Evaluation of metabolic and biochemical blood parameters in lactating cows with Cystic Ovarian Disease

The aim of the study was to determine and evaluate different blood parameters associated to energetic, protein, mineral and liver metabolic processes together with productive and reproductive parameters in dairy cows of Santa Fe province (Argentina) that were diagnosed with cystic ovarian disease (COD). Lactating Argentine Holstein cows from five dairy herds with spontaneous COD (n= 80) diagnosed by ultrasound and control cows (n= 124) were included in the study. Blood samples were obtained from all cows to determine serum concentrations of: growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), insulin, aspartate aminotransferase, alkalin phosphatase, gamma glutamiltransferase, albumin, total proteins, albumin: globulin ratio, total and direct bilirrubin, ?-hidroxibutirate, colesterol, glucose, urea, creatinin, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Serum concentrations of insulin and IGF-1 were lower (P<0.05) in COD than control cows. No significant differences among groups were observed in any other variables studied, however, the calving to conception interval was higher in cows with COD compared to controls. These results allowed us to conclude that there would be an association between blood concentrations of IGF-1 and insulin and COD that, ultimately, compromise the reproductive performance of the cow.Fil: Cattaneo, L. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Cátedra de Teriogenología. Santa Fe, ArgentinaFil: Barberis, F.C. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Cátedra de Teriogenología. Santa Fe, ArgentinaFil: Stangaferro, M.L. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Cátedra de Teriogenología. Santa Fe, ArgentinaFil: Signorini, M.L. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela. ArgentinaFil: Signorini, M.L. CONICET. ArgentinaFil: Ruiz, M.F. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Hospital de Salud Animal. Santa Fe, ArgentinaFil: Zimmermann, R. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Hospital de Salud Animal. Santa Fe, ArgentinaFil: Bo, G.A. Instituto de Reproducción Animal Córdoba (IRAC). ArgentinaFil: Hein, G.J. CONICET - Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICiVet-Litoral). Esperanza, ArgentinaFil: Ortega, H.H. CONICET - Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral (ICiVet-Litoral). Esperanza, ArgentinaEl objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar y evaluar indicadores bioquímicos sanguíneos asociados a procesos metabólicos energéticos, proteicos, minerales y de funcionalidad hepática, junto con parámetros productivos y reproductivos en vacas lecheras que fueron diagnosticadas con enfermedad quística ovárica (COD) y controles. Se emplearon vacas Holando Argentino en lactancia de 5 rebaños de la provincia de Santa Fe (Argentina) que presentaban COD (n= 80) diagnosticada mediante ultrasonografía y controles clínicamente sanas (n= 124). De las vacas se obtuvo sangre coccígea para determinar las concentraciones séricas de las hormonas de crecimiento (GH), factor de crecimiento similar a la insulina-1 (IGF-1) e insulina, la actividad sérica de AST, FA, GGT y las concentraciones séricas de albúmina, proteínas totales, relación albúmina: globulinas, bilirrubina total y directa, ?-hidroxibutirato, colesterol, glucosa, urea, creatinina, calcio, fósforo y magnesio. Las concentraciones séricas de insulina e IGF-1 fueron menores (P<0,05) en las vacas con COD que en las controles. No se observaron diferencias significativas (P>0,05) entre ambos grupos en las demás variables séricas y productivas evaluadas, sin embargo, el intervalo parto-concepción fue mayor en vacas que presentaron COD. Los resultados nos permitieron concluir que habría una asociación entre los valores séricos de IGF-1 e insulina y la COD, y que ésta comprometería el futuro reproductivo de las vacas

Neurovascular EGFL7 regulates adult neurogenesis in the subventricular zone and thereby affects olfactory perception

Adult neural stem cells reside in a specialized niche in the subventricular zone (SVZ). Throughout life they give rise to adult-born neurons in the olfactory bulb (OB), thus contributing to neural plasticity and pattern discrimination. Here, we show that the neurovascular protein EGFL7 is secreted by endothelial cells and neural stem cells (NSCs) of the SVZ to shape the vascular stem-cell niche. Loss of EGFL7 causes an accumulation of activated NSCs, which display enhanced activity and re-entry into the cell cycle. EGFL7 pushes activated NSCs towards quiescence and neuronal progeny towards differentiation. This is achieved by promoting Dll4-induced Notch signalling at the blood vessel-stem cell interface. Fewer inhibitory neurons form in the OB of EGFL7-knockout mice, which increases the absolute signal conducted from the mitral cell layer of the OB but decreases neuronal network synchronicity. Consequently, EGFL7-knockout mice display severe physiological defects in olfactory behaviour and perception

Measurement of the polarisation of W bosons produced with large transverse momentum in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS experiment

