Improving stress coping ability: comparison between the CYP17 genotype Of Ovis Aries and Capra Hircus

The ability of animals to adapt to stress is not only an animal health and welfare concern, but also influences reproduction potential and robustness. An important pathway involved in the stress response is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) that results in the release of cortisol from the adrenal gland. In this study the cortisol responses of South African Merinos were measured to assess HPAA responsiveness to stress and relate it to behavioural stress responses to flock-isolation. The experiment was structured according to a 2×2 statistical design, with CYP17 genotype (WT1/WT1 vs. WT1/WT2) and selection line (H-line vs. L-line) as factors. Selection line criteria was based on divergent selection for (H-line) or against (L-line) maternal multiple rearing ability, where the H-line generally outperformed the L-line in terms of reproduction, animal welfare and resistance to certain pathogens. The CYP17 genotype is involved in the biosynthesis pathway of cortisol. In the present study the CYP17 genotype showed a significant influence on behavioural stress responses, where three parameters of the flock-isolation test were affected (P<0.05), namely the number of bleats uttered, the urinating frequency and the average distance from a human operator. It is suggested that the CYP17 genotype affects behavioural responses via its effects on cortisol production, and that the SNPs located within the CYP17 genotype may have application in marker-assisted selection of sheep

The role of Cytochrome P450 17-alpha-Hydroxylase/ 17,20-Lyase (CYP17) in the stress coping ability in a divergently selected Merino sheep population

South African Merino sheep were selected divergently from the same base population for their ability to rear multiples. Two distinct populations were formed over a period of more than 20 years of selection. Reproduction (and therefore presumably fitness) in the line selected in the upward direction (H-line) was substantially improved compared to the line selected in the downward direction (L-line). In the present study, it was demonstrated that the H-line was more stresstolerant than the L-line in terms of their glucose and cortisol response when challenged with insulin. Sheep from the breeding program were genotyped according to one of two cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase/17-20 lyase (CYP17) alleles, as these genotypes were previously linked to the ability of Angora goats to cope with external stressors. However, no association was found between CYP17 genotype and selection line. The difference in insulin induced stress response between the H- and the L-line can therefore not be attributed to CYP17 genotype

Origin of salinity variations in Florida Bay

This note presents a method of distinguishing the source of freshwater that causes reductions in salinity in the coastal environment of South Florida. This technique, which uses the 18O and D of the water, allows for differentiation of the freshwater derived from precipitation as opposed to runoff, because surface waters in the Everglades have been highly evaporated and therefore have elevated 18O and dD values relative to precipitation. A time series of monthly 18O and D values of surface waters, collected from stations in Florida Bay between 1993 and 1999, has shown that, during this time, the major source of freshwaters causing depressions in the salinity in the western portion of Florida Bay was derived from precipitation rather than from the runoff of water from the Everglades. In the eastern portion of Florida Bay, close to the boundary between peninsular Florida and the Bay, the proportion of freshwater derived from precipitation drops steadily, reaching \u3c10%. This method not only allows differentiation between the sources of freshwater but can, in a temporal sense, ascertain the effectiveness of water management practices on the salinity of the estuarine ecosystems of South Florida

Improving stress coping ability: comparison between the CYP17 genotype Of Ovis Aries and Capra Hircus

The ability of animals to adapt to stress is not only an animal health and welfare concern, but also influences reproduction potential and robustness. An important pathway involved in the stress response is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) that results in the release of cortisol from the adrenal gland. In this study the cortisol responses of South African Merinos were measured to assess HPAA responsiveness to stress and relate it to behavioural stress responses to flock-isolation. The experiment was structured according to a 2×2 statistical design, with CYP17 genotype (WT1/WT1 vs. WT1/WT2) and selection line (H-line vs. L-line) as factors. Selection line criteria was based on divergent selection for (H-line) or against (L-line) maternal multiple rearing ability, where the H-line generally outperformed the L-line in terms of reproduction, animal welfare and resistance to certain pathogens. The CYP17 genotype is involved in the biosynthesis pathway of cortisol. In the present study the CYP17 genotype showed a significant influence on behavioural stress responses, where three parameters of the flock-isolation test were affected (P<0.05), namely the number of bleats uttered, the urinating frequency and the average distance from a human operator. It is suggested that the CYP17 genotype affects behavioural responses via its effects on cortisol production, and that the SNPs located within the CYP17 genotype may have application in marker-assisted selection of sheep

