Effect of galectin-1 administration on pregnancy rate and its economic viability in TAI procedures in beef cattle

The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the reproductive efficacy and the economic impact of a complementary tool to the TAI (timed artificial insemination) protocols - the administration of a single dose of recombinant human galectin-1 (rHGAL1) during the insemination procedure. GAL-1 can be considered as a modulator of the pregnancy development process. Reproductive efficacy was verified through the pregnancy rate in the first service, by ultrasonography (at 28-35 days) in contemporary groups (YG) of cows subdivided into 02 experimental groups (Control Group, composed of cows inseminated in a conventional and Treated group, composed of cows inseminated with rHGAL-1 administration following the deposition of the semen dose). Ninety YG were formed, grouping cows under identical conditions (inseminator, farm/lot, breed, animal category, semen/bull variables). The experiment was conducted in 15 farms, with 3,125 cows (Nellore and crossbred), all multiparous and with calf at foot (from 60 to 100 days old) and who maintained a body score (BSC) between 3.5 and 2.5 in the act of the TAI protocol and in the pregnancy diagnosis. It was demonstrated, by the proposed statistical method, that the “rHGAl-1 dose” effect was significant, increasing the probability of obtaining pregnancy by 8.38 percentage points (p < 0.0001). Based on the construction of a hypothetical model, the economic profitability that can be obtained were compared. Using the average increase obtained by 8.38 percentage points more in the pregnancy rate, it was possible to increase productivity, adding, almost U$ 2 thousand to profitability for each 100 cows worked.

Generic Relationships between Field Uses and Their Geographical Characteristics in Mountain-Area Dairy Cattle Farms

In mountain farms, challenges posed by the degree of land slope, altitude and harsh climate further compound multiple other possible constraints, particularly in relation to the distance of the farm from the farmstead. This study focused on how mountain-area dairy farmers factor the geographical characteristics of their fields into their field-use decisions. To that end, we surveyed 72 farmers who farm the traditional Salers breed of cattle and 28 specialised dairy system farmers in the central Massif region, France. Information was collected on the uses and geographical characteristics of all grassland fields (n = 2341) throughout the entire outdoor grazing season, without identifying farmers’ rationales for their field-use decisions. Field-use classes were constructed for the traditional Salers system per group of fields (grazed-only, cut-only, grazed-and-cut) and then used to classify fields in the specialized dairy system. The geographical characteristics, which were associated afterwards, were significantly different between the field groups and between field-use classes. Grazed-only fields were found to be more sloping and cut-only fields were smaller and further from the farmstead. Distance/area combinations were different according to field use (animal category, earliness of first cut, grazing and cutting sequence) and were decisive for all field-use classes. This study allowed the identification of generic relationships between field uses and their geographical characteristics in mountain-area dairy cattle farms.

Effect of Treatment With Gonadoreline at the Embryo Transfer on Pregnancy Outcomes in Bovine.

The aim of this study was to assess whether administration of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist gonadorelin would increase conception rates at 30 (P / ET 30) and 60 (P / ET 60) days of gestation and reduce pregnancy losses (PL) in embryo recipients and what would be the correlation between the animal category and the season of the year in which the embryo transfer would occur. The experiment was conducted on 11 commercial farms in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Recipients were randomly divided into groups: treated (n = 624), cows that received 0.1 mg gonadorelin on the day of FTET, and control (n = 687), untreated cows. All embryos were produced in vitro from oocyte donors of different races. Recipients were classified as heifers, dry cows or lactating cows. Higher conception rate was observed at 30 days (p = 0.03) and 60 days (p = 0.01) in the treated group (45.8%; 43.0%, respectively). Dry and lactating cows had less pregnancy loss (p = 0.001) compared to heifers (2.70% and 2.47% vs 10.42%, respectively). During spring/summer, there was less P/FTET at 30 days (0.024). Embryo transfer carried out in the warmer seasons of the year reduced the pregnancy rate to 60 days and increased pregnancy loss. As an implication, the use of the GnRH analogue can be used as a tool to increase fertility in embryo recipients.

