Treatment with a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug after calving did not improve milk production,health, or reproduction parameters in pasture-grazed dairy cows

Previous research results have indicated an increase in pregnancy rate in pasture-grazed cows treated with a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) 3 to 4 wk postcalving, when a high proportion of nucleated cells from within the uterus were polymorphonucleated; however, no effect on milk production was detected. It was hypothesized that this lack of effect on milk production was because the administration of the NSAID was too late after calving. The aims of the current study were to evaluate the timing of administering a propionic acid-derived NSAID (i.e., carprofen) on milk production, metabolic status, uterine health, and reproductive performance. Six-hundred and thirty-nine cows (134 primiparous and 505 multiparous) calving between July 4 and September 5, 2012, in 2 herds (herd 1: n = 228; herd 2: n = 411) were enrolled. Using a randomized block design, cows were allocated to 1 of 3 treatment groups as they calved: (1) no treatment (control; n = 221), (2) NSAID administered on d 1, 3, and 5 postcalving (early; n = 214), and (3) NSAID administered on d 19, 21, and 23 postcalving (late; n = 204). Milk production and composition, and body condition were determined weekly. Blood was sampled at 4 time points (1 precalving and 3 postcalving) to determine the effects of treatment on indicators of metabolic health and energy status. Uterine health was determined by measuring the proportion of nucleated cells that were polymorphonucleated following cytobrush sampling of the uterus between d 13 to 24 and d 30 to 49 postcalving. Irrespective of timing of application, NSAID did not affect milk production, body weight, or body condition during early lactation. Treatment with an NSAID 19 to 23 d postcalving increased the proportion of cows submitted for breeding during the first 3 wk of the seasonal breeding program (control: 85%, early: 83%, and late: 92%), but did not affect conception or pregnancy rates. No detectable effect of treatment on uterine health or circulating metabolites and minerals existed, although cows in the early NSAID treatment group had marginally lower serum β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations (0.1 mmol/L) than the other groups between 2 and 26 d in milk. In conclusion, administration of this particular NSAID at either 1 or 3 wk after calving did not improve milk production, indicators of health, or reproductive performance.     

Far-off and close-up dry matter intake modulate indicators of immunometabolic adaptations to lactation in subcutaneous adipose tissue of pasture-based transition dairy cows

The common practice of increasing dietary energy density during the close-up dry period (last ～3 wk prepartum) has been recently associated with a higher incidence of metabolic disorders after calving. Despite these reports, over-feeding of metabolizable energy (ME) during the far-off, nonlactating period is a common management policy aimed at achieving optimum calving body condition score (BCS) in pasture-based systems, as cows are generally thinner than total mixed ration cows at the end of lactation. Our hypothesis was that both far-off and close-up overfeeding influence the peripartum adipose tissue changes associated with energy balance and inflammatory state. Sixty mid-lactation, grazing dairy cows of mixed age and breed were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 groups that were managed through late lactation to achieve a low and high BCS (approximately 4.25 and 5.0 on a 10-point scale) at dry-off. The low BCS cows were then overfed ME to ensure that they achieved the same BCS as the higher BCS group by calving. Within each rate of BCS gain treatment, cows were offered 65, 90, or 120% of their pre-calving ME requirements for 3 wk pre-calving in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments (i.e., 10 cows/treatment). Subcutaneous adipose tissue was collected via biopsy at ?1, 1, and 4 wk relative to parturition. Quantitative PCR was used to measure mRNA and microRNA expression of targets related to adipogenesis and inflammation. Cows overfed in the far-off period had increased expression of miR-143 and miR-378 prepartum (?1 wk) indicating greater adipogenesis, consistent with their rapid gain in BCS following dry-off. Furthermore, the lower postpartum expression of IL6, TNF, TLR4, TLR9, and miR-145, and a higher abundance of miR-99a indicated lower body fat mobilization in early lactation in the same group. In the close-up period, feeding either 65 or 120% of ME requirements caused changes in FASN, IL1B, IL6R, TLR9, and the microRNA miR-143, miR-155, and miR-378. Their respective expression patterns indicate a tentative negative-feedback mechanism in metabolically compromised, feed-restricted cows, and a possible immune-related stimulation of lipolysis in apparently static adipocytes in overfed cows. Data from cows fed 90% of ME requirements indicate the existence of a balance between lipolytic (inflammatory-related) and anti-lipolytic signals, to prime the mobilization machinery in light of imminent lactation. Overall, results indicate that far-off dry cow nutrition influences peripartum adipose tissue metabolism, with neither strategy negatively affecting the physiological adaptation to lactation. Furthermore, to ensure a favorable transition, cows should be subjected to a small feed restriction in the close-up period, irrespective of far-off nutritional management.     

