Alfalfa Fertility Management for Production and Feed Quality

For many years it has been recognized that the two major limiting factors to alfalfa (Medicago sativa) growth in the upper Midwest are soil pH and exchangeable soil potassium (Brown, 1928; Hull, 1934; Lanyon and Griffith, 1988). Recent research affirms the benefits of raising pH to near neutral by adding lime to fields where alfalfa is to be grown in Wisconsin (Peters and Kelling, 1989; Peters and Kelling, 199 7)

Radionuclide method for evaluating the performance of hemodialysis in vivo

Radionuclide method for evaluating the performance of hemodialysis in vivo.BackgroundSpecifications of dialyzer performance are generally based on in vitro measurements. There is, however, a shortage of data on dialyzer performance in vivo. The aim of this study was to use continuous measurement of technetium-99m-diethyltriaminepentaacetic acid (Tc-99m-DTPA) blood concentration as a means of continuously monitoring dialyzer function in vivo in patients undergoing routine hemodialysis.MethodsThe study population comprised 15 patients (45 to 80 years old; 13 males). Tc-99m-DTPA was administered intravenously 90 minutes before obtaining a blood sample and starting dialysis. Blood Tc-99m-DTPA activity was continuously monitored by passing the line carrying blood from the patient to the dialyzer close to a scintillation probe mounted in a shielded housing. At the end of hemodialysis, lasting 180 to 300 minutes, chromium-51-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Cr-51-EDTA) was given intravenously and a blood sample taken 90 minutes later. Baseline dialyzer blood flow (Qb) and dialysate flow (Qd) were 250 to 350mL/min and 500mL/min, respectively. The rate constant, α, of the decrease in blood Tc-99m-DTPA activity was used as the measure of moment-to-moment dialyzer function. Pre- and postdialysis extracellular fluid volumes were calculated from the blood Tc-99m-DTPA and Cr-51-EDTA concentrations (VDTPA and VEDTA) before and after dialysis. Tc-99m-DTPA clearance was measured as the product of α and VDTPA. Dialyzer urea clearance was calculated from pre- and postdialysis urea nitrogen concentrations and the time of dialysis. The effects of brief changes in Qb and Qd on dialyzer function were assessed from the associated changes in α.ResultsThe Tc-99m-DTPA clearance profile was biexponential, becoming monoexponential about 1 hour after starting hemodialysis, with α remaining constant for as long as dialysis continued in five patients in whom Qb and Qd were left unaltered. Mean (SEM) plasma Tc-99m-DTPA clearance averaged over the entire period of dialysis in all 15 patients was 110 (3.1)mL/min. It correlated with urea clearance (r = 0.71) (P < 0.01) which was 225 (9.5)mL/min based on a total body water of 2.5 that of VDTPA and 212 (13)mL/min scaled to 40 L/1.73m2. Extracellular fluid volume decreased by 1.73 (0.74) l over dialysis, which was comparable to the change in weight [1.48 (0.57) kg]. The extraction fraction of Tc-99m-DTPA across the artificial kidney, directly measured from afferent and efferent blood samples under baseline Qb and Qd, was 0.5 (0.013). Average extraction fraction indirectly estimated from Tc-99m-DTPA blood clearance and Qb was 0.54 (0.019). These two measurements of extraction fraction correlated with each other under conditions of varying Qb and Qd (r = 0.74) (N = 27) (P < 0.001). Changes in α resulting from changes in Qb and Qd were similar to changes predicted from computerized modeling. The ratio of mass transfer coefficients of urea and Tc-99m-DTPA with respect to the dialyzer, calculated as if they were permeability-surface area products, was 3.3, similar to the ratio, obtained from the literature, in continuous capillary endothelium.ConclusionTc-99m-DTPA is a useful agent for continuously monitoring dialyzer function in vivo and provides a platform for the use of other radio-pharmaceuticals of different molecular sizes that could be used in an analogous fashion

ZAC in GtoPdb v.2023.1

The zinc-activated channel (ZAC, nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee for the Zinc Activated Channel) is a member of the Cys-loop family that includes the nicotinic ACh, 5-HT3, GABAA and strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors [2, 3, 5]. The channel is likely to exist as a homopentamer of 4TM subunits that form an intrinsic cation selective channel equipermeable to Na+, K+ and Cs+, but impermeable to Ca2+ and Mg2+ [5]. ZAC displays constitutive activity that can be blocked by tubocurarine, TTFB and high concentrations of Ca2+ [5]. Although denoted ZAC, the channel is more potently activated by H+ and Cu2+, with greater and lesser efficacy than Zn2+, respectively [5]. Orthologs of the human ZACN gene are present in a wide range of mammalian genomes, but notably not in the mouse or rat genomes. [2, 3]

ZAC (version 2019.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database

The zinc-activated channel (ZAC, nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee for the Zinc Activated Channel) is a member of the Cys-loop family that includes the nicotinic ACh, 5-HT3, GABAA and strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors [1, 2, 3]. The channel is likely to exist as a homopentamer of 4TM subunits that form an intrinsic cation selective channel equipermeable to Na+, K+ and Cs+, but impermeable to Ca2+ and Mg2+ [3]. ZAC displays constitutive activity that can be blocked by tubocurarine and high concentrations of Ca2+ [3]. Although denoted ZAC, the channel is more potently activated by protons and copper, with greater and lesser efficacy than zinc, respectively [3]. ZAC is present in the human, chimpanzee, dog, cow and opossum genomes, but is functionally absent from mouse, or rat, genomes [1, 2]

