Occurrence of preterm calving in Great Britain and associations with milk production and reproductive performance in dairy cattle

This study describes the occurrence of preterm calving in Great Britain and evaluates its associations with subsequent milk production and reproductive performances and survival on farm of dairy cows. A total of 53 British dairy farms and 5759 animals with detailed breeding and milk recording data available were used to form two study groups: preterm calving (calving occurring between days 266 and 277 of gestation) and full-term calving (calving occurring at 278 days of gestation and over). Mixed effects models were implemented to compare milk production, clinical cases of mastitis and number of services per conception between groups. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analyses compared time from calving to conception, calving interval and survival on farm between groups. Preterm calving cows showed significantly lower milk yield (P<0.01) and butter fat per cent (P=0.02), increased milk protein per cent (P=0.01), longer survival on farm (P<0.01), and a tendency for shorter calving to conception intervals and fewer services per conception, although other factors were involved in the reproduction outcomes. Experiencing a preterm calving is associated with lower milk production and longer survival times on farm. Potential risk factors for preterm calving, such as infectious diseases, diet and husbandry practices, should be further investigated

Reproductive isolation between two populations of Aglaoctenus lagotis , a funnel-web wolf spider

Aglaoctenus lagotis (Lycosidae: Sosippinae) is a spider that, in contrast to the predominant wandering habit of the family, constructs funnel webs. The species is widely distributed throughout the Neotropics and is credited with high levels of intraspecific variation. Here, we evaluate whether reproductive isolating barriers operate between some populations of A. lagotis. We used heterotypic encounters between individuals from two distant localities: southern Uruguay (SU) and Central Argentina (CA). Additionally, we used spiders from an ntermediate locality, western Uruguay (WU), where both forms of the species overlap (SU.WU was used to describe individuals from WU reminiscent of those from SU; and CA.WU was used to describe individuals from WU reminiscent of those from CA). No copulations occurred between SU and CA individuals, whereas a single and atypical copulation occurred between SU.WU and CA.WU individuals. Attacks (only by females on males) were rare. In tests of choice based on silk cues, SU males did not prefer homotypic cues but almost did not court CA females, whereas CA males preferred homotypic cues but usually courted heterotypic females. These findings, with a previously reported temporal asynchrony between populations, suggest the occurrence of reproductive isolation between both spider forms and a speciation process favoured by the wide distribution and plasticity of the species.Fil: González Pérez, María de la Macarena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Diversidad Animal I; ArgentinaFil: Peretti, Alfredo Vicente. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Diversidad Animal I; ArgentinaFil: Costa, Fernando G.. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas "Clemente Estable"; Urugua

Advances in Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip Technologies

Advances in molecular biology are enabling rapid and efficient analyses for effective intervention in domains such as biology research, infectious disease management, food safety, and biodefense. The emergence of microfluidics and nanotechnologies has enabled both new capabilities and instrument sizes practical for point-of-care. It has also introduced new functionality, enhanced sensitivity, and reduced the time and cost involved in conventional molecular diagnostic techniques. This chapter reviews the application of microfluidics for molecular diagnostics methods such as nucleic acid amplification, next-generation sequencing, high resolution melting analysis, cytogenetics, protein detection and analysis, and cell sorting. We also review microfluidic sample preparation platforms applied to molecular diagnostics and targeted to sample-in, answer-out capabilities

Arduino based solar tracking system

This thesis proposes the dual axis solar tracker for optimum solar cell implementation using dc-dc boost converter controlled by fuzzy logic controller with the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method. The objectives of this project are to track and optimize the maximum output power of the solar panel by designing and implementing the fuzzy logic controller using microcontroller as well as to regulate the output voltage of the solar panel using dc-dc boost converter. The system includes a solar panel, DC-DC boost converter, the fuzzy logic controller implemented on Arduino Uno for controlling on/off time of MOSFET of the boost converter, voltage divider and optocoupler circuit as a driver for MOSFET. Tracking and detecting the angle of the sun to locate the surface plate of solar cell at the position and the angle where it can get maximum amount of energy. The solar panel must have sensors that can detect the position of the sun and dc motors act as free moving neck to make it easier to move freely depending on the angle detected. The light dependent resistor (LDR) will be used as sun tracking. The photocell panel will detect the existing of sun and the surface plate of photocell panel will move horizontal and vertical axis depending on the value of LDR detected to follow the angular degree of sun in order to get maximum and best result of absorbing energy. Moreover, this project presents a fuzzy logic real time code in Arduino language for ATmega328 microcontroller at Arduino Uno board. The result obtained from the Arduino coding is the variation of duty cycle of PWM signal according to the voltage of solar panel. The final result obtained from dc-dc boost converter showed that the output voltage has been regulated. Overall, the designed system increases the efficiency of the solar panel based on experimental results

