Animal Production over Rice-Pasture Rotation System: Animal Performance

Fluctuations in commodity prices, determine the need to find strategies to stabilize production in farming systems. The rice - pastures rotation systems are a good example of this, where animal production takes place in the moments where rice is rotated with pastures (3 years rice and 2 years pastures). In this context, INIA has developed a technology adjusted to the east of the country, with the use of summer tillage to intensify livestock production through the incorporation of lambs fattening. These technologies, comercially validated with sheep-rice farming systems, can move the process of cattle backgrounding (males and females), but requires technological adjustments related to planting winter annuals species and the strategic use of the supplementation and subsequent evaluation of the impact of these proposed intensifications of the livestock production phase and subsequent rice production. There are now new tools to study the feasibility of these alternatives (productive and economic) through modelling, but the validity of their results will be based on the certainty of technical coefficients. These coefficients must be generated in real situations where all the factors interact (Deambrosi 2009). The objective of the present experiments, was to com-pare livewieght (LW) per hectare, daily gain (DG) and weight gain (WG) per animal on an annual ryegrass (‘LE 284’) sown over rice stubble, used for calf backgrounding, under the effect of two stocking rate, in the north of Uruguay

Prognostic significance of new onset ascites in patients with pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine risk factors for development of malignant ascites and its prognostic significance in patients with pancreatic cancer. METHODS: A prospective database was queried to identify patients with pancreatic cancer who develop ascites. Stage at presentation, size, and location of primary tumor, treatment received and length of survival after onset of ascites were determined. RESULTS: A total of 15 patients were identified. Of which 4 patients (1 stage II, 3 stage III) underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy and manifested with ascites 2, 3, 24 and 47 months after surgery (tumor size 2.9 ± 1.32 cm). All but one of the remaining 11 patients (tumor size 4.4 ± 3.38 cm) presented with metastatic disease, and all developed malignant ascites 9 months after diagnosis, dying 2 months later. Resected patients lived longer before the onset of ascites, but not after. CONCLUSION: Once diagnosed, ascites in pancreatic cancer patients heralds imminent death. Limited survival should be considered when determining the aggressiveness of further intervention

Competencia y competitividad en la gestión de organizaciones agrícolas en Ecuador: el caso de los productores de Manabí y Esmeraldas

En el modelo económico actual de Ecuador persiste la dependencia sobre las exportaciones de petróleo, asunto que pone en riesgo su desarrollo sostenible. La nueva matriz productiva plantea retos que demandan cambios en la base de la estructura agroproductiva. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo evaluar las competencias para la gestión socio organizativa de las asociaciones de productores agrícolas. Con este fin se aplica el modelo de competencias para la gestión de agronegocios rurales presentado por la Organización Mundial de la Agricultura y Alimentos (FAO) en el 2006. Para la toma de datos se utilizó la entrevista semi estructurada y la observación de la gestión de 14 líderes de organizaciones productivas agrícolas en Manabí y Esmeraldas. Como resultado se presenta una matriz sobre el estado de desarrollo de las competencias para la gestión de los emprendimientos productivos rurales. Este procedimiento metodológico facilitó la aproximación a los procesos de desarrollo en los que se desempeñan los participantes. Palabras    clave:    Desarrollo    sustentable;    liderazgo, emprendimiento; comunidades; empresas rurales. Abstract Dependence on oil exports, matter that jeopardizes their sustainable development continues in the current economic model of Ecuador. The new productive matrix presented by the vice presidency of the Republic poses challenges that demand changes in the population of the commodity base. This work of descriptive character, aims to assess competencies for management organizational partner of the associations of agricultural producers. For this purpose apply the competency model for the management  of  rural  agrobusiness  presented  by  Food  and Agriculture  Organization  (FAO)  in  (2006).  For  the  data collection, we attend the interview semi structured and the observation of management style of 14 leaders of organizations of agricultural producers in the provinces of Manabi and Esmeraldas. We apply the approach to direct actors, since it facilitates the approach  to  the  development  process  in  which  participants perform. As a result is a matrix on the State of development of competencies for the management of the rural productive enterprises. Keywords: Sustainable development; Leadership; entrepreneurship; Communities; rural enterprises

