Attempts to develop a simple, objective test for oestrus in sows

To evaluate the accuracy of various techniques for determining the sexual state of sows, four multiparous Landrace sows were housed in stalls 2-5 weeks after weaning. Catheters were inserted under anaesthetic into a prominent ear vein on each sow. Four days later blood and urine sampling commenced, along with other measurements to assess the oestrous state of the animals. Oestrus was detected in all four sows and so were corresponding oestradiol·17β peaks (22-49 pg/ml) in serum of the three sows from which blood was successfully sampled during the complete 25·day collection period. Serum progesterone concentrations were highest between days — 5 and — 12 (day 0 = 1st day of standing heat) (peak values of 33·1-58·2 ng/ml), with values of 3·55 ng/ml or less on day 0. Urinary oestrogen was less well correlated with oestrous state than were serum hormone concentrations, but progesterone derivatives in urine corresponded well to serum progesterone with peaks between days —5 and —9. Vulval redness, vulval size, social interest and the occurrence of flehmen were markedly greater during the oestrous period than at other times in the cycle. Body temperature, vaginal pH, the presence of vaginal mucus and behavioural manifestations of oestrus (with the exception of back pressure test) were less well correlated with sexual state. A combination of vulval colour and size, back pressure test, a more detailed study of behaviour and possibly with urinary progesterone derivatives, should give the best indication of the incidence of oestrus in sow

Postantique soils as a source of land use information: a case study of an ancient greek agricultural area on the Northern Black Sea coast

This paper explores ancient land-use practices in order to reconstruct the original parameters of the land division system, as well as agricultural techniques employed. For postantique agricultural landscapes, an integrated geoarchaeological approach that includes GIS and remote sensing methodologies, in-field study of microrelief and soil registrograms, pedochronological dating technique, and physicochemical, geochemical, and biomorphic soil analyses has been developed and teste

Post-agrogenic evolution of soils in ancient Greek land use areas in the Herakleian peninsula, southwestern Crimea

The paper examines the regularities of the post-agrogenic evolution of soils of differing age in the Herakleian Peninsula (southwestern Crimea, Ukraine), which developed under conditions of the sub-Mediterranean climate and have been cultivated since ancient timesyesBelgorod State Universit

Chemical data on ashy soils as an information basis for dating archaeological sites

Geochemical associations of accumulated and dis- persed elements in the upper horizon of soils of different age in relation to the original ash were determined. This makes it possible to calculate the time of biogeochemical transfor- mation of ash in the course of pedogenesis, thus offering a new dating technique for archaeologist

Longitudinal effects of environmental enrichment on behaviour and physiology of pigs reared on an intensive-stock farm

The aim of this paper was to provide a longitudinal evaluation of the effects of physical enrichments on the behaviour and physiology of intensive stock-farming pigs. Twenty-eight crossbred pigs of both sexes, were exposed to four types of enrichments (hemp ropes, steel chains, plastic balls, rubber hoses) over a period of eleven weeks. This investigation was based on specific abnormal behaviours and physiological indicators, including hematologic parameters. For behavioural score, focal sampling was used with recording of abnormal behaviours (body-, tail- and ear-biting), belly nosing, running, and interaction with objects (for Enriched pigs). The presence of skin injuries was also recorded. In general, the frequency of abnormal behaviours was significantly reduced in the Enriched group. A timerelated profile appeared in the use of the enrichments. Males showed higher occurrence of skin injuries than females. Physiological measurements, such as levels of complement system, white blood cells and neutrophils, were lower in pigs from the Enriched group. Enriched pigs, as a whole, presented much lower levels of serum DHEA-S concentration over two weeks. The findings of this study show the successful provision of appropriate enrichments to encourage behaviours which may result in satisfactory animal oral interaction with the enriching objects, preventing them biting pen-mates. In this respect, the objects proposed were strongly effective in producing changes in behaviour which could mitigate inadequate conditions, such as the relationship between animal body weight and the available space allowance

Babes, bones, and isotopes: a stable isotope investigation on non-adults from Aventicum, Roman Switzerland (1st-3rd c. CE)

