Influence of Dietary Lysine Levels and Arginine:Lysine Ratios on Performance of Broilers Exposed to Heat or Cold Stress during the Period of Three to Six Weeks of Age

Four trials of identical experimental design were conducted to determine the effects of temperature, dietary Lys level, and dietary Arg:Lys ratios on performance and carcass yield of male broilers. Birds of a commercial strain were grown from 21 to 42 d of age in wire-floored finishing batteries placed in environmental chambers. The chambers were programmed to provide either a constant thermoneutral temperature (21.1 C), a constant cold temperature (15.5 C), or a cycling hot diurnal temperature (25.5 to 33.3 C). Within each environment there was a factorial arrangement of three Lys levels (1.0, 1.1, and 1.2%) with four Arg:Lys ratios (1.1:1, 1.2:1, 1.3:1, and 1.4:1). Environmental temperature significantly influenced virtually every characteristic examined. Hot cyclic temperatures reduced weight gain, feed intake, and breast meat yield, and increased feed conversion, dressing percentage, leg quarter yield, and abdominal fat content. The cold environment promoted increased feed intake and mortality. Ascites and cardiomyopathy were the leading causes of death under cold exposure and thermoneutral conditions, whereas complications arising from heat exposure were the main cause of death under hot cyclic conditions. Levels of Lys affected leg quarter yield and abdominal fat content over all environments but increased breast meat yield only under cold conditions. Increasing Arg: Lys ratios improved feed conversion and dressing percentage and reduced abdominal fat content; it could not be determined whether these responses were consistent with Arg per se or were due to a nonspecific N response. As increasing Lys levels or Arg:Lys ratios did not improve weight gain, increase breast meat yield, or attenuate adverse effects due to heat or cold exposure, it is concluded that the levels of Lys and Arg suggested for 21 to 42 d by the NRC are adequate for birds of this age under the environmental conditions encountered.

Quantization of the type II superstring in a curved six-dimensional background

A sigma model action with N = 2 D = 6 superspace variables is constructed for the Type II superstring compactified to six curved dimensions with Ramond - Ramond flux. The action can be quantized since the sigma model is linear when the six-dimensional space-time is flat. When the six-dimensional space-time is AdS 3 × S 3, the action reduces to one found earlier with Vafa and Witten. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Abelian vectors and self-dual tensors in six-dimensional supergravity

In this note we describe the most general coupling of abelian vector and tensor multiplets to six-dimensional (1,0) supergravity. As was recently pointed out, it is of interest to consider more general Chern-Simons couplings to abelian vectors of the type H(r) = dB(r) - 1/2 c(rab)AadAb, with c(r) matrices that may not be simultaneously diagonalized. We show that these couplings can be related to Green-Schwarz terms of the form B(r)c(r)/abFaFb, and how the complete local Lagrangian, that embodies factorized gauge and supersymmetry anomalies (to be disposed of by fermion loops) is uniquely determined by Wess-Zumino consistency conditions, aside from an arbitrary quartic coupling for the gauginos. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

Indoor radon measurements in six Latin American countries

Most of the natural radiation dose to man comes from radon gas and its progeny. Several countries have established national institutions and national programs in charge of the study of radon and its connection with lung cancer risk and public health. In this paper an indoor radon measurements in Latin American countries is presented. The participants in this work were from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Many different techniques are used in this common effort, and the indoor radon levels in specific locations in each of the participant countries are presented.

Evaluating the effects of high penetrations of roof-top wind Turbines on secondary distribution circuits

Incentives for using wind power and the increasing price of energy might generate in a relatively short time a scenario where low voltage customers opt to install roof-top wind turbines. This paper focuses on evaluating the effects of such situation in terms of energy consumption, loss reduction, reverse power flow and voltage profiles. Various commercially-available roof-top wind turbines are installed in two secondary distribution circuits considering real-life wind speed data and seasonal load demand. Results are presented and discussed. © 2006 IEEE.

Effectiveness of six different disinfectants on removing five microbial species and effects on the topographic characteristics of acrylic resin

