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A rare case of a liver biliary duct cystoadenoma in a dog is reported. Tissue changes are described with an emphasis on immunohistochemical patterns that aid in the identification of the tumour and differentiation from similar macroscopical features that arise due to congenital abnormalities. Finally, we provide hints on comparative pathology.

We examined the relationships between a number of sperm characteristics (motility, concentration and pH) and sperm fertility (egg fertilisation and hatching rate) in 10 mature females and four mature males of the beluga sturgeon, Huso huso. The fish were treated with luteinising hormone-releasing hormone agonists (LHRH-A2), at a dose of 5-10 µg/kg of body weight (BW) by injection into the muscle between the dorsal and lateral scutes. Significant linear relationships were found between sperm pH and fertilisation rate (R² = 0.82, P < 0.01) and sperm pH and hatching rate (R² = 0.75, P < 0.05). Highly negative relationships were also observed between sperm concentration and fertilisation rate (R² =-0.71, P < 0.05) and sperm concentration and hatching rate (R² = -0.83, P < 0.01). We suggest that understanding these correlations is critical in the evaluation of sperm quality and for the preparation of media (extender) for use in sperm dilution to improve sperm motility/fertility and therefore increase fertilisation success in beluga sturgeon production.

This paper analyses the effects of Swiss agricultural policy reforms and the effects of farm income, off-farm income and direct payments on the distribution of the farm household income. To this end, the farm-level income records from the FADN data for the period 1990-2009 are used to calculate Gini coefficients and Gini elasticities. Bootstrap sampling procedures are applied to test for significant differences of the estimated parameters over time. The Gini coefficients estimated in our analysis show that the household income inequality in Swiss agriculture only slightly increased from 0.21 to 0.24, but the farm income inequality strongly increased from 0.27 to 0.38 in the considered period. We find furthermore that increasing off-farm incomes and direct payments would decrease the household income inequality. Especially direct payments that support farmers producing under adverse production conditions in the hill and mountain regions have found to be well targeted and thus contribute to the reductions in income inequality in agriculture.

To better understand how water stress and availability affect the enzyme activity and microbial communities in soil, we measured the changes of organic carbon (OC), bacteria and fungi populations, and endoglucanase and exoglucanase activities in a semiarid soil treated with air-dried primary sewage sludge at a rate of 20 g/kg. The water potentials established for soil incubation were: saturation (SA, 0 bar), field capacity (FC, -0.3 bar), and permanent wilting point (PWP, -15 bar). An irrigation treatment was a drying-rewetting cycle (DWC) between -0.3 to -15 bars. After 0, 20, 60 and 90 days of incubation soils were sampled for analysis. The addition of sewage sludge increased soil OC, endoglucanase and exoglucanase activities significantly. The effects of soil moisture, incubation time and their interactions on OC, and endoglucanase and exoglucanase activities in soil were significant. During 20 days of incubation, OC, endoglucanase and exoglucanase activities decreased significantly. Soils incubated in DWC and FC compared to soils incubated in SA and PWP had lower OC contents due to organic matter mineralization. Organic C, exoglucanase and endoglucanase activities significantly increased with increasing soil water potential. The activities of exoglucanase and endoglucanase in soils incubated in SA were significantly higher than those in soils incubated in PWP.

The estimated genetic parameters were used for selection of important conformation traits and reduction in the number of the described characteristics. For reduction in the number of described traits from the original 36 to 24, the traits were selected according to: measure of genetic similarity (cluster analysis), measure of uncertainty multidimensional quantity, value of the variance of aggregate genotype, value of the variance of selection index and correlation of trait to the first principal component of the genetic matrix. Reduction in the number of the described traits was based on the value of heritability coefficient and genetic correlations matrix. The reliabilities of selection indexes were estimated between 0.41 and 0.53. Among the three multivariate analysis methods evaluated in this study, the variance of selection index had the highest reliabilities of selection indexes. The estimation of selection index variance which omitted traits with low heritability coefficient and high genetic correlation was the most suitable for the traits selection. This procedure would enable the breeders to reduce field costs (e.g. time, labour) required for obtaining the genetic parameter estimates necessary for a specific breeding programme.

