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Since 1944, the National Research Council (NRC) has published seven editions of the Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle. This reference has guided nutritionists and other professionals in academia and the dairy and feed industries in developing and implementing nutritional and feeding programs for dairy cattle. The eighth revised edition of the Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle builds on the previous editions. A great deal of new research has been published and there is a large amount of new information for many nutrients. This book represents a comprehensive review of the most recent information available on efficient, profitable, and environmentally conscious dairy cattle nutrition and ingredient composition.

The ever-changing world of cattle farming requires farmers to be up-to-date with best-practice procedures and the latest advances in husbandry techniques. Now in its 4th edition Roger Blowey's updated version of the acclaimed A Veterinary Book for Dairy Farmers deals with newly emerging problems in cattle farming as well as covering the necessary knowledge required for maintenance and prosperity. In this practical guide to animal health and husbandry, the author highlights developments in established conditions including lameness, Johnes, BVD and mastitis. Other updates include the prevention and treatment of emerging diseases such as Schmallenberg and Blue Tongue and current issues in farming such as developments in calf rearing and increasing incidence of botulism and antimicrobial resistance. Translating the latest developments in veterinary research coupled with a long career in veterinary medicine the author provides a comprehensive and practical text for dairy farmers, stockmen, veterinary academics and students alike to navigate this changing field.

Das Thema dieser Doktorarbeit ist der Einfluss von Galektinen auf Uterus und Plazenta von Kühen. Im ersten Teil der Studie wurden die Expression und Lokalisation von Galektinen in der Plazenta und im Endometrium nach der Geburt sowie nach Induktion einer lokalen Entzündungsreaktion in der Gebärmutter mit Immunhistochemie und Realtime PCR untersucht. Hintergrund dieser Untersuchung war es, Einblicke in die Rolle von Galektinen in Bezug auf postpartale Vorgänge im Reproduktionstrakt von Kühen, wie Involution des Uterus und Manifestation bakterieller Infektionen, zu erlangen. Der zweite Teil der Arbeit befasst sich mit den Effekten von Galektinen auf zellulärer Ebene. Hierbei kam ein Zellkulturmodell der bovinen Plazenta zum Einsatz mithilfe dessen zelluläre Vorgänge wie Proliferation und Motilität plazentarer Zellen untersucht werden konnten.

With the onset of lactation, dairy cows have to mobilize body reserves, mainly body fat, to cover the output of energy via milk. The homeorhetic metabolic adaptation to the needs of milk production is accomplished through the orchestrated action of hormones. In contrast to the “classical hormones” that knowingly control parturition, lactation and metabolism, the role and importance of messenger molecules originating from body fat (adipokines), of their receptors and also of nuclear receptors as key regulators of gene expression was only scarcely investigated in dairy cows. In particular, data on body fat were largely limited to subcutaneous (s.c.) fat from one location easily accessible via biopsy, whereas potentially heterogeneous reactions between different s.c. depots and also in different visceral (v.c.) fat were not yet comprehensively addressed. The aim of this dissertation was to characterize the mRNA expression of several adipokines and related factors that are involved in insulin sensitivity (IS) and in inflammation during the transition from pregnancy to lactation and during the subsequent lactation. In addition, dietary supplementation with either CLA vs. a control fat (supplementation period day 1 to day 105 or 182 of lactation) was tested for potential effects on the target mRNAs. The tissue in focus was adipose tissue (AT) with its different locations. Initially, suitable reference genes were identified as a methodological prerequisite for the studies. Using tissue samples obtained from both primiparous and pluriparous cows from animal experiments within a project cooperation, the time course of the mRNA abundance of 12 different target genes and 7 reference genes was characterized in s.c. fat and in liver from pluriparous cows and in three different s.c. and in three v.c. fat depots, in liver, skeletal muscle, and in mammary gland from primiparous cows. Two acute phase proteins, i.e. haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A3 (SAA3), were newly established as adipokines in cattle; both mRNAs yielded similar time course patterns with a peripartal peak. Treatment with CLA was mostly not affecting Hp and SAA3 mRNA expression; the decrease observed for Hp and SAA3 mRNA in 2 out of 6 fat depots tested indicates local anti-inflammatory effects of CLA. No CLA effect was observed for the Hp serum concentrations and for hepatic Hp mRNA. Indeed, we confirmed liver as the main site of Hp production. For the prioritization of nutrient uptake towards the mammary gland, IS in other peripheral organs is knowingly reduced. The mRNA expression of the target genes related with IS, i.e. adiponectin (ADIPOQ), leptin (LEP), their receptors (LEPR, LEPRB, ADIPOR1, ADIPOR2), of two nuclear receptor isoforms (PPARγ, PPARγ2) and of two pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) in s.c.AT and in liver from pluriparous cows was mostly decreased from day 21 prepartum to day 21 postpartum in s.c.AT except TNF-α; in liver increases were observed for LEPRB and ADIPOR2, and decreasing abundance for all other hepatic target mRNAs except TNF-α and ADIPOR1 which remained constant in this time. In later lactation, prepartum values were reached again and were largely maintained until wk 36. The groups treated with CLA or control fat differed detachedly in mRNA abundance of PPARγ, LEPRB and TNF-α in liver and of PPARγ2 in s.c.AT; cows of the CLA group had also higher insulin concentrations and reduced systemic IS persisting after the end of CLA supplementation. In primiparous cows, changes with the duration of lactation were observed for most of the target mRNAs (except LEP) but not in all tissues investigated; time course and direction of change were partly divergent between the different tissues. CLA treatment for 105 days decreased the mRNA abundance of ADIPOQ, ADIPOR2, PPARγ2 and TNF-α in v.c.AT and in the mammary gland. The results of these studies provide a longitudinal characterization of the expression of genes that are particularly related to AT as

