A Comparison of LED with Fluorescent Lighting on the Stress, Behavior, and Reproductive Success of Laboratory Zebra Finches ().

There are limited evidence-based husbandry recommendations for laboratory zebra finches (), including appropriate light sources. Light-emitting diode (LED) technology has been shown to improve circadian regulation and reduce stress in some laboratory animal species, such as mice and rats, when compared with cool-white fluorescent (CWF) lighting, but the effects of LED lighting on zebra finches have not been published. We compared the effects of broad-spectrum, blue-enriched (6,500 Kelvin) CWF and flicker-free LED lighting on the behavior, stress, and reproductive outcomes of indoor-housed zebra finches.

cDNA Cloning of Feline PIWIL1 and Evaluation of Expression in the Testis of the Domestic Cat.

The PIWI clade of Argonaute proteins is essential for spermatogenesis in all species examined to date. This protein family binds specific classes of small non-coding RNAs known as PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) which together form piRNA-induced silencing complexes (piRISCs) that are recruited to specific RNA targets through sequence complementarity. These complexes facilitate gene silencing through endonuclease activity and guided recruitment of epigenetic silencing factors.

Growth of the aortic root in children and young adults with Marfan syndrome.

Objectives: The primary aim was to gain insight into the growth of the aortic root in children and young adults with Marfan syndrome (MFS). Furthermore, we aimed to identify a clinical profile of patients with MFS who require an aortic root replacement at a young age with specific interest in age, sex, height and fibrillin-1 () genotype.

Methods: Aortic root dimensions of 97 patients with MFS between 0 year and 20 years and 30 controls were serially assessed with echocardiography.

Application of a probabilistic genotyping software to MPS mixture STR data is supported by similar trends in LRs compared with CE data.

The interpretation of short tandem repeat (STR) profiles can be challenging when, for example, alleles are masked due to allele sharing among contributors and/or when they are subject to drop-out, for instance from sample degradation. Mixture interpretation can be improved by increasing the number of STRs and/or loci with a higher discriminatory power. Both capillary electrophoresis (CE, 6-dye) and massively parallel sequencing (MPS) provide a platform for analysing relatively large numbers of autosomal STRs.

Within-farm transmission characteristics of bluetongue virus serotype 8 in cattle and sheep in the Netherlands, 2007-2008.

In 2006 and 2007, sheep and cattle farms in the Netherlands were affected by an epidemic of bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8). In order to obtain insight into the within-farm spread of the virus, five affected cattle and five affected sheep farms were longitudinally monitored between early 2007 and mid or late 2008. The farms were visited between four and seven times to collect blood samples.