​Genital Changes, Haemato-biochemical Profile and Therapeutic Management of Endometritis in Crossbred Dairy Cows

Background: Reproductive performance is one of the major determinants for the economic improvement of a dairy farm. Endometritis and other uterine complications cause decrease the pregnancy rate. In this study, the genital changes and haemato-biochemical profile of crossbred dairy cows affected with endometritis was studied to evolve a suitable treatment protocol in order to improve reproductive efficiency. Methods: Crossbred cow affected with endometritis were selected based on mucopurulent vaginal discharge at estrus and tested positive for white side test. Animals were divided randomly into 8 groups with 24 animals in each group. Different therapeutic regimens fortified with supportive treatment were opted. The therapeutic regimens were supportive therapy having bypass fat, vitamins and minerals, Lugol’s iodine, Lugol’s iodine with supportive therapy, intrauterine (IU) antibiotic, IU antibiotic with supportive therapy, E. coli. LPS, E. coli. LPS with supportive therapy and control group respectively. Efficacy of each treatment regimen was based on first service conception rate (FSCR). Result: Of all the therapeutic regimens, fortification of Lugol’s iodine with supportive therapy resulted in higher FSCR (83.33%) indicating better applicability as a treatment tool for endometritis in crossbred cows.

Sexual Behaviour and Seminal Attributes Associated with Fertility of Jaffarabadi Buffalo Bulls

Background: The selection of breeding bulls based on the association of sexual behaviour, seminal attributes and conception rate are more important and economical. However, information on association of sexual behaviour and seminal attributes with fertility in buffaloes particularly with reference to Jaffarabadi buffalo bulls is meager. Methods: The study was carried out to assess the association of sexual behaviour and seminal attributes with first service conception rate (FCR) of Jaffarabadi buffalo bulls. A total of 192 semen ejaculates were evaluated and cryo-preserved. First AI conception rate (FCR) was carried out on 800 Jaffarabadi female buffaloes inseminated with frozen-thawed semen and pregnancy was confirmed by per rectal palpation at 2 months post-insemination. Result: The results indicated that both sexual behaviour and seminal attributes were associated with fertility in Jaffarabadi buffalo bulls.

Short Communication: Effect of subclinical mastitis on reproductive performance of Holstein dairy cows in the Northwest of Spain

Aim of study: To investigate the effect of subclinical mastitis (SCM) before and after first artificial insemination (AI), characterized by a somatic cell count (SCC) higher than 200×103 cell/mL, on reproductive performance including first service conception rate (FSCR) and pregnancy loss (PL) in Holstein dairy cows. Area of study: The central area of Lugo, Galicia, Spain. Material and methods: This retrospective study was conducted on herd database of a population of 80 commercial Holstein dairy cow farms. A total number of 2053 lactations were included in this study. A binary logistic regression was carried out to analyse all data. Main results: The results of this study indicated that cows that registered a SCC lower than 200×103 cell/mL within 30 days after first AI were more likely to conceive pregnancy than cows with a higher SCC (31.2% and 25.1% FSCR, respectively; OR=1.285, 95% CI=1.000-1.653). Additionally, an increased SCC neither 30 days before nor 30 days after first AI had a negative effect on prevalence of PL in dairy cows. Research highlights: These findings revealed that SCM within 30 days after first AI negatively affected FSCR, whilst 30 days before first AI did not affect it. Therefore, it could be suggested that preventing subclinical mastitis after first AI, during a critical period of 30 days, is important to maximize the reproductive performance of dairy cows.

Vulnerability of Religious Minority in Indonesia due to the Implementation of the Blasphemy Law

The establishment and application of blasphemy law in Indonesia is generally under the justification of maintaining public order, preventing violent-conflict, and protecting the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion. However, when the blasphemy law should be applied to adjudicate an internal religious conflict among the sects then the debate arises on whose interpretation and how it will be referred by the State authorities as demarcation or exclusionary standard to distinguish between the deviant religion and legally valid ones. Issues on the fragility of fair and impartial trial as protection to the existence of religious minority group therefore becomes very central due to the implementation and application of blasphemy law will be always influenced by power relation among the involved parties. This paper is intended to explore Tajul Muluk case that has been exhaustively ruled by all level of Indonesian courts in order to reveal complex roles of judiciary in applying service-conception of blasphemy law into first-order reason of person’s faith. Source-based legal reason of the court which merely refers to the historical or social facts as texted in the blasphemy law with prejudice to human rights’ moral test has been paradoxically widen penumbra of legal rule to uncertainty that undermines access to justice for religious minority group especially when addressing social conflict.