Modeling neurocognitive and neurobiological recovery in addiction

This book focuses on "what to know" and "how to apply" information, prioritizing novel principles and delineating cutting-edge assessment, phenotyping and treatment tools

Effect of four plant species on soil 15N-access and herbage yield in temporary agricultural grasslands

Positive plant diversity-productivity relationships have been reported for experimental semi-natural grasslands (Cardinale et al. 2006; Hector et al. 1999; Tilman et al. 1996) as well as temporary agricultural grasslands (Frankow-Lindberg et al. 2009; Kirwan et al. 2007; Nyfeler et al. 2009; Picasso et al. 2008). Generally, these relationships are explained, on the one hand, by niche differentiation and facilitation (Hector et al. 2002; Tilman et al. 2002) and, on the other hand, by greater probability of including a highly productive plant species in high diversity plots (Huston 1997). Both explanations accept that diversity is significant because species differ in characteristics, such as root architecture, nutrient acquisition and water use efficiency, to name a few, resulting in composition and diversity being important for improved productivity and resource use (Naeem et al. 1994; Tilman et al. 2002). Plant diversity is generally low in temporary agricultural grasslands grown for ruminant fodder production. Grass in pure stands is common, but requires high nitrogen (N) inputs. In terms of N input, two-species grass-legume mixtures are more sustainable than grass in pure stands and consequently dominate low N input grasslands (Crews and Peoples 2004; Nyfeler et al. 2009; Nyfeler et al. 2011). In temperate grasslands, N is often the limiting factor for productivity (Whitehead 1995). Plant available soil N is generally concentrated in the upper soil layers, but may leach to deeper layers, especially in grasslands that include legumes (Scherer-Lorenzen et al. 2003) and under conditions with surplus precipitation (Thorup-Kristensen 2006). To improve soil N use efficiency in temporary grasslands, we propose the addition of deep-rooting plant species to a mixture of perennial ryegrass and white clover, which are the most widespread forage plant species in temporary grasslands in a temperate climate (Moore 2003). Perennial ryegrass and white clover possess relatively shallow root systems (Kutschera and Lichtenegger 1982; Kutschera and Lichtenegger 1992) with effective rooting depths of <0.7 m on a silt loamy site (Pollock and Mead 2008). Grassland species, such as lucerne and chicory, grow their tap-roots into deep soil layers and exploit soil nutrients and water in soil layers that the commonly grown shallow-rooting grassland species cannot reach (Braun et al. 2010; Skinner 2008). Chicory grown as a catch crop after barley reduced the inorganic soil N down to 2.5 m depth during the growing season, while perennial ryegrass affected the inorganic soil N only down to 1 m depth (Thorup-Kristensen 2006). Further, on a Wakanui silt loam in New Zealand chicory extracted water down to 1.9 m and lucerne down to 2.3 m soil depth, which resulted in greater herbage yields compared with a perennial ryegrass-white clover mixture, especially for dryland plots (Brown et al. 2005). There is little information on both the ability of deep- and shallow-rooting grassland species to access soil N from different vertical soil layers and the relation of soil N-access and herbage yield in temporary agricultural grasslands. Therefore, the objective of the present work was to test the hypotheses 1) that a mixture comprising both shallow- and deep-rooting plant species has greater herbage yields than a shallow-rooting binary mixture and pure stands, 2) that deep-rooting plant species (chicory and lucerne) are superior in accessing soil N from 1.2 m soil depth compared with shallow-rooting plant species, 3) that shallow-rooting plant species (perennial ryegrass and white clover) are superior in accessing soil N from 0.4 m soil depth compared with deep-rooting plant species, 4) that a mixture of deep- and shallow-rooting plant species has greater access to soil N from three soil layers compared with a shallow-rooting two-species mixture and that 5) the leguminous grassland plants, lucerne and white clover, have a strong impact on grassland N acquisition, because of their ability to derive N from the soil and the atmosphere

The longitudinal association between anxiety and Internet addiction in adolescence: the moderating effect of classroom extraversion

