Transport-related influences on the quality of liquid-preserved boar sperm: A review.

This review explores the impact of transport-related stresses on the quality of liquid-preserved artificial insemination (AI) doses in pig reproduction. Transport of boar semen from AI centers to sow farms, the place of application, is an essential part of the production chain with increasing international demand, especially against the background of growing export demand. Understanding how factors such as: a) transport-related vibration emissions; b) temperature fluctuations during transport; c) transport duration; d) duration of storage after transport; and e) the method used for preserving AI doses, affect their quality is, therefore, essential for optimizing fertility outcomes.

Trends and challenges in liquid-preserved boar semen production: From boar to product.

Boar semen production plays a pivotal role in modern swine breeding programmes, influencing the genetic progress and overall efficiency of the pork industry. This review explores the current challenges and emerging trends in liquid-preserved boar semen production, addressing key issues that impact the quality and quantity of boar semen. Advances in new reproductive technologies, boar selection, housing, semen processing, storage and transport, and the need for sustainable practices including the use of artificial intelligence are discussed to provide a comprehensive overview of the field.

Selection and direct biomarkers of reproductive capacity of breeding boars.

Efficient management of pig reproduction is paramount for the sustainability and productivity of the global pork industry. Modern artificial insemination (AI) breeding programs have greatly benefited from the integration of advanced selection methods and biomarkers to enhance the reproductive performance of boars. While traditional selection methods have relied soley on boar phenotype, such as growth rate and conformation, modern pig breeding has shifted more and more toward molecular and genetic tools, which are still complemented by phenotypic traits.

Effects of vibrations during boar semen transport: Low-temperature transport as a new management tool.

Transport-related vibrations (TV) compromise the quality of conventionally stored (17 °C) boar semen, but knowledge about TV effects after 5 °C transport is insufficient. This study evaluates the effects of TV after novel 5 °C transport compared to a 17 °C control. Ejaculates of 18 fertile Piétrain boars, diluted in a split sample procedure using Androstar Premium® (AP, 5 °C storage) or Beltsville Thawing Solution (BTS, 17 °C storage), were subjected to transport simulation using a laboratory shaker IKA MTS 4.

Florida-California Cancer Research, Education and Engagement (CaRE) Health Equity Center: Structure, Innovations, and Initial Outcomes.

Introduction: The Florida-California Cancer Research, Education, and Engagement (CaRE) Health Equity Center is a triad partnership committed to increasing institutional capacity for cancer disparity research, the diversity of the cancer workforce, and community empowerment. This article provides an overview of the structure, process innovations, and initial outcomes from the first 4 years of the CaRE triad partnership.

Methods: CaRE serves diverse populations in Florida and California using a "molecule to the community and back" model.

Florida-California Cancer Health Equity Center (CaRE) Community Scientist Research Advocacy Program.

The Community Scientist Program (CSP), a model connecting researchers with community members, is effective to inform and involve the general population in health-related clinical research. Given the existing cancer disparities among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino/a populations, more models describing how cancer-related CSPs are designed, implemented, and evaluated are needed. The Florida-California Cancer Research, Education and Engagement (CaRE) Health Equity Center is a tri-institutional, bicoastal center created to eliminate cancer health disparities among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino/a populations living in California and in Florida.

Influence of age, breed, and season on the quality of boar semen stored at low-temperature.

In the face of antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic-free, low-temperature storage of boar semen has been well-researched in recent years and promising results have been obtained. With the prospect of establishing this new preservation method in practice, it is important to evaluate a range of factors, possibly influencing the general and/or boar individual preservation suitability for 5 °C storage. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of boar age (<18 months (n = 29) vs.

Dual use of breeding stallions is possible without affecting the sperm quality.

Artificial insemination (AI) is commonly used in the equine industry to enhance the genetic value in breeding programs and to effectively utilize ejaculates. Many stallions are used as breeding stallions as well as in high-level sports competitions to improve their market value. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether this dual use of stallions influences the animals´ stress levels and/or the quality of their ejaculates.

