Composition chimique, dégradabilité in sacco et produits de fermentation in vitro de la fétuque élevée (Festuca arundinacea

Objectifs : En vue d’une sélection pour une utilisation comme aliment pour bétail, vingt quatre écotypes de fétuque élevée (Festuca arundinacea) provenant du milieu naturel du nord de la Belgique ont été étudiés afin d’en déterminer la valeur nutritionnelle.Méthodologie et Résultats : La composition chimique, la dégradabilité in sacco et les incubations in vitro ont été réalisés. Un mouton adulte fistulé au niveau du rumen a été utilisé pour la détermination de la dégradabilité in sacco des écotypes et les incubations in vitro. La teneur moyenne en MAT (8,0% MS) des 24 écotypes étudiés est faible. Les écotypes de Festuca arundinacea présentent en moyenne une meilleure dégradabilité potentielle (a + b) (82,7%) que les fourrages tropicaux Pennisetum purpureum (64,9%) et Tripsacum laxum (66,8%) mais moindre que les fourrages tempérés (Lolium perenne : 90,5%). Festuca arundinacea a présenté une production élevée de propionate (234.7 Gmol/mmol AGV totaux).Conclusion : Les meilleurs de la collection de 24 écotypes de F. arundinacea ont été identifiés pour une utilisation comme aliment pour bétail. Les teneurs en MAT trouvées pour la fétuque élevée sont comparables à celles des fourrages tropicaux qui sont généralement plus pauvres en protéine que les fourrages tempérés ; ce qui représente un handicap pour leur ingestion volontaire. Ces résultats impliquent d’une part qu’il faut une supplémentation en azote pour les pâturages de Festuca arundinacea et d’autre part l’exploitation des pâturages à la fétuque élevée au stade avant frutification. Par ailleurs, la culture en association de fétuque élevée et légumineuses est également une solution envisageable. Une variabilité a été notée entre les écotypes de Festuca arundinacea qui en moyenne présentent une meilleure dégradabilité que les fourrages tropicaux, mais moindres que les fourrages tempérés. Cet avantage de la fétuque élevée sur les fourrages tropicaux se consolide par une production élevée d’acide propionique et faible d’acide acétique comparables à celles des fourrages tempérés ; ce qui est très intéressant car le propionate peut générer du glucose, un des facteurs limitant pour la production laitière.Mots clés: Festuca arundinacea, écotype, azote ammoniacal, dégradabilité in sacco, méthane, acides gras volatile

Checking the Polarity of Superconducting Multipole LHC Magnets

This paper describes the design and operation of the âﾜPolarity Checkerâ, a scanning probe designed to check multipole field order, type and polarity of superconducting LHC magnets. First we introduce the measurement method, based on the harmonic analysis of the radial field component picked up by a rotating Hall sensor at different current levels. Then we describe the hardware and the software of the system, which features automatic powering, data acquisition and treatment, discussing the achieved sensitivity and performance. Finally we provide a summary of the test results on the first 505 cryoassemblies, showing how the system was usefully employed to detect some potentially harmful connection errors

Plant viruses.

Clover viruses, 82ES38, 82AL47, 82MA19, 82BR19, 82BY29; 82BU5, 82HA9. Lupin virus, diseases. Barley yellow dwarf virus, 82AL46, 82AL51, 82B10, 82BA33, 82BR16, 82BR18, 82C29, 82E27, 82ES37, 82ES40, 82JE19, 82JE20, 82KA33, 82KA34, 82ABI3, 82MA18, 82MN22, 82MT34, 82NA32, 82WH28,82B8, 82MN17, 82E24, 82MT30, 82E25, 82MN18, 82MT31, 82B9, 82ABI2, 82BA31, 82C26, 82JE17, 82WH27, 82AL45, 82BR17, 82ES39, 82MA1, 82MA117, 82MT33

Milk yield residuals and their link with the metabolic status of dairy cows in the transition period

The transition period is one of the most challenging periods in the lactation cycle of high-yielding dairy cows. It is commonly known to be associated with diminished animal welfare and economic performance of dairy farms. The development of data-driven health monitoring tools based on on-farm available milk yield development has shown potential in identifying health-perturbing events. As proof of principle, we explored the association of these milk yield residuals with the metabolic status of cows during the transition period. Over 2 yr, 117 transition periods from 99 multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows were monitored intensively. Pre- and postpartum dry matter intake was measured and blood samples were taken at regular intervals to determine β-hydroxybutyrate, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), insulin, glucose, fructosamine, and IGF1 concentrations. The expected milk yield in the current transition period was predicted with 2 previously developed models (nextMILK and SLMYP) using low-frequency test-day (TD) data and high-frequency milk meter (MM) data from the animal's previous lactation, respectively. The expected milk yield was subtracted from the actual production to calculate the milk yield residuals in the transition period (MRT) for both TD and MM data, yielding MRTTD and MRTMM. When the MRT is negative, the realized milk yield is lower than the predicted milk yield, in contrast, when positive, the realized milk yield exceeded the predicted milk yield. First, blood plasma analytes, dry matter intake, and MRT were compared between clinically diseased and nonclinically diseased transitions. MRTTD and MRTMM, postpartum dry matter intake and IGF1 were significantly lower for clinically diseased versus nonclinically diseased transitions, whereas β-hydroxybutyrate and NEFA concentrations were significantly higher. Next, linear models were used to link the MRTTD and MRTMM of the nonclinically diseased cows with the dry matter intake measurements and blood plasma analytes. After variable selection, a final model was constructed for MRTTD and MRTMM, resulting in an adjusted R2 of 0.47 and 0.73, respectively. While both final models were not identical the retained variables were similar and yielded comparable importance and direction. In summary, the most informative variables in these linear models were the dry matter intake postpartum and the lactation number. Moreover, in both models, lower and thus also more negative MRT were linked with lower dry matter intake and increasing lactation number. In the case of an increasing dry matter intake, MRTTD was positively associated with NEFA concentrations. Furthermore, IGF1, glucose, and insulin explained a significant part of the MRT. Results of the present study suggest that milk yield residuals at the start of a new lactation are indicative of the health and metabolic status of transitioning dairy cows in support of the development of a health monitoring tool. Future field studies including a higher number of cows from multiple herds are needed to validate these findings

