Feeding with Badly Preserved Silages and Occurrence of Subclinical Ketosis in Dairy Cows

Ketosis in dairy cows is due to high levels of circulating ketone bodies in blood (Duffiel, 2000). In early lactation, the capacity of voluntary dry matter intake does not allow dairy cows to cover the total energy requirements for maintenance and production, and then the body reserves are mobilised. However, the amounts of fatty acids that can be metabolised in the liver are limited, later they are converted to ketone bodies (Tveit et al., 1992). During forage ensiling, acetic and lactic fermentations only are desirable, but frequently butyric and alcoholic fermentations appear. When the animals ingest these silages, the butyric acid is metabolised to ketone bodies (Chalupa, 1974). The ketosis problems could be due to both causes simultaneously. The objective of this paper was to establish the incidence of subclinical ketosis in dairy herds of Asturias (Spain) and its relationship with the nutritive and fermentative characteristics of silages used in the ration

Phycomyces MADB interacts with MADA to form the primary photoreceptor complex for fungal phototropism

The fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus reacts to environmental signals, including light, gravity, touch, and the presence of nearby objects, by changing the speed and direction of growth of its fruiting body (sporangiophore). Phototropism, growth toward light, shares many features in fungi and plants but the molecular mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. Phycomyces mutants with altered phototropism were isolated ≈40 years ago and found to have mutations in the mad genes. All of the responses to light in Phycomyces require the products of the madA and madB genes. We showed that madA encodes a protein similar to the Neurospora blue-light photoreceptor, zinc-finger protein WC-1. We show here that madB encodes a protein similar to the Neurospora zinc-finger protein WC-2. MADA and MADB interact to form a complex in yeast 2-hybrid assays and when coexpressed in E. coli, providing evidence that phototropism and other responses to light are mediated by a photoresponsive transcription factor complex. The Phycomyces genome contains 3 genes similar to wc-1, and 4 genes similar to wc-2, many of which are regulated by light in a madA or madB dependent manner. We did not detect any interactions between additional WC proteins in yeast 2-hybrid assays, which suggest that MADA and MADB form the major photoreceptor complex in Phycomyces. However, the presence of multiple wc genes in Phycomyces may enable perception across a broad range of light intensities, and may provide specialized photoreceptors for distinct photoresponses

The effect of infant body mass on carrier travel speed in Cotton-top Tamarins (Saguinus oedipus)

Infant carrying is common in primates and may be the second most costly activity related to reproduction, after lactation. In cooperative breeding groups of callitrichids, all group members carry and care for twin infants. Previous studies have described the costs of infant carrying in terms of body mass loss and reduced locomotor capability. However, infant carrying may also influence travel speed, an important potential cost because slower speed may handicap foraging, energetic budgets, and predator avoidance. We evaluated the impact of infant carrying on the travel speed of 27 adult and 9 subadult cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) of both sexes in large outdoor enclosures. We compared carrier speed to speed when not carrying during the 10 weeks after nine births. Subadult tamarins, which have a lower body mass than adults do, moved faster than adults when not carrying. We found no difference between the mean speeds of subadults and adults while carrying. However, the speed of carriers decreased as infant mass increased, and the slope of this negative relationship was more pronounced in subadult carriers. For every 80 g of extra mass load (the body mass of newborn twins), adults reduced their speed by 6 % and subadults by 19 % relative to noncarrying speed. We also observed a reduction in speed while carrying two infants in adult tamarins as carrying time increased. Our results contribute to an understanding of the costs of infant carrying, and serve to emphasize the importance of cooperative breeding systems in coping with these costsThe contract grant sponsor was the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación-Subdirección General de Proyectos de Investigación (contract grant no. PSI2009-08581PSIC

Geology and paleontology of Tresjuncos (Cuenca, Spain), a new diatomaceous deposit with Konservat-Lagerstätte characteristics from the European late Miocene.

Purpose A new Iberian Konservat-Lagersta¨tte discovered in Tresjuncos (Cuenca, Spain) is described and interpreted based on geological and paleontological information. Methods The samples were studied using conventional mineralogical (powder X-ray diffraction), petrographic (optical and scanning electron microscopy) and geochemical (X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry) techniques. Results Based upon geological context, stratigraphy, lithology, sedimentology and origin of the rocks, we describe and interpret the new fossil site as originated in a lacustrine environment. The micromammals found in the Tresjuncos 1 outcrop suggest that the main site is Turolian in age (uppermost Miocene), continental chronological unit MN13. The fossils are preserved in laminates comprising rhythmic, millimeterscale alternations of diatomites and calcareous diatomites. An analysis of the lake paleobiota includes amphibians, crustaceans, insects, plants, and diatoms. The diatoms are dominated by Cyclotella iris. The whole assemblage is indicative of a planktic community developed in somewhat alkaline waters. An extremely well preserved premetamorphic Pelobates (Pelobatidae) tadpole was discovered; it is remarkable because of its gigantic size. Its digestive tract predominantly contains the rare diatom Navicula halionata var directa, likely associated with the shore vegetation in which it presumably lived and fed. The arthropods form a typical lacustrine aquatic assemblage, lacking fish. This assemblage is made up of small filtering crustaceans and of both predator and nonpredator insects of diverse sizes. Conclusions The available evidence on Tresjuncos shows the extraordinary potential for paleontological information that can be expected from this new Konservat-Lagersta¨tte, which constitutes a significant finding that improves our understanding of continental late Miocene Mediterranean environments

