Developments of reproductive management and biotechnology in the pig

This review aims to describe changes in production environment, management tools and technology to alleviate problems seen with the present hyperprolific sow model. Successful parturition in the pig includes the possibility to express adequate maternal behaviour, rapid expulsion of piglets, complete expulsion of placenta, elimination of uterine contamination and debris, neonatal activity and colostrum intake. We focus on management of large litters, including maternal behaviour, ease of parturition, colostrum production, piglet quality parameters and intermittent suckling. There are also some interesting developments in technology to assess colostrum and immune state of the piglet. These developments may be utilized to improve the success rate of reproductive management around farrowing, lactation and after weaning. We also discuss new insights in how to examine the health of the mammary gland, uterus and ovaries of hyperprolific sows. Finally, we assess the latest developments on breeding and technology of hyperprolific sows, including artificial insemination (AI), real-time ultrasound of the genital tract and embryo transfer (ET). We conclude that 1) for the sow to produce sufficient colostrum, both the behavioural and physiological needs of the sow need to be met before and after parturition. Furthermore, 2) new ultrasound and biopsy technology can be effectively applied for accurate diagnosis of inflammatory processes of the udder and uterus and timing of AI regarding ovulation to improve insemination efficiency. Finally, 3) developments in cryopreservation of germ cells and embryos appear promising but lack of valid oocyte collection techniques and nonsurgical ET techniques are a bottleneck to commercial ET. These latest developments in management of parturition and reproductive technology are necessary to cope with the increasing challenges associated with very large litter sizes.Peer reviewe

A wearable microwave instrument can detect and monitor traumatic abdominal injuries in a porcine model

Abdominal injury is a frequent cause of death for trauma patients, and early recognition is essential to limit fatalities. There is a need for a wearable sensor system for prehospital settings that can detect and monitor bleeding in the abdomen (hemoperitoneum). This study evaluates the potential for microwave technology to fill that gap. A simple prototype of a wearable microwave sensor was constructed using eight antennas. A realistic porcine model of hemoperitoneum was developed using anesthetized pigs. Ten animals were measured at healthy state and at two sizes of bleeding. Statistical tests and a machine learning method were used to evaluate blood detection sensitivity. All subjects presented similar changes due to accumulation of blood, which dampened the microwave signal (p<0.05). The machine learning analysis yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.93, showing 100% sensitivity at 90% specificity. Large inter-individual variability of the healthy state signal complicated differentiation of bleedings from healthy state. A wearable microwave instrument has potential for accurate detection and monitoring of hemoperitoneum, with automated analysis making the instrument easy-to-use. Future hardware development is necessary to suppress measurement system variability and enable detection of smaller bleedings.publishedVersio

Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations recommendations of best practices for the health management of ruminants and pigs used for scientific and educational purposes

Most ruminants and pigs used for scientific and educational aims are bred not for these purposes but in a farm environment. Given the wide range of diseases that these species might have, ensuring that the animals’ health status is appropriate can be complex and challenging. The Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations has previously published recommendations for the health monitoring of experimental colonies of pigs (1998) and, respectively, calves, sheep and goats (2000). Unfortunately, the uptake of those recommendations was poor and insufficiently reported in scientific publications. These new recommendations for best practice focus on the main species of ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) and pigs. They provide general and specific information helpful for designing a health management programme for the suppliers and for the user establishments, as well as guidance on animal procurement. Critical thinking based on the fields of use of the animals is promoted, aiming to help in taking informed decisions rather than establishing an exhaustive exclusion list for pathogens. Implementing the best health and welfare management practices should be done under the guidance of a competent attending veterinarian, with expertise and sufficient authority to take the appropriate action, doubled by excellent communication skills. It is strongly recommended that the user establishment’s veterinarian works in close collaboration with the supplier’s veterinarian. // Die meisten Wiederkäuer und Schweine, die zu wissenschaftlichen und Ausbildungszwecken dienen, werden nicht eigens dafür, sondern in einem landwirtschaftlichen Umfeld gezüchtet. Angesichts des breiten Spektrums potenzieller Krankheiten bei diesen Tierarten kann die Gewährleistung eines adäquaten Gesundheitszustands der Tiere durchaus komplex und schwierig sein. FELASA hat bereits früher Empfehlungen für die Gesundheitsüberwachung von Versuchskolonien von Schweinen (1998) bzw. Kälbern, Schafen und Ziegen (2000) veröffentlicht. Leider stießen diese Empfehlungen auf mangelndes Echo und wissenschaftliche Publikationen berichteten diesbezüglich nur unzureichend. Die vorliegenden neuen Empfehlungen für beste Praxis konzentrieren sich auf die wichtigsten Arten von Wiederkäuern (Rinder, Schafe und Ziegen) sowie auf Schweine. Sie enthalten allgemeine und spezifische Informationen, die für die Gestaltung eines Gesundheitsmanagementprogramms für die Lieferanten und für die Verwendereinrichtungen nützlich sind, ebenso wie Hinweise zur Tierbeschaffung. Kritisches Denken auf der Grundlage der Anwendungsbereiche der Tiere, das darauf abzielt, fundierte Entscheidungen zu treffen, anstatt eine erschöpfende Ausschlussliste für Krankheitserreger zu erstellen, wird unterstützt. Die Umsetzung der besten Gesundheits- und Tierschutzmanagementpraktiken sollte unter der Anleitung eines kompetenten behandelnden Tierarztes erfolgen, der über Fachwissen und genügend Autorität sowie über ausgezeichnete Kommunikationsfähigkeiten verfügen, um die entsprechenden Maßnahmen zu ergreifen und zu vermitteln. Eine enge Zusammenarbeit zwischen dem Tierarzt der Verwendereinrichtung und dem Tierarzt des Lieferanten wird dringend empfohlen

