4,101 research outputs found
Effects of Chicory/Perennial Ryegrass Swards Compared with Perennial Ryegrass Swards on the Performance and Carcass Quality of Grazing Beef Steers
No full textAn experiment investigated whether the inclusion of chicory (Cichorium intybus) in swards grazed by beef steers altered their performance, carcass characteristics or parasitism when compared to steers grazing perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). Triplicate 2-ha plots were established with a chicory/ryegrass mix or ryegrass control. Forty-eight Belgian Blue-cross steers were used in the first grazing season and a core group (n = 36) were retained for finishing in the second grazing season. The experiment comprised of a standardisation and measurement period. During standardisation, steers grazed a ryegrass/white clover pasture as one group. Animals were allocated to treatment on the basis of liveweight, body condition and faecal egg counts (FEC) determined 7 days prior to the measurement period. The measurement period ran from 25 May until 28 September 2010 and 12 April until 11 October 2011in the first and second razing year. Steers were weighed every 14 days at pasture or 28 days during housing. In the first grazing year, faecal samples were collected for FEC and parasite cultures. At the end of the first grazing year, individual blood samples were taken to determine O. ostertagi antibody and plasma pepsinogen levels. During winter, animals were housed as one group and fed silage. In the second grazing year, steers were slaughtered when deemed to reach fat class 3. Data on steer performance showed no differences in daily liveweight gain which averaged 1.04 kg/day. The conformation, fat grade and killing out proportion of beef steers grazing chicory/ryegrass or ryegrass were not found to differ. No differences in FEC, O. ostertagi antibody or plasma pepsinogen levels of beef steers grazing either chicory/ryegrass or ryegrass were observed. Overall, there were no detrimental effects of including chicory in swards grazed by beef cattle on their performance, carcass characteristics or helminth parasitism, when compared with steers grazing ryegrass
The SSC of the Generalised Jahangir’s Graph Jm,k and its Algebraic Characterizations
No full textIn this article, we present important combinatorial and algebraicproperties of spanning simplicial complex (SSC) of the generalised Jahangir’sgraph Jm,k. We describe the relation to find f−vectors associatedto Δs(Jm,k) and determine the Hilbert series for the SR-ring KΔs(Jm,k).In the end, we present the associated primes of the facet ideal IF(Δs(Jm,k))and the Cohen-Macaulay characterization of the SR-ring of Δs(Jm,k).AMS (MOS) Subject Classification Codes: Primary 13-P10, Secondary 13-F20, 13-C14, 13-H10.Corresponding Author: Agha KashifKey Words: Simplicial Complexes, f-vectors, Spanning Trees, Face Ring, Hilbert Series, CohenMacaulay
To <i>JM</i> on Its 75th Anniversary
No full text This article discusses how Journal of Marketing ( JM) has influenced marketing science and practice by publishing articles on substantive topics relevant to customers, managers, organizations, markets, and society. The journal's 75th anniversary coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Marketing Science Institute (MSI). Frequently, JM and MSI have collaborated to address important substantive marketing issues identified in MSI's Research Priorities. The author highlights seminal articles on brand equity; business-to-business marketing (including sales force management); connecting marketing information, metrics, and strategy; consumer behavior; innovation, new product development. and product management; marketing orientation and capabilities; and market research, methodology and services. She also draws attention to articles that have won the Sheth Foundation/ JM Award and the H. Paul Root Award. The article describes how JM‘s knowledge dissemination is amplified by powerful social network effects. Ideas in JM articles diffuse through the business community, influencing the mind-set of managers worldwide. </jats:p
Effects of high-sugar ryegrass silage and mixtures with red clover silage on ruminant digestion. 1. In vitro and in vivo studies of nitrogen utilization
