Dietary supplementation with chitosan oligosaccharide affects serum lipids and nutrient digestibility in broilers

This research was conducted to determine the effects of supplementation of chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) on the growth performance, blood parameters, carcass traits, fatty acid composition of breast meat, and apparent nutrient digestibility in broiler chickens. A total of 375 one-day-old Ross 308 male chicks were allocated to a control diet (T1) or diets supplemented with 50 ppm (T2) and 100 ppm (T3) of COS. There were five replicates of 25 chicks for each treatment. All the experimental birds were fed a starter (days 1 - 4), grower (days 15 - 28), and finisher diet (days 29 - 42). No differences were detected among treatments for live weight, gain, feed intake or feed conversion, except that feed intake was depressed in T3 during the grower period. Serum total protein and albumin levels did not differ among the treatments. Serum total cholesterol, low density lipoproteins (LDL), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and triglyceride concentrations were reduced significantly by supplementation with COS, whereas the high density lipoprotein (HDL) concentration was significantly lower only for T2 relative to T1. The dressing percentage was significantly higher for T2 and T3 than for T1. Fatty acid composition of the breast meat was unaffected by the treatments. The digestibility of the diet and some of its constituents was affected in a graduated manner by the addition of COS. Thus, supplementation of broiler diets with COS improved carcass yield and had a hypolipidemic effect in improving the serum lipid profile Keywords: carcass, digestibility, hypolipidemic effect, performanc

A multi-wavelength analysis of active regions and sunspots by comparison of automatic detection algorithms

YesThe launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in early 2010 has provided the solar physics community with the most detailed view of the Sun to date. However, this presents new challenges for the analysis of solar data. Currently, SDO sends over 1 terabyte of data per day back to Earth and methods for fast and reliable analysis are more important than ever. This article details four algorithms developed separately at the Universities of Bradford and Glasgow, the Royal Observatory of Belgium and Trinity College Dublin for the purposes of automated detection of solar active regions (ARs) and sunspots at different levels of the solar atmosphere

State of the Knowledge for Gender in Breeding: Case Studies for Practitioners

Debates around gender-responsive agricultural research, particularly plant and animal breeding, invariably circulate around similar topics: the recognition that considering gender is important to developing varieties that lead to equitable benefits, coupled with questions around an evidence base that proves this point. Without convincing evidence—exemplified by case studies across commodities and countries—our arguments for gender-responsive research fall on deaf ears. This synthesis seeks to compile available cases from two workshops organized by the CGIAR Gender and Agriculture Research Network: “Gender, Breeding and Genomics” (18–21 October 2016) and “Innovation in Gender-Responsive Breeding” (5–7 October 2017). While by no means comprehensive, with these 10 cases we hope to emphasize the point that considering gender in breeding program design, working with women in the breeding process, and acting on these findings can have dramatic consequences on breeding programs. We begin the synthesis by setting the scene with a chapter reflecting on how taking gender into account matters for the success of plant or animal breeding programs with welfare or development goals and a focus on smallholders. This chapter illustrates how the use of a conceptual framework for gender analysis can help breeding programs make sense of gender-differentiated traits and tease out the likely impact of taking gender into account in program-level policies and strategies. The following case studies are structured around steps of a plant breeding cycle (see Figure 1.1), examining cases that consider gender in setting breeding priorities, selection, testing experimental varieties, and seed production and distribution. The cases cover a wide range of commodities: beans, cassava, forage grasses, poultry, maize, sorghum, matooke, barley, and groundnuts. Although cases mostly focus on sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi), we also present cases from China and Syria. What is particularly compelling about these cases is that they not only provide evidence that men and women have different trait preferences; access to resources; or opportunities to engage in production, processing, and marketing of diverse commodities. They also illustrate steps taken by breeding programs to address these issues. These steps range from incorporating “cooking time” as a must-have trait in bean breeding to creating opportunities for maize seed production and sale for women; from changing the structure of matooke breeding programs to add participatory processing for food quality, new breeding targets for adaptation, to nutrient poor soils in sorghum. These are powerful illustrations and positive examples that documenting differences is a means to an end—the real focus should be on change. The synthesis ends with a chapter drawing lessons from the case studies for future action aiming to integrate gender and gender analysis in breeding. We hope that these cases, together with the companion publications from the GBI on design principles1, gender and social targeting2, breeding decisions3, and uptake pathways4, compel and challenge breeding programs to become truly gender responsive

