Effect of selected plant species within biodiverse pasture on in vitro fatty acid biohydrogenation and tissue fatty acid composition of lamb

The effect of botanical diversity on supply of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to ruminants in vitro, and the fatty acid (FA) composition of muscle in lambs was investigated. Six plant species, commonly grown as part of UK herbal ley mixtures (Trifolium pratense, Lotus corniculatus, Achillea millefolium, Centaurea nigra, Plantago lanceolata and Prunella vulgaris), were assessed for FA profile, and in vitro biohydrogenation of constituent PUFA, to estimate intestinal supply of PUFA available for absorption by ruminants. Modelling the in vitro data suggested that L. Corniculatus and P. Vulgaris had the greatest potential to increase 18:3 n-3 supply to ruminants, having the highest amounts escaping in vitro biohydrogenation . Biodiverse pastures were established using the six selected species, under-sown in a perennial ryegrass-based sward. Lambs were grazed (~50 days) on biodiverse or control pastures and the effects on the FA composition of m. longissimus thoracis (lean and subcutaneous fat) and m. semimembranosus (lean) were determined. Biodiverse pasture increased 18:2 n-6 and 18:3 n-3 contents of m. semimembranosus (+14.8 and +7.2 mg/100g tissue respectively) and the subcutaneous fat of m. l. thoracis (+158 and +166 mg/100g tissue respectively) relative to feeding a perennial ryegrass pasture. However, there was no effect on total concentrations of saturated FA in the tissues studied. It was concluded that enhancing biodiversity had a positive impact on muscle FA profile reflected by increased levels of total PUFA

The effect of varying proportion and chop length of lucerne silage in a maize silage-based total mixed ration on diet digestibility and milk yield in dairy cattle

The objective was to assess the effects of inclusion rate and chop length of lucerne silage, when fed in a total mixed ration (TMR), on milk yield, dry matter (DM) intake (DMI) and digestion in dairy cows. Diets were formulated to contain a 50:50 forage:concentrate ratio (DM basis) and to be isonitrogenous (170 g/kg CP). The forage portion of the offered diets was comprised of maize and lucerne silage in proportions (DM basis) of either 25:75 (HL) or 75:25 (LL). Lucerne was harvested and conserved as silage at either a long (L) or short (S) chop length. These variables were combined in a 2x2 factorial arrangement to give four treatments (HLL, HLS, LLL, LLS) which were fed in a Latin square design study to Holstein dairy cows in two separate experiments. Sixteen and 8 multiparous, mid-lactation, cows were used in experiments 1 and 2, respectively. To ensure sufficient silage for both experiments, different cuts of lucerne silage (taken from the same sward) were used for each experiment: first cut for experiment 1 (which was of poorer quality) and second cut for experiment 2. Dry matter intake, milk yield and milk composition where measured in both experiments, and total tract digestibility and nitrogen (N) balance were assessed using four cows in experiment 2. In experiment 1 cows fed LL had increased DMI (+3.2 kg/day), compared with those fed HL. In contrast, there was no difference in DMI due to lucerne silage inclusion rate in experiment 2. A reduction in milk yield was observed with the HL treatment in both experiment 1 and 2 (-3.0 and -2.9 kg/day, respectively). The HL diet had reduced digestibility of DM and organic matter (OM) (-3 and -4%, respectively), and also reduced the efficiency of intake N conversion into milk N (-4%). The S chop length increased total tract digestibility of DM and OM (both +4%), regardless of inclusion rate. Inclusion of lucerne silage at 25% of forage dry matter increased milk yield relative to 75% inclusion, but a S chop length partially mitigated adverse effects of HL on DMI and milk yield in experiment 1 and on DM digestibility in experiment 2

Effects of replacing maize silage with lucerne silage and lucerne silage chop length on rumen function and milk fatty acid composition

