253 research outputs found
Valoración del confort térmico de bovinos productores de carne en finalización intensiva en clima cálido
The thermal comfort of beef cattle in intensive finishing was assessed through the availability of shade and living space, in conditions of the very hot semi-dry climate of the northwestern coastal region of Mexico during autumn and winter and housed in three types of pens. The design of the pens varied according to the infrastructure available in the livestock production unit (pen area and shade per animal). The observation period was six weeks per season. The daily ambient temperature and relative humidity were measured, and the Temperature and Humidity Index (ITH) was calculated. The area of each pen, the shade area, and the number of cattle per pen were measured to calculate the living space and the shade available at the beginning and at the end of the fattening period. In autumn, the cattle were in a state of Danger to Emergency Thermal (ITH ≥84 units) and in the winter in a state of Thermal Alert (ITH ≥70). The provision of living space and shade was insufficient in both seasons and periods according to indicators for confined meat-producing cattle, regardless of the pen design.Se valoró el confort térmico de ganado bovino productor de carne en finalización intensiva, mediante la disponibilidad de sombra y espacio vital, en condiciones de clima semiseco muy cálido de la región costera del noroeste de México durante el otoño y el invierno y alojados en tres tipos de corral. El diseño de los corrales varió de acuerdo con la infraestructura disponible en la unidad de producción pecuaria (área de corral y sombra por animal). El periodo de observación fue se seis semanas por época. Se registró la temperatura ambiente y la humedad relativa diaria y se calculó el Índice de Temperatura y Humedad (ITH). Se midió el área de cada corral, el área de sombra y el número de bovinos por corral para calcular el espacio vital y la sombra disponible al inicio y al final del periodo de engorde. En otoño, el ganado se encontró en estado de Peligro a Emergencia térmica (ITH ≥84 unidades) y en el invierno en estado de Alerta térmica (ITH ≥70). La provisión de espacio vital y de sombra fue insuficiente en ambas épocas y periodos de engorda de acuerdo con indicadores para la especie bovina productora de carne en confinamiento, independientemente del diseño del corral
Lab on a stick: multi-analyte cellular assays in a microfluidic dipstick
A new microfluidic concept for multi-analyte testing in a dipstick format is presented, termed “Lab-on-a-Stick”, that combines the simplicity of dipstick tests with the high performance of microfluidic devices. Lab-on-a-Stick tests are ideally suited to analysis of particulate samples such as mammalian or bacterial cells, and capable of performing multiple different parallel microfluidic assays when dipped into a single sample with results recorded optically. The utility of this new diagnostics format was demonstrated by performing three types of multiplex cellular assays that are challenging to perform in conventional dipsticks: 1) instantaneous ABO blood typing; 2) microbial identification; and 3) antibiotic minimum inhibitory (MIC) concentration measurement. A pressure balance model closely predicted the superficial flow velocities in individual capillaries, that were overestimated by up to one order of magnitude by the Lucas-Washburn equation conventionally used for wicking in cylindrical pores. Lab-on-a-stick provides a cost-effective, simple, portable and flexible multiplex platform for a range of assays, and will deliver a new generation of advanced yet affordable point-of-care tests for global diagnostics
Cardiac responses to β‐adrenoceptor stimulation is partly dependent on mitochondrial calcium uniporter activity
Background and Purpose: Despite the importance of mitochondrial Ca2+ to metabolic regulation and cell physiology, little is known about the mechanisms that regulate Ca2+ entry into the mitochondria. Accordingly, we established a system to determine the role of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter in an isolated heart model, at baseline and during increased workload following β-adrenoceptor stimulation. Experimental Approach: Cardiac contractility, oxygen consumption and intracellular Ca2+ transients were measured in ex vivo perfused murine hearts. Ru360 and spermine were used to modify mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter activity. Changes in mitochondrial Ca2+ content and energetic phosphate metabolite levels were determined. Key Results: The addition of Ru360, a selective inhibitor of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter, induced progressively and sustained negative inotropic effects that were dose-dependent with an EC50 of 7 μM. Treatment with spermine, a uniporter agonist, showed a positive inotropic effect that was blocked by Ru360. Inotropic stimulation with isoprenaline elevated oxygen consumption (2.7-fold), Ca2+-dependent activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (5-fold) and mitochondrial Ca2+ content (2.5-fold). However, in Ru360-treated hearts, this parameter was attenuated. In addition, β-adrenoceptor stimulation in the presence of Ru360 did not affect intracellular Ca2+ handling, PKA or Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent PK signalling. Conclusions and Implications: Inhibition of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter decreases β-adrenoceptor response, uncoupling between workload and production of energetic metabolites. Our results support the hypothesis that the coupling of workload and energy supply is partly dependent on mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter activity.Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculare
Tuning the GENIE Pion Production Model with MINERvA Data
Faced with unresolved tensions between neutrino interaction measurements at
few-GeV neutrino energies, current experiments are forced to accept large
systematic uncertainties to cover discrepancies between their data and model
predictions. In this paper, the widely used pion production model in GENIE is
compared to four MINERvA charged current pion production measurements using
NUISANCE. Tunings, ie, adjustments of model parameters, to help match GENIE to
MINERvA and older bubble chamber data are presented here. We find that
scattering off nuclear targets as measured in MINERvA is not in good agreement
with scattering off nucleon (hydrogen or deuterium) targets in the bubble
chamber data. An additional ad hoc correction for the low- region, where
collective effects are expected to be large, is also presented. While these
tunings and corrections improve the agreement of GENIE with the data, the
modeling is imperfect. The development of these tunings within the NUISANCE
frameworkallows for straightforward extensions to other neutrino event
generators and models, and allows omitting and including new data sets as they
become available
Association Between Interstitial Lung Abnormalities and All-Cause Mortality.
