Factors Influencing the Frequency of Pregnancy Loss among Thoroughbred Mares in Hidaka,Japan

Pregnancy loss in mares is thought to be a main problem associated with reproductive efficiency. To clarify the situation of pregnancy loss in Thoroughbred mares in Japan, the occurrence of pregnancy loss before and after 35 days of gestation was investigated with 1,476 Thoroughbred mares in Hidaka, Japan, from 2007 to 2009. Pregnancy loss on days 17-35 was determined by ultrasound examination between 17 and 35 days after the last mating. Follow-up surveys were conducted between 35 days and foaling to determine pregnancy loss on day 35 until foaling in 843 of these mares. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, we assessed the influence of mare age, reproductive status, twin pregnancy reduction, body condition score (BCS), estrus type in foaling mares (foal heat or not), progesterone therapy, and endometrial cysts on pregnancy loss rates on days 17-35 and on day 35 until foaling in this population of mares. The pregnancy loss rates on days 17-35 and on day 35 until foaling were 5.8% and 8.7%, respectively. The overall pregnancy loss rate (day 17 until foaling, including parturient losses) was 14.7%. Risk factors for pregnancy loss included decrease in BCS between 17 and 35 days, <5 BCS at day 35, mating during foal heat, and endometrial cysts. In all, 14.7% of pregnancies were lost between day 17 and birth, contributing significantly to reduced reproductive efficiency in Thoroughbred mares in Japan. These observations indicate that mares should be maintained at high BCS and should be prevented from mating in foal heat to decrease the pregnancy loss rates.     

The Relationship Between the Positive Identification of the Embryo Proper in Equine Pregnancies Aged 18-28 Days and its Future Viability: A Field Study

Early embryonic loss (EEL) negatively affects the reproductive efficiency of equine reproduction. A sign of future EEL is when the embryo proper (EP) fails to develop within the embryonic vesicle after 30 days of gestation. The earlier the identification of impending EEL, the earlier the mare can be rebred to allow a second chance of pregnancy. The objectives of this study were to determine the percentage of embryonic vesicles with a visible EP at 18-28 days of gestation and to study the association between the presence/absence of the EP at different days of gestation and the future viability of the pregnancy. A total of 1,256 pregnancies were identified and followed by transrectal B-mode ultrasonography 12-45 days post ovulation in mares of the same Thoroughbred farm. The identification of the EP was attempted once during days 18-28. Pregnancy reconfirmation was performed on days 35-45. The percentage of vesicles with an EP increased gradually from days 18 (2.8%) to 21 (86.9%) (P < .05). From day 20 onward, the EEL rate of mares with vesicles without an EP was significantly higher (P < .05) than that of vesicles with a positive identification of an EP. In conclusion, the EP of the equine vesicle can be identified reliably with B-mode ultrasonography in the majority of mares (>71%) on day 20 of gestation. The lack of a positive identification of an EP from day 20 onward is associated with a higher EEL rate.     

Isoenzyme studies on Theileria (Protozoa,Sporozoa). Enzyme activity associated with the erythrocytic stage

Summary

Bovine blood containing piroplasms of Theileria parva, as well as non‐injected blood, was lysed and subjected to iso‐electric focussing.

Staining for 13 different enzymes revealed parasite‐associated bands of glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI) activity, not of any of the other enzymes. There were no variations between individual donor animals in the host cell GPI bands and these bands did not interfere with the recognition of the parasite‐associated bands, so that purification of the piroplasms was unnecessary. Blood from cattle infected with T. mutans also gave parasite‐associated bands of GPI, but no such bands were seen in zymograms of blood from cattle infected with a Theileria sp. from Japan. Depending on the level of parasitaemia, up to four parasite‐associated bands were found in one strain of T. parva and up to three in two other strains. Among the disadvantages of using piroplasm material for the study of isoenzymes of T. parva is the fact that animals often die before their parasitaemia is sufficiently high, and that some strains never give rise to a high parasitaemia.     

Effects of Salinity Stress on the Seminal Root Tip Ultrastructures of Rice Seedlings (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

Growth and structural changes in the seminal root tip of rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L. cv. Nipponbare) in response to NaCl salinity were studied. Seedlings were grown in agar medium with 0, 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0% NaCl(agar culture), and in water with 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.06 and 0.1% NaCl (water culture). Seedling growth was significantly suppressed by higher concentrations of NaCl. The effect of NaCl appeared faster in water culture than in agar culture. In both agar and water cultures, root growth was markedly suppressed over shoot growth. Under saline conditions, epidermis, cortex and root cap cells appear to be damaged to a greater extent than the meristem and stelar cells. The most notable ultrastructural change in response to salinity was the development and increment of vacuoles, which seem to provide a space for accumulation of excess ions. Many electron dense deposits were observed in the larger vacuoles of the epidermal and cortical cells. Under saline conditions, cell wall thickening of the epidermis, an increase in endoplasmic reticulum, myelin figures, less compact Golgi bodies and inhibited production of Golgi vesicles were also observed.     

