Estimating the net return of a remote calving alarm system in a dairy farm

The aim of the study was to evaluate the net return of the implementation of a remote calving monitoring system for obstetrical and neonatal assistance on the herd economy in a dairy farm model. A total of 680 parturitions over a 7-yr period were evaluated. Age at first calving was restricted from 23 to 27 mo for primiparous cows to be included. Among groups of cows that were ready to calve in a 15-d interval, primiparous and multiparous were randomly assigned to the experimental group and monitored through a calving alarm system, whereas the others accounted for controls. Final parturition groups were as follows: control primiparous (CPP, n = 218), control multiparous (CM, n = 345), monitored primiparous (MPP, n = 56), and monitored multiparous (MM, n = 61). Monitored groups received prompt calving assistance and first neonatal care, whereas the presence of farm personnel was discontinuous for controls. A biological model was built considering significant differences in calf loss, early culling, milk production, and days open between groups. Then, a partial budget model was used to estimate costs and net return on a simulated herd of 100 lactating cows. Incidence of calf death was greater in control groups (11.06% and 10.73% in CPP and CM, respectively) compared with monitored cows (0.00% and 1.69% in MPP and MM, respectively). Multiparous cows with calf loss had increased relative risk (relative risk = 3.487) for early culling compared with multiparous counterparts with no neonatal loss. Daily milk production in the first 2 mo was 3.79 kg greater in multiparous cows with no dead calf, compared with their counterparts. A significant difference in median days open was found in MPP and CPP (118 and 148 d, respectively). In the final economic model, different simulations were analyzed. They were created assuming different prices or hypothesizing calving monitoring only in primiparous animals. The model estimated different, but always positive, net return. In conclusion, implementing a calving alarm system led to a net return from \u20ac37 to 90 per cow per year (\u20ac1 = US$1.15 at the time of the study). However, the device alone is not sufficient: it must be supported by qualified calving monitoring and assistance. Optimized personnel presence in the calving area at the right time leads to prompt calving and neonatal calf assistance and colostrum feeding within the first hours of life, thus reducing calf death and days open, and increasing milk production

Emotion regulation and desire thinking as predictors of problematic Facebook use

Background: Research evidence suggests that problematic Facebook use (PFU) affects large numbers of people worldwide. A variety of studies have investigated the relationship between PFU and psychological dysfunction, revealing that negative mood and cognitive self-regulation are common among problematic Facebook users. Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the role of craving, emotion regulation and desire thinking in predicting PFU. Methods: An online survey was administered to 750 participants (males = 82%; Mage = 23.38 years; SDage = 5.72). Correlation analyses were conducted in order to test the associations between emotion regulation, craving, desire thinking and PFU. A path analysis was run to model the inter-relationships between the variables based on previous research findings. Results: Correlation analyses indicated that all predictor variables were positively associated with PFU. Path analysis showed that imaginal prefiguration was associated with craving, which, in turn, was associated with verbal prefiguration that was directly linked to PFU, beyond the direct effect of emotion regulation. Conclusions: These findings provide further support for the importance of desire thinking in predicting problematic behaviours. Desire thinking and emotion regulation should be considered in the modification of problematic Facebook use

Laparotomic intrauterine insemination with frozen-thawed semen in Sopravissana breed ewes in Central Italy

