Is there sufficient genetic variation to breed Elsenburg Merino sheep with shorter tails?

Context. Breech strike compromises wool production and welfare of Merinos. Long tails contribute to the formation of dags, increasing the risk of sheep attracting gravid blowfly females. Tail-docking is popular globally, as it reduces the incidence of dags. Breeding for a reduced tail length is a more socially accepted measure to replace tail-docking as a management strategy, since stronger legislation for animal welfare is expected. Aim. The study used historic data on tail length (TL), birth weight (BW) and bodyweight at docking (DW) to estimate genetic and environmental parameters for these traits in a well known South African resource flock. Methods. Merino lambs born from 2016 to 2021 (except for 2020 due to Covid-19) of the Elsenburg Merino flock were recorded for TL, BW and DW. The flock was separated by divergent selection for and against a number of lambs weaned per ewe mated in a High (H) and a Low (L) line. Fixed effects included birth year, sex, selection line, dam age and birth type. ASReml was used to analyse the fixed effects so as to obtain an operational model, before adding the random direct genetic (h(2)), maternal genetic (m(2)) and maternal permanent environmental (c(2)) effects. Results. H-line lambs were heavier at birth and tail-docking, with longer tails than those of L-line contemporaries (all P < 0.01). The line difference in TL seemed to be size-dependent, as it was eliminated by adding DW as a covariate to the analysis. The same trend was observed for sex, dam age and birth type. TL was thus affected (P < 0.01) only by birth year in the latter analysis. Regressions of TL on age at tail-docking and DW were highly significant (P < 0.01). Single-trait estimates of h(2) were 0.26 for BW, 0.06 for DW, and 0.30 for TL. TL remained heritable at 0.38 in the analysis including DW as a covariate. Including m(2) improved the random- effects model for TL (0.08) and DW (0.20). TL and DW were genetically correlated (rG = 0.47 and rM = 0.70). Conclusions. TL was moderately heritable, with small m(2) and non-significant c(2) effects. It will be possible to directly select for TL. However, selection for shorter tails will reduce size if breeding values are not adjusted for DW as a covariate. Implications. Further studies on the genetic basis of TL as well as its genetic correlations with other traits of economic importance are warranted.

A COVID-19-Related Retinopathy Case Report.

The recent outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 has been declared a worldwide pandemic by the WHO. Within various multi-organ involvements, several ocular manifestations have been described. We report the case of a patient diagnosed with COVID-19 who presented with a progressive increase of bilateral cotton wool spots over a 1-week period, despite quick and complete recovery of systemic signs of the disease and no ocular symptoms. We followed the evolution of such lesions over a 3-month period. Here, we underline the importance of retinal screening even if no ocular symptom is reported. Furthermore, we demonstrate the essential role of fundus examination as a reflection of systemic vascular changes.

Setting a New Stage: Small Scale as a Way Forward

A quiet revolution is taking place and may increase in force based on the Covid-19 pandemic, as we need to address some wicked problems: the pandemic's economic consequences alongside the climate and environmental crisis. Based on concrete examples from around the world with a renewed focus on fibres' environmental footprint and local variation as opposed to industrial farming and mass production, this chapter will highlight some new paths. The examples will be from a varied pool and will mainly be actors working with wool. On the list, we find Fibershed, research projects and private initiatives that represent a counter-movement of people leaving behind well-paid jobs in urban areas to pursue small-scale and community-building enterprises based on local fibre resources, as well as building rural–urban hubs that galvanise the best of both worlds. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022, corrected publication 2022.

Late PAMM-Like Lesions in a Patient with HIV Retinopathy

This report describes a case of a newly diagnosed 49-year-old HIV patient, who presented with decreased visual acuity and retinal lesions characterized by ischemia at the level of the deep retinal capillary plexus, documented with optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT angiography, fluorescein angiography, and visual fields testing. These lesions closely resembled the morphologic and clinical characteristics of late paracentral acute middle maculopathy. The presence of these lesions suggests that HIV microangiopathy can potentially affect both superficial and deep retinal capillary plexuses.

