Whey Ultrafiltration Permeate Products as Feeds for Steers

A field trial experiment was conducted using 50 steers t o evaluate the feeding value of the ultrafiltrated permeate of whey (UFP) and products made from additional processing of UFP. All steers were fed nutritionally balanced grain mixes and hay. Experimental diets were control (C), in which the grain mix contained primarily corn, oats and soybean meal; UFP fed as the only liquid; partially fermented permeate (PFP), which contained 10% dried yeast added to the ultrafiltrated permeate, fed as the only source of liquid; fermented ammoniated condensed permeate (FACP), which replaced soybean meal in the grain mix; and ammolac (AMM), FACP plus vitamins and minerals. Steers fed C, FACP and AMM diets had free choice access to water. The liquid UFP and PFP were readily consumed by steers and supplied 4.8 l b of dry matter which replaced 5.3 l b of grain. Weight gains, total feed dry matter consumption and feed dry matter per weight gain were similar for steers fed all five diets , indicating that all four of these whey products were utilized as well as more traditional feeds. The quality of carcasses from steers fed the whey products were at least as good as and possibly better than from steers fed the control diet. The feeding of UFP or PFP would likely be the most economical alternative for feeding ultrafiltrated permeate of whey. However, some concentrating of the permeate to increase the solids content from the present 5.0 to 5.5% solids to greater than 10% solids may allow UPF or PFP to replace even more grain

Carcass Characteristics of Bulls, Heifers and Steers as Influenced by Ration and Market Weight

High feed grain prices, a growing worldwide demand for animal protein, and increasing demand for lean, high quality beef make it imperative that beef volume and production efficiency increase. Because of high feed costs it is important to know how concentrate level in the ration and market weight influence production efficiency and carcass composition of different sex groups. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of market weight and ration concentrate level on the quant itative and qualitative carcass traits of yearling bulls, bull calves, heifers and steers

Effects of Heating Rate and Endpoint Temperature on the Palatability and Storage Stability of Precooked Beef Roasts

The primary objective of this study was to determine the optimal cooking rate and endpoint temperature of a precooking regime for beef roasts which maximizes consumer acceptability and storage stability. Percentage cooking loss and TEA values were minimized when roasts were precooked to the lowest endpoint temperature (45 C, 112 F). I n addition, long-term cooking (heating rate = 16 min/C) improved TEA values (Thiobarbituric acid, a test for oxidative rancidity) for precooked beef roasts. Sensory qualities did not differ (P\u3e.05) due to cooking rate or endpoint temperature. Findings suggest that a low-temperature long-term cooking method optimizes (Pc.05) cooking characteristics while maintaining sensory qualities of precooked beef roasts

Characterization of the Muscles within the Beef Forequarter

Thirty - four muscles/muscle groups, each greater than .1 kg, were dissected from 16 forequarters to establish a data base of individual muscle yields, palatability profiles and chemical composition. Carcass data from the 16 steers revealed the following averages: carcass weight - 288.4 kg, yield grade - 3.2, and quality grade – low choice. Individual muscle yields, tenderness profiles and chemical analyses indicated that the muscles within the forequarter are extremely variable. However, several of the larger muscles within the forequarter possess tenderness profiles comparable to the longissimus dorsi, the major muscle within rib steaks. This study suggests that maximum utilization of the beef forequarter may best be achieved when individual muscles are fabricated and marketed according to their size and tenderness potential

An Integrated TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource to Drive High-Quality Survival Outcome Analytics

For a decade, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program collected clinicopathologic annotation data along with multi-platform molecular profiles of more than 11,000 human tumors across 33 different cancer types. TCGA clinical data contain key features representing the democratized nature of the data collection process. To ensure proper use of this large clinical dataset associated with genomic features, we developed a standardized dataset named the TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource (TCGA-CDR), which includes four major clinical outcome endpoints. In addition to detailing major challenges and statistical limitations encountered during the effort of integrating the acquired clinical data, we present a summary that includes endpoint usage recommendations for each cancer type. These TCGA-CDR findings appear to be consistent with cancer genomics studies independent of the TCGA effort and provide opportunities for investigating cancer biology using clinical correlates at an unprecedented scale. Analysis of clinicopathologic annotations for over 11,000 cancer patients in the TCGA program leads to the generation of TCGA Clinical Data Resource, which provides recommendations of clinical outcome endpoint usage for 33 cancer types

