The effect of initial spacing and thinning on wood quality and graded sawn recovery of mature Caribbean pine grown in Queensland.

A mature Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis) silviculture experiment provided initial square spacing treatments of 1.8 m2, 2.4 m2, 3.0 m2 and 3.6 m2 (equal to 3088, 1737, 1111 and 772 stems/ha) that were thinned at age 10 years to 600, 400 and 200 stems/ha, retaining an unthinned control for each initial spacing. The trial was destructively sampled at age of 28 years and discs taken along 8 various stem heights were analysed for variation in basic density and SilviScan wood properties. In addition, the logs from ten stocking × thinning treatments were processed in a sawing study. Results indicate thinning effects were generally more pronounced than initial spacing effects. Fast growing trees produced wood with significantly higher average wood densities and higher average stiffness values. Detailed SilviScan densitometry results obtained radially and at various stem heights enabled construction of tree maps for wood properties, providing insights into the variation in juvenile to mature wood proportion across the initial and post-thinning stocking treatments studied. Dried dressed recovery was strongly related to tree size, and log value decreased consistently from butt to top logs across all treatments. The estimated value per hectare was highest in unthinned plots due to values being multiplied by high stem numbers per hectare. However, a complete economic analysis considering all cost structures is required to investigate the optimal silviculture to maximise economic returns to growers and processors. Improved understanding of the relationship between initial spacing, post-thinning stocking and wood and end-product quality should help to customize future forest management strategies required to produce better quality wood and wood products.

Mature age job seekers: the role of proactivity

Purpose In the context of demographic and economic changes, helping mature age job seekers find employment is imperative. The purpose of this paper is to examine mature age job seekers’ proactive personality as a moderator of the relationship between age and job search intensity; and to examine job search self-efficacy as a mediator of this moderation effect. It was hypothesized that the generally negative relationships between age and job search self-efficacy and intensity are weaker among job seekers with a more proactive personality. Design/methodology/approach In total, 188 job seekers between 40 and 64 years completed an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings Consistent with previous research, age was negatively related to job search intensity. Proactive personality was positively related to job search intensity and moderated the relationship between age and job search intensity. Extending previous research, proactive personality also positively predicted job search self-efficacy and moderated the relationship between age and job search self-efficacy which, in turn, positively predicted job search intensity. Research limitations/implications Potential limitations of the study include the cross-sectional design, sample selectivity, and the omission of possibly important control variables. Practical implications Practitioners, organizations, and societies concerned with helping mature age job seekers find employment could provide additional support to those with a less proactive personality and low job search self-efficacy. Originality/value This study extends previous research by showing that mature age job seekers’ job search self-efficacy mediates the moderating effect of proactive personality on the relationship between age and job search intensity.

Evidence of package trading in a mature multi-species ITQ market

In multi-species fisheries managed under ITQs, the existence of joint production may lead to complex catch-quota balancing issues. Previous modelling and experimental research suggest that, in such fisheries, some fishers may benefit from the ability to trade packages of fishing quotas, rather than fulfil their quota needs by simultaneously bidding on separate single-species quota markets. This note presents evidence of naturally occurring package trades in a real fishery. Based on this evidence, we suggest that further empirical and modelling research is required on the potential and limitations of package quota trading in mixed fisheries managed with ITQs. © 2014.

A comparison of welfare outcomes for weaner and mature Bos indicus bulls surgically or tension band castrated with or without analgesia: 2. Responses related to stress, health and productivity

