Effects of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) administration and flushing on reproductive performance in Nadooshan goats of Iran

An experiment was conducted on Nadooshan goats of Iran, during the breeding season, to evaluate the effectiveness of flushing and equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) treatment on reproductive traits.Ninety-two intact does with an average live weight of 25.11 ± 3.933 kg were randomly divided into four equal experimental groups. Controlled internal drug release device (CIDR) were inserted for 18 days inall groups. Experimental groups consist of: 1- Control (C); 2- eCG (600 IU; E); 3- eCG (600 IU) + Flushing (E+F); and 4- Flushing (F). Does in two last groups (E and E+F) were injected intramuscularly, at the timeof CIDR withdrawal, with 600 IU of eCG. The first group (C) received no treatment and served as a control. All animals were submitted to pasture and mineral licks and groups E+F and F additionally received flushing ration. Pregnancy rate in group F was more than the control group (p < 0.05). Twinning rates and kid crops in groups E+F and F were significantly higher than control group (p < 0.05). Time of onset of estrus decreased in groups with eCG administration (E and E+F). Therefore, it is concluded that the flushing especially coupled with the eCG treatment can improve reproductive performance in Nadooshan goats treated with CIDR during the breeding season

Effect of glucose, lactate and pyruvate concentrations on in vitro growth of goat granulosa cell

Carbohydrates are among the most influential of the numerous components of culture medium that affect metabolism and developmental potential. Glucose, lactate and pyruvate are required for the growth of oocytes and other follicular cells in vitro. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different concentrations of glucose, lactate and pyruvate on promoting DNA synthesis of granulosa cells in a serum-free medium. Effects of glucose (0.75, 1.5 or 3 mM), pyruvate (0.1 or 0.33 mM) and Llactate (3, 6 or 12 mM) concentrations in the maturation medium on the relative granulosa cell growth during metaphase II (MII) were examined in a 3 × 2 × 3 factorial design. The greatest relative granulosa cell growth response (p&lt;0.05) was observed in the presence of 1.5 mM glucose and 0.33 mM pyruvate or in 6 mM lactate and 0.33 mM pyruvate. Increasing pyruvate concentrations from 0.1 to 0.33 mM resulted in an increase in DNA synthesis in granulosa cells. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that increasing glucose and pyruvate concentrations in the maturation medium increased the growth of goat granulosa cells.Key word: Energy substrate, granulosa cell growth, methyl-3H-thymidine, goat

Analytical investigation into the effects of nitrogen enriched air bubbles to improve aircraft fuel system water management

In the aircraft fuel system, water–ice contamination within fuel tanks has been one of the most serious challenges. This issue was highlighted in 2008 by an accident triggered by restricted fuel flow due to the ice formation within the system. The on-board inert gas generation system, which is already installed on some aircraft to prevent the outbreak of fire in the fuel tank, is a potentially feasible method to improve the water management. This paper focuses on the impact of bubbles from the on-board inert gas generation system system on water in the fuel tank. In order to explore the bubble effect, the relationship between orifice configuration and bubble parameter was investigated by means of mathematical models and existing experimental data. Moreover, by combining a MATLAB code and the introduced bubble model, the effect of bubble size and rising speed on the water contamination in the fuel tank was observed. For the water absorption process, a new model was introduced using a mass transfer coefficient. Finally, this article concludes that the amount of accumulated water is dependent on the bubble size and rising speed, and an optimal bubble size or speed is predictable once the coefficient has been obtained

Maternal hyperthyroidism is associated with a decreased incidence of cold-induced ascites in broiler chickens

peer reviewedA hypothesis was tested that providing the breeder hens with exogenous thyroxine (T(4)) would help their offspring to better survive the ascites-inducing condition during the growing period. In total, 132 broiler breeder hens were randomly assigned to one of 3 treatments: control (CON), hypothyroid [HYPO; 6-N-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU)-treated], and hyperthyroid (HYPER; T(4)-treated). The hens were artificially inseminated, and the hatching eggs (n = 1,320) were incubated. No eggs in the HYPO group hatched. The 1-d-old male chicks (n = 288) from other groups were reared for 42 d under standard or low ambient temperature to induce ascites. Blood samples were drawn from the hens, embryos, and broilers for determination of T(4) and triiodothyronine (T(3)). The hematocrit was also determined in broilers. The PTU-treated hens had an increased BW along with lower plasma T(3) and T(4) concentrations. Plasma T(4) was higher in the HYPER hens compared with CON hens, but T(3) concentration was not different between these groups. The fertility rate was not affected by either hypo- or hyperthyroidism. The embryos in the HYPO group had lower plasma T(3) and T(4) concentrations at d 18 of embryonic development and internal pipping. Higher plasma T(4) was recorded in the HYPER birds at internal pipping, although plasma T(3) concentration was not affected at this stage. Maternal hyperthyroidism decreased the overall incidence of ascites in the cold-exposed chickens (10.0 vs. 33.4% for HYPER and CON groups, respectively). Although the effect of maternal PTU or T(4) treatment on plasma thyroid hormones and on the right ventricle-to-total ventricular weight ratio in the broilers was not significant, the cold-exposed healthy CON chicks showed higher hematocrit values, compared with the HYPER birds. It was concluded that maternal hyperthyroidism could decrease the incidence of cold-induced ascites in broiler chickens; however, probable causal mechanisms remain to be elucidated