Correlation between broiler lameness and anatomical measurements of bone using radiographical projections with assessments of consistency across and within radiographs

Lameness represents a major welfare and production issue in the poultry industry with a recent survey estimating 27% of birds lame and 3% unable to walk by 40 d of age. A variety of factors may induce lameness and are typically grouped into 2 broad classes on the basis of being infectious or skeletal in nature with the latter accounting for the majority of cases. The current work sought to build upon a large body of literature assessing the anatomical properties of bone in lame birds. Our specific objectives sought to identify relationships between relevant anatomical properties of the tibia and metatarsus using digital quantification from radiographs of legs and a measure of walking difficulty. Resulting output was statistically analyzed to assess 1) observer reliability for consistency in placing the leg during the radiograph procedure and quantification of the various measures within a radiograph, 2) the relationship between the various measurements of anatomical bone properties and sex, bird mass, and gait score, and 3) the relationship between each measurement and leg symmetry. Our anatomical bone measures were found to be reliable (intra-rater and test-retest reliabilities < 0.75) within radiograph for all measures and 8 of the 10 measures across radiographs. Several measures of bone properties in the tibia correlated to difficulty walking as measured by gait score (P < 0.05), indicating greater angulations with increasing lameness. Of the measures that manifested a gait score × bird mass interaction, heavier birds appeared to exhibit less angulation with increasing difficulty walking with lighter birds the opposite. These interactions suggest possibilities for influencing effects of activity or feed intake on bone mineralization with the bone angulation observed. Our efforts agree with that of others and indicate that angulation of the tibia may be related to lameness, though subsequent efforts involving comprehensive measures of bird activity, growth rates, and internal bone structure will be needed if the validity of the measures are to be accepte

Prey suitability of Tuta absoluta larvae (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) for three predatory phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) under laboratory conditions

Tomato crop in the Mediterranean Basin has been recently affected by the exotic pest Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), which is difficult to control due to its high reproduction rate and potential to develop resistance to insecticides. In this paper, the suitability and effectiveness of three predatory phytoseiid mites Cydnoseius negevi (Swirski and Amitai), Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes) and Amblyseius largoensis (Muma), an indigenous species, were evaluated on larvae of T. absoluta under laboratory conditions. First instar larvae of T. absoluta proved to be possible food source for tested phytoseiid mites under laboratory conditions. Females of C. negevi, A. largoensis and N. barkeri were able to feed and sustain oviposition on unfed, first instar larvae of T. absoluta. A diet of insect larvae provided the shortest oviposition period and adult longevity of C. negevi and A. largoensis, while N. barkeri showed the longest corresponding periods. The total and daily number of insect larvae consumed was significantly higher in N. barkeri than in A. largoensis and C. negevi. Likewise, N. barkeri laid significantly higher number of eggs (23.6 eggs / female) than that deposited by C. negevi and A. largoensis (2.5 and 3.9 eggs / female). The sex ratio of the progeny was female biased and ranged: (females / total=0.62-0.68%) when insect larvae were provided for females of C. negevi, A. largoensis and N. barkeri

Kyste hydatique de la surrénale: à propos d’un cas

Le kyste hydatique de la surrénale reste une affection exceptionnelle et une localisation inhabituelle du kyste hydatique, même dans les pays où l'hydatidose sévit à l'état endémique. Nous rapportons un cas de kyste hydatique surrénalien révélé par des douleurs de l'hypochondre droit. Le diagnostic a été évoqué en préopératoire sur les données de la tomodensitométrie abdominale qui avait objectivé une masse kystique surrénalienne droite. La sérologie hydatique était positive. Le traitement chirurgical avait consisté en une résection du dôme saillant et avait permis de conserver la glande. Le kyste était univésiculaire contenant un liquide eau de roche avec une membrane proligère. Les suites opératoires étaient simples. La surveillance à distance, échographique et immunologique, n'avait pas décelé de récidive avec un recul de deux an

Positive effects of a novel non-peptidyl low molecular weight radical scavenger in renal ischemia/reperfusion: a preliminary report

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is one of the most common causes of acute kidney injury. Reactive oxygen species have been recognized to be an important contributor to the pathogenesis of I/R injury. We hypothesize that a non-peptidyl low molecular weight radical scavenger (IAC) therapy may counteract this factor, ultimately providing some protection after acute phase renal I/R injury. The aim of this preliminary study was to assess the ability of IAC to reduce acute kidney injury in C57BL/6 mice after 30-minute of bilateral ischemia followed by reperfusion. The rise in serum creatinine level was higher in C57BL/6 control mice after I/R when compared to IAC (1 mg)-treated mice. Control mice showed greater body weight loss compared to IAC-treated mice, and at pathology, reduced signs of tubular necrosis were also evident in IAC-treated mice. These preliminary evidences lay the basis for more comprehensive studies on the positive effects of IAC as a complementary therapeutic approach for acute phase renal I/R injury

ZIF-8 Modified Polypropylene Membrane: A Biomimetic Cell Culture Platform with a View to the Improvement of Guided Bone Regeneration.

