The Experts below are selected from a list of 267 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Arto Huuskonen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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PERFORMANCE AND BEHAVIOUR OF Dairy Bulls RAISED AT PASTURE AND IN AN UNINSULATED BARN
2020Co-Authors: Leena Tuomisto, Arto Huuskonen, Susanna Jansson, Paula Martiskainen, Leena Ahola, Risto Kauppinen, A. AlandAbstract:SUMMARY We compared performance, fatty acid profile of the meat, and behaviour of finishing Dairy Bulls raised at pasture and in an uninsulated barn. Grazing had no significant effect on the live weight gain, carcass conformation score or carcass fat score of the Bulls. However, grazing improved polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acid ratio of the meat. Differences in the distribution of behaviours between the housing environments resulted mostly from the different feeding regimes and different space allowances. Stereotyped tongue-rolling was almost absent in both environment and there were no differences between the environments in time spent butting. This indicates that both housing environments were satisfactory in regard to the Bulls’ welfare.
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modelling effects of carcass weight dietary concentrate and protein levels on the ch4 emission n and p excretion of Dairy Bulls
Livestock Science, 2020Co-Authors: Pekka Huhtanen, Arto HuuskonenAbstract:Abstract Cattle farming is an important agricultural contributor to methane (CH4) emissions and has also a significant environmental impact through nutrient surpluses onto arable land. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to model the effects of carcass weight (CW) and dietary concentrate and protein levels on the CH4 production and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) excretion of Dairy Bulls fed grass silage-based diets. The modelling was based on treatment mean data from a growing cattle feeding experiment in which the concentrate and protein supply was manipulated. The three concentrate proportions were 300 (LC), 500 (MC) and 700 (HC) g/kg dry matter (DM) fed without (LP) or with (HP) rapeseed meal (RSM) supplementation. In the LP and HP diets the crude protein content of the concentrate was 128 and 160 g/kg DM, respectively. Methane emissions and faecal N output were predicted by the dynamic and mechanistic Karoline model. Manure P was calculated as P intake – Retained P. Predicted differences between the diets in CH4 emissions were small; the greatest difference was approximately 4% lower CH4 intensity expressed per kg carcass weight gain (CWG) in cattle fed HC diet compared with those fed LC or MC diets. Total N intake decreased with increasing diet concentrate proportion, which resulted in reduced urinary and faecal N output and reduced excretions per kg body weight (BW) and CWG. Increased N intake with RSM supplementation resulted in a greater total manure N output per day and per kg BW and CWG. Most of the increase in manure N output with RSM supplementation was urinary N. Manure P output per day and per kg BW and CWG increased with greater concentrate or protein supplementation. Within the practical range of grass silage-based beef cattle diets fed to Dairy Bulls the effects of diet composition on methane yield or intensity were small. However, taking into account carbon footprint of feed production, increasing proportion of grain in the diet can increase total carbon footprint. Emissions per unit of CWG markedly increase with increased CW. Manure N and P output and methane emission per unit of CWG increased more rapidly in BW above 570 kg, mainly because of reduced BW gain. Manure N and P output per kg CWG were mainly related to dietary concentrations of these nutrients and CW. Decreasing dietary N and P inputs is the best nutritional strategy to reduce manure N and P outputs.
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Effects of replacing different proportions of barley grain bye rye grain on performance of growing and finishing Dairy Bulls
Agricultural and Food Science, 2018Co-Authors: Arto Huuskonen, Maiju PesonenAbstract:The objective was to study the effects of partial replacement of barley grain by rye grain on dry matter (DM) intake and growth performance of growing Bulls. The experiment was conducted using 80 Dairy Bulls which were fed total mixed rations ad libitum. The rations included grass silage (500 g kg-1 DM) and concentrate (500 g kg-1 DM). Four different experimental concentrate mixtures included rye at 0, 150, 300 and 450 g kg-1 DM. The average daily DM and metabolisable energy intakes of the Bulls were 10.9 kg d-1 and 127 MJ d-1, respectively. There were no differences in DM, energy or nutrient intakes among the treatments. The average live weight gain and carcass gain of the Bulls were 1543 and 832 g d-1, respectively, and rye inclusion had no effects on growth. There were no significant differences in feed conversion or carcass characteristics among the treatments. It can be concluded that rye grain is a suitable energy supplement with good quality silage for growing Dairy Bulls.
