Post-Weaning Feed Intake and Performance of Bulls Developed in an Automated Feed Intake Management System

Objective:Our objectives were to compare expected and observed dry matter intake (DMI) and average daily gain (ADG) using modeled nutrient requirement equations, and to evaluate change in DMI over time of beef bull calves fed in an automated feed intake system. Study Description:Feed intake and performance data from purebred Angus, Hereford, and Simmental bull calves across two calf crops [birth years 2021 (n = 40) and 2022 (n = 37)] were utilized for this analysis. Projected DMI and ADG were calculated for each group of bulls by year on an individual basis using the Growing Bull module of the Excel-based Beef Ration and Nutrition Decision Software (BRANDS) formulation program (Iowa State University, Ames, IA). These predicted figures were compared to the Insentec intake data and analyzed via SAS. Results:In 2021–2022, a strong positive correlation (r= 0.78,P\u3c0.01) was observed between actual and predicted DMI. There was a highly correlated (r= 0.84,P\u3c0.01) relationship for the observed and predicted DMI for 2022–2023 as well. Actual ADG for both years was markedly higher than predicted. This result supports that BRANDS more accurately predicts DMI compared to ADG, and that substantial individual intake variation exists. The Bottom Line:DMI increases over time as days of test period increase for growing bulls in an individually fed intake system, and though significant day-to-day variation exists, the BRANDS program appears to more accurately predict DMI than ADG

Effects of Supplementing Corn Silage to Fall-Calving Heifers and Cows Grazing Bermudagrass and Calf Performance and Physiology

The objective was to test the effect of supplemental feeding on cows grazing bermudagrass pastures on cow-calf performance and pasture management. In a completely randomized design, (n = 24) primiparous and multiparous Angus-based cross cows were allocated to bermudagrass pasture with one of two levels of supplemental feeding (non-supplemented or supplemented at 1% of BW on a DM basis of corn silage). Each treatment consisted of (n = 4) pastures stocked with three cows of different ages, a young (first-calf heifer), middle-aged (3-5 yrs.), and old (≥ 6 yrs.) cow, each averaging 155 ± 14 d of gestation at turnout. Cows were fed silage (32-42% DM and 7.83% CP) daily in fence-line bunks, with feeding amount being adjusted at each weigh date. Cows were weighed on 2 consecutive days prior to turnout (middle of the second trimester), midpoint (beginning of the third trimester), and at about 2 weeks prior to the estimated calving date for the herd. Body weight, body condition score, hair score, hair length, and rump fat measurements were taken at each weigh date. Following the final measurement day, cows were relocated to calving pastures consisting of a mixture of bermudagrass, tall fescue, and prairie grass. Supplemental feeding of late gestation fall-calving cows on bermudagrass pasture did not have an effect on cow-calf performance, calf birth weights, and milk output. However, supplemental feeding of cows with corn silage during the summer resulted in 31% more available forage in the pastures. Overall, there were minimal differences in cow performance while grazing bermudagrass pastures during the summer and with supplemental feeding of corn silage. The greatest advantage comes from a greater amount of forage available, which may offset periods of drought or allow producers to increase stocking rates on their property

Effects of Supplementing Corn Silage to Fall-Calving Heifers and Cows Grazing Tall Fescue on Cow Performance

The objective was to test the effect of fescue cultivars and supplemental feeding of cows grazing fescue pastures on cow performance and pasture management. Primiparous and multiparous Angus-based crossed cows (n = 45) averaging 151 ± 7 d of gestation at turnout, were randomly allocated and stratified to pasture treatment by parity. Each pasture contained 3 cows of different ages, consisting of a young (first-calf heifer), middle-aged (3-5 yrs.), and old (≥ 6 yrs.) cow. Treatment was a 2 by 2 factorial design with two types of pasture (toxin producing or non-toxin producing fescue) and two levels of supplemental feeding (non-supplemented or supplemented at 1% of body weight on a DM basis of corn silage). Toxic fescue pastures consisted of K-31 endophyte infected tall fescue (n = 8) tested at 507 ppm ± 0.82 SEM for ergot alkaloids with a 92.5% infection rate. Non-toxic pastures consisted of novel (MaxQ) and endophyte free varieties (n = 7). Cows were fed silage (32-42% DM and 7.83% CP) daily in fence-line bunks, with feeding amount being adjusted at each weigh date. Cows were weighed on 2 consecutive days prior to turnout (middle of the second trimester), midpoint (beginning of the third trimester), and at about 2 weeks prior to the estimated calving date for herd. Body weight, body condition score, hair score, and rump fat measurements were taken at each weigh date. Supplementation tended (P = 0.07) to increase body weight gain and rump fat (P = 0.06) regardless of fescue type. Cattle grazing toxic fescue tended to have longer hair (P = 0.09) and did not “slick” off as quickly as those that were supplemented (P = 0.08). Cattle grazing toxic fescue exhibited classic fescue toxicosis symptoms, and supplementation improved cow performance regardless of fescue cultivar

Alpha-2-Macroglobulin Is Acutely Sensitive to Freezing and Lyophilization: Implications for Structural and Functional Studies.