The objective of this study was to investigate whether higher lucerne (medicago sativa; alfalfa) silage inclusion rate and longer lucerne chop length improves rumen function through increased provision of physically effective fiber, when included in a maize and lucerne silage-based total mixed ration. Diets were formulated to contain a 50:50 forage:concentrate ratio (dry matter [DM] basis) and be isonitrogenous and contain equal levels of neutral detergent fiber (320 g/kg). The forage portion of the offered diets was comprised of maize and lucerne silage DM in proportions (w/w) of either 25:75 (high lucerne; HL) or 75:25 (low lucerne; LL). Second cut lucerne was harvested and conserved as silage at either a long (L) or a short (S) chop length (geometric mean particle lengths of 9.0 and 14.3 mm, respectively). These variables were combined in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement to give four treatments (HLL, HLS, LLL, LLS) which were fed in a 4 x 4 Latin square design study to four rumen-cannulated, multiparous, Holstein dairy cows in mid-lactation. Effects on dry matter intake (DMI), chewing behaviour, rumen volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration, rumen pH, rumen and fecal particle size, milk production and milk fatty acid (FA) profile were measured. Longer chop length increased rumination times/kg DMI (+2.8 min/kg) relative to the S chop length, with HLL diets resulting in the most rumination chews. Rumen concentrations of total VFA, acetate, and n-valerate were higher for the HLS diet than the other three diets, while rumen propionate concentration was lowest for the HLL diet. Physically effective fiber (particles >4 mm) percentage in the rumen mat was increased when L chop length was fed regardless of lucerne inclusion rate. No effect of treatment was observed for milk yield although milk protein concentration was increased by L for the LL diet (+1.6 g/kg) and decreased by L for the HLL diet (-1.4 g/kg). Milk fat concentrations of total cis-18:1 (+3.7 g/100g FA) and 18:3 n-3 (+0.2 g/100g FA) were greater with HL. In conclusion, longer lucerne silage chop length increased time spent ruminating per kg DMI, but had no effect on rumen pH in the present study. Increasing dietary lucerne inclusion rate had no effects on rumination activity or rumen pH, but decreased the ratio of n-6:n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in milk fat

SIGMA: A System for Integrative Genomic Microarray Analysis of Cancer Genomes

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of high resolution profiling of genomes has created a need for the integrative analysis of information generated from multiple methodologies and platforms. Although the majority of data in the public domain are gene expression profiles, and expression analysis software are available, the increase of array CGH studies has enabled integration of high throughput genomic and gene expression datasets. However, tools for direct mining and analysis of array CGH data are limited. Hence, there is a great need for analytical and display software tailored to cross platform integrative analysis of cancer genomes. RESULTS: We have created a user-friendly java application to facilitate sophisticated visualization and analysis such as cross-tumor and cross-platform comparisons. To demonstrate the utility of this software, we assembled array CGH data representing Affymetrix SNP chip, Stanford cDNA arrays and whole genome tiling path array platforms for cross comparison. This cancer genome database contains 267 profiles from commonly used cancer cell lines representing 14 different tissue types. CONCLUSION: In this study we have developed an application for the visualization and analysis of data from high resolution array CGH platforms that can be adapted for analysis of multiple types of high throughput genomic datasets. Furthermore, we invite researchers using array CGH technology to deposit both their raw and processed data, as this will be a continually expanding database of cancer genomes. This publicly available resource, the System for Integrative Genomic Microarray Analysis (SIGMA) of cancer genomes, can be accessed at

Review: Effects of Ractopamine Hydrochloride (Paylean) on welfare indicators for market weight pigs