Incidence of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene (FGFR3) A248C, S249C, G372C, and T375C mutations in bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is the most frequent cancer of the urinary system. Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR) belong to the tyrosine kinase family and have important roles in cell differentiation and proliferation and embryogenesis. FGFR3 is located on chromosome 4p16.3, and missense mutations of FGFR3 are associated with autosomal dominant human skeletal disorders and have some oncogenic effects. We examined the incidence of FGFR3 thanatophoric dysplasia mutations located in exon 7, A248C and S249C, and in exon 10, G372C and T375C, and their correlation with clinical-pathological parameters in bladder carcinoma patients. Fifty-six paraffin-embedded specimens of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder were included in this study. Analysis of FGFR3 thanatophoric dysplasia mutations located in exon 7, A248C and S249C, and in exon 10, G372C and T375C, was performed by PCR- restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and DNA sequencing. FGFR3 thanatophoric dysplasia mutations located in exon 7, A248C and S249C, and in exon 10, G372C and T375C, were detected in 33 of the 56 patients (heterozygous mutant). Among the 56 transitional cell carcinomas, missense point mutations were detected in seven of them at codon A248C, 28 of them at codon S249C, and three of them at codon T375C, similar to data from previous reports. When the results of the FGFR3 thanatophoric dysplasia mutations located in exon 7, A248C and S249C and in exon 10, G372C and T375C, were analyzed one by one or as a group, despite the findings of previous research reports, our data suggest that these mutations are detected homogenously regardless of the tumor classification and tumor grade. © FUNPEC-RP

Electronic and magnetic properties of the topological semimetal SmMg2_2Bi2_2

Dirac semimetals show nontrivial physical properties and can host exotic quantum states like Weyl semimetals and topological insulators under suitable external conditions. Here, by combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements (ARPES) and first-principle calculations, we demonstrate that Zintl-phase compound SmMg$_2$Bi$_2$ belongs to the close proximity to a topological Dirac semimetallic state. ARPES results show a Dirac-like band crossing at the zone-center near the Fermi level ($E_\mathrm {F}$) which is further confirmed by first-principle calculations. Theoretical studies also reveal that SmMg$_2$Bi$_2$ belongs to a $Z_2$ topological class and hosts spin-polarized states around the $E_\mathrm {F}$. Zintl's theory predicts that the valence state of Sm in this material should be Sm$^{2+}$, however we detect many Sm-4$f$ multiplet states (flat-bands) whose energy positions suggest the presence of both Sm$^{2+}$ and Sm$^{3+}$. It is also evident that these flat-bands and other dispersive states are strongly hybridized when they cross each other. Due to the presence of Sm$^{3+}$ ions, the temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility $\chi(T)$ shows Curie-Weiss-like contribution in the low temperature region, in addition to the Van Vleck-like behaviour expected for the Sm$^{2+}$ ions. The present study will help in better understanding of the electronic structure, magnetism and transport properties of related materials.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

TSG101 associates with PARP1 and is essential for PARylation and DNA damage-induced NF-κB activation

In a genome-wide screening for components of the dsDNA-break-induced IKK-NF-κB pathway, we identified scores of regulators, including tumor susceptibility gene TSG101. TSG101 is essential for DNA damage-induced formation of cellular poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR). TSG101 binds to PARP1 and is required for PARP1 activation. This function of TSG101 is independent of its role in the ESCRT-I endosomal sorting complex. In the absence of TSG101, the PAR-dependent formation of a nuclear PARP1-IKKγ signalosome, which triggers IKK activation, is impaired. According to its requirement for PARP1 and NF-κB activation, TSG101-deficient cells are defective in DNA repair and apoptosis protection. Loss of TSG101 results in PARP1 trapping at damage sites and mimics the effect of pharmacological PARP inhibition. We also show that the loss of TSG101 in connection with inactivated tumor suppressors BRCA1/2 in breast cancer cells is lethal. Our results imply TSG101 as a therapeutic target to achieve synthetic lethality in cancer treatment

Anisotropic magnetism and electronic structure of trigonal EuAl2_2Ge2_2 single crystals

The magnetic and electronic properties of the layered Zintl-phase compound EuAl$_2$Ge$_2$ crystallizing in the trigonal CaAl$_2$Si$_2$-type structure are reported. Our neutron-diffraction measurements show that EuAl$_2$Ge$_2$ undergoes A-type antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering below $T_{\rm N} = 27.5(5)$~K, with the Eu moments (Eu$^{2+}$, $S = 7/2$) aligned ferromagnetically in the $ab$ plane. The $H = 0$ magnetic structure consists of trigonal AFM domains associated with $ab$-plane magnetic anisotropy and a field-induced reorientation of the Eu spins in the domains is evident at $T = 2$~K below the critical field $H_{c1} = 2.5(1)$ kOe. Electrical resistivity and ARPES measurements show that EuAl$_2$Ge$_2$ is metallic both above and below $T_{\rm N}$. In the AFM phase, we directly observe folded bands in ARPES due to the doubling of the magnetic unit cell along the $c$ axis with an enhancement of quasiparticle weight due to the complex change in the coupling between the magnetic moments and itinerant electrons on cooling below $T_{\rm N}$. The observed electronic structure is well reproduced by first-principle calculations, which also predict the presence of nontrivial electronic states near the Fermi level in the AFM phase with $Z_2$ topological numbers 1;(000).Comment: 16 pages, 13 captioned figures, 53 references Updated several affiliation