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The reduction in insulin sensitivity during rumen development may predispose dairy calves towards lactose intolerance, which could be the reason behind neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD). Chromium (Cr) results in a range of effects when fed to ruminants, but most studies have shown improved insulin sensitivity. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Cr supplementation on insulin sensitivity, lactose intolerance, diarrhoea and antioxidant, and immune response in young Hariana calves. A total of 20 milk-fed Hariana calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments, each consisted of 10 calves: (1) a control group without supplemental Cr and (2) a 0.15 mg Cr as Cr-picolinate (CrPic)/kg BW0.75 supplemented group (Cr 0.15). A more rapid glucose disappearance with unaltered insulin kinetics during intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) and oral lactose tolerance test (OLTT) indicates greater insulin sensitivity in Cr supplemented calves. Better insulin sensitivity in Cr supplemented calves was further confirmed by higher values of the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI), revised quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (RQUICKI) and insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and lower (P < 0.05) values of homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and glucose-to-insulin ratio in Cr supplemented calves during IVGTT. Cr supplementation resulted in a lower (P < 0.05) serum cortisol concentration, whereas serum non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations during IVGTT did not differ among the groups. The rise in serum glucose concentrations within 2 h post lactose infusion during OLTT peaked at more than twice the basal glucose concentration, therefore calves were not considered as lactose intolerant. Within monthly blood samples, concentrations of serum insulin were similar among treatments, whereas the Cr supplemented group had lower (P < 0.05) serum glucose concentration and glucose-to-insulin ratio compared with the control group. No treatment differences were detected in the biomarkers of antioxidant status and immunity. Serum Cr concentrations were higher (P < 0.05) in Cr supplemented calves while concentrations of other studied minerals were remained unaltered. The incidence, duration of diarrhea, and faecal score were better (P < 0.05) in calves fed on Cr supplemented diet whereas, no treatment effect was observed on average daily gain (ADG). During the study period, no calves died, and no calves were found to have pneumonia, navel or joint disease. Feeding a Cr-supplemented diet improved insulin sensitivity and reduced the risk of diarrhoea in milk-fed young calves, but had no or minimal effects on lactose intolerance, antioxidant status, immune response, and growth performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact circular ring antenna with defected ground structure (DGS) has been design for Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) applications. Initially, a circular patch antenna is design by introducing a rectangular DGS structure. Further, slot has been inserted in circular patch to improve the impedance bandwidth. The proposed design covers the frequency range of 2.4-10.4GHz below -10dB. Proposed antenna has design and fabricated on FR-4 substrate having 1.5mm, 4.3 thickness and dielectric constant, respectively. The performance of the designed antenna is analyzing with optimized dimensions in terms of return loss, VSWR, radiation pattern, gain characteristics, group delay and surface current distributions. Further, performance analysis of the proposed antenna has also been compared with existing suggested antennas in literature with compact in size. The fabricated antenna shows a good result with simulations software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to evaluate the cryoprotective effect of low-density lipoprotein in Hariana bull semen. Four adult Hariana bull (3-4 years) after thorough andrological examination were selected for experiment. Semen was collected from each bull twice a week; total of 32 ejaculates (8 from each bull) were collected during the experiment. Collected sample from each bull was divided into 5 equal aliquots. Four aliquots were diluted separately with a Tris-based extender containing different concentration of low-density lipoproteins viz. 7% (T-1), 8% (T-2), 9% (T- 3) and 10% (T- 4) as treatment while routinely used extender containing 20% hen egg yolk was used as control (C) to achieve final concentration of 125 million spermatozoa/ml. The diluted samples were cryopreserved and evaluated after 7 days. A significantly higher value of percent live sperms, sperm positive for hypo osmotic swelling test, sperms with intact acrosome and sperms exhibiting pattern F (uncapacitated sperm) were significantly higher in T- 3 as compared to other treatment groups and control. The kinematic characters exhibited by sperm i.e forward progression %, VCL (µm/sec), VSL (µm/sec), VAP (µm/sec), Lin (%), Str (%), BCF (Hz) and ALH (µm) were significantly higher in T-3 as compared to other treatment group and control. In conclusion, extender containing 9% low density lipoproteins has better capacity to maintain the sperm character in post thaw Hariana bull semen and can be a preferred concentration to be utilized for cryopreservation with improved conception rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]