Variations in semen quality parameters of Ovchepolian pramenka rams according to the method of collection and the meteorological season

The off-breeding season for rams is a time-limiting factor for their use in scientific aims. This research was set upon two aims: (1) to acknowledge the differences of semen quality collected throughout the year, and (2) to investigate which of the two commonly used methods for semen collection (artificial vagina - A.V. and electro ejaculation - E.E.) could prove to be more favorable in the off-breeding period. Five Ovchepolian Pramenka rams were used for this investigation. They were divided in two groups: group 1 (two rams), which was subjected to A.V. method, and group 2 (three rams), which was subjected to E.E. method for semen collection. Semen evaluation included: volume, spermatozoa concentration, live spermatozoa, ejaculate density and motility. According to the season, results have a high statistical significance for the volume (P<0.01) and motility (P<0.001) parameters. Group 1 and 2 results versification showed a high statistical significance for the motility score (P<0.001), ejaculate volume (P<0.01) and percentage of live spermatozoa (P<0.01) parameters. In conclusion, the A.V. method is more favorable for semen collection in late autumn, winter and spring time when rams are out of the breeding season

THE EFFECT OF EXTENDING RAM SPERM BEFORE AND AFTER CRYOPRESERVATION ON THEIR VIABILITY AND VELOCITY

The current study aimed to assess the effect of adding cryopreserving extender (soy-bean lecithin-SBLE), reduced glutathione (GSH), and seminal plasma (SP) before and after thawing on viability and velocity of cryopreserved ram sperm in liquid nitrogen. Fresh ejaculates (Ovchepolska pramenka rams, n=10) were collected and pooled. One portion was extended up to 50 million/ml with SBLE (control C-a), SBLE and GSH 5 mM (E1-a), SBLE and SP 20 vol% (E2-a), and SBLE, GSH 5 mM and SP 20 vol% (E3-a), respectively. The second portion was extended with SBLE to 100 million/ml. Both portions were cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. Following thawing, the second portion was extended in the same manner to 50 million/ml and was separated into C-b, E1-b, E2-b, and E3-b, respectively. Each group was sampled in ten replicates immediately following thawing. Thawed samples were analyzed for viability (Hancock-2 stain), and velocity (Hamilton Thorne, USA). Each sample included at least 200 cells and the results were expressed in percent values (mean±SEM). Normality (Kolmogorov) and variance comparison (factorial-ANOVA) were performed in Statistica 8 with a significance level p&lt;0.05. E2-a (57.58% ±2.40) and E3-a (56.94% ±1.85) yielded significantly higher viability compared to the C-a (40.73 ±1.53). There were no significant differences between C-b (50.00% ±2.33), E1-b (43.61% ±1.37), E2-b (49.16% ±1.50), and E3-b (48.50% ±1.85). In conclusion, the addition of SBLE, GSH, and SP prior vs after cryopreservation has a significant effect on thawed ram sperm viability and velocity

Pets as Sentinels of Human Exposure to Neurotoxic Metals

The idea that animals may be used as sentinels of environmental hazards pending over humans and the associated public health implications is not a new one. Nowadays pets are being used as bioindicators for the effects of environmental contaminants in human populations. This is of paramount importance due to the large increase in the worldwide distribution of synthetic chemicals, particularly in the built environment. Companion animals share the habitat with humans being simultaneously exposed to and suffering the same disease spectrum as their masters. Moreover, their shorter latency periods (due to briefer lifespans) enable them to act as early warning systems, allowing timely public health interventions. The rise on ethical constraints on the use of animals and, consequently, on the sampling they can be subjected to has led to the preferential use of noninvasive matrices, and in this case we are looking into hair. This chapter focuses in three non-essential metals: mercury, lead, and cadmium, due to their ubiquitous presence in the built environment and their ability of affecting the mammal nervous system. There is a fairly short amount of studies reporting the concentrations of these metals in pets’ hair, particularly for cats. These studies are characterized, and the metal concentrations corresponding to different parameters (e.g., age, sex, diet, rearing) are described in order to provide the reader with a general vision on the use of this noninvasive matrix on the studies conducted since the last two decades of the twentieth century.publishe

Proteomics Coupled with Metabolite and Cell Wall Profiling Reveal Metabolic Processes of a Developing Rice Stem Internode