Linguatula serrata is a zoonotic parasite causing visceral and nasopharyngeal linguatulosis in humans. Dog and other canines are the main definitive hosts while most herbivores, including ruminants serve as intermediate hosts for linguatulosis. Human rarely become infected as both final and intermediate hosts. This survey aimed to assess the L. serrata infection rate of dogs and domestic ruminants in North West of Iran. The upper respiratory tract of 97 dogs including 45 females and 52 males and the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) of 396 goats (203 females and 193 males), 406 buffaloes (166 females and 240 males), 421 cattle (209 females and 212 males) and 438 sheep (223 females and 215 males) were examined for L. serrata. Animals were categorized into four age groups, including under six months, six to 24 months, two to four years and more than four years. Results showed that 27.83% of dogs were infected with L .serrata. The infection rate for goats, buffaloes, cattle and sheep was 50.75%, 26.6%, 36.62% and 42.69%, respectively. The prevalence rate in all animals was significantly associated with age and sex (P ≤ 0.05). In ruminants, the highest infection rate was found in goats (P ≤ 0.05). The results from this study indicate a high rate of infection in dogs and domestic ruminants, suggesting a potential high risk of zoonotic infection in man in the investigated area.

The present study has investigated the country specific determinants of the vertical and total intra-industry trade between Iran and its main trading partners (including 24 countries) in the agricultural products group during the time period 2001-2007. For this purpose, first we have measured the types of the intra-industry trade. Then we have examined the determinants of the vertical and total intra-industry trade in the agricultural sector by using the panel technique. Based on the obtained results, it has confirmed that economic development (both per capita income and HDI) has a positive and significance effect on the Iran's bilateral intra-industry trade. Also, the results verify the Linder hypothesis. In sum, the Iran's foreign trade in agricultural sector is mainly based on comparative advantage. Specifically, there is a negative and significant relationship between the revealed comparative advantage and the industry trade. In addition, the endowment of land affects positively the high vertical intra-industry trade. Also according to the results, the size market differences impact the intra-industry trade negatively.

The preparation of mango wine by yeast-mango peel immobilised biocatalyst system by repeated batch fermentation was conducted and compared to free cells fermentation at 15, 20, 25, and 30°C. The operational stability of the biocatalyst was good as the ethanol concentrations (76.0-96.0 g/l) and productivities (1.53-3.29 g/l/h) were high, showing the suitability of the biocatalyst for even low temperature winemaking. The concentration of ethyl acetate was not above 40 mg/l in all cases, and higher alcohols were low (< 330 mg/l) in wine with immobilised cells indicating an improvement in the product compared to free cells fermentation. Amyl alcohols were proved to be temperature dependent and decreased with the decrease in temperature (262.48-146.83 and 239.74-184.34 mg/l) in the case of fermentation batches with immobilised and free cells, respectively, from 30°C to 15°C. Sensory evaluation revealed fruity aroma (7.9 ± 0.73), fine taste (7.7 ± 0.24), and the overall improved quality of the wines produced by the immobilised system.

Spectral libraries are the data archives of spectral signatures measured on natural and/or man-made materials. Here, the objective is to build a soil spectral library of the Czech soils (SSL-CZ). Further on, the overall aim is to apply diffuse reflectance spectroscopy as a tool for digital soil mapping. An inevitable part of the library is a metadata database that stores the corresponding auxiliary information on the soils: type of material (soil, parent material), sample preparation, location of the sample with geographic coordinates, soil classification, morphological features, soil laboratory measurements - chemical, physical, and potential biological properties, geophysical features of and climatological information on the sample location. The metadata database consists of seven general tables (General, Spatial, Soil class, Environmental, Auxiliary, Analytical and Spectra) relationally linked together. The stored information allows for a wide range of analyses and for modelling developments of digital soil mapping applications. An example of partial least-square regression (PLSR) modelling for soil pH and clay content with 0.84 and 0.68 coefficients of determination is provided on the subset of the collected data. Currently, the SSL-CZ database contains more than 500 records in the first phase of development. Spectral reflectance signatures are stored in the range of 350 to 2500 nm with a step of 1 nm measured by ASD FieldSpec 3. The soil spectral library developed is fully compatible with Global Soil Spectral Library (Soil Spectroscopy Group).

