Influence of Energy Intake During Lactation on Subsequent Gestation, Lactation and Postweaning Performance of Sows

Forty-four second parity crossbred sows were used to determine (1) the effect of energy intake during their first lactation (Lac 1) on subsequent reproductive performance from re-breeding to farrowing and (2) the effect of energy intake during two successive lactations on performance during the second lactation (Lac 2) and post-weaning periods. Sows received 8 (Lo) or 16 (Hi) Meal of metabolizable energy (ME)/d during Lac 1 and 5.4 Mcal of ME/d during the subsequent gestation

ASSESSING AND REDUCING SOYBEAN CROP LOSSES FROM DEER: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY, MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT

Damage from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has become a common complaint of soybean (Glycine max) producers in many areas of the Southeast. Both short- and long-term, single-field and community-wide solutions to this problem are needed. This paper describes a multi-agency, multi-state effort, involving agronomists, wildlife biologists, producers, and other landowners, to assess soybean losses from deer and to evaluate potential solutions. One phase of this work, which is supported by soybean producer checkoff funds, involves evaluating agronomic practices for reducing crop losses. These include drilled (rather than wide-row) plantings and use of insect-resistant or dense-pubescent cultivars (varieties) which may deter browsing, especially where deer pressure is light to moderate. Evaluations of these practices, in comparison with conventional ones, are being conducted in producer’s fields in SC, NC, and VA. The other phase of this work is a cooperative project involving Clemson University, the SC Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, soybean producers and’ other landowners in a 7500-acre tract in Hampton and Jasper Cos., SC. The deer population in this tract will be monitored and reduced over a 3-year period, and the resulting effects on soybean crop losses and herd quality will be assessed

ASSESSING AND REDUCING SOYBEAN CROP LOSSES FROM DEER: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY, MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT

Damage from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has become a common complaint of soybean (Glycine max) producers in many areas of the Southeast. Both short- and long-term, single-field and community-wide solutions to this problem are needed. This paper describes a multi-agency, multi-state effort, involving agronomists, wildlife biologists, producers, and other landowners, to assess soybean losses from deer and to evaluate potential solutions. One phase of this work, which is supported by soybean producer checkoff funds, involves evaluating agronomic practices for reducing crop losses. These include drilled (rather than wide-row) plantings and use of insect-resistant or dense-pubescent cultivars (varieties) which may deter browsing, especially where deer pressure is light to moderate. Evaluations of these practices, in comparison with conventional ones, are being conducted in producer’s fields in SC, NC, and VA. The other phase of this work is a cooperative project involving Clemson University, the SC Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, soybean producers and’ other landowners in a 7500-acre tract in Hampton and Jasper Cos., SC. The deer population in this tract will be monitored and reduced over a 3-year period, and the resulting effects on soybean crop losses and herd quality will be assessed

Analysis of spatial relationships in three dimensions: tools for the study of nerve cell patterning

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Multiple technologies have been brought to bear on understanding the three-dimensional morphology of individual neurons and glia within the brain, but little progress has been made on understanding the rules controlling cellular patterning. We describe new matlab-based software tools, now available to the scientific community, permitting the calculation of spatial statistics associated with 3D point patterns. The analyses are largely derived from the Delaunay tessellation of the field, including the nearest neighbor and Voronoi domain analyses, and from the spatial autocorrelogram.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our tools enable the analysis of the spatial relationship between neurons within the central nervous system in 3D, and permit the modeling of these fields based on lattice-like simulations, and on simulations of minimal-distance spacing rules. Here we demonstrate the utility of our analysis methods to discriminate between two different simulated neuronal populations.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Together, these tools can be used to reveal the presence of nerve cell patterning and to model its foundation, in turn informing on the potential developmental mechanisms that govern its establishment. Furthermore, in conjunction with analyses of dendritic morphology, they can be used to determine the degree of dendritic coverage within a volume of tissue exhibited by mature nerve cells.</p

Genome-wide Linkage on Chromosome 10q26 for a Dimensional Scale of Major Depression

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and potentially life-threatening mood disorder. Identifying genetic markers for depression might provide reliable indicators of depression risk, which would, in turn, substantially improve detection, enabling earlier and more effective treatment. The aim of this study was to identify rare variants for depression, modeled as a continuous trait, using linkage and post-hoc association analysis. The sample comprised 1221 Mexican–American individuals from extended pedigrees. A single dimensional scale of MDD was derived using confirmatory factor analysis applied to all items from the Past Major Depressive Episode section of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Scores on this scale of depression were subjected to linkage analysis followed by QTL region-specific association analysis. Linkage analysis revealed a single genome-wide significant QTL (LOD=3.43) on 10q26.13, QTL-specific association analysis conducted in the entire sample revealed a suggestive variant within an intron of the gene LHPP (rs11245316, p=7.8×10−04; LD-adjusted Bonferroni-corrected p=8.6×10−05). This region of the genome has previously been implicated in the etiology of MDD; the present study extends our understanding of the involvement of this region by highlighting a putative gene of interest (LHPP)