Factors which interfere in the results of the Fixed-Time Artificial Insemination in beef cattle

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the animal category, the cyclicity, the CIDR reuse, the body condition score (BCS), the inseminator and the bull on the fertility rates of bovine submitted to a FTAI protocol. It was observed that pluriparous demonstrated a higher fertility. The group With Corpus Luteum obtained a higher conception rate. The CIDR of 4th use reduced (P <0.05) the chance of conception. The chances of conception in cows of the Low BCS group were lower (P <0.05), than the cows with intermediate and high BCS. The inseminator and the bull exerted influence on the fertility. Therefore, all factors are important in FTAI programs.

Farm Animals’ Behaviors and Welfare Analysis with IA Algorithms: A Review

Numerous bibliographic reviews related to the use of AI for the behavioral detection of farm animals exist, but they only focus on a particular type of animal. We believe that some techniques were used for some animals that could also be used for other types of animals. The application and comparison of these techniques between animal species are rarely done. In this paper, we propose a review of machine learning approaches used for the detection of farm animals’ behaviors such as lameness, grazing, rumination, and so on. The originality of this paper is matched classification in the midst of sensors and algorithms used for each animal category. First, we highlight the most implemented approaches for different categories of animals (cows, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and chickens) to inspire researchers interested to conduct investigation and employ the methods we have evaluated and the results we have obtained in this study. Second, we describe the current trends in terms of technological development and new paradigms that will impact the AI research. Finally, we critically analyze what is done and we draw new pathways of research to advance our understanding of animal’s behaviors.

Fatty Acid Composition of Salami Made by Meat from Different Commercial Categories of Indigenous Dairy Cattle

In autochthonous dairy cattle farms, the production of salami could represent an alternative commercial opportunity. Therefore, a study was carried out to investigate the fatty acid (FA) composition of salami made using the meat from grazing (GB) or housed (HB) young bulls and grazing adult cows (AC) of Cinisara breed. The products were manufactured by adding 20% of pork lard. Animal category influenced the FA composition, although the addition of lard mitigated the differences found in fresh meat. The salami from GB showed higher polyunsaturated FA content (p ≤ 0.01) and, in particular, a higher level of linoleic acid (p ≤ 0.05), than from other animal categories. Salami made from AC meat showed lower polyunsaturated/saturated FA ratio (p ≤ 0.05), but a better n-6/n-3 ratio compared to HB (p ≤ 0.05), due to the lower content of linoleic acid. Multivariate analysis showed an important influence of animal category on FA composition due to age, feeding system and meat fat content of animals, despite the addition of lard.

Comparison of Phenotypical Antimicrobial Resistance between Clinical and Non-Clinical E. coli Isolates from Broilers, Turkeys and Calves in Four European Countries

Livestock data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are commonly collected from bacterial populations of clinical and non-clinical isolates. In contrast to data on non-clinical isolates from livestock, data on clinical isolates are not harmonized in Europe. The Normalized Resistance Interpretation (NRI) method was applied to overcome the lack of harmonization of laboratory methods and interpretation rules between monitoring systems. Statistical analyses were performed to identify associations between the isolate type (clinical vs. non-clinical) and resistance to four antimicrobials (ampicillin, tetracycline, gentamicin, and nalidixic acid) per animal category in Germany and France. Additional statistical analyses comparing clinical and non-clinical isolates were performed with the available data on the same antimicrobial panel and animal categories from the UK and Norway. Higher resistance prevalence was found in clinical isolates compared to non-clinical isolates from calves to all antimicrobials included in Germany and France. It was also found for gentamicin in broilers from France. In contrast, in broilers and turkeys from Germany and France and in broilers from the UK, a higher resistance level to ampicillin and tetracycline in non-clinical isolates was encountered. This was also found in resistance to gentamicin in isolates from turkeys in Germany. Resistance differed within countries and across years, which was partially in line with differences in antimicrobial use patterns. Differences in AMR between clinical and non-clinical isolates of Escherichia coli are associated with animal category (broiler, calf, and turkey) and specific antimicrobials. The NRI method allowed comparing results of non-harmonized AMR systems and might be useful until international harmonization is achieved.

