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The purpose of the study was to establish quantitative and qualitative composition of soil-borne microorganisms in the cultivation of carrot. The experiment considered rye, white mustard, buckwheat and sunflower as cover crops and three systems of cultivation. The population of bacteria and fungi having an antagonistic effect towards selected fungi pathogenic to carrot was determined. The greatest total population of bacteria as well as Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. was observed in the soil when rye was the cover crop. The greatest quantity of fungi was found in the control, a slightly smaller amount - after using sunflower, buckwheat and white mustard. The system of tillage had no effect on the communities of the investigated microorganisms. Rye and white mustard had the most positive effect on the quantity of antagonistic Bacillus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Clonostachys spp., Myrothecium spp., Penicillium spp. and Trichoderma spp. Regardless of the tillage system, the smallest quantity of antagonistic microorganisms occurred in the conventional cultivation of carrot.

The paper deals with the possibility of appropriate measurement and evaluation of emissions of nitrogen oxides. Development of exhaust systems which captures the solid particles emitted from engine, lost an objective assessment of the emission status of the diesel engine of agricultural tractor. Therefore, it is necessary to find a new method of measuring and quantifying the emission state of the diesel engine by measuring emissions, which should be economic and time-saving, but especially universal and sufficiently precise. The selected method should also provide sufficient information on such emissions that are subject to approval but they are not controlled during periodic checks.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of cis- and trans-isomers of resveratrol and piceid contained in the shoots, leaves and tendrils of six grapevine varieties and three locations processed under two different drying conditions. The highest trans-resveratrol content was found in the shoots; trans-piceid was contained in lesser amounts (7%) and cis-forms only in very small amounts (~1%). In leaves, both forms of piceid were dominant, while in tendrils trans- and cis-forms of piceid were dominant in samples dried in the laboratory oven at 40°C. Pinot Noir differed from other varieties with a high trans-resveratrol amount. Growing location affected trans-resveratrol levels. Our results suggest that the trimmed clippings might be used as a valuable and inexpensive source of stilbenes. Clippings preserved by drying might be further processed to nutraceuticals or as an additive to the feed.

The objective of this study was to compare, in client-owned patients, the analgesic effects of the centrally acting analgesics tramadol and buprenorphine in continuous intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) with propofol. The study included forty dogs aged two to seven years and weighing 6-27 kg undergoing prophylactic dental treatment. The animals were classified into ASA (American Society of Anaesthesiologists) I. and II. risk groups. One group of dogs received intravenous administration of tramadol (2 mg/kg) and the second one buprenorphine (0.02 mg/kg) 30 min prior to sedation induced by midazolam (0.3 mg/kg) and xylazine (0.5 mg/kg) i.v. General anaesthesia was induced by propofol (2 mg/kg) and maintained by a 120-minute propofol infusion (0.2 mg/kg min). Arterial blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, saturation of haemoglobin with oxygen, body temperature and deep pain sensation elicited by haemostat forceps pressure on the fingers were recorded at ten minute intervals. The tramadol group of dogs showed significantly better blood pressure values (P < 0.001), minimal tendency to bradycardia (P < 0.05) and respiratory rate (P < 0.001), without any negative effects on oxygen saturation. Significantly better deep pain sensation was achieved in the tramadol group (P < 0.001). Blood gas/acid base profile analysis showed a non-significant increase in the tramadol group of dogs. In conclusion, in comparison with buprenorphine, tramadol provided significantly better results with respect to degree of analgesia, as well as the tendency towards cardiopulmonary complications arising during anaesthesia. Significantly better analgesia and a lower depressive effect of tramadol on vital functions allows better control and management of the continuous intravenous propofol anaesthesia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in coagulation tests, haptoglobin concentrations and leukocyte counts in rabbits with right-ventricle pacing medicated with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Blood was collected from 35 non-anaesthetised males from the jugular vein at baseline, one and two months after pacemaker implantation. Animals were divided into two groups: non-medicated and medicated with ASA. Total leukocyte and platelet counts were measured on an automatic veterinary flow cytometry haematological analyser. Prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen levels and D-dimers were determined from citrated blood. We found significantly elevated activated partial thromboplastin times and prothrombin times in ASA in comparison to the control group, but not within the ASA group over time. We also observed a decrease in platelet counts in the control group over time, but not in comparison to the ASA group. No significant changes in total leukocyte counts and haptoglobin concentrations were detected. Medication with ASA may alter coagulation profiles in rabbits with permanent transvenous pacing.

