Milk production and nitrogen excretion of grazed dairy cows in response to plantain (Plantago lanceolata) content and lactation season.

Objective: The study aimed to quantify milk production and urinary nitrogen (UN) excretion of dairy cows grazing pastures containing varying amounts of plantain (Plantago lanceolata) in different seasons, under a typical farm practice.

Methods: Four pasture treatments: perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) - white clover (Trifolium repens) (RGWC), RGWC + low plantain rate, RGWC + medium plantain rate, and RGWC + high plantain rate, were established in four adaptation areas (1 ha each) and 20 experimental plots (800 m2 each), and rotationally grazed by dairy cows over 14 grazing events during two lactation years. In each grazing (8 to 9 days), 60 or 80 Jersey-Friesian lactation cows were assigned to their pasture treatments, adapted to their pastures over the first six days, then each group of 15 or 20 cows were randomly allocated for grazing in five treatment plots over a two or three-day measurement period.

Pasture brome and perennial ryegrass characteristics that influence ewe lamb dietary preference during different seasons and periods of the day.

Under the current scenario for climate change, Bromus valdivianus Phil. (Bv), a drought-resistant species, is an option to complement Lolium perenne L. (Lp) in temperate pastures.

Dairy Cows Grazing Plantain-Based Pastures Have Increased Urine Patches and Reduced Urine N Concentration That Potentially Decreases N Leaching from a Pastoral System.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of grazing plantain-based pastures on urine volume, urination frequency, and urinary nitrogen (UN) concentration of dairy cows under a typical pastoral dairy practice offering approximately 25% supplemented feeds. The experiment was a completely randomised design with three pasture treatments (perennial ryegrass-white clover (RGWC); RGWC + low plantain rate (PLL); and RGWC + high plantain rate (PLH)), five replicate plots, and repeated in two sequential grazing periods. Forty-five lactating Friesian × Jersey cows were randomly assigned into three groups of 15 animals each to graze over six days in adaptation paddocks and three days in experimental plots.

A Nutritional Investigation of Major Feed Types and Feed Rations Used in Medium-Scale Dairy Production Systems in Sri Lanka.

In this paper, the nutritional quality, digestibility, and chemical composition of major feed types as well as the use of those feeds in rations by medium-scale dairy farmers in the Kurunegala district of Sri Lanka were studied. Nine dairy farms were visited fortnightly over a five-month period to identify the feeds that were commonly used. All farms operated under a stall-feeding system in which a manually mixed ration (MMR) was fed 2-3 times daily.

The Influence of Rotational Length, along with Pre- and Post-Grazing Measures on Nutritional Composition of Pasture during Winter and Spring on New Zealand Dairy Farms.

The quality of ryegrass−clover pasture was investigated between August (winter: start of calving) and November (spring: end of breeding) on pasture-based dairy farms (>85% of total feed from pasture) that had short (n = 2, Farms A and B; winter ~30 days, spring ~20−25 days) or long (n = 2, Farms C and D; winter ~35 days, spring ~25−30 days) grazing rotations to determine whether quality was affected by grazing rotation length (RT). Weekly assessments of pasture growth and herbage quality were made using a standardised electronic rising plate meter, and near-infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Data were subjected to repeated measure mixed model analysis, in which herbage quality was the outcome variable.

Comparison of Nutritive Values of Tropical Pasture Species Grown in Different Environments, and Implications for Livestock Methane Production: A Meta-Analysis.

The demand for dairy products is ever increasing across the world. The livestock sector is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. The availability of high-quality pasture is a key requirement to increase the productivity of dairy cows as well as manage enteric methane emissions.

Iron, hepcidin, and microcytosis in canine hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Erythrocyte microcytosis in some dogs with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) suggests a derangement in systemic iron. Hepcidin, the master regulator of iron, is secreted by the liver in response to interleukin 6 (IL-6) and/or bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6) and can cause microcytosis.

Objectives: Pilot study to compare the quantities of hepcidin, IL-6, and BMP6 RNA molecules in archival tumoral (HCC) and adjacent peritumoral (non-HCC) hepatic tissue to determine if they are different between tissue types or associated with microcytosis.

Associations between peripartum lying and activity behaviour and blood non-esterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate in grazing dairy cows.