The role of Cytochrome P450 17-alpha-Hydroxylase/ 17,20-Lyase (CYP17) in the stress coping ability in a divergently selected Merino sheep population

South African Merino sheep were selected divergently from the same base population for their ability to rear multiples. Two distinct populations were formed over a period of more than 20 years of selection. Reproduction (and therefore presumably fitness) in the line selected in the upward direction (H-line) was substantially improved compared to the line selected in the downward direction (L-line). In the present study, it was demonstrated that the H-line was more stresstolerant than the L-line in terms of their glucose and cortisol response when challenged with insulin. Sheep from the breeding program were genotyped according to one of two cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase/17-20 lyase (CYP17) alleles, as these genotypes were previously linked to the ability of Angora goats to cope with external stressors. However, no association was found between CYP17 genotype and selection line. The difference in insulin induced stress response between the H- and the L-line can therefore not be attributed to CYP17 genotype

The use of online support by people with intellectual disabilities living independently during COVID‐19

Background During the COVID-19 outbreak, service providers in the Netherlands had to switch towards providing remote support for people with intellectual disabilities living independently. This study aims to provide insight into the use of online support during the outbreak. Methods We analysed quantitative data on planned and unplanned contacts between the online support service DigiContact and its service users. Results The results indicate that the COVID-19 outbreak and the related containment measures had a strong impact on online support use, specifically on the unplanned use of online support. Conclusion Offering online support as a standard component of services for independently living people with intellectual disability enables service providers to be flexible and responsive towards fluctuations in both support needs and onsite support availability during a social crisis such as COVID-19

The role of traditional knowledge policies in Egypt:The case of Wadi Allaqi

Globally, traditional knowledge is at stake, notwithstanding intentions recorded in international policy conventions. Egypt has accepted and ratifed several conventions on implementation of traditional knowledge in the felds of environment and sustainable development; yet this implementation is hampered by a lack of concrete plans. Focusing on the Bedouin community in the Southern Egypt protectorate of Wadi Allaqi, this paper investigates whether traditional knowledge plays a role in Egyptian policy, as refected in policy documents and by interviews with regional stakeholders. We found that local actors of Wadi Allaqi protectorate-involved institutions appreciate the importance of traditional knowledge especially in environmental afairs. It can be concluded that a strengthened position of traditional knowledge in regulation and law should be supplemented by social measures and actions to overcome bureaucratic, geographical, and communicative barriers. Derived recommendations imply that the perspective of the Bedouin community should be taken into account

Multi-proxy constraints on the significance of covariant δ13C values in carbonate and organic carbon during the early Mississippian

This study investigates the covariation between carbonate and organic δ13C values in a proximal to distal transect of four outcrops in the Madison Limestone in the Western United States Rockies, combined with δ34S values of carbonate associated sulphate, the concentration of acid-insoluble material and measurements of total organic carbon. These new geochemical datasets not only allow for an evaluation of carbon isotope covariance during one of the largest perturbations to the global carbon cycle over the past 550 Myr, but also constrain the cause of the excursion in carbonate δ13C values. The results support the hypothesis that a period of anoxia did not play a role in generating the positive carbonate δ13C values, but rather favour interpretations by previous workers that the proliferation of land plants destabilized the Carboniferous carbon cycle, setting the stage for a significant change in the carbonate δ13C values of contemporaneous marine carbonates. These results also demonstrate that one of the largest perturbations to the global carbon cycle did not produce synchronous variations in carbonate and organic δ13C values, emphasizing the importance of local depositional controls on carbon isotope covariance in the geological record in both modern and ancient environments

Pavements of Siderastrea radians on Cape Verde Reefs

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