Bacterial killing activity and lysozymes: A stable defence mechanism in stallion seminal plasma?

During insemination, bacterial contamination of the ejaculate can lead to reduced sperm quality and transmission of pathogens to the female, thus should be avoided. The semen of a variety of animal taxa possess antimicrobial properties against a wide range of bacterial species through antimicrobial molecules, such as lysozyme, but their variance and the factors influencing it are unknown for most species. In this study, the antibacterial defence (bacterial killing activity (BKA) against Escherichia (E.

Application and uncertainty of a geochemical speciation model for predicting oxyanion leaching from coal fly ash under different controlling mechanisms.

Three primary mechanisms (adsorption to iron oxides or analogous surfaces, co-precipitation with Ca, and substitution in ettringite) controlling oxyanion retention in coal fly ashes (CFAs) were identified by differentiating the leaching behavior of As, B, Cr, Mo, Se, and V from 30 CFAs. Fidelity evaluation of geochemical speciation modeling focused on six reference CFAs representing a range of CFA compositions, whereby different leaching-controlling mechanisms of oxyanions were systematically considered. For three reference CFAs with low Ca and S content, calibration of adsorption reactions for the diffuse double-layer model for hydrous ferric oxides improved the simultaneous prediction of oxyanion leaching, which reduced uncertainties in Se and V predictions caused by nonideal adsorption surfaces and competitive adsorption effects.

Relations between the time of ovulation and fecal estrogen concentration in sows.

Artificial insemination (AI) is the most important biotechnology in pig reproduction. To achieve the best possible fertility results, appropriate timing of the insemination is essential. The optimal time for AI is 12 h before to 4 h after ovulation.

Science-based quality control in boar semen production.

The ever-increasing understanding of sperm physiology, combined with innovative technical advances, continuously furthers the development of boar semen production management. These improvements pave the way for the future implementation of modified quality assurance concepts. This review provides an overview of current trends and new approaches in boar semen production, focusing on: the improvement of hygienic standards, alternatives to the use of antibiotics including the application of cold temperature storage and the utilization of antimicrobial additives, as well as the implementation of new quality control tools.

The influence of redox conditions on aqueous-solid partitioning of arsenic and selenium in a closed coal ash impoundment.

A closed coal ash impoundment case study characterized the effects of field redox conditions on arsenic and selenium partitioning through monitoring of porewater and subsurface gas in conjunction with geochemical speciation modeling. When disposed coal ash materials and porewater were recovered for testing, oxidation led to lower arsenic and higher selenium concentrations in leaching test extracts compared to porewater measurements. Multiple lines of evidence suggest multiple mechanisms of arsenic retention are plausible and the concurrent presence of several redox processes and conditions (e.

Reprotoxic effects of fenpropimorph on the fertilizing potential of AI boars: A case study.

This case study describes the effects of a contamination of boar bedding material with reprotoxic compounds in an AI centre in southern Germany. The origin of the investigations was an extreme decline in the production output of the boars. In July 2021, more than 54% of boars were not in production and over 45% of ejaculates had insufficient sperm quality and quantity, which is a significant drop in comparison with the other months.

Predicting disclosure latency in substantiated cases of child sexual abuse.

Objective: Children who experience sexual abuse (CSA) often delay disclosure, thus impeding early interventions. This study explores predictors of disclosure latency in a sample of forensically substantiated cases.

Methods: Court files were analyzed for a total of 124 cases of CSA.

Cooled storage of semen from livestock animals (Part II): Camelids, goats, and sheep.

This review is part of the Festschrift in honor of Dr. Duane Garner and provides an overview of current techniques in cooled storage of semen from livestock animals such as camelids, goats, and sheep. Facing worldwide environmental changes and a trend towards more conscious and healthy eating behaviors, the development of a stable animal breeding industry is a significant challenge for the near future.

Echo time dependence of biexponential and triexponential intravoxel incoherent motion parameters in the liver.