Learning to assess from pair-wise comparisons

In this paper we present an algorithm for learning a function able to assess objects. We assume that our teachers can provide a collection of pairwise comparisons but encounter certain difficulties in assigning a number to the qualities of the objects considered. This is a typical situation when dealing with food products, where it is very interesting to have repeatable, reliable mechanisms that are as objective as possible to evaluate quality in order to provide markets with products of a uniform quality. The same problem arises when we are trying to learn user preferences in an information retrieval system or in configuring a complex device. The algorithm is implemented using a growing variant of Kohonen’s Self-Organizing Maps (growing neural gas), and is tested with a variety of data sets to demonstrate the capabilities of our approac

Morphometric relations of freshwater fishes of the Suaza River (Huila Department, Colombia)

The knowledge of freshwater fishes in remote Andean mountains is scarce and restricted to changes of occurrence distribution along a specific gradient. The high number of endemic fish species requires further studies regarding their biology and their conservation status. The present study aims to estimate the length-weight, length- length, and length-girth relations for nine native freshwater fish species representing five families (Loricariidae, Characidae, Heptapteridae, Crenuchidae, and Parodontidae): Chaetostoma thomsoni Regan, 1904; Lasiancistrus caucanus Eigenmann, 1912; Rineloricaria jubata (Boulenger, 1902); Bryconamericus huilae Román- Valencia, 2003; Gephyrocharax melanocheir Eigenmann, 1912; Pimelodella chagresi (Steindachner, 1876); Rhamdia guatemalensis (Quoy et Gaimard, 1824); Characidium fasciatum Reinhardt, 1867; Parodon suborbitalis Valenciennes, 1850. The fishes were collected in the Suaza River (Huila, Colombia). These are the first length-weight relations reported for all these species, mostly endemic to the Colombian Andes. The report also provides the new maximum size for four species

Understanding the High Ionic Conductivity in Nanostructured Ytterbium Stabilized Zirconia Thin Films

Recently, high ionic conduction has been reported in nanostructured materials. This increase in conductivity can be important in technological applications, including micro-Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, so the understanding of this phenomenon is essential. In this work, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, EDS maps, and UV-Visible spectroscopy measurements are used to have an insight into the relationship between structural and electrical properties in nanostructured ytterbium stabilized zirconia (YbSZ) thin films prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. Raman measurements allowed the identification of a mixture of tetragonal and cubic phases at 4% of Yb doping, which cannot be detected by XRD, while the compositional maps suggest that Yb can be located preferentially in the grain boundaries. Changes in the activation energy values in bulk and grain boundaries are related to the small grain sizes (≤10 nm). UV measurements support the ionic nature of the charge transport. These results indicate that the high conductivity is a consequence of different physical parameters in the films such as stress in the materials, different crystalline phases, impurities diffusion to the grain boundaries, and the presence or absence of electronic conduction. A model that explains the increase of conductivity in nanostructured materials must include all these aspects

Gene network downstream plant stress response modulated by peroxisomal H2O2

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) act as secondary messengers that can be sensed by specific redox-sensitive proteins responsible for the activation of signal transduction culminating in altered gene expression. The subcellular site, in which modifications in the ROS/oxidation state occur, can also act as a specific cellular redox network signal. The chemical identity of ROS and their subcellular origin is actually a specific imprint on the transcriptome response. In recent years, a number of transcriptomic studies related to altered ROS metabolism in plant peroxisomes have been carried out. In this study, we conducted a metaanalysis of these transcriptomic findings to identify common transcriptional footprints for plant peroxisomal-dependent signaling at early and later time points. These footprints highlight the regulation of various metabolic pathways and gene families, which are also found in plant responses to several abiotic stresses. Major peroxisomal-dependent genes are associated with protein and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protection at later stages of stress while, at earlier stages, these genes are related to hormone biosynthesis and signaling regulation. Furthermore, in silico analyses allowed us to assign human orthologs to some of the peroxisomal-dependent proteins, which are mainly associated with different cancer pathologies. Peroxisomal footprints provide a valuable resource for assessing and supporting key peroxisomal functions in cellular metabolism under control and stress conditions across species.Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MCIU)State Research Agency (AEI)FEDER grant PGC2018-098372-B-I00MCIU Research Personnel Training (FPI) grant BES-2016-07651

A special perturbation method in orbital dynamics

The special perturbation method considered in this paper combines simplicity of computer implementation, speed and precision, and can propagate the orbit of any material particle. The paper describes the evolution of some orbital elements based in Euler parameters, which are constants in the unperturbed problem, but which evolve in the time scale imposed by the perturbation. The variation of parameters technique is used to develop expressions for the derivatives of seven elements for the general case, which includes any type of perturbation. These basic differential equations are slightly modified by introducing one additional equation for the time, reaching a total order of eight. The method was developed in the Grupo de Dinámica de Tethers (GDT) of the UPM, as a tool for dynamic simulations of tethers. However, it can be used in any other field and with any kind of orbit and perturbation. It is free of singularities related to small inclination and/or eccentricity. The use of Euler parameters makes it robust. The perturbation forces are handled in a very simple way: the method requires their components in the orbital frame or in an inertial frame. A comparison with other schemes is performed in the paper to show the good performance of the method