High-resolution EPMA X-ray images of mother liquid inclusions in a Pd2Ga single crystal

During crystal growth from solution inclusions of different compositions were trapped at the rim of a Pd2Ga single crystal. Their fine-grained (< 5 mu m) internal structure demands special requirements for electron microprobe analysis, realized by low-voltage (5 keV) element mapping applying a step size of 0.138 mu m for each pixel. It can be shown, that these inclusions represent an isolated chemical system, and that crystallisation upon cooling follows the expected thermodynamic phase relations. Thus the final composition in the centre of the inclusion consists of a small-scale mixture of PdGa and Pd5Ga3 evolved out of a solid-solid decomposition of Pd5Ga4

Genetics of cattle temperament and its impact on livestock production and breeding – a review

Cattle temperament, which describes individual behaviour differences with regard to a stressor or environmental challenge, is known for its impact on working safety, adaptability to new housing conditions, animal productivity and for evaluation of animal welfare. However, successful use of temperament in animal breeding and husbandry to improve keeping conditions in general or animal welfare in particular, requires the availability of informative and reproducible phenotypes and knowledge about the genetic modulation of these traits. However, the knowledge about genetic influences on cattle temperament is still limited. In this review, an outline is given for the interdependence between production systems and temperament as well as for the phenotyping of cattle temperament based on both behaviour tests and observations of behaviour under production conditions. In addition, the use of temperament as a selection criterion is discussed

Single QTL effects, epistasis, and pleiotropy account for two-thirds of the phenotypic F(2) variance of growth and obesity in DU6i x DBA/2 mice

Genes influencing body weight and composition and serum concentrations of leptin, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in nonfasting animals were mapped in an intercross of the extreme high-growth mouse line DU6i and the inbred line DBA/2. Significant loci with major effects (F &gt; 7.07) for body weight, obesity, and muscle weight were found on chromosomes 1, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, and 17, for leptin on chromosome 14, for insulin on chromosome 4, and for IGF-I on chromosome 10 at the Igf1 gene locus itself and on chromosome 18. Significant interaction between different quantitative trait loci (QTL) positions was observed (P &lt; 0.01). Evidence was found that loci having small direct effect on growth or obesity contribute to the obese phenotype by gene–gene interaction. The effects of QTLs, epistasis, and pleiotropy account for 64% and 63% of the phenotypic variance of body weight and fat accumulation and for over 32% of muscle weight and serum concentrations of leptin, and IGF-I in the F2 population of DU6i x DBA/2 mice. [The quantitative trait loci described in this paper have been submitted to the Mouse Genome Database.

Acclimatory responses of the Daphnia pulex proteome to environmental changes. II. Chronic exposure to different temperatures (10 and 20°C) mainly affects protein metabolism

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Temperature affects essentially every aspect of the biology of poikilothermic animals including the energy and mass budgets, activity, growth, and reproduction. While thermal effects in ecologically important groups such as daphnids have been intensively studied at the ecosystem level and at least partly at the organismic level, much less is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the acclimation to different temperatures. By using 2D gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, the present study identified the major elements of the temperature-induced subset of the proteome from differently acclimated <it>Daphnia pulex</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Specific sets of proteins were found to be differentially expressed in 10°C or 20°C acclimated <it>D. pulex</it>. Most cold-repressed proteins comprised secretory enzymes which are involved in protein digestion (trypsins, chymotrypsins, astacin, carboxypeptidases). The cold-induced sets of proteins included several vitellogenin and actin isoforms (cytoplasmic and muscle-specific), and an AAA+ ATPase. Carbohydrate-modifying enzymes were constitutively expressed or down-regulated in the cold.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Specific sets of cold-repressed and cold-induced proteins in <it>D. pulex </it>can be related to changes in the cellular demand for amino acids or to the compensatory control of physiological processes. The increase of proteolytic enzyme concentration and the decrease of vitellogenin, actin and total protein concentration between 10°C and 20°C acclimated animals reflect the increased amino-acids demand and the reduced protein reserves in the animal's body. Conversely, the increase of actin concentration in cold-acclimated animals may contribute to a compensatory mechanism which ensures the relative constancy of muscular performance. The sheer number of peptidase genes (serine-peptidase-like: > 200, astacin-like: 36, carboxypeptidase-like: 30) in the <it>D. pulex </it>genome suggests large-scaled gene family expansions that might reflect specific adaptations to the lifestyle of a planktonic filter feeder in a highly variable aquatic environment.</p

Design of continuous circulation sub for gas drilling and the mechanical analysis on the sub body

AbstractGas drilling, as an important part of underbalanced drilling, can increase drilling speed. But in the process of conventional gas drilling, it tends to cause cutting settlement, borehole collapse, sticking and other safety hazards because gas circulation has to be interrupted. Therefore, this paper presents a continuous circulation sub which can be installed and removed easily. With this sub, gas circulation will not be interrupted when drilling tools are connected and removed. This sub is composed of body, main valve, bypass valve and side entry sub. The structure design of its key components (i.e. main and bypass valves) were fulfilled. Based on statics analysis on the sub body, its force situations under extension, torsion and internal pressure were simulated by using the ANSYS finite element analysis software. It is shown that its stress distribution trend is consistent with its elastic–plastic mechanics analysis results. Stress concentrates around the two round holes of the sub body, and the maximum deformation amount is still at the stage of elastic deformation. The analysis results are in line with the elastic–plastic mechanics analysis results, and the requirement of body strength is satisfied. This paper provides a new program to guarantee the drilling safety of extended-reach wells, underbalanced wells and narrow-density window wells

Behavior and food consumption pattern of the population exposed in 1949–1962 to fallout from Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan

The relationship between radiation exposure from nuclear weapons testing fallout and thyroid disease in a group of 2,994 subjects has been the subject of study by the US National Cancer Institute. In that study, radiation doses to the thyroid were estimated for residents of villages in Kazakhstan possibly exposed to deposition of radioactive fallout from nuclear testing conducted by the Soviet Union at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site in Kazakhstan between 1949 and 1962. The study subjects included individuals of both Kazakh and Russian origin who were exposed during childhood and adolescence. An initial dose reconstruction used for the risk analysis of Land et al. (Radiat Res 169:373-383, 2008) was based on individual information collected from basic questionnaires administered to the study population in 1998. However, because data on several key questions for accurately estimating doses were not obtained from the 1998 questionnaires, it was decided to conduct a second data collection campaign in 2007. Due to the many years elapsed since exposure, a well-developed strategy was necessary to encourage accurate memory recall

Cosmid-derived markers anchoring the bovine genetic map to the physical map

The mapping strategy for the bovine genome described in this paper uses large insert clones as a tool for physical mapping and as a source of highly polymorphic microsatellites for genetic typing, and was one objective of the BovMap Project funded by the European Union (UE). Eight-three cosmid and phage clones were characterized and used to physically anchor the linkage groups defining all the bovine autosomes and the X Chromosome (Chr). By combining physical and genetic mapping, clones described in this paper have led to the identification of the linkage groups corresponding to Chr 9, 12, 16, and 25. In addition, anchored loci from this study were used to orient the linkage groups corresponding to Chr 3, 7, 8, 9, 13, 16, 18, 19, and 28 as identified in previously published maps. Comparison of the estimated size of the physical and linkage maps suggests that the genetic length of the bovine genome may be around 4000 c

Variability of black carbon mass concentrations, sub-micrometer particle number concentrations and size distributions: results of the German Ultrafine Aerosol Network ranging from city street to High Alpine locations

This work reports the first statistical analysis of multi-annual data on tropospheric aerosols from the German Ultrafine Aerosol Network (GUAN). Compared to other networks worldwide, GUAN with 17 measurement locations has the most sites equipped with particle number size distribution (PNSD) and equivalent black carbon (eBC) instruments and the most site categories in Germany ranging from city street/roadside to High Alpine. As we know, the variations of eBC and particle number concentration (PNC) are influenced by several factors such as source, transformation, transport and deposition. The dominant controlling factor for different pollutant parameters might be varied, leading to the different spatio-temporal variations among the measured parameters. Currently, a study of spatio-temporal variations of PNSD and eBC considering the influences of both site categories and spatial scale is still missing. Based on the multi-site dataset of GUAN, the goal of this study is to investigate how pollutant parameters may interfere with spatial characteristics and site categories