No full textTwo experiments were carried out to determine the effects of feeding grass silages differing in their water-soluble carbohydrate content, with or without red clover silage, on the efficiency of nutrient use. High-sugar grass, control grass, and red clover were ensiled in laboratory silos for use in an in vitro experiment (Exp. 1). For an in vivo experiment (Exp. 2), the same forage types were baled and ensiled. All silages were well preserved; within experiments the grass silages had similar composition, except for greater (P < 0.05) water-soluble carbohydrate concentrations in the high-sugar than the control grass silage. In Exp. 1, high-sugar grass, control grass, and red clover silages were fed alone or as mixtures (30:70, 50:50, or 70:30 on a DM basis, respectively) of each grass with the red clover silage to a simulated rumen culture system. There were no significant differences in microbial N flow or efficiency of microbial protein synthesis between individual forages. However, the corresponding values for the 70:30 ratio of high-sugar grass:red clover silage were greater (P < 0.05) than for the red clover silage. The value for the efficiency of N use (g of microbial N/g of feed N) was greater (0.86; P < 0.05) for high-sugar grass silage than the control grass silage. In addition, the high-sugar grass:red clover silage mixtures all gave greater (P < 0.05) values for the efficiency of N use than red clover silage alone; this difference was not achieved with the control grass mixture. Experiment 2 was an incomplete Latin square design conducted with 6 Here-ford × Friesian steers (163 ± 5.9 kg of BW) with rumen and duodenal cannulas fed the following 5 silage diets: high-sugar grass silage; control grass silage; high-sugar grass and red clover silage (50:50 DM basis); control grass and red clover silage (50:50 DM basis); and red clover silage. Rumen NH3-N concentration was lowest (P < 0.05) with the high-sugar grass silage. Microbial N flows to the duodenum and efficiency of microbial protein synthesis were greater (P < 0.05) for steers fed the high-sugar grass silage than for control grass and red clover silages, and mixing red clover with grass silages increased (P < 0.05) these values compared with red clover silage alone. In both experiments, the efficiency of incorporation of silage N into microbial N was more than 20% greater (P < 0.05) for high-sugar grass than for control grass silage. These data suggest that grass silage with high-sugar content provides a forage-based strategy for balancing N and en
An evaluation of tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) as an alternative to perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) for use on dairy farms in the Waikato
No full textGrazed pasture provides the bulk of feed on New Zealand dairy farms. As such, the amount, and the nutritive value, of the pasture grown directly influences farm production and profitability. In the Waikato (North Island, New Zealand), low soil moisture is a major constraint to pasture production and recent droughts have highlighted the limitations of the predominant pasture species, perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), in this region. Methods of mitigating the effects of low soil moisture include the use of drought tolerant species, like tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum), and by using irrigation. The main objectives of this research were to compare the pasture dry matter (DM) production, nutritive value and survival of two tall fescue types (Continental, CTF; and Mediterranean, MTF) with perennial ryegrass (PR). Pastures were sown as either a grass monoculture or as grass-dominant mixtures with either white clover (Trifolium repens), red clover (Trifolium pratense) or chicory (Cichorium intybus) as companion species. The experimental design was a split block with two identical small plot experiments that were either fully irrigated (I+) or were not irrigated (I-) and were rotationally grazed by dairy cows. One experiment was established in autumn 2007 and spanned one year. A second experiment was established in spring 2008 that spanned two years, in order to determine whether productive pastures of tall fescue can be established in both seasons. Annual DM yields of I+PR pastures averaged 16.9 t DM/ha across the 3 years evaluated in this study. This was consistently greater (P < 0.003) than either I+CTF or I+MTF pastures (averaging 13.7 and 12.5 t DM/ha, respectively). Average I- DM yields were more similar at 14.5, 13.6 and 12.8 t DM/ha from I-PR, I-CTF and I-MTF pastures, respectively. Generally, PR pastures produced superior seasonal DM yields than CTF or MTF pastures, with three exceptions. In summer 2007/2008 both I+ and I-CTF pastures produced 0.6 and 1.5 t DM/ha more (P=0.004) DM than I+ and I-PR pastures, respectively. Also, in winter (P<0.001) and spring 2009 (P=0.003) I-CTF pastures produced more DM than I-PR, however, at these times an irrigation interaction was observed (P<0.001) where I+PR produced more DM than I+CTF. The enhanced I-CTF production was associated with higher tiller densities observed on I-CTF relative to I+CTF pastures that were likely a result of reduced competition from companion and weed species under low soil moisture. Irrigation enhanced annual DM yield of PR pastures (range 2–37%). While the effect of irrigation on yields of CTF and MTF was variable, ranging from a negative response (-23%) to a 16% increase, that was likely influenced by the companion species and weed content of the pastures. The addition of a companion species either reduced or produced equivalent DM yields to the monoculture pastures. While the companion species chicory contributed greatly to yield in the warmer months (December to April), this was commonly associated with a decline of sown grass yield and tiller density. Nutritive value, as defined by metabolisable energy (ME) content of herbage, from PR pastures (mean 13.0 MJ ME/kg DM) was greater than from those based on tall fescue pastures (mean 12.3 MJ ME/kg DM). However, crude protein (CP) content was greater on the CTF and MTF pastures (mean 23.9%) than the PR pastures (mean 21.5%), including the monoculture pastures (23.2 vs. 20.7% from tall fescue and PR respectively), indicating that CTF and MTF plants contain higher CP than PR plants. The ME content was largely unaffected by companion species, and the effect on CP was variable, though when differences were observed they were the result of increased CP content on the mixed pastures relative to the pasture monocultures. The magnitude of PR loss during drought was 7.5 times greater than observed on the CTF and MTF pastures. Where the decline in tiller density from I-PR pastures was 2280 tillers/m2, compared to a loss of 300 tillers/m2 from I-CTF pastures during the autumn 2009 drought, equating to a 46 and 16% reduction in tiller density from I-PR and I-CTF respectively. At both sowing times, sown grass establishment was similar. However, the less vigorous nature of the fescue seedlings allowed for higher levels of companion species in the sward relative to PR (32 vs. 13%, respectively). Although, by the end of each experiment the sown species in CTF and PR pastures dominated, signalling that both autumn and spring establishment of these pastures can be successful. The contribution of MTF to pastures was poor when sown with a companion species and by the end of the two year spring sown experiment averaged 16%, indicating poor survival. These results suggest that perennial ryegrass-based pastures are more productive and of higher quality than those based on tall fescue both in irrigated and non-irrigated conditions under dairy cow grazing in the Waikato. However, the greater companion species content and CP levels of CTF pastures and enhanced production when soil moisture was low relative to PR indicates that CTF may have a role in terms of a specialist pasture species on farm. The poor survival and yields of MTF pastures indicate that this species is not suitable for use on dairy farms in the Waikato
JM-20, a Benzodiazepine-Dihydropyridine Hybrid Molecule, Inhibits the Formation of Alpha-Synuclein-Aggregated Species
No full text\ua9 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.Studies showed that JM-20, a benzodiazepine-dihydropyridine hybrid molecule, protects against rotenone and 6-hydroxydopamine neurotoxicity. However, its protective effects against cytotoxicity induced by endogenous neurotoxins involved in Parkinson’s disease (PD) pathogenesis have never been investigated. In this study, we evaluated the ability of JM-20 to inhibit alpha-synuclein (aSyn) aggregation. We also evaluated the interactions of JM-20 with aSyn by molecular docking and molecular dynamics and assessed the protective effect of JM-20 against aminochrome cytotoxicity. We demonstrated that JM-20 induced the formation of heterogeneous amyloid fibrils, which were innocuous to primary cultures of mesencephalic cells. Moreover, JM-20 reduced the average size of aSyn positive inclusions in H4 cells transfected with SynT wild-type and synphilin-1-V5, but not in HEK cells transfected with synphilin-1-GFP. In silico studies showed the interaction between JM-20 and the aSyn-binding site. Additionally, we showed that JM-20 protects SH-SY5Y cells against aminochrome cytotoxicity. These results reinforce the potential of JM-20 as a neuroprotective compound for PD and suggest aSyn as a molecular target for JM-20
Implications of grass–clover interactions in dairy pastures for forage value indexing systems. 6. Cross-site analysis and general discussion
No full textHerbage accumulation (HA) data from four sites were combined to (1) address the hypothesis that adjustments to the New Zealand Forage Value Index to account for grass–clover interactions are not required and (2) explore the main effects of clover and nitrogen (N) fertiliser treatments on pasture productivity. In summer and autumn, pastures based on mid-season heading ryegrass cultivars consistently supported a greater clover content than pastures based on late heading cultivars. However, the clover × cultivar interaction was significant in only 2 of 17 HA data sets available for analysis. Thus, the hypothesis is supported. Compared with ryegrass monocultures, mixtures yielded an additional 2.4 (in the Low-N treatment) and 1.2 (High-N treatment) t DM/ha/year. Apparent N transfer from clover to grass was 79 (Low N) and 27 (High N) kg N/ha/year, derived from estimated N fixation efficiencies of 66 (Low N) and 50 (High N) kg N/t clover DM grown
