Designs of improved canisters for animal semen straw storage in Dewars with cryogenic liquid are described. In some embodiments, the canisters include a layer of cryogen-absorbent material and an inner layer of thermally conductive material including apertures oriented and positioned to direct cryogen vapor into the interior of the container.

The straw (11) filling device comprises a casing body having a cavity (43) in which the needle (9) of a nozzle (7) is placed. The needle is inserted into the straw tube (12) received in the cavity. The casing body is attached to a carriage separately from the needle. The cavity comprises a distal opening located on the distal end side of the needle, a proximal opening located on the proximal end side of the needle, and a longitudinal opening extending from the distal opening to the proximal opening, thus enabling placement and removal of the needle in and out of the cavity in a direction transverse to the direction of the needle and preventing an adult finger accessing the distal end of the needle. The machine comprises a device of this type and a conveyor (2) designed to keep the straw tube in a filling position during each cycle.

A pipette tip container includes an elongate tube that includes a sidewall that defines an interior region and an open end of the elongate tube. The elongate tube further includes an annular protrusion that extends along an inner circumference of the sidewall, wherein the annular protrusion is configured so that a pipette tip contacts the elongate tube at the annular projection and at a point along the sidewall located near the open end of the elongate tube when the elongate tube is lying on its sidewall. The pipette tip container further includes a cap secured to the open end of the elongate tube and formed to allow passage of the pipette tip.

The straw comprises a tube (11) and a stopper (12) fixed relative to the tube (11) and comprising a male connector tip (29) configured in order that a syringe needle (44) having a female connector tip (45) with a frusto-conical internal surface in accordance with a standard can be connected to said stopper (12) by engagement of the female connector tip (45) of the needle on the male connector tip (29) of the stopper (12).

The injection device comprises such a straw (10) and a syringe needle (44).

The method of emptying the straw comprises the step of pushing the dose of liquid-based substance (21) packaged in the straw (10) towards the stopper (12).

The straw includes a tube (11) extending between a first end (16) and a second end (17) and includes a gas-permeable but liquid-impermeable plug (12). The tube (11) is made of a thermochromic material that reversibly changes colour at a preset temperature threshold, by virtue of which colour change the tube (11) has a first visual appearance if the temperature thereof is below said preset threshold and a second visual appearance that is different from the first visual appearance if the temperature thereof is above said preset threshold.

The straw comprises a tube (11) having a swelling plug (15) provided with a fibrous support agent and a swelling agent combined with the support agent and configured, at least close to a second end (18) of the swelling plug, after a liquid-based substance has come up against its second end, to be in a state of swelling constrained by said tube such that if a first part (26) of the swelling plug of length comprised between 2 mm and 3 mm starting from its second end has come out of the tube via a second end (14) of the tube, whereas a second part of the swelling plug remains in the tube, the first part of the swelling plug becomes decompacted and expands with the second end of the swelling plug which assumes a diameter (d) at least equal to one and a half times the inner diameter of the tube.

The straw comprises a tube (11) extending between a first end and a second end and comprises a gas-permeable, liquid-tight plug, said plug being arranged in the tube (11) in the vicinity of the first end of same and extending between a first end turned towards the first end of the tube (11) and a second end turned towards the second end of the tube (11). Said plug comprises an element (14) impregnated with multivalent cations (22) at least in the vicinity of a first end turned towards the second end of the tube (11). The system comprises the straw and a liquid medium provided to produce, by mixing, in predefined conditions, the liquid substance (21). The medium contains an alginate (23) in solution.

The system comprises a straw and a liquid dilution medium. The straw comprises a tube (11) extending between a first end and a second end and comprises a gas-permeable, liquid-tight plug, said plug being arranged in the tube (11) in the vicinity of the first end of same and extending between a first end turned towards the first end of the tube (11) and a second end turned towards the second end of the tube (11). Said plug comprises an element (14) impregnated with a reagent (22) at least in the vicinity of a first end turned towards the second end of the tube (11). The liquid medium is provided to produce, by mixing, in predefined conditions, the liquid substance (21). The reagent (22) and the medium(27) are configured such that, when the substance (21) comes into contact with the first end of the impregnated element (14), it forms a hydrogel.

The invention provides serialized artificial insemination straws, as well as systems and methods for authentication of the serialized artificial insemination straws.

The present invention relates to a device and method for collecting semen from boars. The device is characterized in that it has a simple structure and is therefore inexpensive to produce and, during the method, it reduces contamination, in particular the microbe count. The device has a glove (1) with a fingers portion (2) and a thumb portion (3) for receiving a hand and, on one side of the glove (1) between the fingers portion (2) and the thumb portion (3), it has a film tube (5) with an opening (6) which is held open by a spring element (10), and of which the opposite, second end (13) is closed, wherein the film tube (5) is connected to the glove (1).