马齿形玉米种子尖端激光定向与胚面识别装置研制

为了实现玉米种子的尖端定向与胚面识别,该文以现有尖端定向装置输出的马齿型玉米种子为对象,基于激光开关和测距原理,提出了一种尖端定向与胚面识别方法:依据马齿形玉米种子尖端窄大头宽的轮廓特征,利用激光开关传感器等部件对玉米种子的尖端朝向进行识别,并将大头朝前的玉米种子进行剔除;依据马齿形玉米种子胚面上有胚沟而反面较为平整的表面特征,利用激光测距传感器等部件对尖端朝前的玉米种子进行胚面识别。设计并搭建了玉米种子尖端定向与胚面识别装置,配合现有的尖端定向装置进行试验,结果表明:尖端定向与胚面识别装置的尖端定向成功率达到99.1%,相比现有的尖端定向装置提升了9.5个百分点,胚面识别准确率为96.4%。该方法基本可以实现玉米种子的尖端定向,同时保证胚面识别准确率达到较高水准。该文提出的玉米种子尖端定向与胚面识别方法可为后续玉米种子的自动化定向包装提供参考。     

Methods to improve the fertility of poinsettia

‘Success’ or ‘Red Splendor’ plants propagated by shoot tip culture or embryogenesis had higher pollen germination than those propagated by cutting. All clones of ‘Pepride’, ‘Peter Star’ and ‘Nobel Star’ propagated by cutting or by embryogenesis or shoot tip culture did not have viable pollen. ‘Peter Star’ mutants through mutagenesis could recover pollen viability. When both parents were propagated by tissue culture, fruit set increased compared to when one or both parents were propagated by cuttings. Furthermore, the number of the harvested seeds doubled per pollination set, when the tissue culture parents were used instead of cutting-propagation plants.     

Embryonic tissue extracts modulate cell-fate determination in human epidermal stem cells

AIM: To investigate the phenotypic changes and cell-fate determination of keratinocyte stem cells in vitro. METHODS: Improved collagen Ⅳ-coated adhesion method was used to isolate and culture the keratinocyte stem cells after neutron-protease selectively digested the dermo-epidermal junctions. Morphological features and identification of these immature cells were studied by immunochemistry and confocal microscopy analysis. After treated with extracts from 14-day-old mouse fetuses at the concentration of 10% (W/V), phenotypic changes and the cell-fate determination of keratinocyte stem cells (KSCs) were detected by flow FACS analysis and RT-PCR assays. RESULTS: Immunocytochemical analysis proved that KSCs and their subunits were positive for α₆ and β₁ integrin, keratin 19 and 14, p63, nestin and PCNA, yet negative for keratin 10 expressions. Double staining immunofluorescence demonstrated that markers such as α₆ integrin and CD71 was co-expressed in KSCs, and there were important regional differences in the distribution of α6 integrin and CD71 in KSCs and transit amplifying cells (TA cells). Meanwhile, two-color flow cytometric analysis of α₆ integrin and CD71 consistently revealed that after treated with an extract from mouse fetuses, the percent of α+6 CD71+ and CD71+ fraction increased and reached to 68.43% and 4.51% of the total isolated cells, respectively. However, the percent of α+6 CD71- fraction reduced from 22.49% to 10.92% determined by flow cytometry. Moreover, the expression levels of β₁ integrin and some putative biological markers in human epidermal cells were analyses by RT-PCR after fetus extract treatment. The relative gene expressions of β₁ integrin, K19 and K10 increased in KSCs, whereas the expression of K14 in keratinocyte stem cells was observed to be significantly suppressed when compared to the appropriate controls. CONCLUSION: The keratinocyte stem cells isolated by collagen Ⅳ-coated adhesion method have some characteristics of adult stem cells and perhaps the potentiality to differentiate and cross-differentiate. The regional differences in the distribution of α6 integrin and CD71 are one of the transition markers to discriminate the KSCs and TA cells. Furthermore, fetus extracts contribute to not only the proliferation and self-renewal of KSCs but also the dedifferentiation of TA cell subunits.     

激素及光照对甘薯茎尖分生组织培养的影响

根据不同基因型甘薯茎尖分生组织在不同激素水平的生长反应,将４个河南主栽甘薯品种分为３类;激素不敏感硬成苗型、激素敏感易成苗型和激素不敏感难成苗型。光照时数不是甘薯茎尖培养成苗的根制因素,以不低于１４ｈ／ｄ为好。     

关节间隙对机器人末端执行器位姿误差的影响

影响机器人末端执行器位姿的因素很多,其中关节间隙的影响历来为人们所关注。本文讨论了关节间隙对机器人末端执行器位姿误差的影响,推导出了由关节间隙引起的机器人末端执行器位姿误差的精确计算公式,且给出了算例,本文的工作为提高机器人的工作精度及有效地控制机器人,提供了理论依据。