Reusing intravaginal progesterone releasing devices for oestrous synchoronization in ewes

In this study, the second use of an intravaginal progesterone-releasing device or controlled intravaginal drug release device (CIDR) was evaluated. After a first use of 11 days, the CIDR was again used for either nine or 12 days with 200 or 300 IU equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) being injected on its removal. Sixty-four ewes were randomly distributed to four treatments (n=16/group): CIDR9+eCG200, CIDR9+eCG300, CIDR12+eCG200, and CIDR12+eCG300. The eCG was administered intramuscularly on withdrawal of the device. Thus, the experiment was a completely randomized design with a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Oestrus presentation did not differ between treatments (P =0.29). However, with the dose of 200 IU of eCG, oestrus presentation tended to increase (P =0.08). The onset and duration of oestrus, percentage of gestation, and return to oestrus did not differ between treatments (P >0.05). Progesterone concentration in serum was greater (P < 0.05) in ewes treated with CIDR12+eCG300. Prolificacy was greatest (1.44) with the CIDR12+eCG300 treatment and was different (P = 0.001) from the treatments CIDR9+eCG200 (1.21) and CIDR9+eCG300 (1.20), but not from the CIDR12+eCG200 treated ewes (1.31). The CIDR12+eCG300 treatement produced the highest percentage of twin births (45.8%) (P =0.001). Leaving the device in place for 12 days increased (P =0.001) the incidence of twin births. Use of the CIDR for a second time synchronized oestrus in ewes successfully with better fertility being obtained when the device was left in place for 12 days, and 300 IU of eCG was injected on its removal. Key words: gonadotropin, progesterone device, synchronizatio

Air-steam gasification of sewage sludge in a fluidized bed. Influence of some operating conditions

An experimental work was carried out to investigate the viability of energy recovery from the air–steam gasification of sewage sludge. The relative influence of different factors, as well as the effect of their possible interactions, has been determined by means of analysis of variance. Temperature was found to be the most influential factor for most of the variables analyzed. Solid yield (35–41 wt.%) and tar content (11–45 g/m3 STP) were largely reduced with temperature, whereas gas production (0:89 -- 1:32 m3 STP/kg sewage sludge dry and ash free), carbon yield to gas phase (62–90 wt.%), gasification efficiency (39–66%), and H2 and CO yields (20–52 and 137–414 g/kg sewage sludge dry and ash free, respectively) were improved at high temperature. Other important parameters for the end-use of the gas such as its heating value (4.12–6.20 MJ/m3 STP) and its H2/CO molar ratio (1.46–3.25) were greatly influenced by the composition of the gasification medium, since the increase in the steam to oxygen ratio was favorable for both. The comparison of experimental and theoretical results highlights that equilibrium was not reached during the experimental run

Magnetic order and magnetic properties of the oxygen deficient SmBaMn2O5 layered perovskite

Magnetism in SmBaMn2O5 was investigated on a single crystal by magnetic and neutron diffraction measurements. This is an oxygen deficient perovskite with a layered ordering of Sm and Ba cations. Mn atoms are coordinated with five oxygens forming a square pyramid and they are ordered in a checkerboard pattern of expanded-compressed pyramids in the ab-plane. The neutron diffraction study revealed a ferrimagnetic ordering of Mn moments below TN=134 K. Macroscopic measurements reveal a very anisotropic behavior. Measurements with the external magnetic field parallel (M||c) and perpendicular (M¿c) to the c-axis confirm that this is the easy axis above 10 K. Below this temperature, the Sm sublattice begins to polarize and the magnetization M||c decreases while M¿c experiences a huge increase. This indicates that Sm moments begin to order around 10 K in the ab-plane with a minor component on the c-axis that opposes the overall magnetization from Mn sublattices

Frecuencias génicas de grupos sanguíneos y polimorfismos proteicos en el caballo de raza andaluza: comparación con cuatro razas de caballo americanas