To enhance the induction of shoots, the excised nodes were cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium containing different cytokinins and various concentrations. The best conditions for shoot induction and growth were with 6-benzyladenine at 1.0 mg.l^-1. For axillary shoot proliferation, the excellent result was obtained using 2.0 mg.l^-1 meta-topoline. Well-developed shoots (more than 2 cm in length) were successfully rooted ex vitro at 82% by treatment with commercial rooting powder (2% indole-3-butyric acid; Rhizopon®). Rooted plantlets were acclimatized in the greenhouse and the survival rate of transplantation reached 80%.

In a time of a constant change, a company with high-quality, talented employees not only has an advantage in the competitive environment but it is also a more attractive proposition for the potential employees. It is also a 'great place to work' for the existing employees. The article therefore focuses on the approaches to implementing the strategic talent management which are taken by the agricultural and forestry companies. The paper investigates the position taken regarding the talent management in theory. It is based on the aims of a primary survey, the purpose of which was to develop a deeper understanding of the supporting theoretical concepts underpinning the company approaches to talent. The objective of the work is to identify the main components of the strategic talent management based on the primary survey of companies operating in agriculture and forestry. This is accomplished by evaluating the data obtained from the primary analysis of the methods and approaches used on 101 farms and other agricultural companies. The data comes from the manager surveys for which a single manager represented the given company. The mono-dimensional and multi-dimensional statistics were used to evaluate the data. The results indicate that in 62% of the companies examined are familiar with the principles of the talent management and that the talent management forms part of the mission of the company (48%). A deeper analysis is used to further examine the differences in the approach of the companies included in the study. The paper contains an in depth discussion of the concept of the strategic talent management, as well as identifying the main processes connected with it. Moreover, the paper presents new research findings by defining and validating the main attributes of the strategic talent management (TM); additionally the gap between the awareness of the top management of the talent management concept and its use in practice is found and discussed.

Nine different visual evaluations of Plum pox virus (PPV) presence were carried out in four nurseries during 2012-2015. Results of visual evaluation were verified by ELISA. The presence of PPV was confirmed by ELISA in all the trees showing PPV symptoms. PPV has never been detected by ELISA in trees without PPV symptoms on leaves. A very low occurrence of PPV was proved in plums in all the four nurseries. There were two cases of higher occurrence of PPV in plum cultivars, where PPV originated from infected grafts. The PPV occurrence was 0.126 and 1.59%. The average occurrence of PPV in plums was 0.075%, 93 trees out of 123 630 inspected were PPV-infected. All the PPV-infected trees were destroyed immediately. No new PPV infection was proved later in season (August-September). In comparison with the situation in the 60s of the last century, the PPV occurrence in plums was 2.48% in one nursery in 1963 and there were nurseries with PPV occurrence exceeding 5%. All growing plants were destroyed in this case. The occurrence of PPV in the Czech fruit nurseries today is more than hundred times lower in comparison with the situation fifty years ago. The incidental occurrence of PPV in nurseries cannot be excluded in countries and areas with the endemic presence of PPV (in the Czech Republic and in most European countries). Visual inspection of PPV symptoms in nurseries confirmed by ELISA testing is sufficient. Infected plants must be removed immediately.

