Management Strategies for Improving the Re-Breeding of the Cow

What are the primary factors that influence the ability of cows to rebreed following calving? From a broad perspective, two key factors influence when conception occurs. First, cows must initiate estrous (heat) cycles following calving to provide the proper conditions for conception to be possible. Secondly those events involved in conception must occur. We will discuss what has to occur before estrous cycles are initiated. The influence of the presence of bulls on initiation of estrous cycles is emphasized. In the second section of the paper, we describe conception rates in 2 and 3 year old cows during the early post calving period. In addition, we describe management decisions which influence net income in cow/calf operations

Management Strategies for Improving the Re-Breeding of the Cow

What are the primary factors that influence the ability of cows to rebreed following calving? From a broad perspective, two key factors influence when conception occurs. First, cows must initiate estrous (heat) cycles following calving to provide the proper conditions for conception to be possible. Secondly those events involved in conception must occur. We will discuss what has to occur before estrous cycles are initiated. The influence of the presence of bulls on initiation of estrous cycles is emphasized. In the second section of the paper, we describe conception rates in 2 and 3 year old cows during the early post calving period. In addition, we describe management decisions which influence net income in cow/calf operations

Prolonged Elevated Concentrations of Estradiol Do Not Affect Conception Rates in Beef Cattle

Following treatments causing either prolonged elevated concentrations of estradiol associated with development of persistent follicles or inhibited elevated concentrations of estradiol and development of persistent follicles, conception rates were compared. Beef females received either four norgestomet implants for 9 days (day 0 = treatment initiation; n=59) or one norgestomet implant for 7 days and three additional norgestomet implants for 2 days (n=60). All implants were removed on day 9 followed by estrous detection and AI for 7 days. Treatment and day interacted to affect estradiol concentrations from day 0 to day 9 with elevated estradiol in females treated with one norgestomet implant for 7 days. Conception rates to AI were similar across treatments. Prolonged elevated concentrations of estradiol associated with development of persistent ovarian follicles do not affect fertility when persistent ovarian follicles are not allowed to ovulate

Production of membrane proteins for characterisation of their pheromone-sensing and antimicrobial resistance functions

AbstractDespite the importance of membrane proteins in cellular processes, studies of these hydrophobic proteins present major technical challenges, including expression and purification for structural and biophysical studies. A modified strategy of that proposed previously by Saidijam et al. (2005) and others, for the routine expression of bacterial membrane proteins involved in environmental sensing and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), is proposed which results in purification of sufficient proteins for biophysical experiments. We report expression successes amongst a collection of enterococcal vancomycin resistance membrane proteins: VanTG, VanTG-M transporter domain, VanZ and the previously characterised VanS (A-type) histidine protein kinase (HPK). Using the same strategy, we report on the successful amplification and purification of intact BlpH and ComD2 HPKs of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Near-UV circular dichroism revealed both recombinant proteins bound their pheromone ligands BlpC and CSP2. Interestingly, CSP1 also interacted with ComD. Finally, we evaluate the alternative strategy for studying sensory HPKs involving isolated soluble sensory domain fragments, exemplified by successful production of VicKESD of Enterococcus faecalis VicK. Purified VicKESD possessed secondary structure post-purification. Thermal denaturation experiments using far-UV CD, a technique which can be revealing regarding ligand binding, revealed that: (a) VicKESD denaturation occurs between 15 and 50 °C; and (b) reducing conditions did not detectably affect denaturation profiles suggesting reducing conditions per se are not directly sensed by VicKESD. Our findings provide information on a modified strategy for the successful expression, production and/or storage of bacterial membrane HPKs, AMR proteins and sensory domains for their future crystallisation, and ligand binding studies

PGRMC1 phosphorylation affects cell shape, motility, glycolysis, mitochondrial form and function, and tumor growth.

BackgroundProgesterone Receptor Membrane Component 1 (PGRMC1) is expressed in many cancer cells, where it is associated with detrimental patient outcomes. It contains phosphorylated tyrosines which evolutionarily preceded deuterostome gastrulation and tissue differentiation mechanisms.ResultsWe demonstrate that manipulating PGRMC1 phosphorylation status in MIA PaCa-2 (MP) cells imposes broad pleiotropic effects. Relative to parental cells over-expressing hemagglutinin-tagged wild-type (WT) PGRMC1-HA, cells expressing a PGRMC1-HA-S57A/S181A double mutant (DM) exhibited reduced levels of proteins involved in energy metabolism and mitochondrial function, and altered glucose metabolism suggesting modulation of the Warburg effect. This was associated with increased PI3K/AKT activity, altered cell shape, actin cytoskeleton, motility, and mitochondrial properties. An S57A/Y180F/S181A triple mutant (TM) indicated the involvement of Y180 in PI3K/AKT activation. Mutation of Y180F strongly attenuated subcutaneous xenograft tumor growth in NOD-SCID gamma mice. Elsewhere we demonstrate altered metabolism, mutation incidence, and epigenetic status in these cells.ConclusionsAltogether, these results indicate that mutational manipulation of PGRMC1 phosphorylation status exerts broad pleiotropic effects relevant to cancer and other cell biology

EC85-219 1985 Nebraska Swine Report

This 1985 Nebraska Swine Report was prepared by the staff in Animal Science and cooperating departments for use in the Extension and Teaching programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Authors from the following areas contributed to this publication: Swine Nutrition, swine diseases, pathology, economics, engineering, swine breeding, meats, agronomy, and diagnostic laboratory. It covers the following areas: breeding, disease control, feeding, nutrition, economics, housing and meats

How Quickly We Forget: The Duration of Persuasion Effects From Mass Communication

Scholars do not usually test for the duration of the effects of mass communication, but when they do, they typically find rapid decay. Persuasive impact may end almost as soon as communication ends. Why so much decay? Does mass communication produce any long-term effects? How should this decay color our understanding of the effects of mass communication? We examine these questions with data from the effects of advertising in the 2000 presidential election and 2006 subnational elections, but argue that our model and results are broadly applicable within the field of political communication. We find that the bulk of the persuasive impact of advertising decays quickly, but that some effect in the presidential campaign endures for at least 6 weeks. These results, which are similar in rolling cross-section survey data and county-level data on actual presidential vote, appear to reflect a mix of memory-based processing (whose effects last only as long as short-term memory lasts) and online processing (whose effects are more durable). Finally, we find that immediate effects of advertising are larger in subnational than presidential elections, but decay more quickly and more completely. [Supplementary material is available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Political Communication for the following free supplemental resource(s): discussion of methodological issues; results for a alternative specifications of key models; full reports of model results.]. © 2013 Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

COVIDReady2 study protocol: cross-sectional survey of medical student volunteering and education during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

Abstract: Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to global disruption of healthcare. Many students volunteered to provide clinical support. Volunteering to work in a clinical capacity was a unique medical education opportunity; however, it is unknown whether this was a positive learning experience or which volunteering roles were of most benefit to students. Methods: The COVIDReady2 study is a national cross-sectional study of all medical students at medical schools in the United Kingdom. The primary outcome is to explore the experiences of medical students who volunteered during the pandemic in comparison to those who did not. We will compare responses to determine the educational benefit and issues they faced. In addition to quantitative analysis, thematic analysis will be used to identify themes in qualitative responses. Discussion: There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that service roles have potential to enhance medical education; yet, there is a shortage of studies able to offer practical advice for how these roles may be incorporated in future medical education. We anticipate that this study will help to identify volunteer structures that have been beneficial for students, so that similar infrastructures can be used in the future, and help inform medical education in a non-pandemic setting. Trial registration: Not Applicable