Bioavailability in soils

The consumption of locally-produced vegetables by humans may be an important exposure pathway for soil contaminants in many urban settings and for agricultural land use. Hence, prediction of metal and metalloid uptake by vegetables from contaminated soils is an important part of the Human Health Risk Assessment procedure. The behaviour of metals (cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, lead and zinc) and metalloids (arsenic, boron and selenium) in contaminated soils depends to a large extent on the intrinsic charge, valence and speciation of the contaminant ion, and soil properties such as pH, redox status and contents of clay and/or organic matter. However, chemistry and behaviour of the contaminant in soil alone cannot predict soil-to-plant transfer. Root uptake, root selectivity, ion interactions, rhizosphere processes, leaf uptake from the atmosphere, and plant partitioning are important processes that ultimately govern the accumulation ofmetals and metalloids in edible vegetable tissues. Mechanistic models to accurately describe all these processes have not yet been developed, let alone validated under field conditions. Hence, to estimate risks by vegetable consumption, empirical models have been used to correlate concentrations of metals and metalloids in contaminated soils, soil physico-chemical characteristics, and concentrations of elements in vegetable tissues. These models should only be used within the bounds of their calibration, and often need to be re-calibrated or validated using local soil and environmental conditions on a regional or site-specific basis.Mike J. McLaughlin, Erik Smolders, Fien Degryse, and Rene Rietr

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Cosmological parameters from three seasons of data

We present constraints on cosmological and astrophysical parameters from high-resolution microwave background maps at 148 GHz and 218 GHz made by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) in three seasons of observations from 2008 to 2010. A model of primary cosmological and secondary foreground parameters is fit to the map power spectra and lensing deflection power spectrum, including contributions from both the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (tSZ) effect and the kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich (kSZ) effect, Poisson and correlated anisotropy from unresolved infrared sources, radio sources, and the correlation between the tSZ effect and infrared sources. The power ell^2 C_ell/2pi of the thermal SZ power spectrum at 148 GHz is measured to be 3.4 +\- 1.4 muK^2 at ell=3000, while the corresponding amplitude of the kinematic SZ power spectrum has a 95% confidence level upper limit of 8.6 muK^2. Combining ACT power spectra with the WMAP 7-year temperature and polarization power spectra, we find excellent consistency with the LCDM model. We constrain the number of effective relativistic degrees of freedom in the early universe to be Neff=2.79 +\- 0.56, in agreement with the canonical value of Neff=3.046 for three massless neutrinos. We constrain the sum of the neutrino masses to be Sigma m_nu < 0.39 eV at 95% confidence when combining ACT and WMAP 7-year data with BAO and Hubble constant measurements. We constrain the amount of primordial helium to be Yp = 0.225 +\- 0.034, and measure no variation in the fine structure constant alpha since recombination, with alpha/alpha0 = 1.004 +/- 0.005. We also find no evidence for any running of the scalar spectral index, dns/dlnk = -0.004 +\- 0.012.Comment: 26 pages, 22 figures. This paper is a companion to Das et al. (2013) and Dunkley et al. (2013). Matches published JCAP versio

Asteroseismology and Interferometry

Asteroseismology provides us with a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of stellar structure and evolution. Recent developments, including the first systematic studies of solar-like pulsators, have boosted the impact of this field of research within Astrophysics and have led to a significant increase in the size of the research community. In the present paper we start by reviewing the basic observational and theoretical properties of classical and solar-like pulsators and present results from some of the most recent and outstanding studies of these stars. We centre our review on those classes of pulsators for which interferometric studies are expected to provide a significant input. We discuss current limitations to asteroseismic studies, including difficulties in mode identification and in the accurate determination of global parameters of pulsating stars, and, after a brief review of those aspects of interferometry that are most relevant in this context, anticipate how interferometric observations may contribute to overcome these limitations. Moreover, we present results of recent pilot studies of pulsating stars involving both asteroseismic and interferometric constraints and look into the future, summarizing ongoing efforts concerning the development of future instruments and satellite missions which are expected to have an impact in this field of research.Comment: Version as published in The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review, Volume 14, Issue 3-4, pp. 217-36

A review of elliptical and disc galaxy structure, and modern scaling laws

A century ago, in 1911 and 1913, Plummer and then Reynolds introduced their models to describe the radial distribution of stars in `nebulae'. This article reviews the progress since then, providing both an historical perspective and a contemporary review of the stellar structure of bulges, discs and elliptical galaxies. The quantification of galaxy nuclei, such as central mass deficits and excess nuclear light, plus the structure of dark matter halos and cD galaxy envelopes, are discussed. Issues pertaining to spiral galaxies including dust, bulge-to-disc ratios, bulgeless galaxies, bars and the identification of pseudobulges are also reviewed. An array of modern scaling relations involving sizes, luminosities, surface brightnesses and stellar concentrations are presented, many of which are shown to be curved. These 'redshift zero' relations not only quantify the behavior and nature of galaxies in the Universe today, but are the modern benchmark for evolutionary studies of galaxies, whether based on observations, N-body-simulations or semi-analytical modelling. For example, it is shown that some of the recently discovered compact elliptical galaxies at 1.5 < z < 2.5 may be the bulges of modern disc galaxies.Comment: Condensed version (due to Contract) of an invited review article to appear in "Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems"(www.springer.com/astronomy/book/978-90-481-8818-5). 500+ references incl. many somewhat forgotten, pioneer papers. Original submission to Springer: 07-June-201