CpG islands (CGIs) are an important group of CpG dinucleotides in the guanine- and cytosine-rich regions as they harbour functionally relevant epigenetic loci for whole genome studies. As a matter of fact, since there has not been a formal comparative analysis of CGIs in domestic even-toed ungulate genomes, this study was performed to serve this comparison. The Hidden Markov Model was used to detect CGIs in the genomes. The results indicated that the CGIs number and CGI densities had scant variations across genomes. The goat genome had the highest number of CGIs (99 070), whereas the alpaca genome had the highest CGI density (43.39 CGIs/Mb). Significant positive correlations were observed among CGI densities with chromosome pair number, observed CpG/expected CpG, recombination rate, and gene density. When the size of chromosomes increased, the CGI densities decreased and a trend of higher CGI densities in the telomeric regions was observed. Only 10.96% of CGIs were methylated underscoring this postulation that the majority of CGIs remains to be unmethylated. The highest amount of the methylated CGIs was observed in the introns, intergenic, and coding (CDS) regions and the lowest amount of the methylated CGIs was observed in the promoter regions, implying that the DNA methylation of CGIs may control gene expression at the genome level. Detected differences between even-toed ungulate and other vertebrate genomes showed that CGI densities varied greatly among the genomes. These findings would contribute to better understanding the even-toed ungulate (epi) genomes, the role of CGIs in epigenomic functions and molecular evolution.

Grain size distribution of grist is dependent on the type of grinding mill. The most widely used crushers used for malt grinding are roll grinding machines and dispersants are the disc mills. For rating of grist fineness grists made in the two-roller mill KVM 130/150 and dispersant the disk mill Skiold SK 2500 was used. The selected types of barley malt were processed: light malt, Munich malt, caramel malt and colouring malt. Rating of malt grist fineness was made with a help of sieve analysis using a "Pfungstadt sifter". Conclusions from the measurements are as follows: by using the two-roller mill the coarsest grist is got from caramel malt and the finest malt from the light malt. The dispersant was processing grist at a speed of 1,500 rpm and 2,800 rpm. For each speed, the coarsest grist was obtained from caramel malt and the finest grist was obtained by crushing colouring malt.

The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of Staphylococci from swab samples of dogs with otitis externa and to determine their antibiotic resistance profiles, particularly methicillin resistance. For this purpose 116 ear swab samples were collected from 100 dogs and examined for the presence of Staphylococcus species by conventional culture methods. Antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was determined by the disk diffusion test and for methicillin resistance, by PCR. Forty Staphylococci were isolated from 37 (31.9%) of the 116 ear swabs. Among the 40 isolates, 30 of them were coagulase-positive Staphylococcus species (CPS), while 10 (25%) were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. (CNS). S. pseudintermedius (n = 11), S. aureus (n = 8), other not determined Staphylococcus spp. (n = 7), S. chromogenes (n = 7), S. schleiferi coagulans (n = 3), S. hyicus (n = 1), S. hominis subsp. hominis (n = 1), S. simulans (n = 1), S. saprophyticus (n = 1) were isolated. Results of the antibiotic susceptibility tests have shown that 60% of the isolates were resistant to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, 32.5% of them were resistant to erythromycin, 25% were resistant to clindamycin, and all isolates (100%) were sensitive to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and cephazolin. The majority of isolates (97.5%) were sensitive to ciprofloxacin and gentamicin which are frequently used in otitis externa treatment. It was determined that only one (2.5%) (S. hominis subsp. hominis) of the 40 isolates was resistant to methicillin and carried the mecA gene. We found 77% of Staphylococcus spp. to be resistant to one or more antimicrobial drugs, and 25% of Staphylococcus species were found to be resistant to three or more antimicrobial classes. Thus, multidrug-resistance as detected in our study should always be taken into account and close attention should be given to the antimicrobial therapy protocols of pet animals.

This case report aims to clinically and radiologically describe a case of feline pectus excavatum and to evaluate the treatment results. An 8-month-old female cat weighing 3.2 kg was presented to the Surgery Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Adnan Menderes University with respiratory distress. Following radiographic and clinical examinations, the condition was diagnosed as pectus excavatum. Surgical correction was performed using a U-shaped external splint. Post-operative thoracic radiography showed that the concavity of the sternum was reduced. The splint was removed five weeks post-surgery. Two months after surgery, the cat was clinically normal.