Intrauterine laparoscopic insemination is diffuse in sheep breeding, yet requires veterinary expertise and expensive equipment. Our aim was to evaluate the time required, reproductive outcome and post-operative complications of mini invasive laparotomic intrauterine insemination, as an alternative approach to laparoscopy. A total of 115 Sopravvissana breed ewes were enrolled, including 75 adults and 40 lamb ewes, after oestrus synchronisation. Ewes were sedated and restrained in dorsal recumbence. Uterine horns were exposed through an abdominal incision of 4\u20137 cm, cranially to the udder. Thawed semen, containing 100 7 106 progressive motile (70%) and morphologically normal (80%) sperm cells, was inoculated into uterine lumen through an intravenous catheter. The abdominal incision was then routinely closed. The time interval for: (a) laparotomy and uterine exteriorisation, (b) intrauterine insemination, (c) abdominal wall closure and (d) total procedure was recorded. Pregnancy, lambing, twinning rates and sex ratio were submitted to chi-square test, comparing lamb and adult ewes. Time intervals and the duration of laparotomic procedure were compared in lamb and adults through Mann\u2013Whitney U test for independent samples. Median \ub1 standard error (SE) of total time for laparotomic intrauterine insemination was 5.53 \ub1 0.07 and 4.99 \ub1 0.11 min, for adult and lamb ewes (p<.05), which was similar to what was reported for laparoscopic methods. At pregnancy check, 60% and 70% of adult and lamb ewes resulted pregnant. Laparotomy is poorly applied due to risk of adherence and decreased fertility. In our study, ewes were naturally bred in the following season with 90% pregnancy rate. Our results showed that time for laparotomy is quite similar to laparoscopic insemination, as for the conception and lambing rates.HIGHLIGHTS Time required for the overall procedure (5.53 \ub1 0.07 and 4.99 \ub1 0.11 min, for adult and lamb ewes, respectively, with significant difference (p<.05)) was similar to laparoscopic artificial insemination. About 60% and 70% of adult and lamb ewes resulted pregnant, respectively. No decreased fertility was observed in the following breeding season (90% pregnancy rate at natural insemination). Laparotomic approach is quite similar to laparoscopic insemination, in terms of time required for its complete achievement, for the conception and lambing rates; furthermore it has the advantage of reducing equipment costs

Environmental Factors Affecting the Reproductive Efficiency of Italian Simmental Young Bulls

The objectives of the study aimed to evaluate the effect of weather conditions and scrotal circumference (SC) on standard semen characteristics of Italian Simmental young bulls (n = 577), all raised in the same performance station and sampled by the artificial vagina (AV) method. Considering the increasing SC, the results showed a significant increase in quantitative semen parameters (p < 0.05 and p < 0.0001, for sperm concentration and total number of spermatozoa, respectively); for every extra centimeter of SC, 17.5 × 106 spermatozoa/mL and 0.102 × 109 of total spermatozoa were produced. The age of the animal at semen collection (395 and 465 days) had similar positive effects. The effect of the average temperature humidity index (THI limits ≤ 40 and ≥70) in the previous 60, 30, and 10 days before the semen collection was also considered. Sixty days before the semen collection, the increasing THI increased both primary (p < 0.0001) and secondary (p < 0.0001) abnormalities while the percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa decreased (p < 0.0001). Thirty and ten days before collection, the same effect on morphological traits was maintained, but total and progressive motility was also influenced (p < 0.01) with an unexpected increasing pattern. Thus, environmental conditions can influence semen quality during the entire spermatogenesis and results can guide future research on this breed

Music Teacher Education at a Liberal Arts College

In 2012, a committee at a small Midwestern liberal arts college, Lake Forest College, embarked on a journey to create a music education teacher licensure major. Drawing from narrative inquiry, this article reports how the dean of faculty, education department chair, music department chair, and assistant professor of music/music education coordinator collaborated on a curricular creation. Findings from this process included (a) the created music education major, (b) each participant’s rationale for wanting the new music education major, (c) valued components of the music education major, and (d) unique elements of a music education major at a liberal arts college. Implications from this experience could be valuable for music education programs at small liberal arts colleges, those involved in university/school partnerships such as professional development schools, and those looking to advocate for their music education programs across campus