Purpose: Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) studies are performed with different acquisition protocols. Comparing them requires knowledge of echo time (TE) dependencies. The TE-dependence of the biexponential perfusion fraction f is well-documented, unlike that of its triexponential counterparts f and f and the biexponential and triexponential pseudodiffusion coefficients D , , and .

Development of a new antimicrobial concept for boar semen preservation based on bacteriocins.

The conventional storage temperature of 16-18 °C provides optimal conditions for the preservation of boar sperm quality, which are extremely cold sensitive cells. On the other hand, however, it requires the addition of antibiotics to inhibit bacterial growth. Rising numbers of antibiotic resistant bacteria call for alternatives to this conventional storing method.

Hybrid -shimming and gradient adaptions for improved pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling at 7 Tesla.

Purpose: To improve pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pcASL) at 7T by exploiting a hybrid homogeneity- and efficiency-optimized -shim with adapted gradient strength as well as background suppression.

Methods: The following three experiments were performed at 7T, each employing five volunteers: (1) A hybrid (ie, homogeneity-efficiency optimized) -shim was introduced and evaluated for variable-rate selective excitation pcASL labeling. Therefore, -maps in the V3 segment and time-of-flight images were acquired to identify the feeding arteries.

Cooled storage of semen from livestock animals (part I): boar, bull, and stallion.

This review is part of the Festschrift in honor of Dr. Duane Garner and provides an overview of current techniques for cooled storage of semen from livestock animals. The first part describes the current state of the art of liquid semen preservation in boars, bulls, and stallions, including the diluents, use of additives, processing, temperature, and cooling of semen.

Effect of compression garments on muscle perfusion in delayed-onset muscle soreness: A quantitative analysis using intravoxel incoherent motion MR perfusion imaging.

The aim of this prospective cohort study was to evaluate the effect of compression garments under resting conditions and after the induction of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) by MR perfusion imaging using intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM). Magnetic resonance imaging of both lower legs of 16 volunteers was performed before and after standardized eccentric exercises that induced DOMS. A compression garment (21-22 mmHg) was worn during and for 6 h after exercise on one randomly selected leg.

An optimized b-value distribution for triexponential intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) in the liver.

Purpose: To find an optimized b-value distribution for reproducible triexponential intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) exams in the liver.

Methods: A numeric optimization of b-value distributions was performed using the triexponential IVIM equation and 27 different IVIM parameter sets. Starting with an initially optimized distribution of 6 b-values, the number of b-values was increased stepwise.

Compressed sensing and the use of phased array coils in Na MRI: a comparison of a SENSE-based and an individually combined multi-channel reconstruction.

Purpose: To implement and to evaluate a compressed sensing (CS) reconstruction algorithm based on the sensitivity encoding (SENSE) combination scheme (CS-SENSE), used to reconstruct sodium magnetic resonance imaging (Na MRI) multi-channel breast data sets.

Methods: In a simulation study, the CS-SENSE algorithm was tested and optimized by evaluating the structural similarity (SSIM) and the normalized root-mean-square error (NRMSE) for different regularizations and different undersampling factors (USF=1.8/3.

Sample size estimation: Current practice and considerations for original investigations in MRI technical development studies.

Purpose: To investigate and to provide guidance for sample size selection based on the current practice in MR technical development studies in which healthy volunteers are examined.

Methods: All original articles published in Magnetic Resonance in Medicine between 2017 and 2019 were investigated and categorized according to technique, anatomical region, and magnetic field strength. The number of examined healthy volunteers (ie, the sample size) was collected and evaluated, whereas the number of patients was not considered.

On the dependence of the cardiac motion artifact on the breathing cycle in liver diffusion-weighted imaging.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the cardiac motion artifact that regularly appears in diffusion-weighted imaging of the left liver lobe might be reduced by acquiring images in inspiration, when the coupling between heart and liver might be minimal.

Materials And Methods: 43 patients with known or suspected focal liver lesions were examined at 1.5 T with breath hold acquisition, once in inspiration and once in expiration.