Internodes of grass stems function in mechanical support, transport, and, in some species, are a major sink organ for carbon in the form of cell wall polymers. This study reports cell wall composition, proteomic, and metabolite analyses of the rice elongating internode. Cellulose, lignin, and xylose increase as a percentage of cell wall material along eight segments of the second rice internode (internode II) at booting stage, from the younger to the older internode segments, indicating active cell wall synthesis. Liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) of trypsin-digested proteins from this internode at booting reveals 2,547 proteins with at least two unique peptides in two biological replicates. The dataset includes many glycosyltransferases, acyltransferases, glycosyl hydrolases, cell wall-localized proteins, and protein kinases that have or may have functions in cell wall biosynthesis or remodeling. Phospho-enrichment of internode II peptides identified 21 unique phosphopeptides belonging to 20 phosphoproteins including a leucine rich repeat-III family receptor like kinase. GO over-representation and KEGG pathway analyses highlight the abundances of proteins involved in biosynthetic processes, especially the synthesis of secondary metabolites such as phenylpropanoids and flavonoids. LC-MS/MS of hot methanol-extracted secondary metabolites from internode II at four stages (booting/elongation, early mature, mature, and post mature) indicates that internode secondary metabolites are distinct from those of roots and leaves, and differ across stem maturation. This work fills a void of in-depth proteomics and metabolomics data for grass stems, specifically for rice, and provides baseline knowledge for more detailed studies of cell wall synthesis and other biological processes characteristic of internode development, toward improving grass agronomic properties.This work was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (grant numbers EPS-0814361, 0923247, and CHE-1626372), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science (DE-SC0006904), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, (2010-38502-21836). A portion of this research was performed in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory is a DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research scientific user facility on the PNNL campus. PNNL is a multiprogram national laboratory operated by Battelle for the DOE under contract DE-AC05-76RL01830. Collaboration with EMSL was supported through Projects 49477 and 49510. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies. Open access fees fees for this article provided whole or in part by OU Libraries Open Access Fund.Ye

Dataset RDA-ES-Apr-2019-0206

This file contains data for thawed ram spermatozoa frequency in viability (VIAB), curvilinear path velocity (VCL) and amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) categories organized in contingency tables and chi-square of independence analysis, contemplated with adjusted residuals and relative contribution indexes (RCI)

Examensarbete: Effektiv testinställning för mobiltelefoner

Sammanfattning Cybercoms testcenter i Malmö testar Sony mobiler och utför Android CTS- och GTS-tester. Innan testningen av mobilerna måste testpersonalen konfigurera mobilerna för att testningen skall kunna utföras på ett korrekt sätt. Genomförandet av dessa konfigureringar är tidskrävande eftersom de görs manuellt. Denna rapport beskriver konstruktionen av en tidseffektiv testinställning för Sony mobiltelefoner avsett för internt bruk av företaget Cybercom. Testinställningen består huvudsakligen av en Android-applikation som installeras på mobilen som skall testas med hjälp av en NFC-tagg. Med applikationen kan testarna automatisera ungefär hälften av konfigureringarna som måste göras. Resterande konfigureringar är fortfarande manuella, men betydligt lättare att utföra med applikationen. Genom testsystemet har tiden för konfigurering av mobilerna halverats. Enligt våra beräkningar sparas ungefär 1.5 min per enhet, vilket medför en ökning i produktiviteten för företaget.Abstract Cybercom’s testcenter in Malmö is testing Sony mobile devices and carry out Android CTS and GTS tests. The testers must configure the mobile handsets correctly before they start running the tests. The implementation of these configurations is time-consuming because they are being made manually. This report is about constructing an effective test setup for Sony mobile phones, intended for internal by the company Cybercom. The test setup will mainly consist of an Android application that will be installed on the smartphone to be tested, with the help of a NFC-tag. The application allows the testers to automate approximately half of the configurations carried out on the smartphone. The remaining configurations are still manual, but much easier to configure with our simplifications. With the help of the test setup, the time for configurations to be installed on the smartphones has decreased by half. According to our calculations the testers save about 1.5 min per unit, which results in an increase in productivity for the company

Metabolic profile and hormonal status comparison between prımıparous and multıparous non-cyclıc cows

Several reports indicated that a large proportion of dairy cows have not resumed cyclicity until day 60 after calving. These cows are traditionally classified as non-cycling (anoestrous or anovular cows). Static ovaries (SO, lack of luteal tissue and follicles >8 mm, and progesterone < 0.5 ng/mL) could be a possible underlying reason that contributes to a non-cycling status. Although SO affects both primiparous (PP) and multiparous (MP) cows, PP cows are more prone to be non-cycling than MP. Therefore, this study aims to compare the metabolic profiles and hormonal status between non-cycling PP and MP cows diagnosed with SO. One hundred and twenty one animals that did not express signs of oestrus until day 60 postpartum were grouped by parity (PP, n=58 and MP, n=63), then blood sampled and examined using transrectal ultrasonography. Blood samples were collected before the ultrasonographic examination. Out of those, 42 PP (72.4%) and 28 MP (44.4%) were diagnosed as non-cycling (bearing SO). Serum concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol, total protein and albumin did not differ between parity groups. The glucose concentrations in PP cows (1.43 ± 0.59 mmol/L) and MP cows (1.69 ± 0.71 mmol/L) did not differ, however, they were less than the normal physiological concentration. In addition, no differences were detected between parity groups for concentrations of NEFA, β-HBA, progesterone and estradiol. In summary, we concluded that non-cycling PP and MP cows bearing SO have similar hormonal status and metabolic profiles