Two types of single-peaked data: Correspondence analysis as an alternative to principal component analysis

It has been argued that principal component analysis (PCA) is not appropriate for analyzing data conforming to single-peaked response models, also referred to as unfolding models. An overview of these findings is given, which relates them to the distinction between two types of unfolding models; namely, models that are either a quadratic function of the person-to-item distances or an exponential function of these distances. This distinction is easy to recognize empirically because the inter-item correlation matrix for the two types of data typically shows different patterns. Furthermore, for both types of unfolding models, correspondence analysis (CA), which is a rival method for dimensionality reduction, outperforms PCA in terms of representation of both person and item locations, especially for the exponential unfolding model. Finally, it is shown that undoubled CA outperforms doubled CA for both types of unfolding models. It is argued that performing CA on the raw data matrix is an unconventional, but meaningful approach to scaling items and persons on an underlying unfolding scale. A real data example on personality assessment is given, which shows that for this type of data (undoubled) CA is to be preferred over PCA.     

Sonographically guided intravascular biopsy of an intraluminal mass in the inferior vena cava

In a 48-year-old Japanese man there was an uncontrollable and recurrent bleeding from a gastric ulcer and laparoscopic surgery was done. Two cannulae were placed in the gastric cavity through the abdominal wall and suture ligation of the bleeding vessel at the posterior wall of the stomach was done under video-visual control with endoscopic guidance. The bleeding ceased, complications were nil, and he remains well. This article reports on surgery done to repair uncontrollable, recurrent bleeding from a gastric ulcer. Two cannulae were placed in the gastric cavity through the abdominal wall and suture of the vessel at the posterior wall of the stomach was done with videovisual control and endoscopic guidance. This approach is concluded to have supplied minimal-access surgery, cost effectiveness, early discharge, less pain, and doctor-patient satisfaction.     

Rapidly solidified prealloyed powders by laser spin atomization

A new technique, termed laser spin atomization, for the production of rapidly solidified prealloyed powders is described. The results of experiments involving the production of powders of two alloys, one based on Ni, the other on Ti, are presented. The powders have been characterized using light optical metallography, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Auger elec-tron spectroscopy, and these various observations are described.     

Current Regulatory Status of Cadmium Pigments

This article presents a review of the present federal regulatory situation for a group of materials having particular interest for colorists: the cadmium sulfoselenide pigments. In recent years, use of cadmium has been subject to criticism based on adverse health effects. Accordingly, government has responded, as it has generally to human health and environmental concerns, with a proliferation of regulatory activity. Policies, programs, and rules of the FDA, EPA, and OSHA covering cadmium pigments are reviewed with respect to both current status and near-term future outlook. Although cadmiums have been and will continue to be caught up in a great many proposals for regulation, the actual level of rules in effect, at least up to the present, has been relatively modest.     

Effect of weaning age on growth,mammary gland development,and immune function in Holstein Friesian calves fed conserved alfalfa (FiberStart)

