35,889 research outputs found

    Detection of interactions between myogenic and TGF mechanisms using nonlinear analysis

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    Pages F160-F173: K. H. Chon, Y.-M. Chen, V. Z. Marmarelis, D. J. Marsh, and N.-H. Holstein-Rathlou. “Detection of interactions between myogenic and TGF mechanisms using nonlinear analysis.” Pages F168-F169: The original Figs. 8-11 do not give sufficient detail of the contour plots. New, higher resolution images are reproduced here with the original legends. </jats:p

    Detection of interactions between myogenic and TGF mechanisms using nonlinear analysis

    No full text
    Pages F160–F173: K. H. Chon, Y.-M. Chen, V. Z. Marmarelis, D. J. Marsh, and N.-H. Holstein-Rathlou. “Detection of interactions between myogenic and TGF mechanisms using nonlinear analysis.” Pages F168–F169: The original Figs. 8–11 do not give sufficient detail of the contour plots. New, higher resolution images are reproduced here with the original legends. </jats:p

    Genome-wide associations for milk production and somatic cell score in Holstein-Friesian cattle in Ireland

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    peer-reviewedBackground: Contemporary dairy breeding goals have broadened to include, along with milk production traits, a number of non-production-related traits in an effort to improve the overall functionality of the dairy cow. Increased indirect selection for resistance to mastitis, one of the most important production-related diseases in the dairy sector, via selection for reduced somatic cell count has been part of these broadened goals. A number of genome-wide association studies have identified genetic variants associated with milk production traits and mastitis resistance, however the majority of these studies have been based on animals which were predominantly kept in confinement and fed a concentrate-based diet (i.e. high-input production systems). This genome-wide association study aims to detect associations using genotypic and phenotypic data from Irish Holstein-Friesian cattle fed predominantly grazed grass in a pasture-based production system (low-input). Results: Significant associations were detected for milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, fat percentage, protein percentage and somatic cell score using separate single-locus, frequentist and multi-locus, Bayesian approaches. These associations were detected using two separate populations of Holstein-Friesian sires and cows. In total, 1,529 and 37 associations were detected in the sires using a single SNP regression and a Bayesian method, respectively. There were 103 associations in common between the sires and cows across all the traits. As well as detecting associations within known QTL regions, a number of novel associations were detected; the most notable of these was a region of chromosome 13 associated with milk yield in the population of Holstein-Friesian sires. Conclusions: A total of 276 of novel SNPs were detected in the sires using a single SNP regression approach. Although obvious candidate genes may not be initially forthcoming, this study provides a preliminary framework upon which to identify the causal mechanisms underlying the various milk production traits and somatic cell score. Consequently this will deepen our understanding of how these traits are expressed

    A comparison of the feeding and grazing behaviour of primiparous Holstein-Friesian and Jersey × Holstein-Friesian dairy cows

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    Peer-reviewed articleFood intake and feeding behaviour of Holstein-Friesian (HF) and Jersey × Holstein- Friesian (J × HF) dairy cows (14 primiparous cows of each genotype) were measured during a 54-day confinement period [cows offered a complete diet comprising conserved forage and concentrates; 66:34 dry matter (DM) basis], while herbage intakes and grazing behaviour were measured on three occasions during a 96-day grazing period. Throughout the experiment HF cows had a higher milk yield than J × HF cows (P < 0.05), while fat + protein yield was unaffected by genotype. During the confinement period HF cows had a higher food intake than the J × HF cows (P < 0.01), although DM intake/kg metabolic live weight (live weight0.75) was unaffected by genotype. With the exception of the number of ruminating bouts/day (P < 0.05), and idling time/day (P < 0.05), both of which were highest with the J × HF cows, genotype had no significant effect on any of the feeding behaviours examined during the confinement period. Herbage intake did not differ between genotypes during the grazing period, although when expressed on a kg live weight0.75 basis, intakes were highest with the J × HF cows (P < 0.05). While the smaller J × HF cows had fewer grazing bouts per day (P < 0.01), the mean duration of each grazing bout was longer (P < 0.001), resulting in a longer total grazing time (P < 0.05) and a greater number of grazing bites each day (P < 0.01). The smaller crossbred cows had to ‘work harder’ during the grazing period to achieve the same intakes as the larger HF cows.Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland (DARD); Agri-Searc

    Rapid redistribution and inhibition of renal sodium transporters during acute pressure natriuresis

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    Pages F1004–F1014: Y. Zhang, A. K. Mircheff, C. B. Hensley, C. E. Magyar, D. G. Warnock, R. Chambrey, K.-P. Yip, D. J. Marsh, N.-H. Holstein-Rathlou, and A. A. McDonough. “Rapid redistribution and inhibition of renal sodium transporters during acute pressure natriuresis.” The immunoblot panels in Figures 2 and 5–7 were inadvertently printed from low-resolution copies of the original artwork; in addition, the panels in Fig. 6 were incorrectly labeled. The correct figures are reproduced on the following pages. (See PDF) </jats:p

    Insemination factors affecting the conception rate in seasonal calving Holstein-Friesian cows

