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The aim of this study was to investigate the parlors’ throughput for dairy ewes and influencing factors in some European countries and in Greece. A great progress was done in this direction with the simultainous improvement of the animals’ milkability, the technological characteristics of milking machines and the technical knowledge provided to the farmers. Nowadays the average parlors’ throughput for the “Casse” system milking machines is 160-200 ewes/milker/h, while for the “Carrousel” type milking machines it is 200-280 ewes/milker/h. In the case of installation of the automatic cup removal system the parlors’ throughput ranges between 300-400 ewes/milker/h. In Greece, the average throughput for the “Casse” system parlors was found to range from 59 to 127 ewes/milker/h, while for the “Carrousel” type milking machines was found around 90-100 ewes/milker/h.

The aim of this paper was to study some of the teat characteristics involved in the milking ability of indigenous Greek goats such as the vacuum level of the milking machine that is required for the opening of the teat canal sphincter and the changes in the teat end wall thickness induced by milking. Thirty-six dams (12 of the first, 12 of the second and 12 of the third and subsequent lactations) were used after weaning (60 ± 5 days). Dams were milked twice a day (8:00 and 18:00 h) for 12 weeks in a milking parlour 1 × 12 side by side of Casse type with 6 milking units and a low milk line and air pipeline. The main functional characteristics of milking machine were: vacuum level 44 kPa, pulsation rate 90 pulsations/min and pulsation ratio 50:50. Every 14 days, during morning and evening milking the vacuum level that was required for the opening of the teat sphincter (VOTS) was measured. The measurement of teat end wall thickness (TEWT) was performed before and after milking. The results of this study showed that during the experimental period the mean VOTS was 23.57 ± 0.36 kPa and decreased significantly as the stage of lactation progressed (P< 0.001). The post-milking TEWT was 3.55% higher in comparison with that before milking (P < 0.01). A continuous and significant decrease in teat thickness was observed during the lactation stage (P < 0.001), which suggests a reaction to intramammary pressure and milk quantity in the udder. The TEWT was affected significantly by the parity (P < 0.01). A positive correlation was found between VOTS and TEWT before and after milking (0.4 and 0.36, respectively). It could be said that a lower vacuum level is required for the opening of the teat sphincter of the udder in goats of the indigenous Greek breed. The thicker teat end wall and more resistant sphincter could be less favourable in the machine milking of goats.

A random sample of 40 goats was used to study the partitioning, yield and composition of milk: 8 of Saanen breed (S), 8 of Damascus breed (D), 8 crossbreds Saanen × Local Greek goat (S × L), 8 backcrosses Saanen × Local Greek goat {(S × L) × S} and 8 crossbreds Saanen × Alpine (S × A). Four dams of each genotype were of the first and four of the second parity. Goats were milked twice daily (8:00, 18:00 h) in a 1 × 12 side by side milking parlour with 6 milking units. Milk yield and milk fractions (machine milk, machine stripped milk and hand stripped milk) were recorded twice daily each 14 days (from 7th-8th to 29th week of lactation). Milk composition was examined once a month separately for morning and afternoon samples. The ponderable mean was used for the calculation of milk fat, protein and lactose percentage. The results of the experiment showed that milk partitioning in purebred and crossbred goats ranged on satisfactory levels (machine milk - MM: morning 69.8-81.6%, afternoon 66.2-77.4%; machine stripping milk - MSM: morning 12.2-19.3%, afternoon 19.2-23.4%; hand stripping milk - HSM: morning 6.1-10.9%, afternoon 5.4-11.9%; total machine milk - TMM: morning 89-94.6%, afternoon 88-94.6%). The effect of breed (crossbred) was found to be significant for all milk fractions (ml and %, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). The effect of parity was significant except for MSM (%) and HSM (%). The effect of lactation stage (control day) and the animals was also found to be significant (P < 0.001). The fat percentage of S, D, S × L, S × A and (S × L) × L was 3.82, 5.1, 4.8, 3.88 and 3.95%, respectively (P < 0.001). Protein percentage ranged from 3.1 to 3.6% in the different genotypes (P< 0.001) while lactose percentage was from 4.51 to 4.66%. In conclusion it may be said that imported dairy goat breeds and different crosses with local Greek breed are characterized by good milkability. So the best technique of machine milking is the "routine" milking without applying hand stripping.

