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Biomedical subjects

B H Crawford

Publications and source records attributed to B H Crawford.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

The influence of energy intake and percentage of body fat on the reproductive performance of nonpregnant mares.

Sixty mares in transition from winter anestrus to normal cyclicity were assigned to a 3 x 2 factorial experiment to determine the effect of energy intake and percentage of body fat on the interval to first ovulation. The factors were 1) percentage of body fat--thin (<11.5), good (11.5 to 15), or fat (>15); and 2) energy intake--maintenance (100% of National Research Council (NRC) digestible energy requirement for maintenance) or high energy (150% of NRC digestible energy requirement for maintenance). Percentage of body fat was estimated by ultrasonographic scanning of rump fat thickness. Energy treatments began on April 2 and ended on June 4. Mares were teased daily with a stallion and their ovaries were palpated per rectum daily or every third day. A high energy intake was effective in hastening ovulation for mares in the thin group (P < 0.05) but not for mares in the moderate or fat groups. Mares in the fat group had a shorter (P < 0.05) interval from April 2 to ovulation (26.4 +/- 4.2 d) than those in the good or high energy-thin groups (48.7 +/- 2.8 and 49.1 +/- 4.2 d, respectively). Duration of the initial estrus was shorter (P < 0.05) for mares in the fat group (16.2 +/- 5.7 d) compared with mares in the good group (34.7 +/- 3.9 d) and tended (P<0.12) to be shorter than mares in the high energy-thin group (29.0 +/- 5.7 d).

Journal Article↗

The scotopic visibility curve and cone intrusion.

The scotopic visibility curves of two observers have been measured by determining their absolute thresholds for monochromatic lights and by direct comparison matching just above the threshold, in a 10 degree field with its centre 15 degrees above the fixation point. The results were all similar to the CIE scotopic curve. However, the threshold results in the long-wave part of the spectrum could be considerably modified by subliminal red and green lights. This is consistent with Drum's observations of sub-additivity at threshold. Above threshold, supra-additivity was obtained. A scotopic curve is evidently a non-linear combination of rod and cone responses which varies with the conditions of observation.

Color↗

Fiber types and size in equine skeletal muscle.

Frozen sections of equine musculus semitendinosus were examined for myosin adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-tetrazolium reductase (NADH-TR), using standard histochemical procedures, and the proportions of the various fiber types and average fiber sectional size were determined. With ATPase staining, approximately 70% of the fibers were classified as alpha fibers (ATPase positive), and 30%, as beta fibers (ATPase negative). In addition, 2 populations of alpha fibers could be readily distinguished on the basis of the intensity of the ATPase reaction, and these were designated alpha positive and alpha intermediate. The relationship of this difference in ATPase reaction to contraction speed of the fibers is not known. With NADH-TR staining, fibers were classified as either red fibers (positive) having aerobic metabolism or white fibers (negative) having primarily anaerobic metabolism. All beta fibers were red by NADH-TR; thus, they conformed to the criteria for beta R fibers. All alpha positive fibers were white by NADH-TR, as were most of the alpha intermediate fibers, and would be classified alpha W. Some of the alpha intermediate fibers gave an intermediate reaction with NADH-TR and could be classified as alpha R fibers which have not transformed to alpha W fibers. The alpha positive fibers were 7 to 10 mum larger in diameter than either beta or alpha intermediate fibers.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