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effects of contrasting concentrate feeding strategies on meat quality of growing and finishing Dairy Bulls offered grass silage and barley based diets
Meat Science, 2018Co-Authors: Katariina Manni, Arto Huuskonen, Marketta Rinne, Pekka HuhtanenAbstract:Abstract The objective was to examine the effects of concentrate level (barley grain 39 and 74 g dry matter/kg0.60 live weight) and allocation regime (steady, increased, decreased) on meat quality of growing Dairy Bulls fed grass silage ad libitum. Chemical, instrumental and sensory analyses were used for measuring quality of longissimus lumborum (LL). Greater concentrate level increased fat content (P = 0.035) and tenderness of sensory analysis (P = 0.009) of LL but did not affect pH, colour, drip loss, sarcomere length, shear force, juiciness or flavour. Periodic concentrate allocation reduced drip loss (P = 0.046) and tenderness (P = 0.001) compared to steady feeding. Observed effects on meat quality were minor and one explanation for this might be low carcass and meat fat content in all treatments. The experiment demonstrated the ability of growing Bulls to adapt to different feeding regimes without major effects on meat quality, but simultaneously highlighted the challenge to affect beef quality by practically feasible diets.
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Effects of different restricted feeding strategies on performance of growing and finishing Dairy Bulls offered grass silage and barley based diets
Agricultural and Food Science, 2017Co-Authors: Katariina Manni, Marketta Rinne, Erkki Joki-tokola, Arto HuuskonenAbstract:The objective of this study was to determine the effects of restricted feeding strategies on performance of growing and finishing Dairy Bulls. The feeding experiment comprised in total 32 Finnish Ayrshire Bulls with an initial mean live weight (LW) of 122 kg and age of 114 days. Feeding treatments were silage ad libitum and daily barley allowance of 93 g kg-1 LW0.60 (A); restricted feeding (R) at 0.80 × A; increasing feeding (I) similar to R until LW of 430 kg and thereafter similar to A; and decreasing feeding (D) similar to A until LW of 430 kg and thereafter similar to R. Restricted feeding strategies decreased daily dry matter intake and LW gain and increased the time to reach the target carcass weight (300 kg). Bulls on I exhibited compensatory growth. There were no significant differences in feed efficiency between the treatments. The present experiment indicates that silage intake ad libitum and supplemented with concentrate resulted in most effective beef production.
Jacob C Thundathil - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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testis specific isoform of na k atpase atp1a4 regulates sperm function and fertility in Dairy Bulls through potential mechanisms involving reactive oxygen species calcium and actin polymerization
Journal of Andrology, 2017Co-Authors: Gayathri D Rajamanickam, Tom Kroetsch, J P Kastelic, Jacob C ThundathilAbstract:Summary Traditional bull breeding soundness evaluation (BBSE) eliminates Bulls that are grossly abnormal; however, Bulls classified as satisfactory potential breeders still vary in field fertility, implying submicroscopic differences in sperm characteristics. The testis-specific isoform of Na/K-ATPase (ATP1A4) is involved in regulation of sperm motility and capacitation in Bulls through well-established enzyme activity and signaling functions. The objective was to determine ATP1A4 content, activity and their relationship to post-thaw sperm function and field fertility, using semen samples from low-fertility (LF) and high-fertility (HF) Holstein Bulls (n = 20 each) with known FERTSOL rates (measure of field fertility, based on non-return rate). Frozen-thawed sperm from HF Bulls had increased ATP1A4 content and activity compared to LF Bulls. Furthermore, post-thaw sperm from HF Bulls had increased tyrosine phosphorylation, ROS, F-actin content, and low intracellular calcium compared to LF Bulls. Subsequent incubation of HF bull sperm with ouabain (a specific ligand of Na/K-ATPase) further augmented the post-thaw increase in tyrosine phosphorylation, ROS production, and F-actin content, whereas the increase in intracellular calcium was still low compared to LF bull sperm. ATP1A4 content and activity, ROS, F-actin and calcium were significantly correlated with fertility. In conclusion, we inferred that ATP1A4 content and activity differed among Dairy Bulls with satisfactory semen characteristics and that ATP1A4 may regulate sperm function through mechanisms involving ROS, F-actin and calcium in frozen-thawed sperm of HF and LF Dairy Bulls.
