Threonine requirement of the weanling pig and amino acid balance studies with pigs and chicks

Experiments were conducted to estimate the threonine requirement of pigs weighing 5 to 15 kg and to determine the effects of dietary excesses of methionine, threonine, and lysine in weanling pigs and chicks;Feeding .70% dietary threonine maximized gain/feed (P .10) pig performance or plasma urea N. In another experiment, a 15% crude protein diet, was supplemented with .40% methionine and/or .15% threonine. Amino acid additions did not affect performance of pigs, but pigs fed supplement threonine had the lowest plasma urea N concentrations;Performance and plasma urea N of weanling pigs fed a practical diet were not affected by either lysine and/or threonine supplementation. Dietary lysine supplementation increased plasma lysine (P \u3c .01) and decreased plasma threonine levels (P \u3c .01), but this latter effect was greater in pigs fed the diet supplemented with threonine than in those fed the unsupplemented diet (interaction, P \u3c .05). In an experiment with chicks, there was an interaction of dietary lysine and threonine on growth (P \u3c .01) and on efficiency of feed utilization (P \u3c .05). Increasing dietary lysine depressed growth and gain/feed of chicks fed the lowest dietary threonine level but improved growth and efficiency of those fed the two higher dietary threonine levels. Increasing dietary lysine concentrations increased plasma lysine levels (P \u3c .01) and decreased plasma threonine (P \u3c .01). Plasma threonine levels were increased by dietary threonine supplementation (P \u3c .01);The results of these experiments suggest that the threonine requirement of the weanling pig is about .70% of a diet containing 1.15% lysine and that total sulfur amino acid concentrations as high as .97% do not depress performance of young pigs. High plasma lysine concentrations seem not to be involved in mediating feed intake depression in pigs fed an excess dietary lysine concentration (1.4%). Threonine imbalance can be induced in chicks fed diets adequate in protein and marginally deficient in threonine by increasing the dietary lysine concentration, and this imbalance can be alleviated by further threonine supplementation

Detection of Pathological HFO Using Supervised Machine Learning and iEEG Data

Epilepsy is the second most common neurological disorder and it affects approxi mately 50 million people worldwide. One of the main characteristics of this disorder is the presence of recurrent seizures which tend to be controlled through medication. Nonetheless, 20% of the patients with this disorder are resistant to drug treatment meaning that they need to go through alternative procedures

The Ninyerola Gypsum unit: an example of cyclic, lacustrine sedimentation (Middle Miocene, E Spain)

La unidad Yesos de Ninyerola es un depósito lacustre del Mioceno Medio, de potencia cercana a los 200 m, que afl ora principalmente a lo largo de una estructura anticlinal de orientación NNE-SSW cerca de la ciudad de València. Esta estructura está formada por materiales diapirizados del Keuper (Triásico Superior) en el núcleo y por una sucesión miocena en los flancos. En la base deThe Ninyerola Gypsum unit is a Middle Miocene lacustrine deposit, close to 200 m in thickness, which crops out mainly along an anticline structure trending NNE-SSW near the city of Valencia. This anticline structure is comprised of Keuper (Upper Triassic) diapiric materials in the core and a Miocene succession on its fl anks. The Ninyerola Gypsum unit appears at the base of this succession and is overlain by alluvial deposits. The latter deposits grade upwards to terrigenous, coastal marine sediments presumably of Tortonian age. The anticline fl anks of the Miocene succession differ markedly not only in terms of their depositional and diagenetic facies but also in thickness and cyclicity. These differences suggest that synsedimentary deformation of the Triassic basement exerted control on Miocene sedimentation. On the eastern fl ank, where the succession is thicker (>230 m) and well exposed, we distinguished the following stratigraphic intervals from base to top: nodular gypsum (a), bioturbated gypsum (b), alternation of laminated gypsum and carbonate (c), a calcareous interval (d), red lutites and bioturbated gypsum (e), and a clastic alluvial alternation (f); this assemblage unconformably underlies a clastic, coastal marine interval (g). The Ninyerola Gypsum unit constitutes the lacustrine sediments −intervals (a) to (e)− of the succession. In this unit, numerous carbonate-gypsum cycles are recorded in intervals (a) to (c), whose average thickness approaches 6 m. The lacustrine stages of this succession were interpreted as the result of the gradual development of a saline lake of the sulphatecarbonate type overlying the Triassic materials, which extruded during the Lower Miocene. Interal (c) represents the maximum extension, depth and subsidence of this saline lake. This deep lake stage (c) was preceded by a shallow lake stage (b), which initially experienced anhydritic sabkha conditions (a). Stage (c) was followed by a diluted lake stage (d) and a fi nal evaporitic lake stage (e). Subsequently, an input of alluvial clastic materials (f) and marine transgression (g) brought an end to the evaporative conditions in the area

