The Morphology of 16 and 17 Day Old Bovine Blastocysts from Virgin and Repeat Breeder Heifers

The morphology of 16–17 days old embryos from virgin heifers (VH) and repeat breeder heifers (RBH) was compared using light and electron microscopy. In addition some embryos transferred from one heifer category to the other were studied. Embryos from VH were elongated blastocysts and the oval embryonic disc had three germ layers. The ectoderm was stratified and many mitoses were seen. The endoderm lining the blastocoelic cavity consisted of almost squamous cells conjoined by tight junctions. Between the ectoderm and the endoderm the mesoderm had developed and expanded laterally and the coelom had formed. The trophoblastic cells adjacent do the embryonic disc were cylindrical, whereas those more peripheral located were cuboidal. The trophoblastic cells were conjoined by tight junctions and they had numerous long microvilli on their peripheral surface. Except in the embryonic disc region, the endodermal cells had filopodial processes towards the trophoblast. The embryos from RBH varied in appearance. One was similar to those from VH whereas the others were, more or less retarded, without formation of mesoderm. The smaller one consisted ot trophoblastic cells only. The transferred embryos (representing surviving embryos: 2 out of 9 in VH-RBH and 5 of 6 in RBH-VH) had a morphology similar to that of VH blastocytes two though, appeared somewhat retarded. It is suggested that the retarded embryos lack the ability to complete embryonic development and that the uterine environment of RBH is not favourable to sustain normal embryonic development.     

Urban evictions,public housing and the gendered rationalisation of kampung life in Jakarta

The dispossession of urban communities across class and racial lines is a global phenomenon linked to the expansion of international investment in the development of ‘exemplary’ city space. However, city evictions are also historically informed and gendered processes which are continuous with past colonial and postcolonial urban rationalisation projects. Drawing on testimonies of women evictees in Jakarta, as well as interviews with public housing managers, this article details the gendered nature of the rationalisation of urban life in the context of a contemporary evictions regime. We argue that the rationalisation of urban space serves to sharpen the gender order by placing material constraints on women's roles, limiting their economic activities and defining them as hygiene‐responsible housewives. Further, and in turn, the limited provision of ‘rusunawa’ public housing, which we show to be a gendered spatial and social transition informed by state doctrine on the family, provides the state with justification for dispossession itself. Finally, women's everyday acts of refusal and resistance show not only that kampung forms of social life continue to be preserved in Jakarta, but also that rationalisation itself is a negotiated and contingent process.     

Feed preference and growth response of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei to supplementation of marine chemoattractants in a fishmeal‐challenged diet

This study compared the feed preference and growth response of Litopenaeus vannamei to chemoattractants. A diet with 3% fishmeal was supplemented with either 3% salmon meal (POS), 3% soy protein concentrate (NEG), 3% krill meal (KRM), 3% squid meal (SQM), 3% shrimp head meal (SHM), 3% shrimp meal (SM), 3% squid liver meal (SLM), or 5% liquid sardine hydrolysate (SAH). Shrimp with a body weight (BW) of 0.99 ± 0.08 g were stocked at 100 animals/m² in 56 tanks of 1 m³ and fed 10 times daily for 74 days. Feed preference was evaluated by feeding shrimp of 10.87 ± 1.82 g in excess twice a day for 10 days in two separate feeding trays allocated in 50 tanks of 0.5 m³. Survival reached 93.3 ± 5.80% and was unaffected by supplementation. Final BW was the highest for shrimp fed the KRM‐supplemented diet (11.97 ± 0.93 g), followed by POS (11.11 ± 0.77 g) and SQM (11.01 ± 1.17 g). Diets SHM, SM, SLM, and NEG showed a lower shrimp BW than POS, but were not statistically different among them. Shrimp fed the SAH diet achieved the lowest BW (10.06 ± 1.02 g). The highest gained yield was obtained with diets KRM and POS. No statistical difference was observed in shrimp yield among other diets. The lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR) was achieved with shrimp fed KRM (1.31 ± 0.05) when compared to diets SHM (1.47 ± 0.05), SAH (1.47 ± 0.07), and SLM (1.45 ± 0.17). Two‐by‐two comparisons indicated that shrimp preferred SHM and KRM, except when these were compared to SQM and SLM. No difference in feed preference was found between diets with SQM and SLM. SAH was the least preferred raw material in all comparisons. Results indicated that KRM acts as a powerful feeding effector and growth enhancer in fishmeal‐challenged diets for whiteleg shrimp. A dietary supplementation with 3% KRM is more effective than the same dose of any other chemoattractant evaluated.     

Water availability affects nectar sugar production and insect visitation of the cup plant Silphium perfoliatum L. (Asteraceae)

The perennial cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) is considered as an alternative feedstock to maize for biogas plants. Due to its ecological advantages of an extensive management and function as food resource for pollinators, it can be grown in Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) since 2018. However, studies at the Julius Kühn-Institute in Braunschweig (Germany) showed that the assumed advantage of the cup plant of a high drought tolerance could not be confirmed regarding aspects of crop production and yield. We complemented this experiment by assessing how different soil moisture conditions affect the production of floral resources and insect visitation. In 2014, we sampled three irrigated and three rainfed plots of the cup plant. We quantified the nectar volume and sugar mass per inflorescence, the number of inflorescences per plant and calculated the total nectar sugar production. We further counted insect visitation on the inflorescences. Due to reduced numbers of inflorescences per plant and an earlier harvest, the estimated nectar sugar production was 58 kg/ha regarding irrigated and 20 kg/ha regarding rainfed plots. Honeybee visitation per inflorescence was about twice as high in the irrigated plots. Furthermore, the early harvest is a disadvantage for wild pollinators with a late activity period.     

