Replacement of wheat bran with spineless cactus (Opuntia ficus indica Mill cv Gigante) and urea in the diets of Holstein x Gyr heifers

The aim of this study was to evaluate the replacement effect of wheat bran with spineless cactus and urea in heifers. Twenty-four heifers with an average initial weight of 185?±?13 kg were used in this experiment. Four levels of spineless cactus corrected with urea and ammonium sulfate (9:1) were studied: 0, 33, 66, and 100 % replacement with wheat bran. Samples of feed, orts, and feces were analyzed to estimate the intake and digestibility of dry matter (DM) and nutrients. Indigestible neutral detergent fiber was used as an internal marker. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design. Dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, and total digestible nutrient intake demonstrated a quadratic effect (P?P?P?相似文献   

Intake and digestion of wethers fed with dwarf elephant grass hay with or without the inclusion of peanut hay

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of peanut (Arachis pintoi cv. Amarillo) hay in diets based on dwarf elephant grass (DEG, Pennisetum purpureum Schum cv. Kurumi) hay of different regrowth ages on forage intake and digestibility in wether lambs. The experimental treatments consisted of DEG hay with an interval of regrowth of 30 or 45 days offered as the only feed or in mixture with peanut hay (300 g/kg of total dry matter (DM)), which were tested in eight Texel?×?Suffolk crossbred wethers in a replicated 4?×?4 Latin square experiment. Both organic matter (OM) and digestible OM intakes were higher (P?<?0.05) in animals receiving the legume forage. Total apparent OM digestibility was higher (P?<?0.05) at an increased grass regrowth age. Ruminal OM digestibility increased (P?<?0.05) with legume inclusion and at a higher grass regrowth age. The nitrogen (N) intake was higher (P?<?0.05) in legume treatments and lower (P?<?0.05) as the grass regrowth age increased, but retention of N was not affected by treatments. Duodenal flow of both, non-ammonia N and microbial N, were not affected by legume inclusion and were lower (P?<?0.05) as grass regrowth age increased. The efficiency of rumen microbial protein synthesis (ERMPS) was negatively affected (P?<?0.05) by legume inclusion and was lower (P?<?0.05) as the grass regrowth age increased. Supplementation of dwarf elephant grass hay cut at the vegetative stage with peanut legume hay improves nutritional supply to wethers due to an increase in the forage intake.     

A Review of the Studies Using Buprenorphine in Cats

Pain management is a crucial component of feline medicine and surgery. This review critically evaluates studies using buprenorphine in cats and highlights the clinical application of the opioid in this species. The pharmacokinetic‐pharmacodynamic (PK‐PD) modeling of IV buprenorphine has been best described by a combined effect compartmental/receptor association‐dissociation model with negative hysteresis. Therefore, plasma concentrations of the drug are not correlated with analgesia, and clinicians should not expect to observe pain relief immediately after drug administration. In addition, a ceiling effect has not been demonstrated after administration of clinical doses of buprenorphine in cats; dosages of up to 0.04 mg/kg have been reported. The route of administration influences the onset, duration, and magnitude of antinociception and analgesia when using this drug in cats. At clinical dosages, the SC route of administration does not appear to provide adequate antinociception and analgesia whereas the buccal route has produced inconsistent results. Intravenous or IM administration at a dosage of 0.02–0.04 mg/kg is the preferred for treatment of pain in the acute setting. A literature search found 14 clinical trials evaluating buprenorphine sedation, analgesia, or both in cats. There were 22 original research studies reporting the antinociceptive effects of buprenorphine by means of thermal threshold, mechanical threshold, or both, minimal alveolar concentration, or PK‐PD. Individual variability in response to buprenorphine administration has been reported, indicating that buprenorphine may not provide sufficient analgesia in some cats. Pain assessment is important when evaluating the efficacy of buprenorphine and determining whether additional analgesic treatment is needed.     

The transmission potential of Rift Valley fever virus among livestock in the Netherlands: a modelling study

Abstracts

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic vector-borne infection and causes a potentially severe disease. Many mammals are susceptible to infection including important livestock species. Although currently confined to Africa and the near-East, this disease causes concern in countries in temperate climates where both hosts and potential vectors are present, such as the Netherlands. Currently, an assessment of the probability of an outbreak occurring in this country is missing. To evaluate the transmission potential of RVFV, a mathematical model was developed and used to determine the initial growth and the Floquet ratio, which are indicators of the probability of an outbreak and of persistence in a periodic changing environment caused by seasonality. We show that several areas of the Netherlands have a high transmission potential and risk of persistence of the infection. Counter-intuitively, these are the sparsely populated livestock areas, due to the high vector-host ratios in these areas. Culex pipiens s.l. is found to be the main driver of the spread and persistence, because it is by far the most abundant mosquito. Our investigation underscores the importance to determine the vector competence of this mosquito species for RVFV and its host preference.     

