Histidine nutrition and genotype affect cataract development in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of dietary levels of histidine (His) and iron (Fe) on cataract development in two strains of Atlantic salmon monitored through parr-smolt transformation. Three experimental diets were fed: (i) a control diet (CD) with 110 mg kg-1 Fe and 11.7 g kg-1 His; (ii) CD supplemented with crystalline His to a level of 18 g kg-1 (HD); and (iii) HD with added iron up to 220 mg kg-1 (HID). A cross-over design, with two feeding periods was used. A 6-week freshwater (FW) period was followed by a 20-week period, of which the first three were in FW and the following 17 weeks in sea water (SW). Fish were sampled for weighing, cataract assessment and tissue analysis at five time points. Cataracts developed in all groups in SW, but scores were lower in those fed high His diets (P < 0.05). This effect was most pronounced when HD or HID was given in SW, but was also observed when these diets were given in FW only. Histidine supplementation had a positive effect on growth performance and feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05), whereas this did not occur when iron was added. Groups fed HD or HID had higher lens levels of His and N-acetyl histidine (NAH), the latter showing a marked increase post-smoltification (P < 0.05). The HD or HID groups also showed higher muscle concentrations of the His dipeptide anserine (P < 0.05). There was a strong genetic influence on cataract development in the CD groups (P < 0.001), not associated with tissue levels of His or NAH. The role of His and His-related compounds in cataractogenesis is discussed in relation to tissue buffering, osmoregulation and antioxidation

A method for the estimation of p-mode parameters from averaged solar oscillation power spectra

A new fitting methodology is presented which is equally well suited for the estimation of low-, medium-, and high-degree mode parameters from $m$-averaged solar oscillation power spectra of widely differing spectral resolution. This method, which we call the "Windowed, MuLTiple-Peak, averaged spectrum", or WMLTP Method, constructs a theoretical profile by convolving the weighted sum of the profiles of the modes appearing in the fitting box with the power spectrum of the window function of the observing run using weights from a leakage matrix that takes into account both observational and physical effects, such as the distortion of modes by solar latitudinal differential rotation. We demonstrate that the WMLTP Method makes substantial improvements in the inferences of the properties of the solar oscillations in comparison with a previous method that employed a single profile to represent each spectral peak. We also present an inversion for the internal solar structure which is based upon 6,366 modes that we have computed using the WMLTP method on the 66-day long 2010 SOHO/MDI Dynamics Run. To improve both the numerical stability and reliability of the inversion we developed a new procedure for the identification and correction of outliers in a frequency data set. We present evidence for a pronounced departure of the sound speed in the outer half of the solar convection zone and in the subsurface shear layer from the radial sound speed profile contained in Model~S of Christensen-Dalsgaard and his collaborators that existed in the rising phase of Solar Cycle~24 during mid-2010

The analysis of solar models: Neutrinos and oscillations

Tests of solar neutrino flux and solar oscillation frequencies were used to assess standard stellar structure theory. Standard and non-standard solar models are enumerated and discussed. The field of solar seismology, wherein the solar interior is studied from the measurement of solar oscillations, is introduced

Atmospheric extinction coefficients in the Ic\mathrm{I_c} band for several major international observatories: Results from the BiSON telescopes, 1984 to 2016

Over 30 years of solar data have been acquired by the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON), an international network of telescopes used to study oscillations of the Sun. Five of the six BiSON telescopes are located at major observatories. The observational sites are, in order of increasing longitude: Mount Wilson (Hale) Observatory (MWO), California, USA; Las Campanas Observatory (LCO), Chile; Observatorio del Teide, Iza\~{n}a, Tenerife, Canary Islands; the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), Sutherland, South Africa; Carnarvon, Western Australia; and the Paul Wild Observatory, Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia. The BiSON data may be used to measure atmospheric extinction coefficients in the $\mathrm{I_c}$ band (approximately 700-900 nm), and presented here are the derived atmospheric extinction coefficients from each site over the years 1984 to 2016.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, 4 tables. Accepted by Astronomical Journal: 2017 July 2

Lognormal scale invariant random measures

In this article, we consider the continuous analog of the celebrated Mandelbrot star equation with lognormal weights. Mandelbrot introduced this equation to characterize the law of multiplicative cascades. We show existence and uniqueness of measures satisfying the aforementioned continuous equation; these measures fall under the scope of the Gaussian multiplicative chaos theory developed by J.P. Kahane in 1985 (or possibly extensions of this theory). As a by product, we also obtain an explicit characterization of the covariance structure of these measures. We also prove that qualitative properties such as long-range independence or isotropy can be read off the equation.Comment: 31 pages; Probability Theory and Related Fields (2012) electronic versio

Gaussian multiplicative Chaos for symmetric isotropic matrices

Motivated by isotropic fully developed turbulence, we define a theory of symmetric matrix valued isotropic Gaussian multiplicative chaos. Our construction extends the scalar theory developed by J.P. Kahane in 1985

The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK

Studies have shown that a significant proportion of people with epilepsy use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM use is known to vary between different ethnic groups and cultural contexts; however, little attention has been devoted to inter-ethnic differences within the UK population. We studied the use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine in a sample of people with epilepsy of South Asian origin living in the north of England. Interviews were conducted with 30 people of South Asian origin and 16 carers drawn from a sampling frame of patients over 18 years old with epilepsy, compiled from epilepsy registers and hospital databases. All interviews were tape-recorded, translated if required and transcribed. A framework approach was adopted to analyse the data. All those interviewed were taking conventional anti-epileptic drugs. Most had also sought help from traditional South Asian practitioners, but only two people had tried conventional CAM. Decisions to consult a traditional healer were taken by families rather than by individuals with epilepsy. Those who made the decision to consult a traditional healer were usually older family members and their motivations and perceptions of safety and efficacy often differed from those of the recipients of the treatment. No-one had discussed the use of traditional therapies with their doctor. The patterns observed in the UK mirrored those reported among people with epilepsy in India and Pakistan. The health care-seeking behaviour of study participants, although mainly confined within the ethnomedicine sector, shared much in common with that of people who use global CAM. The appeal of traditional therapies lay in their religious and moral legitimacy within the South Asian community, especially to the older generation who were disproportionately influential in the determination of treatment choices. As a second generation made up of people of Pakistani origin born in the UK reach the age when they are the influential decision makers in their families, resort to traditional therapies may decline. People had long experience of navigating plural systems of health care and avoided potential conflict by maintaining strict separation between different sectors. Health care practitioners need to approach these issues with sensitivity and to regard traditional healers as potential allies, rather than competitors or quacks

Deliberate Exercise of Pregnant Holstein Heifers Improves Milk Composition During Lactation

Exercise has substantial impacts on systemic physiology, but little research has been conducted to assess how it may influence dairy cattle in modern confined production systems. Dairy heifers were walked for up to 45 minutes, 4 days per week for 8 weeks during pregnancy to assess impacts on subsequent health and productivity. Heifers that were exercised had increased milk protein and solids-not-fat concentrations for up to 15 weeks into lactation, and increased milk fat and energy-corrected milk production at some time points during this period, as compared to sedentary contemporaries. No adverse or beneficial effects of exercise were found on locomotion, calving ease, date of parturition, or somatic cell scores. These findings point to potential impacts on lactation productivity following exercise in pregnant heifers