The paper deals with the evaluation of economy of forestry companies. The evaluation stems from the results of economic analyses of enterprises that are further monitored in the context of forestry and development of economic financial ratios of evaluated companies. Furthermore, the evaluation is based on real possibilities of companies stemming from resources which they have at their disposal and on the facts that occurred in the selected companies in the monitored period. The development of important factors influencing the whole branch of forestry and their real state are introduced in the first part of the paper. After that, methods used in financial analysis of enterprises are described. The fact that forest land in the Czech Republic covered 2.66 million hectares in 2014 and its proportion in the total area of the country is 34% adds importance to the topic (Czech Statistical Yearbook 2015).

The present study covers empirical research on the selected Agri-Biotech firms of Punjab. The sample has been chosen from the state of Punjab covering the sectors Food Processing Industry, Fertilizer and Pesticides Industry. On the basis of factor analysis, the study has also identified key factors influencing competitiveness. These are Threat of new competition; Threat of substitute products or services; Bargaining power of suppliers; Intensity of competitive rivalry; Bargaining power of customers; Rivalry among existing firms. The study also tries to evaluate the findings on the basis of the author-factor matrix. The aim is to identify the key factors influencing competiveness. It analyses the difference in competitive factors on the basis of the nature of the industry and on the basis of scale of the firms. Then finally it tries to determine the key competitive factors influencing the market share. The results indicate that the Threat of new competition and Threat of substitutes/services emerge as the important predictors. Intensity of competitive rivalry; Preparedness for Competition; and Bargaining power of suppliers also emerge as significant predictors. These variables explain 79.6% of variation in the model.

The efficacy of superficial tillage as a sustainable tool to reduce the emergence of Digitaria sanguinalis, Setaria viridis, and Sorghum halepense was evaluated with field experiments. Seeds were buried at 1, 2, 5, and 10 cm of depth to simulate seed vertical distribution caused by autumn superficial tillage. Seedling emergence was monitored weekly for two years after sowing. The highest emergence was obtained in the first year after sowing and from 1 and 2 cm. Sorghum halepense was only slightly affected by seed burial, with 15% of emergence from 10 cm of depth, while D. sanguinalis was strongly affected, with 4% of emergence from 5 cm. The efficacy of superficial tillage as control tool could vary according to local weed flora.

Several multivariate methods including partial least squares (PLS) regression, principal component regression (PCR) or multiple linear regression (MLR) have been applied to predict wine quality, based on the definition of chemical and phenolic parameters of grapes and wines harvested at different ripening levels. Three different models including grape phenolic maturity parameters (grape), wine phenolic parameters (wine) and a combination of grape and wine phenolic parameters (grape + wine) were analysed for each of the wine sensory attributes. The grape parameter model has been presented as the best test to predict wine quality based on sensory scores. On the other hand, wine models showed lower accuracy. The combination of grape and wine parameters presented intermediate results showing sometimes good predictability. Moreover, PLS and PCR appeared as more accurate multivariate methods compared to MLR. Although MLR showed higher correlation coefficients, lower RPD values were observed, displaying thus its lower prediction accuracy. Multivariate calibration statistics appeared as a promising tool to predict wine sensory quality in an easy and inexpensive way.

The important nutritional characteristics of the Rubiota spelt variety, grown in the Czech Republic, were reported. We evaluated the contents of total dietary fibre, protein, wet gluten, total starch, and starch fractions, i.e. rapidly digested starch, slowly digested starch, and resistant starch in pearled grain of spelt and in pearling fines. We measured these properties depending on the degree of kernel abrasion. Small differences were found between the sequential pearling cycles in the pearled spelt but significant differences were observed in the fines. In this study we also compared two methods for determining total and resistant starch.