Retinal Manifestations in Patients with COVID-19: A Prospective Cohort Study.

The recent outbreak of the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has been declared a worldwide pandemic. Within various multi-organ involvement, several ocular manifestations have been described, such as conjunctivitis and retinopathy. The prevalence and severity of retinal lesions and their relation to the severity of the systemic disease are unknown. We performed a prospective, observational study on 172 consecutively hospitalized patients with acute confirmed COVID-19 infection. All patients underwent screening widefield fundus photography at the time of hospital admission. Despite no ocular or vision-related symptoms, we found cotton wool spots (CWS) and/or hemorrhages in 19/172 patients (11%). Diabetes history, overweight, and elevated C-reactive protein were more frequently observed among patients with retinal abnormalities, while a history of systemic hypertension was more frequently observed among patients without retinal findings. At a 3-month follow-up visit, CWS had subsided in all patients.

Survey of the European yarn fairs for autumn/winter 2023/24

The European yarn fairs for the autumn/winter 2023/24 season were held in a hesitant spirit, reflecting economic uncertainties affecting the whole of the textile and clothing industry. The industry has faced persistent disruptions to supply chains caused by lockdowns, which have continued to be imposed in major textile and clothing producing countries in an attempt to stem the spread of COVID-19. Furthermore, the war in Ukraine has introduced additional challenges—including difficulties in procuring raw materials and sharp increases in fuel and energy costs. At the same time, calls for the European textile and clothing industry to take action to reduce the damaging impact of its operations on the environment have intensified. It was evident at the fairs that many exhibitors had acknowledged these calls in the development of their product ranges for the autumn/winter 2023/24 season. Many had turned to using recycled waste materials in a bid to improve their sustainability credentials while some had implemented strategies aimed at reducing energy and water consumption and others had replaced materials derived from petroleum with natural materials. Several exhibitors had developed yarns made using materials derived from post-consumer waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles. However, claims made about the environmental sustainability of such materials faced some challenges, given that synthetic fibres are known to be a cause of microplastics pollution. Yarns made from natural fibres, especially merino wool, were prevalent at the yarn fairs. However, there was a consensus among exhibitors that the industry is facing pressures to guarantee the welfare of the animals used in its supply chains. There was also a consensus that consumers are expecting manufacturers to be more responsible and transparent about the animal fibres they use. One of the ways in which manufacturers aim to meet these expectations in their product ranges for the autumn/winter 2023/24 season is to achieve compliance with international certification schemes, such as the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS). © Textiles Intelligence Limited 2022.

A Short and Highly Efficient Method for Producing Meltblown Nano Yarn with a Helical Structure and High Conductivity

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to the overproduction of meltblown fabrics commonly used in personal protective equipment such as face mask. Moreover, the yield ofconventional fabrication methods for meltblown fabrics have poor mechanical properties and lack accessional value and functional applicability. In this study, a short and highly efficient process was employed to produce polypropylene/polypyrrole (PPy) meltblown nanoyarn (PPMNY). The mechanical properties were improved by utilizing a helical structure, and the conductivity was enabled using a combination of PPy nanoparticles. The breaking force of the proposed PPMNY was as high as 10.1cN/tex at 9T/10 cm, nearly 3.3 times more than PPMNY without the helical structure. The breaking force of the proposed PPMNY was unaffected by the washing process, and the frictional properties and snarling information were similarly maintained by the helical structure. Additionally, the optimal conductivity of the proposed PPMNY reached 0.044S·m-1. Therefore, the novel methods investigated in this study can improve the properties of meltblown fabrics to yield a highly efficient and low-cost technique to produce conductive PPMNY. This concept can be extended for solving the problems of the single two-dimensional structure with poor mechanical properties and application on Smart Wearable with preferable conductivity. © Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Symposium Proceedings 2022 - 15th Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Symposium, TBIS 2022.

