Crossbreeding of cattle: effects on milk production

International audienc

Toxicological analysis of the risk of lead exposure in metal processing

Purpose: To evaluate toxicological risks for workers who are exposed to lead in their work environment. Methods: Since it is an important indicator of toxicological risk, a statistical analysis of lead concentration and biological lead toxicity markers in blood and urine were performed for both exposed and control groups. Both experimental groups consisted of employees from "NISSAL" JSC factory. Analytical epidemiological method in the form of a retrospective cohort study was applied, and covered the period from 2001 to 2010. The concentration of lead, δ-aminolevulinic acid, and coproporphyrin in biological samples were determined by spectrophotometric methods. Results: The results showed a high positive correlation between lead concentrations in blood and urine and the length of exposure of the participants (p < 0.01). Also, increase of lead concentration in the biological material significantly increased δ-aminolevulinic acid (p < 0.01) and slightly increased the concentration of coproporphyrin, both of which are important indicators of toxicological risk. Conclusion: The control group of employees belonged to the normal risk category, while the exposed group belonged to a moderate risk category. Correlation between the monitored parameters is statistically significant at p < 0.01 and p < 0.05. Keywords: Lead, δ-Aminolevulinic acid, Coproporphyrin, Chronic exposure, Toxicity, Correlatio

Influence of Radiation Dose in Computed Tomography on Antioxidant Enzyme Activity in Rabbit Erythrocytes

The objective of this study was to assess the radiation dose in computed tomography examinations of rabbits using different examination protocols and to correlate these values with the activity of antioxidant enzymes in their red blood cells following irradiation. The presented results revealed that a single, routine computed tomography scan exposure led to a different response of the activity of antioxidant enzymes in red blood cells regarding both dose and time. The results indicate that there is a dose threshold that is about 25 mGy. Doses below that level do not produce any significant changes in the level of antioxidant enzymes activity. On the other hand, the level just above that threshold had a significant impact on the antioxidant defence, but in a relatively short time period (2 hours after exposure), compared to the higher dose that requires a longer adaptive period

New records and noteworthy data of plants, algae and fungi in SE Europe and adjacent regions, 13

This paper presents new records and noteworthy data on the following taxa in SE Europe and adjacent regions: brown alga Heribaudiella fluviatilis, red alga Batrachospermum skujae, saprotrophic fungus Gnomonia geranii-macrorrhizi, mycorrhizal fungi Amanita alseides and Russula griseascens, liverwort Ricciocarpos natans, moss Blindia acuta, Leucodon sciuroides var. morensis and Pseudostereodon procerrimus, monocots Allium ampeloprasum, Carex ferruginea and Carex limosa and dicots Convolvulus althaeoides, Fumana aciphylla, Hieracium petrovae, Lamium bifidum subsp. bifidum and Ranunculus fontanus are given within SE Europe and adjacent region

Worldwide diversity of endophytic fungi and insects associated with dormant tree twigs

International trade in plants and climate change are two of the main factors causing damaging tree pests (i.e. fungi and insects) to spread into new areas. To mitigate these risks, a large-scale assessment of tree-associated fungi and insects is needed. We present records of endophytic fungi and insects in twigs of 17 angiosperm and gymnosperm genera, from 51 locations in 32 countries worldwide. Endophytic fungi were characterized by high-throughput sequencing of 352 samples from 145 tree species in 28 countries. Insects were reared from 227 samples of 109 tree species in 18 countries and sorted into taxonomic orders and feeding guilds. Herbivorous insects were grouped into morphospecies and were identified using molecular and morphological approaches. This dataset reveals the diversity of tree-associated taxa, as it contains 12,721 fungal Amplicon Sequence Variants and 208 herbivorous insect morphospecies, sampled across broad geographic and climatic gradients and for many tree species. This dataset will facilitate applied and fundamental studies on the distribution of fungal endophytes and insects in trees

Many Labs 2: Investigating Variation in Replicability Across Samples and Settings

We conducted preregistered replications of 28 classic and contemporary published findings, with protocols that were peer reviewed in advance, to examine variation in effect magnitudes across samples and settings. Each protocol was administered to approximately half of 125 samples that comprised 15,305 participants from 36 countries and territories. Using the conventional criterion of statistical significance (p < .05), we found that 15 (54%) of the replications provided evidence of a statistically significant effect in the same direction as the original finding. With a strict significance criterion (p < .0001), 14 (50%) of the replications still provided such evidence, a reflection of the extremely highpowered design. Seven (25%) of the replications yielded effect sizes larger than the original ones, and 21 (75%) yielded effect sizes smaller than the original ones. The median comparable Cohen’s ds were 0.60 for the original findings and 0.15 for the replications. The effect sizes were small (< 0.20) in 16 of the replications (57%), and 9 effects (32%) were in the direction opposite the direction of the original effect. Across settings, the Q statistic indicated significant heterogeneity in 11 (39%) of the replication effects, and most of those were among the findings with the largest overall effect sizes; only 1 effect that was near zero in the aggregate showed significant heterogeneity according to this measure. Only 1 effect had a tau value greater than .20, an indication of moderate heterogeneity. Eight others had tau values near or slightly above .10, an indication of slight heterogeneity. Moderation tests indicated that very little heterogeneity was attributable to the order in which the tasks were performed or whether the tasks were administered in lab versus online. Exploratory comparisons revealed little heterogeneity between Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) cultures and less WEIRD cultures (i.e., cultures with relatively high and low WEIRDness scores, respectively). Cumulatively, variability in the observed effect sizes was attributable more to the effect being studied than to the sample or setting in which it was studied.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIP

Crossbreeding of pigs: effects on growth, feed conversion and carcass

International audienc

Clarification and filtration of the floculated partuicles suspension from a chemical treatment of waste oil-in-water emulsions from a non-ferrous metalworking plant

The effects of the coagulation/floculation conditions on clarification and filtration of the floculated particle suspension obtained by the chemical treatment of the waste oil-in-water emulsion (OWE) from a non-ferrous metalworking plant were studied. The treatment involved the addition of aluminum(III) sulfate and lime to the OWE. The main goal was to define the optimum conditions for clarification and filtration of the floculated particle suspension. The factors involved were amounts lime (i.e. pH) and filter aid added the OWE on clarification and filtration rates. At pH&gt;10, the clarification rate was increased and the final volume of the concentrated suspension (sludge) was reduced, while filter aid affected negatively the clarification rate. The filtration rate was also increased when the coagulation was carried out at pH&gt;10. The floculated particle suspension should be concentrated before filtration in order to decrease the filtration duration. The most efficient filter aid was Celite standard super-cel, its optimum initial concentration being found to be 2 g/dm3