Components of genetic variance and covariance for linear type traits in Jersey cattle

First available appraisals for 67,644 Jersey cows were used to estimate relative magnitudes of additive and selected sources of nonadditive genetic variance and covariance for 13 type traits scored linearly from 50 to 99 points. Covariances among four types of relatives were used to estimate components of genetic variance and covariance for each of the 13 traits. Direct additive, direct dominance, and additive maternal genetic variances and the direct-maternal additive genetic covariance were estimated using covariances among paternal half-sibs, full-sibs, daughters and dams, and maternal half-sibs. Estimates of additive genetic variance were 11 to 36% of variance within herd-appraiser subclasses with largest values for stature, strength, rump angle, rump width, and udder depth. Dominance components were two to four times the magnitude of additive components for dairy character, rump width, fore udder, rear udder height, rear udder width, and suspensory ligament but much smaller for other traits. Maternal effects and the direct-maternal additive genetic covariance appeared small for all linear type traits.     

Heritabilities for Lactation Average of Somatic Cell Counts in First,Second, and Third or Later Parities

Heritabilities were estimated for lactation average log, base 2, somatic cell count from cows with four or more tests in each lactation. Estimates were for first, second, and third or later parities (defined by age at calving) individually and for mixed parities. Estimates were from sire components of variance with numbers of sires and daughters of 406 and 22,140; 337 and 8,659; 311 and 6,122; and 310 and 10,217 for mixed, first, second, and third or later parities, respectively.Both sire and error components of variance increased with parity. Heritabilities were .18, .09, .10, and .29, for mixed, first, second, and third or later parities.     

利用端口扩展器提高设计灵活性并降低成本

在嵌入式设计中,即便进行了周密的计划,完全按照最严格的程序进行工作,项目也可能会遭遇理查三世一样的失败:比方说,您所选用的处理器可能不具备足够的引脚,导致目标难以实现.在选择芯片、驱动LED时,总难做到全面,人们总是事后才失望地发现,本应选择引脚更多的另一款处理器.即便进行了前期计划,为设计上的问题预留了空间,但还是不能确保得到你想要的引脚(还要考虑到安全性),因为市场或公司的市场营销策略总是要求尽可能降低成本.即便您全力以赴,总算得到批准采用具有10个额外引脚的处理器,能够按时完成设计工作,但这样做只能造成公司下一步肯定采取降低成本的措施.     

Antagonism of NMDA receptors but not AMPA/kainate receptors blocks bursting in dopaminergic neurons induced by electrical stimulation of the prefrontal cortex

Evidence suggests that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays an important role in the burst activity of midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons. In particular, electrical stimulation of the PFC elicits patterns of activity in DA neurons, closely time-locked to the stimulation, which resemble natural bursts. Given that natural bursts are produced by the activity of excitatory amino acid (EAA)-ergic afferents, if PFC-induced time-locked bursts are homologues of natural bursts, EAA antagonists should attenuate them. Hence, the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) antagonist CPP (3-((+/-)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid) and the AMPA (D,L-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxalone propionic acid)/kainate antagonist CNQX (6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione) were applied by iontophoresis to DA neurons exhibiting time-locked bursts during PFC stimulation. CPP produced a significant reduction in time-locked bursting. In contrast, CNQX (at currents which antagonised AMPA responses) did not. These effects of CPP and CNQX on time-locked bursting mirror the effects previously reported for these drugs on natural bursting. Since natural bursting and bursting induced by PFC stimulation are both blocked selectively by CPP, the present results increase the degree of analogy between the two burst phenomena, thereby adding extra support to the contention that the cortex is involved in producing the natural bursting in DA neurons.     

Unlike any other procedure

The paper presents several mnemonics to assist clinicians in recalling DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for personality disorders. The mnemonics are acronyms, and each letter is associated with a specific criterion. Each acronym reflects a facet of the related disorder; for example, the acronym for the diagnostic criteria for paranoid personality disorder is SUSPECT, and for histrionic personality disorder it is PRAISE ME. The mnemonics have been used to teach students and residents the conceptual nature of DSM-IV disorders and to help them remember the criteria.     