The electric quadrupole moment of 49Sc was measured by collinear laser spectroscopy at CERN-ISOLDE to be Qs=−0.159(8) eb, and a nearly tenfold improvement in precision was reached for the electromagnetic moments of 47,49Sc. The single-particle behavior and nucleon-nucleon correlations are investigated with the electromagnetic moments of Z=21 isotopes and N=28 isotones as valence neutrons and protons fill the distinctive 0f7/2 orbit, respectively, located between magic numbers, 20 and 28. The experimental data are interpreted with shell-model calculations using an effective interaction, and ab-initio valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group calculations based on chiral interactions. These results highlight the sensitivity of nuclear electromagnetic moments to different types of nucleon-nucleon correlations, and establish an important benchmark for further developments of theoretical calculations.

At radioactive ion beam (RIB) facilities, ions of short-lived radionuclides are cooled and bunched in buffer-gas-filled Paul traps to improve the ion-beam quality for subsequent experiments. To deliver even colder ions, beneficial to RIB experiments' sensitivity or accuracy, we employ Doppler and sympathetic cooling in a Paul trap cooler-buncher. The improved emittance of Mg^{+}, K^{+}, and O_{2}^{+} ion beams is demonstrated by a reduced time-of-flight spread of the extracted ion bunches with respect to room-temperature buffer-gas cooling. Cooling externally-produced hot ions with energies of at least 7 eV down to a few Kelvin is achieved in a timescale of O(100 ms) by combining a low-pressure helium background gas with laser cooling. This is sufficiently short to cool short-lived radioactive ions. As an example of this technique's use for RIB research, the mass-resolving power in a multireflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer is shown to increase by up to a factor of 4.6 with respect to buffer-gas cooling. Simulations show good agreement with the experimental results and guide further improvements and applications. These results open a path to a significant emittance improvement and, thus, unprecedented ion-beam qualities at RIB facilities, achievable with standard equipment readily available. The same method provides opportunities for future high-precision experiments with radioactive cold trapped ions.

Lipid tracers including fatty acids, hydroxyacids, n-alkanols, sterols and triterpenoids were used to determine the origin and fate of suspended particulate organic matter (POM) collected in the Rhône River (France). This seasonal survey (April 2011 to May 2013) revealed a year-round strong terrestrial higher-plant contribution to the particulate organic matter (POM), with significant algal inputs observed in March and attributed to phytoplanktonic blooms likely dominated by diatoms. Major terrigenous contributors to our samples are gymnosperms, and more precisely their roots and stems, as evidenced by the presence of high proportions of ω-hydroxydocosanoic acid (a suberin biomarker). The high amounts of coprostanol detected clearly show that the Rhône River is significantly affected by sewage waters. Specific sterol degradation products were quantified and used to assess the part of biotic and abiotic degradation of POM within the river. Higher-plant-derived organic matter appears to be mainly affected by photo-oxidation and autoxidation (free radical oxidation), while organic matter of mammal or human origin, evidenced by the presence of coprostanol, is clearly more prone to bacterial degradation. Despite the involvement of an intense autoxidation-inducing homolytic cleavage of peroxy bonds, a significant proportion of hydroperoxides is still intact in higher plant debris. These compounds could affect the degradation of terrestrial material by inducing an intense autoxidation upon its arrival at sea.