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testis specific isoform of na k atpase a novel potential fertility marker for Dairy Bulls
Animal reproduction, 2017Co-Authors: D R Câmara, Gayathri D Rajamanickam, J P Kastelic, A L Dance, Yi A Chen, A Dirk, Jacob C ThundathilAbstract:Testis-specific isoform of Na, K-ATPase (ATP1A4) regulates motility and capacitation in bovine sperm (Thundathil et al., 2006). Objectives were to evaluate: 1) differences among Bulls in the content of ATP1A4; 2) effects of sperm cryopreservation on relative content of ATP1A4; and 3) associations between the content of ATP1A4 and post-thaw sperm quality. Semen was collected from five mature Holstein Bulls (three ejaculates per bull, 7-d intervals), all with acceptable semen quality (fresh and frozen-thawed). An aliquot of each fresh ejaculate was washed in PercollTM, resuspended in TALP and evaluated (flow cytometry) to determine sperm viability (LIVE/DEAD®; Life Technologies) and the relative content (median fluorescence intensity in live cells) of ATP1A4. Sperm kinematic parameters (CASA; Sperm Vision; Minitube), acrosomal status (FITC-PSA), and sperm morphology (eosin-nigrosin staining) were evaluated. Semen was extended in Triladyl (20% egg yolk; final concentration, 50 × 106 sperm/mL), chilled (5 °C), loaded into 0.5-mL straws, and cryopreserved using the standard bovine program (Ice Cube 14 S-B; Minitube). After thawing (37 °C for 30 s), semen samples were washed in PercollTM and evaluated as described above. Data from fresh and frozen-thawed samples were analyzed using two-way ANOVA, with bull and sample as main effects, and Tukey’s HSD test for multiple comparisons. In addition, Pearson correlations (two-tail) were determined. Data are expressed as non-transformed means ± SEM and results were considered significant when P < 0.05. Sperm kinetics (CASA), morphologically normal sperm, and sperm with an intact acrosome did not differ significantly among Bulls for either fresh or frozen-thawed samples. However, viability of frozen-thawed samples differed among Bulls (range 23.2 ± 0.7 to 42.3 ± 1.7%, P < 0.0001). Similarly, relative content of ATP1A4 for fresh (713.3 ± 26.0 to 1043.0 ± 49.8, P < 0.001) and frozen-thawed sperm (604.3 ± 4.1 to 829.0 ± 4.7, P < 0.0001) differed among Bulls. Compared to fresh sperm, frozen-thawed sperm had reduced kinematic parameters (P < 0.0001 for all except ALH), and it had fewer intact acrosomes (92.3 ± 0.8 vs 84.4 ± 0.9%, P < 0.0001) and a lower relative content of ATP1A4 (867.9 ± 31.4 vs 709.4 ± 21.1, P < 0.0001). Furthermore, relative contents of ATP1A4 in fresh and frozen-thawed sperm were correlated (r = 0.702, P = 0.004), although there were no significant correlations between ATP1A4 content and any other sperm parameter. The reduction in the relative content of ATP1A4 on thawed sperm could be a consequence of capacitation-like changes after sperm cryopreservation (Medeiros et al., 2002), including cholesterol efflux of sperm membrane (Rajoriya et al., 2013), inducing an alteration in the ATP1A4 orientation (Hickey and Buhr, 2011) as cholesterol is the lipid-binding site of β subunit ectodomain of ATP1A4 (Morth et al., 2011). In conclusion, content of ATP1A4 differed significantly among Dairy Bulls and cryopreservation procedures reduced the relative content of ATP1A4. Considering its role in sperm function, since ATP1A4 null mice are sterile (Jimenez et al., 2011); the significant variation among Dairy Bulls, and lack of association with classical sperm parameters, we inferred that ATP1A4 has potential as a novel marker for sperm quality and/or fertility.