This study aimed to evaluate intake, body growth, and the development of the rumen, mammary gland, and immune system in Holstein Friesian calves reared for 100 d on the commercially available feed FiberStart (conserved alfalfa, Medicago sativa; Fiber Fresh Feeds Ltd., Reporoa, New Zealand) and fed calf milk replacer (CMR) for either 56 or 91 d. Eighty calves (40 bulls and 40 heifer calves) were reared indoors in groups (n = 5 of the same sex/pen). All calves were fed 4 L of CMR/d (175 g/L of CMR) in 2 feeds/d for the first 10 d and then 1 feed/d until d 49 or 84. The calves were gradually weaned by d 56 (earlier weaned; n = 8 pens) and d 91 (later weaned; n = 8 pens). All calves were fed FiberStart ad libitum as the only solid feed source from d 1 to 100 of the study. Irrespective of treatment, all calves had similar body weights at d 0 (40.9 ± 3.0 kg) and d 49 (74.2 ± 5.1 kg) of the study. Calf sex had no effect on intake, growth, blood, and immune system parameters. Earlier-weaned calves consumed 18% more solid feed dry matter but had 16% lower body weight gain (28.9 vs. 38.5 kg, respectively) from d 56 to 100 relative to later-weaned calves, resulting in different body weight at 100 d (104 vs. 121 ± 1.3 kg). Although earlier-weaned calves could compensate for the loss of CMR dry matter and crude protein intake from d 56 to 100 by increasing forage intake, they were unable to compensate for the loss of energy from the CMR by increasing solid feed consumption. Plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations were 52% greater in earlier-weaned calves than in later-weaned calves at d 84, indicating greater metabolic activity of the rumen wall. The duration of CMR feeding had no influence on humoral or cell-mediated immune functions of the calves, as evidenced by a lack of effect on antivaccine antibody responses as well as on immune gene expression. Earlier- versus later-weaned heifer calves had 5% lower mammary gland mass, indicating that greater energy supply increased mammary mass. The results of this experiment demonstrate the ability to artificially rear dairy calves on a conserved alfalfa as the only solid feed. Furthermore, earlier weaning off CMR promotes solid feed intake and an associated increase in blood β-hydroxybutyrate, an indicator of rumen development, but increasing the duration of CMR feeding improves growth and mammary gland mass by d 100. The implications of these findings on lifetime growth, health, and milk production in dairy heifers warrant further investigation.     

Cognitive constraints on multimedia learning: When presenting more material results in less understanding.

In 4 experiments, college students viewed an animation and listened to concurrent narration explaining the formation of lightning. When students also received concurrent on-screen text that summarized (Experiment 1) or duplicated (Experiment 2) the narration, they performed worse on tests of retention and transfer than did students who received no on-screen text. This redundancy effect is consistent with a dual-channel theory of multimedia learning in which adding on-screen text can overload the visual information-processing channel, causing learners to split their visual attention between 2 sources. Lower transfer performance also occurred when the authors added interesting but irrelevant details to the narration (Experiment 1) or inserted interesting but conceptually irrelevant video clips within (Experiment 3) or before the presentation (Experiment 4). This coherence effect is consistent with a seductive details hypothesis in which the inserted video and narration prime the activation of inappropriate prior knowledge as the organizing schema for the lesson. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Simulation and optimization of metal-insulator-semiconductorinversion-layer silicon solar cells

Metal-insulator-semiconductor inversion-layer (MIS-IL) silicon solar cells are promising devices for photovoltaic energy conversion due to the ease of junction fabrication. In order to improve the fundamental understanding of these devices, this paper presents a detailed three-dimensional analysis of existing MIS-IL cells by means of two-dimensional (2-D) numerical modeling and circuit simulation. We implement a physical model suggested in the literature for the tunneling current through the MIS tunnel contact into a device simulator and solve the complete set of drift-diffusion equations for electrons and holes within the silicon in two dimensions. Based on experimentally determined device parameters, a good agreement between simulated and experimental current-voltage (I-V) characteristics is obtained, enabling the spatially resolved determination of resistive and recombinative losses. Furthermore, an optimization study is performed to reveal the efficiency limit of MIS-IL silicon solar cells     

User-Level Device Drivers: Achieved Performance

Running device drivers as unprivileged user-level code, encapsulated into their own process, has often been proposed as a technique for increasing system robustness. However, in the past, systems based on user-level drivers have generally exhibited poor I/O performance. Consequently, user-level device drivers have never caught on to any significant degree. In this paper we demonstrate that it is possible to build systems which employ user-level device drivers, without significant performance degradation, even for high-bandwidth devices such as Gigabit Ethernet.