939 research outputs found
Evaluation of Calcium Hydroxide-Treated Stover (Second Crop) in Receiving and Growing Diets and Effects on Cattle Performance
Production of ethanol from corn as an alternative fuel source has significantly affected the pricing landscape for corn as an energy source for livestock. As ethanol usage has become more prevalent, corn prices have become more volatile, especially in critical corn-growing areas that have been affected by drought. Consequently, many beef cattle feeders have become interested in alternative energy sources in an effort to control cost of gain. Second Crop (ADM Corp., Decatur, IL) is a process in which calcium hydroxide is added to fibrous crop residues, such as wheat straw and corn stover. When applied to low-quality roughages, calcium hydroxide disrupts the chemical bonds between lignin and hemicellulose, thus improving digestibility of the fiber by ruminal microbes. Treatment of low-quality forage with the Second Crop process could improve the energy value of forages, effectively decreasing reliance on cereal grains as sources of supplemental energy
Visually evoked responses in migraine
Visually evoked responses from the central and occipital areas were compared between 50 patients with migraine (during the headache-free period) and 46 control subjects. The findings suggest that migraine might be associated with altered cerebral responses to visual stimulation. Of three occipital surface negative components studied, the second ("intermediate" cluster) tended to appear slightly earlier in the migrainous individuals whereas the third (OIII) appeared later. Average amplitude of the second major surface positive wave (OIV) was lower. These differences were significant for the total experimental population and the female subgroup. Latency of the OII component (surface positive) was longer for females with migraine, a finding not present for the total population. No significant differences emerged between male experimental and control groups. Vertex responses were similar in migrainous and normal subjects. The routine EEG was abnormal in eleven of 50 (22%) patients.Average pupil size of the patients with migraine was significantly smaller than that of the controls.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/33428/1/0000830.pd
Coordination of opposing sex-specific and core muscle groups regulates male tail posture during Caenorhabditis elegans male mating behavior
Background
To survive and reproduce, animals must be able to modify their motor behavior in response to changes in the environment. We studied a complex behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans, male mating behavior, which provided a model for understanding motor behaviors at the genetic, molecular as well as circuit level. C. elegans male mating behavior consists of a series of six sub-steps: response to contact, backing, turning, vulva location, spicule insertion, and sperm transfer. The male tail contains most of the sensory structures required for mating, in addition to the copulatory structures, and thus to carry out the steps of mating behavior, the male must keep his tail in contact with the hermaphrodite. However, because the hermaphrodite does not play an active role in mating and continues moving, the male must modify his tail posture to maintain contact. We provide a better understanding of the molecular and neuro-muscular pathways that regulate male tail posture during mating.
Results
Genetic and laser ablation analysis, in conjunction with behavioral assays were used to determine neurotransmitters, receptors, neurons and muscles required for the regulation of male tail posture. We showed that proper male tail posture is maintained by the coordinated activity of opposing muscle groups that curl the tail ventrally and dorsally. Specifically, acetylcholine regulates both ventral and dorsal curling of the male tail, partially through anthelmintic levamisole-sensitive, nicotinic receptor subunits. Male-specific muscles are required for acetylcholine-driven ventral curling of the male tail but dorsal curling requires the dorsal body wall muscles shared by males and hermaphrodites. Gamma-aminobutyric acid activity is required for both dorsal and ventral acetylcholine-induced curling of the male tail and an inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor, UNC-49, prevents over-curling of the male tail during mating, suggesting that cross-inhibition of muscle groups helps maintain proper tail posture.
