4,986 research outputs found
Feeding Techniques To Increase Calf Growth In The First Two Months Of Life
End of project reportData from Cornell University and the University of Illinois in the USA suggested that average daily liveweight gains of 900 to 1000 g/calf/day could be achieved from birth to weaning provided the calf milk replacer (CMR) is formulated to meet the calf’s amino acid requirements for such a rate of gain. Their findings suggested a daily milk replacer DM allowance of 1250 to 1500 g/d with a crude protein content of 26 to 30%. A series of studies were undertaken, at ARINI with home born dairy calves and at Grange Beef Research Centre with purchased dairy calves, to determine the effect of increasing the daily milk replacer DM allowance and or increasing the crude protein content of the CMR on calf performance.The
main outcomes of these studies were
There was no growth or intake response in any of the studies to increasing the crude
protein content of the CMP from 23% to 28%.
Calf growth rates responded to increasing the dailymilk replacer allowance from 600
to 1200 g/day for both home bred and purchased calves. However, the effect was not
significant post-weaning in any of the studies.
In all of the studies (for both home reared and purchased calves) feeding a high level
of CMRdecreased concentrate DM intake. However, the calves concentrate intakes
were similar post-weaning.
The home bred calves with free access to the milk replacer feeders failed to consume
their 1200 g/day allowance. Calves offered 600 or 1200 g of CMR/day had average
consumption of 554 and 944 g/d, respectively, in the milk feeding period.
Feeding a high (1200 g/d) compared to a low level (600 g/d) CMRdiet for the first 56
days had no significant effect on carcass weight or carcass characteristics when
purchased male calves were slaughtered off an ad libitum concentrate diet after 388
days. The final carcass weights were 231 and 240 kg for the respective 600 and 1200
g/d CMR.
Reducing the fat content of the CMRfrom 18% to 12% did not have any effect on
concentrate intake or liveweight gain
Body Composition Measurement in Children with Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida and Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Pediatric obesity is a major health concern that has an increased prevalence in children with special needs. In order to categorize a child’s weight, an assessment of body composition is needed. Obtaining an accurate body composition measurement in children with special needs has many challenges associated with it. This perplexing scenario limits the provider’s ability to screen, prevent and treat an abnormal weight status in this vulnerable population. This systematic review summarizes common methods of body composition measurements, their strengths and limitations and reviews the literature when measurements were used in children with cerebral palsy, spina bifida and spinal cord injury. Following PRISMA guidelines, 222 studies were identified. The application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria yielded a final sample of nine studies included in this review. Overall, articles reinforced the inconsistencies of body composition measurement and methodology when used with children with special needs. Concerns include small sample sizes, the need to validate prediction equations for this population, and the lack of controlled trials and reporting of measurement methodology. Healthcare providers need to be aware of the complexities associated with measuring body composition in children with special needs and advocate for further testing of these measurements. Additional studies addressing the reliability and validity of these measures are needed to facilitate appropriate health promotion in children
Offsetting of CO₂ emissions by air capture in mine tailings at the Mount Keith Nickel Mine, Western Australia: Rates, controls and prospects for carbon neutral mining
The hydrated Mg-carbonate mineral, hydromagnesite [Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂•4H₂O], precipitates within mine tailings at the Mount Keith Nickel Mine, Western Australia as a direct result of mining operations. We have used quantitative mineralogical data and δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O and F¹⁴C isotopic data to quantify the amount of CO₂fixation and identify carbon sources. Our radiocarbon results indicate that at least 80% of carbon stored in hydromagnesite has been captured from the modern atmosphere. Stable isotopic results indicate that dissolution of atmospheric CO₂ into mine tailings water is kinetically limited, which suggests that the current rate of carbon mineralization could be accelerated. Reactive transport modeling is used to describe the observed variation in tailings mineralogy and to estimate rates of CO₂ fixation. Based on our assessment, approximately 39,800 t/yr of atmospheric CO₂ are being trapped and stored in tailings at Mount Keith. This represents an offsetting of approximately 11% of the mine's annual greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, passive sequestration via enhanced weathering of mineral waste can capture and store a significant amount of CO₂. Recommendations are made for changes to tailings management and ore processing practices that have potential to accelerate carbonation of tailings and further reduce or completely offset the net greenhouse gas emissions at Mount Keith and many other mines
Pain in malignant pleural mesothelioma: a prospective characterisation study.
INTRODUCTION:
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is associated with severe pain. The underlying neurobiology of this is complex. The primary aim of this study was to characterize pain in MPM.
METHODS:
This study was undertaken as part of a trial examining radiotherapy for the treatment of pain in MPM (ISRCTN 10644347). Patients had MPM with associated pain for which radiotherapy was planned and a worst pain score ≥ 4/10. The following assessments were undertaken: clinical neuropathic pain assessment, Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS), Short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), and Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST). The relationship of these characteristics and response to radiotherapy was assessed. Unless stated, medians and interquartile range (IQR) are used.
