The aims of this study were to determine the factors that affect follicle size at the time of artificial insemination (AI) and to detect the relationship between ovulatory follicle size at the time of AI and pregnancy rate in dairy cows. A total of 1428 follicle size measurements were obtained from Holstein-Friesian (HF) and Swedish Red (SR) cows that were inseminated with the fixed-timed AI protocols used in this study. Follicle size was affected by breed (P = 0.0001), milk production (P = 0.01), parity (P = 0.05), and season (P = 0.04). Follicle size was greater (P = 0.0001) in the HF (15.55 mm) than the SR cows (14.88 mm). Multiparous cows had larger (P = 0.04) follicles (15.35 mm) than the primiparous cows (15.07 mm). Cows with follicle sizes between 13.5 and 17.5 mm were more likely to be pregnant than cows with other sizes follicles (P < 0.01). Embryonic loss was lower (P < 0.01) in cows with follicle sizes between 13.5 and 16.5 mm. Thus, the follicle size was affected by breed, milk production, parity, and season. Pregnancy and embryonic loss in lactating dairy cows were significantly related to follicle size.

Sex-sorted semen is an innovative technology to sustain a dairy farm economically profitable. Male calves generally have a little economic income in the dairy herds; thus, the use of sex-sorted semen is preferred for increasing the number of female calves which are used as replacement heifers afterwards (Cottle, Wallace,

ContentsThe objective was to compare pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI) with conventional (CS) or sex-sorted semen (SS) in dairy cows subjected to one of the three timed AI protocols. Cows (n = 356) were randomly assigned to synchronization with Ovsynch (OVS), Presynch-Ovsynch (PO) or Double-Ovsynch (DO) and inseminated on Day 77 ± 3 postpartum with either frozen-thawed SS (n = 182) or CS (n = 184) of the same bull. More cows were cyclic at the beginning of breeding Ovsynch increased (p < 0.01) with presynchronization and it was greater for DO than PO (OVS = 78.5%, PO = 85.1%, DO = 95.6%). Overall, P/AI for SS and CS increased with presynchronization (p < 0.05) on Days 31 (OVS = 35.5%, PO = 47.1%, DO = 48.3%) and 62 (OVS = 30.1%, PO = 43.8%, DO = 43.9%). Regardless of synchronization treatments, insemination with SS reduced P/AI (p < 0.02) on Days 31 (38.1% vs. 50.6%) and 62 (34.5% vs. 45.6%) compared with CS. No interaction was observed between synchronization treatment and type of semen for P/AI, although in cows receiving CS, P/ AI was numerically greatest for PO (OVS = 42.0%, PO = 59.3%, DO = 49.0%), and in cows receiving SS, it was numerically greatest for those inseminated following DO (OVS = 27.9%, PO = 35.5%, DO = 47.6%). Thus, presynchronization improved P/AI in cows inseminated with sex-sorted or conventional semen. K E Y W O R D S dairy cow, ovsynch, presynchronization, sex-sorted semen

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of different intravaginal treatment strategies on the vaginal discharge score, vaginal microbiota, bacterial and Enterobacteriaceae counts in nulliparous Merino ewes. All ewes (n=45) received intravaginal sponges containing 60 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate for 7 days and allocated into three equal groups (n=15). Sponges were injected Lactobacillus plantarum cell-free supernatant (SUPER), enrofloxacin (ENRO), or physiologic saline (CON) prior to sponge insertion. At sponge removal, 500 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) were administered in all ewes. For the detection of vaginal microbiota, bacterial and Enterobactericeae counts, samples were collected prior to sponge insertion, at sponge withdrawal, and 48 h later after sponge withdrawal. Vaginal discharge score was not different in ENRO (2.26±0.18) and SUPER (2.20±0.14) compared to CON (2.46±0.16). The time-dependent alteration was significant for the mean bacterial and Enterobacteriaceae count in all groups (P

Abstract. This contribution provides an updated planar seismic source characterization (SSC) model to be used in the probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) for Istanbul. It defines planar rupture systems for the four main segments of the North Anatolian fault zone (NAFZ) that are critical for the PSHA of Istanbul: segments covering the rupture zones of the 1999 Kocaeli and Düzce earthquakes, central Marmara, and Ganos/Saros segments. In each rupture system, the source geometry is defined in terms of fault length, fault width, fault plane attitude, and segmentation points. Activity rates and the magnitude recurrence models for each rupture system are established by considering geological and geodetic constraints and are tested based on the observed seismicity that is associated with the rupture system. Uncertainty in the SSC model parameters (e.g., b value, maximum magnitude, slip rate, weights of the rupture scenarios) is considered, whereas the uncertainty in the fault geometry is not included in the logic tree. To acknowledge the effect of earthquakes that are not associated with the defined rupture systems on the hazard, a background zone is introduced and the seismicity rates in the background zone are calculated using smoothed-seismicity approach. The state-of-the-art SSC model presented here is the first fully documented and readyto-use fault-based SSC model developed for the PSHA of Istanbul.