Improving Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase efficacy by additional mutations inside and outside the catalytic pocket

We describe a strategy that allowed us to confer on a bacterial (E. coli) alkaline phosphatase (AP) the high catalytic activity of the mammalian enzyme while maintaining its high thermostability. First, we identified mutations, at positions other than those occupied by essential catalytic residues, which inactivate the bacterial enzyme without destroying its overall conformation. We transferred concomitantly into the bacterial enzyme four residues of the mammalian enzyme, two being in the catalytic pocket and two being outside. Second, the gene encoding the inactive mutant was submitted to random mutagenesis. Enzyme activity was restored upon the single mutation D330N, at a position that is 12 A away from the center of the catalytic pocket. Third, this mutation was combined with other mutations previously reported to increase AP activity slightly in the presence of magnesium. As a result, at pH 10.0 the phosphatase activity of both mutants D330N/D153H and D330N/D153G was 17-fold higher than that of the wild-type AP. Strikingly, although the two individual mutations D153H and D153G destabilize the enzyme, the double mutant D330N/D153G remained highly stable (T(m)=87 degrees C). Moreover, when combining the phosphatase and transferase activities, the catalytic activity of the mutant D330N/D153G increased 40-fold (k(cat)=3200 s-1) relative to that of the wild-type enzyme (k(cat)=80 s-1). Due to the simultaneous increase in K(m), the resulting k(cat)/K(m) value was only increased by a factor of two. Therefore, a single mutation occurring outside a catalytic pocket can dramatically control not only the activity of an enzyme, but also its thermostability. Preliminary crystallographic data of a covalent D330N/D153G enzyme-phosphate complex show that the phosphate group has significantly moved away from the catalytic pocket, relative to its position in the structure of another mutant previously reported.     

Radiolysis of Tributyl Phosphate by Particles of High Linear Energy Transfer

Tributyl Phosphate (TBP), used in chemical separation processes for used nuclear fuel, is susceptible to radiolysis causing losses in process performance. We have studied its degradation by exposing dry 1M TBP/n-dodecane solutions to gamma radiation from a cesium-137 source and in a mix of low and high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation by irradiating samples in the UC Irvine TRIGA^® reactor and utilizing the ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reaction. In a 1 M solution of TBP in n-dodecane the degradation of TBP (G^?_TBP) was found to be 0.36 and 0.14 μmol/J for low and high LET radiation, respectively. The formation of dibutyl phosphoric acid, DBP, (G⁺_DBP) in this solution was found to be 0.18 and 0.047 μmol/J for low and high LET radiation, respectively. In samples exposed to low LET as well as a mix of low and high LET a variety of TBP degradation products containing phosphorus were observed indicating that other degradation products than DBP and the monobutyl diacid (MBP) were formed. Our results for both low and high LET radiation compare well with previous studies on these systems indicating that high LET degrades TBP to a lesser extent than gamma radiation. Available data for high LET is not as abundant as for low LET making such comparisons challenging. Nevertheless, our method yields a value for G⁺_DBP that agrees well with previous alpha radiolysis studies indicating that our method shows promise for studying high LET radiolysis in liquid-liquid extraction systems.     

ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS: PRINCIPLE AND APPLICATION TO MODEL BASED CONTROL OF DRYING SYSTEMS - A REVIEW

Abstract

This paper reviews the developments in the model based control of drying systems using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). Survey of current research works reveals the growing interest in the application of ANN in modeling and control of non-linear, dynamic and time-variant systems. Over 115 articles published in this area are reviewed. All landmark papers are systematically classified in chronological order, in three distinct categories; namely, conventional feedback controllers, model based controllers using conventional methods and model based controllers using ANN for drying process. The principles of ANN are presented in detail. The problems and issues of the drying system and the features of various ANN models are dealt with upto-date. ANN based controllers lead to smoother controller outputs, which would increase actuator life. The paper concludes with suggestions for improving the existing modeling techniques as applied to predicting the performance characteristics of dryers. The hybridization techniques, namely, neural with fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms, presented, provide, directions for pursuing further research for the implementation of appropriate control strategies. The authors opine that the information presented here would be highly beneficial for pursuing research in modeling and control of drying process using ANN