Cefacetrile and Rifaximin association might improve first service conception rate and reduce the number of services per conception in cows with clinical endometritis

Clinical endometritis (CE) is a serious disease leading to poor reproductive performances in lactating dairy cows, thus diminishing farm profitability. To preserve optimum reproductive efficiency, various strategies and therapeutic approaches have been proposed to manage cows with CE, often with contradictory results. Thus, investigating new paths to CE treatment is economically important. The aim of the present study was to test the efficacy of three therapeutic protocols on the clinical cure rate of CE, and improvement of reproductive performance. Cows with CE (n=42), 21–38 days in milk (DIM), were assigned to three treatment groups: PGF: cows (n=19) were treated systemically with two doses of d-cloprostenol, a PGF2α analogue, at 14-days intervals; CEFAX: cows (n=10) received an intrauterine infusion of the combined antibiotics Cefacetrile and Rifaximin; and NAX: cows (n=13) received systemic treatment with Ceftiofur crystalline free acid (CCFA). A control group included cows (n=36) free from CE (healthy group: HE). All cows were clinically re-examined after the end of the treatment protocol. The clinical cure rate was 73.7%, 80% and 69.2% in PGF, CEFAX, and NAX groups, respectively (P>0.05). The HE group had a significantly shorter calving to first service interval compared to CEFAX and PGF groups (P<0.05), however the difference was not significant with NAX group. The mean calving to fertilizing service interval (CFI) was slightly higher in all three treatment groups compared to the HE group, however the difference was not significant (P>0.05). CEFAX protocol resulted in shorter but not statistically significant CFI, compared to the PGF and NAX protocols. Services per conception rate were slightly lower (1.7) in the CEFAX group compared to HE (1.75), PGF (1.84) and NAX (2.23) groups, however these differences were not significant. First service conception rate and conception rate at 105 DIM did not differ statistically between the treatment groups. While the difference was not significant, CEFAX protocol had slightly better cure rate for CE, reducing the number of services per conception and boosting the resumption of ovarian activity after calving. Validating these finding on a larger herd size will improve the accuracy of these findings.

Authority and Immigration

States claim to have authority over prospective immigrants who have not yet been admitted but are nonetheless expected to comply with immigration law. But what could ground such an authority claim? The service conception of authority defended by Raz appears not to apply in this case. Nor can it be argued that immigrants give their consent to the state by applying for admission. Another approach appeals to the practice of reciprocity between states in respecting each other’s immigration regimes, but many immigrants will fall outside of its scope. Instead, the article defends the view that the natural duty of justice requires immigrants to comply with the state’s immigration regime provided that it is reasonably just. This does not require that the immigrant herself should have authorised the regime through democratic participation. However, the natural duty argument has to be qualified by recognising that some migrants can legitimately appeal to necessity as grounds for breaching the duty and entering unauthorised.

autoridad de la primera persona como criterio de determinación y reconocimiento de la identidad de género.

El interés principal de este artículo versa acerca de la posibilidad de justificar la autodeterminación como criterio fundamental para la determinación y el reconocimiento social de la identidad de género de un individuo. La reciente revisión de los criterios médicos abre el debate de su reemplazo por criterios de autopercepción y vivencia en primera persona. Por tanto, tomando como base la concepción de la autoridad como servicio de Joseph Raz y el fenómeno de la autoridad de la primera persona, se argumentará a favor de que los testimonios en primera persona son candidatos justificados para sustituir a los actuales criterios. The focus of this paper is the possibility of justifying self-determination as the fundamental criterion for social determination and recognition of the individuals’ sexual identity. The recent review of medical criteria has started a debate about their replacement by criteria based on self-perception and first-person experience. Therefore, taking as a basis Joseph Raz’s service conception of authority and the first-person authority phenomenon, it will be argued that first-person statements are justifiable substitutes for the current criteria.

Lunar Cycle Influences Reproductive Performance of Crossbred Brahman Cows Under Tropical Conditions

Evidence has accumulated over the years indicating that the moon influences some aspects of the reproductive activity in animals and humans. However, little is known about the influence of the lunar cycle on the reproductive performance of cows under tropical conditions, where the environment strongly affects reproduction. This retrospective study was conducted with the aim of assessing the influence of the lunar cycle on some reproductive traits of tropical crossbred cows managed in a pasture-based system. Data from 5869 reproductive records from two commercial farms localized in the Maracaibo Lake Basin of Zulia State, Venezuela, were analyzed. Variables studied were first service conception rate, calving frequency, first postpartum estrous frequency, and pregnancy frequency. In addition to the lunar cycle, the effects of farm, season, and predominant breed were also considered. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and general linear model from SAS. First service conception was affected by lunar phases and predominant breed, but not by farm or season. For frequencies of calving, first postpartum estrus, and pregnancy, there was no main effect of farm, season, and predominant breed, whereas the effect of lunar phases was highly significant. First service conception was significantly greater in waning than in crescent phase of the lunar cycle. Frequencies of calving, first estrus, and pregnancy were highly correlated and showed greater figures around full moon and new moon. In conclusion, lunar cycle influenced first service conception, attaining greater values in the waning phase of the moon cycle. Frequencies of calving, first postpartum estrus, and pregnancy in crossbred cows showed a clear bimodal rhythm, whose greatest values coincided with new moon and full moon.