Field experiment was conducted on clay loam soil during winter season of 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 at the Research Farm, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal to study the influence of sulphur (S) levels and irrigation on quality and yield of mustard (cv. Varuna, T-59). Results revealed that yield attributes and yield of crop were highest with 60 kg S/ha, mostly at par with 45 kg S/ha. Double irrigation at flower initiation (30 days after sowing (DAS)) and siliqua development stages (60 DAS) was best with respect to growth, yield attributes, yield, S uptake and oil percent in seed. Effects of both S levels and irrigations on glucosinolate and fatty acid content were non-significant except on progoitrin. The erucic:oleic acid ratio was inversely related to the subsequent increase in S doses, thereby suggesting the qualitative improvement of oil with S application. Oil percent has a negative correlation with sinigrin and gluconapin content. The uptake of S was positively correlated with oleic acid content but showed lower or even negative correlation with other fatty acids. Therefore, irrigation (twice at 30 DAS and 60 DAS) in combination with 45 kg S/ha are recommended for improving yield attributes, yield, oil percent and S uptake of Indian mustard.

The aim of this study was to determine whether meat and bone meal (MBM) can be used as NP fertilizer for spring barley grown for fodder. A two-factorial field experiment was conducted in Poland. Experimental factor I was MBM dose (0, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 t/ha/year) which was compared to the mineral fertilization (NPK), factor II was the year of the study (two consecutive years). MBM used in doses higher than 1.0 t/ha had a more beneficial influence on the grain yield of spring barley and grain plumpness than mineral fertilizers. The positive yield-forming effect of MBM doses 2.0 t/ha and 2.5 t/ha was statistically significant. The nitrogen (N) content of grain was similar in treatments with MBM and mineral fertilization. The two highest MBM doses contributed to a significant decrease in the phosphorus (P) content of grain, particularly in the second year of the study, in comparison with the remaining MBM doses and mineral fertilizers. Grain yield and N content were also affected by the year of the study, due to weather conditions and the residual effect of MBM. The optimal MBM dose was 1.5 t/ha, which allowed to produce 5.1 t/ha of the plumpest grain whose N and P content was consistent with the feeding standards for livestock.

The effects of five training systems on tree growth, fruit yield and some fruit characteristics were assessed in Jonagold apple cv. grafted on M.9 rootstock. The trees were trained in one of five ways: slender spindle (SS; 4,761 trees/ha), vertical axis (VA; 2,857 trees/ha), hytec (HT; 1,904 tree/ha) and two different tree densities of super spindle (L-Super S with 5,000 trees/ha; H-Super S with 10,000 trees/ha). Trunk cross-sectional area (TCA) was higher in HT and VA than SS, L-Super S and H-Super S in the 4^th year. While HT had the highest cumulative yield/tree, the lowest cumulative yield was observed in H-Super S. Although HT had the highest yield/ tree, it ranked the last in cumulative yield efficiency (CYE) due to high TCA. The highest (CYE) was measured in trees trained as L-Super S. When cumulative yields (CY)/ha were evaluated, the yield advantage of high density planting was clearly evident for the first three cropping years. H-Super S systems (10,000 trees/ha) had the highest CY/ha and achieved a yield of 91.24 t/ha in year 4. HT (1,904 trees/ha) had the lowest CY/ha (33.46 t). Training systems had no consistent effect on average fruit diameter, weight, firmness, soluble solid and titratable acidity.