Background and aims: The risk effect of anxiety on addictive behaviors, including Internet addiction (IA), has repeatedly been highlighted in the international literature. However, there is a lack of longitudinal studies examining this association in relation to proximal context effects, particularly in adolescence. Such findings would shed light on potential age- and proximal context-related variations in the anxiety–IA association that could better inform IA prevention and intervention initiatives. Methods: In this study, 648 adolescents, embedded in 34 classrooms, were assessed at the age of 16 and again at the age of 18 to examine the effect of anxiety on IA behaviors in relation to the average level of classroom extraversion. IA was assessed with the Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1998), anxiety with the relevant subscale of the Symptom Checklist 90 – Revised (Derogatis & Savitz, 1999) and classroom extraversion with the synonymous subscale of the Five Factor Questionnaire (Asendorpf & van Aken, 2003). A three-level hierarchical linear model was calculated. Results: The present findings demonstrated that: (a) higher levels of anxiety were significantly associated with higher IA behaviors, (b) the strength of this association did not vary over time (between 16 and 18 years old), and (c) however, it tended to weaken within classrooms higher in extraversion. Discussion: This study indicated that the contribution of individual IA risk factors might differently unfold within different contexts

Chemical Genetic Identification of the Histamine H1 Receptor as a Stimulator of Insulin-Induced Adipogenesis

AbstractA large collection of bioactive compounds with diverse biological effects can be used as probes to elucidate new biological mechanisms that influence a particular cellular process. Here we analyze the effects of 880 well-known small-molecule bioactives or drugs on the insulin-induced adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 fibroblasts, a cell-culture model of fat cell differentiation. Our screen identified 86 compounds as modulators of the adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells. Examination of their chemical and pharmacological information revealed that antihistamine drugs with distinct chemical scaffolds inhibit differentiation. Histamine H1 receptor is expressed in 3T3-L1 cells, and its knockdown by small interfering RNA impaired the insulin-induced adipogenic differentiation. Histamine receptors and histamine-like biogenic amines may play a role in inducing adipogenesis in response to insulin

Synthesis of Chondramide A Analogues with Modified β‐Tyrosine and Their Biological Evaluation

Starting from cinnamates 9 , obtained by Wittig reaction or Heck coupling, the diols 17 were prepared by asymmetric dihydroxylation. This was followed by a regioselective substitution of the 3‐OH group with hydrazoic acid under Mitsunobu conditions. Methylation of the 2‐OH group and reduction of the azide group led to the β‐tyrosine derivatives 8 . Condensation with the dipeptide acid 6 furnished the tripeptide part of the chondramides. The derived acids 21 were combined with the hydroxy ester 7 to the esters 22 . Cleavage of the tert ‐butyl groups and intramolecular lactam formation gave rise to the chondramide A analogues 2 b – k . Growth inhibition assays showed most of the analogues to be biologically active. Some of them even reach the activity of jasplakinolide. It can be concluded that the 4‐position of the aryl ring in the β‐tyrosine of chondramide A tolerates structural modifications quite well. SUB ‐ units : Ten different chondramide A analogues were prepared with different substituents at the 3‐amino‐2‐methoxy‐propanoate subunit. The modified β‐tyrosines were obtained from the corresponding cinnamates. From Mitsunobu esterification, acyclic depsipeptides were obtained that were cyclized by macrolactam formation. Almost all analogues were at least as active as chondramide A itself. However, an amide group reduced the cytotoxicity significantly.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/88032/1/13349_ftp.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/88032/2/chem_201101978_sm_miscellaneous_information.pd

Towards the clinical implementation of pharmacogenetics in bipolar disorder.

BackgroundBipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric illness defined by pathological alterations between the mood states of mania and depression, causing disability, imposing healthcare costs and elevating the risk of suicide. Although effective treatments for BD exist, variability in outcomes leads to a large number of treatment failures, typically followed by a trial and error process of medication switches that can take years. Pharmacogenetic testing (PGT), by tailoring drug choice to an individual, may personalize and expedite treatment so as to identify more rapidly medications well suited to individual BD patients.DiscussionA number of associations have been made in BD between medication response phenotypes and specific genetic markers. However, to date clinical adoption of PGT has been limited, often citing questions that must be answered before it can be widely utilized. These include: What are the requirements of supporting evidence? How large is a clinically relevant effect? What degree of specificity and sensitivity are required? Does a given marker influence decision making and have clinical utility? In many cases, the answers to these questions remain unknown, and ultimately, the question of whether PGT is valid and useful must be determined empirically. Towards this aim, we have reviewed the literature and selected drug-genotype associations with the strongest evidence for utility in BD.SummaryBased upon these findings, we propose a preliminary panel for use in PGT, and a method by which the results of a PGT panel can be integrated for clinical interpretation. Finally, we argue that based on the sufficiency of accumulated evidence, PGT implementation studies are now warranted. We propose and discuss the design for a randomized clinical trial to test the use of PGT in the treatment of BD