This review summarizes the effects of ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) dose (5, 7.5, 10, and 20 mg/kg) on market weight pig welfare indicators. Ractopamine hydrochloride (trade name Paylean) is a β-adrenergic agonist that was initially approved in the U.S. in 1999 at doses of 5 to 20 mg/kg to improve feed efficiency and carcass leanness. However, anecdotal reports suggested that RAC increased the rate of non-ambulatory (fatigued and injured) pigs at U.S. packing plants. This led to the addition of a caution statement to the Paylean label, and a series of research studies investigating the effects of RAC on pig welfare. Early research indicated that: (1) regardless of RAC administration, fatigued (non-ambulatory, non-injured) pigs are in a state of metabolic acidosis; (2) aggressive handling increases stress responsiveness at 20 mg/kg RAC, while 5 mg/kg reduces stress responsiveness to aggressive handling. Given this information, dosage range for Paylean was changed in 2006 to 5 to 10 mg/kg in market weight pigs. Subsequent research on RAC demonstrated that: (1) RAC has minimal effects on mortality, lameness, and home pen behavior; (2) RAC fed pigs demonstrated inconsistent prevalence and intensity of aggressive behaviors; (3) RAC fed pigs may be more difficult to handle at doses above 5 mg/kg; and (4) RAC fed pigs may have increased stress responsiveness and higher rates of non-ambulatory pigs when subjected to aggressive handling, especially when 20 mg/kg of RAC is fed

The Global Magneto-Ionic Medium Survey (GMIMS): The brightest polarized region in the Southern sky at 75cm and its implications for Radio Loop II

Using the Global Magneto-Ionic Medium Survey (GMIMS) Low-Band South (LBS) southern sky polarization survey, covering 300 to 480 MHz at 81 arcmin resolution, we reveal the brightest region in the Southern polarized sky at these frequencies. The region, G150-50, covers nearly 20deg$^2$, near (l,b)~(150 deg,-50 deg). Using GMIMS-LBS and complementary data at higher frequencies (~0.6--30 GHz), we apply Faraday tomography and Stokes QU-fitting techniques. We find that the magnetic field associated with G150-50 is both coherent and primarily in the plane of the sky, and indications that the region is associated with Radio Loop II. The Faraday depth spectra across G150-50 are broad and contain a large-scale spatial gradient. We model the magnetic field in the region as an expanding shell, and we can reproduce both the observed Faraday rotation and the synchrotron emission in the GMIMS-LBS band. Using QU-fitting, we find that the Faraday spectra are produced by several Faraday dispersive sources along the line-of-sight. Alternatively, polarization horizon effects that we cannot model are adding complexity to the high-frequency polarized spectra. The magnetic field structure of Loop II dominates a large fraction of the sky, and studies of the large-scale polarized sky will need to account for this object. Studies of G150-50 with high angular resolution could mitigate polarization horizon effects, and clarify the nature of G150-50.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Loss of MITF expression during human embryonic stem cell differentiation disrupts retinal pigment epithelium development and optic vesicle cell proliferation

Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is a master regulator of pigmented cell survival and differentiation with direct transcriptional links to cell cycle, apoptosis and pigmentation. In mouse, Mitf is expressed early and uniformly in optic vesicle (OV) cells as they evaginate from the developing neural tube, and null Mitf mutations result in microphthalmia and pigmentation defects. However, homozygous mutations in MITF have not been identified in humans; therefore, little is known about its role in human retinogenesis. We used a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) model that recapitulates numerous aspects of retinal development, including OV specification and formation of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and neural retina progenitor cells (NRPCs), to investigate the earliest roles of MITF. During hESC differentiation toward a retinal lineage, a subset of MITF isoforms was expressed in a sequence and tissue distribution similar to that observed in mice. In addition, we found that promoters for the MITF-A, -D and -H isoforms were directly targeted by Visual Systems Homeobox 2 (VSX2), a transcription factor involved in patterning the OV toward a NRPC fate. We then manipulated MITF RNA and protein levels at early developmental stages and observed decreased expression of eye field transcription factors, reduced early OV cell proliferation and disrupted RPE maturation. This work provides a foundation for investigating MITF and other highly complex, multi-purposed transcription factors in a dynamic human developmental model syste

Mental health and health behaviours before and during the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown: longitudinal analyses of the UK Household Longitudinal Study.