Gene frecuencies at seventeen blood group and protein polymorphism loci for the andalusian horse breed are given. Standard methods of starch and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were used to identify inherited variants at the following enzyme and other protein loci: albumin (Al), transferrin (Tf), carboxylesterase (Es), A1B glycoprotein (Xk), vitamin D binding protein (Gc), protease inhibitor (Pi), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGD), phosphoglucomutase (PGM) and glucosephosphate isomerase (GPI). Polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing was used for haemoglobin (Hb). Standard hemaglutination and complement mediated hemolysis were used to detect red cell alloantigens at the following loci: A, C, D, K, P, Q and U. These data are used to calculate the effectiveness of the battery of tests for recognizing incorrect paternity (Pex) in this breed and to calculate Nei’s measures of normalized genetic identity (I) and standard genetic distance (D) between two populations (Nei, 1972), applied to studies of breed relationships between Andalusian and Paso Fino, Paso Peruano, Quarter and Morgan horses (Blood group and protein polymorphism gene frequencies for Paso Fino, Paso Peruano, Morgan and Quarter horses are from Trommershausen-Bowling & Clark, 1985).Se presentan las frecuencias génicas de diecisiete loci de grupos sanguíneos y polimorfismos bioquímicos en el caballo Andaluz. Se emplearon métodos estándar de electroforesis en geles de almidón y poliacrilamida para identificar las variantes hereditarias de los siguientes loci proteicos: albúmina (Al), transferrina (Tf), carboxilesterasa (Es), A1B glucoproteína (Xk), proteína de unión a la vitamina D (Gc), inhibidor de proteasas (Pi), 6- fosfogluconato deshidrogenasa (PGD), fosfoglucomutasa (PGM), glucosa-fosfato isomerasa (GPI). Para la hemoglobina (Hb) se utilizó isoelectroenfoque en gel de poliacrilamida. Se emplearon hemólisis mediada por el complemento y hemaglutinación estándar para detectar aloantígenos de grupos sanguíneos de los siguientes loci: A, C, D, K, P, Q y U. Estos datos se utilizan para calcular la eficacia de la batería de tests para reconocer paternidades incorrectas (Pex) en esta raza y para calcular la medidas de identidad genética normalizada (I) y distancia genética estándar de Nei entre dos poblaciones (Nei, 1972), aplicadas a estudios de parentesco entre las razas de caballo Andaluz y Paso Fino, Paso Peruano, Morgan y Cuarto de milla (los valores de frecuencias génicas de grupos sanguíneos y polimorfismos bioquímicos de las razas Paso Fino, Paso Peruano, Morgan y Cuarto de milla proceden de Trommershausen- Bowling y Clark, 1985)

Performance Evaluation of Distributed Mobility Management Protocols: Limitations and Solutions for Future Mobile Networks

Mobile Internet data traffic has experienced an exponential growth over the last few years due to the rise of demanding multimedia content and the increasing number of mobile devices. Seamless mobility support at the IP level is envisioned as a key architectural requirement in order to deal with the ever-increasing demand for data and to efficiently utilize a plethora of different wireless access networks. Current efforts from both industry and academia aim to evolve the mobility management protocols towards a more distributed operation to tackle shortcomings of fully centralized approaches. However, distributed solutions face several challenges that can result in lower performance which might affect real-time and multimedia applications. In this paper, we conduct an analytical and simulated evaluation of the main centralized and proposed Distributed Mobility Management (DMM) solutions. Our results show that, in some scenarios, when users move at high speed and/or when the mobile node is running long-lasting applications, the DMM approaches incur high signaling cost and long handover latency.This work was supported by the Government of Extremadura under Grant no. GR15099 and by the European Regional Development Fund Programme (2014–2020) and the Regional Fund, through Computing and Advanced Technologies Foundation of Extremadura (COMPUTAEX)

Aircraft icing: in-cloud measurements and sensitivity to physical parameterizations