As an alternative to synthetic pesticides, chitosan has received much attention as a biopolymer active against some agricultural pests. The, insecticidal activity of chitosans of four molecular weights (2.27 × 10⁵,3.60 × 10⁵,5.97 × 10⁵,and9.47 × 10⁵ g/mol) was investigated against two species of arthropod pests: oleander aphid Aphis nerii and cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis. In addition, the most active chitosan of 2.27 × 10⁵ g/mol was chemically modified with metals of Ag(I), Cu(II), Ni(II), and Hg(II) to give corresponding chitosan-metal complexes. Larval mortality, growth inhibition, and antifeedant activities for third instar larvae of S. littoralis were evaluated at 4 g (a.i.) chitosan/kg diet. Chitosan of 2.27 × 10⁵ g/mol and its complexes with Ni and Hg were the most active compounds. The results against A. nerii indicated that chitosans of 3.60 × 10⁵ and 5.97 × 10⁵ g/mol showed high activity among the different molecular weights in leaf-dip bioassay after 24 h of treatment with 48 and 49% mortalities, respectively, at 1000 mg/l. All compounds had a systemic effect against A. nerii. Chitosans of 2.27 × 10⁵,3.60 × 10⁵,and5.97 × 10⁵ g/mol showed the highest efficacy at all concentrations tested; however, chitosan-Cu was significantly the most active among the complexes.

The sera from 690 slaughtered fattening pigs from 15 farrow-to-finish swine herds (12 herds of unknown Salmonella status, 3 herds known as latently infected) in the Czech Republic were examined for Salmonella antibodies in a cross sectional study using an ELISA test. Salmonella seroprevalence ranging from 0% to 20% was found in 14 herds. Seroprevalence of 73.9 was found in 1 herd with previously unknown Salmonella status. A longitudinal study of the three previously identified latently infected herds found seroprevalence ranging from 23.9% to 83.4% in sows after farrowing. Salmonella findings from faeces in the farrowing sections ranged between 1.8 and 24.5, and in the environmental samples between 0 and 25. In weaned piglets, Salmonella findings from faeces ranged from 6.3 to 48.0, and in environmental samples from 0 to 90%. The most prevalent serotypes were S. Derby (56.8) and S. Typhimurium, phage type DT104 (18.5). The seroprevalence comparison in sows and slaughtered fattening pigs revealed variations in the course of Salmonella infection in swine herds.

The trials were carried out in the Estonian University of Life Sciences (58°23'N, 26°44'E), and studied to what extent green manure crops bind nutrients and the effect and stability of biologically fixed nitrogen (N). Our research covered more species than most of the earlier studies in the Nordic countries. Compared with biomass from unfertilized barley, legume undersowing, straws plus roots added up to 4 times more N, 2.8 times more phosphorus (P) and 2.5 times more potassium (K) returning to the soil. Red clover, hybrid lucerne and white melilot as pure sows produced the highest biomass, amounts of N, P, and K being up to 206, 24 and 144 kg/ha, respectively. The effect of additional N in soil was measured by weighing successive grain yields. In the first test year, 1 kg of N from green manure had the effect of producing 8.6 kg grain and this relation did not change even for higher N amounts. Green manure had a significant effect even in the third year after the green manure was ploughed into soil.

Negative energy balance (NEB), if followed by metabolic imbalance, is a common problem in high-yielding dairy cows frequently associated with inflammation of the mammary gland. After entering the teat canal, mammary epithelium is the first line of defense against a pathogen invasion. To investigate the effect of NEB on the innate host defense of the mammary epithelium, primary bovine mammary epithelial cell (pbMEC) cultures were generated by cell extraction of milk derived from energy restricted and control feeding cows. pbMEC were obtained from 8 high-yielding dairy cows affected by induced NEB in mid-lactation due to a reduction to 51 ± 2% of total energy requirement (restriction group) and from 7 control cows (control group). They were exposed to heat-inactivated Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus for 24 and 72 h to investigate the influence of NEB on gene expression profiles of cytokines, chemokines, genes associated with apoptosis and antimicrobial peptides plus their receptors (AMPR) of the innate immune response. The immune challenge of pbMEC demonstrated an effect of immune capacity and NEB in 15 differential expressed genes. NEB induced a substantial up-regulation in restriction compared to control cells by trend in E. coli and a down-regulation in S. aureus exposed cells. Our investigations showed that the dietary-induced NEB in vivo influenced the immune response of pbMEC in vitro and altered the expression of immunological relevant genes due to a difference in energy supply. These results demonstrate that pbMEC are a suitable model for mastitis research, in which even effects of feeding regimes can be displayed.

