Multi-output Technical Efficiency for Argentinean Dairy Farms Using Stochastic Production and Stochastic Distance Frontiers with Unbalanced Panel Data

Published by Asociación de Economistas Agrarios de ChileArgentina, dairy farms, panel data, stochastic production and stochastic distance frontiers, technical efficiency, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis,

Parasites, proteomics and performance: Effects of gregarine gut parasites on dragonfly flight muscle composition and function

In previous work, we found that dragonflies infected with gregarine gut parasites have reduced muscle power output, loss of lipid oxidation in their flight muscles, and a suite of symptoms similar to mammalian metabolic syndrome. Here, we test the hypothesis that changes in muscle protein composition underlie the observed changes in contractile performance. We found that gregarine infection was associated with a 10-fold average reduction in abundance of a ~155·kDa fragment of muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC; ~206·kDa intact size). Insect MHC gene sequences contain evolutionarily conserved amino acid motifs predicted for calpain cleavage, and we found that calpain digestion of purified dragonfly MHC produced a peptide of ~155·kDa. Thus, gut parasites in dragonflies are associated with what appears to be a reduction in proteolytic degradation of MHC. MHC155 abundance showed a strong negative relationship to muscle power output in healthy dragonflies but either no relationship or a weakly positive relationship in infected dragonflies. Troponin T (TnT) protein isoform profiles were not significantly different between healthy and infected dragonflies but whereas TnT isoform profile was correlated with power output in healthy dragonflies, there was no such correlation in infected dragonflies. Multivariate analyses of power output based on MHC155 abundance and a principal component of TnT protein isoform abundances explained 98% of the variation in muscle power output in healthy dragonflies but only 29% when data from healthy and infected dragonflies were pooled. These results indicate that important, yet largely unexplored, functional relationships exist between (pathways regulating) myofibrillar protein expression and (post-translational) protein processing. Moreover, infection by protozoan parasites of the midgut is associated with changes in muscle protein composition (i.e. across body compartments) that, either alone or in combination with other unmeasured changes, alter muscle contractile performance

Metformin as a Therapeutic Target in Endometrial Cancers.

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in developed countries. Its increasing incidence is thought to be related in part to the rise of metabolic syndrome, which has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of hyperestrogenic and hyperinsulinemic states. This has consequently lead to an increase in other hormone-responsive cancers as well e.g., breast and ovarian cancer. The correlation between obesity, hyperglycemia, and endometrial cancer has highlighted the important role of metabolism in cancer establishment and persistence. Tumor-mediated reprogramming of the microenvironment and macroenvironment can range from induction of cytokines and growth factors to stimulation of surrounding stromal cells to produce energy-rich catabolites, fueling the growth, and survival of cancer cells. Such mechanisms raise the prospect of the metabolic microenvironment itself as a viable target for treatment of malignancies. Metformin is a biguanide drug that is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes that has beneficial effects on various markers of the metabolic syndrome. Many studies suggest that metformin shows potential as an adjuvant treatment for uterine and other cancers. Here, we review the evidence for metformin as a treatment for cancers of the endometrium. We discuss the available clinical data and the molecular mechanisms by which it may exert its effects, with a focus on how it may alter the tumor microenvironment. The pleiotropic effects of metformin on cellular energy production and usage as well as intercellular and hormone-based interactions make it a promising candidate for reprogramming of the cancer ecosystem. This, along with other treatments aimed at targeting tumor metabolic pathways, may lead to novel treatment strategies for endometrial cancer

Grote variëteit in Engelse raaigrassen

Aangescherpte bemestingsnormen en veranderende klimaatomstandigheden maken de beworteling van gras nog belangrijker om de beschikbare mineralen en het water beter te benutten. In het Kaderrichtlijn Water-project ‘Dieper wortelen, beter benutten, minder verliezen’ wordt het effect van graslandmanagement op bewortelingsparameters van grasland onderzocht. Eén van de onderzochte managementaspecten zijn de raseffecten binnen Engels raaigras

An Extended Continuation Problem for Bifurcation Analysis

ABSTRACT This paper presents an extended formulation of the basic continuation problem for implicitly-defined, embedded manifolds in R n . The formulation is chosen so as to allow for the arbitrary imposition of additional constraints during continuation and the restriction to selective parametrizations of the corresponding higher-co-dimension solution manifolds. In particular, the formalism is demonstrated to clearly COPYRIGHT This is a preprint of a paper originally published by ASME: Dankowicz, H., Schilder, F., "An Extended Continuation Problem for Bifurcation Analysis in the Presence of Constraints," Journal on Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics, to appear. c 2010 ASME Publishing, Three Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Introduction Continuation is a numerical technique for computing implicitly-defined manifolds that relies on the Implicit Function Theorem (IFT) and its constructive proof. Starting with a single chart, i.e., a point on the manifold together with a representation of the tangent space at this point, continuation employs a covering algorithm for computing nearby charts. The process is subsequently repeated for each of the nearby charts. The manifold through the initial point is called a branch or a family and the computed atlas of charts is a covering of this branch. General-purpose covering algorithms were first developed for the case of one-dimensional manifolds, the most successful one being the pseudo-arc length continuation method It is instructive to distinguish between three different layers of an application-oriented implementation of a continuation problem, a distinction that has been made in all modern continuation packages. At the core layer one finds the covering algorithm and other general-purpose tools that provide further useful functionality for continuation. The toolbox layer contains wrappers to the core that encode algorithms for solving specific classes of continuation problems as well as auxiliary toolboxes that provide additional functionality for these specific classes. As an example, a toolbox for computing and characterizing branches of periodic solutions of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) might make use of an auxiliary toolbox implementing a collocation method for two-point, boundary-value problems of ODEs. Finally, the outermost user layer of an implementation of a continuation problem contains user-provided functions and data that define a specific continuation problem, e.g., the continuation of periodic solutions of a given ODE. The objective of this paper is to propose a novel core design. Compared to existing formulations, the proposed core allows greater flexibility to toolbox developers and more clearly distinguishes between the choices made in deploying a particular covering algorithm and the choices made in formulating a continuation problem. A central theme of the proposed design is the philosophy of an extended continuation problem, a mathematical formulation that naturally supports the idea of task embedding. Using a prototype for a continuation problem with arbitrarily large sets of additional algebraic constraints, namely, the continuation of a hybrid periodic orbit, this paper demonstrates that the extended formulation enables innovative computations that are not supported in a similar way as 'built-in' functionality by any existing core implementations. As argued below, other computations that would profit heavily from support for embedding are the continuation of connecting orbits using algorithms based on Lin's method [4], the computation of Arnol'd tongue scenarios A significant number of computational tools for continuation and bifurcation analysis of characteristic classes of solutions of dynamical systems have been developed in the past and have significantly guided the development effort presented in this paper. These include general algebraic and two-point boundary-value solvers for ordinary differential equations, such as AUTO The remainder of the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 presents the general continuation framework and highlights two common situations that motivate the proposed core design. A mathematical formulation of the extended continuation problem and its advantages is described in Secs. 3 and 4. The reference implementation of the design philosophy in the package COCO and its auxiliary toolboxes is detailed in Sec. 5. Section 6 presents an illustration of the application of the design philosophy and the COCO package to the constrained continuation of periodic trajectories in a hybrid dynamical system modeling a mechanical system with impacts and friction. Finally, a concluding discussion that points the way to further redesign at the toolbox level is presented in Sec. 7

Vergelijking enkele sorghumrassen met snijmaïs op zandgrond : resultaten van éénjarige veldproef 2018

The Waterboard Vallei en Veluwe, and LaMi have financed comparative research of five sorghum crops and maize on a sandy soil in Woudenberg. The average yield of the five sorghum crops studied was low and equal to those of maize (11.5 tonnes DM/ha). The most important causes are the dry and warm climate, and the poorer soil structure. It should be noted that the maize variety was sown three to four weeks later than normal. With regard to the feed value most sorghum crops have a relatively low starch content, low DCOM (Digestibility Coefficient of the Organic Matter), a relatively high crude protein content and a relatively high ADL (Acid Detergent Fiber) content, compared to maize. It was concluded that the sorghum crop STH 16149 was not suitable as a high-quality fodder crop. The soil moisture content did not differ between varieties. In the soil layer 0-90 cm, maize had the highest residual-N: 62 kg residual-N/ha, whereas the average value of the five sorghum varieties in this layer was 48 kg residual-N/ha. No significant differences between varieties were observed in residual-N (kg/ha) per soil layer 0-30 cm, 30-60 cm and 60-90 cm