Lucia Kaal M Lansbergen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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long term trends in sperm counts of Dairy Bulls
Journal of Andrology, 1997Co-Authors: Meint J De Vries, Nanke Den H Daas, Lucia Kaal M LansbergenAbstract:: A possible decline in sperm counts in men and its potential relation to exposure to environmental contaminants are subjects of a broad discussion. Whereas data for human research in this area are limited, records over prolonged periods on sperm counts in Dairy Bulls are amply available and provide useful information. Therefore, 75,238 ejaculates collected between 1977 and 1996 from 2,314 Bulls at Noordwest, a center for artificial insemination (AI) in the Netherlands, were used to evaluate long-term trends in sperm output. Data were adjusted for known effects, of which age was the most important, followed by interval between semen collections, breed and season of collection. Mean sperm output per year of collection from 1978 through 1996 varied between 6.2 x 10(9) and 9.5 x 10(9) without any long-term decline. Mean sperm output per year of birth from 1970 through 1995 showed less variation, between 6.7 x 10(9) and 9.0 x 10(9), also without any long-term decline. Earlier published data of 22,120 ejaculates of 3,030 Bulls of the same region, tested between 1962 and 1977, showed a corresponding sperm output, confirming the absence of any decline. The unaffected sperm output in Bulls in the Netherlands during the last decades in spite of exposure to pesticides and other polychlorinated organic compounds, the type of environmental contaminants under discussion, is a positive signal, although a complete extrapolation to the human situation remains difficult.
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Long‐Term Trends in Sperm Counts of Dairy Bulls
Journal of Andrology, 1997Co-Authors: Meint J De Vries, Nanke Den H Daas, Lucia Kaal M LansbergenAbstract:: A possible decline in sperm counts in men and its potential relation to exposure to environmental contaminants are subjects of a broad discussion. Whereas data for human research in this area are limited, records over prolonged periods on sperm counts in Dairy Bulls are amply available and provide useful information. Therefore, 75,238 ejaculates collected between 1977 and 1996 from 2,314 Bulls at Noordwest, a center for artificial insemination (AI) in the Netherlands, were used to evaluate long-term trends in sperm output. Data were adjusted for known effects, of which age was the most important, followed by interval between semen collections, breed and season of collection. Mean sperm output per year of collection from 1978 through 1996 varied between 6.2 x 10(9) and 9.5 x 10(9) without any long-term decline. Mean sperm output per year of birth from 1970 through 1995 showed less variation, between 6.7 x 10(9) and 9.0 x 10(9), also without any long-term decline. Earlier published data of 22,120 ejaculates of 3,030 Bulls of the same region, tested between 1962 and 1977, showed a corresponding sperm output, confirming the absence of any decline. The unaffected sperm output in Bulls in the Netherlands during the last decades in spite of exposure to pesticides and other polychlorinated organic compounds, the type of environmental contaminants under discussion, is a positive signal, although a complete extrapolation to the human situation remains difficult.