Special Issue on Functional Properties in Preharvest and Postharvest Fruit and Vegetables

A total of fourteen papers (ten research papers and four review papers) in various fields of horticulture are presented in this Special Issue, including such topics as the identification and accumulation of the bioactive compounds in various plant species;the effects of abiotic stresses on bioactive compound composition and content;and exploration of the best methods for bioactive compound extraction. [1], the authors investigated the nutritional profile and the antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antibacterial activities of five species of Brassica (cauliflower, broccoli, red cabbage, white cabbage, and Chinese cabbage);they found that these Brassica vegetables are excellent sources of polyphenols that showed moderate antiproliferative and antibacterial potential. [2], the effect of the bulk density and water-holding capacity of lignite substrate in comparison to mineral wool and the EC of nutrient solution on the plant morphological parameters, yield, and fruit quality of greenhouse cucumber were investigated, and the results suggest that both the substrate density and water-holding capacity positively affected the morphological features of the plants. In the fourth paper, reported by Karim and Yusof [4], it was found that the impregnation of spinach leaves with salicylic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, and sucrose effectively improved the quality and storage ability by reducing chilling injury through improvement of the proline content.

Survey of the European yarn fairs for spring/summer 2023

The atmosphere at the European yarn fairs for spring/summer 2023 was positive, reflecting the fact that trade had begun to improve again after the apparel and textile industries had been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021. Having said that, there remain economic uncertainties which continue to make it difficult to plan for upcoming seasons. These uncertainties are reflected in the colour trends for the spring/summer 2023 season. In particular, colours are restrained and mellow compared with previous seasons. That said, there is an abundance of novel knitwear yarns in the collections for the season, reflecting a playful spirit which was embraced at all of the European yarn fairs. There is also a strong focus in the collections on antiviral and antibacterial yarns, driven by an increase in consumer demand for these materials during the COVID-19 pandemic. Exhibitors at the fairs agreed that awareness of antiviral and antibacterial yarns had been brought to the forefront as a result of the pandemic and this had driven manufacturers to pursue innovation. Environmental sustainability continued to be a widely discussed and promoted topic at the fairs, and it was clear that manufacturers are pursuing opportunities for adding value through biodegradability. In particular, it is especially important for manufacturers to demonstrate the biodegradability of their yarns in marine environments. This trend is being driven by greater consumer awareness of the damage which is being caused to the environment by microfibres and the persistence of apparel and textile waste in the oceans. Yarns made from natural fibres, notably linen, merino wool and hemp, are prevalent in the collections for the spring/summer 2023 season and there is a particular focus on promoting the inherent properties of these fibres—including breathability, moisture management and thermoregulation. Also, traceability is high on the agenda for many manufacturers, and innovations in trace technology were plentiful at the fairs. © Textiles Intelligence Limited 2022.

A COVID-19-Related Retinopathy Case Report

The recent outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 has been declared a worldwide pandemic by the WHO. Within various multi-organ involvements, several ocular manifestations have been described. We report the case of a patient diagnosed with COVID-19 who presented with a progressive increase of bilateral cotton wool spots over a 1-week period, despite quick and complete recovery of systemic signs of the disease and no ocular symptoms. We followed the evolution of such lesions over a 3-month period. Here, we underline the importance of retinal screening even if no ocular symptom is reported. Furthermore, we demonstrate the essential role of fundus examination as a reflection of systemic vascular changes.

A simulation study of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the energy demand of a building located in a semi-arid climate in Morocco

The COVID-19 epidemic increases the uncertainty of energy demand. This paper aims to study the impact of containment measures due to the COVID-19 epidemic on the energy demand of a group of buildings in a neighborhood and evaluate the different techniques studied on thermal performance and energy savings. Indeed, this study shows the importance of using natural and recycled waste-based materials and nighttime radiative cooling during the summer period. For this purpose, a full-scale cell located in Casablanca was considered a case study to build a simulation model performed on TRNSYS, validated using the experimental results. This model is then used to impact the techniques studied on energy performance and hours of discomfort inside another cell in Marrakech. As a result, this study has shown that the passive techniques integrated into the cell, using the material based on sisal/wool nonwoven, and night-time radiative cooling during summer, reduce energy requirements compared to the reference configuration. © 2022 IEEE.