Unidades evaporíticas de la zona de Libros-Cascante (Mioceno, Cuenca de Teruel): Características estratigráficas y sedimentológicas

[ES] Las diversas unidades evaporíticas del Mioceno de la zonade Libros-Cascante (Fosa de Teruel) tienen extensión geográfica y potencia muy variables y constituyen tanto amplios cuerpos centrales (ej. Yesos de las Minas de Libros- Cascante) como pequeñas unidades de borde de cuenca, muy localizadas (ej. Yesos de Cubla). Las evaporitas consisten en diversas litofacies de yeso primario, principalmente yesos microlenticulares bioturbados y yesos laminados. Asociadas a las litofacies de yeso se presentan lutitas rojas, verdes o negruzcas y calizas formadas principalmente por acumulaciones de carófitas y gasterópodos. De un modo global, las unidades yesíferas diferenciadas dan muestras de una gradación progresiva de litofacies y de litologías asociadas, en función de la profundidad del medio deposicional, que reflejan los siguientes ambientes: 1) Zonas de encharcamiento y palustres, instaJadas episódicamente sobre llanuras de lutitas. Se caracterizan por depósitos de yesos microlenticulares bioturbados. Los Yesos de El Campo (Aragoniense inferior) y los Yesos de Cubla (Turoliense superior) están formados exclusivamente por estas litofacies. 2) Zonas lacustres someras, con márgenes palustres bien definidos (litofacies masivas bioturbadas) y centros someros litofacies yesíferas laminadas y niveles de calizas de cairófitas y gasterópodos); se desarrolla una ciclicidad en función de las oscilaciones de la lámina de agua por inundacióndesecación. Los ciclos pueden estar compuestos por: lutitas, yesos bioturbados o yesos laminados. Estos ambientes y litofacies están bien caracterizados en los Yesos de El Morrón (Aragoniense inferior>. 3) Lagos más profundos dominados por las litofacies yesíferas laminadas de grano muy fino y pizarras bituminosas propias de fondos anóxicos, en las que se ha producido sulfatoreducción bacterial. En las zonas marginales se encuentran litofacies y ciclos como los señalados en las zonas 1 y 2. Los Yesos de las Minas de Libros-Cascante son los representantes de estos ambientes y litofacies. Las características sedimentológicas de los yesos y litofacies asociadas, así como la ausencia de cloruros, sulfatos sódicos y facies anhidritizadas indican una baja concentración de las aguas de los ambientes lacustres.[EN] The Miocene evaporite units iii the Teruel Graben (Libros-Cascante area) are variable both in thickness and areal extent. The evaporite units form large basinal bodies (eg., Minas de Libros-Cascante Gy~sum) or small, marginal units (cg., Cubla Gypsum). The evaporites consist of diverse primary microlenticular gypsum iithofacies, main«Ty bioturbated gypsum and laminated gypsum. Sedimcnts associated with gypsum layers are red or drab mudstones, or bioclastie limestones. The diverse units show a progressive gradation in gypsum lithofacies aud associated deposits wbich reflect different environments and depths: 1) Palustrmne and very shallow ponds in mud flats. Sedimentary components are 1)ioturbated microlenticular gypsum and mudstones. The El Campo Gypsum (lower Aragonian) and Cubla Gypsum (upper Turolian) are exclusively formed by these lithofacies; 2) Shallow lacustrine systems with palustrine, well-defined margins (ma~sive bioturbated lithofacies) aud shallow central arcas where laminated gypsum and fossiliferous carbonates were deposited. Cyclicity occurred in response to laike-level oscillations. The cycles comprise mudstones, bioturbated gypsum or laminated gypsum. El Morrón Gypsum is representative of these lithofacies and environments; 3) l)ecp, permanent lakes, in which accumulated laminated gypsum and oil shalesunder anoxie bottom conditions. Bacterial sulphate reduction also occurred in these sediments. Gypsum Iithofacies and cyeles similar to those formed in environments 1 and 2 occur in the marginal zones of tbis system (e.g., Minas de Libros-Cascante Gypsum). The sedimentary features of the gypsum and associated deposits, as well as the absence of chlorides, Na-sulphates and anhydritized facies, indicate a relatively low-concentration in the original brines or lake waters.Este trabajo ha sido realizado en el marco de los proyectos DG1CYT PIAOO-0O80 y PB90- 0485.Peer reviewe

La traducció automàtica en la pràctica: aplicacions, dificultats i estratègies de desenvolupament

En aquest article es descriuen els sistemes de traducció automàtica, les seves aplicacions actuals i les principals dificultats que ha d’afrontar aquesta tecnologia lingüística. Es presenta el sistema Apertium, una plataforma de traducció automàtica de codi obert sobre la qual s’han construït diversos traductors automàtics entre diferents parells d’idiomes, en els quals està inclòs el català. Basant-se en l’experiència dels autors, es descriuen algunes tensions que es donen en el desenvolupament de les dades lingüístiques d’un traductor automàtic i les solucions de compromís a què cal arribar per a construir sistemes útils