The prediction of supercooled cloud drops in the atmosphere is a basic tool for aviation safety, owing to their contact with and instant freezing on sensitive locations of the aircraft. One of the main disadvantages for predicting atmospheric icing conditions is the acquisition of observational data. In this study, we used in‐cloud microphysics measurements taken during 10 flights of a C‐212 research aircraft under winter conditions, during which we encountered 37 regions containing supercooled liquid water. To investigate the capability of the Weather Research and Forecasting model to detect regions containing supercooled cloud drops, we propose a multiphysics ensemble approach. We used four microphysics and two planetary boundary layer schemes. The Morrison parameterization yielded superior results, whereas the planetary boundary layer schemes were essential in evaluating the presence of liquid water content. The Goddard microphysics scheme best detected the presence of ice water content but tended to underestimate liquid water content

MALDI_TOF mass spectrometry does not differentiate between brucella species, suggesting that the may represent a single species

Comunicaciones a congreso

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor in lymphocytes prevents atherosclerosis and predicts subclinical disease

Background: Although the role of Th17 and regulatory T cells in the progression of atherosclerosis has been highlighted in recent years, their molecular mediators remain elusive. We aimed to evaluate the association between the CD69 receptor, a regulator of Th17/regulatory T cell immunity, and atherosclerosis development in animal models and in patients with subclinical disease. Methods: Low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient chimeric mice expressing or not expressing CD69 on either myeloid or lymphoid cells were subjected to a high fat diet. In vitro functional assays with human T cells were performed to decipher the mechanism of the observed phenotypes. Expression of CD69 and NR4A nuclear receptors was evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 305 male participants of the PESA study (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis) with extensive (n=128) or focal (n=55) subclinical atherosclerosis and without disease (n=122). Results: After a high fat diet, mice lacking CD69 on lymphoid cells developed large atheroma plaque along with an increased Th17/regulatory T cell ratio in blood. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein was shown to bind specifically and functionally to CD69 on human T lymphocytes, inhibiting the development of Th17 cells through the activation of NR4A nuclear receptors. Participants of the PESA study with evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis displayed a significant CD69 and NR4A1 mRNA downregulation in peripheral blood leukocytes compared with participants without disease. The expression of CD69 remained associated with the risk of subclinical atherosclerosis in an adjusted multivariable logistic regression model (odds ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.40-0.94; P=0.006) after adjustment for traditional risk factors, the expression of NR4A1, the level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and the counts of different leucocyte subsets. Conclusions: CD69 depletion from the lymphoid compartment promotes a Th17/regulatory T cell imbalance and exacerbates the development of atherosclerosis. CD69 binding to oxidized low-density lipoprotein on T cells induces the expression of anti-inflammatory transcription factors. Data from a cohort of the PESA study with subclinical atherosclerosis indicate that CD69 expression in PBLs inversely correlates with the presence of disease. The expression of CD69 remained an independent predictor of subclinical atherosclerosis after adjustment for traditional risk factors.Funding was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness: Plan Nacional de Salud SAF2017-82886-R to Dr Sánchez-Madrid, SAF2015-64767-R to Dr Martínez-González; Instituto de Salud Carlos III (AES 2016): PI16/01956 to Dr Martin, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares; European Research Council, ERC- 2011-AdG294340-GENTRIS to Dr Sánchez-Madrid; Proyecto Integrado de Excelencia PIE13/041 and Fundació La Marató TV3 (20152330 31); and Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid CAM (S2017/BMD-3671) to Drs Martin and Sánchez-Madrid. Dr Tsilingiri is cofunded by the European Union Marie Curie Program. M. Relaño is supported by a Contratos Predoctorales Severo Ochoa para la formación de doctores (BES-2015–072625) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. This research has been cofinanced by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional. Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain, is supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, and the Pro CNIC Foundation and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505). The PESA study is cofunded equally by the Pro CNIC Foundation and Banco Santander, Madrid, Spai