During early lactation, most dairy cows experience negative energy balance (NEB). Failure to cope with this NEB, however, can place cows at greater risk of developing metabolic disease. Our objective was to characterise, retrospectively, lying behaviour and activity of grazing dairy cows grouped according to blood non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) as indicators of postpartum metabolic state.

Light chain myeloma and detection of free light chains in serum and urine of dogs and cats.

Background: Detection of free light chains (fLC) in animals relies on protein electrophoresis or the Bence-Jones protein test on urine.

Objective: To describe the detection of both serum fLC (sfLC) and urine fLC (ufLC) in 8 dogs and 2 cats using a commercially available human immunofixation (IF) kit.

Animals: Archived serum or urine samples from 27 dogs and 2 cats submitted to the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for routine diagnostics.

Supplementation of urea to a basal pasture diet fed to dairy cows to model N-partitioning relationships.

The main objective of this study was to investigate whether altering dietary crude protein (CP) through the supplementation of urea to a basal pasture diet fed to dairy cows accurately modeled N-partitioning relationships. To test this, we first needed to establish safe tolerance levels for urea in this setting. Fifteen multiparous, rumen-fistulated, mid-lactation Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were offered spring pasture (~20 kg of dry matter/cow per day) and allocated to 1 of 3 urea supplementation treatments: low N [0 g/d urea; 21% total dietary CP of dry matter (DM)], medium N (350 g/d urea; 26% total dietary CP of DM), or high N (690 g/d urea; 31% total dietary CP of DM), in a completely randomized design.

Graduate Student Literature Review: Evaluating the appropriate use of wearable accelerometers in research to monitor lying behaviors of dairy cows.

Until recently, animal behavior has been studied through close and extensive observation of individual animals and has relied on subjective assessments. Wearable technologies that allow the automation of dairy cow behavior recording currently dominate the precision dairy technology market. Wearable accelerometers provide new opportunities in animal ethology using quantitative measures of dairy cow behavior.

Associations between lying behavior and activity and hypocalcemia in grazing dairy cows during the transition period.

Hypocalcemia is a common metabolic disorder of transition dairy cows that is considered a gateway disease, increasing the risk of other health disorders and reducing cow performance. Clinical milk fever is associated with long periods of recumbency, and it is plausible that cows experiencing non-paretic hypocalcemia may spend more time lying; hence, lying behavior and activity measures may be useful in identifying at-risk cows. The objective of this study was to describe associations among blood calcium (Ca) status at calving and lying behavior and activity measures during the transition period in grazing dairy cows.

Efficiency of Crude Protein Utilisation in Grazing Dairy Cows: A Case Study Comparing Two Production Systems Differing in Intensification Level in New Zealand.

In this study, we modelled and compared lactation curves of efficiency of crude protein utilisation (ECPU) and the nitrogen (N) excreta partitioning of milking cows of two contrasting spring-calving pasture-based herds to test some aspects of farming intensification practices on cow performance and N partition. In the low-intensity production system (LIPS), 257 cows were milked once-daily and fed diets comprised of pasture with low supplementary feed inclusion during lactation (304 kg pasture silage/cow). In the high-intensity production system (HIPS), 207 cows were milked twice-daily and fed pasture with higher supplementary feed inclusion (429 kg pasture silage and 1695 kg concentrate/cow).

Identification of canine IgG and its subclasses, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4, by immunofixation and commercially available antisera.

Immunofixation is a diagnostic and research tool used for characterizing the electrophoretic location of immunoglobulin fractions in serum and urine. Commercially available polyclonal antisera which discriminate two IgG subclasses (IgG1 and IgG2) are available and commonly used. More recently, four IgG subclasses have been defined in the dog based on cDNA data.

Lying behavior and activity during the transition period of clinically healthy grazing dairy cows.

Lying behavior and activity may provide useful information for the prediction of an imminent calving and the health of transition dairy cows; however, it is important first to understand what constitutes typical lying behavior and activity because this has not been defined for grazing dairy cows during the transition period. Our objective was to describe changes in lying behavior and activity in grazing dairy cows during the transition period using varying phenotypes typical of commercial dairy herds under grazing systems. Behavior data from IceTag or IceQube (IceRobotics, Edinburgh, Scotland) triaxial accelerometers were collected for 310 cow parities from multiparous, mixed-age (mean ± standard deviation; 4.

