Breed and Management Interaction for Production and Reproduction in Swedish Dairy Cows

The effects of grazing during summer and possible interaction effects between breed and management system on milk production and postpartum reproductive performance were studied in 93 Swedish Red and White (SRB), Swedish Holstein (SLB) and Swedish Jersey (SJB) cows with 214 initiated lactations. The cows were divided into two groups: zero-grazing with tiestalls, or grazing during summer. Effects were studied by mixed-model analysis. The results indicated that grazing (rather than zero-grazing) can reduce the milk yield in the following lactation in SLB cows, whereas it had little effect on the production of SRB cows. Grazing SJB cows produced more milk, but with a significantly lower fat content. Grazing before or during the postpartum period stimulated reproductive performance, indicating a higher conception rate in all breeds and a 13-27-day shorter interval from calving to conception in the SRB and SLB cows, whereas in the limited number of SJB cows, the trend was the converse.     

Milk Production in Swedish Dairy Cows Managed for Calving Intervals of 12 and 15 Months

The effects of calving intervals of 12 and 15 months on milk yield and milk composition were studied in 105 Swedish Red and White (SRB) and 46 Swedish Holstein (SLB) cows with 280 initiated lactations and 165 completed lactations (followed by another calving). The cows were divided into two groups, one early inseminated and the other late inseminated. The cows in the early group were inseminated at first oestrus 50 days after calving, aiming at a conventional 12-month calving interval, and the second group 140 days after calving, aiming at an extended calving interval of 15 months. Effects were studied by mixed-model analysis. Compared with the 12-month groups, total milk yield increased by 15-16% in the extended calving interval groups of both breeds, while fat, protein and lactose contents were slightly lower. The duration of lactation was 55-60 days longer in the 15-month than in the 12-month groups of both breeds. Given the possibility of a longer lactation, primiparous cows generally maintained their production longer than multiparous cows. SLB cows, especially those with a high peak yield, maintained their production longer than SRB cows. Average milk production per day within a calving interval tended to be slightly lower (2-5%) in both breeds when the interval was extended, owing to longer periods with low production and longer dry periods.     

Rapid determination of the attenuation limit of beer using middle-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy and a multivariate model

A new approach for the determination of the attenuation limit of beer samples using the specific fingerprint region of middle-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy in combination with multiple regression by partial least-squares (PLS) was developed using an attenuated total reflectance (ATR) module. A specific spectral region between 1200 and 800 cm(-1) was identified as highly informative for the quantification of the limit of attenuation. The absorptions in this region are induced by vibrational bands of ethanol (1080, 1040, and 880 cm(-1)) and dissolved extract, in majority maltotriose (1160-1140 and 1040-980 cm(-1)). The multivariate calibration results in a root mean squared error of calibration (RMSEC) of 0.40% and a validation procedure with independent samples results in a root mean squared error of validation (RMSEV) of 0.50%. A repeatability test, concerning the precision of the developed MIR method as well as the reference method, was analyzed using Student's t test. The test has shown no significant difference between the two random samples.     

Cultivation Practices and Potato Cultivars Suitable for Organic Potato Production

To identify the most important agronomic measures and cultivar traits in Swedish organic potato production, multivariate analyses were performed on a set of data from a series of field trials carried out in Sweden during a 7-year period. The effects of soil parameters, cultivar, year and geographical location on potato characteristics were investigated. Soil parameters including fertility level had strong and significant effects on potato characteristics, explaining 53% of total variation. Variables related to the duration of haulm growth were other dominant factors in the variation. While P and K fertilization increased yields, N fertilization had little effect on yield and a negative effect on the time to emergence. The N requirement of potatoes ranges from 2.5 to 5.9 kg ha^?1 per ton of tuber yield and was met in these trials. The results implied the timing of N application is important for yield. It was concluded that the importance of P and K fertilization is underestimated in organic production, and that the most important cultivar trait in achieving acceptable yield is long-lasting foliage, which is a characteristic of cultivars resistant to Phytophthora infestans. Three of the cultivars tested (Lady Balfour, Cicero and Sarpo Mira) had a yield >3.5 kg m^?2, which is high in Swedish organic production.     

