Ashraf Abu-Seida

Nutritional myopathy has been induced in both rats and lambs by feeding diets low in selenium. The distribution of 45Ca, administered as 45CaCl2, has been examined firstly by autoradiography, and secondly by measuring the excretion of 45Ca in urine and faeces. Autoradiographs of skeletal muscle from unsupplemented animals showed radioactivity over discrete muscle fibres at a stage when no abnormalities were apparent using conventional staining techniques. Similar retention of 45Ca was found in some of the tubules in the kidneys of selenium-deficient rats. Total excretion in urine and faeces of lambs, examined for 48 h after intravenous administration of 45CaCl2, showed that in normal animals 18-6% of the dose was excreted, whereas in dystrophic lambs 12-0% was lost. The difference was significant at the 2% level. The respiratory rates of isolated skeletal muscle mitochondria, measured polarographically in the presence of glutamate and pyruvate as substrates, were low for dystrophic rats. Respiratory control indices were 1-0 for the same preparations but for supplemented rats they were all above 1-0. The differences in respiratory rates were significant at the 1% level. The major conclusion drawn from the results of these experiments is that one of the first effects of sleenium deficiency which can be visualized is the abnormal retention of calcium by individual muscle fibres.

25 buffaloes, 18 Egyptian cows and 26 Friesian cows were hand-milked twice daily at 0700 and 1500 h throughout lactation. Quarters were milked individually in sequence: right fore, right rear, left fore, left rear. Forequarters contributed 28.7, 39.8 and 38.4% of morning milk and 32.2, 44.8 and 38.2% of evening milk of buffaloes, Egyptian cows and Friesian cows, respectively. Relative milk yield from each quarter remained fairly constant throughout lactation. Milking rates of forequarters wer

The time taken to hand milk (milk flow time) and to strip each quarter of (i) 19 buffaloes, (ii) 12 Egyptian cows and (iii) 26 Friesian cows was measured in the morning and evening on 2 days/wk throughout lactation. Average milk flow time (min) and stripping time (min) for each group respectively were: (i) 5.6 and 3.1, (ii) 3.4 and 2.9, (iii) 3.4 and 3.0 in the morning; and (i) 3.5 and 1.6, (ii) 2.9 and 1.5, (iii) 2.4 and 2.5 in the evening. Correlation coeff. between milk yield and total mil...

A study was carried out on the post-lambing normal and abnormal maternal behaviour of sheep using 237 Barki ewes of 2, 3, 4 and 5 years of age and their newborn single lambs.
Normal maternal behaviour was observed in 64·5% of the ewes as they immediately recognized their lambs after birth, readily accepted them and started grooming and helping them to suckle. The overall average time-interval from parturition until ewes stood, started cleaning and until lambs started suckling was 2·9 ± 0·5, 4·0 ± 0·8 and 20·5 ± 2·0 min respectively. The 2-year-old ewes and the ewes weighing 30 kg and less took longer to accept and nurse their new-born lambs than older and heavier ones.
Post-lambing abnormal maternal behaviour was observed in 30·4% of the ewes, among which 43·1, 45·8 and 11·1% were classed as fair, poor and very poor mothers respectively. Fair mothers failed to nurse their lambs, poor mothers deserted them and very poor mothers permanently deserted their lambs and were aggressive to them. The post-lambing abnormal maternal behaviour was more frequent among 2-year-old maiden ewes than older ewes.

The levels of annoyance to radio reception caused by ac and dc coronas are calculated using the AF power spectra measured at the AF output of a radio-noise meter. The radio annoyance levels. (RAL) and the AF powers are compared with the corresponding quasi-peak readings. The lack of direct correspondence is ascribed to the fact that the QP readings are not sensitive to the randomness in the corona pulse repetition rate which strongly affects both the AF power spectrum and the RAL of corona.

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