Local Delivery of Therapeutics to the Inner Ear: The State of the Science

BACKGROUND: Advances in the understanding of the genetic and molecular etiologies of inner ear disorders have enabled the identification of therapeutic targets and innovative delivery approaches to the inner ear. As this field grows, the need for knowledge about effective delivery of therapeutics to the inner ear has become a priority. This review maps all clinical and pre-clinical research published in English in the field to date, to guide both researchers and clinicians about local drug delivery methods in the context of novel therapeutics. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted using customized strategies in Cochrane, pubmed and EMBASE databases from inception to 30/09/2018. Two researchers undertook study selection and data extraction independently. RESULTS: Our search returned 12,200 articles, of which 837 articles met the inclusion criteria. 679 were original research and 158 were reviews. There has been a steady increase in the numbers of publications related to inner ear therapeutics delivery over the last three decades, with a sharp rise over the last 2 years. The intra-tympanic route accounts for over 70% of published articles. Less than one third of published research directly assesses delivery efficacy, with most papers using clinical efficacy as a surrogate marker. CONCLUSION: Research into local therapeutic delivery to the inner ear has undergone a recent surge, improving our understanding of how novel therapeutics can be delivered. Direct assessment of delivery efficacy is challenging, especially in humans, and progress in this area is key to understanding how to make decisions about delivery of novel hearing therapeutics

Parasites, proteomics and performance: Effects of gregarine gut parasites on dragonfly flight muscle composition and function

In previous work, we found that dragonflies infected with gregarine gut parasites have reduced muscle power output, loss of lipid oxidation in their flight muscles, and a suite of symptoms similar to mammalian metabolic syndrome. Here, we test the hypothesis that changes in muscle protein composition underlie the observed changes in contractile performance. We found that gregarine infection was associated with a 10-fold average reduction in abundance of a ~155·kDa fragment of muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC; ~206·kDa intact size). Insect MHC gene sequences contain evolutionarily conserved amino acid motifs predicted for calpain cleavage, and we found that calpain digestion of purified dragonfly MHC produced a peptide of ~155·kDa. Thus, gut parasites in dragonflies are associated with what appears to be a reduction in proteolytic degradation of MHC. MHC155 abundance showed a strong negative relationship to muscle power output in healthy dragonflies but either no relationship or a weakly positive relationship in infected dragonflies. Troponin T (TnT) protein isoform profiles were not significantly different between healthy and infected dragonflies but whereas TnT isoform profile was correlated with power output in healthy dragonflies, there was no such correlation in infected dragonflies. Multivariate analyses of power output based on MHC155 abundance and a principal component of TnT protein isoform abundances explained 98% of the variation in muscle power output in healthy dragonflies but only 29% when data from healthy and infected dragonflies were pooled. These results indicate that important, yet largely unexplored, functional relationships exist between (pathways regulating) myofibrillar protein expression and (post-translational) protein processing. Moreover, infection by protozoan parasites of the midgut is associated with changes in muscle protein composition (i.e. across body compartments) that, either alone or in combination with other unmeasured changes, alter muscle contractile performance

Early phase trials of novel hearing therapeutics: Avenues and opportunities

Novel hearing therapeutics are rapidly progressing along the innovation pathway and into the clinical trial domain. Because these trials are new to the hearing community, they come with challenges in terms of trial design, regulation and delivery. In this paper, we address the key scientific and operational issues and outline the opportunities for interdisciplinary and international collaboration these trials offer. Vital to the future successful implementation of these therapeutics is to evaluate their potential for adoption into healthcare systems, including consideration of their health economic value. This requires early engagement with all stakeholder groups along the hearing innovation pathway

Characterization of a high-power tapered semiconductor amplifier system

We have characterized a semiconductor amplifier laser system which provides up to 200mW output after a single-mode optical fiber at 780nm wavelength. The system is based on a tapered semiconductor gain element, which amplifies the output of a narrow-linewidth diode laser. Gain and saturation are discussed as a function of operating temperature and injection current. The spectral properties of the amplifier are investigated with a grating spectrometer. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) causes a spectral background with a width of 4nm FWHM. The ASE background was suppressed to below our detection limit by a proper choice of operating current and temperature, and by sending the light through a single-mode optical fiber. The final ASE spectral density was less than 0.1nW/MHz, i.e. less than 0.2 % of the optical power. Related to an optical transition linewidth of $\Gamma/2\pi=6$ MHz for rubidium, this gives a background suppression of better than -82dB. An indication of the beam quality is provided by the fiber coupling efficiency up to 59 %. The application of the amplifier system as a laser source for atom optical experiments is discussed