{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T12:18:39Z","timestamp":1788351519809,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785801600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":3,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,1]],"date-time":"2026-08-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785542400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Reprod Domestic Animals"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    Testicular ultrasonography is increasingly used in ram breeding soundness evaluations, yet methodological standardization of quantitative grayscale image analysis remains limited. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of region\u2010of\u2010interest (ROI) placement and imaging plane on testicular parenchymal numerical pixel values (NPVs) under a fixed ultrasonographic acquisition protocol, in G\u00fcney Karaman rams. A secondary objective was to compare NPV among age groups and between two predefined reproductive\u2010period sampling points, August and March. Twenty\u2010nine healthy, fertility\u2010proven rams were assigned to three age groups: 1.5 (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u20098), 3.1 (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u200912), and 4.6\u2009years (\n                    <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u20099). B\u2010mode ultrasonography was performed with a 7.5\u2010MHz linear transducer during the breeding (August) and non\u2010breeding season (March). From each testis, 10 standardized regions of interest were analysed (six longitudinal and four transversal, with five above and five below the mediastinum testis). ImageJ analysis yielded 1160 spot measurements. A linear mixed model with random intercepts for animal and testis ID accounted for the hierarchical repeated\u2010measures structure. NPVs increased with age, were higher in August than in March (71.65\u2009\u00b1\u20091.75 vs. 60.89\u2009\u00b1\u20091.75,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009&lt;\u20090.001), and were markedly higher below than above the mediastinum testis (89.50\u2009\u00b1\u20091.75 vs. 43.03\u2009\u00b1\u20091.75,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009&lt;\u20090.001). Transversal images yielded higher NPVs than longitudinal images (68.61\u2009\u00b1\u20091.77 vs. 63.93\u2009\u00b1\u20091.74,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009&lt;\u20090.001). Random\u2010effects analysis showed that 31%, 7%, and 62% of total variance were attributable to between\u2010animal, between\u2010testis, and spot\u2010level variation, respectively. These findings demonstrate that ram testicular echogenicity is influenced by biological and methodological factors, highlighting the need for standardized multi\u2010site sampling protocols.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/rda.70302","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T13:26:22Z","timestamp":1785849982000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Methodological Determinants of Grayscale Pixel Intensity in Ram Testicular Ultrasonography: Effects of\n                    <scp>ROI<\/scp>\n                    Placement and Imaging Plane Across Age Groups and Two Reproductive Periods"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"61","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7130-8796","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"B\u00fclent","family":"B\u00fclb\u00fcl","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Dokuz Eyl\u00fcl University  \u0130zmir Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8673-2904","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u015e\u00fckr\u00fc","family":"Do\u011fan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Breeding Bahri Da\u011fda\u015f International Agricultural Research Institute  Karatay Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0830-1644","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mustafa Yi\u011fit","family":"Nizam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Dokuz Eyl\u00fcl University  \u0130zmir Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Necdet","family":"Akay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Breeding Bahri Da\u011fda\u015f International Agricultural Research Institute  Karatay Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_12_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S1751731120001330"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/vr.146.1.10"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/vr.132.17.436"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1258\/ebm.2011.011050"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tvjl.2013.06.001"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5424\/sjar\/2012102-389-11"},{"issue":"2","key":"e_1_2_12_8_1","first-page":"110","article-title":"Testicular and Epididymal Ultrasonography in Santa In\u00eas Lambs Raised in Brazil","volume":"11","author":"Andrade A. 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