Tension banding castration of cattle is gaining favour because it is relatively simple to perform and is promoted by retailers of the banders as a humane castration method. Two experiments were conducted, under tropical conditions using Bos indicus bulls comparing tension banding (Band) and surgical (Surgical) castration of weaner (7–10 months old) and mature (22–25 months old) bulls with and without pain management (NSAID (ketoprofen) or saline injected intramuscularly immediately prior to castration). Welfare outcomes were assessed using a range of measures; this paper reports on some physiological, morbidity and productivity-related responses to augment the behavioural responses reported in an accompanying paper. Blood samples were taken on the day of castration (day 0) at the time of restraint (0 min) and 30 min (weaners) or 40 min (mature bulls), 2 h, and 7 h; and days 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 post-castration. Plasmas from day 0 were assayed for cortisol, creatine kinase, total protein and packed cell volume. Plasmas from the other samples were assayed for cortisol and haptoglobin (plus the 0 min sample). Liveweights were recorded approximately weekly to 6 weeks and at 2 and 3 months post-castration. Castration sites were checked at these same times to 2 months post-castration to score the extent of healing and presence of sepsis. Cortisol concentrations (mean ± s.e. nmol/L) were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the Band (67 ± 4.5) compared with Surgical weaners (42 ± 4.5) at 2 h post-castration, but at 24 h post-castration were greater in the Surgical (43 ± 3.2) compared with the Band weaners (30 ± 3.2). The main effect of ketoprofen was on the cortisol concentrations of the mature Surgical bulls; concentrations were significantly reduced at 40 min (47 ± 7.2 vs. 71 ± 7.2 nmol/L for saline) and 2 h post-castration (24 ± 7.2, vs. 87 ± 7.2 nmol/L for saline). Ketoprofen, however, had no effect on the Band mature bulls, with their cortisol concentrations averaging 54 ± 5.1 nmol/L at 40 min and 92 ± 5.1 nmol/L at 2 h. Cortisol concentrations were also significantly elevated in the Band (83 ± 3.0 nmol/L) compared with Surgical mature bulls (57 ± 3.0 nmol/L) at weeks 2–4 post-castration. The timing of this elevation coincided with significantly elevated haptoglobin concentrations (mg/mL) in the Band bulls (2.97 ± 0.102 for mature bulls and 1.71 ± 0.025 for weaners, vs. 2.10 ± 0.102 and 1.45 ± 0.025 respectively for the Surgical treatment) and evidence of slow wound healing and sepsis in both the weaner (0.81 ± 0.089 not healed at week 4 for Band, 0.13 ± 0.078 for Surgical) and mature bulls (0.81 ± 0.090 at week 4 for Band, 0.38 ± 0.104 for Surgical). Overall, liveweight gains of both age groups were not affected by castration method. The findings of acute pain, chronic inflammation and possibly chronic pain in the mature bulls at least, together with poor wound healing in the Band bulls support behavioural findings reported in the accompanying paper and demonstrate that tension banding produces inferior welfare outcomes for weaner and mature bulls compared with surgical castration.

A comparison of welfare outcomes for weaner and mature Bos indicus bulls surgically or tension band castrated with or without analgesia: 1. Behavioural responses

Tension-band castration of cattle is gaining favour because it is relatively simple to perform and is promoted by retailers of the devices as a humane castration method. Furthermore, retailers encourage delaying castration to exploit the superior growth rates of bulls compared with steers. Two experiments were conducted, under tropical conditions, comparing tension banding and surgical castration of weaner (7–10 months old) and mature (22–25 months old) Bos indicus bulls with and without pain management (ketoprofen or saline injected intramuscularly immediately prior to castration). Welfare outcomes were assessed using a wide range of measures; this paper reports on the behavioural responses of the bulls and an accompanying paper reports on other measures. Behavioural data were collected at intervals by direct observation and continuously via data loggers on the hind leg of the bulls to 4 weeks post-castration. Tension-banded bulls performed less movement in the crush/chute than the surgically castrated bulls during the procedures (weaner: 2.63 vs. 5.69, P < 0.001; mature: 1.00 vs. 5.94; P < 0.001 for tension-band and surgical castration, respectively), indicating that tension banding was less painful then surgical castration during conduct. To 1.5 h post-castration, tension-banded bulls performed significantly (all P < 0.05) more active behavioural responses indicative of pain compared with surgical castrates, e.g., percentage time walking forwards (weaner: 15.0% vs. 8.1%; mature: 22.3% vs. 15.1%), walking backwards (weaner: 4.3% vs. 1.4%; mature: 2.4% vs. 0.5%), numbers of tail movements (weaner: 21.9 vs. 1.4; mature: 51.5 vs. 39.4) and leg movements (weaner: 12.9 vs. 0.9; mature: 8.5 vs. 1.5), respectively. In contrast, surgically castrated bulls performed more immobile behaviours compared with tension-banded bulls (e.g., standing in mature bulls was 56.6% vs. 34.4%, respectively, P = 0.002). Ketoprofen administration appeared effective in moderating pain-related behaviours in the mature bulls from 1.5 to 3 h, e.g., reducing abnormal standing (0.0% vs. 7.7%, P = 0.009) and increasing feeding (12.7% vs. 0.0%, P = 0.048) in NSAID- and saline-treated bulls, respectively. There were few behavioural differences subsequent to 24 h post-castration, but some limited evidence of chronic pain (3–4 weeks post-castration) with both methods. Interpretation, however, was difficult from behaviours alone. Thus, tension banding is less painful than surgical castration during conduct of the procedures and pain-related behavioural responses differ with castration method (active restlessness in response to tension banding and minimisation of movement in response to surgical castration). Ketoprofen administered immediately prior to castration was somewhat effective in reducing pain, particularly in the mature bulls.