Species replacement dominates megabenthos beta diversity in a remote seamount setting

Seamounts are proposed to be hotspots of deep-sea biodiversity, a pattern potentially arising from increased productivity in a heterogeneous landscape leading to either high species co-existence or species turnover (beta diversity). However, studies on individual seamounts remain rare, hindering our understanding of the underlying causes of local changes in beta diversity. Here, we investigated processes behind beta diversity using ROV video, coupled with oceanographic and quantitative terrain parameters, over a depth gradient in Annan Seamount, Equatorial Atlantic. By applying recently developed beta diversity analyses, we identified ecologically unique sites and distinguished between two beta diversity processes: species replacement and changes in species richness. The total beta diversity was high with an index of 0.92 out of 1 and was dominated by species replacement (68%). Species replacement was affected by depth-related variables, including temperature and water mass in addition to the aspect and local elevation of the seabed. In contrast, changes in species richness component were affected only by the water mass. Water mass, along with substrate also affected differences in species abundance. This study identified, for the first time on seamount megabenthos, the different beta diversity components and drivers, which can contribute towards understanding and protecting regional deep-sea biodiversity

OpenSAFELY: The impact of COVID‐19 on azathioprine, leflunomide and methotrexate monitoring, and factors associated with change in monitoring rate

Aims The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented pressure on healthcare services. This study investigates whether disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) safety monitoring was affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A population-based cohort study was conducted using the OpenSAFELY platform to access electronic health record data from 24.2 million patients registered at general practices using TPP's SystmOne software. Patients were included for further analysis if prescribed azathioprine, leflunomide or methotrexate between November 2019 and July 2022. Outcomes were assessed as monthly trends and variation between various sociodemographic and clinical groups for adherence with standard safety monitoring recommendations. Results An acute increase in the rate of missed monitoring occurred across the study population (+12.4 percentage points) when lockdown measures were implemented in March 2020. This increase was more pronounced for some patient groups (70–79 year-olds: +13.7 percentage points; females: +12.8 percentage points), regions (North West: +17.0 percentage points), medications (leflunomide: +20.7 percentage points) and monitoring tests (blood pressure: +24.5 percentage points). Missed monitoring rates decreased substantially for all groups by July 2022. Consistent differences were observed in overall missed monitoring rates between several groups throughout the study. Conclusion DMARD monitoring rates temporarily deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Deterioration coincided with the onset of lockdown measures, with monitoring rates recovering rapidly as lockdown measures were eased. Differences observed in monitoring rates between medications, tests, regions and patient groups highlight opportunities to tackle potential inequalities in the provision or uptake of monitoring services. Further research should evaluate the causes of the differences identified between groups

Driver Fusions and Their Implications in the Development and Treatment of Human Cancers.

Gene fusions represent an important class of somatic alterations in cancer. We systematically investigated fusions in 9,624 tumors across 33 cancer types using multiple fusion calling tools. We identified a total of 25,664 fusions, with a 63% validation rate. Integration of gene expression, copy number, and fusion annotation data revealed that fusions involving oncogenes tend to exhibit increased expression, whereas fusions involving tumor suppressors have the opposite effect. For fusions involving kinases, we found 1,275 with an intact kinase domain, the proportion of which varied significantly across cancer types. Our study suggests that fusions drive the development of 16.5% of cancer cases and function as the sole driver in more than 1% of them. Finally, we identified druggable fusions involving genes such as TMPRSS2, RET, FGFR3, ALK, and ESR1 in 6.0% of cases, and we predicted immunogenic peptides, suggesting that fusions may provide leads for targeted drug and immune therapy