Competencia y competitividad en la gestión de organizaciones agrícolas en Ecuador: el caso de los productores de Manabí y Esmeraldas

Dependence on oil exports, matter that jeopardizes their sustainable development continues in the current economic model of Ecuador. The new productive matrix presented by the vice presidency of the Republic poses challenges that demand changes in the population of the commodity base. This work of descriptive character, aims to assess competencies for management organizational partner of the associations of agricultural producers. For this purpose apply the competency model for the management  of  rural  agrobusiness  presented  by  Food  and Agriculture  Organization  (FAO)  in  (2006).  For  the  data collection, we attend the interview semi structured and the observation of management style of 14 leaders of organizations of agricultural producers in the provinces of Manabi and Esmeraldas. We apply the approach to direct actors, since it facilitates the approach  to  the  development  process  in  which  participants perform. As a result is a matrix on the State of development of competencies for the management of the rural productive enterprises.En el modelo económico actual de Ecuador persiste la dependencia sobre las exportaciones de petróleo, asunto que pone en riesgo su desarrollo sostenible. La nueva matriz productiva plantea retos que demandan cambios en la base de la estructura agroproductiva. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo evaluar las competencias para la gestión socio organizativa de las asociaciones de productores agrícolas. Con este fin se aplica el modelo de competencias para la gestión de agronegocios rurales presentado por la Organización Mundial de la Agricultura y Alimentos (FAO) en el 2006. Para la toma de datos se utilizó la entrevista semi estructurada y la observación de la gestión de 14 líderes de organizaciones productivas agrícolas en Manabí y Esmeraldas. Como resultado se presenta una matriz sobre el estado de desarrollo de las competencias para la gestión de los emprendimientos productivos rurales. Este procedimiento metodológico facilitó la aproximación a los procesos de desarrollo en los que se desempeñan los participantes

Multi-channel Transformers for Multi-articulatory Sign Language Translation

Sign languages use multiple asynchronous information channels (articulators), not just the hands but also the face and body, which computational approaches often ignore. In this paper we tackle the multi-articulatory sign language translation task and propose a novel multi-channel transformer architecture. The proposed architecture allows both the inter and intra contextual relationships between different sign articulators to be modelled within the transformer network itself, while also maintaining channel specific information. We evaluate our approach on the RWTH-PHOENIX-Weather-2014T dataset and report competitive translation performance. Importantly, we overcome the reliance on gloss annotations which underpin other state-of-the-art approaches, thereby removing future need for expensive curated datasets

Expression of the ggpPS gene for glucosylglycerol biosynthesis from Azotobacter vinelandii improves the salt tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana

Many organisms accumulate compatible solutes in response to salt or desiccation stress. Moderate halotolerant cyanobacteria and some heterotrophic bacteria synthesize the compatible solute glucosylglycerol (GG) as their main protective compound. In order to analyse the potential of GG to improve salt tolerance of higher plants, the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana was transformed with the ggpPS gene from the γ-proteobacterium Azotobacter vinelandii coding for a combined GG-phosphate synthase/phosphatase. The heterologous expression of the ggpPS gene led to the accumulation of high amounts of GG. Three independent Arabidopsis lines showing different GG contents were characterized in growth experiments. Plants containing a low (1–2 μmol g−1 FM) GG content in leaves showed no altered growth performance under control conditions but an increased salt tolerance, whereas plants accumulating a moderate (2–8 μmol g−1 FM) or a high GG content (around 17 μmol g−1 FM) showed growth retardation and no improvement of salt resistance. These results indicate that the synthesis of the compatible solute GG has a beneficial effect on plant stress tolerance as long as it is accumulated to an extent that does not negatively interfere with plant metabolism

