Grazing Behaviour of Beef Steers Grazing Kentucky 31 Endophyte Infected Tall Fescue, Q4508-AR542 Novel Endophyte Tall Fescue, and Lakota Prairie Grass

Tall fescue is the most dominant grass used for pasture in the U.S. covering over 14 million ha. As a result, fescue toxicosis is a major concern among producers, especially during the summer months when the symptoms, such as reduced weight gains, are most pronounced. Producers need alternative forages for grazing cattle that do not have the negative effects associated with endophyte infected tall fescue. The objective of this experiment was to determine the grazing behaviour of cattle on Kentucky 31 endophyte infected (E+) tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), Q4508-AR542 (Q) novel endophyte tall fescue, and Lakota (L) prairie grass (Bromus catharticus)

Intraoperative electrocochleographic characteristics of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder in cochlear implant subjects

Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) is characterized by an apparent discrepancy between measures of cochlear and neural function based on auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing. Clinical indicators of ANSD are a present cochlear microphonic (CM) with small or absent wave V. Many identified ANSD patients have speech impairment severe enough that cochlear implantation (CI) is indicated. To better understand the cochleae identified with ANSD that lead to a CI, we performed intraoperative round window electrocochleography (ECochG) to tone bursts in children (n = 167) and adults (n = 163). Magnitudes of the responses to tones of different frequencies were summed to measure the “total response” (ECochG-TR), a metric often dominated by hair cell activity, and auditory nerve activity was estimated visually from the compound action potential (CAP) and auditory nerve neurophonic (ANN) as a ranked “Nerve Score”. Subjects identified as ANSD (45 ears in children, 3 in adults) had higher values of ECochG-TR than adult and pediatric subjects also receiving CIs not identified as ANSD. However, nerve scores of the ANSD group were similar to the other cohorts, although dominated by the ANN to low frequencies more than in the non-ANSD groups. To high frequencies, the common morphology of ANSD cases was a large CM and summating potential, and small or absent CAP. Common morphologies in other groups were either only a CM, or a combination of CM and CAP. These results indicate that responses to high frequencies, derived primarily from hair cells, are the main source of the CM used to evaluate ANSD in the clinical setting. However, the clinical tests do not capture the wide range of neural activity seen to low frequency sounds

Use of Alkanes to Estimate Dry Matter Intake of Beef Steers Grazing High Quality Pastures

Pastures remain the most important source of nutrients for ruminant livestock and nutrition is critical to optimize animal production. The daily quantity of dry matter that is consumed by an animal is a critical measurement to make nutritional inferences about feed and subsequent animal response. Researchers are facing the dilemma that, while estimates of individual animal performance are readily obtained, it is still difficult to estimate the herbage intake of individual animals. The objectives of this experiment were to estimate forage intake in beef steers grazing tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa)/tall fescue pastures and to measure the recovery rate of artificial alkanes from a controlled release device under these conditions

Year-Round Forage Systems for Beef Cows and Calves

Beef cow systems in the USA are based on forages with little or no concentrates fed. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. L.) is one of the important pasture forages in the lower Northeast and upper South (Allen et al., 2001). Limited research has been conducted on year-round all forage systems based on cool season forages. Stockpiling tall fescue in late summer-early fall provides good quality forage that is usually grazed rather than harvested. Forage systems including tall fescue and clover (Trifolium repens L.) produced excellent performance in beef cows and calves, with minimum inputs (Allen et al., 2001). The present experiment is a component of a larger initiative, Pasture-based Forage Systems for Appalachia. The specific objective of this experiment is to evaluate different forage systems for beef cows and calves

Effect of Long-Term Nutrient Management Strategies for Pastures on Phosphorus in Surface Runoff and Soil Quality

Manure, whether mechanically applied or deposited by grazing animals, has been associated with increased risk of non-point source pollution, especially phosphorus. This is especially true in areas where the industry, especially poultry, has been concentrated in geographical areas that are grain deficient, resulting in a reliance on imported grain for poultry feed. Intensification has resulted in the production of large quantities of poultry manure, within relatively small geographical areas. Surplus litter is typically land applied as a nutrient source or used as an animal feed. The objective of this project was to evaluate the effects of long-term nutrient management strategies using poultry litter as a feed and fertiliser for grazed pasture systems in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia on soil quality, selected soil chemical characteristics and P losses in surface runoff

