Genetic discontinuity between local hunter-gatherers and Europes first farmers

Following the domestication of animals and crops in the Near East some 11,000 years ago, farming reached much of Central Europe by 7,500 before present. The extent to which these early European farmers ere immigrants, or descendants of resident hunter-gatherers who had learnt farming, has been widely debated. We compare new mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from late European hunter-gatherer skeletons with those from early farmers, and from modern Europeans. We find large genetic differences betwee all three groups that cannot be explained by population continuity alone. Most (82 %) of the ancient hunter-gatherers share mtDNA types that are relatively rare in Central Europeans today. Together, thse analyses provide persuasive evidence that the first farmers were not the descendants of local hunergatherers but immigrated into Central Europe at the onset of the Neolithic

Investigating dietary life histories and mobility of children buried in St Gertrude Church Cemetery, Riga, Latvia (15th– 17th centuries AD)

Carbon and nitrogen isotope profiles were obtained from incremental dentine analysis of 19 non‐adults from a cemetery in Riga, Latvia. The research compared the life histories and diet between people buried in two mass graves and the general cemetery. The δ13C profiles of several children from the mass graves were similar but did not resemble the patterns seen in children from the general cemetery, suggesting that they probably represented a different population group. The rise in δ15N values towards the end of the life of four individuals from one mass grave suggests they were victims of an historically documented famine

A purple acid phosphatase from sweet potato contains an antiferromagnetically coupled binuclear Fe-Mn center

A purple acid phosphatase from sweet potato is the first reported example of a protein containing an enzymatically active binuclear Fe-Mn center. Multifield saturation magnetization data over a temperature range of 2 to 200 K indicates that this center is strongly antiferromagnetically coupled. Metal ion analysis shows an excess of iron over manganese. Low temperature EPR spectra reveal only resonances characteristic of high spin Fe(III) centers (Fe(III)-apo and Fe(III)-Zn(II)) and adventitious Cu(II) centers. There were no resonances from either Mn(II) or binuclear Fe-Mn centers. Together with a comparison of spectral properties and sequence homologies between known purple acid phosphatases, the enzymatic and spectroscopic data strongly indicate the presence of catalytic Fe(III)-Mn(II) centers in the active site of the sweet potato enzyme. Because of the strong antiferromagnetism it is likely that the metal ions in the sweet potato enzyme are linked via a mu -oxo bridge, in contrast to other known purple acid phosphatases in which a mu -hydroxo bridge is present. Differences in metal ion composition and bridging may affect substrate specificities leading to the biological function of different purple acid phosphatases

Improvement of dairy cow embryo yield with low level laser irradiation

The goal of this study is to estimate the effects of low-level laser irradiation (LLLI) on the superovulatory response according to the number of corpora lutea (CL), follicles (F) and the embryo yield. In recent years, while searching for new, more efficient and organic methods to improve superovulatory response and embryo yield with respect to the conventional methods, low-level laser irradiation (LLLI) is a more sensitive and less costly technology that can be used to improve animal reproduction, namely, artificial insemination and the embryo production system. The dairy-cow donors were treated for superovulation with PlusetR, at any time during the oestrus cycle, and the total dose per donor was 700 IU. The first group of the donors (n=25), test group (TG), was irradiated on the sacroiliac area for 180 seconds per day, from the 1st to 11th superovulatory treatment (ST) days in a row, with LLLI in the 870-970-nm wavelength, 65.93 J/cm dose, frequencies in the 20-2000 Hz range and pulse durations commonly in the range of about 1 second. For the second control group (CG) (n=25), the ST was performed without LLLI. After the ST, The mean number of CL in the right side ovaries in the TG was 25.43% (p0.05), respectively. With respect to conventional methods, LLLI can be used to improve the superovulatory response and embryo yield as a supplementary environment and animal-friendly method of treatment

Usefulness of acidity and temperature of the rumen and abomasum in diagnosing SARA in dairy cows after calving