Reliable quantification of the potential for equations based on spot urine samples to estimate population salt intake: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Methods based on spot urine samples (a single sample at one time-point) have been identified as a possible alternative approach to 24-hour urine samples for determining mean population salt intake. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to identify a reliable method for estimating mean population salt intake from spot urine samples. This will be done by comparing the performance of existing equations against one other and against estimates derived from 24-hour urine samples. The effects of factors such as ethnicity, sex, age, body mass index, antihypertensive drug use, health status, and timing of spot urine collection will be explored. The capacity of spot urine samples to measure change in salt intake over time will also be determined. Finally, we aim to develop a novel equation (or equations) that performs better than existing equations to estimate mean population salt intake. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data will be conducted. A search has been conducted to identify human studies that report salt (or sodium) excretion based upon 24-hour urine samples and spot urine samples. There were no restrictions on language, study sample size, or characteristics of the study population. MEDLINE via OvidSP (1946-present), Premedline via OvidSP, EMBASE, Global Health via OvidSP (1910-present), and the Cochrane Library were searched, and two reviewers identified eligible studies. The authors of these studies will be invited to contribute data according to a standard format. Individual participant records will be compiled and a series of analyses will be completed to: (1) compare existing equations for estimating 24-hour salt intake from spot urine samples with 24-hour urine samples, and assess the degree of bias according to key demographic and clinical characteristics; (2) assess the reliability of using spot urine samples to measure population changes in salt intake overtime; and (3) develop a novel equation that performs better than existing equations to estimate mean population salt intake. RESULTS: The search strategy identified 538 records; 100 records were obtained for review in full text and 73 have been confirmed as eligible. In addition, 68 abstracts were identified, some of which may contain data eligible for inclusion. Individual participant data will be requested from the authors of eligible studies. CONCLUSIONS: Many equations for estimating salt intake from spot urine samples have been developed and validated, although most have been studied in very specific settings. This meta-analysis of individual participant data will enable a much broader understanding of the capacity for spot urine samples to estimate population salt intake

The Relationship between Dioxin-Like Polychlorobiphenyls and IGF-I Serum Levels in Healthy Adults: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and dioxin-like polychlorobiphenyls (DL-PCBs) have been associated with the pathogenesis of several diseases like cancer, diabetes and growth disorders. Because it has been suggested that organohalogenated contaminants could influence IGF-I levels in adults, the potential relationship between DL-PCBs and IGF-I serum levels was studied in 456 healthy adults from a representative sample of the general population of the Canary Islands (Spain). DESIGN: Free circulating serum levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were measured through an ELISA methodology, while the serum levels of the 12 DL-PCBs congeners (IUPAC numbers # 77, 81, 105, 114, 118, 123, 126, 156, 157, 167, 169, and 189) were measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). RESULTS: DL-PCBs 156 and 167, Total DL-PCBs body burden (∑PCBs: sum over the 12 measured DL-PCBs), and Total toxic burden (in terms of toxic equivalence to dioxins: ∑TEQs) showed a trend of inverse association with IGF-I serum levels in the whole studied population. After adjusting for potential confounders, including gender, body mass index (BMI), age, and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), younger (18-45 years) women with lower BMI (<27 kg/m(2)) and detectable levels of DL-PCB-156 showed significantly lower IGF-I levels than those in the same age and BMI subgroup with non-detectable levels of DL-PCB-156 (p<0.001). Similarly, ∑PCBs and ∑TEQs showed a tendency to an inverse association with IGF-I levels in the same group of women (p=0.017 and p=0.019 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that DL-PCBs could be involved in the regulation of the IGF-system in a way possibly influenced by gender, age and BMI. Although these results should be interpreted with caution, such circumstances could contribute to explain the development of diseases associated to the IGF system

A Rescorla-Wagner Drift-Diffusion Model of Conditioning and Timing

Computational models of classical conditioning have made significant contributions to the theoretic understanding of associative learning, yet they still struggle when the temporal aspects of conditioning are taken into account. Interval timing models have contributed a rich variety of time representations and provided accurate predictions for the timing of responses, but they usually have little to say about associative learning. In this article we present a unified model of conditioning and timing that is based on the influential Rescorla-Wagner conditioning model and the more recently developed Timing Drift-Diffusion model. We test the model by simulating 10 experimental phenomena and show that it can provide an adequate account for 8, and a partial account for the other 2. We argue that the model can account for more phenomena in the chosen set than these other similar in scope models: CSC-TD, MS-TD, Learning to Time and Modular Theory. A comparison and analysis of the mechanisms in these models is provided, with a focus on the types of time representation and associative learning rule used