An evaluation of dryland legume and legume-grass pastures based on lucerne and red clover, with sheep, using a put-and-take system in the Outeniqua area of the southern Cape
No full textThe production of a pure lucerne (Medicago sativa) pasture, two lucerne-grass pastures and two red clover (Trifolium pratense)grass pastures was compared at two grazing pressures (3.5 and 4.0kg DM per small stock unit d–1 in the Outeniqua area, using Mutton Merino sheep in a put-and-take system of grazing. The four legume grass pastures consisted of mixtures of the two legumeswith combinations of tallfescue (Festuca arundinacea), phalaris (Phalaris aquatica) and brome grass (Bromus uniloides). The average production in terms of dry matter, stocking rate, average daily gain and total live weight gain of the three lucerne-based pastures was higher and more constant than that of pastures asedon red clover. Lucerne was also a more persistent legume component than red clover. Choice of grass species had very little influenceon production and the inclusion of grassin both lucerne- and clover-based pastures did not improve production. Pastures with a brome grass component, however, tended to be higher-producing than the other legume-grass pastures based on lucerne are the most productive dryland pastures for this area.Keywords: Average daily gain, Bromus, Festuca, Mutton Merino sheep, Phalaris, botany; brome grass; Bromus unioloides; daily gain; evaluation; Festuca arundinacea; legumes; lucerne; Medicago sativa; Outeniqua; pastures; phalaris; Phalaris aquatica; red clover; sheep; South Africa; southern Cape; tall fescAfrican Journal of Range & Forage Science 1995 12(1): 1–
Implications of grass-clover interactions in dairy pastures for forage indexing systems. 4. Canterbury
No full textThis paper describes how the core treatments in the national experimental design (all combinations of with/without clover and high/low nitrogen (N)) were implemented at an irrigated Canterbury site and monitored for three years. There was a consistent N × clover interaction, caused mainly by substantially lower yields in the Low N without clover treatment compared with all other treatments. At the phenotypic contrast level, the main effect of perennial ryegrass heading date on white clover content was significant in four of the nine seasonal data sets available: on these occasions, mixtures based on mid-season heading cultivars had higher clover content than later season-heading cultivars. However, this difference was not sufficient to cause any clover × cultivar interactions in herbage accumulation. Hence, the hypothesis that relative yield rankings of ryegrass cultivars do not differ when ryegrass is grown in monoculture or in mixture with white clover is supported
Uterine transplantation: a promising surrogate to surrogacy?
No full textUterine transplantation: a promising surrogate to surrogacy?
Grynberg M1, Ayoubi JM, Bulletti C, Frydman R, Fanchin R.
Author information
Abstract
Infertility due to the inability of the uterus to carry a pregnancy ranks among the most unresolved issues in reproductive medicine. It affects millions of women worldwide who have congenital or acquired uterine affections, often requiring hysterectomy, and potentially represents a considerable fraction of the general infertile population. Patients suffering from severe uterine infertility are currently compelled to go through gestational surrogacy or adoption; both approaches, unfortunately, deprive them of the maternal experience of pregnancy and birth. Uterine transplantation represents an outstanding, yet complex, perspective to alleviating definitive uterine infertility. In the past decades, a number of scientific experiments conducted both in animals and women, focusing on uterine transplantation, have led to promising results. Collectively, these findings undoubtedly constitute a sound basis to clinically apply uterine transplantation in the near future. This paper is, however, an overview not only of the extent and limitations of accumulated scientific knowledge on uterine transplantation, but also its ethical implications, in an effort to define the actual place of such an approach among the therapeutic arsenal for alleviating infertility.
© 2011 New York Academy of Sciences
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