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of disinfectant solutions (1% sodium hypochlorite, 2% chlorhexidine digluconate, 2% glutaraldehyde, 100% vinegar, tabs of sodium perborate-based denture cleanser, and 3.8% sodium perborate) in the disinfection of acrylic resin specimens (n = 10/group) contaminated in vitro by Candida albicans, Streptococcus mutans, S. aureus, Escherichia coli, or Bacillus subtilis as measured by residual colony-forming unit (CFU). In a separate experiment, acrylic resin was treated with disinfectants to monitor potential effects on surface roughness, Ra (μm), which might facilitate microbial adherence. Materials and Methods: Three hundred fifty acrylic resin specimens contaminated in vitro with 1×10 6 cells/ml suspensions of standard strains of the cited microorganisms were immersed in the disinfectants for 10 minutes; the control group was not submitted to any disinfection process. Final counts of microorganisms per ml were performed by plating method for the evaluation of microbial level reduction. Results were compared statistically by ANOVA and Tukey's test (p ≤ 0.05). In a parallel study aiming to evaluate the effect of the tested disinfectant on resin surface, 60 specimens were analyzed in a digital rugosimeter before and after ten cycles of 10-minute immersion in the disinfectants. Measurements of superficial roughness, Ra (μm), were compared statistically by paired t-test (p ≤ 0.05). Results: The results showed that 1% sodium hypochlorite, 2% glutaraldehyde, and 2% chlorhexidine digluconate were most effective against the analyzed microorganisms, followed by 100% vinegar, 3.8% sodium perborate, and tabs of sodium perborate-based denture cleanser. Superficial roughness of the specimens was higher after disinfection cycles with 3.8% sodium perborate (p = 0.03) and lower after the cycles with 2% chlorhexidine digluconate (p = 0.04). Conclusion: Within the limits of this experiment, it could be concluded that 1% sodium hypochlorite, 2% glutaraldehyde, 2% chlorexidine, 100% vinegar, and 3.8% sodium perborate are valid alternatives for the disinfection of acrylic resin. © 2008 by The American College of Prosthodontists.

Water quality in six sequentially disposed fishponds with continuous water flow

This study evaluated selected limnological variables in inlet water in six sequentially distributed semi-intensive fishponds. Data were collected during 15 consecutive days in three distinct grow-out periods (May, October and January). Only phosphorus and pH varied among sites and periods (p < 0.01); the opposite (p > 0.05) occurred in the cases of nitrite and dissolved oxygen. No variation was reported with regard to dissolved oxygen, conductivity, alkalinity, free CO2, bicarbonate, chlorophyll-a, nitrite and ammonia did not vary throughout the period (p > 0.05). In May, or rather, the final grow-out period, the fishponds displayed high concentrations, mainly in nitrogen compounds. As from fishpond 3, the inlet water contained high levels of nutrients. The water is passed from pond to pond, evidencing the need for management practices adequate to the specific conditions of each pond. Water quality should be monitored more frequently during high grow-out period when food addition is more intense. Thereafter, more care should be taken, as highest phosphorus concentrations occurred in May.

SEM studies on the leaf indumentum of six Melastomataceae species from Brazilian Cerrado

The wide diversity of their trichomes, which vary from simple unicellular to very complex structures, is a remarkable characteristic in Melastomataceae. This paper characterizes the leaf indumentum of Miconia albicans (Sw.) Triana, M. chamissois Naudin, M. fallax DC., M. ligustroides (DC.) Naudin, Microlepis oleaefolia (DC.) Triana and Rhynchanthera dichotoma DC., typical species from Brazilian cerrado. Samples collected from the median third of young and mature leaf blades were processed following the usual scanning electron microscopy techniques (SEM). We observed ten morphological types of trichomes and four of emergences. With five different types, four of which are reported for the first time, Rhynchanthera dichotoma is the species that presents the most diverse indumenta. A mixed type of trichome formed by a glandular and a branched non-glandular portion called lateral-gland was observed in M. ligustroides. Such non-glandular portion presents different degrees of development. A correlation is suggested between the stage of development of the non-glandular portion and the exposition to light of these lateral gland on young leaves.

Building roof contour extraction from LiDAR data

This paper proposes a method for the automatic extraction of building roof contours from a LiDAR-derived digital surface model (DSM). The method is based on two steps. First, to detect aboveground objects (buildings, trees, etc.), the DSM is segmented through a recursive splitting technique followed by a region merging process. Vectorization and polygonization are used to obtain polyline representations of the detected aboveground objects. Second, building roof contours are identified from among the aboveground objects by optimizing a Markov-random-field-based energy function that embodies roof contour attributes and spatial constraints. Preliminary results have shown that the proposed methodology works properly.

Comparison between the six-minute walk test and the six-minute step test in post stroke patients

Background: The Stroke remains one of the major chronic diseases worldwide, and is considered a major cause of disability, which results not only in persistent neurological deficits, but also in the high physical deconditioning, nevertheless there are not many forms of assessing functional capacity in this population. We aimed to investigate the feasibility of the Six Minute Walk Teste and the Six-Minute Step Test (6MST) in post-stroke patients and compare the behavior of physiological variables during the 6MST and the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), by correlating the functional performance obtained in both tests. Method. The 6MWT was carried out according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the 6MST was performed in six minutes in order to compare it to the 6MWT in a 20 cm step. Was included post-stroke individuals able to walk without aid. All of them did the 6MWT and the 6MST. Results: 12 patients participated in the study. There was no statistical difference in the parameters analyzed when tests were compared. There was poor correlation between the functional performance in both tests. Conclusion: The 6MWT and the 6MST is feasible for post-stroke patients and physiological responses are equal during the performance of both tests. However, there was no correlation with respect to functional performance, which was assessed by the distance walked in the 6MWT and by the number of steps climbed in the 6MST. © 2013 da Silva et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Photogrammetric refinement of laser-based building roof contours