AAPM Medical Physics Practice Guideline 2.a: Commissioning and quality assurance of X-ray–based image-guided radiotherapy systems

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) is a nonprofit professional society whose primary purposes are to advance the science, education, and professional practice of medical physics. The AAPM has more than 8,000 members and is the principal organization of medical physicists in the United States. The AAPM will periodically define new practice guidelines for medical physics practice to help advance the science of medical physics and to improve the quality of service to patients throughout the United States. Existing medical physics practice guidelines will be reviewed for the purpose of revision or renewal, as appropriate, on their fifth anniversary or sooner. Each medical physics practice guideline represents a policy statement by the AAPM, has undergone a thorough consensus process in which it has been subjected to extensive review, and requires the approval of the Professional Council. The medical physics practice guidelines recognize that the safe and effective use of diagnostic and therapeutic radiology requires specific training, skills, and techniques, as described in each document. Reproduction or modification of the published practice guidelines and technical standards by those entities not providing these services is not authorized. 1

Identification of HLA-DRPheβ47 as the susceptibility marker of hypersensitivity to beryllium in individuals lacking the berylliosis-associated supratypic marker HLA-DPGluβ69

BACKGROUND: Susceptibility to beryllium (Be)-hypersensitivity (BH) has been associated with HLA-DP alleles carrying a glutamate at position 69 of the HLA-DP β-chain (HLA-DPGlu69) and with several HLA-DP, -DQ and -DR alleles and polymorphisms. However, no genetic associations have been found between BH affected subjects not carrying the HLA-DPGlu69 susceptibility marker. METHODS: In this report, we re-evaluated an already described patient populations after 7 years of follow-up including new 29 identified BH subjects. An overall population 36 berylliosis patients and 38 Be-sensitization without lung granulomas and 86 Be-exposed controls was analysed to assess the role of the individual HLA-class II polymorphisms associated with BH-susceptibility in HLA-DPGlu69 negative subjects by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: As previously observed in this population the HLA-DPGlu69 markers was present in higher frequency in berylliosis patients (31 out of 36, 86%) than in Be-sensitized (21 out of 38, 55%, p = 0.008 vs berylliosis) and 41 out of 86 (48%, p < 0.0001 vs berylliosis, p = 0.55 vs Be-sensitized) Be-exposed controls. However, 22 subjects presenting BH did not carry the HLA-DPGlu69 marker. We thus evaluated the contribution of all the HLA-DR, -DP and -DQ polymorphisms in determining BH susceptibility in this subgroup of HLA-Glu69 subjects. In HLA-DPGlu69-negatives a significant association with BH was found for the HLA-DQLeu26, for the HLA-DRB1 locus residues Ser13, Tyr26, His32, Asn37, Phe47 and Arg74 and for the HLA-DRB3 locus clusterized residues Arg11, Tyr26, Asp28, Leu38, Ser60 and Arg74. HLA-DRPhe47 (OR 2.956, p < 0.05) resulting independently associated with BH. Further, Be-stimulated T-cell proliferation in the HLA-DPGlu69-negative subjects (all carrying HLA-DRPhe47) was inhibited by the anti-HLA-DR antibody (range 70–92% inhibition) significantly more than by the anti-HLA-DP antibody (range: 6–29%; p < 0.02 compared to anti-HLA-DR) while it was not affected by the anti-HLA-DQ antibody. CONCLUSION: We conclude that HLA-DPGlu69 is the primary marker of Be-hypersensitivity and HLA-DRPhe47 is associated with BH in Glu69-negative subjects, likely playing a role in Be-presentation and sensitization

Mechanisms Underlying HIV Associated Non-infectious Lung Disease

Pulmonary disease remains a primary source of morbidity and mortality in persons living with HIV (PLWH), although the advent of potent combination antiretroviral therapy has resulted in a shift from predominantly infectious to noninfectious pulmonary complications. PLWH are at high risk for COPD, pulmonary hypertension, and lung cancer even in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy. The underlying mechanisms of this are incompletely understood, but recent research in both human and animal models suggests that oxidative stress, expression of matrix metalloproteinases, and genetic instability may result in lung damage, which predisposes PLWH to these conditions. Some of the factors that drive these processes include tobacco and other substance use, direct HIV infection and expression of specific HIV proteins, inflammation, and shifts in the microbiome toward pathogenic and opportunistic organisms. Further studies are needed to understand the relative importance of these factors to the development of lung disease in PLWH