Ensiled High-Moisture Corn Inoculated with a Biological Additive for Growing-Finishing Lambs

The effect of biological silage additive, Lactobacillus plantarum, on the feeding value and chemical characteristics of high-moisture corn was determined in a 123-day trial with growing-finishing lambs. Lambs (62 lb. average) fed untreated or inoculated corn performed similarly in terms of body weight gain, feed intake or feed efficiency. The corn treated with the microbial preparation was of higher quality as indicated by the lower pH and higher titratable acidity at feeding compared to the untreated corn

Identification of a Novel Self-Sufficient Styrene Monooxygenase from Rhodococcus opacus 1CP.

Sequence analysis of a 9-kb genomic fragment of the actinobacterium Rhodococcus opacus 1CP led to identification of an open reading frame encoding a novel fusion protein, StyA2B, with a putative function in styrene metabolism via styrene oxide and phenylacetic acid. Gene cluster analysis indicated that the highly related fusion proteins of Nocardia farcinica IFM10152 and Arthrobacter aurescens TC1 are involved in a similar physiological process. Whereas 413 amino acids of the N terminus of StyA2B are highly similar to those of the oxygenases of two-component styrene monooxygenases (SMOs) from pseudomonads, the residual 160 amino acids of the C terminus show significant homology to the flavin reductases of these systems. Cloning and functional expression of His10-StyA2B revealed for the first time that the fusion protein does in fact catalyze two separate reactions. Strictly NADH-dependent reduction of flavins and highly enantioselective oxygenation of styrene to (S)-styrene oxide were shown. Inhibition studies and photometric analysis of recombinant StyA2B indicated the absence of tightly bound heme and flavin cofactors in this self-sufficient monooxygenase. StyA2B oxygenates a spectrum of aromatic compounds similar to those of two-component SMOs. However, the specific activities of the flavin-reducing and styrene-oxidizing functions of StyA2B are one to two orders of magnitude lower than those of StyA/StyB from Pseudomonas sp. strain VLB120

Niacin Supplementation of Growing and Finishing Lambs

A growing-finishing trial of 123 days was conducted using forty feeder lambs. The lambs were fed a diet consisting of rolled high-moisture corn, alfalfa brome haylage and a supplement fortified with minerals and vitamin A. Lambs fed a supplement containing 100 ppm of niacin added to the diet gained essentially the same rate and consumed similar amounts of total dry feed as lambs not receiving the vitamin. Feed requirements were slightly higher for the lambs fed the niacin supplement. These results suggest that diets containing corn and alfalfa brome haylage are likely to contain enough niacin to meet the needs of lambs of this weight

Mean field theory of the Mott-Anderson transition

We present a theory for disordered interacting electrons that can describe both the Mott and the Anderson transition in the respective limits of zero disorder and zero interaction. We use it to investigate the T=0 Mott-Anderson transition at a fixed electron density, as a the disorder strength is increased. Surprisingly, we find two critical values of disorder W_{nfl} and W_c. For W > W_{nfl}, the system enters a ``Griffiths'' phase, displaying metallic non-Fermi liquid behavior. At even stronger disorder, W=W_c > W_{nfl} the system undergoes a metal insulator transition, characterized by the linear vanishing of both the typical density of states and the typical quasiparticle weight.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, REVTEX, eps

Anderson-Mott transition as a quantum glass problem

We combine a recent mapping of the Anderson-Mott metal-insulator transition on a random-field problem with scaling concepts for random-field magnets to argue that disordered electrons near an Anderson-Mott transition show glass-like behavior. We first discuss attempts to interpret experimental results in terms of a conventional scaling picture, and argue that some of the difficulties encountered point towards a glassy nature of the electrons. We then develop a general scaling theory for a quantum glass, and discuss critical properties of both thermodynamic and transport variables in terms of it. Our most important conclusions are that for a correct interpretation of experiments one must distinguish between self-averaging and non-self averaging observables, and that dynamical or temperature scaling is not of power-law type but rather activated, i.e. given by a generalized Vogel-Fulcher law. Recent mutually contradicting experimental results on Si:P are discussed in the light of this, and new experiments are proposed to test the predictions of our quantum glass scaling theory.Comment: 25pp, REVTeX, 5 ps figs, final version as publishe

Asymmetric and Symmetric Link Between Quality of Institutions and Sectorial Foreign Direct Investment Inflow in India: A Fresh Insight Using Simulated Dynamic ARDL Approach