PurposeDespite the significant advances in modeling of biomechanical aspects of cell microenvironment, it remains a major challenge to precisely mimic the physiological condition of the particular cell niche. Here, the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been introduced as a feasible platform for multifactorial control of cell-substrate interaction, given the wide range of physical and mechanical properties of MOF materials and their structural flexibility.ResultsIn situ crystallization of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) on the polydopamine (PDA)-modified membrane significantly raised surface energy, wettability, roughness, and stiffness of the substrate. This modulation led to an almost twofold increment in the primary attachment of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) compare to conventional plastic culture dishes. The findings indicate that polypropylene (PP) membrane modified by PDA/ZIF-8 coating effectively supports the growth and proliferation of DPSCs at a substantial rate. Further analysis also displayed the exaggerated multilineage differentiation of DPSCs with amplified level of autocrine cell fate determination signals, like BSP1, BMP2, PPARG, FABP4, ACAN, and COL2A. Notably, osteogenic markers were dramatically overexpressed (more than 100-folds rather than tissue culture plate) in response to biomechanical characteristics of the ZIF-8 layer.ConclusionHence, surface modification of cell culture platforms with MOF nanostructures proposed as a powerful nanomedical approach for selectively guiding stem cells for tissue regeneration. In particular, PP/PDA/ZIF-8 membrane presented ideal characteristics for using as a barrier membrane for guided bone regeneration (GBR) in periodontal tissue engineering

Performance of Five Species of Phytoseiid Mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on Bactrocera zonata Eggs (Diptera: Tephritidae) as a Factitious Food

Development, survival and reproduction of the generalist predatory mites, Amblyseius largoensis (Muma), Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes), Typhlodromips swirskii (Athias-Henriot), Proprioseiopsis kadii (El-Halawany and Abdel-Samad) and Cydnosus negevi (Swirski and Amitai) were assessed when fed on eggs of Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae) as a factitious food. For N. barkeri and P. kadii, the development was faster, while the reproduction was higher in N. barkeri and A. largoensis than for P. kadii. Survival of immatures of T. swirskii and C. negevi was low on eggs of B. zonata and all failed to develop beyond the protonymphal stage. A total of 35.4, 31.2 and 19.6 eggs per female, respectively, were obtained when N. barkeri, A. largoensis and P. kadii were fed B. zonata eggs. A diet of the peach fruit fly eggs provided the longest female longevity and highest mean total fecundity, which resulted in the highest net reproductive rate (Ro=34.61 and 32.78) and doubling time (DT=1.53 and 1.60) for N. barkeri and A. largoensis, respectively

Prototyping and qualification of 2S modules for the CMS Outer Tracker upgrade at the HL-LHC

In preparation for the High Luminosity LHC, the entire tracker detector of the CMS experiment will be exchanged as part of the Phase-2 Upgrade. The new Outer Tracker will comprise approximately 13,000 silicon sensor modules, of which 7608 are "2S modules" consisting of two parallel mounted silicon strip sensors, and 5592 are "PS modules" consisting of one pixel and one strip sensor in a single module. These modules provide tracking information to the Level 1 trigger by correlating the hit information of both sensor layers, allowing discrimination of particle tracks by their transverse momentum. To guarantee successful operation during data-taking, the production of the outer tracker modules has to fulfill strict requirements. This note will discuss the assembly procedures as well as some key results of the electronic, thermal and vibration tests performed at CERN for qualifying the 2S module design and for preparing the module assembly procedures

Synthesis, structural elucidation, spectroscopic and Hirshfeld surface analysis of a new organic cyclohexaphosphate, (C12H19N2)4(Li)2(P6O18)(H2O)4

International audienc

Development and reproduction of three predatory mites (Acari: Laelapidae and Rhodacaridae) on eggs of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

The laelapid mites Cosmolaelaps keni and Laelaspis astronomicus beside the rhodacarid mite Protogamasellopsis denticus are biological control agents and being native predators in Egypt. In order to raise active population of above species, the biology and demographic parameters, of the three tested species were observed under laboratory conditions with eggs of Ephestia kuhniella. All predatory species were developed and reproduced with E. kuhniella eggs. The mean developmental and oviposistion periods of L. astronomicus females were the longest from the other tested species. The mean longevity of C. keni was longer than that of P. denticus. Cosmolaelaps keni consumed more E. kuhniella eggs during the oviposition and adult longevity periods than other species did. Protogamasellopsis denticus fed on E. kuhniella food gave the most rate of oviposition as shown by the maximum fertility, net reproductive rate and gross reproductive rate. Laelaspis astronomicus preying on E. kuhniella eggs gave the longest generation time, lowest rate of fecundity and all life table parameters compared to other tested species; therefore E. kuhniella eggs was appropriate for the oviposition of P. denticus and C. keni rather than L. astronomicus. This study is the first to report that E. kuhniella eggs were an acceptable factitious food for P. denticus, L. astronomicus and C. keni

Demonstration of the Complementarity of One- and Two-Photon Interference

The visibilities of second-order (single-photon) and fourth-order (two-photon) interference have been observed in a Young's double-slit experiment using light generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion and a photon-counting intensified CCD camera. Coherence and entanglement underlie one-and two-photon interference, respectively. As the effective source size is increased, coherence is diminished while entanglement is enhanced, so that the visibility of single-photon interference decreases while that of two-photon interference increases. This is the first experimental demonstration of the complementarity between single- and two-photon interference (coherence and entanglement) in the spatial domain.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure