenous infusion of either 750 g/d of exogenous glucose (GLUC; 78 mL/h of 40% glucose wt/vol) or saline (CTRL; 78 mL/h of 0.9% saline solution). The infusion period lasted 7 d and cows were confined to metabolism stalls for the duration of the study. Coincident with the commencement of the infusion on d 7 after estrus, 15 in vitro-produced grade 1 blastocysts were transferred into the uterine horn ipsilateral to the corpus luteum. All animals were slaughtered on d 14 to recover conceptuses, uterine fluid, and endometrial tissue. Glucose infusion increased circulating glucose concentrations (4.70 ± 0.12 vs. 4.15 ± 0.12 mmol/L) but did not affect milk production or dry matter intake. Circulating β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations were decreased (0.51 ± 0.01 vs. 0.70 ± 0.01 mmol/L for GLUC vs. CTRL, respectively) but plasma fatty acids, progesterone, and insulin concentrations were unaffected by treatment. Treatment did not affect either uterine lumen fluid glucose concentration or the mRNA abundance of specific glucose transporters in the endometrium. Mean conceptus length, width, and area on d 14 were reduced in the GLUC treatment compared with the CTRL treatment. A greater proportion of embryos in the CTRL group had elongated to all length cut-off measurements between 11 and 20 mm (measured in 1-mm increments) compared with the GLUC treatment. In conclusion, infusion of glucose into lactating dairy cows from d 7 to d 14 post-estrus during the critical period of conceptus elongation had an adverse impact on early embryonic development

Effect of equine chorionic gonadotropin treatment during a progesterone-based timed artificial insemination program on reproductive performance in seasonal-calving lactating dairy cows

peer-reviewedThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of progesterone (P4)-based timed artificial insemination (TAI) programs on fertility in seasonal-calving, pasture-based dairy herds. A total of 1,421 lactating dairy cows on 4 spring-calving farms were stratified based on days in milk (DIM) and parity and randomly allocated to 1 of 3 treatments: (1) control: no hormonal treatment; cows inseminated at detected estrus; (2) P4-Ovsynch: cows received a 7-d P4-releasing intravaginal device (PRID Delta; CEVA Santé Animale, Libourne, France) with 100 μg of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog (Ovarelin; CEVA Santé Animale) at PRID insertion, a 25-mg injection of PGF2α (Enzaprost; CEVA Santé Animale) at PRID removal, GnRH at 56 h after device removal and TAI 16 h later; (3) P4-Ovsynch+eCG: the same as P4-Ovsynch, but cows received 500 IU of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG; Syncrostim; CEVA Santé Animale) at PRID removal. At 10 d before mating start date (MSD), all cows that were ≥35 DIM were examined by transrectal ultrasound to assess presence or absence of a corpus luteum; body condition score (BCS) was also recorded. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by transrectal ultrasonography 30 to 35 d after insemination. Overall pregnancy/AI (P/AI) was not different between groups (50.9, 49.8, and 46.3% for control, P4-Ovsynch, and P4-Ovsynch+eCG, respectively) but the 21-d pregnancy rate was increased by the use of synchronization (35.0, 51.7, and 47.2%, respectively). Compared with the control group, synchronization significantly reduced the interval from MSD to conception (34.6, 23.0, and 26.5 d, respectively) and consequently reduced the average days open (98.0, 86.0, and 89.0 d). Across all treatment groups, DIM at the start of synchronization affected P/AI (42.3, 49.5, and 53.9% for 80 DIM, respectively), but neither parity (46.5, 50.4, and 48.4% for parity 1, 2, and ≥3, respectively) nor BCS (44.0, 49.4, and 58.6% for ≤2.50, 2.75–3.25, and ≥3.50, respectively) affected the likelihood of P/AI. Two-way interactions between treatment and DIM, parity, or BCS were not detected. In conclusion, the use of TAI accelerated pregnancy establishment in cows in a pasture-based system by reducing days open, but eCG administration at PRID removal did not affect P/AI