Venom immunotherapy for Hymenoptera allergy in a dog

A 1.5-year-old male castrated dog was presented in anaphylactic shock after suffering an apparent bee sting. Immunotherapy with bee venom was initiated based upon history, skin testing and serological testing for allergen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E. The dog was maintained on venom immunotherapy for five years and showed no signs of adverse effects from therapy or from repeated bee stings.     

A longitudinal study of oestrous characteristics and conception in tie-stalled and loose-housed Swedish dairy cows

The presence and importance of visual oestrous symptoms and the relation to conception, breed, housing system and milk yield were studied. Data were collected from a Swedish research herd during a 16-year period. Local, secondary and primary oestrous symptoms and an overall oestrus intensity score (OI) were studied. Decreasing trends in oestrous expression and conception rates (CR), and an increase in CR with more intensive oestrus, from 24% at OI score one (very week) to 54% at OI score five (very strong) were observed. The mean interval from first to last observed oestrus symptom was long with a large variation (54?±?SD?=?32?h). Generally, irrespectively of housing system, Swedish Red cows had higher CR, more intensive oestruses and longer oestrus durations compared to Swedish Holstein cows. Local oestrous symptoms, with CR of 24–28%, were most frequently detected, which is why more attention should be paid to local oestrous symptoms.     

Suitability of Amaranthaceae and Polygonaceae species as food source for the sugar beet weevil Asproparthenis punctiventris Germar

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - This study explores the food plant spectrum of the sugar beet weevil (Asproparthenis punctiventris Germar; Coleoptera: Curculionidae), one of the most...     

Potential for organic Chilean wine

Abstract

The potential for extending organic wine production in Chile is discussed in relation to its history and present situation. The main objective is to present an overview of the production of organic wine in Chile, its certification, and national and international markets. During the wine harvesting season in March and April 2006, the authors visited and interviewed staff at four Chilean organic wineries. The wineries were all situated in the wine-producing centre of the country and were of variable sizes. One of the certification bodies in Chile was also interviewed. In addition to the field studies and interviews in Chile, various written information has been used. Second to Argentina, Chile is the country that produces most wine in Latin America. Vineyards cover a total of 110 000 hectares of the country's two million hectares of arable land. A study carried out in 2005 showed that 2000 hectares (almost 2%) of vineyards are organically cultivated. The organic production is operated by 32 different companies, which produce organic wine mainly for exportation to the international market. In Chile, the number of certified organic wine producers has increased in recent years in a trend directed by international demand and possible competitive advantages for Chilean wines. In order for a wine to be called ‘organic’ or ‘wine made from organically grown grapes’, the cultivation and final product must be approved by a certification company. In Chile there are three main active certification bodies; one national (Certificadora Chile Orgánico, CCO) and two international (the Swiss company IMO and the German company BCS). The study reveals a country with innovation and energy but facing strong pressures from the international market and its jungle of laws and directives, and the differing prestige of different certifications and labels. Chile as a wine-producing country has many competitors, and the production of organic wine could be a way to find diversity and exploit new market ground where environmental consideration concerns and sustainability are important targets.     

Effect of tetracosactid on post partum cyclicity in cows after induction of parturition with PGF2 alpha

Parturition and retention of fetal membranes were induced with PGF2 alpha in 3 primiparous dairy cows. Starting on day 12 post partum (PP) the cows were treated with 500 micrograms i.m. of ACTH-analogue (tetracosactid) every 6 h for 6 times. Changes in plasma concentrations of cortisol, progesterone and 15-ketodihydro-PGF2 alpha were evaluated immediately after treatment. The effects on the resumption of ovarian activity were evaluated by clinical and ultrasound examinations and by progesterone and 15-ketodihydro-PGF2 alpha analyses for 56 days after parturition. Treatment was able to induce a statistically significant (p < 0.01) similar increase in cortisol and progesterone after both the 1st and the 6th injections, in all cows. No changes in 15-ketodihydro-PGF2 alpha concentrations were seen after any of the injections of ACTH-analogue. The first corpus luteum (CL) was seen on day 18 PP (cow A), and 28 (cow B) and in both cases it was followed by a normal ovarian cyclicity. No CL was observed during the whole period of study in cow C. Progesterone profiles confirmed these clinical and ultrasonographic findings. The steroid output, especially progesterone, induced by the ACTH-analogue might be a stimulus for the onset of ovarian cyclicity, since 2 of the 3 animals ovulated earlier than expected. These findings point to the fact that interference with the stress system might have a positive effect on ovarian cyclicity. The different pattern of response does however demand further studies.     

Morphology of Day-7 Bovine Demi-Embryos and their Post-transfer Viability*

Day 7 bovine embryos were microsurgically bisected and replaced into surrogate zonae pellucidae. They were fixed immediately after bisection and at various intervals of in vitro incubation at 35 °C in modified Dulbecco's medium. At the light microscopical level, the bisected embryos restored the prebisection morphology within 30 min. after splitting. The electron microscopy confirmed these findings, suggesting that day 7 bovine demi-embryos for transfer purposes, should be cultured for 30 min before morphologically evaluated. Eleven pairs of bisected day 7 bovine embryos were transferred to 11 synchronized heifers. The recipient heifers were slaughtered at day 15, and the recovered embryos evaluated. Nine of the demi-embryos developed to morphologically, normal spherical to elongated, embryos.