The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) maintains a growing number of feral horses on public rangelands. With population growth rates as high as 22% annually, herds are exceeding their carrying capacity and millions of dollars are spent maintaining captured horses in holding facilities awaiting adoption. To manage the feral horse...
Early embryo development is dependent on maternally derived RNA and protein synthesized during oogenesis. In the bovine embryo this dependence lasts until the 8-16 cell stage, at which time embryonic transcripts become essential for continued development. One proposed mechanism for this transition from maternal to zygotic control of development (maternal...
One assisted reproductive tool used to propagate highly desirable genetics from elite sire and dam matings is embryo transfer. Superovulation is the first part of the overall protocol and it is a required yet costly and biologically stressful procedure in cattle embryo transfer. The process of superovulation results in high...
Cystic ovarian disease (COD) is one of the main causes of infertility in dairy cattle and has a high economic impact on farmers. COD is caused by an endocrine imbalance within the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis which prevents the mature Graafian follicle from ovulating. The cause at the molecular level is not...
Two research projects comprise this thesis. The first project investigated modifying the hormone dosing strategy traditionally used in superovulating donor cows for an embryo collection to decrease drug costs without decreasing the number of high quality, transferable embryos recovered. The objective of this project was to evaluate the number and...
During the beginning of the postpartum period, 80 to 100% of lactating dairy cows have bacterial contamination within their uteri. Presence of uterine bacteria may contribute to increased number of days open and services per conception within these cows. Expulsion of uterine contamination is crucial for uterine involution and reproductive...
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Alfred R. Menino, Jr
During the beginning of the postpartum period, 80 to 100% of lactating
The relationship between dose of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) used to superovulate cattle embryo donors and embryo viability as measured by in vitro development and plasminogen activator (PA) production was determined. Late morulae to blastocysts were collected non-surgically from 12 superovulated crossbred beef cows. Embryos were cultured for 8 d...
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Alfred R. Menino, Jr.
The relationship between dose of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) used
Day 12-14 bovine embryos produce urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and
an uPA-plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) complex. The type of PAI, -1 or -2, in
the complex has not been determined therefore the objective of this research was to
identify the PAI produced by the Day 14 bovine embryo. In experiment...
The relationship between plasminogen activator (PA) production and cell stage, cell number and changes in overall diameter and zona pellucida thickness for bovine embryos developing in vitro was determined. Late morulae to blastocysts (n=80) were collected nonsurgically from naturally mated, estrous-synchronized and superovulated crossbred beef cows. Embryos were cultured, one...
