Phenotypic Relation Growth Rate in Performance Test and Litter Size of Sows

In this study we investigated influence of weight gain level of gilts reached during performance test on the expression of important reproductive traits. For the purpose of research, data on the litter size from 2nd to 9th parity of 700 tested gilts were monitored. Characteristics that were examined are: growth at the end of the test, the number of piglets born alive, stillborn and weaned piglets per parity and a total from 2nd to 9th parity, and the percentage of sows entering the next farrowing. Results obtained in this study indicate that gilts with a lower weight gain in performance test have smaller number of live born (8.8:9.23 p<0.01) and reared piglets (8.46:8.55, p<0.01) in regard to the higher weight gain gilts, but a larger number of stillborn piglets (0.35:0.29). Also, gilts with the lowest weight gain during the performance test had smaller average litter size from 2nd to 9th parity. Even greater difference is determined if the average litter size from 3rd to 7th parity (9.8:10.0 and 10.4) is observed. The largest percentage of sows farrowing for the second time was in gilts with the highest weight gain during the performance test (39.5%: 14.8% and 15.5%) which expressed statistically significant difference (p<0.01). Gilts with a lower gain weight in performance test had a higher percentage of sows included in the next farrowing. Data showed a large drop in the number of sows with the second and third parity in the total sample, where the percentages of earned second and third litters were 16.5 and 45.3%, while the percentages of actual parity from the 4th to 7th parity were: 79.2; 94.7; 83.3; 96.7; 72.4 and 90.5%

Health Facilities Safety in Natural Disasters: Experiences and Challenges from South East Europe

The United Nations named 2010 as a year of natural disasters, and launched a worldwide campaign to improve the safety of schools and hospitals from natural disasters. In the region of South East Europe, Croatia and Serbia have suffered the greatest impacts of natural disasters on their communities and health facilities. In this paper the disaster management approaches of the two countries are compared, with a special emphasis on the existing technological and legislative systems for safety and protection of health facilities and people. Strategic measures that should be taken in future to provide better safety for health facilities and populations, based on the best practices and positive experiences in other countries are recommended. Due to the expected consequences of global climate change in the region and the increased different environmental risks both countries need to refine their disaster preparedness strategies. Also, in the South East Europe, the effects of a natural disaster are amplified in the health sector due to its critical medical infrastructure. Therefore, the principles of environmental security should be implemented in public health policies in the described region, along with principles of disaster management through regional collaborations

Estrus Induction in Sexually Mature Gilts with Different Hormonal Treatments

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the synchronized estrus induction in sexually mature gilts, after treatment with different hormonal treatments, given in the unknown phase of a spontaneous estrus cycle. Sexually mature gilts were used, with at least one spontaneous estrous cycle. A total of 90 gilts were treated with single i/m injection of 1,000 IU eCG (Folligon®), 40 gilts were treated with two separate i/m injection of 1 ml PGF2α (Dinolytic®), at an interval of 11 days, and 40 gilts were treated orally (within diet) with 20 mg of synthetic progestagen preparation Altrenogest (Regumate®), during 18 days. Estrus was detected twice daily, in the 10h to 12h intervals, by direct contact with the teaser boar. The best induction of synchronized estrus (in 90% of gilts), which appeared within the first 7 days (mean 5.3 days) after treatment, was found in gilts treated with progestagen preparations. In the three repetitions of treatment with eCG, within the first 7 days (mean 4.2 days) after the treatment, estrus was detected in 65%, 40% or 33% of the treated gilts. After treatment with luteolytic preparation PGF2α (Dynolitic®), estrus was detected in 40% of gilts, on average 5.5 days after treatment. The obtained results clearly show that the successful induction of synchronized estrus in sexually mature gilts can be done only by the method for prolongation of the luteal phase of the spontaneous estrous cycles, using progestagen preparations

Metabolic acclimation to heat stress in farm housed Holstein cows with different body condition scores

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of body condition score to metabolic acclimation in heat stressed Holstein cows. Body condition of cows had no effect on any of the tested parameters during the thermal neutral period, except for the percentage of protein in milk. Heat stress has been demonstrated to have an impact on all the selected parameters, and has been found to be the cause of decreased milk production and quality, increased rectal temperature and respiration rate, decreased glucose, non esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and cholesterol concentration, increased urea and bilirubin concentration, and loss of subcutaneous fat. Obese cows (BCS&gt;4) had less ability of acclimation to heat stress as compared to normal and thin cows (significantly lower production and milk quality, and significantly higher rectal temperature and respiration level in relation to the other groups of cows). Obese cows showed a significantly higher concentration of NEFA and significantly lower glucose during exposure to heat stress. The steady increase in NEFA concentrations and decrease of backfat thickness suggested that fat was used for energy purposes, which significantly increased the heat balance and led to poor acclimation to heat stress in obese cows. Cows with high body condition were at higher risk of developing liver failure and lipidosis (reduced cholesterol and elevated bilirubin concentration) during heat stress, which could be linked with increased concentrations of fatty acids in the blood. This was found with an increased concentration of urea during exposure to heat stress, with significantly higher concentration in obese cows. Using the fat for energy purposes depends on the sensitivity to insulin, which increases during heat stress. Obese cows are naturally less sensitive to insulin and more prone to lipolysis. However, these signs should be the focus of future research.Key words: Body condition score, heat stress, metabolic status, cow

