A cohort study of the associations between udder conformation, milk somatic cell count, and lamb weight in suckler ewes

A cohort study of 67 suckler ewes from 1 farm was carried out from January to May 2010 to investigate associations between udder conformation, udder half milk somatic cell count (SCC), and lamb weight. Ewes and lambs were observed at lambing. Ewe health and teat condition and lamb health and weight were recorded on 4 to 5 further occasions at 14-d intervals. At each observation, a milk sample was collected from each udder half for somatic cell counting. Two weeks after lambing, ewe udder conformation and teat placement were scored. Low lamb weight was associated with ewe SCC >400,000 cells/mL (−0.73kg), a new teat lesion 14 d previously (−0.91kg), suboptimal teat position (−1.38kg), rearing in a multiple litter (−1.45kg), presence of diarrhea at the examination (−1.19kg), and rearing by a 9-yr-old ewe compared with a 6-yr-old ewe (−2.36kg). High lamb weight was associated with increasing lamb age (0.21kg/d), increasing birth weight (1.65kg/kg at birth), and increasing number of days the ewe was given supplementary feed before lambing (0.06kg/d). High udder half SCC was associated with pendulous udders (9.6% increase in SCC/cm of drop) and greater total cross-sectional area of the teats (7.2% increase of SCC/cm2). Low SCC were associated with a heavier mean litter weight (6.7% decrease in SCC/kg). Linear, quadratic, and cubic terms for days in lactation were also significant. We conclude that poor udder and teat conformation are associated with high levels of intramammary infection, as indicated by increased SCC and that both physical attributes of the udder and SCC are linked to lamb growth, suggesting that selection of suckler ewes with better udder and teat conformation would reduce intramammary infection and increase lamb growth rate

Magnetic interactions in transition metal doped ZnO : An abinitio study

We calculate the nature of magnetic interactions in transition-metal doped ZnO using the local spin density approximation and LSDA+\textit{U} method of density functional theory. We investigate the following four cases: (i) single transition metal ion types (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu) substituted at Zn sites, (ii) substitutional magnetic transition metal ions combined with additional Cu and Li dopants, (iii) substitutional magnetic transition metal ions combined with oxygen vacancies and (iv) pairs of magnetic ion types (Co and Fe, Co and Mn, etc.). Extensive convergence tests indicate that the calculated magnetic ground state is unusually sensitive to the k-point mesh and energy cut-off, the details of the geometry optimizations and the choice of the exchange-correlation functional. We find that ferromagnetic coupling is sometimes favorable for single type substitutional transition metal ions within the local spin density approximation. However, the nature of magnetic interactions changes when correlations on the transition-metal ion are treated within the more realistic LSDA + \textit{U} method, often disfavoring the ferromagnetic state. The magnetic configuration is sensitive to the detailed arrangement of the ions and the amount of lattice relaxation, except in the case of oxygen vacancies when an antiferromagnetic state is always favored.Comment: 11 pages, 17 figure

Dirty Black Holes and Hairy Black Holes

An approach based on considerations of the non-classical energy momentum tensor outside the event horizon of a black hole provides additional physical insight into the nature of discrete quantum hair on black holes and its effect on black hole temperature. Our analysis both extends previous work based on the Euclidean action techniques, and corrects an omission in that work. We also raise several issues related to the effects of instantons on black hole thermodynamics and the relation between these effects and results in two dimensional quantum field theory.Comment: 13 pages, Latex, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Stage-specific control of oligodendrocyte survival and morphogenesis by TDP-43

Generation of oligodendrocytes in the adult brain enables both adaptive changes in neural circuits and regeneration of myelin sheaths destroyed by injury, disease, and normal aging. This transformation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) into myelinating oligodendrocytes requires processing of distinct mRNAs at different stages of cell maturation. Although mislocal- ization and aggregation of the RNA-binding protein, TDP-43, occur in both neurons and glia in neurodegenerative diseases, the consequences of TDP-43 loss within different stages of the oligo- dendrocyte lineage are not well understood. By performing stage-specific genetic inactivation of Tardbp in vivo, we show that oligodendrocyte lineage cells are differentially sensitive to loss of TDP- 43. While OPCs depend on TDP-43 for survival, with conditional deletion resulting in cascading cell loss followed by rapid regeneration to restore their density, oligodendrocytes become less sensitive to TDP-43 depletion as they mature. Deletion of TDP-43 early in the maturation process led to even- tual oligodendrocyte degeneration, seizures, and premature lethality, while oligodendrocytes that experienced late deletion survived and mice exhibited a normal lifespan. At both stages, TDP-43- deficient oligodendrocytes formed fewer and thinner myelin sheaths and extended new processes that inappropriately wrapped neuronal somata and blood vessels. Transcriptional analysis revealed that in the absence of TDP-43, key proteins involved in oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination were misspliced, leading to aberrant incorporation of cryptic exons. Inducible deletion of TDP-43 from oligodendrocytes in the adult central nervous system (CNS) induced the same progressive morphological changes and mice acquired profound hindlimb weakness, suggesting that loss of TDP-43 function in oligodendrocytes may contribute to neuronal dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease

Development, Calibration, and Validation of a U.S. White Male Population-Based Simulation Model of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has risen rapidly in the U.S. and western world. The aim of the study was to begin the investigation of this rapid rise by developing, calibrating, and validating a mathematical disease simulation model of EAC using available epidemiologic data.The model represents the natural history of EAC, including the essential biologic health states from normal mucosa to detected cancer. Progression rates between health states were estimated via calibration, which identified distinct parameter sets producing model outputs that fit epidemiologic data; specifically, the prevalence of pre-cancerous lesions and EAC cancer incidence from the published literature and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data. As an illustrative example of a clinical and policy application, the calibrated and validated model retrospectively analyzed the potential benefit of an aspirin chemoprevention program.Model outcomes approximated calibration targets; results of the model's fit and validation are presented. Approximately 7,000 cases of EAC could have been prevented over a 30-year period if all white males started aspirin chemoprevention at age 40 in 1965.The model serves as the foundation for future analyses to determine a cost-effective screening and management strategy to prevent EAC morbidity and mortality

A Mechanistic Analysis of Phase Evolution and Hydrogen Storage Behavior in Nanocrystalline Mg(BH4)2 within Reduced Graphene Oxide.

Magnesium borohydride (Mg(BH4)2, abbreviated here MBH) has received tremendous attention as a promising onboard hydrogen storage medium due to its excellent gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen storage capacities. While the polymorphs of MBH-alpha (α), beta (β), and gamma (γ)-have distinct properties, their synthetic homogeneity can be difficult to control, mainly due to their structural complexity and similar thermodynamic properties. Here, we describe an effective approach for obtaining pure polymorphic phases of MBH nanomaterials within a reduced graphene oxide support (abbreviated MBHg) under mild conditions (60-190 °C under mild vacuum, 2 Torr), starting from two distinct samples initially dried under Ar and vacuum. Specifically, we selectively synthesize the thermodynamically stable α phase and metastable β phase from the γ-phase within the temperature range of 150-180 °C. The relevant underlying phase evolution mechanism is elucidated by theoretical thermodynamics and kinetic nucleation modeling. The resulting MBHg composites exhibit structural stability, resistance to oxidation, and partially reversible formation of diverse [BH4]- species during de- and rehydrogenation processes, rendering them intriguing candidates for further optimization toward hydrogen storage applications

Changes in inorganic aerosol compositions over the Yellow Sea area from impact of Chinese emissions mitigation

Substantial mitigation of air pollutants emissions has been performed since 2013 around Beijing, and changes in the atmospheric characteristics have been expected over the downstream area of Beijing. In this study, both WRF-Chem simulation and on-site measurements were utilized for the Baengnyeong (island) supersite, one of the representative regional background sites located in the Yellow Sea, the entrance area of the long-range transport process in Korea. The changes in the chemical compositions of inorganic aerosols were examined for spring-time during the Chinese emission mitigation period from 2014 to 2016. The measured ratio of ionic species to PM2.5 at the Baengnyeong supersite showed changes in aerosol inorganic chemical compositions from sulfate in 2014 to nitrate in 2015–2016. The modeling results also showed that nitrate was low in 2014 and significantly increased in 2015 and 2016, and the acidic aerosol condition had also changed toward a more neutralized status in both the simulation and the observations. The WRF-Chem modeling study further indicated that the sulfur was not neutralized in 2014. However, in 2015 and 2016, SO2 was more sufficiently neutralized as sulfur emissions were substantially reduced in China, while at the same time nitrate had begun to increase in such a ‘SO2–poor’ condition in Beijing area in China, and thus approaching more enhanced neutralization over the Yellow Sea area. The causes of the higher nitrate based on the modeled characteristics of the ammonia-sulfate-nitrate aerosol formation in response to the SO2 emissions reduction in China are also discussed in this paper

Bioethanol Production from Ulva pertusa Kjellman by High-temperature Liquefaction

This work was investigated to improve hydrolysis yields of macro alga, Ulva pertusa Kjellman by high-temperature liquefaction process (HTLP). We hydrolyzed this alga to produce bioethanol. U. pertusa Kjellman contains approximately w = 32 % glucose, comprising w = 6 % cellulose and 20 % starch, along with w = 5.9 % xylose. Among 32 % of total carbohydrates, ca. 26 % of glucose was hydrolyzed from starch (20 %) and cellulose (6 %), respectively, which tells that a more efficient process might be considered to completely hydrolyze the polymers containing fermentable sugars such as glucose and galctose, etc. Optimal hydrolysis conditions for the high-temperature liquefaction process (HTLP) were determined to be 15 MPa and 150 °C for 15 min, with water as the solvent. We found that the process temperature and time were the most important factors in the operation. Under these conditions, the conversion yields of glucose and xylose were 9.08 and 21.14 %, respectively. After cellulase and amyloglucosidase treatment, 61.1 % glucose (based on w = 32.1 %, dry basis) was converted into glucose without further conversion into xylose. The present process provided 3.1 to 12.6 % higher overall hydrolysis yields from U. pertusa Kjellman than those from other agricultural biomass. The HTLP process generated only about 40 mg L–1 of HMF (5-hydroxymethylfurfural). This concentration was much less than those from other pretreatment processes and resulted in approximately 90 % of the maximum theoretical ethanol yield. In addition, the hydrolysis pattern of U. pertusa Kjellman was much different from those of agricultural biomass materials due to different starch compositions and polymer structures