Products made from wheat are the most important components of the human diet, and could also become a source of functional foods and feed ingredients, e.g. minerals, vitamins and/or phytochemicals. The caryopses of certain wheat genotypes contain antioxidants, i.e. anthocyanins or carotenoids, which cause purple, blue or yellow coloration. The first step before the introduction of these traits into individual wheat cultivars is the characterization of relationships and the possibility of new gene combinations. In this study, relationships among 24 genotypes with different types of caryopsis colour were investigated by means of microsatellite markers. Using 44 SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat) markers it was possible to detect a total of 184 alleles; on average, approximately 4 alleles were detected at a microsatellite locus. Using a set of 5 SSR markers (Xgwm636, Xbarc077, Xwmc262, Xgwm397 and Xwmc219) with PIC (polymorphic information content) values higher than 0.70, it was possible to differentiate among all the genotypes analysed. A dendrogram was created on the basis of all SSR markers, and showed that the genotypes were divided into two groups. Three, and one genotype with purple and blue caryopsis, respectively, belonged to one cluster, while the remaining twenty formed the second, greater cluster, which was subdivided into 2 sub-clusters: one of them involved genotypes with blue caryopses, and the other those with yellow and red caryopses. The genotype of tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum), as a possible donor of genes responsible for blue caryopses, was also classified. These results can be used in wheat breeding programmes aimed at the selection of functional foodstuffs.

Oxidant and antioxidant activity in seminal plasma was compared with that in spermatozoa of teleost (common carp Cyprinus carpio and brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis) and chondrostean (Russian sturgeon Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii, and sterlet Acipenser ruthenus) fishes. No differences were found between seminal plasma and spermatozoa in the level of thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substance (0.24 ± 0.08 to 0.33 ± 0.04 nmol/mg proteins) in Russian sturgeon, Siberian sturgeon, and sterlet. Carbonyl protein concentration was significantly higher in spermatozoa than in seminal plasma of all studied species. Analyzed antioxidants included superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione peroxidase activity. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were detected between seminal plasma and spermatozoa in total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GR). Total glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity was significantly higher in brook trout (12.56 ± 3.23 mU/mg proteins) and Russian sturgeon (11.56 ± 3.12 mU/mg proteins) spermatozoa compared to seminal plasma (6.81 ± 1.56 mU/mg proteins in brook trout and 9.56 ± 3.12 mU/mg proteins in Russian sturgeon). This study provides new data on oxidant and antioxidant balance between spermatozoa and seminal plasma that may be of value in the development of methods for artificial reproduction of teleost and chondrostean species.

Fluorine is essential in human and/or animal nutrition, thus it is important to know its concentration in a diet. One of the important sources of fluorine for humans is tea, containing relatively high amounts of this trace element. A method for fluoride determination in various kinds of tea using microwave supported sample preparation in a high pressure oxygen atmosphere followed by potentiometry with a fluoride ion-selective electrode were described. The parameters of the microwave device for such combustion procedure were checked and optimised in order to find settings ensuring complete sample combustion and/or absorption of the analyte in the absorption solution. For the ion-selective electrode measurement, the technique of standard addition was chosen. The Nernstian slope of the fluoride ion-selective electrode was measured and calculated in the concentration range in which the potential of samples occurred. Concentrations of fluorides in tea in the range from 24.5 mg/kg to 254.5 mg/kg were found. In order to check the accuracy of the method certified reference materials were used. The precision expressed as the relative standard deviation ranged from 3.7% to 15.9%. The method is fast, accurate and reliable for this kind of analysis.

The expression of avian β-defensins (AvBDs), Toll-like receptors (TLRs), and vitamin D receptor (VDR) following in vivo vitamin D₃ injection was studied. Healthy 90-day Silky Fowls were abdominally injected with vitamin D₃ or untreated. Real-time PCR analyses revealed that injection of vitamin D₃ significantly (P < 0.05) up-regulated the expression of TLRs (TLR2, TLR5), VDR, AvBDs (AVBD-6, GAL-1), and 24-hydroxylase (CYP24A1) in the tissues (liver, spleen, and kidney) at various times 8-24 h post injection. These results suggest that expression of VDR, AvBDs, and TLRs seems to be induced by vitamin D₃ and it was concluded that the tissues expressing TLRs and VDR respond to vitamin D₃ and in turn upregulate these tissues cellular functions to synthesize AvBDs. Intraperitoneal injection of vitamin D₃ likely resulted in enhancing the expression of AvBDs, TLRs, and VDR, which providedinsight into factors important for the control of the innateimmune response in the chickens.