Depositional models of lacustrine evaporites in the SE margin of the Ebro Basin (Paleogene, NE Spain)

An important evaporitic sedimentation occurred during the Paleogene (Eocene to lower Oligocene) in the Barberà sector of the southeastern margin of the Tertiary Ebro Basin. This sedimentation took place in shallow lacustrine environments and was controlled by a number of factors: 1) the tectonic structuration of the margin; 2) the high calcium sulphate content in the meteoric waters coming from the marginal reliefs; 3) the semiarid climate; and 4) the development of large alluvial fans along the basin margin, which also conditioned the location of the saline lakes. The evaporites are currently composed of secondary gypsum in surface and anhydrite at depth. There are, however, vestiges of the local presence of sodium sulphates. The evaporite units, with individual thicknesses ranging between 50 and 100 m, are intercalated within various lithostratigraphic formations and exhibit a paleogeographical pattern. The units located closer to the basin margin are characterized by a massive gypsum lithofacies (originally, bioturbated gypsum) bearing chert, and also by meganodular gypsum locally (originally, meganodules of anhydrite) in association with red lutites and clastic intercalations (gypsarenites, sandstones and conglomerates). Chert, which is only linked to the thickest gypsum layers, seems to be an early diagenetic, lacustrine product. Cyclicity in these proximal units indicates the progressive development of low-salinity, lacustrine bodies on red mud flats. At the top of some cycles, exposure episodes commonly resulted in dissolution, erosion, and the formation of edaphic features. In contrast, the units located in a more distal position with regard to the basin margin are formed by an alternation of banded-nodular gypsum and laminated gypsum layers in association with grey lutites and few clastic intercalations. These distal units formed in saline lakes with a higher ionic concentration. Exposure episodes in these lakes resulted in the formation of synsedimentary anhydrite and sabkha cycles. In some of these units, however, outer rims characterized by a lithofacies association similar to that of the proximal units occur (nodular gypsum, massive gypsum and chert nodules)

Beaver (Castor fiber) activity and spatial movement in response to light and weather conditions

Animal behaviour can affect individual fitness and is influenced by exogenous and endogenous factors. Here, we investigated how light (daylight length and moonlight), weather (precipitation and temperature), age, sex and social status affected activity and movement of a semiaquatic mammal, the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), using GPS relocation data from 47 individuals in south-eastern Norway. Independent of daylight length, beavers had a mean daily activity time of 9:42 h and reduced their activity periods when they were older, most likely due to senescence. In line with this, older individuals also spent less time in water and moved shorter distances. Furthermore, beavers reduced their activity periods in drier weather conditions and spent less time on land during brighter nights and drier conditions, indicating a predation risk avoidance strategy. Individuals spent less time in the water during the colder parts of the year and moved shorter distances with decreasing temperature, suggesting thermal constraints. Our study adds to the increasing amount of evidence that animal behaviour is modulated by various endogenous and exogenous factors, and that weather conditions can affect their behaviour. It remains to be tested, however, how climate variability together with hunting and predation pressure affect space use and demography in species such as the Eurasian beaver.publishedVersionPaid Open Acces

Subject Retention in Prehospital Stroke Research Using a Telephone-Based Physician-Investigator Driven Enrollment Method.

Background and purposeSubject retention into clinical trials is vital, and prehospital enrollment may be associated with higher rates of subject withdrawal than more traditional methods of enrollment. We describe rates of subject retention in a prehospital trial of acute stroke therapy.MethodsAll subjects were enrolled into the NIH Field Administration of Stroke Therapy-Magnesium (FAST-MAG) phase 3 clinical trial. Paramedics screened eligible subjects and contacted the physician-investigator using a dedicated in-ambulance cellular phone. Physician-investigators obtained explicit informed consent from the subject or on-scene legally authorized representative (LAR) who reviewed and signed a consent form. Exception from informed consent (EFIC) was utilized in later stages of the study.ResultsThere were 1,700 subjects enrolled; 1,017 provided consent (60%), 662 were enrolled via LAR (39%), and 21 were enrolled via EFIC (1%). Of the 1,700 patients, 1,413 (83%) completed the 90-day visit, 265 (16%) died prior to the 90-day visit, and 22 (1.3%) withdrew from the study before completion. There were no differences in rates of withdrawal by method of study enrolment, i.e., self-consent (n = 14), 1.4%; LAR (n = 8), 1.2%; EFIC (n = 0) 0%.ConclusionThere was a high rate of retention when subjects were enrolled into prehospital stroke research using a phone-based method to obtain explicit consent