The decline in reproductive performance in cattle is of major concern to farmers and the dairy industry worldwide. Most fertility studies in cattle have focused on fertility of the cow, whereas the genetics of male fertility have not been thoroughly investigated. The present study hypothesizes that the high conservation of spermatogenesis genes from fly to human implies important roles of these genes in male fertility in cattle. To test this hypothesis, we performed an association analysis between highly conserved spermatogenesis genes and sire conception rate (SCR) in US Holsteins as a measure of bull fertility. Sequencing analysis revealed 24 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in 9 genes in the bull population using the pooled DNA sequencing approach. Five SNP previously identified in 5 genes from the POU1F1 pathway were also included in this study because they have shown significant associations with female and male fertility traits. Overall, 29 SNP located in 14 candidate genes were tested for association with sire conception rate in a population of 1,988 bulls. Three SNP located in MAP1B and 1 SNP in PPP1R11 showed significant associations with SCR. For the POU1F1 pathway, single gene analysis revealed significant associations of POU1F1 and STAT5A with SCR. Analysis of genotypic interactions between adjacent genes in the pathway revealed significant associations of STAT5A and UTMP genotypic combinations with SCR. The most significant spermatogenesis gene, MAP1B, was found to be associated with fertilization and blastocyst rates. Thus, the association of these genes with bull fertility testifies to the usefulness of the comparative genomics approach in selecting candidate male fertility genes.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology offers a real-time solution to monitor behavioral responses of individual animals to various stimuli, which provides crucial implications on farm management and animal well-being. The objectives of this study were to (1) develop and describe an ultra-high frequency radio frequency identification (UHF-RFID) system for continuously monitoring feeding and drinking behaviors of individual broilers in group settings; and (2) validate the performance of the UHF-RFID system against video analysis in determining the instantaneous bird number (IBN) and time spent (TS) at feeder and drinker. The UHF-RFID system consisted of cable-tie tags, antennas, a reader and a data acquisition (DAQ) system. The antennas generated electromagnetic fields where tags were detected and registered by the DAQ system. Electromagnetic fields of the antennas were modified to cover areas of concern (i.e. tube feeders and nipple drinkers) through a series of system evaluations and customizations including tag sensitivity test, power adjustment, radio wave shielding, and assessment of interference by add-ons (e.g. plastic wraps for protecting antennas and an empty carton box for zoning out broilers) and feed/feeder. System validation was performed in two experimental rooms, each with 60 tagged broilers. The results showed that the max reading distances of tags with an identical manufacturer’s specification were markedly different, indicating large variations in sensitivity among the tags. Desired electromagnetic fields could be achieved by adjusting the power supplied to antennas and by partially shielding antennas with customized stainless steel sheets. The protection materials and fully loaded feeder had little effect on electromagnetic fields of the antennas. The accuracies of the UHF-RFID system for determining IBN and TS were, respectively, 92.5±4.2% and 99.0±1.2% by the feeder antennas and 94.7±4.2% and 93.7±6.9% by the drinker antennas. It is concluded that the UHF-RIFD system can accurately detect and record feeding and drinking behaviors of individual broilers in group settings and thus is a useful tool for investigating impacts of resource allocations and management practices on these behaviors.
Background and Aims:In an effort to protect the development of the icewine production industry, this study aimed to find indicators to distinguish between authentic and non-authentic icewines. Methods and Results: Fully ripened berries were used to prepare three types of high-sugar grape juices: naturally frozen juice, refrigerator-frozen juice and concentrated juice. The content of phenolic acids and flavan-3-ols in the samples before and after fermentation was assayed. Significant differences were found in the individual level of most phenolic acids and flavan-3-ols except chlorogenic acid, sinapic acid and (-)-epicatechin among the three types of high-sugar juices. At the end of fermentation, there were significant differences in the wines, not attributable to the influence of yeasts. Conclusions: Vanillic acid, caffeic acid, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, gentisic acid and syringic acid may be used as indicators of authentic icewine. Significance of the Study: This work provides a basis for distinguishing authentic icewine and controlling icewine quality. Abbreviations
Light colors may affect poultry behaviors, well-being and performance. However, preferences of layer pullets for light colors are not fully understood. This study was conducted to investigate the pullet preferences for four light-emitting diode colors, including white, red, green and blue, in a lighting preference test system. The system contained four identical compartments each provided with a respective light color. The pullets were able to move freely between the adjacent compartments. A total of three groups of 20 Chinese domestic Jingfen layer pullets (54 to 82 days of age) were used for the test. Pullet behaviors were continuously recorded and summarized for each light color/compartment into daily time spent (DTS), daily percentage of time spent (DPTS), daily times of visit (DTV), duration per visit, daily feed intake (DFI), daily feeding time (DFT), feeding rate (FR), distribution of pullet occupancy and hourly time spent. The results showed that the DTS (h/pullet·per day) were 3.9±0.4 under white, 1.4±0.3 under red, 2.2±0.3 under green and 4.5±0.4 under blue light, respectively. The DTS corresponded to 11.7% to 37.6% DPTS in 12-h lighting periods. The DTV (times/pullet·per day) were 84±5 under white, 48±10 under red, 88±10 under green and 94±8 under blue light. Each visit lasted 1.5 to 3.2 min. The DFI (g/pullet·per day) were 27.6±1.7 under white, 7.1±1.6 under red, 15.1±1.1 under green and 23.1±2.0 under blue light. The DFT was 0.18 to 0.65 h/pullet·per day and the FR was 0.57 to 0.75 g/min. For most of the time during the lighting periods, six to 10 birds stayed under white, and one to five birds stayed under red, green and blue light. Pullets preferred to stay under blue light when the light was on and under white light 4 h before the light off. Overall, pullets preferred blue light the most and red light the least. These findings substantiate the preferences of layer pullets for light colors, providing insights for use in the management of light-emitting diode colors to meet pullet needs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.