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    peer-reviewedDifferences in conception rate to first service between artificial inseminations (AI) carried out by commercial AI operators (CAI) or do-it-yourself operators (DIY), between natural service (NAT) and AI, between different AI sires, and between fresh and frozen-thawed semen, on Irish commercial dairy farms, were studied using logistic regression. The study comprised 12 933 potential first inseminations from 77 spring-calving dairy herds. The data were recorded during 1999 and 2000. Amongst the total, 4 394 cows had repeated records across the two years. Adjustment variables included: herd, year, parity, calving period, calving to service interval, herd size, proportion of North American Holstein-Friesian genes, peak milk yield, semen fresh or frozen-thawed status, AI sire and a cow history variable to account for the correlation structure that may exist between performance records of cows present in both years of the study. Interactions of interest were tested but were non-significant. No significant association was observed between the category of AI operator and the likelihood of conception rate to first service (PREG1). The variation in PREG1 observed within the category of operator (CAI and DIY) was investigated using the Levene test for homogeneity of variance. There was no difference between the level of variation observed within CAI and DIY operators. There were significant differences in the likelihood of PREG1 between different AI sires. Amongst the 40 most commonly used AI sires, 3 sires had a lower likelihood of PREG1 (P < 0.05) when compared to the reference AI sire (sire with PREG1 similar to the mean of the group). There was a tendency for a reduced likelihood of PREG1 with the use of fresh semen compared to frozen-thawed semen ( , P = 0.067). Amongst the adjustment variables in the model, those significantly associated with the likelihood of PREG1 included the herd, calving period, calving to first service interval and peak milk yield. No significant difference in the likelihood of PREG1 was observed between AI and NAT.AIB Bank; Holstein UK and Ireland; the National AI Co-ops; Dairy Levy Fund (Ireland

    Neue Wege der Kooperation: Schleswig-Holstein und Hamburg in einer gemeinsamen Wirtschaftsregion.

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    Wirtschaftsraum; Regionalpolitik; Regionale Konzentration; Kooperation; Wirtschaftsstruktur; Hamburg (Region); Schleswig-Holstein;

    Rapid redistribution and inhibition of renal sodium transporters during acute pressure natriuresis

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    Pages F1004'F1014: Y. Zhang, A. K. Mircheff, C. B. Hensley, C. E. Magyar, D. G. Warnock, R. Chambrey, K.-P. Yip, D. J. Marsh, N.-H. Holstein-Rathlou, and A. A. McDonough. “Rapid redistribution and inhibition of renal sodium transporters during acute pressure natriuresis.” The immunoblot panels in Figures 2 and 5–7 were inadvertently printed from low-resolution copies of the original artwork; in addition, the panels in Fig. 6 were incorrectly labeled. The correct figures are reproduced on the following pages. (See PDF) </jats:p

    Effect of restricting silage feeding prepartum on time of calving, dystocia and stillbirth in Holstein-Friesian cows

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    peer-reviewedA study was carried out to investigate the effect of restricting silage feeding on time of calving and calving performance in Holstein-Friesian cows. In the treatment group (n = 1,248 cows, 12 herds) silage feeding commenced in the evening (17:00 to 20:00 h), after a period of restricted access (2 to 10 h) while in the control group ad-libitum access to silage was provided over the 24 h period (n = 1,193 cows, 12 herds). Daytime and nighttime calvings were defined as calvings occurring between the hours of 06:30 and 00:29 and between 00:30 and 06:29, respectively. Restricting access to silage resulted in less calvings at night compared to cows with ad-libitum access to silage (18 vs 22%, P < 0.05). Cows with restricted access to silage had a higher percentage of difficult calvings (11 vs 7%, P < 0.001) and stillbirths (7 vs 5%, P < 0.05) compared to cows in the control group. The percentage of calvings at night was lower (13%) when access to silage was restricted for 10 h compared to 2, 4 or 6 h (22, 18, 25%, respectively) (P < 0.001). Calf sire breed, calf gender or cow parity did not influence time of calving. In conclusion, offering silage to pregnant Holstein-Friesian cows in the evening, after a period of restricted access, reduced the incidence of nighttime calvings, but increased the incidence of dystocia and stillbirth

    Genetic and phenotypic relationships among endocrine and traditional fertility traits and production traits in Holstein-Friesian dairy cows

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    The objective of this study was to estimate the heritability of a number of traditional and endocrine fertility traits in addition to d-56 predicted milk yield (MY56), and the genetic and phenotypic correlations between these traits. Various fixed effects such as season, year, herd, lactation number, diet, percentage Holstein (PCH) of the cow, and occurrence of uterine infection (UI), dystocia (DYS), and retained placenta (RP) were also investigated. Data collected for 1212 lactations of 1080 postpartum (PP) Holstein-Friesian dairy cows in eight commercial farms between 1996 and 1999 included thrice weekly milk progesterone samples, calving and insemination dates, various reproductive health records, monthly/bimonthly production records, three-generation pedigrees, and PCH information. Genetic models were fitted to the data to obtain heritabilitites and correlations using ASREML. Estimates of heritability for interval to commencement of luteal activity PP (InCLA), length of the first luteal phase PP (lnLutI) and occurrence of persistent CL type I (PCLI) were 0.16, 0.17, and 0.13, respectively. Heritabilities for pregnancy to first service (PFS), interval to first service (IFS), and MY56 were 0.14, 0.13, and 0.50, respectively. Genetic regressions of InCLA and lnLut1 on PTA of the sire for milk, fat, and protein yields., and PIN95 were investigated. Regressions of InCLA were positive and significant on fat yield, while regressions of InLut1 on both protein yield and PIN95 were negative and significant. Genetic correlations of endocrine fertility traits (InCLA, lnLutI, and PCLI) with MY56 were high (0.36, P &lt;0.05; -0.51, P &lt;0.05; and -0.31, P &lt;0.1, respectively,). Percentage Holstein of the cows had no significant effect on any of the fertility parameters monitored. This work emphasizes the strong genetic correlation of fertility with production traits and, therefore, highlights the urgent requirement for selective breeding for fertility in the United Kingdom. The high heritability of endocrine fertility traits stress their potential value for inclusion in a selection index to improve fertility
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