New modes of organization and governance in the sheep sector in Algeria facing the COVID 19 crisis: case of the Tiaret region

Sheep farming has always been the profession and source of income for pastoralists. It appears in this analysis that the Covid 19 crisis has had a major impact on the sheep market when we take into account the closure of livestock markets. Also, actions in terms of state policy and the organization of producers are more than necessary in order to ensure the upgrading of the sector in crisis situations. Our field work, and through telephone interviews, showed that the operators of the sheep sector in the Tiaret region are developing new forms of organization to protect themselves against the risk of their herd slipping in the face of the crisis. of Covid 19. These new forms are based on the constitution of social networks and the realization of informal contracts. The main goal is revenue maximization and risk management. The mobilization of agency theory and transaction cost theory has shown that contractual relationships are decisive in the sheep sales strategy in the Tiaret region.

World markets for textile machinery: yarn and fabric manufacture

2020 was a poor year for the international textile machinery market, reflecting the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world economy and on textile and clothing supply chains in particular. There were declines in shipments of spinning machinery, draw texturing machinery, shuttleless weaving machinery and knitting machinery. Furthermore, these declines followed falls in the previous year. In 2021, however, the market is estimated to have recovered sharply to levels similar to those recorded in 2019. In spinning, shipments of short staple spindles declined by 48% in 2020 to their lowest level since 2002 while shipments of long staple spindles fell by 46% to their lowest level on record. Shipments of open-end rotors, meanwhile, fell by 27% to their lowest level since 2015. In draw texturing, shipments of double heater falsetwist spindles fell by 30% to their lowest level since 2016 and their third lowest level since 2009. Shipments of single heater false-twist spindles fell by 37% although they were still at their fourth highest level on record. In the weaving sector, shipments of shuttleless looms fell by 16% although they were still at their fourth highest level on record. In the circular knitting sector, shipments of single jersey machinery shot up by 48% to their highest level since 2013 but shipments of double jersey machinery fell by 4%. Nevertheless, they were still at their fifth highest level on record. In the flat knitting sector, shipments of electronic flatbed knitting machinery plunged by 53% to their lowest level since 2013 and their second lowest level since 2009. A geographical breakdown shows that the trends in shipments of yarn machinery and fabric machinery to the textile industry in China were largely in line with world shipments, reflecting the fact that the Chinese textile industry takes a large share of global shipments. Outside China, there were declines in shipments of eight of the nine major types of yarn machinery and fabric machinery to the textile industries in India and South Korea and declines in shipments of seven of the nine major types of machinery to the textile industries in Italy, the USA, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. However, there were increases in shipments of all nine of the major types of machinery to the textile industry in Turkey, there were increases in shipments of eight of the nine major types of machinery to the textile industries in Argentina and Iran, and there were increases in shipments of six of the nine major types of machinery to the textile industry in Sri Lanka. © Textiles Intelligence Limited 2022.

Profile of Südwolle Group: a global leader in pure wool yarns and wool blend yarns

Südwolle Group, headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany, is the world’s largest spinner of pure wool yarns and wool blend yarns. The company caters to several markets, including apparel, automotive, home textiles, hosiery and sportswear. The company was founded as a supplier and distributor of wool yarns to local spinning mills in Upper Franconia, Germany. Subsequently, it diversified into yarn production and opened its first spinning mill, which was located in Weiden, Germany. Thereafter, it expanded outside Europe with the opening of a spinning mill in Zhangjiagang, China. Since then, the company has made strides into foreign markets, it has made several acquisitions, and it has launched four flagship brands, namely Biella Yarn, Richter by Südwolle, Südwolle, and Yarn in Motion. The company also operates three niche brands, namely HF by Südwolle, GTI Filati, and Stöhr by Südwolle. Revenues generated by the company fell in its 2020 financial year, reflecting the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the company’s production volume, after falling in 2019 for the first time in several years. Despite this downward trend, the company remains upbeat about its prospects for the future and in June 2021 it reported that trade had begun to improve again. The company plans to take advantage of the restart of physical trade shows and industry events which have been cancelled in recent years, and it will explore opportunities for the development of antiviral and antibacterial performance yarns in response to soaring demand for these materials since the outbreak of COVID-19. © Textiles Intelligence Limited 2022.

