Milking-Related Changes in the Surface Temperature of the Bovine Teat Skin

The surface temperature of the teat at rest is about 30°C in healthy dairy cows kept indoor under ordinary conditions. It usually decreases by about 1°C during manual premising teat stimulation (Hamann & Dück 1984, Eichel 1986, Hamann 1988,1992). And it usually increases above the level prior to the stimulation by up to about 2.5°C during the milk removal phase of conventional machine milking (Schneider 1981, Hamann & Dück 1984, Hamann 1985,1988,1989, Mayntz 1990, Eichel 1992). The statements made are supported by the results of our own investigations, i.e. − 0.8 and + 2.1 °C, respectively.     

Water use and water use efficiency of sweet corn under different weather conditions and soil moisture regimes

Plant growth and development are influenced by weather conditions that also affect water use (WU) and water use efficiency (WUE) and ultimately, yield. The overall goal of this study was to determine the impact of weather and soil moisture conditions on WU and WUE of sweet corn (Zea mays L. var rugosa). An experiment consisting on three planting dates was conducted in 2006 at The University of Georgia, USA. A sweet corn genotype sh2 was planted on March 27 under irrigated and rainfed conditions and on April 10 and 25 under irrigated conditions only. Soil moisture was monitored using PR2 probes. Rainfall and irrigation were recorded with rain gauges installed in the experimental area while other weather variables were recorded with an automatic weather station located nearby. A water balance was used to obtain the crop's daily evapotranspiration (ETc). WUE was calculated as the ratio of fresh and dry matter ear yield and cumulative ETc. The potential soil moisture deficit (Dp) approach was used to determine the crop's moisture stress. Results were analyzed using a single degree freedom contrast, linear regression, and the least significant difference. WU and WUE of sweet corn were both markedly affected by the intra-seasonal weather variability and Dp. For both variables, significant (p < 0.05) differences were found between planting dates under irrigated conditions and between the irrigated and rainfed treatments. WU was as high as 268 mm for the April 10 planting date under irrigated conditions and as low as 122 mm for the March 27 planting date under rainfed conditions. The maximum soil moisture deficit was reached at the milky kernel stage and was as high as 343 mm for the March 27 planting date under rainfed conditions and as low as 260 mm for the April 10 planting date under irrigated conditions. Further work should focus on the impact of the intra-seasonal weather variability and soil moisture conditions during different crop stages to determine critical periods that affect yield.     

Familial occurrence of diprosopus in German Holstein calves

Diprosopus was diagnosed in six German Holstein calves born on different dairy farms. The degree of facial duplication varied from a partial doubling of the nostrils and upper jaw to complete duplication of the face with formation of two mouths, four eyes and four ears. Further calves descending from the same parents or dams and calves from the same farms were not affected. A joint pedigree was ascertained for the calves with diprosopus. Furthermore, a previously reported case of diprosopus could be traced back to the same ancestors of this pedigree. Consequently, we detected the first time a familial accumulation of diprosopus. Since the ancestors showed no signs of diprosopus and the frequency of diprosopus in German Holsteins is presumably low, an oligogenic inheritance is likely. Recessive genes or a combination of recessive and dominant genes may cause this anomaly.     

Visualising the premature brain using 17.6 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of a 17.6 Tesla magnetic resonance (MR) microscope to determine external and internal structures and three-dimensional (3D) volume rendering of premature bovine brain tissue. Two bovine embryos (Carnegie-stages 16 and 21) were examined. 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed with a high field MR-scanner at a field strength of 17.6 Tesla. Images with isotropic nominal resolutions up to 39.1 μm were acquired. The MR images corresponded very well with histological slices. 3D virtual models of the embryonic brain were easily produced in a relatively short time and the high field scanner provided highly detailed images of formalin fixed brain tissue. Manual segmentation and automatic volume rendering is a valuable tool for the fast generation of 3D brain models and, to some degree, can replace conventional techniques in comparative embryology.     

Characterization of local and peripheral immune system in pregnant and nonpregnant ewes

Modulation of the immune system is known to be important for successful pregnancy but how immune function might differ between the lymph nodes draining the reproductive tract and peripheral lymph nodes is not well understood. Additionally, if immune system changes in response to the presence of an embryo during early pregnancy, and if this response differs in local versus peripheral immune tissue, has not been well characterized. To address these questions, we examined expression of genes important for immune function using NanoString technology in the ampulla and isthmus of the oviduct, endometrium, lymph nodes draining the reproductive tract (lumbo-aortic and medial iliac) as well as a peripheral lymph node (axillary), the spleen, and circulating immune cells from ewes on day 5 of the estrous cycle or pregnancy. Concentrations of estradiol and progesterone in plasma were also determined. Principal component analysis revealed separation of the local from the peripheral lymph nodes (MANOVA P = 3.245e-08, R² = 0.3) as well as separation of tissues from pregnant and nonpregnant animals [lymph nodes (MANOVA P = 2.337e-09, R² = 0.5), reproductive tissues (MANOVA P = 2.417e-14, R² = 0.47)]. Nine genes were differentially (FDR < 0.10) expressed between lymph node types, with clear difference in expression of these genes between the lumbo-aortic and axillary lymph nodes. Expression of these genes in the medial iliac lymph node was not consistently different to either the axillary or the lumbo-aortic lymph node. Expression of IL10RB was increased (FDR < 0.05) by 24% in the reproductive tissue of the pregnant animals compared to nonpregnant animals. Analysis of gene categories revealed that expression of genes of the T-cell receptor pathway in reproductive tract tissues was associated (P < 0.05) with pregnancy status. In conclusion, assessment of gene expression of reproductive and immune tissue provides evidence for a specialization of the local immune system around the reproductive tract potentially important for successful establishment of pregnancy. Additionally, differences in gene expression patterns in reproductive tissue from pregnant and nonpregnant animals could be discerned as early as day 5 of pregnancy. This was found to be associated with expression of genes important for T-cell function and thus highlights the important role of these cells in early pregnancy.     

Field investigations of soil hydrological properties of fen soils in North‐East Germany

To investigate the changes of hydrological properties of peat soil in course of soil development, field measurements at 84 fen sites (Histosols) in 19 fen regions of North‐East Germany were carried out. Capillary water supply at all the stages of soil development was not limited up to 70 cm of ground water level. Worsening of plant water supply was the result of mud accumulation in the capillary fringe, ground water levels located deeper than 70 cm below soil surface, low hydraulic conductivity in the ground water zone, and hysteresis effects, affected by high dynamics of ground water level during the day.     

RAPD analysis of genetic relationships of seven flax species in the genus Linum L

The wild progenitor of the cultivated flax (Linumusitatissimum L.) has been long hypothesized to beL. angustifolium Huds., largely fromseveral phytogeographic cytogenetic and phenotypic studies, but no molecularstudies on the issue are found. In this study, we genotyped 12 flax accessionsrepresenting seven flax species in the genus Linum with 527RAPD loci from 29 informative RAPD primers and analyzed their geneticrelationships with simple matching, Dice's and Jaccard's similaritycoefficients. Large RAPD variations were found among the flax species.L. usitatissimum andL. angustifolium had a higher RAPDsimilarity than the other pairs of flax species and these two species wereconsistently clustered in the same group with all of the similarity coefficientsused. This molecular finding provides an additional support for the hypothesisof L. angustifolium as the wildprogenitor of cultivated flax.