Assessment of inbreeding depression in a Guzerat dairy herd: Effects of individual increase in inbreeding coefficients on production and reproduction

Influences of inbreeding on daily milk yield (DMY), age at first calving (AFC), and calving intervals (CI) were determined on a highly inbred zebu dairy subpopulation of the Guzerat breed. Variance components were estimated using animal models in single-trait analyses. Two approaches were employed to estimate inbreeding depression: using individual increase in inbreeding coefficients or using inbreeding coefficients as possible covariates included in the statistical models. The pedigree file included 9,915 animals, of which 9,055 were inbred, with an average inbreeding coefficient of 15.2%. The maximum inbreeding coefficient observed was 49.45%, and the average inbreeding for the females still in the herd during the analysis was 26.42%. Heritability estimates were 0.27 for DMY and 0.38 for AFC. The genetic variance ratio estimated with the random regression model for CI ranged around 0.10. Increased inbreeding caused poorer performance in DMY, AFC, and CI. However, some of the cows with the highest milk yield were among the highly inbred animals in this subpopulation. Individual increase in inbreeding used as a covariate in the statistical models accounted for inbreeding depression while avoiding overestimation that may result when fitting inbreeding coefficients.

Rural property size drives patterns of upland and riparian forest retention in a tropical deforestation frontier

Deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia accounts for a disproportionate global scale fraction of both carbon emissions from biomass burning and biodiversity erosion through habitat loss. Here we use field- and remote-sensing data to examine the effects of private landholding size on the amount and type of forest cover retained within economically active rural properties in an aging southern Amazonian deforestation frontier. Data on both upland and riparian forest cover from a survey of 300 rural properties indicated that 49.4% (SD = 29.0%) of the total forest cover was maintained as of 2007. and that property size is a key regional-scale determinant of patterns of deforestation and land-use change. Small properties (<= 150 ha) retained a lower proportion of forest (20.7%, SD = 17.6) than did large properties (>150 ha; 55.6%, SD = 27.2). Generalized linear models showed that property size had a positive effect on remaining areas of both upland and total forest cover. Using a Landsat time-series, the age of first clear-cutting that could be mapped within the boundaries of each property had a negative effect on the proportion of upland, riparian, and total forest cover retained. Based on these data, we show contrasts in land-use strategies between smallholders and largeholders, as well as differences in compliance with legal requirements in relation to minimum forest cover set-asides within private landholdings. This suggests that property size structure must be explicitly considered in landscape-scale conservation planning initiatives guiding agro-pastoral frontier expansion into remaining areas of tropical forest. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Retention at room temperature of the tetragonal t ``-form in Sc(2)O(3)-doped ZrO(2) nanopowders

Synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction was applied to the study of the effect of crystallite size on the crystal structure of ZrO(2)-10 mol% Sc(2)O(3) nanopowders synthesized by a nitrate-lysine gel-combustion route Nanopowders with different average crystallite sizes were obtained by calcination at several temperatures, ranging from 650 to 1200 degrees C The metastable t""-form of the tetragonal phase, exhibiting a cubic unit cell and tetragonal P4(2)/nmc spatial symmetry, was retained at room temperature in fine nanocrystalline powders, completely avoiding the presence of the stable rhombohedral beta phase. Differently, this phase was identified in samples calcined at high temperatures and its content increased with increasing crystallite size The critical maximum crystallite size for the retention of the mestastable t""-form resulted of about 35 nm (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved

Conversion coefficients from air kerma to personal dose equivalent in mammography

In this work, the scattered X-ray beams produced by a mammography unit with a Mo/Mo, Mo/Rh and W/Rh anode/filter combinations were applied in the evaluation of the Hp(10, 0) and mean conversion coefficients from air kerma to the personal dose equivalent ((C) over barH(p(10,0 degrees))). The higher values of H(p)(10,0 degrees) are related to the Mo/Rh combination whereas the lower ones are for the W/Rh target/filter. (C) over barH(p(10,0 degrees)) values are in the range 0.19-0.54 Sv/Gy, where the higher values comprise the W/Rh combination. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anomalous dependence on the diffusion coefficients of the ionic relaxation time in electrolytes

We show, by using a numerical analysis, that the dynamic toward equilibrium for an electrolytic cell subject to a step-like external electric field is a multirelaxation process when the diffusion coefficients of positive and negative ions are different. By assuming that the diffusion coefficient of positive ions is constant, we observe that the number of involved relaxation processes increases when the diffusion coefficient of the negative ions diminishes. Furthermore, two of the relaxation times depend nonmonotonically on the ratio of the diffusion coefficients. This result is unexpected, because the ionic drift velocity, by means of which the ions move to reach the equilibrium distribution, increases with increasing ionic mobility.