This study explores the bicausality between institutional quality and FDI inflow both aggregated and sector-wise, i.e., the agricultural, manufacturing, and tertiary sectors in the Indian economy, by applying simulated autoregressive distributed lag (SARDL) dynamic new techniques, an extended variant of orthodox ARDL and NARDL. The study confirms that aggregated and sectorial FDI are enhanced by adequate institutional quality, and similarly, FDI promotes quality institutions. The nexus between institutional quality and FDI inflow is an inspiration for India to compete with developed economies by enhancing its institutional quality. The study observes cointegration and bidirectional causality between institutional quality and aggregated FDI. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.We are very thankful to the Graduate School of Economics and Management, Ural Federal University, for technical support

MiR-155 has a protective role in the development of non-alcoholic hepatosteatosis in mice

Hepatic steatosis is a global epidemic that is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. MicroRNAs (miRs) are regulators that can functionally integrate a range of metabolic and inflammatory pathways in liver. We aimed to investigate the functional role of miR-155 in hepatic steatosis. Male C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and miR-155−/− mice were fed either normal chow or high fat diet (HFD) for 6 months then lipid levels, metabolic and inflammatory parameters were assessed in livers and serum of the mice. Mice lacking endogenous miR-155 that were fed HFD for 6 months developed increased hepatic steatosis compared to WT controls. This was associated with increased liver weight and serum VLDL/LDL cholesterol and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, as well as increased hepatic expression of genes involved in glucose regulation (Pck1, Cebpa), fatty acid uptake (Cd36) and lipid metabolism (Fasn, Fabp4, Lpl, Abcd2, Pla2g7). Using miRNA target prediction algorithms and the microarray transcriptomic profile of miR-155−/− livers, we identified and validated that Nr1h3 (LXRα) as a direct miR-155 target gene that is potentially responsible for the liver phenotype of miR-155−/− mice. Together these data indicate that miR-155 plays a pivotal role regulating lipid metabolism in liver and that its deregulation may lead to hepatic steatosis in patients with diabetes

Doping a semiconductor to create an unconventional metal

Landau Fermi liquid theory, with its pivotal assertion that electrons in metals can be simply understood as independent particles with effective masses replacing the free electron mass, has been astonishingly successful. This is true despite the Coulomb interactions an electron experiences from the host crystal lattice, its defects, and the other ~1022/cm3 electrons. An important extension to the theory accounts for the behaviour of doped semiconductors1,2. Because little in the vast literature on materials contradicts Fermi liquid theory and its extensions, exceptions have attracted great attention, and they include the high temperature superconductors3, silicon-based field effect transistors which host two-dimensional metals4, and certain rare earth compounds at the threshold of magnetism5-8. The origin of the non-Fermi liquid behaviour in all of these systems remains controversial. Here we report that an entirely different and exceedingly simple class of materials - doped small gap semiconductors near a metal-insulator transition - can also display a non-Fermi liquid state. Remarkably, a modest magnetic field functions as a switch which restores the ordinary disordered Fermi liquid. Our data suggest that we have finally found a physical realization of the only mathematically rigourous route to a non-Fermi liquid, namely the 'undercompensated Kondo effect', where there are too few mobile electrons to compensate for the spins of unpaired electrons localized on impurity atoms9-12.Comment: 17 pages 4 figures supplemental information included with 2 figure

Core dimensions of food-related lifestyle: A new instrument for measuring food involvement, innovativeness and responsibility

Segmentation is crucial for targeting product development initiatives and marketing communication nationally as well as internationally. In this paper we use the Food Related Lifestyle instrument that has been applied in the food arena for many years as a ‘stepping stone’ to develop a contemporary, targeted and smaller version of the Food Related Lifestyle instrument, still following the original theoretical framework. In particular we focus on three dimensions that have proven to be of core value in segmentation: food involvement; food innovativeness; and, food responsibility. Based on data collection in six countries (DK, AU, HU, UK, USA and NZ) across two rounds from 2017 to 2019 (total N = 3396), we propose a new core instrument consisting of 15 items that have been tested for cross-cultural validity. Next, we used these three dimensions for segmentation across the six countries by applying multi-level latent class analysis. A solution leading to five different segments could be identified; the foodies, the moderates, the adventurous, the uninvolved and the conservatives. The segments were profiled by means of Schwartz’s ten value domains and measures of self-reported food-related behaviour to check for nomonological validity. We conclude that the 15 items were cross-culturally valid, could be used for segmentation across six countries, and that segment profiling by means of Schwartz values and behavioural items were in line with the theoretical background