Prototype gluten-free breads from processed durum wheat: Use of monovarietal flours and implications for gluten detoxification strategies

gluten-free; detoxification strategies; sourdough; celiac disease; epitopes; in-vitro simulated human gastroduodenal digestionIn this investigation, we reported the production of prototype breads from the processed flours of three specific Triticum turgidum wheat genotypes that were selected in our previous investigation for their potential low toxic/immunogenic activity for celiac disease (CD) patients. The flours were subjected to sourdough fermentation with a mixture of selected Lactobacillus strains, and in presence of fungal endoproteases. The breads were characterized by R5 competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in order to quantify the residual gluten, and the differential efficacy in gluten degradation was assessed. In particular, two of them were classified as gluten-free (&lt;20 ppm) and very low-gluten content (&lt;100 ppm) breads, respectively, whereas the third monovarietal prototype retained a gluten content that was well above the safety threshold prescribed for direct consumption by CD patients. In order to investigate such a genotype-dependent efficiency of the detoxification method applied, an advanced proteomic characterization by high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry was performed. Notably, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first proteomic investigation which benefitted, for protein identification, from the full sequencing of the Triticum turgidum ssp. durum genome. The differences of the proteins’ primary structures affecting their susceptibility to hydrolysis were investigated. As a confirmation of the previous immunoassay-based results, two out of the three breads made with the processed flours presented an exhaustive degradation of the epitopic sequences that are relevant for CD immune stimulatory activity. The list of the detected epitopes was analyzed and critically discussed in light of their susceptibility to the detoxification strategy applied. Finally, in-vitro experiments of human gastroduodenal digestion were carried out in order to assess, in-silico, the toxicity risk of the prototype breads under investigation for direct consumption by CD patients. This approach allowed us to confirm the total degradation of the epitopic sequences upon gastro-duodenal digestion

Synthesis of the Stationary Phase IS-Anionic (Internal Surface-Anionic) for Extraction of Ochratoxin A and B from Samples of Beers

A new IS-anionic stationary phase was synthesized to make on-line extraction of the ochratoxin A and B from samples of beer for HPLC. The propyltriethylammonium chloride stationary phase was characterized affecting it’s elementary determination and RI specter, respectively. Evaluation of the IS-anionic column for the extraction and quantification of OTA and OTB in beer has shown that the column is suitable for efficient extraction (recovery >76.5%) and precise analysis. The detection limits for OTA and OTB were 0.03 and 0.07 μgL−1, respectively. The range of detector linearity was 0.03 at 20 μgL−1

Gene-specific inhibition of breast carcinoma in BALB-neuT mice by active immunization with rat Neu or human ErbB receptors

Employing the transgenic BALB-neuT mouse tumor model, we explored the in vivo biologic relevance of immunocompetent epitopes shared among the four ErbB receptors. The outcome of neu-mediated tumorigenesis was compared following vaccination with isogeneic normal rat ErbB2/Neu (LTR-Neu) or xenogeneic human ErbB receptors (LTR-EGFR, LTR-ErbB2, LTR-ErbB3 and LTR-ErbB4), each recombinantly expressed in an NIH3T3 murine cell background. Vaccination using rat LTR-Neu at the stage of atypical hyperplasia potently inhibited neu-mediated mammary tumorigenesis. Moreover, all human ErbB receptors specifically interfered with tumor development in BALB-neuT mice. Relative increase in tumor-free survival and reduction in tumor incidence corresponded to structural similarity shared with the etiologic neu oncogene, as rat orthologue LTR-Neu proved most effective followed by the human homologue LTR-ErbB2 and the other three human ErbB receptors. Vaccination resulted in high titer specific serum antibodies, whose tumor-inhibitory effect correlated with cross-reactivity to purified rat Neu extracellular domain in vitro. Furthermore, a T cell response specific for peptide epitopes of rat Neu was elicited in spleen cells of mice immunized with LTR-Neu and was remotely detectable for discrete peptides upon vaccination with LTR-ErbB2 and LTR-EGFR. The most pronounced tumor inhibition by LTR-Neu vaccination was associated with leukocyte infiltrate and tumor necrosis in vivo, while immune sera specifically induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis of BALB-neuT tumor cells in vitro. Our findings indicated that targeted inhibition of neu oncogene-mediated mammary carcinogenesis is conditional upon the immunization schedule and discrete immunogenic epitopes shared to a variable extent by different ErbB receptors