PRINT: A Novel Platform Toward Shape and Size Specific Nanoparticle Theranostics

Nanotheranostics represents the next generation of medicine, fusing nanotechnology, therapeutics, and diagnostics. By integrating therapeutic and imaging agents into one nanoparticle, this new treatment strategy has the potential not only to detect and diagnose disease but also to treat and monitor the therapeutic response. This capability could have a profound impact in both the research setting as well as in a clinical setting. In the research setting, such a capability will allow research scientists to rapidly assess the performance of new therapeutics in an effort to iterate their designs for increased therapeutic index and efficacy. In the clinical setting, theranostics offers the ability to determine whether patients enrolling in clinical trials are responding, or are expected to respond, to a given therapy based on the hypothesis associated with the biological mechanisms being tested. If not, patients can be more quickly removed from the clinical trial and shifted to other therapeutic options. To be effective, these theranostic agents must be highly site specific. Optimally, they will carry relevant cargo, demonstrate controlled release of that cargo, and include imaging probes with a high signal-to-noise ratio

Anti-Müllerian hormone in grazing dairy cows: Identification of factors affecting plasma concentration, relationship with phenotypic fertility, and genome-wide associations

peer-reviewedThe objectives of this study were to (1) characterize the distribution and variability of plasma anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentration; (2) evaluate factors associated with phenotypic variation in plasma AMH; (3) examine the associations between categories of plasma AMH and reproductive outcomes [pregnancy to first artificial insemination (P/AI), and pregnancy rates within 21, 42, and 84 d after the mating start date (MSD)]; (4) estimate pedigree and genomic heritability for plasma AMH; and (5) identify and validate SNP associated with phenotypic variation in plasma AMH. Plasma AMH concentration (pg/mL) was determined from a blood sample collected (mean ± standard deviation) 10 ± 2 d after first insemination at detected estrus (IDE) in 2,628 first- and second-parity Irish dairy cows. Overall, plasma AMH had a positively skewed distribution with mean (± standard deviation), median, minimum, and maximum concentrations of 326 ± 231, 268, 15, and 2,863 pg/mL, respectively. Plasma AMH was greatest for Jersey, followed by Holstein × Jersey, Holstein × Norwegian Red, and Holstein cows (410, 332, 284, and 257 pg/mL, respectively). Second-parity cows had greater plasma AMH than first-parity cows (333 vs. 301 pg/mL, respectively). Samples collected at 7 and 8 d after first IDE had lesser plasma AMH than those collected on d 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 after first IDE (291 and 297 vs. 317, 319, 331, 337, and 320 pg/mL). Plasma AMH was not associated with either body condition score at first IDE or the interval from calving to MSD. Cows were categorized into low (≤150 pg/mL; n = 526; lowest 20%), intermediate (>150 to ≤461 pg/mL; n = 1,576; intermediate 60%), and high AMH (>461 pg/mL; n = 526; highest 20%) groups based on plasma AMH, and associations with reproductive outcomes were tested. Cows with high and intermediate plasma AMH had 1.42- and 1.51-times-greater odds of becoming pregnant within 84 d after the MSD than those with low plasma AMH (90.3 and 90.8 vs. 86.8%, respectively); however, P/AI and pregnancy rate within 21 and 42 d after the MSD did not differ among AMH categories. Plasma AMH was moderately heritable (pedigree heritability of 0.40 ± 0.06 and genomic heritability of 0.45 ± 0.05), and 68 SNP across Bos taurus autosomes 7 and 11 were associated with phenotypic variation in plasma AMH. Out of 68 SNP, 42 were located in a single quantitative trait locus on Bos taurus autosome 11 that harbored 6 previously identified candidate genes (NR5A1, HSPA5, CRB2, DENND1A, NDUFA8, and PTGS) linked to fertility-related phenotypes in dairy cows

Both “illness and temptation of the enemy”: melancholy, the medieval patient and the writings of King Duarte of Portugal (r. 1433–38)

Recent historians have rehabilitated King Duarte of Portugal, previously maligned and neglected, as an astute ruler and philosopher. There is still a tendency, however, to view Duarte as a depressive or a hypochondriac, due to his own description of his melancholy in his advice book, the Loyal Counselor. This paper reassesses Duarte's writings, drawing on key approaches in the history of medicine, such as narrative medicine and the history of the patient. It is important to take Duarte's views on his condition seriously, placing them in the medical and theological contexts of his time and avoiding modern retrospective diagnosis. Duarte's writings can be used to explore the impact of plague, doubt and death on the life of a well-educated and conscientious late-medieval ruler