Reproductive performance in sows in relation to Japanese Encephalitis Virus seropositivity in an endemic area

Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) is considered an important reproductive pathogen in pigs. Most studies of the reproductive impact of JEV have been conducted in areas where the disease occurs in seasonal epidemics. In this study, the associations between seropositivity for JEV, measured with an IgG ELISA, and the number of piglets born alive and stillborn were investigated in a tropical area endemic for JEV in Vietnam. Sixty percent of sows from four farms in the Mekong delta of Vietnam were seropositive to JEV and the Odds Ratio for a sow being infected was highest (6.4) in sows above 3.5 years (95% confidence interval 2.2–18.3). There was an association between increasing Optical Density (OD) values from the ELISA and the number of stillborn piglets in sows less than 1.5 years, but no effect of seropositivity could be shown when all sows were studied. OD values had an effect (p = 0.04) on the number of piglets born alive in the statistical analysis only when interacting with the effect of the breeds. An increase in mean OD value of the herd was correlated (p < 0.0001) with an increase in the number of piglets born alive. In this study, there was evidence of a negative association between seropositivity for JEV and the reproductive performance only in sows less than 1.5 years in endemic areas. This could be explained by a year-round infection with the virus, which would lead to immunity in many gilts before their first pregnancy. This, in turn, may imply that JEV infection in pigs is of minor importance for the reproductive performance in endemic areas.     

The Bacterial (Vibrio alginolyticus) Production of Tetrodotoxin in the Ribbon Worm Lineus longissimus—Just a False Positive?

We test previous claims that the bacteria Vibrio alginolyticus produces tetrodotoxin (TTX) when living in symbiosis with the nemertean Lineus longissimus by a setup with bacteria cultivation for TTX production. Toxicity experiments on the shore crab, Carcinus maenas, demonstrated the presence of a paralytic toxin, but evidence from LC-MS and electrophysiological measurements of voltage-gated sodium channel–dependent nerve conductance in male Wistar rat tissue showed conclusively that this effect did not originate from TTX. However, a compound of similar molecular weight was found, albeit apparently non-toxic, and with different LC retention time and MS/MS fragmentation pattern than those of TTX. We conclude that C. maenas paralysis and death likely emanate from a compound <5 kDa, and via a different mechanism of action than that of TTX. The similarity in mass between TTX and the Vibrio-produced low-molecular-weight, non-toxic compound invokes that thorough analysis is required when assessing TTX production. Based on our findings, we suggest that re-examination of some published claims of TTX production may be warranted.     

Clinical pharmacology of methadone in dogs

ObjectiveTo investigate the pharmacokinetics and effects of methadone on behaviour and plasma concentrations of cortisol and vasopressin in healthy dogs.Study designRandomized, cross-over, experimental trial.AnimalsNine adult dogs (beagle and beagle cross breeds), four males and five females.MethodsMethadone hydrochloride, 0.4 mg kg^?1, was administered intravenously (IV) and subcutaneously (SC) with a crossover design. Drug and hormone analyses in plasma were performed using Liquid Chromatography–Electrospray Ionization–Tandem Mass Spectrometry and radioimmunoassay respectively. Behavioural data were collected using a standardized protocol.ResultsAfter IV administration, the plasma concentration of methadone at 10 minutes was 82.1 ± 9.2 ng mL^?1 (mean ± SD), the terminal half-life was 3.9 ± 1.0 hours, the volume of distribution 9.2 ± 3.3 L kg^?1 and plasma clearance 27.9 ± 7.6 mL minute^?1 kg^?1. After SC administration, time to maximal plasma concentration was 1.26 ± 1.04 hours and maximal plasma concentration of methadone was 23.9 ± 14.4 ng mL^?1, the terminal half-life was 10.7 ± 4.3 hours and bioavailability was 79 ± 22%. Concentrations of both cortisol and vasopressin were increased for an hour following IV methadone. The observed behavioural effects of methadone were decreased licking and swallowing and an increase in whining after SC administration. The latter finding is notable as it can be misinterpreted as pain when methadone is used as an analgesic.Conclusion and clinical relevanceWhen methadone was administered by the SC route, the half-life was longer, but the individual variation in plasma concentrations was greater compared with IV administration. Increased frequency of whining occurred after administration of methadone and may be a drug effect and not a sign of pain. Cortisol and vasopressin concentrations in plasma may not be suitable for evaluating analgesia after methadone treatment.     

Water distribution in brine salted cod (Gadus morhua) and salmon (Salmo salar): a low-field 1H NMR study

Low-field (LF) (1)H NMR T 2 relaxation measurements were used to study changes in water distribution in lean (Atlantic cod) and fatty (Atlantic salmon) fish during salting in 15% NaCl and 25% NaCl brines. The NMR data were treated by PCA, continuous distribution analysis, and biexponential fitting and compared with physicochemical data. Two main water pools were observed in unsalted fish, T 21, with relaxation times in the range 20-100 ms, and T 22, with relaxation times in the range 100-300 ms. Pronounced changes in T 2 relaxation data were observed during salting, revealing changes in the water properties. Salting in 15% brine lead to a shift toward longer relaxation times, reflecting increased water mobility, whereas, salting in saturated brines had the opposite effect. Water mobility changes were observed earlier in the salting process for cod compared to salmon. Good linear correlations ( F 相似文献   