The aim of the research was to determine the relationship between the acidity and temperature of the contents of the reticulorumen and abomasum in the first 10 days after calving and to evaluate these factors as predictive traits for the diagnosis of subclinical acidosis. The acidity and temperature of the contents of the reticulorumen and abomasum were measured using specific smaXtec boluses manufactured for animal care. According to the directions of the manufacturer, the boluses were inserted into the reticulorumen of the cows researched with the help of a specific tool. The boluses were inserted into the abomasa by way of surgery, laparotomy and abomasotomy through the right flank. The readings of 7 cows were taken on a total of 10 days, twice a day (at 9 a.m. and at 9 p.m.). In total, 140 measurements were taken. The acidity of the reticulorumen is associated with the acidity of the abomasum. The acidity of the rumen increases, if the acidity of the reticulorumen increases also. A negative correlation was observed between the pH of the contents of the abomasum and this temperature. The increase in the acidity (decrease of pH) of the contents of the reticulorumen increases its temperature and also increases the temperature of the contents of the abomasum. There is a positive statistically significant dependence between the reticulorumen content temperature and the rectal temperature. Through measurement of the ruminoreticular temperature, it is possible to predict the health status of a cow’s stomach in regard to acidosis

Changes in reticulorumen content temperature and pH according to time of day and yearly seasons

The monitoring of rumen content temperature can be useful for the evaluation of cow health condition and heat. The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of the circadian rhythm (time of day) and season on reticulorumen acidity (pH) and temperatures (RT) in lactating dairy cows. The research was performed on ten 2nd – lactation, clinically healthy Lithuanian Black and White fresh dairy cows (up to 1 day after calving). The cows were milked twice daily at 05:00 and 17:00. The cows were kept in a loose housing system, and were fed a feed ration throughout the year at the same time, balanced according to their physiological needs. Cow feeding took place every day at 06:00 and 18:00. The pH and temperature of the contents of cow reticulorumens were measured using specific smaXtec boluses manufactured for animal care. The temperature starts rising 6 hours after the evening feeding and milking, whereas 1 hour after the morning milking, it starts decreasing. The lowest temperature observed in the springtime was 38.81±0.001, and the highest was in autumn 39.17±0.001. The pH starts decreasing 3 hours after the morning feed, whereas 4 hours after the evening feed, it starts increasing. The lowest pH was observed in the summertime – 5.99±0.001, and the highest was in autumn and springtime – 6.18±0.001. In conclusion the reticulorumen temperature in lactating cows was found to be influenced by the circadian rhythm and season. The acidity of the reticulorumen content changes similar to the temperature. The pH of the reticulorumen contents was also found to be influenced by the circadian rhythm and season

Evaluation of biomarkers of heat stress using automatic health monitoring system in dairy cows

The aim of this study was to evaluate biomarkers of heat stress (HS) from an automatic milking system (AMS), the relationships between measurements of the temperature-humidity index (THI), reticulorumen pH and temperature, and some automatic milking systems parameters in dairy cows (rumination time (RT), milk traits, body weight (BW) and consumption of concentrate (CC)) during the summer period. Lithuanian Black and White dairy cows (n=365) were selected. The cows were milked with Lely Astronaut® A3 milking robots with free traffic. Biomarkers were collected from the Lely T4C management program for analysis. The pH and temperature of the contents of the cow reticulorumen were measured using specific Smax-tec boluses. The farm zone’s daily humidity and air temperature were obtained from the adjacent weather station (2 km away). According to this study, during HS, the higher THI positively correlates with milk lactose (ML), which increases the risk of mastitis and decreases CC, RT, BW, MY, reticulorumen pH, and F/P. Some biomarkers of HS can be milk yield, milk lactose, somatic cell count, concentrate intake, rumination time, body weight, reticulorumen pH, and milk fat – protein ratio. We can recommend monitoring these parameters in the herd management program to identify the possibility of heat stressBiologijos katedraLietuvos sveikatos mokslų universitetas. Veterinarijos akademijaVytauto Didžiojo universiteta