Ionic Species in a Naphthalene Plasma: Understanding Fragmentation Patterns and Growth of PAHs.

The role of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the interstellar medium (ISM) is a key question in astrophysics. Moreover, our limited understanding of the plasma-driven processes of PAHs in the ISM motivates the present study on naphthalene as a model compound. In this work, a mass spectrometric characterization of the positive and negative ionic species in a naphthalene plasma was carried out.

Hot topic: Selecting cattle for low residual feed intake did not affect daily methane production but increased methane yield.

Reducing enteric methane (CH) production and improving feed conversion efficiency of dairy cows is of high importance. Residual feed intake (RFI) is one measure of feed efficiency, with low RFI animals being more efficient in feed conversion. Enteric CH is an important source of digestible energy loss in ruminants and, because research in beef cattle has reported a positive relationship between RFI and daily CH production, we hypothesized that low RFI dairy heifers, which are more feed efficient, would produce less CH/d.

Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecule Enhances Coagulation and Decreases Fibrinolysis in Normal Canine Plasma.

The dog is an important companion animal and also purpose-bred for research studies. Coagulopathies in dogs are common, although the availability of blood products for therapy is inconsistent throughout the profession. A pro-coagulant therapeutic that is readily available and easily stored would be useful for the treatment of coagulopathies.

A 100-Year Review: A century of change in temperate grazing dairy systems.

From 1917 to 2017, dairy grazing systems have evolved from uncontrolled grazing of unimproved pastures by dual-purpose dairy-beef breeds to an intensive system with a high output per unit of land from a fit-for-purpose cow. The end of World War I signaled significant government investments in agricultural research institutes around the world, which coincided with technological breakthroughs in milk harvesting and a recognition that important traits in both plants and animals could be improved upon relatively rapidly through genetic selection. Uptake of milk recording and herd testing increased rapidly through the 1920s, as did the recognition that pastures that were rested in between grazing events yielded more in a year than those continuously grazed.

Biomedical Diagnostics Enabled by Integrated Organic and Printed Electronics.

Organic and printed electronics integration has the potential to revolutionize many technologies, including biomedical diagnostics. This work demonstrates the successful integration of multiple printed electronic functionalities into a single device capable of the measurement of hydrogen peroxide and total cholesterol. The single-use device employed printed electrochemical sensors for hydrogen peroxide electroreduction integrated with printed electrochromic display and battery.

Linker-free covalent immobilization of nisin using atmospheric pressure plasma induced grafting.

The linker-free covalent immobilization of polymers on surfaces has the potential to impart new properties and functions to surfaces for a wide range of applications. However, most current methods for the production of these surfaces involve multiple chemical steps and do not have a high degree of control over the chemical functionalities at the surface. A comprehensive study detailing the facile two-step covalent grafting of the antimicrobial peptide nisin onto polystyrene surfaces is reported.

Use of a care bundle in the emergency department for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a feasibility study.

Aim: To determine the efficacy and usefulness of a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care bundle designed for the initial management of acute exacerbations of COPD and to assess whether it improves quality of care and provides better outcomes.

Introduction: The level of care provided in the emergency department (ED) for COPD exacerbations varies greatly, and there is a need for a more systematic, consistent, evidence-based quality improvement approach to improve outcomes and costs.

Methods: A prospective before and after study was carried out in a university teaching hospital.

Comparative evaluation of a new lactation curve model for pasture-based Holstein-Friesian dairy cows.

Fourteen lactation models were fitted to average and individual cow lactation data from pasture-based dairy systems in the Australian states of Victoria and Tasmania. The models included a new "log-quadratic" model, and a major objective was to evaluate and compare the performance of this model with the other models. Nine empirical and 5 mechanistic models were first fitted to average test-day milk yield of Holstein-Friesian dairy cows using the nonlinear procedure in SAS.

Impact of defoliation severity on photosynthesis, carbon metabolism and transport gene expression in perennial ryegrass.

Defoliation severity affects grass regrowth. The changes to biological processes affecting regrowth induced by severe defoliation are not fully understood, nor have they been investigated at a molecular level in field-grown plants. Field-grown perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.