In this paper a photogrammetric method is proposed for refining 3D building roof contours extracted from airborne laser scanning data. It is assumed that laser-derived planar faces of roofs are potentially accurate, while laser-derived building roof contours are not well defined. First, polygons representing building roof contours are extracted from a high-resolution aerial image. In the sequence, straight-line segments delimitating each building roof polygon are projected onto the corresponding laser-derived roof planes by using a new line-based photogrammetric model. Finally, refined 3D building roof contours are reconstructed by connecting every pair of photogrammetrically- projected adjacent straight lines. The obtained results showed that the proposed approach worked properly, meaning that the integration of image data and laser scanning data allows better results to be obtained, when compared to the results generated by using only laser scanning data. © 2013 IEEE.

Simulated annealing for building roof contours identification from lidar data

This paper proposes a method by simulated annealing for building roof contours identification from LiDAR-derived digital elevation model. Our method is based on the concept of first extracting aboveground objects and then identifying those objects that are building roof contours. First, to detect aboveground objects (buildings, trees, etc.), the digital elevation model is segmented through a recursive splitting technique followed by a region merging process. Vectorization and polygonization are used to obtain polyline representations of the detected aboveground objects. Second, building roof contours are identified from among the aboveground objects by optimizing a Markov-random-field-based energy function that embodies roof contour attributes and spatial constraints. The solution of this function is a polygon set corresponding to building roof contours and is found by using a minimization technique, like the Simulated Annealing algorithm. Experiments carried out with laser scanning digital elevation model showed that the methodology works properly, as it provides roof contour information with approximately 90% shape accuracy and no verified false positives.

Six-year follow-up of maxillary anterior rehabilitation with forced orthodontic extrusion: Achieving esthetic excellence with a multidisciplinary approach

Orthodontic extrusion with multidisciplinary treatment can provide predictable outcomes in selected situations, reducing the costs and the adaptation times of gingival tissues after implant integration. Forced orthodontic extrusion is strongly related to interactions of teeth with their supportive periodontal tissues. This article reports a case of orthodontic extrusion of the maxillary incisors for later implant rehabilitation in a patient with periodontal disease. Slow forces were applied for 14 months. After this time, the teeth were extracted, and the implants were placed on the same day. Also in the same session, the provisional crown was fabricated for restoration of the anterior maxillary interdental papillae loss and for gingival contouring. Clinical and radiographic examinations at the 6-year follow-up showed successful tooth replacement and an improved esthetic appearance achieved by this multidisciplinary treatment. The decision to perform orthodontic extrusion for implant placement in adult patients should be multidisciplinary. Copyright © 2013 by the American Association of Orthodontists.

Nutritional intake according to injury extent in ulcerative colitis patients

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is often associated with nutritional deficiency, which appears to contribute to the progression of UC severity. The present study aimed to evaluate nutritional status and dietary intake in UC remission patients. Methods: The present study comprised a cross-sectional study in which variables such as extent of disease (distal colitis, left-sided colitis, pancolitis), remission period, sex and age were recorded. Extent of disease was assessed by the results of a colonoscopy and dietary intake was evaluated by using 3-day, 24-h recalls. A Kruskall-Wallis test was used to compare the intake of macro- and micronutrients among the three study groups. The analysis was complemented by the Mann-Whitney test. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictive factors of extent of disease (pancolitis versus left-sided colitis versus distal colitis). Results: The median (range) age of the 59 patients was 49.0 (37.0-63.0) years and 53.3% were female. Twenty-six (44.1%) patients had distal colitis, 11 (18.6%) patients had left-sided colitis and 22 (37.3%) patients had pancolitis. A high probability of an inadequate intake of fibre (100%), fat soluble vitamins (>40% for vitamin A and >95% for vitamin E), vitamin C (>34%), calcium (>90%) and magnesium (>50%) was identified in the study group. Vitamin D intake (odds ratio = 0.60; 95% confidence interval = 0.39-0.94; P < 0.05) was significantly associated with increased intestinal damage. Conclusions: A large number of individuals showed an inadequate intake of nutrients. In addition, the consumption of vitamin D was significantly associated with extent of disease. © 2013 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

Biologia, arquitetura de ninhos e coleta de substratos no cerrado por formigas cultivadoras de fungo, Trachymyrmex holmgreni Wheeler, 1925 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Attini)

Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal - IBILCE