Performance of Braford steers grazing on cultivated pastures and fed or not fed an energy supplement

This experiment evaluated the performance of 84 Braford steers grazing on summer and winter cultivated pastures fed or not fed an energy-protein supplement. Steers were 10 months old and weighed, on average, 165 kg at the beginning of the trial. Steers grazed on cultivated winter pasture, consisting of black oats (Avena strigosa) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), and then on cultivated summer pasture, consisting of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum). The following treatments were applied: SS - supplement was fed during both seasons; SN - supplement was fed only during the winter; NS - supplement was fed only during the summer; and NN - steers were not fed any supplement. Supplementation resulted in higher body weight and better body condition score (SS: 369.2 and 4.52; SN: 335.2 and 4.01; NS: 352.5 and 4.49; SS: 322.5 and 3.83). Longissimus dorsi area was larger in supplemented steers, which also presented thicker backfat when compared with those not fed any supplement (3.67 and 2.29 mm, respectively)

Development and reproductive performance of Hereford heifers of different frame sizes up to mating at 14-15 months of age

ABSTRACT Body development and reproductive performance of a hundred forty-two 14 to 15-month-old heifers, classified at weaning according to frame size as small, medium, and large, were evaluated. The parameters evaluated were: body weight, hip height, body condition score, weight gain, ovarian activity, and pregnancy rate. At weaning, body weight and hip height were significantly different among frame scores, (small – 133.0 kg, 92.2 cm; medium – 158.5 kg, 96.6 cm; and large – 185.2 kg; 100.2 cm). After weaning, heifers grazed together on natural pastures during the autumn and on ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum La.) during the winter and spring. Frame score differences remained until the beginning of the breeding season (BS), starting on average at 14 months of age. Weight gain between weaning and the beginning of BS was not different among frame scores (0.740 kg/day, on average). Body weights at the beginning of the BS were significantly different, of 255.7 kg (53.3% of the mature weight) for small heifers, 285.0 kg (59.4%) for medium heifers, and 307.6 kg (64.1%) for large heifers. Ovarian activity at the beginning of the BS was not different among the three groups. The average weight gain values during the BS of 0.492, 0.472, and 0.421 kg/day for small, medium, and large heifers, respectively, were significantly different. Pregnancy rates were not different among groups (small, 71.4%; medium, 76.4%; and large, 76.5%). Frame score did not influence the reproductive performance of heifers, but the small and medium heifers conceived 29 and 20 days earlier, respectively, than the large heifers

Process improvement and energy saving in a full scale wastewater treatment plant: air supply regulation by a fuzzy logic system

Achieving good performance in air supply control is an important goal in the management of wastewater treatment plants,whose highly nonlinear behaviour makes the application of conventional control techniques problematic. This paper presents the development and experimentation of a fuzzy logic system for air supply regulation in a full scale municipal wastewater treatment plant. The system is composed of two main modules, one devoted to continuously adjusting the DO set point on the basis of the current effluent NH4+-N concentration (on-line measurement), and the other devoted to achieve the DO set point by controlling air supply devices. The experiment was carried out on the plant for about one year, leading to significant advantages in terms of both process stability and energy saving

Intersectin-1s: a novel nucleo-cytoplasmic endocytic protein

A growing number of proteins involved in endocytosis are reported to undergo nucleocytoplasmic trafficking and interact with different nuclear factors. This mechanism, known as protein moonlighting, is emerging as a key factor in many biological processes, though little is known about the correlation between endocytosis and nuclear functions. Here we investigated the nuclear location of the multi-domain scaffold endocytic protein intersectin-1s, a protein involved in clathrin mediated endocytosis, cell signalling and actin cytoskeleton rearrangements. We detected different Nuclear Localization Signals (NLS) by bioinformatic analysis of the protein sequence. Indeed, by immunofluorescence and biochemical nuclei isolation we revealed the presence of intersectin-1s in the nuclear compartment. Moreover, the protein accumulates in the nucleus under nuclear export inhibition treatment with Leptomycin B. Canonical Nuclear Exporting Signals (NES) were not detected in our protein sequence analysis, thus we searched for potential SUMOylation sites, since many proteins undergoing nucleocytoplasmic trafficking are modified and regulated by this mechanism. Six potential high probability SUMO sites have been found. Elimination of the potential VKGE site at position 769 resulted in a major redistribution of the protein in the nucleus, indicating the involvement of SUMOylation in the nuclear exit of intersectin-1s. In conclusion, our results show for the first time the existence of a nuclear pool of intersectin-1s, which shuttles between nucleus and cytosol and is regulated by SUMOylation

Laparoscopic cholangiography in the early diagnosis of jaundice due to bilio-pancreatic cancer

Les auteurs jugent que la cholangiographie laparoscopique est une investigation radiologique préopératoire de grande utilité dans le diagnostic différentiel des ictères cholestatiques. Sur 85 patients atteints d'un ictère cholestatique la cholangiographie laparoscopique a permis d'en préciser la nature chez 75, dont 29 par cancer bilio-pancréatique

Bone mineral density and bone turnover in premenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis

Evaluation of bone mineral density and bone turnover in premenopausal women with rheumatoid arthriti