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FIG. 15. — Cophonemobius faustini n in New and little known crickets from Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu (Insecta, Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Pseudotrigonidium Chopard, 1915, Phaloriinae and Nemobiinae p.p.)
No full textFIG. 15. — Cophonemobius faustini n. sp., variation in pronotum colouration in populations and putative subspecies: A, C. faustini faustini n. subsp., ♂ from Sarabo cave (MNHN-ENSIF2150, alcohol); B, C. faustini faustini n. subsp. (?), ♂ from Amarur cave (MNHN- ENSIF2150, alcohol); C, C. faustini funafus n. subsp., ♂ from Funafus cave (MNHN-ENSIF2145, dry); D, C. faustini funafus n. subsp., ♂ from Riorua cave (MNHN-ENSIF2152, alcohol). Scale bar: 1 mm.Published as part of Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2009, New and little known crickets from Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu (Insecta, Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Pseudotrigonidium Chopard, 1915, Phaloriinae and Nemobiinae p.p.), pp. 619-659 in Zoosystema 31 (3) on page 655, DOI: 10.5252/z2009n3a12, http://zenodo.org/record/539834
FIG. 14. — Cophonemobius faustini n in New and little known crickets from Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu (Insecta, Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Pseudotrigonidium Chopard, 1915, Phaloriinae and Nemobiinae p.p.)
No full textFIG. 14. — Cophonemobius faustini n. sp., male genitalia in dorsal (A, C) and lateral (B) views: A, B, C. faustini faustini n. subsp.; C, C. faustini funafus n. subsp. Abbreviations: see text. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.Published as part of Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2009, New and little known crickets from Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu (Insecta, Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Pseudotrigonidium Chopard, 1915, Phaloriinae and Nemobiinae p.p.), pp. 619-659 in Zoosystema 31 (3) on page 653, DOI: 10.5252/z2009n3a12, http://zenodo.org/record/539834
Kit Radicaux Libres, a new innovative biological application for monitoring oxidative stress in pigs
No full textKit Radicaux Libres (KRL) test is a biological application, successfully applied on humans, helpful for the study of the total antiradical activity. In the present work, the first objective was to test on a subset of pig blood samples in order to determine the maximum time of storage able to provide reliable results. Blood samples were collected from 46 piglets and determinations were carried out on the blood samples after three h from collection (T1) and thereafter at 24 (T2) and 48 (T3) h. Successively blood samples from 313 piglets (171 castrated males and 142 females) were collected and analysed in order to determine reference intervals. Results are expressed as half-haemolysis time (HT50 in min), that is a reference point for blood susceptibility to free radical attack. Our findings showed that for samples analysed at T1 and T2 there were no significant changes but significantly increased values (P<0.05) were obtained when samples were analysed after 48 h from collection, underlining biological and analytical interference due to the hemolysis of the samples. The reference values found in the subjects, expressed as ET AL50 were 46.6-68.7 min (males) and 52.5-86.8 min (females) in RBC, 59.8-93.6 min (males) and 70.5-113.0 (females) in whole blood. In conclusion, a prolonged time (till +48 h) caused haemolysis, therefore the use of freshly collected blood is strictly recommended. The reference values obtained are considered to represent valid reference ranges for healthy pigs starting after weaning to 175 days of age under modern husbandry conditions
Cortisol fetal fluid concentrations in term pregnancy of small-sized purebred dogs and its preliminary relation to first 24Â hours survival of newborns
No full textAlong the perinatal period, in mammals, cortisol (C) plays a pivotal role in the final intrauterine fetal maturation and in the early neonatal adaptation. Because of the scarce knowledge about canine perinatology, the present study was aimed to assess the C concentrations in amniotic and allantoic fluids collected, without invasiveness, from small-sized, purebred newborn puppies born by elective cesarean section, at term of pregnancy. Possible correlations between fetal fluid C concentrations and maternal parity, litter size, birth weight, Apgar score, were evaluated. In addition, the possible effect of fetal fluid C concentrations on newborn survival at 24 hours of age, and the effect of the litter or the newborn gender on fetal fluid C concentrations were also assessed. The results, obtained from 50 born alive, normal-weight puppies, without gross physical malformation, showed that C concentration was higher in allantoic than in amniotic fluid (P < 0.01), even if a strong positive correlation between the two fluids C concentration was found (P < 0.0001; R = 0.83). Neither amniotic nor allantoic C concentrations were correlated to maternal parity, litter size, birth weight, and Apgar score. Interestingly, higher amniotic (P < 0.05), but not allantoic, C concentrations were found in puppies not surviving at 24 hours after birth. Therefore, it could be suggested that this parameter may be useful for the recognition, at birth, of puppies needing special surveillance during the first day of age. A significant (P < 0.001) effect of the litter in both amniotic and allantoic C concentrations was found. In conclusion, the present results showed that in small-sized purebred puppies, born at term by elective cesarean section, the exact fetal, maternal, or placental source contributing to fetal fluid C concentrations remains to be clarified. From a clinical perspective, however, the evaluation of amniotic C concentration at birth seems useful for the detection of puppies that need special surveillance during the first 24 hours of age, and should be coupled to the early newborn evaluation by Apgar score. However, the small total number of newborns, and especially of the dead puppies enrolled in the present study, suggests that further, more-focused investigations on a large number of subjects are needed before the method could be considered for application in the clinical practices
Postpartum hair cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and their ratio in beef cows: Exploring association with parity and conception outcome