Alpha-2-macroglobulin is an abundant secreted protein that is of particular interest because of its diverse ligand binding profile and multifunctional nature, which includes roles as a protease inhibitor and as a molecular chaperone. The activities of alpha-2-macroglobulin are typically dependent on whether its conformation is native or transformed (i.e. adopts a more compact conformation after interactions with proteases or small nucleophiles), and are also influenced by dissociation of the native alpha-2-macroglobulin tetramer into stable dimers. Alpha-2-macroglobulin is predominately present as the native tetramer in vivo; once purified from human blood plasma, however, alpha-2-macroglobulin can undergo a number of conformational changes during storage, including transformation, aggregation or dissociation. We demonstrate that, particularly in the presence of sodium chloride or amine containing compounds, freezing and/or lyophilization of alpha-2-macroglobulin induces conformational changes with functional consequences. These conformational changes in alpha-2-macroglobulin are not always detected by standard native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, but can be measured using bisANS fluorescence assays. Increased surface hydrophobicity of alpha-2-macroglobulin, as assessed by bisANS fluorescence measurements, is accompanied by (i) reduced trypsin binding activity, (ii) increased chaperone activity, and (iii) increased binding to the surfaces of SH-SY5Y neurons, in part, via lipoprotein receptors. We show that sucrose (but not glycine) effectively protects native alpha-2-macroglobulin from denaturation during freezing and/or lyophilization, thereby providing a reproducible method for the handling and long-term storage of this protein.Early Career Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council GNT1012521(A.R.W.); Wellcome Trust Programme Grant (J.R.K., C.M.D.) 094425/Z/10/Z; Samsung GRO Grant (M.R.W.)This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from PLoS via http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.013003

A search for tt̄ resonances using lepton-plus-jets events in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for new particles that decay into top quark pairs is reported. The search is performed with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC using an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−¹ of proton-proton collision data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of √s=8 TeV. The lepton-plus-jets final state is used, where the top pair decays to W+bW−b̄, with one W boson decaying leptonically and the other hadronically. The invariant mass spectrum of top quark pairs is examined for local excesses or deficits that are inconsistent with the Standard Model predictions. No evidence for a top quark pair resonance is found, and 95% confidence-level limits on the production rate are determined for massive states in benchmark models. The upper limits on the cross-section times branching ratio of a narrow Z′ boson decaying to top pairs range from 4.2 pb to 0.03 pb for resonance masses from 0.4 TeV to 3.0 TeV. A narrow leptophobic topcolour Z′ boson with mass below 1.8 TeV is excluded. Upper limits are set on the cross-section times branching ratio for a broad colour-octet resonance with Γ/m = 15% decaying to tt̄. These range from 4.8 pb to 0.03 pb for masses from 0.4 TeV to 3.0 TeV. A Kaluza-Klein excitation of the gluon in a Randall-Sundrum model is excluded for masses below 2.2 TeV

Search for single production of vector-like quarks decaying into Wb in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for singly produced vector-like Q quarks, where Q can be either a T quark with charge +2/3 or a Y quark with charge −4/3, is performed in proton–proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb −1 and was produced with a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 8 TeV. This analysis targets Q→Wb decays where the W boson decays leptonically. A veto on massive large-radius jets is used to reject the dominant tt̄ background. The reconstructed Q-candidate mass, ranging from 0.4 to 1.2 TeV, is used in the search to discriminate signal from background processes. No significant deviation from the Standard Model expectation is observed, and limits are set on the Q→Wb cross-section times branching ratio. The results are also interpreted as limits on the QWb coupling and the mixing with the Standard Model sector for a singlet T quark or a Y quark from a doublet. T quarks with masses below 0.95 TeV are excluded at 95 % confidence level, assuming a unit coupling and a BR(T→Wb)=0.5, whereas the expected limit is 1.10 TeV