Performance of GEANT4 in dosimetry applications: Calculation of X-ray spectra and kerma-to-dose equivalent conversion coefficients

In order to validate the Geant4 toolkit for dosimetry applications, simulations were performed to calculate conversion coefficients h(10, alpha) from air kerma free-in-air to personal dose equivalent Hp(10, a). The simulations consisted of two parts: the production of X-rays with radiation qualities of narrow and wide spectra, and the interaction of radiation with ICRU tissue-equivalent and ISO water slab phantoms. The half-value layers of the X-ray spectra obtained by simulation were compared with experimental results. Mean energy, spectral resolution, half-value layers and conversion coefficients were compared with ISO reference values. The good agreement between results from simulation and reference data shows that the Geant4 is suitable for dosimetry applications which involve photons with energies in the range of ten to a few hundreds of keV. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A note on a practical relationship between filter coefficients and scaling and wavelet functions of Discrete Wavelet Transforms

In this paper, the relationship between the filter coefficients and the scaling and wavelet functions of the Discrete Wavelet Transform is presented and exemplified from a practical point-of-view. The explanations complement the wavelet theory, that is well documented in the literature, being important for researchers who work with this tool for time-frequency analysis. (c) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The first group (co)homology of a group G with coefficients in some G-modules

Let G be a group. We give some formulas for the first group homology and cohomology of a group G with coefficients in an arbitrary G-module (Z) over tilde. More explicit calculations are done in the special cases of free groups, abelian groups and nilpotent groups. We also perform calculations for certain G-module M, by reducing it to the case where the coefficient is a G-module (Z) over tilde. As a result of the well known equalities H-1(X, M) = H-1(pi(1)(X), M) and H-1(X, M) = H-1(pi(1) (X), M), for any G-module M, we are able to calculate the first homology and cohomology groups of topological spaces with certain local system of coefficients.

A New Approach to the Prediction of Partition Coefficients in Water/Organic Interfaces

In the present work, a new approach for the determination of the partition coefficient in different interfaces based on the density function theory is proposed. Our results for log P(ow) considering a n-octanol/water interface for a large super cell for acetone -0.30 (-0.24) and methane 0.95 (0.78) are comparable with the experimental data given in parenthesis. We believe that these differences are mainly related to the absence of van der Walls interactions and the limited number of molecules considered in the super cell. The numerical deviations are smaller than that observed for interpolation based tools. As the proposed model is parameter free, it is not limited to the n-octanol/water interface.

Metal transport parameters of a gneiss saprolitic silty soil for liner design

Diffusion coefficients and retardation factors of two metal cations (Cd2+ and Pb2+) were measured for a compacted Brazilian saprolitic soil derived from gneiss, aiming to assess its geoenvironmental performance as a liner for waste disposal sites. This soil occurs extensively all over the country in very thick layers, but has not been used in liners because of its hydraulic conductivity, higher than 10(-9) m/s when compacted at optimum water content of standard Proctor energy, but which can be reduced by means of appropriate compaction techniques or additives. Batch, column, and diffusion tests were carried out with monospecies synthetic solutions at pH 1, 3, and 5.5. Measured diffusion coefficients varied between 0.5 and 4 X 10(-10) m(2)/s. Retardation factors show that cadmium, a very mobile cation, is not adsorbed at pH I but is significantly retained at pH 3 and pH 5.5, whereas lead is retained at all tested pH values though slightly at pH 1. Estimated retardation factors from batch tests were 1.3-2.3 times those resulting from column tests and at its highest when obtained by diffusion tests; whereas batch tests allow a more complete exposure of the soil grains to the solution, time-dependent nonspecific adsorption may take longer to occur. The importance of contact time was observed and should be considered in further investigations. Its significant retention of metals suggests a promising utilization of this soil as a bottom liner for wastes landfills.

Transport coefficients, Raman spectroscopy, and computer simulation of lithium salt solutions in an ionic liquid

Lithium salt solutions of Li(CF3SO2)(2)N, LiTFSI, in a room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), 1-butyl-2,3-dimethyl-imidazolium cation, BMMI, and the (CF3SO2)(2)N-, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anion, [BMMI][TFSI], were prepared in different concentrations. Thermal properties, density, viscosity, ionic conductivity, and self-diffusion coefficients were determined at different temperatures for pure [BMMI][TFSI] and the lithium solutions. Raman spectroscopy measurements and computer simulations were also carried out in order to understand the microscopic origin of the observed changes in transport coefficients. Slopes of Walden plots for conductivity and fluidity, and the ratio between the actual conductivity and the Nernst-Einstein estimate for conductivity, decrease with increasing LiTFSI content. All of these studies indicated the formation of aggregates of different chemical nature, as it is corroborated by the Raman spectra. In addition, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations showed that the coordination of Li+ by oxygen atoms of TFSI anions changes with Li+ concentration producing a remarkable change of the RTIL structure with a concomitant reduction of diffusion coefficients of all species in the solutions.