In the sphere of reproductive biotechnologies, the demand for sufficient numbers of high-quality oocytes is still increasing. In some cases, this obstacle is overcome by in vitro prolonged cultivation. However, a prolonged oocyte culture is accompanied by changes called ageing. Ageing is manifested by spontaneous parthenogenetic activation, programmed cell death or lysis. Various substances, such as caffeine or dithiothreitol, have been tested for ageing suppression. In this respect, research into gasotransmitters (hydrogen sulphide, carbon monoxide, and nitric oxide) has currently been intensified. The objectives of the present study were to localize nitric oxide synthases (NOS) and to evaluate NOS inhibition of aged porcine oocytes. We demonstrated the presence of NOS isoforms in oocyte cultivation prolonged by 24, 48, and 72 h. After 72 h of prolonged cultivation, NOS inhibition by the non-specific inhibitor L-NAME or the specific inhibitor aminoguanidine caused suppression both of programmed cell death and lysis. Although NOS amount rapidly decreased after the 72-h cultivation, changes induced by NOS inhibition were statistically significant. We can presume that NOS play an important physiological role in porcine oocyte ageing.

Sow batch management systems have become more popular due to advantages in labour planning, piglet batch sizes, all-in all-out practices and health management. The present study investigated the potential health advantages of 10 selected farrow-to-finish pig herds before and after transition from a one week batch management system to a four or five week batch management system. Five different animal categories (gilts, sows, piglets, growers and finishers) were sampled at three time points (T0, T1 and T2) before and after transition to a four or five week batch management system. Different matrices of the animals were collected: blood, nasal swabs and faeces. Several economically important diseases were monitored through serology: Lawsonia intracellularis, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSv), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae; and PCR-testing: Pasteurella multocida dermonecrotic toxin (DNT) and Brachyspira species, especially the major pathogenic Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. Following serological analysis, the percentage of positive animals per category and sampling occasion were calculated. Health improvement based on serology was defined as the reduction in the percentage of positive animals for a specific disease in a specified animal category. All samples were negative for P. multocida DNT and B. hyodysenteriae. Little to no improvement could be observed for PRRSv. For L. intracellularis an improvement could be observed in piglets (71%) and growers (56%; P < 0.05). For both of the respiratory pathogens, M. hyopneumoniae and A. pleuropneumoniae, significant improvement was observed in finishers (34 and 24%, respectively). In growers, only M. hyopneumoniae showed a significant improvement (34%). In conclusion, the transition from a one week batch management system to a four or five week batch management system in the present herds resulted in a reduction of the percentage of seropositive animals for three of the monitored economically important diseases: L. intracellularis, M. hyopneumoniae and A. pleuropneumoniae.

