The use of real-time ultrasound and live animal measurements to predict carcass composition in beef cattle

Five hundred thirty-four steers representing 6 sire breed groups were evaluated in 1994 (n = 282) and 1995 (n = 252) to determine the efficacy of using real-time ultrasound and other live animal measures to predict beef carcass composition. Within 5 days prior to slaughter, steers were ultrasonically measured for 12-13th rib fat (UFAT), longissimus muscle area (UREA), rump fat thickness (URPFAT), and body wall thickness (UBDWALL). Carcasses were fabricated to determine boneless, totally trimmed retail product weight (KGRPRD) and percentage (PRPRD). Correlation coefficients between UFAT and UREA with carcass 12-13th rib fat (CFAT) and carcass longissimus muscle area (CREA) were.89 and.86, respectively. Mean differences indicated UFAT was.06 cm less (P \u3c.01) than CFAT, and UREA was.71 cm2 greater (P \u3c.01) than CREA across both years. Carcass measurements were more accurately evaluated with ultrasound in 1994 than in 1995 (P \u3c.01). Regression equations to predict KGRPRD and PRPRD were developed using either live animal or carcass traits as independent variables. Final models (P \u3c.10) using live animal ultrasound variables included live weight (FWT), UFAT, UREA, and URPFAT for KGRPRD (R2 =.84) and UFAT, URPFAT, UREA, UBDWALL, and FWT for PRPRD (R2 =.61). Comparatively, equations using carcass yield grade variables resulted in R2 values of.86 and.65 for KGRPRD and PRPRD, respectively. When equations developed from 1994 steers were applied to steers in 1995, correlations between values predicted from live animal models and actual carcass values were.92 for KGRPRD, and ranged from.73 to.76 for PRPRD. Similar correlations were found for equations developed from carcass measurements (r =.94 for KGRPRD and.80 to.81 for PRPRD). Both live animal and carcass equations overestimated (P \u3c.01) actual KGRPRD and PRPRD. Regression of predicted values on actual values revealed a similar fit for live animal and carcass equations. This research indicates that real-time ultrasound measurements taken on live beef cattle can be used to effectively predict carcass composition

TYGR 2015: Student Art and Literary Magazine

TYGR is the student art and literary magazine for Olivet Nazarene University. [Historical Muse] The Tyger -- William Blake, p. vi.https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/stud_tygr/1029/thumbnail.jp

TYGR 2013: Student Art and Literary Magazine

TYGR is the student art and literary magazine for Olivet Nazarene University. [Historical Muse] The Tyger -- William Blake, p. 5.https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/stud_tygr/1027/thumbnail.jp

TYGR 2012: Student Art and Literary Magazine

TYGR is the student art and literary magazine for Olivet Nazarene University. [Historical Muse] The Tyger -- William Blakehttps://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/stud_tygr/1000/thumbnail.jp

TYGR 2015: Student Art and Literary Magazine

TYGR is the student art and literary magazine for Olivet Nazarene University. [Historical Muse] The Tyger -- William Blake, p. vi.https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/stud_tygr/1029/thumbnail.jp

Are the Goals of Sustainability Interconnected? A Sociological Analysis of the Three E’s of Sustainable Development Using Cross-Lagged Models with Reciprocal Effects

Conceptual discussions of sustainability emphasize the interdependent relationship between relevant social and environmental factors. Yet, traditional quantitative analyses of the topic have tended to estimate the exogenous or direct/indirect effects a predictor variable has on a particular measure of sustainability. We examine the endogenous, interdependent relationship between the three E’s of sustainability (economy, equity, and ecology), incorporating country-level data for 1990 through 2015 into cross-lagged structural equation models with reciprocal and fixed effects. Results from these longitudinal models suggest that over time, at the country level, increasing economic inequality reduces renewable energy consumption, with no evidence of reciprocal feedback. Keeping in mind the limitations of the analysis, we tentatively argue that the modern form of development has constrained the potential for the sustainability goals to feed back into each other

Long Range Physics in a Hot Non-Abelian Plasma

We derive a set of equations describing the real time dynamics of modes with spatial momentum of order g^2 T in a high temperature gauge theory, where g is the coupling constant and T is the temperature. This dynamics is stochastic in nature. Important implications for baryon number violation at high temperature and for the physics at the electroweak phase transition, are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, uses LaTeX; Typographical errors corrected and references adde