The study of infant feeding practices in archaeological populations can aid in the understanding of cultural attitudes towards dietary choices and how specific circumstances experienced by mothers and their offspring influence childhood health and survivorship. Breastfeeding and weaning patterns have received increased interest in Roman bioarchaeology, especially through the application of stable isotopic investigation of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) values. This study presents the stable isotopic results of the first Roman bone sample analyzed from Switzerland (30 non-adults and 9 females), allowing us an unprecedented insight into health and diet at the site of Aventicum/Avenches, the capital city of the territory of Helvetii in Roman times (1st-3rd c. AD). The fact that the majority of the non-adult samples subject to stable isotope analysis were perinates, highlights the complex relationship between their δ15N and δ13C values and those of adult females, as different factors, including variation of fetal and maternal stable isotope values, the possible effects of intrauterine growth, as well as maternal/fetal disease and/or nutritional stress (e.g. nutritional deficiencies such as scurvy, parasitic infections, such as malaria), could have influenced the observed elevated δ15N values

The Weaker Sex? The Propensity for Male-Biased Piglet Mortality

For the most part solutions to farm animal welfare issues, such as piglet mortality, are likely to lie within the scientific disciplines of environmental design and genetic selection, however understanding the ecological basis of some of the complex dynamics observed between parent and offspring could make a valuable contribution. One interesting, and often discussed, aspect of mortality is the propensity for it to be sex-biased. This study investigated whether known physiological and behavioural indicators of piglet survival differed between the sexes and whether life history strategies (often reported in wild or feral populations) relating to parental investment were being displayed in a domestic population of pigs. Sex ratio (proportion of males (males/males+females)) at birth was 0.54 and sex allocation (maternal investment measured as piglet birth weight/litter weight) was statistically significantly male-biased at 0.55 (t35 = 2.51 P = 0.017), suggesting that sows invested more in sons than daughters during gestation. Despite this investment in birth weight, a known survival indicator, total pre-weaning male mortality was statistically significantly higher than female mortality (12% vs. 7% respectively z = 2.06 P = 0.040). Males tended to suffer from crushing by the sow more than females and statistically significantly more males died from disease-related causes. Although males were born on average heavier, with higher body mass index and ponderal index, these differences were not sustained. In addition male piglets showed impaired thermoregulation compared to females. These results suggest male-biased mortality exists despite greater initial maternal investment, and therefore reflects the greater susceptibility of this sex to causal mortality factors. Life history strategies are being displayed by a domestic population of pigs with sows in this study displaying a form of parental optimism by allocating greater resources at birth to males and providing an over-supply of this more vulnerable sex in expectation of sex-biased mortality

Evidence for Diffuse Central Retinal Edema In Vivo in Diabetic Male Sprague Dawley Rats

Background: Investigations into the mechanism of diffuse retinal edema in diabetic subjects have been limited by a lack of animal models and techniques that co-localized retinal thickness and hydration in vivo. In this study we test the hypothesis that a previously reported supernormal central retinal thickness on MRI measured in experimental diabetic retinopathy in vivo represents a persistent and diffuse edema. Methodology/Principal Findings: In diabetic and age-matched control rats, and in rats experiencing dilutional hyponatremia (as a positive edema control), whole central retinal thickness, intraretinal water content and apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC, ‘water mobility’) were measured in vivo using quantitative MRI methods. Glycated hemoglobin and retinal thickness ex vivo (histology) were also measured in control and diabetic groups. In the dilutional hyponatremia model, central retinal thickness and water content were supernormal by quantitative MRI, and intraretinal water mobility profiles changed in a manner consistent with intracellular edema. Groups of diabetic (2, 3, 4, 6, and 9 mo of diabetes), and age-matched controls were then investigated with MRI and all diabetic rats showed supernormal whole central retinal thickness. In a separate study in 4 mo diabetic rats (and controls), MRI retinal thickness and water content metrics were significantly greater than normal, and ADC was subnormal in the outer retina; the increase in retinal thickness was not detected histologically on sections of fixed and dehydrated retinas from these rats