This paper describes an analysis of the angular distribution of W->enu and W->munu decays, using data from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2010, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 35 pb^-1. Using the decay lepton transverse momentum and the missing transverse energy, the W decay angular distribution projected onto the transverse plane is obtained and analysed in terms of helicity fractions f0, fL and fR over two ranges of W transverse momentum (ptw): 35 < ptw < 50 GeV and ptw > 50 GeV. Good agreement is found with theoretical predictions. For ptw > 50 GeV, the values of f0 and fL-fR, averaged over charge and lepton flavour, are measured to be : f0 = 0.127 +/- 0.030 +/- 0.108 and fL-fR = 0.252 +/- 0.017 +/- 0.030, where the first uncertainties are statistical, and the second include all systematic effects.Comment: 19 pages plus author list (34 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables, revised author list, matches European Journal of Physics C versio

Observation of a new chi_b state in radiative transitions to Upsilon(1S) and Upsilon(2S) at ATLAS

The chi_b(nP) quarkonium states are produced in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb^-1, these states are reconstructed through their radiative decays to Upsilon(1S,2S) with Upsilon->mu+mu-. In addition to the mass peaks corresponding to the decay modes chi_b(1P,2P)->Upsilon(1S)gamma, a new structure centered at a mass of 10.530+/-0.005 (stat.)+/-0.009 (syst.) GeV is also observed, in both the Upsilon(1S)gamma and Upsilon(2S)gamma decay modes. This is interpreted as the chi_b(3P) system.Comment: 5 pages plus author list (18 pages total), 2 figures, 1 table, corrected author list, matches final version in Physical Review Letter

Search for displaced vertices arising from decays of new heavy particles in 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

We present the results of a search for new, heavy particles that decay at a significant distance from their production point into a final state containing charged hadrons in association with a high-momentum muon. The search is conducted in a pp-collision data sample with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 33 pb^-1 collected in 2010 by the ATLAS detector operating at the Large Hadron Collider. Production of such particles is expected in various scenarios of physics beyond the standard model. We observe no signal and place limits on the production cross-section of supersymmetric particles in an R-parity-violating scenario as a function of the neutralino lifetime. Limits are presented for different squark and neutralino masses, enabling extension of the limits to a variety of other models.Comment: 8 pages plus author list (20 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version to appear in Physics Letters

Measurement of the inclusive isolated prompt photon cross-section in pp collisions at sqrt(s)= 7 TeV using 35 pb-1 of ATLAS data

A measurement of the differential cross-section for the inclusive production of isolated prompt photons in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV is presented. The measurement covers the pseudorapidity ranges |eta|<1.37 and 1.52<=|eta|<2.37 in the transverse energy range 45<=E_T<400GeV. The results are based on an integrated luminosity of 35 pb-1, collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The yields of the signal photons are measured using a data-driven technique, based on the observed distribution of the hadronic energy in a narrow cone around the photon candidate and the photon selection criteria. The results are compared with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations and found to be in good agreement over four orders of magnitude in cross-section.Comment: 7 pages plus author list (18 pages total), 2 figures, 4 tables, final version published in Physics Letters

Measurement of the production cross section of prompt j/psi mesons in association with a W (+/-) boson in pp collisions root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The process pp → W±J/ψ provides a powerful probe of the production mechanism of charmonium in hadronic collisions, and is also sensitive to multiple parton interactions in the colliding protons. Using the 2011 ATLAS dataset of 4.5 fb-1 of p s = 7TeV pp collisions at the LHC, the first observation is made of the production of W± + prompt J/ events in hadronic collisions, using W± → μ and J/ψ → μ+μ-. A yield of 27.4±7.5 -6.5 W± + prompt J/ψ events is observed, with a statistical significance of 5.1. The production rate as a ratio to the inclusive W± boson production rate is measured, and the double parton scattering contribution to the cross section is estimated. Copyright CERN, for the benefit of the ATLAS Collaboration

Measurement of D*+/- meson production in jets from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper reports a measurement of D*+/- meson production in jets from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is based on a data sample recorded with the ATLAS detector with an integrated luminosity of 0.30 pb^-1 for jets with transverse momentum between 25 and 70 GeV in the pseudorapidity range |eta| < 2.5. D*+/- mesons found in jets are fully reconstructed in the decay chain: D*+ -> D0pi+, D0 -> K-pi+, and its charge conjugate. The production rate is found to be N(D*+/-)/N(jet) = 0.025 +/- 0.001(stat.) +/- 0.004(syst.) for D*+/- mesons that carry a fraction z of the jet momentum in the range 0.3 < z < 1. Monte Carlo predictions fail to describe the data at small values of z, and this is most marked at low jet transverse momentum.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (22 pages total), 5 figures, 1 table, matches published version in Physical Review