With contributions by Clarke, G.; Lang, R.E.; McKinley, M.J.; Merrick, L.P.; Rascher, W.; Richter, D.; Sofroniew, M.; Unger, T.; Weindl, A.

Prenatal life is the period of maximal development in animals, and it is well recognised that factors that alter development can have profound effects on the embryonic, fetal and postnatal animal. Scientists involved in research on livestock productivity have for decades studied postnatal consequences of fetal development on productivity. Recently, however, there has been a surge in interest in how to manage prenatal development to enhance livestock health and productivity. This has occurred largely due to the studies that show human health in later life can be influenced by events during prenatal life, and establishment of the Fetal Origins and the Thrifty Phenotype Hypotheses. This book, Managing the Prenatal Environment to Enhance Livestock Productivity reviews phenotypic consequences of prenatal development, and provides details of mechanisms that underpin these effects in ruminants, pigs and poultry. The chapters have been divided into three parts: Quantification of prenatal effects on postnatal productivity, mechanistic bases of postnatal consequences of prenatal development and regulators of fetal and neonatal nutrient supply. Managing the Prenatal Environment to Enhance Livestock Productivity is a reference from which future research to improve the level of understanding and capacity to enhance productivity, health and efficiency of livestock in developing and developed countries will evolve. It is particularly timely given the development of molecular technologies that are providing new insight into regulation and consequences of growth and development of the embryo, fetus and neonate.

'Electronic noses'are instruments which mimic the sense of smell. Consisting of olfactory sensors and a suitable signal processing unit, they are able to detect and distinguish odors precisely and at low cost. This makes them very useful for a remarkable variety of applications in the food and pharmaceutical industry, in environmental control or clinical diagnostics and more. The scope covers biological and technical fundamentals and up-to-date research. Contributions by renowned international scientists as well as application-oriented news from successful'e-nose'manufacturers give a well-rounded account of the topic, and this coverage from R&D to applications makes this book a must-have read for e-nose researchers, designers and users alike.

Electronic Noses and Olfaction 2000 reflects the state of progress toward the development and application of electronic instruments called electronic noses (e-noses). These instruments are generally based on arrays of sensors for volatile chemicals with broadly tuned selectivity, coupled to appropriate pattern recognition systems. They are capable

Methods in Neurosciences, Volume 14: Paradigms for the Study of Behavior is a collection of articles that describes the methods for measuring a wide range of behavior. This volume covers the means for measuring different behaviors, such as reproductive, maternal, sexual, aggression, social interactions, feeding behavior, memory analysis, and classical conditioning. The opening papers outline the proper conditions and practical considerations in which the researcher can study the sexual and reproductive behavior of animals in the laboratory. Another paper describes how to assess aggressiveness in rodents including ethical issues involved in such study. The book then discusses the effects of intracerebral administration of neuropeptides in rats using surgical and stereotaxic methods. Another paper presents the measurement of behavioral thermoregulatory reflexes to show acuity of temperature sensation and thermoregulatory control. This volume also discusses the measurement of song-learning behavior in birds through''sensorimotor,''''action-based,''and''sensory''methods of learning. This book will be helpful for students, scientists, technicians, and laboratory workers whose work involves experiments that need to be accurately measured.

Methods in Neurosciences, Volume 5: Neuropeptide Technology: Gene Expression and Neuropeptide Receptors discusses procedures and tools of assay useful for the identification, purification, and quantification of neuropeptides and their receptors. This volume is divided into two sections—neuropeptide gene expression and neuropeptide receptors. In these sections, this book specifically discusses the assays for peptide products of somatostatin gene expression; molecular assays for rat thyrotropin-releasing hormone gene; and structure, expression, and chromosomal localization of human gene. The gastrin-releasing peptide or mammalian bombesin; semiquantitative analysis of cellular somatostatin mRNA Levels; and atrial natriuretic factor receptor assays are also elaborated. This text likewise covers the receptors for opioid peptides in brain and autoradiography of somatostatin receptors in rat cerebellum. This publication is beneficial to neuroscientists and students intending to acquire knowledge of gene expression and neuropeptide receptors.