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This article is open access.Interstitial lung abnormalities have been associated with lower 6-minute walk distance, diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide, and total lung capacity. However, to our knowledge, an association with mortality has not been previously investigated.To investigate whether interstitial lung abnormalities are associated with increased mortality.Prospective cohort studies of 2633 participants from the FHS (Framingham Heart Study; computed tomographic [CT] scans obtained September 2008-March 2011), 5320 from the AGES-Reykjavik Study (Age Gene/Environment Susceptibility; recruited January 2002-February 2006), 2068 from the COPDGene Study (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; recruited November 2007-April 2010), and 1670 from ECLIPSE (Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate Endpoints; between December 2005-December 2006).Interstitial lung abnormality status as determined by chest CT evaluation.All-cause mortality over an approximate 3- to 9-year median follow-up time. Cause-of-death information was also examined in the AGES-Reykjavik cohort.Interstitial lung abnormalities were present in 177 (7%) of the 2633 participants from FHS, 378 (7%) of 5320 from AGES-Reykjavik, 156 (8%) of 2068 from COPDGene, and in 157 (9%) of 1670 from ECLIPSE. Over median follow-up times of approximately 3 to 9 years, there were more deaths (and a greater absolute rate of mortality) among participants with interstitial lung abnormalities when compared with those who did not have interstitial lung abnormalities in the following cohorts: 7% vs 1% in FHS (6% difference [95% CI, 2% to 10%]), 56% vs 33% in AGES-Reykjavik (23% difference [95% CI, 18% to 28%]), and 11% vs 5% in ECLIPSE (6% difference [95% CI, 1% to 11%]). After adjustment for covariates, interstitial lung abnormalities were associated with a higher risk of death in the FHS (hazard ratio [HR], 2.7 [95% CI, 1.1 to 6.5]; P = .03), AGES-Reykjavik (HR, 1.3 [95% CI, 1.2 to 1.4]; P < .001), COPDGene (HR, 1.8 [95% CI, 1.1 to 2.8]; P = .01), and ECLIPSE (HR, 1.4 [95% CI, 1.1 to 2.0]; P = .02) cohorts. In the AGES-Reykjavik cohort, the higher rate of mortality could be explained by a higher rate of death due to respiratory disease, specifically pulmonary fibrosis.In 4 separate research cohorts, interstitial lung abnormalities were associated with a greater risk of all-cause mortality. The clinical implications of this association require further investigation.National Institutes of Health (NIH)
T32 HL007633
Icelandic Research Fund
141513-051
Landspitali Scientific Fund
A-2015-030
National Cancer Institute grant
1K23CA157631
NIH
K08 HL097029
R01 HL113264
R21 HL119902
K25 HL104085
R01 HL116931
R01 HL116473
K01 HL118714
R01 HL089897
R01 HL089856
N01-AG-1-2100
HHSN27120120022C
P01 HL105339
P01 HL114501
R01 HL107246
R01 HL122464
R01 HL111024
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study contract
N01-HC-2519.5
GlaxoSmithKline
NCT00292552
5C0104960
National Institute on Aging (NIA) grant
27120120022C
NIA Intramural Research Program, Hjartavernd (the Icelandic Heart Association)
Althingi (the Icelandic Parliament)
NIA
27120120022
Neutrino-induced coherent production in C, CH, Fe and Pb at GeV
MINERvA has measured the -induced coherent cross section
simultaneously in hydrocarbon (CH), graphite (C), iron (Fe) and lead (Pb)
targets using neutrinos from 2 to 20 GeV. The measurements exceed the
predictions of the Rein-Sehgal and Berger-Sehgal PCAC based models at multi-GeV
energies and at produced energies and angles,
GeV and . Measurements of the cross-section ratios of
Fe and Pb relative to CH reveal the effective -scaling to increase from an
approximate scaling at few GeV to an scaling for
GeV
- …