Clinical mastitis incidence in small-scale dairy cow farms

The incidence of clinical mastitis (CM) in small and large-scale dairy cow farms can be highly variable and can be affected by age, parity, post-calving status, and atmospheric conditions. The current study aimed to assess the CM-incidence and its association with the post-calving days, number of lactations, season, and number of affected udder quarters in dairy cows in small-scale dairy farms. The study was conducted within one calendar year in 177 small-scale farms with 864 dairy cows. Clinically confirmed CM cows (n=72) were sampled from each udder quarter and processed for bacteriology examination. The CM-positive samples were grouped according to the season (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), the number of days after calving (180), the number of lactations (1-st, 2-5-th, and >6-th), and the number of affected udder quarters (one, two, three, and four). The CM-positive samples (n=72, 8.3%) were confirmed on bacteriology examination in significantly lower count (n=56, 6.5%). The 2-5-th lactations cows (n=35, 68.6%) were significantly more compared to the first lactation (n=6, 11.8%), and >6-th lactation cows (n=10, 19.6%). CM cows with infection of one udder quarter (n=40, 78.4%) were significantly more than the cows with two (n=6, 11.8%), and four infected quarters (n=5, 9.8%). The CM-incidence in small-scale dairy cow farms in North Macedonia was 8.3% and 6.5% by clinical and bacteriology examination, respectively. The highest CM susceptibility was observed in the cows between the second and fifth lactations. One udder quarter was most frequently affected in CM-positive cases

Retrospective study on trilostane titration dose treatment in dogs with terminal stage of hyperadrenocorticism

Hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) in dogs is routinely treated with trilostane single-dose (CTG) which is reported to cause adverse reactions. The current retrospective study of several dogs with terminal stage of HAC aimed to compare the clinical, hematological, and biochemical effects of trilostane titration-dose treatment (TTG) with the single-dose treatment (CTG). All clinical cases (n=7) were confirmed on HAC by anamnestic, clinical, hematology, biochemistry, and low-dose dexamethasone suppression test findings, indicative for Cushing’s disease. Two cases were treated with CTG (2.2-6.7 mg/kg, single dose daily) and their treatment was discontinued on the second week due to adverse reactions. The TTG cases were treated for up to 12 weeks (0.5 mg/kg once daily for 7 days, and then with 0.5 mg/kg twice daily for 7 days). Blood samples and clinical checks were performed on 0., 4., and 12. weeks of the treatment. Hemoglobin was non-significantly higher in TTG at 12 weeks. Alanine transaminase was significantly lower in the TTG cases on the 12. week of the treatment (78.04±15.37 U/L) compared to the 0-week (137.81±24.03 U/L), and 4-week samples (131.92±23.36 U/L). No significant differences were observed with the CTG cases. Alkaline phosphatase was significantly lower on 12-week samples in TTG (251.02±93.06) compared to the 4-week (567.94±283.93 U/L), and 0-week samples (1,341.84 U/L). In conclusion, TTG has indicated to have significantly higher tendency to decrease alanine transaminase and alkaline phosphatase, alleviating the negative effects on the liver. The clinical findings were more adverse for the CTG

Implementation of strategies for mastitis control in dairy herds in Macedonia: A case report

Mastitis is probably the most common and costly disease in modern dairy cow husbandry. The aim of the present paper was to report the results concerning udder health after implementation of a specific strategy using both field and laboratory methods. During the period June 2010-December 2011 a total of 674 dairy cows from four dairy farms were included in the investigation. Clinical mastitis was diagnosed by detection of signs of inflammation in the udder, while subclinical mastitis was diagnosed at the animal level by an increased Somatic Cell Count (SCC) using laboratory tests, and subsequently confirmed at quarter level by California Mastitis Test (CMT).Microbiological analysis of the milk samples was carried out by standard procedures using Gram staining, biochemical tests and automated identification system.The distribution of somatic cell counts on cow level (n=674) was:305 (45.3%) with SCC less than 100,000SCC/mL, 236 (35.0%) 100,001 - 350,000 SCC/mL, and 133 (18.7%) with more than 350,000SCC/mL. From a total of 1684 quarters tested by CMT, 644 quarters (38.2%) were positive and 1040 quarters (61.8%) were negative. In 60 out of 101 quarters that had a positive CMT result and no current treatment and that were sampled for bacteriology, bacteria could be isolated. Main bacteria identified, were coagulase - negative staphylococci (40.0%), Streptococcus agalactiae was present in 25.0%, Escherichia coli in 16.6%, Proteus spp. in 11.7% and Staphylococcus aureus in 6.7% of the bacteriological positive samples. After introducing specific mastitis-control measures, focusing on milking hygiene, dry-off treatment, and antibiotic treatment of both clinical and sub-clinical mastitis cases, the prevalence of subclinical mastitis was reduced from 38.2to 10.8%, while the incidence of clinical mastitis decreased from 21.0% to 4.9%.In conclusion, the implementation of a standard mastitis control plan based on a regular assessment of the somatic cell count can reduce the prevalence of clinical and sub-clinical mastitis in dairy herds