Avian metapneumovirus causes an acute highly contagious upper respiratory tract infection primarily of turkeys and chickens. The disease can cause significant economic losses in turkey and chicken flocks, particularly when exacerbated by secondary pathogens. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of avian metapneumovirus antibodies in broiler and broiler breeder flocks in Kermanshah province, west of Iran. All the flocks had not been vaccinated against avian metapneumovirus. The province were divided into four geographic areas; southwest, southeast, northwest, and northeast. Flocks in each area, and 14-15 birds in each flock, were randomly sampled. The blood samples were taken regardless of the presence of any signs of respiratory or any other clinical disease in the flocks. A total of 435 blood samples were collected from 30 commercial chicken flocks (24 broiler flocks, aged between six and eight weeks, and six broiler breeder flocks, aged between 56 and 72 weeks). The presence of antibodies against avian metapneumovirus in each serum sample was tested twice by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a commercial kit which was able to determine antibodies against A, B and C subtypes of avian metapneumovirus. Out of 347 serum samples obtained from broiler chickens, 167 (48.1%) were positive to avian metapneumovirus antibodies, which represented 20 (83.3%) of 24 examined broiler flocks. Out of 88 samples obtained from broiler breeder chickens, 82 (93.2%) were positive to avian metapneumovirus antibodies, which belonged to six (100%) of examined broiler breeder flocks. Detection of anti-avian metapneumovirus antibodies among broiler breeder (100%) was higher than broiler (83.3%) flocks. A higher rate of seropositivity (83.3% of samples and 100% of broiler flocks) was observed in northwest. The results of this study may indicate the possible involvement of avian metapneumovirus in the respiratory disease we are seeing in chickens in Iran. Its prevalence has to be investigated in other parts of Iran. Future work may and should include the use of molecular methods and isolation of the virus. Isolation of avian metapneumovirus will allow the possibility of making autogenous vaccines.

The levels of rheumatoid factor (RF), antinuclear antibody (ANA), and composition of peripheral lymphocyte subsets in 515 dogs were examined. Of these sample cases, 33 cases were diagnosed as immune-mediated fever that presented with high C-reactive protein (CRP), 31 cases were diagnosed with Hansen's Type 1 disc herniation and the remaining 415 cases were clinically healthy dogs, and served as controls. In the cases diagnosed with immune-mediated fever, 84% of the dogs tested positive to either RF or ANA (RF positive 60.6%; ANA positive 24.2%). By contrast, 16.2% of the healthy dogs were positive for either RF or ANA (RF positive 14.9%; ANA 1.3%). The CD4/CD8 ratio for peripheral lymphocyte was high for all analysed cases diagnosed with immune-mediated fever, and was significantly higher than those of healthy controls. These results indicate that the abnormal levels of lymphocytes may be an effective indicator for immune-mediated disease coupled to immune-mediated fever.

Genetic parameters including the proportion of variance for the service sire effect were estimated for number of piglets stillborn (including piglets died until 24 h after birth) and number of piglets died from 24 h after birth until weaning in Czech Large White (89 231 litters) and Czech Landrace (28 320 litters) pigs. Both traits were considered to be traits of the sow. Two two-trait animal models were evaluated for each breed including or excluding the service sire effect. Estimates of genetic parameters were very similar for the two models. The heritability for number of stillborn piglets was 0.06 in both breeds and both models and the heritability for number of piglets died until weaning was 0.07 in Czech Large White and 0.05 to 0.06 in Czech Landrace. The proportion of variance due to service sire was very low (between 0.8 and 1.6%). Therefore, there is no need to include the service sire effect in models for genetic evaluation. A selection against farrowing losses is recommended though only a slow improvement of the trait can be expected. Selecting against piglets died until weaning seems to be cumbersome. Probably a selection on number of piglets weaned could be helpful in minimizing piglet losses until weaning.