ZAC in GtoPdb v.2021.3

The zinc-activated channel (ZAC, nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee for the Zinc Activated Channel) is a member of the Cys-loop family that includes the nicotinic ACh, 5-HT3, GABAA and strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors [2, 3, 4]. The channel is likely to exist as a homopentamer of 4TM subunits that form an intrinsic cation selective channel equipermeable to Na+, K+ and Cs+, but impermeable to Ca2+ and Mg2+ [4]. ZAC displays constitutive activity that can be blocked by tubocurarine and high concentrations of Ca2+ [4]. Although denoted ZAC, the channel is more potently activated by H+ and Cu2+, with greater and lesser efficacy than Zn2+, respectively [4]. ZAC is present in the human, chimpanzee, dog, cow and opossum genomes, but is functionally absent from mouse, or rat, genomes [2, 3]

Levo-Tetrahydropalmatine Attenuates Cocaine Self-Administration under a Progressive-Ratio Schedule and Cocaine Discrimination in Rats

Levo-tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP) is an alkaloid found in many traditional Chinese herbal preparations and has a unique pharmacological profile that includes dopamine receptor antagonism. Previously we demonstrated that l-THP attenuates fixed-ratio (FR) cocaine self-administration (SA) and cocaine-induced reinstatement in rats at doses that do not alter food-reinforced responding. This study examined the effects of l-THP on cocaine and food SA under progressive-ratio (PR) schedules of reinforcement and the discriminative stimulus effects of cocaine. In adult male Sprague–Dawley rats self-administering cocaine (0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg/inf), l-THP significantly reduced breaking points at the 1.875, 3.75 and 7.5 mg/kg doses. l-THP also reduced the breaking point and response rate for PR SA of sucrose-sweetened food pellets, although the decrease was significant only at the 7.5 mg/kg l-THP dose. In rats trained to discriminate cocaine (10 mg/kg, ip) from saline, l-THP (1.875, 3.75 and 7.5 mg/kg) produced a rightward shift in the dose–response curve for cocaine generalization. During generalization testing, l-THP reduced response rate, but only at the 7.5 mg/kg dose. l-THP also prevented substitution of the dopamine D2/D3 receptor agonist, (±) 7-OH-DPAT, for cocaine suggesting a potential role for antagonism of D2 and/or D3 receptors in the effects of l-THP. These data further demonstrate that l-THP attenuates the reinforcing and subjective effects of cocaine at doses that do not produce marked motor effects and provide additional evidence that l-THP may have utility for the management of cocaine addiction

Key Determinants of Team Success in Elite Men’s Wheelchair Basketball

Performance Analysis has become an integral part of the coaching process within elite wheelchair basketball, assisting staff with the delivery of augmented feedback (Fliess-Douer et al. 2016). Whilst previous attempts to explore the key determinants of success within wheelchair basketball have identified that stronger teams accumulate a greater number of assists, turnovers, free-throw and field goal shooting attempts (Gómez et al. 2015; Molik et al. 2009), the use of secondary box score data in such studies has been questioned for both its validity and reliability (Ziv et al. 2010). The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the key determinants of team success within elite men’s wheelchair basketball using a valid and reliable wheelchair basketball data collection system using primary data collected from match notation (see Francis et al., 2015). Following University ethical approval, footage from 31 men’s games at the 2015 European Wheelchair Basketball Championships was coded using a developed template in SportsCode (V10, SportsTec Inc.) that included 108 action variables grouped into 19 categorical variables: Time, Home Team, Away Team, Offensive Unit (3.0/3.5), Offensive Unit (4.0/4.5), Defensive Unit (3.0/3.5), Defensive Unit (4.0/4.5), Match Status, Start of Possession, Man Out Offence, Shot Taken, Shot Point, Shot Outcome, Shot Location, Shot Clock Remaining, End of Possession, Defensive System, Defensive Outcome and Possession. The template’s reliability had been assessed by Francis et al. (2015) (inter-observer reliability: 0-5% error; intra-observer reliability 0-5% error). The data was subjected to a two-stage statistical analysis procedure in R (R Core Team 2015). Stage 1: Chi-squared tests highlighted 15 categorical variables that were significantly (p<0.05) associated with final game outcome (winning versus losing). The category with the highest level of statistical significance was Match Status (p<0.001). Stage 2: The multicollinearity between explanatory categories were explored. Categories that demonstrated perfect collinearity were removed. Using a 70% sample of the data (4,288 possessions), a forward and backwards stepwise elimination approach was used to build a final model, which included seven categories comprising of 37 action variables: Match Status, Defensive Unit (3.0/3.5), Offensive Unit (3.0/3.5), Offensive Unit (4.0/4.5), Stage, Defensive System and Start of Possession. When tested against the remaining 30% data set an area under the curve value of 0.749 was achieved which suggests the model has ‘fair’ predictive qualities. The final model indicates the importance of maintaining a winning state throughout the game, selecting a unit which predominately comprises of three point players and countering when the defence are pressing. Coaches, players and support staff can utilise the findings from the study to assist with the planning of offensive and defensive game strategies by identifying areas for development within training sessions, supporting selection and line-up combinations and informing the decision-making process of coaches and players during performances