Phenotypic attributes of postpartum ovulation and other fertility measures in Friesian-Jersey crossbred cows

ABSTRACT Reproductive performance is an important factor contributing to on-farm efficiency and profitability. The purpose of this study was to define and quantify a set of fertility phenotypes for 352 Friesian-Jersey crossbred heifers, and determine key factors contributing to these indicators. Heats were observed and recorded prior to herd start of mating, and CIDRs were used to treat non-cycling heifers (51) once mating started. Progesterone samples were collected twice weekly, and luteal activity was identified where concentrations were >0.9 ng/ml for blood and >3.0 ng/ml for milk samples. Commencement of luteal activity was defined by either one elevated sample (CLA1) or two consecutive elevated samples (CLA2). For untreated heifers, the average intervals to CLA1 and CLA2 were 29.6 days (sd=14.3) and 34.1 days (sd=16.9) respectively. Other phenotypes were evaluated for conception and intervals to first heat, first service and successful service. Significant relationships were established between body condition score (BCS) at calving and the intervals to CLA. For every unit decline in BCS at calving there was an increase of 7.4 days to CLA1 and 8.8 days to CLA2. The evaluated fertility phenotypes, and their key contributing factors will be used in another study to identify related quantitative trait loci (QTL)

Using keystroke logging to understand writers’ processes on a reading-into-writing test

Background Integrated reading-into-writing tasks are increasingly used in large-scale language proficiency tests. Such tasks are said to possess higher authenticity as they reflect real-life writing conditions better than independent, writing-only tasks. However, to effectively define the reading-into-writing construct, more empirical evidence regarding how writers compose from sources both in real-life and under test conditions is urgently needed. Most previous process studies used think aloud or questionnaire to collect evidence. These methods rely on participants’ perceptions of their processes, as well as their ability to report them. Findings This paper reports on a small-scale experimental study to explore writers’ processes on a reading-into-writing test by employing keystroke logging. Two L2 postgraduates completed an argumentative essay on computer. Their text production processes were captured by a keystroke logging programme. Students were also interviewed to provide additional information. Keystroke logging like most computing tools provides a range of measures. The study examined the students’ reading-into-writing processes by analysing a selection of the keystroke logging measures in conjunction with students’ final texts and interview protocols. Conclusions The results suggest that the nature of the writers’ reading-into-writing processes might have a major influence on the writer’s final performance. Recommendations for future process studies are provided

Predictors of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in Indigenous adult residents of central Australia: results of a case-control study

The human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is associated with pulmonary inflammation. Indigenous Australians in central Australia have a very high prevalence of HTLV-1 infection and we hypothesised that this might contribute to high rates of bronchiectasis in this population. 80 Indigenous adults with confirmed bronchiectasis, each matched by age, sex and language to two controls without bronchiectasis, were recruited. Case notes and chest imaging were reviewed, HTLV-1 serology and the number of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) infected with HTLV-1 (pro-viral load (PVL)) were determined, and radiological abnormality scores were calculated. Participants were followed for a mean±sd of 1.14±0.86 years and causes of death were determined. Median (interquartile range) HTLV-1 PVL for cases was 8-fold higher than controls (cases 213.8 (19.7-3776.3) copies per 10⁵ PBLs versus controls 26.6 (0.9-361) copies per 10⁵ PBLs; p=0.002). Radiological abnormality scores were higher for cases with HTLV-1 PVL ≥1000 copies per 10⁵ PBLs and no cause of bronchiectasis other than HTLV-1 infection. Major predictors of bronchiectasis were prior severe lower respiratory tract infection (adjusted OR (aOR) 17.83, 95% CI 4.51-70.49; p<0.001) and an HTLV-1 PVL ≥1000 copies per 10⁵ PBLs (aOR 12.41, 95% CI 3.84-40.15; p<0.001). Bronchiectasis (aOR 4.27, 95% CI 2.04-8.94; p<0.001) and HTLV-1 PVL ≥1000 copies per 105 PBLs (aOR 3.69, 95% CI 1.11-12.27; p=0.033) predicted death. High HTLV-1 PVLs are associated with bronchiectasis and with more extensive radiological abnormalities, which may result from HTLV-1-mediated airway inflammation.Lloyd Einsiedel, Hai Pham, Virginia Au, Saba Hatami, Kim Wilson, Tim Spelman and Hubertus Jersman