A Combination of the Immunotherapeutic Drug Anti-Programmed Death 1 with Lenalidomide Enhances Specific T Cell Immune Responses against Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells

Immune checkpoint inhibitors can block inhibitory molecules on the surface of T cells, switching them from an exhausted to an active state. One of these inhibitory immune checkpoints, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) is expressed on T cell subpopulations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). PD-1 expression has been shown to increase with AML progression following allo-haematopoeitic stem cell transplantation, and therapy with hypomethylating agents. We have previously shown that anti-PD-1 can enhance the response of leukemia-associated antigen (LAA)-specific T cells against AML cells as well as leukemic stem and leukemic progenitor cells (LSC/LPCs) ex vivo. In concurrence, blocking of PD-1 with antibodies such as nivolumab has been shown to enhance response rates post-chemotherapy and stem cell transplant. The immune modulating drug lenalidomide has been shown to promote anti-tumour immunity including anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic and anti-angiogenicity. The effects of lenalidomide are distinct from chemotherapy, hypomethylating agents or kinase inhibitors, making lenalidomide an attractive agent for use in AML and in combination with existing active agents. To determine whether anti-PD-1 (nivolumab) and lenalidomide alone or in combination could enhance LAA-specific T cell immune responses, we used colony-forming immune and ELISpot assays. Combinations of immunother-apeutic approaches are believed to increase antigen-specific immune responses against leukemic cells including LPC/LSCs. In this study we used a combination of LAA-peptides with the immune checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD-1 and lenalidomide to enhance the killing of LSC/LPCs ex vivo. Our data offer a novel insight into how we could improve AML patient responses to treatment in future clinical studies

The outburst duration and duty-cycle of GRS 1915+105

The extraordinarily long outburst of GRS 1915+105 makes it one of the most remarkable low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). It has been in a state of constant outburst since its discovery in 1992, an eruption which has persisted ~100 times longer than those of more typical LXMBs. The long orbital period of GRS 1915+105 implies that it contains large and massive accretion disc which is able to fuel its extreme outburst. In this paper, we address the longevity of the outburst and quiescence phases of GRS 1915+105 using Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of its accretion disc through many outburst cycles. Our model is set in the two-alpha framework and includes the effects of the thermo-viscous instability, tidal torques, irradiation by central X-rays and wind mass loss. We explore the model parameter space and the examine the impact of the various ingredients. We predict that the outburst of GRS 1915+105 should last a minimum of 20 years and possibly up to ~100 years if X-ray irradiation is very significant. The predicted recurrence times are of the order of 10^4 years, making the X-ray duty cycle a few 0.1%. Such a low duty cycle may mean that GRS 1915+105 is not an anomaly among the more standard LMXBs and that many similar, but quiescent, systems could be present in the Galaxy.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA

Enhanced stimulation of antigen-specific immune responses against nucleophosmin 1 mutated acute myeloid leukaemia by an anti-programmed death 1 antibody

Nucleophosmin1 (NPM1) is one of the most commonly mutated genes in AML and is often associated with a favourable prognosis. Immune responses play an increasing role in AML treatment decisions; however, the role of immune checkpoint inhibition is still not clear. To address this, we investigated specific immune responses against NPM1, and three other leukaemia-associated antigens (LAA), PRAME, Wilms' tumour 1 and RHAMM in AML patients. We investigated T cell responses against leukaemic progenitor/stem cells (LPC/LSC) using colony-forming immunoassays and flow cytometry. We examined whether immune checkpoint inhibition with the anti-programmed death 1 antibody increases the immune response against stem cell-like cells, comparing cells from NPM1 mutated and NPM1 wild-type AML patients. We found that the anti-PD-1 antibody, nivolumab, increases LAA stimulated cytotoxic T lymphocytes and the cytotoxic effect against LPC/LSC. The effect was strongest against NPM1mut cells when the immunogenic epitope was derived from the mutated region of NPM1 and these effects were enhanced through the addition of anti-PD-1. The data suggest that patients with NPM1 mutated AML could be treated with the immune checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD-1 and that this treatment combined with NPM1-mutation specific directed immunotherapy could be even more effective for this unique group of patients