Demographic development of human society is influenced by economic and political changes. The demographic development of most EU countries, including the Czech Republic, is characterized by the change of the age structure, the increase in the share of the third biological generation and thereby by aging of the population. These changes do not proceed with the same intensity in all countries; there are differences in the development, both among the EU countries and also the regional ones in the frame of the country. The paper presents an evaluation of the demographic development in the EU countries and further in the particular CR regions. The aim is to judge the regional differentiation of this development and to find an analogy of the EU countries.

Freeze-dried bovine bone transplantation is commonly used for orthopaedic surgery. Equine bone, which is available in great quantity, can be obtained as easily as bovine bone, and so represents a potential source of bone for transplantation. In the present study freeze-dried equine cortical bones were transplanted into experimentally-induced fibular defects in canines to evaluate xenogenic implantation of equine bone. Cortical bones that had been freed of antigens and defatted with chloroform and methanol were freeze-dried at -80 °C for preservation of bone morphogenetic protein, sterilized with ethylene oxide gas and stored at room temperature. The experimental osteotomy was performed in a 15 mm-long bilateral region of each proximal metaphyseal fibula. The area of defect in eight beagle dogs (n = 16) received a transplanted freeze-dried equine cortical implant. The control group consisting of two beagles dogs (n = 4) received an autograft of a similar implant. The experiment region was radiographically monitored for bone union and host serum osteocalcin level was determined to assess osteoblast activity every two weeks for 24 weeks. In 14 of the 16 experimental cases, the graft was not associated with new bone formation. Resorption after new bone formation and remodelling with new bone formation each occurred in a single case. The results support the potential of using freeze-dried equine cortical bones as a xenogenic bone graft material in canines.

Leucaena leucocephala (LEU) and three under-utilized tanniferous legumes, Styzolobium aterrimum L. (STA), Styzolobium deeringianum (STD), and Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia Benth (MIC) were chemically characterized and the biological activity of tannins was evaluated using in vitro simulated ruminal fermentation through tannin-binding polyethylene glycol (PEG) and compared with a non-tanniferous tropical grass hay, Cynodon spp. (CYN). The Hohenheim gas test was used and gas production (GP) was recorded at 4, 8, 12, 24, 32, 48, 56, 72, 80, and 96 h incubation with and without PEG. Kinetic parameters were estimated by an exponential model. STA, STD, and LEU contained higher (P < 0.05) crude protein than MIC, which had greater neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre. Total phenols, total tannins, and condensed tannins (CT) were consistently the highest in MIC. Gas production was the lowest from MIC (P < 0.05) and the highest in LEU and STA. MIC + PEG largely reduced (P < 0.05) the lag phase and the fractional rate of fermentation and increased potential GP. Kinetic parameters of STA + PEG and LEU + PEG were not affected. LEU + PEG produced greater gas increment (P < 0.05) than STD + PEG, although both legumes had the same CT. All legumes except MIC were more extensively degraded than CYN. However, fermentation of the legumes was differently affected by the presence and proportions of CT, indigestible fibre or both.

Amazingly, despite the 24 143 papers on mycobacteria, indexed in the Web of Science database during the last six years, published by 67 008 authors from 13 128 organizations located in 166 countries or territories, internationally accepted legal directives on how to control the public health risk associated with environmental mycobacteria have yet to be developed. Mycobacteria are human and animal pathogens, causing not only tuberculosis and leprosy, but mycobacterioses of skin, soft tissues and lung. Due to their cell wall composition and their adaptability mycobacteria can survive in different habitats for years. Their immunomodulatory ability has been recognised for more than 50 years and hundreds of papers published during the last two decades have demonstrated that small chemical products derived from mycobacterial cells participate in inflammatory pathways involved the pathogenesis of important human diseases like Crohn's disease, asthma, type 1 diabetes mellitus, psoriasis, arthrosis, Blau syndrom, sarcoidosis, autism etc. Mycobacteria can influence inflammatory pathways not only as live organisms, but also by means of components derived from dead cells. Pasteurisation or cooking does not affect this ability. Hence, how many mycobacterial cells are ingested, what factors play a role concurrently, and how long the harmful effect persists become important questions. This paper presents only a short review based on selected papers about mycobacteria in water, soil, plants and air with the aim of attracting attention to this significant global problem and of making the first steps towards protection of people. Selected bibliographic references of published data from 2007 to 2012 are presented in easy-to-navigate tables.