Incidence of WHO stage 3 and 4 conditions following initiation of Anti-Retroviral Therapy in resource limited settings

To determine the incidence of WHO clinical stage 3 and 4 conditions during early anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in resource limited settings (RLS)

The Green Economy: Functional Domains and Theoretical Directions of Enquiry

The green economy is a highly complex construct in terms of its attempts to integrate economic, environmental, and social concerns, the wide range of actors involved, its material outcomes, and the forms of governance needed to regulate processes of economic greening. As such, it poses new empirical and theoretical challenges for social science research on socioenvironmental futures. This paper has two main aims. The first is to survey the emergent features and functional domains of the green economy. The second is to consider theoretical tools that might be used to analyse the drivers and processes shaping the green economy. Focusing on literature on sociotechnical transitions, ecological modernisation, the ‘green’ cultural economy, and postpolitical governance, we argue that understanding the functional and spatial heterogeneity of the green economy necessitates a multitheoretical approach. We then explore how combining branches of research on socioenvironmental governance can lead to theoretically and ontologically richer insights into the drivers, practices, and power relations within the green economy. In so doing, we respond to calls for socioeconomic research on environmental change which is neither just empirical nor bound to one theoretical outlook to the detriment of understanding the complexity of socioenvironmental governance and human–nature relations.</jats:p

Misogyny, racism, and Islamophobia: street harassment at the intersections

Veiled Muslim women are at an increased risk of street harassment in the current political and economic climate. Their visibility, combined with their popular portrayal as culturally dangerous or threatening means that they are vulnerable to receiving verbal and physical threats, which can be misogynistic and Islamophobic in nature. Drawing on 60 individual and 20 focus group interviews with Muslim women in the United Kingdom who wear the niqab (face veil) and had experienced harassment in public, this qualitative study details their lived experiences. It argues that an intersectional analysis is crucial to understanding the nuances of their lived experiences and the impact street harassment has on their lives. The findings demonstrate that street harassment can produce a hostile environment for veiled Muslim women, which can have a terrorizing effect, limiting their full participation in the public sphere

High male specific contribution of the X-chromosome to individual global recombination rate in dairy cattle.

[en] BACKGROUND: Meiotic recombination plays an important role in reproduction and evolution. The individual global recombination rate (GRR), measured as the number of crossovers (CO) per gametes, is a complex trait that has been shown to be heritable. The sex chromosomes play an important role in reproduction and fertility related traits. Therefore, variants present on the X-chromosome might have a high contribution to the genetic variation of GRR that is related to meiosis and to reproduction. RESULTS: We herein used genotyping data from 58,474 New Zealand dairy cattle to estimate the contribution of the X-chromosome to male and female GRR levels. Based on the pedigree-based relationships, we first estimated that the X-chromosome accounted for 30% of the total additive genetic variance for male GRR. This percentage was equal to 19.9% when the estimation relied on a SNP-BLUP approach assuming each SNP has a small contribution. We then carried out a haplotype-based association study to map X-linked QTL, and subsequently fine-mapped the identified QTL with imputed sequence variants. With this approach we identified three QTL with large effect accounting for 7.7% of the additive genetic variance of male GRR. The associated effects were equal to + 0.79, - 1.16 and + 1.18 CO for the alternate alleles. In females, the estimated contribution of the X-chromosome to GRR was null and no significant association with X-linked loci was found. Interestingly, two of the male GRR QTL were associated with candidate genes preferentially expressed in testis, in agreement with a male-specific effect. Finally, the most significant QTL was associated with PPP4R3C, further supporting the important role of protein phosphatase in double-strand break repair by homologous recombination. CONCLUSIONS: Our study illustrates the important role the X-chromosome can have on traits such as individual recombination rate, associated with testis in males. We also show that contribution of the X-chromosome to such a trait might be sex dependent