Effects over time of fertiliser P and soil series on P balance, soil-test P and herbage production

peer-reviewedThe authors thank the Irish Fertiliser Manufacturers’ Association and the Research Office, University of Limerick for funding a post-doctoral fellowship for J. McCarthyQuantification of the balance between P input and offtake (P balance), and the consequent effect on soil-test P, is essential for management of sustainable soil and fertiliser nutrient supply. Results of measurements on 31 cut swards showed that change in P balance over 4 years was significantly affected by both P treatment and soil series. The more negative P balances were in high-P soils, and in soils of non-limestone parent material compared with limestone parent material. Initial mean Morgan P of 4.3 and 12.6 mg/l, in low and high index groups (0 to 6.0 and ≥6.1 mg/l) decreased to 1.7 and 4.4 mg/l after 4 years with no P treatment, in response to annual changes of ca. 25 to 35 kg/ha in P balance. Decreases were progressively smaller with increased P input, and smaller in non-limestone than limestone soils. The ratio of negative P balance to change in Morgan P varied from 20:1 to 70:1 depending on soil P index and parent material. Five sites gave a response to P in the final year following annual P inputs of 20 and 40 kg/ha, although Morgan P was ≤3.0 mg/l at 12 sites in the preceding autumn and 3.1 to 6.0 at nine sites. The results showed that both P balance and soil series should be taken into account in efficient fertiliser management, and that data from cut swards can be extrapolated to grazed swards when adjusted for P offtake. However, the results did not support the assumption that inputs balance offtakes in direct proportion.National Development Plan 2000–200

Evaluation of protocols to synchronize estrus and ovulation in seasonal calving pasture-based dairy production systems

Peer-reviewedThis is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Dairy Science. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 94 (9), September 2011: 4488–4501. DOI:10.3168/jds.2010-4126Lactating dairy cows (n = 1,538) were enrolled in a randomized complete block design study to evaluate protocols to synchronize estrus and ovulation. Within each herd (n = 8), cows were divided into 3 calving groups: early, mid, and late, based on days in milk (DIM) at mating start date (MSD). Early calving cows (n = 1,244) were ≥42 DIM at MSD, mid-calving cows (n = 179) were 21 to 41 DIM at MSD, and late-calving cows (n = 115) were 0 to 20 DIM at MSD. Cows in the early, mid-, and late-calving groups were synchronized to facilitate estrus or timed AI (TAI) at MSD (planned breeding 1; PB1), 21 d (PB2), and 42 d (PB3) after MSD, respectively. For each PB, cows in the relevant calving group were stratified by parity and calving date and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental groups: (1) d −10 GnRH (10 μg of i.m. buserelin) and controlled internal drug release insert (CIDR; 1.38 g of progesterone); d −3 PGF2α (25 mg of i.m. dinoprost); and d −2 CIDR out and AI at observed estrus (CIDR_OBS); (2) same as CIDR_OBS, but GnRH 36 h after CIDR out and TAI 18 h later (CIDR_TAI); (3) same as CIDR_TAI, but no CIDR (Ovsynch); or (4) untreated controls (CTRL). The CIDR_OBS, CIDR_TAI, and Ovsynch had shorter mean intervals from calving to first service compared with the CTRL (69.2, 63.4, and 63.7 vs. 73.7 d, respectively). Both CIDR_OBS (predicted probability; PP of pregnancy = 0.59) and CIDR_TAI (PP of pregnancy = 0.54) had increased odds of conceiving at first service compared with Ovsynch [PP of pregnancy = 0.45; odds ratio (OR) = 1.81 and OR = 1.46, respectively], and Ovsynch had decreased likelihood of conceiving at first service (OR = 0.70) compared with CTRL (PP of pregnancy = 0.53). Both CIDR_TAI hazard ratio; HR [95% confidence interval = 1.21 (1.04, 1.41)] and Ovsynch [HR (95% confidence interval) = 1.23 (1.05, 1.44)] were associated with an increased likelihood of earlier conception compared with the CTRL. A greater proportion of cows on the CIDR_TAI treatment successfully established pregnancy in the first 42 d of the breeding season compared with the CTRL (0.75 vs. 0.67 PP of 42-d pregnancy, respectively). Protocols to synchronize estrus and ovulation were effective at achieving earlier first service and conception in pasture-based seasonal calving dairy herds. However, animals that conceived following insemination at observed estrus had a decreased likelihood of embryo loss to first service compared with animals bred with TAI (PP of embryo loss after first service = 0.05 vs. 0.09; OR = 0.52)

