Sorghum distillers dried grain lipid extract increases cholesterol excretion and decreases plasma and liver cholesterol concentration in hamsters

Grain sorghum is a rich source of phytochemicals. In this study, male hamsters were fed AIN-93M diets supplemented with a hexane-extractable lipid fraction from sorghum distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Diets contained 0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 5.0% (w/w) DDGS lipid extract. After 4 wk, the 5.0% DDGS lipids group had significantly lower plasma non-HDL cholesterol and liver esterified cholesterol concentration. Faecal neutral sterol (i.e., cholesterol) excretion was significantly higher in the 5.0% DDGS lipids group compared to the other treatments (66% higher compared to controls). Bile acid excretion was not affected by DDGS lipid intake. Faecal cholesterol excretion was negatively correlated with liver cholesterol concentration (r = ?0.97, P = 0.026), and liver cholesterol concentration was directly correlated with plasma total cholesterol concentration (r = 0.96, P = 0.041). Thus, lipid extract of sorghum DDGS exhibited cholesterol-lowering properties due, at least in part, to increased cholesterol excretion from the body and could provide health benefits when incorporated into human diets.     

Genetic analysis of persistency in the israeli holstein population by the multitrait animal model

Persistency was defined as the predicted milk production 180 d after peak divided by peak production (in %). Heritability of persistency in a multitrait analysis including parities 1 through 5 increased from 0.16 to 0.27 from first through third parity, and then declined through fifth parity. Genetic correlations for persistency between consecutive parities were all > 0.8. First-parity genetic correlations of the traits included in the Israeli selection index with persistency were all < 0.1, except for fertility and herdlife, which were 0.20 and 0.25; whereas second-parity genetic correlations of persistency with the 3 milk production traits were all > 0.34, and the genetic correlation with fertility was only 0.10. The genetic correlation between second-parity persistency and herdlife was 0.58. Persistency in the Israeli Holstein population was analyzed by the multitrait animal model. The genetic trend since 1985 for the multiparity index was 0.22% persistency/yr, even though there was no direct selection on persistency.     

Semiconductor nanocrystals photosensitize C60 crystals

Semiconductor nanocrystals (SCNCs) made of CdSe, CdTe, and InP are used to photosensitize needlelike C(60) crystals. The photocurrent is increased by up to 3 orders of magnitude as compared with C(60) crystals without SCNCs. The photocurrent spectrum can be tuned precisely by the SCNC size and material, rendering the SCNC-functionalized C(60) crystals an excellent material for spectrally tuneable photodetectors. We explain the increased photocurrent as a result of photoexcited electrons transferring from the SCNCs to the C(60) crystals and causing photoconductivity, while the complementary holes remain trapped in the SCNCs.     

Biodegradable poly(amine-co-ester) terpolymers for targeted gene delivery

Many synthetic polycationic vectors for non-viral gene delivery show high efficiency in vitro, but their usually excessive charge density makes them toxic for in vivo applications. Here we describe the synthesis of a series of high molecular weight terpolymers with low charge density, and show that they exhibit efficient gene delivery, some surpassing the efficiency of the commercial transfection reagents Polyethylenimine and Lipofectamine 2000. The terpolymers were synthesized via enzyme-catalyzed copolymerization of lactone with dialkyl diester and amino diol, and their hydrophobicity adjusted by varying the lactone content and by selecting a lactone comonomer of specific ring size. Targeted delivery of the pro-apoptotic TRAIL gene to tumour xenografts by one of the terpolymers results in significant inhibition of tumour growth, with minimal toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that the gene delivery ability of the terpolymers stems from their high molecular weight and increased hydrophobicity, which compensates for their low charge density.     

The 11B(p,α)8Be?→?α?+?α and the 11B(α,α)11B Reactions at Energies Below 5.4?MeV

Measurements of the absolute cross section and angular distributions for the $^{11} \hbox{B}(p,\alpha)^{8}{\text{Be}}\rightarrow\alpha+\alpha$ and the ¹¹B(α,α)¹¹B reactions have been performed from 0.15 to 3.8?MeV for the ¹¹B(p,α) study and from 2 to 5.4?MeV for the ¹¹B(α,α) reaction. The absolute cross sections are presented in terms of the total number of α-particles detected in order to avoid uncertainties due to ambiguities in the number of alpha particles emitted in the reaction at a particular energy. The angular distributions of the ¹¹B(p,α)⁸Be(2⁺) reaction were fit to a Legendre polynomial expansion and the coefficients are presented. Finally, the ¹¹B(α,α)¹¹B data were fit in terms of phase shifts (ignoring the spin of the target), providing a convenient representation of the elastic cross section data between 2 and 5.4?MeV.     