RESULTS:
Thirty-seven patients were recruited. Average pain and worst pain was 4 (4-6) and 8 (6-8), respectively. Higher average pain and higher worst pain scores were associated with higher interference scores on the BPI, P < 0.001 and P < 0.0005. Twenty patients (54%) had a clinical diagnosis of neuropathic pain, and of these, only six patients (40%) screened positively for neuropathic pain using the LANSS. Patients with a high LANSS also had higher BPI and SF-MPQs. The presence of neuropathic pain (clinically or by LANSS) did not predict response to radiotherapy, P < 0.05. The SF-MPQ scores were higher in those with abnormal cool sensation on QST (P = 0.016).
CONCLUSION:
Pain in mesothelioma varies among patients and may have neuropathic components. An adequate pain assessment is necessary to guide the clinician in the appropriate choice of analgesics
Reduction in overt and silent stroke recurrence rate following cerebral revascularization surgery in children with sickle cell disease and severe cerebral vasculopathy
Background
Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and moyamoya may benefit from indirect cerebral revascularization surgery in addition to chronic blood transfusion therapy for infarct prevention. We sought to compare overt and silent infarct recurrence rates in children with SCD undergoing revascularization.
Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study of all children with SCD and moyamoya treated at two children’s hospitals. Clinical events and imaging studies were reviewed.
Results
Twenty-seven children with SCD and confirmed moyamoya receiving chronic transfusion therapy were identified, of whom 12 underwent indirect cerebral revascularization. Two subjects had post-operative transient ischemic attacks and another had a subarachnoid blood collection, none of which caused permanent consequences. Two subjects had surgical wound infections. Among these 12 children, the rate of overt and silent infarct recurrence decreased from 13.4 infarcts/100 patient-years before revascularization to 0 infarcts/100 patient-years after revascularization (p=0.0057); the post-revascularization infarct recurrence rate was also significantly lower than the overall infarct recurrence of 8.87 infarcts/100 patient-years in 15 children without cerebral revascularization (p=0.025).
Conclusion
The rate of overt and silent infarct recurrence was significantly lower following indirect cerebral revascularization. A prospective study of cerebral revascularization in children with SCD is needed
Superdeformation in Po
The Yb(Si,5n) reaction at 148 MeV with thin targets was used
to populate high-angular momentum states in Po. Resulting rays
were observed with Gammasphere. A weakly-populated superdeformed band of 10
-ray transitions was found and has been assigned to Po. This is
the first observation of a SD band in the region in a nucleus
with . The of the new band is very similar to those of
the yrast SD bands in Hg and Pb. The intensity profile suggests
that this band is populated through states close to where the SD band crosses
the yrast line and the angular momentum at which the fission process dominates.Comment: 10 pages, revtex, 2 figs. available on request, submitted to Phys.
Rev. C. (Rapid Communications
Active Galactic Nuclei under the scrutiny of CTA
Active Galactic Nuclei (hereafter AGN) produce powerful outflows which offer
excellent conditions for efficient particle acceleration in internal and
external shocks, turbulence, and magnetic reconnection events. The jets as well
as particle accelerating regions close to the supermassive black holes
(hereafter SMBH) at the intersection of plasma inflows and outflows, can
produce readily detectable very high energy gamma-ray emission. As of now, more
than 45 AGN including 41 blazars and 4 radiogalaxies have been detected by the
present ground-based gamma-ray telescopes, which represents more than one third
of the cosmic sources detected so far in the VHE gamma-ray regime. The future
Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) should boost the sample of AGN detected in the
VHE range by about one order of magnitude, shedding new light on AGN population
studies, and AGN classification and unification schemes. CTA will be a unique
tool to scrutinize the extreme high-energy tail of accelerated particles in
SMBH environments, to revisit the central engines and their associated
relativistic jets, and to study the particle acceleration and emission
mechanisms, particularly exploring the missing link between accretion physics,
SMBH magnetospheres and jet formation. Monitoring of distant AGN will be an
extremely rewarding observing program which will inform us about the inner
workings and evolution of AGN. Furthermore these AGN are bright beacons of
gamma-rays which will allow us to constrain the extragalactic infrared and
optical backgrounds as well as the intergalactic magnetic field, and will
enable tests of quantum gravity and other "exotic" phenomena.Comment: 28 pages, 23 figure
Microhabitats are associated with diversity-productivity relationships in freshwater bacterial communities
Eukaryotic communities commonly display a positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF) but the results have been mixed when assessed in bacterial communities. Habitat heterogeneity, a factor in eukaryotic BEFs, may explain these variable observations but it has not been thoroughly evaluated in bacterial communities. Here, we examined the impact of habitat on the relationship between diversity assessed based on the (phylogenetic) Hill diversity metrics and heterotrophic productivity. We sampled co-occurring free-living (more homogenous) and particle-associated (more heterogeneous) bacterial habitats in a freshwater, estuarine lake over three seasons: spring, summer and fall. There was a strong, positive, linear relationship between particle-associated bacterial richness and heterotrophic productivity that strengthened when considering dominant taxa. There were no observable BEF trends in free-living bacterial communities for any diversity metric. Biodiversity, richness and Inverse Simpson's index, were the best predictors of particle-associated production whereas pH was the best predictor of free-living production. Our findings show that heterotrophic productivity is positively correlated with the effective number of taxa and that BEF relationships are associated with microhabitats. These results add to the understanding of the highly distinct contributions to diversity and functioning contributed by bacteria in free-living and particle-associated habitats
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