Effects of kefir on coccidial oocysts excretion and performance of dairy goat kids following weaning

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of kefir, a traditional source of probiotic, on coccidial oocysts excretion and on the performance of dairy goat kids following weaning. Twin kids were randomly allocated to one of two groups at weaning. Kids of the first group received 20 ml of kefir daily for 6 weeks (KEF), while kids in the control group were given a placebo (CON). Individual faecal samples were regularly (n = 18 per kid) taken to quantify the number of coccidial oocysts per gram of faeces (OpG). There were no differences between the groups in terms of body weight development (P > 0.05) and feed consumption. Kids of both groups were not able to consume enough feed to meet their nutrient requirements during the first 3 weeks following weaning. KEF had a lower frequency of OpG positive samples than CON (P = 0.043). Kefir did not affect the maximum oocyst excretion and age of the kids at the highest oocyst excretion (P > 0.05). KEF shed numerically 35% lower coccidial oocysts than the controls, which corresponded to a statistical tendency (P = 0.074) in lowering Log-OpG in comparison to CON. While KEF had a lower frequency of OpG positive samples and tended to shed lower OPG by around one-third, the frequency of diarrhea, level of highest oocyst excretion, and performance of the kids remained unaffected. Therefore, it is concluded that overall effects of kefir do not have a significant impact on sub-clinical infection and performance in weaned kids under relatively high-hygienic farming conditions

Genome analysis and comparative genomics of a Giardia intestinalis assemblage E isolate

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Giardia intestinalis </it>is a protozoan parasite that causes diarrhea in a wide range of mammalian species. To further understand the genetic diversity between the <it>Giardia intestinalis </it>species, we have performed genome sequencing and analysis of a wild-type <it>Giardia intestinalis </it>sample from the assemblage E group, isolated from a pig.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified 5012 protein coding genes, the majority of which are conserved compared to the previously sequenced genomes of the WB and GS strains in terms of microsynteny and sequence identity. Despite this, there is an unexpectedly large number of chromosomal rearrangements and several smaller structural changes that are present in all chromosomes. Novel members of the VSP, NEK Kinase and HCMP gene families were identified, which may reveal possible mechanisms for host specificity and new avenues for antigenic variation. We used comparative genomics of the three diverse <it>Giardia intestinalis </it>isolates P15, GS and WB to define a core proteome for this species complex and to identify lineage-specific genes. Extensive analyses of polymorphisms in the core proteome of <it>Giardia </it>revealed differential rates of divergence among cellular processes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results indicate that despite a well conserved core of genes there is significant genome variation between <it>Giardia </it>isolates, both in terms of gene content, gene polymorphisms, structural chromosomal variations and surface molecule repertoires. This study improves the annotation of the <it>Giardia </it>genomes and enables the identification of functionally important variation.</p

Quarkonium Physics at a Fixed-Target Experiment using the LHC Beams

We outline the many quarkonium-physics opportunities offered by a multi-purpose fixed-target experiment using the p and Pb LHC beams extracted by a bent crystal. This provides an integrated luminosity of 0.5 fb-1 per year on a typical 1cm-long target. Such an extraction mode does not alter the performance of the collider experiments at the LHC. With such a high luminosity, one can analyse quarkonium production in great details in pp, pd and pA collisions at sqrt(sNN)~115 GeV and at sqrt(sNN)~72 GeV in PbA collisions. In a typical pp (pA) run, the obtained quarkonium yields per unit of rapidity are 2-3 orders of magnitude larger than those expected at RHIC and about respectively 10 (70) times larger than for ALICE. In PbA, they are comparable. By instrumenting the target-rapidity region, the large negative-xF domain can be accessed for the first time, greatly extending previous measurements by Hera-B and E866. Such analyses should help resolving the quarkonium-production controversies and clear the way for gluon PDF extraction via quarkonium studies. The nuclear target-species versatility provides a unique opportunity to study nuclear matter and the features of the hot and dense matter formed in PbA collisions. A polarised proton target allows the study of transverse-spin asymmetries in J/psi and Upsilon production, providing access to the gluon and charm Sivers functions.Comment: Proceedings of the workshop "30 years of strong interactions", Spa, Belgium, 6-8 April 2011. Version to appear in Few-Body Systems. 14 pages, 2 tables, LaTe

Encontros possíveis: experiências com jogos teatrais no ensino de ciências

O que pode acontecer entre o Teatro e o Ensino de Ciências? Quais as potencialidades da composição Ensino de Ciências com jogos teatrais? Que agenciamentos podem surgir desse encontro? Ao seguir as trilhas da filosofia da diferença em educação, inspirada em Gilles Deleuze, investiga-se, a partir de uma cartografia, a experiência da oficina de teatro Ciência inCena. Nela, alunos-atores escolheram o conteúdo de peixes a ser trabalhado a partir de jogos teatrais. O processo de montagem de Pedro e o mar ou como os peixes hão de voar indica possibilidades de se pensar outras narrativas para os sujeitos e objetos das aulas de ciências e as relações que os comportam