Evolution from a nodeless gap to d(x2-y2) form in underdoped La(2-x)SrxCuO4

Using angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES), it is revealed that the low-energy electronic excitation spectra of highly underdoped superconducting and non-superconducting La(2-x)SrxCuO4 cuprates are gapped along the entire underlying Fermi surface at low temperatures. We show how the gap function evolves to a d(x2-y2) form as increasing temperature or doping, consistent with the vast majority of ARPES studies of cuprates. Our results provide essential information for uncovering the symmetry of the order parameter(s) in strongly underdoped cuprates, which is a prerequisite for understanding the pairing mechanism and how superconductivity emerges from a Mott insulator.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Photocatalytic degradation of metoprolol tartrate in suspensions of two TiO2-based photocatalysts with different surface area. Identification of intermediates and proposal of degradation pathways.

This study investigates the efficiency of the photocatalytic degradation of metoprolol tartrate (MET), a widely used β 1-blocker, in TiO 2 suspensions of Wackherr's " Oxyde de titane standard" and Degussa P25. The study encompasses transformation kinetics and efficiency, identification of intermediates and reaction pathways. In the investigated range of initial concentrations (0.01-0.1mM), the photocatalytic degradation of MET in the first stage of the reaction followed approximately a pseudo-first order kinetics. The TiO 2 Wackherr induced a significantly faster MET degradation compared to TiO 2 Degussa P25 when relatively high substrate concentrations were used. By examining the effect of ethanol as a scavenger of hydroxyl radicals (OH), it was shown that the reaction with OH played the main role in the photocatalytic degradation of MET. After 240min of irradiation the reaction intermediates were almost completely mineralized to CO 2 and H 2O, while the nitrogen was predominantly present as NH4+. Reaction intermediates were studied in detail and a number of them were identified using LC-MS/MS (ESI+), which allowed the proposal of a tentative pathway for the photocatalytic transformation of MET as a function of the TiO 2 specimen

Structural importance of Stone-Thrower-Wales defects in rolled and flat graphenes from surface-enhanced Raman scattering

We first survey the historical aspects of the term Stone-Thrower-Wales (STW) defect and its experimental identification. Physicochemical properties associated with the STW defect have been extensively investigated theoretically as well. However, it is difficult to verify the predicted properties by means of experiments. Here we demonstrate an experimental way to probe the vibrational properties of STW defects in single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SEAS). We also performed density functional theory calculations to support our interpretation of the SERS spectra. The characteristic fluctuations of peak intensities and frequencies are ascribed to dynamic motion of an STW defect in the hexagonal SWCNT lattice. The role of an STW defect at edges is also discussed in terms of its relevance to the stability and O-2 reactivity of flat and curved graphene structures.ArticleCARBON. 50(9):3274-3279 (2012)journal articl

Phase-Field Model of Silicon Carbide Growth During Isothermal Condition

Silicon carbide (SiC) emerges as a promising ceramic material for high-temperature structural applications, especially within the aerospace sector. The utilization of SiC-based ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) instead of superalloys in components like engine shrouds, combustors, and nozzles offers notable advantages, including a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency, over 10% enhanced thrust, and the capability to withstand up to 500$^{\circ}$C higher operating temperatures. Employing a CALPHAD-reinforced multi-phase-field model, our study delves into the evolution of the SiC layer under isothermal solidification conditions. By modeling the growth of SiC between liquid Si and solid C at 1450$^{\circ}$C, we compared results with experimental microstructures and quantitatively examined the evolution of SiC thickness over time. Efficient sampling across the entire model space mitigated uncertainty in high-temperature kinetic parameters, allowing us to predict a range of growth rates and morphologies for the SiC layer. The model accounts for parameter uncertainty stemming from limited experimental knowledge and successfully predicts relevant morphologies for the system. Experimental results validated the kinetic parameters of the simulations, offering valuable insights and potential constraints on the reaction kinetics. We further explored the significance of multi-phase-field model parameters on two key outputs, and found that the diffusion coefficient of liquid Si emerges as the most crucial parameter significantly impacting the SiC average layer thickness and grain count over time. This study provides valuable insights into the microstructure evolution of the Si-C binary system, offering pertinent information for the engineering of CMCs in industrial applications