The aim of this work was to carry out an inspective survey on frozen slices of swordfish (Xiphias gladius, Linneo 1758), regularly commercialised in Messina, Sicily (Italy). 402 products were checked at retail levels; the products came from four different fishing area: 59 from the Mediterranean Sea, 155 from North-East Atlantic Ocean, 139 from the Indian Ocean, and 49 from the Pacific Ocean. Fifty-one products were sampled and carefully examined macroscopically and histologically. The histological examination was also carried out on 31 muscle portions without macroscopic alterations. 25 samples (Group A), were parasitised by larvae of Gymnorhynchus gigas or Molicola (Gymnorhynchus) horridus. The lesions described for Group B (24 samples) as well as for 31 muscle portions without macroscopic alterations were attributed, to the freezing effect. Histological and macroscopic findings on four samples suggested the presence of parasitic lesions.

Peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae), has been a serious pest in the last decade attacking a wide range of fruits in Egypt. The toxicity of Malathion, Diazinon, Methoxyfenozide, and Lufenuron to adult males and females of Bactrocera zonata was studied under laboratory conditions. Diazinon was the most toxic among the tested compounds followed by Malathion, Lufenuron and Methoxyfenozide to Bactrocera zonata at 24 h post treatment, the respective LC₅₀ values were 0.20 ppm, 0.48ppm, 8.97ppm, and 9.73ppm for males and 0.26 ppm, 0.91ppm, 11.26ppm, and 14.12ppm for females. At 48 h post treatment Diazinon was the most toxic followed by Malathion, Methoxyfenozide and Lufenuron to Bactrocera zonata, LC₅₀ values were 0.09ppm, 0.34ppm, 1.60ppm, and 1.88 ppm for males and 0.14 ppm, 0.44ppm, 1.68ppm and 2.17 ppm for females. At 72 h post treatment Diazinon was the most toxic followed by Malathion, Lufenuron and Methoxyfenozide to Bactrocera zonata, LC₅₀ values were 0.02 ppm, 0.13ppm, 0.22ppm and 0.51ppm for males and 0.07 ppm, 0.16ppm, 0.55 ppm and 0.62 ppm for females. It is observed that LC₅₀ values for treated adult females increased more than in the treated adult males at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h post treatment. It means that the adult males were more susceptible to the tested insecticides than the adult females.

The nematicidal activity of four molecular weights (2.27 × 10⁵, 3.60 × 10⁵, 5.97 × 10⁵, and 9.47 × 10⁵ g/mol) of a biopolymer chitosan was assayed against the root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, in vitro and in pot experiments. In laboratory assays, the nematode mortality was significantly influenced by exposure times and chitosan molecular weight. Low molecular weight chitosan (2.27 × 10⁵ g/mol) was the most effective in killing the nematode with EC₅₀ of 283.47 and 124.90 mg/l after 24 and 48 h of treatment, respectively. In a greenhouse bioassay, all the compounds mixed in soil at one- and five-fold concentrations of the LC₅₀ value significantly reduced population, egg mass, and root galling of tomato seedlings compared with the untreated control. In general, the nematicidal activity of these compounds was increased dramatically with a decrease in the molecular weight. The results suggest that the chitosan at low molecular weight may serve as a natural nematicide

The water vapour sorption kinetics and isotherms of pectin films prepared by the casting method were determined. The measurement of water vapour sorption kinetics was conducted using a saturated sodium chloride solution to obtain constant relative humidity of the environment (75.3%). The measurement was carried out at the temperature of 25°C over a 24 h period. The water vapour adsorption rate was the highest in the first hours of the process. The exponential equation fitted well the experimental data of water vapour adsorption with time. Glycerol concentration in the analysed films affected the increasing water vapour adsorption. The water vapour sorption isotherms were analysed using the saturated salt solutions with water activity from 0.113 to 0.901 for 3 months at 25°C. The sorption isotherms curves had a sigmoidal shape for all films. Glycerol content affected water vapour adsorption during 3 months. Peleg's equation was appropriate for the mathematical description of the sorption isotherms. The microstructure of pectin films showed different internal arrangement as a function of the film composition.

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is an essential element of sustainable livestock systems in temperate climates because of its adaptability to a range of management and soil fertility conditions. The performance of 15 accessions of white clover collected in northern Spain, and of two cultivars, the medium-leaved Huia and the large-leaved California, grown as spaced plants in Galicia, and in sward plots in Asturias was compared over a period of two years. The data obtained were reduced to two principal components that cumulatively explained 92.4% of the total variance. Cluster analysis identified three groups of accessions that described 71% of the phenotypic variation among accessions. One group of five accessions collected from upland sites was characterized by low dry matter yield, low height, reduced plant spread, short petioles, small leaves and thin stolons. This group can be defined as small-leaved and of interest for gardening. Another group, composed only by the cv. California and the cv. Huia, was characterized by high plant spread and height, long wide leaves and thick petioles and stolons; dry matter yields were similar to those of the first group. The last group, which includes ten accessions collected from low and medium altitude sites, had the highest dry matter yields and intermediate morphological character between the previous groups. This group can be defined as medium-leaved and of interest for grazing and/or cutting.

There are frequent reports from around the world of wild animals being poisoned with anticoagulants. Granulated baits can result in primary or secondary poisoning of non-target animals. Moreover, there are several diseases including infections that influence haemostasis in wild animals. The present study focused on fallow deer (Dama dama) for which insufficient data on physiological values of coagulation parameters are available. Six parameters of blood coagulation were established in clinically normal fallow deer from a game enclosure in North Moravia (Czech Republic). The fibrinogen content of 1.94 g/l is in agreement with the results obtained by other authors. Factor VIII and IX concentrations amounted to 198.42% and 169.91% of human concentration of these parameters in blood. These have never before been measured for fallow deer, but most animal species have concentrations of these factors higher than humans. Prothrombin time (PT), average activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and thrombin time (TT) were assessed as 20.99 s, 33.76 s, and 24.78 s, respectively. Prothrombin time assessed in the present study was longer compared to available data, while APTT is in agreement with the previous data. Thrombin time value is a new piece of information and is comparable with TT values obtained in other ruminants. The possible explanation for the prolonged PT may be the stress associated with yarding and handling the animals which is reported to cause haemorrhages or changes in haemostatic parameters in deer. Interestingly, males had significantly longer clotting times compared to females.

The effects of three tillage systems: no-tillage (NT), reduced tillage (RT) and conventional tillage (CT), and three levels of fertilization (0, 258 and 516 kg/ha NPK (58:18:24)), on the maize yield during ten years (1999-2008) were analyzed on the chernozem soil type in Zemun Polje, Serbia. Statistical analyses showed significant effects of all three factors i.e., year, soil tillage and amount of fertilizers, and their interactions on the maize yield. The ten-year averages showed that the highest yields were observed with CT (10.61 t/ha), while the averages with RT and NT were lower (8.99 t/ha and 6.85 t/ha, respectively). The results of the influence of the amount of the applied fertilizers on maize yield showed that the lowest yield was in the zero level of fertilization 7.71 t/ha, while the yield was raised when the 258 kg/ha and 516 kg/ha NPK were applied (9.18 t/ha and 9.56 t/ha, respectively). Analyzing the influence of the soil tillage systems on maize production with respect to the amounts of applied fertilizers, this research revealed the benefits of CT under the presented agroecological conditions, irrespective of the level of applied fertilizer.

Hepatic lipidosis and ketosis are frequent metabolic disorders in dairy cows during the transition period. The 2-methyl-2-phenoxy propionic acid (MFPA) is an activator of energy metabolism. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of administration of MFPA 10 days prepartum to day 36 postpartum on serum lipid profile, ovarian reactivity, and milk yield. Fifty seven multiparous Holstein cows were divided into four groups. The groups 1 (n = 14) and 2 (n = 14) had body condition score (BCS) above 4; BCS of the groups 3 (n = 15) and 4 (n = 14) was between 3.25 and 3.75 at calving. The solution containing 10 mg/kg MFPA was injected intramuscularly (IM) to cows of groups 1 and 3, 10-7 days prepartum and 6 h postpartum. The groups 2 and 4 received 50 ml of 0.9% NaCl as placebo in the same way. Blood samples for serum lipid profile were collected from all cows 10 days before calving without treatment, 2 days after the first administration of MFPA and postpartum at days 2, 10, and 21 after the second administration of MFPA. At days 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36 postpartum, blood samples were obtained for plasma progesterone determination. Milk yield was registered daily during 60 days postpartum. Prepartum free fatty acids (FFA) were mildly increased without difference among all the groups (P > 0.05). b-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) was increased only at day 10 after calving in cows of group 1 treated with MFPA (P < 0.05) due to higher number of postpartum diseases. In cows from groups 3 and 4 (BCS normal), BHB was mildly increased, not indicating subclinical ketosis. The serum concentrations of triacylgycerols, cholesterol, albumin, activities of aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase were within the limits of reference values, indicating adequate liver integrity and function. Cows of normal BCS treated with MFPA presented better milk production but without significant difference among four groups (P > 0.05). Ovarian reactivity was present at day 21 in all groups of cows without difference (P > 0.05). The administration of MFPA had no effect on serum lipid profile and ovarian activity in this study.

The capability was studied of the selected Bifidobacterium strains to utilise the resistant starch fraction (RS) from native starches of the following origin: wheat, potato, and pea, and their preparations obtained experimentally by physical and enzymatical modifications. Furthermore, the potential influence of the gelatinisation process on the degree of utilisation of RS from the investigated starch samples was studied. The following strains: B. pseudolongum KSI9, B. animalis KS20a1, and B. breve KN14, were chosen. The native starches and their preparations were characterised by their different contents of the RS fraction, which was metabolised during in vitro fermentation for Bifidobacterium growth. The highest decrease in the RS content was observed in the case of native potato and pea starches after 24-h fermentation by Bifidobacterium strains. The RS fraction of the wheat starch preparation was generally a better substrate for the selected bacteria (19-34%) in comparison with the native wheat starch (0-13%). The gelatinisation process of the native starches and their preparations had a negligible effect on the RS fraction utilised as a substrate for stimulating the growth of the Bifidobacterium strains selected.

It was hypothesized that buckwheat, especially its flowers, influences foregut fermentation in ruminant animals because it is rich in phenolic compounds. The entire fresh aerial buckwheat herb, or its parts (leaves, stems, flowers and grain), were incubated for 24 h together with pure ryegrass (1:1, dry matter basis) in an in vitro ruminal fermentation system (Hohenheim Gas Test). Additionally ryegrass, supplemented with 0, 0.5, 5, or 50 mg rutin trihydrate/g dry matter, was incubated. Contents of extractable phenols (g/kg dry matter) were the highest in buckwheat flowers (88), followed by leaves (63), and the lowest in ryegrass (8). The levels of production of total gas and volatile fatty acids demonstrated that the nutritional value of buckwheat was slightly lower than that of ryegrass. Compared to ryegrass alone, ruminal transformation of dietary protein-N into ammonia was lower with 50 mg rutin, buckwheat flowers and buckwheat leaves. Thus, these treatments appeared to have partly protected dietary protein from ruminal degradation. Rutin, at the highest level, buckwheat flowers and the total aerial fraction of the buckwheat plant suppressed methane per unit of total gas by > 10%, either at elevated (rutin) or reduced total gas volume. This indicates that the ways of the influence on the ruminal fermentation pattern differed between pure rutin and buckwheat. In vivo studies have to confirm these potentially beneficial effects of buckwheat if used as forage for ruminants and clarify the role of further phenolic compounds present in buckwheat. Abbreviations: DM = dry matter, HGT = Hohenheim Gas Test, NDF = neutral detergent fibre, TEP = total extractable phenols, VFA = volatile fatty acids