The influence of selenite (Se^IV) or selenate (Se^VI) added to ovine ruminal fluid containing linseed oil (LO) on the profile of fatty acids (FA), particularly conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers, was investigated. The ruminal fluid was incubated in vitro at 39°C under CO₂ either alone (the control fluid) or with LO (3.3 mg/ml) or with a combination of LO with either a low (0.167 μg/ml) or high (1.67 μg/ml) level of Se as Se^IV or Se^VI. LO added to ruminal fluids also provides an extra source of energy. The tubes with the examined fluids were removed after 0, 6, 12, 18, or 24 h of in vitro incubation and then analyzed to determine the FA levels. The lower and higher concentration of Se^IV in the fluids with the LO revealed negligible effect on the concentration of the sum of the CLA isomers (∑CLA) in the fluid compared with the fluid with LO alone. The addition of a higher amount of Se^IV to the fluid containing LO usually decreased the concentration of ∑CLA compared with the fluid containing the lower concentration of Se^IV and LO. The concentration of c9t11c15C18:3 (cLNA) in the fluids with LO, irrespective of the presence of extra Se, increased throughout the incubations, although the addition of Se^IV or Se^VI to the fluids containing LO numerically reduced the increase of the concentration of cLNA compared with the fluid with LO alone. The concentration sum of the C18:1 isomers (ΣC18:1) in the control fluid numerically decreased throughout the incubations, while LO added to the fluid increased the concentration of ΣC18:1 throughout the incubations. LO added to the fluid, irrespective of the presence of Se^IV or Se^VI, significantly increased the concentration of ΣC18:1 compared with the control fluid and the fluids with Se^IV or Se^VI. The concentrations of C16:0 and C18:0 in the control fluid and the fluids containing Se^IV or Se^VI numerically increased throughout the incubations and were usually lower than in the fluids containing LO without or with Se^IV or Se^VI. The concentration of C18:3n-3 decreased throughout the incubation of the fluids containing LO, irrespective of the presence of Se^IV or Se^VI. LO added to the fluids, irrespective of the presence of Se^IV or Se^VI, increased the concentration of C18:2n-6 compared with the control fluid and the fluids with Se^IV or Se^VI. The higher concentration of Se^IV or Se^VI in the fluid with LO most efficiently increased the concentration of c5c8c11c14c17C20:5 compared with the control fluid or the fluids containing LO, irrespective of the presence of the lower concentration of Se^IV or Se^VI. LO added to the fluid, irrespective of the presence of Se^IV or Se^VI, increased the concentration of polyunsaturated FA compared with the control fluid or the fluids containing Se^IV or Se^VI.

Silicon content of Korean domestic beer was approximately 13.2 mg/l, which was 142% higher than 9.24 mg/l in imported beer. The contents of Ca and Mg were in the range of 31-33 mg/l and 39-41 mg/l, respectively, which were similar in Korean domestic and imported beers. Through beer ingestion, the men's average Si intake was approximately 24.3 mg/day, which was 195% higher than the women's average Si intake (12.4 mg/day). In addition, it was found that 20-29 aged men and women took approximately 33.7 and 25.1 mg/day of Si, respectively, which are higher Si intakes through beer ingestion as compared to other age ranges. As to people in other age-ranges, the women's Si intake through beer ingestion was half that of men's. Domestic beer-1 and beer-2 had 8.50 and 6.45 Si μg/won of Si content per unit price, respectively. Taken together with these results, it was estimated that the more expensive the price of beer, the lower the Si content per unit price. Therefore, it is supposed that the cheap Korean domestic beer is an effective supplier of Si, the beer being considered the major resource for Si intake by humans inKorea.

(Co)variance components for daily milk yield, fat, and protein content in Slovenian dairy sheep were estimated with random regression model. Test-day records were collected by the ICAR A4 method. Analysis was done for 38 983 test-day records of 3068 ewes in 36 flocks. Common flock environment, additive genetic effect, permanent environment effect over lactations, and permanent environment effect within lactation were included into the random part of the model and modelled with Legendre polynomials on the standardized time scale of days in lactation. Estimation of (co)variance components was done with REML. The eigenvalues of covariance functions for random regression coefficients were calculated to quantify the sufficient order of Legendre polynomial for the (co)variance component estimation of milk traits. The existing 13 to 24% of additive genetic variability for the individual lactation curve indicated that the use of random regression model is justified for selection on the level and shape of lactation curve in dairy sheep. Four eigenvalues sufficiently explained variability during lactation in all three milk traits. Heritability estimate for daily milk yield was the highest in mid lactation (0.17) and lower in the early (0.11) and late (0.08) lactation. In fat content, the heritability was increasing throughout lactation (0.08-0.13). Values in protein content varied from the beginning toward mid lactation (0.15-0.19), while they rapidly increased at the end of lactation (0.28). Common flock environment explained the highest percentage of phenotypic variability: 27-41% in daily milk yield, 31-41% in fat content, and 41-49% in protein content. Variance ratios for the two permanent environment effects were the highest in daily milk yield (0.10-0.27), and lower in fat (0.04-0.08) and protein (0.01-0.10) contents. Additive genetic correlations during the selected test-days were high between the adjacent ones and they tended to decrease at the extremes of the lactation trajectory.