Lightwave-driven quasiparticle collisions on a subcycle timescale

Ever since Ernest Rutherford scattered alpha-particles from gold foils(1), collision experiments have revealed insights into atoms, nuclei and elementary particles(2). In solids, many-body correlations lead to characteristic resonances(3)-called quasiparticles-such as excitons, dropletons(4), polarons and Cooper pairs. The structure and dynamics of quasiparticles are important because they define macroscopic phenomena such as Mott insulating states, spontaneous spin-and charge-order, and high-temperature superconductivity(5). However, the extremely short lifetimes of these entities(6) make practical implementations of a suitable collider challenging. Here we exploit lightwave-driven charge transport(7-24), the foundation of attosecond science(9-13), to explore ultrafast quasiparticle collisions directly in the time domain: a femtosecond optical pulse creates excitonic electron-hole pairs in the layered dichalcogenide tungsten diselenide while a strong terahertz field accelerates and collides the electrons with the holes. The underlying dynamics of the wave packets, including collision, pair annihilation, quantum interference and dephasing, are detected as light emission in high-order spectral sidebands(17-19) of the optical excitation. A full quantum theory explains our observations microscopically. This approach enables collision experiments with various complex quasiparticles and suggests a promising new way of generating sub-femtosecond pulses

Racism as a determinant of health: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Despite a growing body of epidemiological evidence in recent years documenting the health impacts of racism, the cumulative evidence base has yet to be synthesized in a comprehensive meta-analysis focused specifically on racism as a determinant of health. This meta-analysis reviewed the literature focusing on the relationship between reported racism and mental and physical health outcomes. Data from 293 studies reported in 333 articles published between 1983 and 2013, and conducted predominately in the U.S., were analysed using random effects models and mean weighted effect sizes. Racism was associated with poorer mental health (negative mental health: r = -.23, 95% CI [-.24,-.21], k = 227; positive mental health: r = -.13, 95% CI [-.16,-.10], k = 113), including depression, anxiety, psychological stress and various other outcomes. Racism was also associated with poorer general health (r = -.13 (95% CI [-.18,-.09], k = 30), and poorer physical health (r = -.09, 95% CI [-.12,-.06], k = 50). Moderation effects were found for some outcomes with regard to study and exposure characteristics. Effect sizes of racism on mental health were stronger in cross-sectional compared with longitudinal data and in non-representative samples compared with representative samples. Age, sex, birthplace and education level did not moderate the effects of racism on health. Ethnicity significantly moderated the effect of racism on negative mental health and physical health: the association between racism and negative mental health was significantly stronger for Asian American and Latino(a) American participants compared with African American participants, and the association between racism and physical health was significantly stronger for Latino(a) American participants compared with African American participants.<br /

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

Background: Many patients with COVID-19 have been treated with plasma containing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Methods: This randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]) is assessing several possible treatments in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 177 NHS hospitals from across the UK. Eligible and consenting patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either usual care alone (usual care group) or usual care plus high-titre convalescent plasma (convalescent plasma group). The primary outcome was 28-day mortality, analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936. Findings: Between May 28, 2020, and Jan 15, 2021, 11558 (71%) of 16287 patients enrolled in RECOVERY were eligible to receive convalescent plasma and were assigned to either the convalescent plasma group or the usual care group. There was no significant difference in 28-day mortality between the two groups: 1399 (24%) of 5795 patients in the convalescent plasma group and 1408 (24%) of 5763 patients in the usual care group died within 28 days (rate ratio 1·00, 95% CI 0·93–1·07; p=0·95). The 28-day mortality rate ratio was similar in all prespecified subgroups of patients, including in those patients without detectable SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at randomisation. Allocation to convalescent plasma had no significant effect on the proportion of patients discharged from hospital within 28 days (3832 [66%] patients in the convalescent plasma group vs 3822 [66%] patients in the usual care group; rate ratio 0·99, 95% CI 0·94–1·03; p=0·57). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at randomisation, there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients meeting the composite endpoint of progression to invasive mechanical ventilation or death (1568 [29%] of 5493 patients in the convalescent plasma group vs 1568 [29%] of 5448 patients in the usual care group; rate ratio 0·99, 95% CI 0·93–1·05; p=0·79). Interpretation: In patients hospitalised with COVID-19, high-titre convalescent plasma did not improve survival or other prespecified clinical outcomes. Funding: UK Research and Innovation (Medical Research Council) and National Institute of Health Research