Conclusion
Our results demonstrated that coordination of opposing sex-specific and core muscle groups, through the activity of multiple neurotransmitters, is required for regulation of male tail posture during mating. We have provided a simple model for regulation of male tail posture that provides a foundation for studies of how genes, molecular pathways, and neural circuits contribute to sensory regulation of this motor behavior
Longitudinal double-spin asymmetry and cross section for inclusive jet production in polarized proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV
We report a measurement of the longitudinal double-spin asymmetry A_LL and
the differential cross section for inclusive midrapidity jet production in
polarized proton collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV. The cross section data cover
transverse momenta 5 < pT < 50 GeV/c and agree with next-to-leading order
perturbative QCD evaluations. The A_LL data cover 5 < pT < 17 GeV/c and
disfavor at 98% C.L. maximal positive gluon polarization in the polarized
nucleon.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Minor changes from review process in Phys. Rev.
Lett. Plain text tables of data in STAR publications may be found at
http://www.star.bnl.gov/central/publications
Identified baryon and meson distributions at large transverse momenta from Au+Au collisions at GeV
Transverse momentum spectra of , and up to 12 GeV/c
at mid-rapidity in centrality selected Au+Au collisions at GeV are presented. In central Au+Au collisions, both and
show significant suppression with respect to binary scaling at
4 GeV/c. Protons and anti-protons are less suppressed than
, in the range 1.5 6 GeV/c. The and
ratios show at most a weak dependence and no significant
centrality dependence. The ratios in central Au+Au collisions approach
the values in p+p and d+Au collisions at 5 GeV/c. The results at high
indicate that the partonic sources of , and have
similar energy loss when traversing the nuclear medium.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Pion interferometry in Au+Au collisions at = 200 GeV
We present a systematic analysis of two-pion interferometry in Au+Au
collisions at = 200 GeV using the STAR detector at RHIC. We
extract the HBT radii and study their multiplicity, transverse momentum, and
azimuthal angle dependence. The Gaussianess of the correlation function is
studied. Estimates of the geometrical and dynamical structure of the freeze-out
source are extracted by fits with blast wave parameterizations. The expansion
of the source and its relation with the initial energy density distribution is
studied.Comment: 21 pages, 30 figures. As published in Physics Review
Longitudinal double-spin asymmetry for inclusive jet production in p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV
We report a new STAR measurement of the longitudinal double-spin asymmetry
A_LL for inclusive jet production at mid-rapidity in polarized p+p collisions
at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 200 GeV. The data, which cover jet
transverse momenta 5 < p_T < 30 GeV/c, are substantially more precise than
previous measurements. They provide significant new constraints on the gluon
spin contribution to the nucleon spin through the comparison to predictions
derived from one global fit of polarized deep-inelastic scattering
measurements.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures + 1 tabl
Neutral Kaon Interferometry in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV
We present the first statistically meaningful results from two-K0s
interferometry in heavy-ion collisions. A model that takes the effect of the
strong interaction into account has been used to fit the measured correlation
function. The effects of single and coupled channel were explored. At the mean
transverse mass m_T = 1.07 GeV, we obtain the values R = 4.09 +/- 0.46 (stat.)
+/- 0.31 (sys) fm and lambda = 0.92 +/- 0.23 (stat) +/- 0.13 (sys), where R and
lambda are the invariant radius and chaoticity parameters respectively. The
results are qualitatively consistent with m_T systematics established with
pions in a scenario characterized by a strong collective flow.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure
Transverse-momentum dependent modification of dynamic texture in central Au+Au collisions at sqrt(S_NN)=200 GeV
Correlations in the hadron distributions produced in relativistic Au+Au
collisions are studied in the discrete wavelet expansion method. The analysis
is performed in the space of pseudorapidity (|eta| < 1) and azimuth (full 2 pi)
in bins of transverse momentum (p_t) from 0.14 < p_t < 2.1 GeV/c. In peripheral
Au+Au collisions a correlation structure ascribed to mini-jet fragmentation is
observed. It evolves with collision centrality and p_t in a way not seen before
which suggests strong dissipation of minijet fragmentation in the
longitudinally-expanding medium.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure, accepted as Phys.Rev.C Rapid Communication. This
version fixes journal style issue
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