Women living with HIV-1 are at high risk of infection with human papillomavirus of high carcinogenic risk (HR HPVs). M. tuberculosis (TB) promotes HPV infection and increases the risk to develop HPV-associated cancer. Our knowledge of persisting HR HPVs genotypes, and of the factors promoting HR HPV infection in people living with HIV-1 with clinical TB manifestations is sparse. Here, we analyzed 58 women living with HIV-1 with clinical TB manifestations (WLWH with TB) followed up in specialized centers in Russia, a middle income country endemic for HIV-1 and TB, for the presence in cervical smears of DNA of twelve HR HPV genotypes. DNA encoding HPV16 E5, E6/E7 was sequenced. Sociodemographic data of patients was collected by questionnaire. All women were at C2-C3 stages of HIV-infection (by CDC). The majority were over 30 years old, had secondary education, were unemployed, had sexual partners, experienced 2-3 pregnancies and at least one abortion, and were smokers. The most prevalent was HPV16 detected in the cervical smears of 38% of study participants. Altogether 34.5% of study participants were positive for HR HPV types other than HPV16; however, but none of these types was seen in more than 7% of tested samples. Altogether, 20.7% of study participants were positive for several HR HPV types. Infections with HPVs other than HPV16 were common among WLWH with generalized TB receiving combined ART/TB-therapy, and associated with their ability to work, indirectly reflecting both their health and lifestyle. The overall prevalence of HR HPVs was associated with sexual activity of women reflected by the number of pregnancies, and of HPV 16, with young age; none was associated to CD4+-counts, route of HIV-infection, duration of life with HIV, forms of TB-infection, or duration of ART, characterizing the immune status. Thus, WLWH with TB-especially young-were predisposed to infection with HPV16, advancing it as a basis for a therapeutic HPV vaccine. Phylogenetic analysis of HPV16 E5, E6/E7 DNA revealed no common ancestry; sequences were similar to those of the European and American HPV16 strains, indicating that HPV vaccine for WLWH could be the same as HPV16 vaccines developed for the general population. Sociodemographic and health correlates of HR HPV prevalence in WLWH deserve further analysis to develop criteria/recommendations for prophylactic catch-up and therapeutic HPV vaccination of this highly susceptible and vulnerable population group.

Background: Natural variability of integrase (IN) across HIV-1 variants may influence the emergence of resistant viruses. The most apparent explanation of this fact is the IN polymorphism and the associated differences in codon usage, which in turn, influence the probability and the terms of DRMs acquisition. Possible mechanisms by which polymorphisms affect DRMs emergence remain disputed and should still be clarified because these substitutions may be associated with a reduced activity of some INSTIs and may impact on ART regimen choice depending of HIV-1 subtype., Objective: The aim of this work was to assess the prevalence of naturally occurring polymorphisms within the HIV-1 integrase gene, which might influence the susceptibility to INSTIs, among the patients from Russia and former USSR countries, according to HIV-1 subtypes., Method: A study involved 506 HIV-1 IN sequences of INSTI-naive patients from Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Georgia. Among them, 194 sequences were newly obtained in this study and 312 were downloaded from Los-Alamos database. The proviral DNA was sequenced using an in-house PCR protocol designed on the basis of a well-conserved integrase region in order to detect all HIV-1 variants., Results: The phylogenetic analyses based on IN population sequencing found subtype A6 being the most prevalent (259) (51.2%) in the collection studied, followed by subtype G (36) (7.1%), AGrecombinants (148) (29.3%), subtype B (50) (9.9%), and CRF03&#95;AB (5) (1.0%). The major INSTI resistance-associated mutations (DRMs) were found only in two A6 samples. The prevalence of minor/ accessory substitutions depended on HIV-1 variants, while the most notable findings were L74I in subtype A6 (93.1%) and E157Q in subtype B (44.0%). Most of minor DRMs and polymorphic substitutions were concentrated in the central catalytic domain of the IN molecule. Both the DDE triad and HHCC zinc binding motifs were fully conserved., Conclusion: The results of the study suggest a very low risk of initiating INSTI-based therapy in patients with pre-existing polymorphic mutations in Russia and FSU countries. The therapy response in dominating HIV-1 genetic variants might be further studied in the future for a better understanding of their effect on INSTI susceptibility. The INSTI TDR is absent for the moment, but the risk may increase with expanded use of INSTIs, indicating the need for ongoing surveillance., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

The men who have sex with men (MSM) population infected with HIV is poorly studied in Russia because of stigma and discrimination. In the first years of the HIV epidemic, the only HIV genetic variant that circulated among MSM was subtype B, usually acquired abroad. Meanwhile, the massive epidemic of HIV in Russia was caused by a highly homogenic subtype A variant, A FSU (A6), and spread mainly among drug users. In this study, 155 HIV pol sequences from MSM collected during the 2006-2016 period were analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis found that 19.4% of the viral sequences from MSM clustered with HIV genetic variants A6 and B FSU , which were previously identified only among drug users and their heterosexual partners. These data show that the MSM population in Russia is gradually becoming less isolated from the general epidemic process. Urgent measures should be taken to prevent the spread of HIV among the MSM population.