A wearable microwave detector for diagnosing thoracic injuries-test on a porcine pneumothorax model

In the prehospital setting, a point-of-care diagnostic test is needed to diagnose pneumothorax (PTX) and monitor its progression to prevent unnecessary patient morbidity and mortality. Ultrasonography is more sensitive than supine chest x-ray for diagnosing PTX, but the accuracy depends on the experience of the operator. Therefore, a non-operator dependent instrument would be valuable for detection and continuous monitoring of an evolving PTX

Risks to human and animal health related to the presence of moniliformin in food and feed

The CONTAM Panel wishes to acknowledge all European competent authorities and other stakeholders that provided occurrence data on moniliformin in food and feed, and supported the consumption data collection for the Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database. Adopted: 21 November 2017Peer reviewedPublisher PD

All-sky search for gravitational-wave bursts in the second joint LIGO-Virgo run

We present results from a search for gravitational-wave bursts in the data collected by the LIGO and Virgo detectors between July 7, 2009 and October 20, 2010: data are analyzed when at least two of the three LIGO-Virgo detectors are in coincident operation, with a total observation time of 207 days. The analysis searches for transients of duration < 1 s over the frequency band 64-5000 Hz, without other assumptions on the signal waveform, polarization, direction or occurrence time. All identified events are consistent with the expected accidental background. We set frequentist upper limits on the rate of gravitational-wave bursts by combining this search with the previous LIGO-Virgo search on the data collected between November 2005 and October 2007. The upper limit on the rate of strong gravitational-wave bursts at the Earth is 1.3 events per year at 90% confidence. We also present upper limits on source rate density per year and Mpc^3 for sample populations of standard-candle sources. As in the previous joint run, typical sensitivities of the search in terms of the root-sum-squared strain amplitude for these waveforms lie in the range 5 10^-22 Hz^-1/2 to 1 10^-20 Hz^-1/2. The combination of the two joint runs entails the most sensitive all-sky search for generic gravitational-wave bursts and synthesizes the results achieved by the initial generation of interferometric detectors.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures: data for plots and archived public version at https://dcc.ligo.org/cgi-bin/DocDB/ShowDocument?docid=70814&version=19, see also the public announcement at http://www.ligo.org/science/Publication-S6BurstAllSky

Measurement of inclusive and differential Higgs boson production cross sections in the diphoton decay channel in proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV

Measurements of the inclusive and differential production cross sections for the Higgs boson in the diphoton decay channel are performed using the data set of proton-proton collisions at s√=13 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1. The cross sections are measured in a fiducial phase space defined by a set of requirements on the isolation and kinematic variables of the photons. Differential cross sections are measured as functions of the kinematic properties of the diphoton system and the event. A subset of the measurements is performed in regions of the fiducial phase space, where relative contributions of specific Higgs boson production mechanisms are enhanced. The total cross section in the chosen fiducial phase space is measured to be 84 ± 11 (stat) ± 7 (syst) fb = 84 ± 13 fb, to be compared with a theoretical prediction of 73 ± 4 fb. All measurements are found to be in agreement with the theoretical predictions for the standard model Higgs boson with a mass of 125.09 GeV within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties

Search for vector-like quarks in events with two oppositely charged leptons and jets in proton-proton collisions at root s=13TeV

A search for the pair production of heavy vector-like partners T and B of the top and bottom quarks has been performed by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC using proton–proton collisions at s√=13TeV. The data sample was collected in 2016 and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9fb−1. Final states studied for TT¯¯¯¯ production include those where one of the T quarks decays via T→tZ and the other via T→bW, tZ, or tH, where H is a Higgs boson. For the BB¯¯¯¯ case, final states include those where one of the B quarks decays via B→bZ and the other B→tW, bZ, or bH. Events with two oppositely charged electrons or muons, consistent with coming from the decay of a Z boson, and jets are investigated. The number of observed events is consistent with standard model background estimations. Lower limits at 95% confidence level are placed on the masses of the T and B quarks for a range of branching fractions. Assuming 100% branching fractions for T→tZ, and B→bZ, T and B quark mass values below 1280 and 1130GeV, respectively, are excluded

Porcine circovirus type 2 associated reproductive failure in a specific pathogen free (SPF) piglet producing herd in Norway - a case report

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A descriptive report of the selenium distribution in tissues from pigs with mulberry heart disease (MHD)

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