Recommendations and guidelines for applied nutrition experiments in rabbits

[EN] The aim of this paper was to draw up a set of recommendations for applied nutrition and feeding trials with rabbits, in relation to certain aspects such as determining the nutritive value of raw materials or diets in growing or reproducing animals, studying digestive physiology and obtaining growth and reproduction parameters. We deal first with animals, size of the sample, housing conditions, diets, handling, measurements, and the data analyses relevant to the design of the experiment are described. Secondly, we give a list of recommended items and include some comments.This study was partly supported by the EUROPEAN COMMISSION (ERAFE program and the COST 848 Action).Fernández-Carmona, J.; Blas, E.; Pascual Amorós, JJ.; Maertens, L.; Gidenne, T.; Xiccato, G.; García, J. (2005). Recommendations and guidelines for applied nutrition experiments in rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 13. doi:10.4995/wrs.2005.516SWORD1

Transform-domain analysis of packet delay in network nodes with QoS-aware scheduling

In order to differentiate the perceived QoS between traffic classes in heterogeneous packet networks, equipment discriminates incoming packets based on their class, particularly in the way queued packets are scheduled for further transmission. We review a common stochastic modelling framework in which scheduling mechanisms can be evaluated, especially with regard to the resulting per-class delay distribution. For this, a discrete-time single-server queue is considered with two classes of packet arrivals, either delay-sensitive (1) or delay-tolerant (2). The steady-state analysis relies on the use of well-chosen supplementary variables and is mainly done in the transform domain. Secondly, we propose and analyse a new type of scheduling mechanism that allows precise control over the amount of delay differentiation between the classes. The idea is to introduce N reserved places in the queue, intended for future arrivals of class 1

Sulforaphane rewires central metabolism to support antioxidant response and achieve glucose homeostasis

Cruciferous-rich diets, particularly broccoli, have been associated with reduced risk of developing cancers of various sites, cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. Sulforaphane (SF), a sulfur-containing broccoli-derived metabolite, has been identified as the major bioactive compound mediating these health benefits. Sulforaphane is a potent dietary activator of the transcription factor Nuclear factor erythroid-like 2 (NRF2), the master regulator of antioxidant cell capacity responsible for inducing cytoprotective genes, but its role in glucose homeostasis remains unclear. In this study, we set to test the hypothesis that SF regulates glucose metabolism and ameliorates glucose overload and its resulting oxidative stress by inducing NRF2 in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. HepG2 cells were exposed to varying glucose concentrations: basal (5.5 mM) and high glucose (25 mM), in the presence of physiological concentrations of SF (10 μM). SF upregulated the expression of glutathione (GSH) biosynthetic genes and significantly increased levels of reduced GSH. Labelled glucose and glutamine experiments to measure metabolic fluxes identified that SF increased intracellular utilisation of glycine and glutamate by redirecting the latter away from the TCA cycle and increased the import of cysteine from the media, likely to support glutathione synthesis. Furthermore, SF altered pathways generating NADPH, the necessary cofactor for oxidoreductase reactions, namely pentose phosphate pathway and 1C-metabolism, leading to the redirection of glucose away from glycolysis and towards PPP and of methionine towards methylation substrates. Finally, transcriptomic and targeted metabolomics LC-MS analysis of NRF2-KD HepG2 cells generated using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing revealed that the above metabolic effects are mediated through NRF2. These results suggest that the antioxidant properties of cruciferous diets are intricately connected to their metabolic benefits

Digital extension, price risk, and farm performance: experimental evidence from Nigeria

Open Access Article; Published online: 09 Jun 2021Despite decades of investment in agricultural extension, technology adoption among farmers and agricultural productivity growth in Sub-Saharan Africa remain slow. Among other shortcomings, extension systems often make recommendations that do not account for price risk or spatial heterogeneity in farmers' growing conditions. However, little is known about the effectiveness of extension approaches for nutrient management that consider these issues. We analyze the impact of farmers' access to site-specific nutrient management recommendations and to information on expected returns, provided through a digital decision support tool, for maize production. We implement a randomized controlled trial among smallholders in the maize belt of northern Nigeria. We use three waves of annual panel data to estimate immediate and longer term effects of two different extension treatments: site-specific recommendations with and without complementary information about variability in output prices and expected returns. We find that site-specific nutrient management recommendations improve fertilizer management practices and maize yields but do not necessarily increase fertilizer use. In addition, we find that recommendations that are accompanied by additional information about variability in expected returns induce larger fertilizer investments that persist beyond the first year. However, the magnitudes of these effects are small: we find only incremental increases in investments and net revenues over two treatment years

Estimating the costs for the airport operator and airlines of a drone-related shutdown:An application to Frankfurt International Airport

Commercially-acquired drones threaten airport operations due to limited knowledge of airspace safety regulations or deliberate action by drone operators. This study aims to determine whether the investment cost of a drone-defence system can be justified in relation to the financial cost of a drone-related shutdown. To that end, a case study of Frankfurt Airport is carried out with simulations of different disruptions during a peak-activity period similar to the 2018 Gatwick drone incident. With data on passenger traffic and airline schedules, we developed a passenger recovery algorithm to determine the amount of delays caused by the disruptions and the costs for the airport operator and the airlines. Results show that the investment in a drone-defence system is offset by the costs of a 48-h continued closure or several smaller closures, but since the largest share of costs is borne by the airlines, investments should be shared between both stakeholder

Statins, bone, and neurofibromatosis type 1

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a dominantly inherited multi-system disorder. Major features include pigmentary abnormalities, benign tumors of the nerve sheath (neurofibromas), malignant tumors, learning disabilities, and skeletal dysplasia. The NF1 gene functions as a tumor suppressor, but haploinsuffiency probably accounts for some aspects of the non-tumor phenotype. The protein product, neurofibromin, is a Ras GTPase-activating protein, and various Ras pathway inhibitors are being tested in preclinical models and clinical trials for effectiveness in treating NF1 complications. This month in BMC Medicine, a paper by Kolanczyk et al describes a preclinical mouse model for tibial dysplasia and provides evidence that the drug lovastatin – in use to treat cardiovascular disease – may be beneficial, opening the door to clinical trials in humans