Gayathri D Rajamanickam - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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testis specific isoform of na k atpase atp1a4 regulates sperm function and fertility in Dairy Bulls through potential mechanisms involving reactive oxygen species calcium and actin polymerization
Journal of Andrology, 2017Co-Authors: Gayathri D Rajamanickam, Tom Kroetsch, J P Kastelic, Jacob C ThundathilAbstract:Summary Traditional bull breeding soundness evaluation (BBSE) eliminates Bulls that are grossly abnormal; however, Bulls classified as satisfactory potential breeders still vary in field fertility, implying submicroscopic differences in sperm characteristics. The testis-specific isoform of Na/K-ATPase (ATP1A4) is involved in regulation of sperm motility and capacitation in Bulls through well-established enzyme activity and signaling functions. The objective was to determine ATP1A4 content, activity and their relationship to post-thaw sperm function and field fertility, using semen samples from low-fertility (LF) and high-fertility (HF) Holstein Bulls (n = 20 each) with known FERTSOL rates (measure of field fertility, based on non-return rate). Frozen-thawed sperm from HF Bulls had increased ATP1A4 content and activity compared to LF Bulls. Furthermore, post-thaw sperm from HF Bulls had increased tyrosine phosphorylation, ROS, F-actin content, and low intracellular calcium compared to LF Bulls. Subsequent incubation of HF bull sperm with ouabain (a specific ligand of Na/K-ATPase) further augmented the post-thaw increase in tyrosine phosphorylation, ROS production, and F-actin content, whereas the increase in intracellular calcium was still low compared to LF bull sperm. ATP1A4 content and activity, ROS, F-actin and calcium were significantly correlated with fertility. In conclusion, we inferred that ATP1A4 content and activity differed among Dairy Bulls with satisfactory semen characteristics and that ATP1A4 may regulate sperm function through mechanisms involving ROS, F-actin and calcium in frozen-thawed sperm of HF and LF Dairy Bulls.
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testis specific isoform of na k atpase a novel potential fertility marker for Dairy Bulls
Animal reproduction, 2017Co-Authors: D R Câmara, Gayathri D Rajamanickam, J P Kastelic, A L Dance, Yi A Chen, A Dirk, Jacob C ThundathilAbstract:Testis-specific isoform of Na, K-ATPase (ATP1A4) regulates motility and capacitation in bovine sperm (Thundathil et al., 2006). Objectives were to evaluate: 1) differences among Bulls in the content of ATP1A4; 2) effects of sperm cryopreservation on relative content of ATP1A4; and 3) associations between the content of ATP1A4 and post-thaw sperm quality. Semen was collected from five mature Holstein Bulls (three ejaculates per bull, 7-d intervals), all with acceptable semen quality (fresh and frozen-thawed). An aliquot of each fresh ejaculate was washed in PercollTM, resuspended in TALP and evaluated (flow cytometry) to determine sperm viability (LIVE/DEAD®; Life Technologies) and the relative content (median fluorescence intensity in live cells) of ATP1A4. Sperm kinematic parameters (CASA; Sperm Vision; Minitube), acrosomal status (FITC-PSA), and sperm morphology (eosin-nigrosin staining) were evaluated. Semen was extended in Triladyl (20% egg yolk; final concentration, 50 × 106 sperm/mL), chilled (5 °C), loaded into 0.5-mL straws, and cryopreserved using the standard bovine program (Ice Cube 14 S-B; Minitube). After thawing (37 °C for 30 s), semen samples were washed in PercollTM and evaluated as described above. Data from fresh and frozen-thawed samples were analyzed using two-way ANOVA, with bull and sample as main effects, and Tukey’s HSD test for multiple comparisons. In addition, Pearson correlations (two-tail) were determined. Data are expressed as non-transformed means ± SEM and results were considered significant when P < 0.05. Sperm kinetics (CASA), morphologically normal sperm, and sperm with an intact acrosome did not differ significantly among Bulls for either fresh or frozen-thawed samples. However, viability of frozen-thawed samples differed among Bulls (range 23.2 ± 0.7 to 42.3 ± 1.7%, P < 0.0001). Similarly, relative content of ATP1A4 for fresh (713.3 ± 26.0 to 1043.0 ± 49.8, P < 0.001) and frozen-thawed sperm (604.3 ± 4.1 to 829.0 ± 4.7, P < 0.0001) differed among Bulls. Compared to fresh sperm, frozen-thawed sperm had reduced kinematic parameters (P < 0.0001 for all except ALH), and it had fewer intact acrosomes (92.3 ± 0.8 vs 84.4 ± 0.9%, P < 0.0001) and a lower relative content of ATP1A4 (867.9 ± 31.4 vs 709.4 ± 21.1, P < 0.0001). Furthermore, relative contents of ATP1A4 in fresh and frozen-thawed sperm were correlated (r = 0.702, P = 0.004), although there were no significant correlations between ATP1A4 content and any other sperm parameter. The reduction in the relative content of ATP1A4 on thawed sperm could be a consequence of capacitation-like changes after sperm cryopreservation (Medeiros et al., 2002), including cholesterol efflux of sperm membrane (Rajoriya et al., 2013), inducing an alteration in the ATP1A4 orientation (Hickey and Buhr, 2011) as cholesterol is the lipid-binding site of β subunit ectodomain of ATP1A4 (Morth et al., 2011). In conclusion, content of ATP1A4 differed significantly among Dairy Bulls and cryopreservation procedures reduced the relative content of ATP1A4. Considering its role in sperm function, since ATP1A4 null mice are sterile (Jimenez et al., 2011); the significant variation among Dairy Bulls, and lack of association with classical sperm parameters, we inferred that ATP1A4 has potential as a novel marker for sperm quality and/or fertility.