Quantification of infiltration processes in urban areas by accounting for spatial parameter variability

Background, Aims, and Scope  As a consequence of human living and activity, water infiltration to the urban subsurface occurs from a variety of different sources, like precipitation, irrigation, leaking pipes and sewers, septic tanks and rainwater infiltration ponds. This infiltration is strongly related with quality issues of the infiltrated water and further impact on groundwater quality. In order to set up an integrated urban water balance it becomes essential to estimate the infiltration processes, i.e. water flow and solute transport, from these different infiltration sources and to take into account the large spatial variability of sediment properties, the geometric settings of these sources and the groundwater table. For that purpose, the development of simple, physically-based quantification approaches is required in order to establish an efficiently working prediction and risk analysis tool within the framework of an integrated urban water management system. The scope of the presented work was to demonstrate the applicability of the developed approaches at urban scale. Methods  Since a detailed, three-dimensional, numerical quantification of the infiltration processes within the entire urban area is not possible, the individual sources were considered as independent within the EU AISUWRS project. Different models were developed for balancing infiltration from areal and point sources with respect to the related flow pattern. The analytical model UL_FLOW, based on one-dimensional, steady state analytical solutions, allows the estimation of conservative tracer residence times in layered sediments under varying infiltration rates. The numerical model WSTM, based on a three-dimensional random walk approach, calculates water and solute transport from pipe leaks. Additionally, the sources were classified in accordance to the spatial distribution of the parameters determining the infiltration processes. Results  UL_FLOW was applied to data sets from the city of Rastatt within a case study of the AISUWRS project. Each neighbourhood of water balance computation by the Urban Volume and Quality Model (UVQ) was defined as an areal infiltration source with unique parameter values for sediment depth, profile and properties, as well as infiltration rate time series. Groundwater recharge and residence time series were computed for each neighbourhood. Relevant statistical parameters obtained by time series analyses from those time series could be mapped by GIS. Point infiltration, particularly from sewers, was classified due to the sediment parameters and the distance to the groundwater table at each source location in order to reduce computational efforts. WSTM computations provided time series of groundwater recharge and tracer breakthrough for some specific cases. Discussion  The analytical model UL_FLOW provides fast and efficient computation of groundwater recharge and residence times accounting for storage effects within the unsaturated zone of urban areas. The reliability of this model has been shown by cross validation with HYDRUS1D. Because of the high computational effort, WSTM could provide only short-term simulations for some specific parameter sets for which residence time estimates could be derived. Conclusions  UL_FLOW provides an analytical modelling tool for balancing one-dimensional areal infiltration and estimating residence times under varying conditions including spatial parameter variability. These balances could be used for assessing the impact of those infiltration sources on groundwater quality. The tracer breakthrough from point infiltration sources computed by WSTM could also be used for such kinds of assessment. The larger spatial parameter variability associated with these sources could be handled by classification in GIS environments. Recommendations and Perspectives  Similar to the areal sources, a simple balance approach for point sources based on analytical solutions needs to be developed for estimating residence times in order to avoid large computational efforts. Such a model would complete the balancing of all kinds of infiltration sources in urban areas efficiently. Since the approaches are based on the balance of the physical processes, they have a large predictive capability and could be included into an integrated urban water balance and management system. The mapping of the statistical values of the residence times provides a tool to compare parts of the urban areas and to visualize differences between urban water management scenarios.     

Evolutionary impact assessment: accounting for evolutionary consequences of fishing in an ecosystem approach to fisheries management

Managing fisheries resources to maintain healthy ecosystems is one of the main goals of the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF). While a number of international treaties call for the implementation of EAF, there are still gaps in the underlying methodology. One aspect that has received substantial scientific attention recently is fisheries‐induced evolution (FIE). Increasing evidence indicates that intensive fishing has the potential to exert strong directional selection on life‐history traits, behaviour, physiology, and morphology of exploited fish. Of particular concern is that reversing evolutionary responses to fishing can be much more difficult than reversing demographic or phenotypically plastic responses. Furthermore, like climate change, multiple agents cause FIE, with effects accumulating over time. Consequently, FIE may alter the utility derived from fish stocks, which in turn can modify the monetary value living aquatic resources provide to society. Quantifying and predicting the evolutionary effects of fishing is therefore important for both ecological and economic reasons. An important reason this is not happening is the lack of an appropriate assessment framework. We therefore describe the evolutionary impact assessment (EvoIA) as a structured approach for assessing the evolutionary consequences of fishing and evaluating the predicted evolutionary outcomes of alternative management options. EvoIA can contribute to EAF by clarifying how evolution may alter stock properties and ecological relations, support the precautionary approach to fisheries management by addressing a previously overlooked source of uncertainty and risk, and thus contribute to sustainable fisheries.