Performance strategies affect mammary gland development in prepubertal heifers

In Brazil, the majority of dairy cattle are Holstein × Gyr (H×G). It is unknown whether excessive energy intake negatively affects their mammary development to the same extent as in purebred Holsteins. We hypothesized that mammary development of H×G heifers can be affected by dietary energy supply. We evaluated the effect of different average daily gains (ADG) achieved by feeding different amounts of a standard diet during the growing period on biometric measurements, development of mammary parenchyma (PAR) and mammary fat pad (MFP), and blood hormones. At the outset of this 84-d experiment, H×G heifers (n = 18) weighed 102.2 ± 3.4 kg and were 3 to 4 mo of age. Heifers were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 ADG programs using a completely randomized design. Treatments were high gain (HG; n = 6), where heifers were fed to gain 1 kg/d; low gain (LG; n = 6), where heifers were fed to gain 0.5 kg/d; and maintenance (MA; n = 6), where heifers were fed to gain a minimal amount of weight per day. Heifers were fed varying amounts of a single TMR to support desired BW gains. Over the 84 d, periodic biometric and blood hormone measurements were obtained. On d 84, all heifers were slaughtered and carcass and mammary samples were collected. At the end, HG heifers weighed the most (181 ± 7.5 kg), followed by LG (146 ± 7.5 kg) and MA (107 ± 7.5 kg) heifers. The ADG were near expected values and averaged 0.907, 0.500, and 0.105 ± 0.03 kg/d for HG, LG, and MA, respectively. In addition, body lengths, heart girths, and withers heights were affected by dietary treatment, with MA heifers generally being the smallest and HG heifers generally being the largest. Body condition scores differed by treatment and were highest in HG and lowest in MA heifers; in vivo subcutaneous fat thickness measurement and direct analysis of carcass composition supported this. The HG heifers had the heaviest MFP, followed by LG and then MA heifers. Amount of PAR was highest in LG heifers and was the same for HG and MA heifers. The percentage of udder mass occupied by PAR was lowest in HG heifers, differing from LG and MA heifers. Composition of MFP was not evaluated. Regarding PAR composition, no differences in ash or DM were found. On the other hand, CP concentration of PAR for HG heifers was lower than that for LG heifers, which was lower than that for MA heifers. Regarding the fat content, HG treatment was higher than LG and MA treatment, which did not differ from each other. In PAR, differences in relative abundance of genes related to both stimulation and inhibition of mammary growth were observed to depend on dietary treatment, sampling day, or both. The same can be said for most of the blood hormones that were measured in this experiment. In this experiment, high ADG achieved by feeding different amounts of a standard diet during the growing period negatively affected mammary development.     

Molecular Dynamics of Soy-Protein Isolate Films Plasticized by Water and Glycerol

ABSTRACT: The effects of water and glycerol on the molecular mobility of a soy-protein isolate (SPI)-based film were investigated using ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). SPI-films were prepared with different glycerol contents and equilibrated to various levels of water activity (a_w). The distributed transverse relaxation of film samples showed 2 distinct components: a solid-like fraction (T_2s*) and a liquid-like fraction (T_2m*). The peak T_2s* values of films with lower glycerol concentration were more sensitive to variation in a_w. As a_w increased, the change of solid-like to liquid-like fraction was observed in higher glycerol films. As glycerol content increased, a minimum longitudinal relaxation time (T₁) occurred at lower a_w. Our results suggest that NMR techniques can be used to quantify the plasticizing effects on biopolymer films.     

Genetic and environmental analysis of female calf survival in the Israel Holstein cattle population

The objectives were to estimate the effects of various environmental factors on female calf survival of Israeli Holsteins, to estimate the economic value of calf survival under Israeli conditions, to estimate the genetic and environmental variance components for calf and cow survival using the individual animal model, to perform GWAS analyses of survival to first calving and herd life after first calving, to estimate the genetic and environmental trends for calf survival since 1985, to estimate genetic correlations of calf survival with the traits included in the current Israeli breeding index, and to estimate the consequences of inclusion of calf survival in the national selection index. Mean calf survival rate of Israeli Holsteins from 2001 through 2008 was 0.85, and the mean economic value of survival to first calving was $526. Birth month, gestation length, dystocia, and twin birth significantly affected calf survival rate. Dystocia and twin birth each reduced survival rate by 0.034. Survival rate was highest for calves born in October and lowest for calves born in February. The difference between these months was 3.4%. Maximum survival was at a gestation length of 276 d, the mean gestation length for this population. Survival rate was reduced to 0.76 for calves born after a gestation length of 260 d. The individual animal model was applied for all the genetic analyses. Heritability for calf survival to first calving, as estimated by REML, was 0.009, whereas heritability of herd life from first calving was 0.15. The complete data set for genetic analysis of survival to first calving included 1,235,815 calves born between 1985 and 2017. Annual genetic and phenotypic trends for calf survival were 0.019 and 0.015%, respectively. Correlations of transmitting abilities of 226 sires born since 2010 for calf survival with the traits included in the Israeli breeding index were significant only for the maternal effects of dystocia and stillbirth. The GWAS analysis was based on the transmitting abilities of 1,493 bulls with genotypes and reliabilities >0.5 for calf survival and cow herd life. There were 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms with coefficients of determination >0.03 for calf survival and 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms with coefficients of determination >0.05 for cow survival. There was no overlap between the genome-wide significant markers for the GWAS analyses of calf survival and cow herd life. This corresponds to the conclusion from the REML results and the low correlations between the sire evaluations that the genetic control of the 2 traits are not similar. Inclusion of calf survival in the Israeli breeding would result in a 0.5% increase in calf survival over 10 yr but reduce progress for the other traits by 8%.