Prediction of Nitrogen Inputs for Sugar Beet.An Evaluation of Soil Tests and Soil

End of Project ReportCurrently, advice on nitrogen (N) use for tillage crops employs an index system based on crop management. However, there has not been a systematic evaluation of several of its components or of the relevance of soil tests, alone or in conjunction. The objective of the current study, therefore, was to evaluate relevant soil management data, various biological and chemical soil tests, and measurements of Nmin (NH4 + NO3) in the root profile, for prediction of fertiliser N requirements. The data used in the study were derived from a data bank of results of field and laboratory experiments for sugar beet. The following topics were addressed: selection of regression models based on soil management criteria; sustainability of contribution of soil N reserves; limitations of soil tests for N; long-term trends in Nmin and biomass C; relationship of mineral-N flush with biomass C; relevance of Nmin with growing-season rainfall; implications of winter rainfall for residual effects and their justification within the current soil N index.European Union Structural Funding (EAGGF

Effects of synchronization treatments on ovarian follicular dynamics, corpus luteum growth, and circulating steroid hormone concentrations in lactating dairy cows

Peer-reviewedLactating dairy cows (n = 57) ≥45 d postpartum at first service were enrolled in a randomized complete block design study to evaluate treatments to synchronize estrus and ovulation. At 10 d before artificial insemination (AI), animals were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: (1) d −10 GnRH (GnRH1; 10 μg of buserelin, i.m.) and controlled internal drug release insert [CIDR, 1.38 g of progesterone (P4)]; d −3 PGF2α (PGF; 25 mg of dinoprost, i.m.); d −2 CIDR out; and AI at observed estrus (CIDR_OBS); (2) same as CIDR_OBS, but GnRH (GnRH2) 36 h after CIDR out and timed AI (TAI) 18 h later (CIDR_TAI); or (3) same as CIDR_TAI, but no CIDR (Ovsynch). Transrectal ultrasound was used to assess follicle size before ovulation and on d 4, 8, and 15 after the presumptive day of estrus (d 0) to measure the corpus luteum (CL). Blood samples were collected to determine concentrations of estradiol (E2; d −10, −9, −3, −2, −1, and 0) and P4 (d −10, −9, −2, −1, 0, 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, and 15). No treatment differences were observed in either circulating concentrations of P4 or the ovulatory response to GnRH1 at the onset of synchronization treatments. Circulating concentrations of P4 were greater for CIDR_OBS and CIDR_TAI compared with Ovsynch at 24 h after CIDR insertion (5.34 and 4.98 vs. 1.75 ng/mL) and immediately before CIDR removal (1.65 and 1.48 vs. 0.40 ng/mL). Peak circulating concentrations of E2 were greater for CIDR_OBS compared with Ovsynch (3.85 vs. 2.39 pg/mL), but CIDR_TAI (2.82 pg/mL) did not differ from either CIDR_OBS or Ovsynch. The interval from PGF injection to peak circulating E2 did not differ between CIDR_TAI and Ovsynch (52.1 vs. 49.8 h). Both CIDR_TAI and Ovsynch, however, had shorter intervals from PGF injection to peak circulating E2 concentrations compared with CIDR_OBS (67.8 h). The diameter of the dominant follicle before ovulation was greater for CIDR_OBS compared with Ovsynch (18.5 vs. 16.0 mm) but CIDR_TAI (17.1 mm) did not differ from either of the other treatments. The mean interval from PGF to ovulation was longer for CIDR_OBS (100.0 h) compared with CIDR_TAI and Ovsynch (84.4 and 83.2 h, respectively). Use of CIDR_OBS resulted in increased preovulatory follicle size and greater circulating concentrations of E2 due to a longer period of preovulatory follicle growth. Progesterone supplementation during synchronization and GnRH on the day before TAI affected ovulatory follicle size, and periovulatory circulating concentrations of P4 and E2. No differences, however, in postovulatory P4 or luteal volume profiles were observed