Reducing NO2 Pollution over Urban Areas: Air Quality Modelling as a Fundamental Management Tool

Recently, specific air quality problems have been detected in the northern region of Portugal. The nitrogen oxide (NO₂) annual limit value has been surpassed at several air quality monitoring stations in the northern region, and according to European legislation, air quality plans must be designed and implemented to reduce those levels. The analysis of the air quality data from the stations concerning NO₂ exceedances indicates that traffic is responsible for an increase of more than 40?% compared with the urban background value. Specific measures to reduce NOx emissions have been selected and are related not only mainly to the traffic sector but also to the industrial and residential combustion sectors. The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of the selected measures on the ambient levels of NO₂ in northern Portugal using a numerical modelling tool??The Air Pollution Model (TAPM). TAPM was applied over the study region using a 120?×?120-km² simulation domain and a spatial resolution of 4.8?×?4.8?km². The entire year of 2010 was simulated and was set as the base year to analyse the impact of the selected measures. Two scenarios have been defined and simulated: the base situation, which considers current NOx emissions, and the reduction scenario for which NOx emissions were re-estimated considering the implementation of the measures. The modelling results demonstrate a decrease of 4?C5???g?m^?3 in the annual NO₂ levels in the study region. Moreover, the implementation of the selected measures will allow compliance with the NO₂ annual limit values in three of the five air quality stations that measured levels surpassing those established by legislation. This situation demands additional measures that should be implemented at the local level and that particularly focus on the traffic sector.     

Mars surface diversity as revealed by the OMEGA/Mars Express observations

The Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces, et l'Activité (OMEGA) investigation, on board the European Space Agency Mars Express mission, is mapping the surface composition of Mars at a 0.3- to 5-kilometer resolution by means of visible-near-infrared hyperspectral reflectance imagery. The data acquired during the first 9 months of the mission already reveal a diverse and complex surface mineralogy, offering key insights into the evolution of Mars. OMEGA has identified and mapped mafic iron-bearing silicates of both the northern and southern crust, localized concentrations of hydrated phyllosilicates and sulfates but no carbonates, and ices and frosts with a water-ice composition of the north polar perennial cap, as for the south cap, covered by a thin carbon dioxide-ice veneer.     

Influence of Ascorbic Acid and Glutathione Antioxidants on Frozen-Thawed Canine Semen

Poor sperm viability post-thaw has resulted in constant research into methods of cryopreservation of canine semen. One factor that may be involved in poor viability is sperm oxidative stress caused by excessive formation of reactive oxygen species. The present study was performed in order to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of ascorbic acid (AA) and glutathione (Glu) added to an extender for the freeze-thawing of dog sperm. Semen from five mature dogs was collected and frozen in two studies. Prior to and after freezing, sperm motility, morphology and membrane status were examined. In addition, sperm motility was examined up to 120 min after thawing to evaluate thermo-resistance. In study I, semen was collected twice from each dog. On both occasions, semen was divided into three aliquots: control, Glu 1 m m and Glu 5 m m . In study II, semen was collected twice and divided into three aliquots; control, AA 50 μ m and AA 250 μ m . Initial sperm motility was significantly higher in sperm diluted with AA 50 μ m ; sperm longevity, however, measured by a thermal-resistance test (TRT), was higher for Glu treatments. Higher concentration of Glu produced significant improvement in TRT and membrane status, whereas higher concentration of AA had a negative impact in sperm longevity. Antioxidant supplementation to semen freezing extenders improved semen quality post-thaw. Moreover, Glu had the most beneficial effect when supplemented at 5 m m .     

Exploratory analysis of differences in sperm morphology in Nelore and Gir (Bos indicus) bulls

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of breed and season on semen quality parameters of zebu bulls. Data (1,632 registers) of semen production from Gir (n?=?4) and Nelore (n?=?15) bulls were collected between October 2005 and November 2009. The ejaculates were collected twice a week during various seasons (summer, fall, winter, and spring) and evaluated for the following semen parameters: ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility, forward progressive motility (FPM), and sperm morphology. Factor analysis was used to determine the relationship among variables. The effect of breed (Gir and Nelore) and season and their cross effect on each parameter and extracted factor were tested using ANOVA. A negative correlation (P?<?0.05) was observed between FPM and proximal droplet, as well as with abnormal loose head, abnormal small head, pouch formation, abnormal mid-peace, and strongly folded tail. Gir bull sperm showed more major defects, detached acrosome, and minor FPM (P?<?0.01), whereas Nelore bulls showed a higher number of sperm with normally loose head.