Deep intrauterine insemination in sow: results of a field trial

RiassuntoTraditional insemination techniques in pigs depose a high number of spermatozoa (2 to 3x109 spermatozoa) in a large volume of liquid (80-100 ml) into the cervix channel. The dose can be reduced markedly deposing it directly into the uterine horn. Previous studies showed that fertility rate and litter size were not significantly different with 5 or 15x107 spermatozoa in 10 ml into the uterus. The goal of this study was to determine the on-farm application and the reproductive performance of the deep intrauterine insemination (Firflex® probe, MAGAPOR, Spain) in sows. Experiments were conducted under field conditions in 4 commercial pig farms in the North of Italy (September 2003 and March 2004). A total of 166 crossbred multiparous sows were randomly selected after weaning and assigned to one of the following groups: Group 1 – traditional insemination with 3x109 sperm./dose, two insemination per oestrus (n=94) and Group 2 – deep intrauterine insemination with 15x107 sperm./dose, one insemination pe..

Electronic identification in rabbits: two body sites of injectable transponder

AbstractIdentification and monitoring of farm animals are effective tools for traceability. Actual livestock identification systems (ear-tags, tattoos, etc.) are not completely efficient and offer some inconveniences. The use of injectable transponders might be a reliable method for individual identification, allowing the improvement of the data recording and the farm management. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the applicability of injectable transponder in live rabbits. A total of 40 fattening rabbits of 55 days old were injected with 23 mm passive FDX-B transponders (Datamars, Switzerland), preloaded into a needle in a sterilised packaged and applied by using a transponder injector (Planet ID, Germany). Two body locations for transponder's injection were studied: laterally to the neck (n=20) and armpit (n=20). Readings of the transponders were performed using portable ISO transceiver, before injection, after injection, the day after, after one week, after one month, before the slaughtering pr..

Monitoraggio di un gruppo di cervi (Cervus elaphus L.) marcati: uso del territorio in un areale alpino

Al fine di acquisire informazioni sull'uso del territorio in ambiente alpino da parte di cervi selvatici e di cervi allevati in recinto e reintrodotti nell'ambiente naturale, sono stati analizzati gli avvistamenti di 10 cervi marcati in Val Fontana (Provincia di Sondrio). Le dimensioni dello spazio minimo occupato dalle femmine sono risultate mediamente di 358 ettari (comprese tra 28 e 875 ettari). Non si sono evidenziati veri e propri comportamenti migratori stagionali, anche se una cerva si \uc3\ua8 spostata temporaneamente in Val Malenco ed \uc3\ua8 poi riapparsa in Val Fontana. I territori invernali rappresentano una frazione pi\uc3\ub9 piccola di quelli estivi, e sono localizzati a quote generalmente inferiori. La cerva allevata in recinto si \uc3\ua8 rivelata inadatta a rappresentare il comportamento tipico della sua specie, sia dal punto di vista spaziale che sociale

Habitat use and group size of African wild ungulates in a Namibian game ranch

Aim of this research was to gather information on group size and habitat use by the different ungulate species and spatial overlap among species. Data were collected in the dry season in a fenced area (5021 hectares) during 44 game drives along five different routes; for each sighting, we recorded species, day, time, location (on a map divided into square grid units of 500 m sides), number of animals and habitat type. Duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) was the more solitary species, followed by steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) and warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), while hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus), blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), eland (Taurotragus oryx) and mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae) usually formed large groups. This is in agreement with the normal social behaviour of these species. Nevertheless, the high percentage of solitary oryx (Oryx gazella), greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) and impala (Aepyceros melampus) is unusual. The frequent presence of isolated individuals in gregarious species may indicate a dispersion of the animals in the territory due to reduced food availability. Some of the species showed their typical habitat use; however, some species also used less suitable habitats. A low degree of spatial overlap was observed between most of the species. In spite of this, in some cases a considerable overlap occurred. For example, kudu and springbok, which had a wide spatial distribution, showed a high degree of spatial overlap with other species (e.g., all of the grid units used by zebra were used in common with kudu, and 88% of the grid units used by blesbok was in common with springbok). Data indicate that animals are overabundant in this fenced area and they are suffering from the dry season

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

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