No full textHair steroid measurement has received increasing attention for monitoring hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, as it offers the advantages of being noninvasive, fast, and able to indicate steroid concentrations over long periods. The objects of the study were to evaluate cortisol (C) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) hair concentrations and their ratio (C/DHEA-S) in beef cows from calving to 100 days (d) postpartum (pp) and to assess possible differences related to parity (primiparous vs multiparous) and conception outcome (pregnant vs not pregnant). Hair samples were collected from 6 primiparous and 5 multiparous pregnant beef cows by clipping the coat at calving (T0) and every 20 d for 5 times (T1-T5), collecting only the regrown hair. Starting from the 6th-week pp, cows were submitted to artificial insemination at spontaneous estrus; by 100 d pp, 7 cows were pregnant and 4 were not pregnant. Statistical analysis showed higher hair C concentrations in the 11 cows at calving (T0) compared to all the subsequent samplings except for T1, and higher C concentrations at T1 compared to T3, T4, and T5. These results indicate that hair C concentrations in beef cows are affected by sampling time, with a decrease from calving, as reported in other matrices. When exploring changes within parity groups, no differences were found in the multiparous among sampling times, while hair C concentrations at T0 and T1 tended to be higher than at T2 (0.01 ≤ p < 0.05) and were higher (p < 0.01) than in all the subsequent samplings (T3, T4 and T5) within the primiparous group. Higher hair C concentrations were found at T0 and T1 in the primiparous compared to multiparous (p < 0.01), suggesting that primiparous cows undergo a greater stress level before and around parturition compared to multiparous, probably due to the novelty of the calving experience. No differences were detected in C hair concentrations according to conception outcome (pregnant versus not pregnant) in each sampling time. Hair DHEA-S concentrations were neither affected by time nor by parity or conception outcome. Differences in the C/DHEA-S ratio were found at T1, with higher C/DHEA-S in the multiparous compared to primiparous cows (p < 0.001), and a tendency for higher ratio in the not pregnant compared to the pregnant (0.01 ≤ p < 0.05). These results support the choice of hair as a valuable biological matrix when investigating long-time periods such as postpartum in cows and suggest an enhanced immunoprotective effect of DHEA-S in the postpartum of primiparous cows, and in cows that get pregnant within 100 d postpartum
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
A process and a device for the artificial insemination of bovids, specifically of buffaloes
No full textEffect of semen preparation on casa motility results in cryopreserved bull spermatozoa
No full textComputer-assisted sperm analyzers (CASA) have become the standard tool for evaluating sperm motility and kinetic patterns because they provide objective data for thousands of sperm tracks. However, these devices are not ready-to-use and standardization of analytical practices is a fundamental requirement. In this study, we evaluated the effects of some settings, such as frame rate and frames per field, chamber and time of analysis, and samples preparations, including thawing temperature, sperm sample concentration, and media used for dilution, on the kinetic results of bovine frozen-thawed semen using a CASA. In Experiment 1, the frame rate (30-60 frame/s) significantly affected motility parameters, whereas the number of frames per field (30 or 45) did not seem to affect sperm kinetics. In Experiment 2, the thawing protocol affects sperm motility and kinetic parameters. Sperm sample concentration significantly limited the opportunity to perform the analysis and the kinetic results. A concentration of 100 and 50 x 10(6) sperm/mL limited the device's ability to perform the analysis or gave wrong results, whereas 5, 10, 20, and 30 x 10(6) sperm/mL concentrations allowed the analysis to be performed, but with different results (Experiment 3). The medium used for the dilution of the sample, which is fundamental for a correct sperm head detection, affects sperm motility results (Experiment 4). In this study, Makler and Leja chambers were used to perform the semen analysis with CASA devices. The chamber used significantly affected motility results (Experiment 5). The time between chamber loading and analysis affected sperm velocities, regardless of chamber used. Based on results recorded in this study, we propose that the CASA evaluation of motility of bovine frozen-thawed semen using Hamilton-Thorne IVOS 12.3 should be performed using a frame rate of 60 frame/s and 30 frames per field. Semen should be diluted at least at 20 x 10(6) sperm/mL using PBS. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the type of chamber used and perform the analysis within 1 or 2 min, regardless of the chamber used.[...
How stressful is maternity? Study about cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate coat and claws concentrations in female dogs from mating to 60 days post-partum
No full textIn dogs, the phase from mating to the end of weaning lasts about 120 days and encompasses many aspects that, interacting, contribute to increase the allostatic load. The coat and claws, useful for long-term change assessments, have the advantage of being collectable without invasiveness. In the present study, the Cortisol (C) and Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) concentration monthly changes in the coat and claws were studied in female dogs from mating to the end of weaning to assess Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal (HPA) axis activation during pregnancy and the post-partum period. The results from 15 Dobermann Pinscher female dogs showed a trend of increase of the coat C from mating to 60 days post-partum, with significant changes between mating and parturition-60 days post-partum (p < 0.01) and between the 30-day pregnancy diagnosis (PD) and 30–60 days post-partum (p < 0.05). The claws C trend showed significant increases between mating and 30–60 days post-partum (p < 0.05) and between the PD and 60 days post-partum (p < 0.01). DHEA-S in both matrices showed non-significant changes. The results suggest that maternity could play a pivotal role in the HPA axis activation, with a subsequent chronic secretion of C determining an increase in the allostatic load in the mothers. Neither maternal parity nor litter size played a significant role in the accumulation of C and DHEA-S in both matrices
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