COVID-19-Related Retinal Micro-vasculopathy - A Review of Current Evidence.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the occurrence of retinal microvasculopathy in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and who developed coronavirus disease (COVID-19). DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: The Pubmed and Embase databases were comprehensively searched to identify studies that reported retina vascular changes in eyes with COVID-19. Two independent reviewers selected papers and extracted data for analysis. Data of interest were extracted and analyzed in RevMan Web versions 3.3. Quality of evidence was assessed using the National Institute of Health quality assessment tool for a case-control study. RESULTS: Thirty-one studies reporting on 1373 subjects (972 COVID-19 and 401 controls) were included. Only case-control studies were included in the pooled analysis. There was a significantly higher likelihood of retinal microvasculopathy in subjects with COVID-19 compared to controls (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 8.86 [2.54-27.53], P < .01). Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) revealed reduced vessel density and enlarged foveal avascular zone in subjects with COVID-19 compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that COVID-19-related retinal microvasculopathy is a significant ocular manifestation of COVID-19 and may herald future retinal complications. These microvascular impairments might have occurred antecedent to clinically visible changes and could be detected earlier by OCTA. These findings are significant, due to the large numbers with COVID-19, and need to be recognized by ophthalmologists as a potential long-term sequalae of the disease.

Serial swept source optical coherence tomography of a cotton wool spot following SARS CoV2 infection.

A 33-year-old male presented with history of blurring of vision in the left eye for two months. He was seen by the local ophthalmologist and diagnosed as nongranulomatous anterior uveitis in the left eye with normal fundus. He had history of fever 20 days back and was diagnosed positive for COVID-19 by RT-PCR. He presented with acute anterior uveitis in the left eye. Fundus examination revealed a cotton wool spot close to the fovea, which was confirmed by swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) of the macula. The patient after two months' follow-up showed resolution of the cotton wool spot, which was confirmed by SS-OCT. Our case indicates that cotton wool spot can be an ocular manifestation of COVID-19 infection, and swept-source optical coherence tomography can precisely document the resolution of the lesion.

Retinal Involvement in COVID-19: Results From a Prospective Retina Screening Program in the Acute and Convalescent Phase.

Objective: To detect retinal involvement in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in acute and convalescent phase by their fundus screening. Methods: In a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study (July-November 2020), 235 patients (142 acute and 93 convalescent phase) underwent fundus screening in a tertiary care center in North India. For convalescent phase, "hospitalized" patients (73) were screened at least 2 weeks after hospital discharge, and "home-isolated" patients (20) were screened 17 days after symptom onset/COVID-19 testing. Results: None in acute phase showed any retinal lesion that could be attributed exclusively to COVID-19. Five patients (5.38%) in convalescent phase had cotton wool spots (CWSs) with/without retinal hemorrhage, with no other retinal finding, and no visual symptoms, seen at a median of 30 days from COVID-19 diagnosis. Conclusions: CWSs (and retinal hemorrhages) were an incidental finding in COVID-19, detected only in the convalescent phase. These patients were much older (median age = 69 years) than the average age of our sample and had systemic comorbidities (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, etc.). We propose the term "COVID-19 retinopathy" to denote the presence of CWSs at the posterior pole, occasionally associated with intraretinal hemorrhages, in the absence of ocular inflammation in patients with a history of COVID-19 disease.