Feeding Behavior of Yorkshire Pigs Selected for Residual Feed Intake

Feeding behavior traits were evaluated in Yorkshire gilts from the fourth generation of the ISU residual feed intake (RFI) selection experiment. Gilts were fed using FIRE feeders. Compared to the randomly selected control line, pigs from the line selected for lower RFI, had lower residual feed intake, ate less per day, spent less time eating per day, and ate faster per visit, regardless of whether analysis was over the whole test period, the first half of test period, or the second half of test period. In conclusion, selection for lower RFI has significantly changed feeding behavior, which could be part of the reason why they are more efficient

Mechanical properties investigation of monolayer h-BN sheet under in-plane shear displacement using molecular dynamics simulations

The mechanical properties, including wrinkling patterns and fracture behavior, of monolayer h-BN sheets have been investigated using classic molecular dynamics simulations and continuum model. The wrinkling pattern formation and evolution have been first explored. The dependences of the wrinkling shape, amplitude, and wavelength, as well as wrinkling number on shear displacement are extensively elucidated. The influences of geometry and shear load direction, as well as temperature, on the fracture behavior have also been studied to obtain further insights into the properties of the monolayer h-BN sheets

The crystal and defect structures of polar KBiNb2O7

Funding: Experiments at the Diamond Light Source were performed as part of the Block Allocation Group award “Oxford/Warwick Solid State Chemistry BAG to probe composition-structure– property relationships in solids” (CY25166). Experiments at the ISIS pulsed neutron facility were supported by a beam time allocation from the STFC (RB 2000148). SM thanks Somerville College for an Oxford Ryniker Lloyd scholarship. ‘PSH and WZ thank the National Science Foundation (DMR-2002319) and Welch Foundation (Grant E-1457) for support.KBiNb2O7 was prepared from RbBiNb2O7 by a sequence of cation exchange reactions which first convert RbBiNb2O7 to LiBiNb2O7, before KBiNb2O7 is formed by a further K-for-Li cation exchange. A combination of neutron, synchrotron X-ray and electron diffraction data reveal that KBiNb2O7 adopts a polar, layered, perovskite structure (space group A11m) in which the BiNb2O7 layers are stacked in a (0, ½, z) arrangement, with the K+ cations located in half of the available 10-coordinate interlayer cation sites. The inversion symmetry of the phase is broken by a large displacement of the Bi3+ cations parallel to the y-axis. HAADF-STEM images reveal that KBiNb2O7 exhibits frequent stacking faults which convert the (0, ½, z) layer stacking to (½, 0, z) stacking and vice versa, essentially switching the x- and y-axes of the material. By fitting the complex diffraction peak shape of the SXRD data collected from KBiNb2O7 it is estimated that each layer has approximately a 9% chance of being defective-a high level which is attributed to the lack of cooperative NbO6 tilting in the material, which limits the lattice strain associated with each fault.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Rational cotargeting of HDAC6 and BET proteins yields synergistic antimyeloma activity

Inhibition of bromodomain and extra terminal (BET) protein family members, including BRD4, decreases the expression of c-MYC and other key oncogenic factors and also significantly induces histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) expression. On the basis of the role of HDAC6 in malignant pathogenesis, we hypothesized that rational cotargeting of HDAC6 and BET family proteins may represent a novel approach that yields synergistic antimyeloma activity. We used genetic and pharmacologic approaches to selectively impair HDAC6 and BET function and evaluated the consequential impact on myeloma pathogenesis. These studies identified HDAC6 upregulation as an efficacy reducing mechanism for BET inhibitors because antagonizing HDAC6 activity synergistically enhanced the activity of JQ1 in a panel of multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines and primary CD138+ cells obtained from patients with MM. The synergy of this therapeutic combination was linked to significant reductions in c-MYC expression and increases in apoptosis induction. Administration of the clinical HDAC6 inhibitor ricolinostat was very well tolerated and significantly augmented the in vivo antimyeloma activity of JQ1. Ex vivo pharmacodynamic analyses demonstrated that the combination of JQ1 and ricolinostat led to significantly lower MM cell proliferation and increased apoptosis and diminished expression of c-MYC and BCL-2. These data demonstrate that cotargeting of HDAC6 and BET family members is a novel and clinically actionable approach to augment the efficacy of both classes of agents that warrants further investigation.National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute [R01CA190789, R01CA172443]; University of Arizona Cancer Center Support Grant [P30CA023074]This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Exhaled nitric oxide during infancy as a risk factor for asthma and airway hyperreactivity

Childhood asthma is often characterised by elevated exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), decreased lung function, increased airway reactivity and atopy; however, our understanding of when these phenotypic airway characteristics develop remains unclear. This study evaluated whether eNO, lung function, airway reactivity and immune characteristics during infancy are risk factors of asthma at age 5 years. Infants with eczema, enrolled prior to wheezy illness (n=116), had eNO, spirometry, airway reactivity and allergen sensitisation assessed at entry to the study and repeated at age 5 years (n=90). Increasing eNO at entry was associated with an increased risk of asthma (p=0.037) and increasing airway reactivity (p=0.015) at age 5 years. Children with asthma at 5 years of age had a greater increase in eNO between infancy and age 5 years compared with those without asthma (p=0.002). Egg sensitisation at entry was also associated with an increased risk of asthma (p=0.020), increasing eNO (p = 0.002) and lower forced expiratory flows (p=0.029) as a 5 year-old. Our findings suggest that, among infants at high risk for developing asthma, eNO early in life may provide important insights into the subsequent risk of asthma and its airway characteristics