Crop Updates 2000 Cereals - part 3

This session covers eighteen papers from different authors: BARLEY AND OAT AGRONOMY 1. Unicorn barley must meet malting specifications to be a viable option, Roslyn Jettnerand Blakely Paynter, Agriculture Western Australia 2. Optimum oat seed rates, Glenn McDonald, Agriculture Western Australia 3. Production and Quality of export Oaten Hay (1998 and 1989), Pierre Fievez, Pierre Fievez and Associates FROST 4. Climatology of Frost in Southern Western Australia, Ian Foster, Agriculture Western Australia 5. Flowering calculator, David Tennant, Agriculture Western Australia 6. Some options for managing the risk of frost damage, Wal Anderson, Agriculture Western Australia PASTURE 7. TIMERITE® Control of redlegged earth mite in south western Australia with a spring spray to pastures, James Ridsdill-Smith and Celia Pavri, CSIRO Entomology, University of Western Australia 8. The pattern of seed softening in subterranean clover in relation to presicted false break risk, Ross Chapman and Senthold Asseng, CSIRO Plant Industry, Centre for Mediterranean Agricultural Research 9. Charano serradella – a viable option for 1:1 cropping, Steve Carr and Brad Nutt IAMA Agri-Services Western Australia and Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, University of Western Australia 10. Alfalfa mosaic virus in alternative annual pasture and forage legumes, Lindrea Latham and Roger Jones, Crop Improvement Institute, Agriculture Western Australia and Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, University of Western Australia 11. Pasture mixture performs better than single-species-based pasture – 1999, Anyou Liu, Clinton Revell and David Ferris, Centre for Cropping Systems, Agriculture Western Australia 12. Better pasture management improves performance of following crops – 1999, Anyou Liu, Clinton Revell and David Ferris, Centre for Cropping Systems, Agriculture Western Australia 13. Lucerne Benefits Crop Production, Roy Latta1, Lisa-Jane Blacklow2, Chris Matthews1 1Agriculture Western Australia 2University of Western Australia 14. Does size count? Determining optimum release number of red apion for biocontrol of doublegee, Tim Woodburn and Paul Yeoh, CSIRO Entomology/CRC Weed Management Systems, Perth 15. Herbicide tolerance of some new cultivars of annual pasture legumes, Clinton Revell and Ian Rose, Centre for Cropping Systems, Agriculture Western Australia 16. Lucerne – crop rotations in the Esperance region, Anita Lyons, Roy Latta and Chris Matthews,Agriculture Western Australia PRECISION AGRICULTURE 17. Assessing the results of on-farm experiments using yield monitors, Simon Cook and Matthew Adams, CSIRO Land and Water 18. Achiever: A GIS based achievable yield and fertiliser recommendation system for precision agriculture, Robert J. Corner, Matthew L. Adams, Precision Agriculture Research Group CSIRO Land and Wate

Synthetic Nanoparticles for Vaccines and Immunotherapy

The immune system plays a critical role in our health. No other component of human physiology plays a decisive role in as diverse an array of maladies, from deadly diseases with which we are all familiar to equally terrible esoteric conditions: HIV, malaria, pneumococcal and influenza infections; cancer; atherosclerosis; autoimmune diseases such as lupus, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. The importance of understanding the function of the immune system and learning how to modulate immunity to protect against or treat disease thus cannot be overstated. Fortunately, we are entering an exciting era where the science of immunology is defining pathways for the rational manipulation of the immune system at the cellular and molecular level, and this understanding is leading to dramatic advances in the clinic that are transforming the future of medicine.1,2 These initial advances are being made primarily through biologic drugs– recombinant proteins (especially antibodies) or patient-derived cell therapies– but exciting data from preclinical studies suggest that a marriage of approaches based in biotechnology with the materials science and chemistry of nanomaterials, especially nanoparticles, could enable more effective and safer immune engineering strategies. This review will examine these nanoparticle-based strategies to immune modulation in detail, and discuss the promise and outstanding challenges facing the field of immune engineering from a chemical biology/materials engineering perspectiveNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grants AI111860, CA174795, CA172164, AI091693, and AI095109)United States. Department of Defense (W911NF-13-D-0001 and Awards W911NF-07-D-0004