Background There are concerns that COVID-19 mitigation measures, including the ‘lockdown’, may have unintended health consequences. We examined trends in mental health and health behaviours in the UK before and during the initial phase of the COVID-19 lockdown and differences across population subgroups. Methods Repeated cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of the UK Household Longitudinal Study, including representative samples of over 27,000 adults (aged 18+) interviewed in four survey waves between 2015 and 2020. A total of 9748 adults had complete data for longitudinal analyses. Outcomes included psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-12), loneliness, current cigarette smoking, use of e-cigarettes and alcohol consumption. Cross-sectional prevalence estimates were calculated and multilevel Poisson regression assessed associations between time period and the outcomes of interest, as well as differential associations by age, gender, education level and ethnicity. Results Psychological distress increased 1 month into lockdown with the prevalence rising from 19.4% (95% CI 18.7% to 20.1%) in 2017–2019 to 30.6% (95% CI 29.1% to 32.3%) in April 2020 (RR=1.3, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.4). Groups most adversely affected included women, young adults, people from an Asian background and those who were degree educated. Loneliness remained stable overall (RR=0.9, 95% CI 0.6 to 1.5). Smoking declined (RR=0.9, 95% CI=0.8,1.0) and the proportion of people drinking four or more times per week increased (RR=1.4, 95% CI 1.3 to 1.5), as did binge drinking (RR=1.5, 95% CI 1.3 to 1.7). Conclusions Psychological distress increased 1 month into lockdown, particularly among women and young adults. Smoking declined, but adverse alcohol use generally increased. Effective measures are required to mitigate negative impacts on health

mTORC1-S6K Activation by Endotoxin Contributes to Cytokine Up-Regulation and Early Lethality in Animals

Background: mTORC1 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1) activation has been demonstrated in response to endotoxin challenge, but the mechanism and significance are unclear. We investigated the effect of mTORC1 suppression in an animal model of endotoxemia and in a cellular model of endotoxin signaling. Methodology/Principal Findings: Mice were treated with the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin or vehicle prior to lethal endotoxin challenge. Mortality and cytokine levels were assessed. Cultured macrophage-like cells were challenged with endotoxin with or without inhibitors of various pathways known to be upstream of mTORC1. Activated pathways, including downstream S6K pathway, were assessed by immunoblots. We found that mTORC1-S6K suppression by rapamycin delayed mortality of mice challenged with lethal endotoxin, and was associated with dampened circulating levels of VEGF, IL-1b, IFN-c and IL-5. Furthermore, in vitro cellular studies demonstrated that LPS (lipopolysaccharide) activation of mTORC1-S6K still occurs in the presence of PI3K-Akt inhibition alone, but can be suppressed by concurrent inhibition of PI3K-Akt and MEK-ERK pathways. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that cellular activation of mTORC1-S6K contributes to cytokine up-regulation an

Search for CP Violation in the Decay Z -> b (b bar) g

About three million hadronic decays of the Z collected by ALEPH in the years 1991-1994 are used to search for anomalous CP violation beyond the Standard Model in the decay Z -> b \bar{b} g. The study is performed by analyzing angular correlations between the two quarks and the gluon in three-jet events and by measuring the differential two-jet rate. No signal of CP violation is found. For the combinations of anomalous CP violating couplings, ${\hat{h}}_b = {\hat{h}}_{Ab}g_{Vb}-{\hat{h}}_{Vb}g_{Ab}$ and $h^{\ast}_b = \sqrt{\hat{h}_{Vb}^{2}+\hat{h}_{Ab}^{2}}$, limits of \hat{h}_b < 0.59$and$h^{\ast}_{b} < 3.02$ are given at 95\% CL.Comment: 8 pages, 1 postscript figure, uses here.sty, epsfig.st