Objective: There is scarce information about the molecular epidemiology of HIV-infection in Armenia (former USSR). The objective of this work was to estimate the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in this country and get any information about HIV drug resistance in naÏve patients., Design: A joint study involving 78 patients was carried out in Yerevan, Armenia and Moscow, Russia in 2009-2013. The cohort studies included mostly IDUs (28.2%) and heterosexuals (69.2%)., Results: The phylogenetic analyses based on population sequencing of partial pol gene found subtype A1 being the most prevalent (92.3%), followed by subtype B (3.9%). The HIV-1 tropism inferred from env V3-loop sequences was determined in 27 samples, among them R5-tropic viruses were found in 13 (48.1%) patients and X4- variants--in 14 (51.9%) patients. The prevalence of drug resistance in naïve patients was low (1.5%) with the only one mutation K219Q found., Conclusion: The composition and distribution of HIV-1 genetic variants in Armenia are evidently influenced by the Russian and other FSU countries epidemic, due to the significant volume of Armenian migrant/re-emigrant flows. Continued surveillance of HIV-1 circulating subtypes and drug resistance in Armenia is important for the proper management of HIV infection in this country.

To analyze HIV-1 genetic variants in Kazakhstan, HIV-1 sequences were obtained from 205 antiretroviral-treated (ART) and naive patients in 2009-2013. Samples were collected in the most populous cities and provinces of Kazakhstan. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses of partial pol sequences, subtype A variant intravenous drug user (IDU)-A (which is dominant in the former Soviet Union) was found in 60.0% of the individuals, followed by CRF02&#95;AG (34.6%); the rest of the samples were subtype B, CRF03&#95;AB, CRF63&#95;02A1, and CRF07&#95;BC. The proportion of CRF02&#95;AG has increased significantly since 2001-2003, when it was less than 5%. The majority of the CRF02&#95;AG cases were found in Almaty, the former capital and the most populous city in Kazakhstan. The IDU-A variant dominated in the industrial regions of northern and central Kazakhstan and some other regions. Both dominant HIV-1 genetic variants were almost equally represented in the two main transmission groups: IDUs and heterosexuals. The analysis of drug-resistant mutations found a low prevalence of drug resistance in 165 therapy-naive individuals (3.0%). Thus, in the beginning of the second decade of the 2000s, the HIV epidemic in Kazakhstan is driven by two main genetic variants: IDU-A and CRF02&#95;AG.

A molecular analysis of HIV-1 subtypes and recombinants circulating in cities in the Russian Far East was performed. The study included samples from 201 outpatients from Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, and Blagoveshchensk. In most parts of Russia, patients are infected with HIV-1 subtype A, known as the IDU-A variant. Subtype B, including the IDU-B variant, is rare in Russia but widespread in the Ukraine, and the CRF02&#95;AG is prevalent in Central Asian countries and Siberia, Russia. One of the challenges of this study in the Far East was to determine whether the molecular landscape of HIV infection in this region is influenced by the bordering countries, including China and Japan, where a distinct set of HIV subtypes is circulating, such as B', C, and CRF01&#95;AE. The distribution of HIV-1 genetic variants in the cities studied was as follows: subtype A (IDU-A), 55.7%; subtype B, 25.3% (IDU-B variant-24.3%); subtype C, 10.0%; CRF02&#95;AG, 1.5%; and CRF63&#95;02A1, 7.5%. A phylogenetic analysis confirmed the relationship of subtype A viruses with the IDU-A variant predominating in Ukraine, Russia and other former Soviet Union (FSU) countries, of subtype B viruses with IDU-B in the Ukraine and of CRF02&#95;AG variants with variants in Uzbekistan, Russia, and other former USSR countries. Subtype C sequences were not uniform, and most clustered between each other and HIV-1 sequences originating from Africa; there was only one sample possibly related to Chinese variants. Thus, despite close cultural and commercial relationships among Russia, China, and Japan, the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in the Russian Far East is still primarily influenced by contacts with the countries of the former USSR.