Can a combination of two neuropsychological tests screen for mild neurocognitive disorder better than each test alone? A cross-sectional study

Background Early symptoms of dementia may not be apparent and are sometimes even concealed during short office visits initiated for other complaints. The aim of the study is to find out if the combined use of VF/CDT, VF/BNT, or CDT/BNT could improve the accuracy of detecting mild NCD in an outpatient setting, compared with either test used alone. Participants Community-dwelling older adults, attending the outpatient Geriatrics Clinic at Ain Shams University hospitals between June 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018. All participants received a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) which included the mini-mental state examination test. Participants with a score of less than 24 and fulfil DSM5 criteria for mild neurocognitive disorder (NCD) are considered cognitively impaired otherwise are considered normal. Then participants were further examined by the Arabic versions of CDT, BNT, and VF animal category. Results We recruited 143 male and female participants mean age 67.17 ± 5.41, females are 56.6%, and 48.9% of all participants have mild NCD according to DSM5 criteria. AUC for individual neurocognitive tests in illiterates is 0.893 for clock drawing test, 0.907 for verbal fluency animal category, and 0.904 for Boston naming test, while AUC for neurocognitive test combinations in illiterates is 0.932 for VF + CDT, 0.917 for VF + BNT, and 0.932 for BNT + CDT. On the other hand, AUC for individual neurocognitive tests in educated participants is 0.925 for clock drawing test, 0.921 for verbal fluency animal category, and 0.907 for Boston naming test, whereas AUC for neurocognitive test combinations in educated participants is 0.958 for VF + CDT, 0.963 for VF + BNT, and 0.953 for BNT + CDT. Conclusion From the current study, we can conclude that any of the studied combinations have better diagnostic accuracy (although small) than individual test in both literate and illiterate older adults.

Conceptual Design of a Roller Obstacle Deflector

An Obstacle Deflector is a device mounted in front of the trains to sweep away the obstacle off the track or absorb impact energy to prevent derailment. On considering the same concept which sweeps the obstacle, I have designed a device that sweeps away living obstacles (animals, Humans) from the tracks with life expectancy. Many animals are killed over the tracks in regular train accidents. Based on this issue, here my project discusses with the conceptual design of a roller obstacles deflector that absorbs the impact energy on collision and sideways the obstacle using roller based polyethylene rollers applied in front of the train. The cushioning effect designed for the device helps to reduce the impact force when Train hits the living obstacles (Human, cow and elephant) at speed of 30km/hr. or 8111 mm/s., With a load of 50 Tonne. As per study, human pain can be measured in Del (Dolorimeter) which explains that the maximum limit of pain average human being can withstand is 45 Del. But, breaking of a bone is almost equals to 57 Del. Some studies say Del is equal to 1403.508 N forces. By this data and using the reaction forces resulted at the time of clash in Ansys software simulation, we can state the amt. of pain (in terms of DEL) to some living organisms and can conclude the functionality of the device to save the life. This design works for the limited animal category based upon size and weight of the animal. This design works under the limited speed and with limited load to safeguard the animals and humans on the track. This design does not impact on the existing safety conditions of the railways as it’s absorb the impact up to limited extend. The modeling is done using CATIA. The explicit dynamics of impact is done with ANSYS

Verbal fluency in Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment in individuals with low educational level and its relationship with reading and writing habits

ABSTRACT. Verbal fluency (VF) has contributed to building cognitive maps as well as differentiating healthy populations from those with dementia. Objectives: To compare the performance of healthy controls and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in two semantic VF tasks (animals/clothes) and a phonemic VF task (letter P). Also, to analyze the relationship between the frequency of reading and writing habits (FRWH) and VF in individuals with low educational level. Methods: Sixty-seven older adults aged 60-80 years and with 2-8 years of schooling were divided into three groups: controls (n=25), older adults with MCI (n=24), and older adults with AD (n=18). We analyzed the type, mean size, and number of clusters, switches, intersections, and returns. A post-hoc single-factor ANOVA analysis was conducted to verify differences between groups. Results: Total words in the phonemic VF and the animal category discriminated the three groups. Regarding the animal category, AD patients performed worse than controls in the total number of words, taxonomic clusters, returns, and number of words remembered. We found a moderate correlation between FRWH and total number of words in the phonemic fluency. Conclusions: Semantic (animate) and phonemic (total words) VF differentiated controls and clinical groups from each other - the phonemic component was more related to FRWH than the semantic one. The phonemic VF seems to be more related to cognitive reserve. VF tasks, considering total words and cluster analyses, are a valuable tool to test healthy and cognitively impaired older adults who have a low educational level.