Meint J De Vries - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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long term trends in sperm counts of Dairy Bulls
Journal of Andrology, 1997Co-Authors: Meint J De Vries, Nanke Den H Daas, Lucia Kaal M LansbergenAbstract:: A possible decline in sperm counts in men and its potential relation to exposure to environmental contaminants are subjects of a broad discussion. Whereas data for human research in this area are limited, records over prolonged periods on sperm counts in Dairy Bulls are amply available and provide useful information. Therefore, 75,238 ejaculates collected between 1977 and 1996 from 2,314 Bulls at Noordwest, a center for artificial insemination (AI) in the Netherlands, were used to evaluate long-term trends in sperm output. Data were adjusted for known effects, of which age was the most important, followed by interval between semen collections, breed and season of collection. Mean sperm output per year of collection from 1978 through 1996 varied between 6.2 x 10(9) and 9.5 x 10(9) without any long-term decline. Mean sperm output per year of birth from 1970 through 1995 showed less variation, between 6.7 x 10(9) and 9.0 x 10(9), also without any long-term decline. Earlier published data of 22,120 ejaculates of 3,030 Bulls of the same region, tested between 1962 and 1977, showed a corresponding sperm output, confirming the absence of any decline. The unaffected sperm output in Bulls in the Netherlands during the last decades in spite of exposure to pesticides and other polychlorinated organic compounds, the type of environmental contaminants under discussion, is a positive signal, although a complete extrapolation to the human situation remains difficult.
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Long‐Term Trends in Sperm Counts of Dairy Bulls
Journal of Andrology, 1997Co-Authors: Meint J De Vries, Nanke Den H Daas, Lucia Kaal M LansbergenAbstract:: A possible decline in sperm counts in men and its potential relation to exposure to environmental contaminants are subjects of a broad discussion. Whereas data for human research in this area are limited, records over prolonged periods on sperm counts in Dairy Bulls are amply available and provide useful information. Therefore, 75,238 ejaculates collected between 1977 and 1996 from 2,314 Bulls at Noordwest, a center for artificial insemination (AI) in the Netherlands, were used to evaluate long-term trends in sperm output. Data were adjusted for known effects, of which age was the most important, followed by interval between semen collections, breed and season of collection. Mean sperm output per year of collection from 1978 through 1996 varied between 6.2 x 10(9) and 9.5 x 10(9) without any long-term decline. Mean sperm output per year of birth from 1970 through 1995 showed less variation, between 6.7 x 10(9) and 9.0 x 10(9), also without any long-term decline. Earlier published data of 22,120 ejaculates of 3,030 Bulls of the same region, tested between 1962 and 1977, showed a corresponding sperm output, confirming the absence of any decline. The unaffected sperm output in Bulls in the Netherlands during the last decades in spite of exposure to pesticides and other polychlorinated organic compounds, the type of environmental contaminants under discussion, is a positive signal, although a complete extrapolation to the human situation remains difficult.