Solvatochromism in Binary Mixtures: First Report on a Solvation Free Energy Relationship between Solvent Exchange Equilibrium Constants and the Properties of the Medium

We have employed UV-vis spectroscopy in order to investigate details of the solvation of six solvatochromic indicators, hereafter designated as ""probes"", namely, 2,6-diphenyl-4-(2,4,6-triphenylpyridinium-1-yl) phenolate (RB); 4-[(E)-2-(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)ethenyl] phenolate, MePM; 1-methylquinolinium-8-olate, QB; 2-bromo-4-[(E)-2-(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)ethenyl] phenolate, MePMBr, 2,6-dichloro-4-(2,4,6-triphenylpyridinium-1-yl) phenolate (WB); and 2,6-dibromo-4-[(E)-2-(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)ethenyl] phenolate, MePMBr,, respectively. These can be divided into three pairs, each includes two probes of similar pK(a) in water and different lipophilicity. Solvation has been studied in binary mixtures, BMs, of water, W, with 12 protic organic solvents, S, including mono- and bifunctional alcohols (2-alkoxyethanoles, unsaturated and chlorinated alcohols). Each medium was treated as a mixture of S, W, and a complex solvent, S-W, formed by hydrogen bonding. Values of lambda(max) (of the probe intramolecular charge transfer) were converted into empirical polarity scales, E(T)(probe) in kcal/mol, whose values were correlated with the effective mole fraction of water in the medium, chi w(effective). This correlation furnished three equilibrium constants for the exchange of solvents in the probe solvation shell; phi(W/S) (W substitutes S): phi(S-W/W) (S-W substitutes W), and phi(S-W/S) (S-W substitutes S), respectively. The values of these constants depend on the physicochemical properties of the probe and the medium. We tested, for the first time, the applicability of a new solvation free energy relationship: phi = constant + a alpha(BM) + b beta(BM) + s(pi*(BM) + d delta) + p log P(BM), where a, b, s, and p are regression coefficients alpha(BM), beta(BM), and pi*(BM) are solvatochromic parameters of the BM, delta is a correction term for pi*, and log P is an empirical scale of lipophilicity. Correlations were carried out with two-, three-, and four-medium descriptors. In all cases, three descriptors gave satisfactory correlations; use of four parameters gave only a marginal increase of the goodness of fit. For phi(W/S), the most important descriptor was found to be the lipophilicity of the medium; for phi(S-W/W) and phi(S-W/S), solvent basicity is either statistically relevant or is the most important descriptor. These responses are different from those of E(T)(probe) of many solvatochromic indicators in pure solvents, where the importance of solvent basicity is usually marginal, and can be neglected.

Molecular masses and sedimentation coefficients of extracellular hemoglobin of Glossoscolex paulistus: Alkaline oligomeric dissociation

The giant extracellular hemoglobin of Glossoscolex paulistus (HbGp) has a molecular mass (M) of 3600 +/- 100 kDa and a standard sedimentation coefficient (s(20.w)(0)) of 58 S. estimated by analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). In the present work, further AUC studies were developed for HbGp, at pH 10.0, which favors oligomeric dissociation into lower M species. The HbGp oligomer is formed by globin chains a, b, c and d plus the linker chains. The pure monomeric fraction, subunit d, and HbGp at pH 10.0, in the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol, were also studied. Our results indicate that for samples of pure subunit d, besides the monomeric species with s(20.w)(0) of 2.0 S, formation of dimer of subunit d is observed with s(20.w)(0) of around 2.9 S. For the whole HbGp at pH 10.0 contributions from monomers, trimers and linkers are observed. No contribution from 58 S species was observed for the sample of oxy-HbGp at pH 10.0, showing its complete dissociation. For cyanomet-HbGp form a contribution of 17% is observed for the un-dissociated oligomer, consistent with data from other techniques that show the cyanomet-form is more stable as compared to oxy-HbGp. Masses of HbGp subunits, especially trimer abc and monomeric chains a, b, c and d, were also estimated from sedimentation equilibrium data, and are in agreement with the results from MALDI-TOF-MS. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.