Developmental-like responses in injured mature central neurons

Traumatic insults to the central nervous system are frequently followed by profound and irreversible neuronal loss as well as the inability of the damaged neurons to regenerate. One of the major therapeutic challenges is to increase the amount of surviving neurons after trauma. Thus it is crucial to understand how injury affects neuronal responses and which conditions are optimal for survival to prevent neuronal loss. During development neuronal survival is thought to be dependent on the competition for the availability of survival-promoting molecules called neurotrophic factors. Much less is known on the survival mechanisms of mature neurons under traumatic conditions. Increasing amount of evidence points towards the possibility that after injury neuronal responses might aquire some developmental characteristics. One of the important examples is the change in the responses to the neurotransmitter GABA: it is inhibitory in the intact mature neurons, but can induce excitation during development and after trauma. An important step in the maturation of GABAergic transmission in the CNS is the developmental shift in the action of GABAA receptor from depolarization in immature neurons to hyperpolarization in mature neurons. GABAA-mediated responses are tightly linked to the homeostasis of the chloride anion (Cl-), which in neurons is mainly regulated by Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter NKCC1 and K+-Cl- cotransporter KCC2. Trauma-induced functional downregulation of KCC2 promotes a shift from hyperpolarizing GABAA-mediated responses to depolarizing. Other important consequences of neuronal trauma are the emergence of dependency of central neurons on brain-derived neuro¬trophic factor (BDNF) for survival, as well as the upregulation of neurotrophin receptor p75NTR. Our aim was to answer the question whether these post-traumatic events are interrelated, and whether the regulation of BDNF and KCC2 expression is different under traumatic conditions and in intact neurons. To study responses of injured mature central neurons, we used an in vitro and in vivo axotomy models. For in vitro studies, we lesioned organotypic hippocampal slices between CA3 and CA1 regions, which resulted in selective axotomy of the CA3 neurons and denervation of the CA1 neurons. Some experiments were repeated in vivo by lesioning the neurons of the corticospinal tract at the internal capsule level, or by lesioning spinal motoneurons at the ventral root. We show that intact mature neurons do not require BDNF for survival, whereas in axotomized neurons apoptosis is induced upon BDNF deprivation. We further show that post-traumatic dependency on BDNF is mediated by injury-induced upregulation of p75NTR. Post-traumatic increase in p75NTR is induced by GABAA-mediated depolarization, consequent opening of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, and the activation of Rho kinase ROCK. Thus, post-traumatic KCC2 downregulation leads to the dependency on BDNF through the induction of p75NTR upregulation. Neurons that survive after axotomy over longer period of time lose BDNF dependency and regain normal KCC2 levels. This phenomenon is promoted by BDNF itself, since after axotomy contrary to normal conditions KCC2 is upregulated by BDNF. The developmentally important thyroid hormone thyroxin regulates BDNF expression during development. We show that in mature intact neurons thyroxin downregulates BDNF, whereas after axotomy thyroxin upregulates BDNF. The elevation of BDNF expression by thyroxin promoted survival of injured neurons. In addition, thyroxin also enhanced axonal regeneration and promoted the regaining of normal levels of KCC2. Thus we show that this hormone acts at several levels on the axotomy-initiated chain of events described in the present work, and could be a potential therapeutic agent for the injured neurons. We have also characterized a previously unknown downregulatory interaction between thyroxin and KCC2 in intact neurons. In conclusion, we identified several important interactions at the neurotrophin-protein and hormone-neurotrophin level that acquire immature-like characteristics after axotomy and elucidated an important part of the mechanism by which axotomy leads to the requirement of BDNF trophic support. Based on these findings, we propose a new potential therapeutic strategy where developmentally crucial agents could be used to enhance survival and regeneration of axotomized mature central neurons.

Heating values of mature trees.

The effective heating values of the above and below ground biomass components of mature Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea abies), downy birch (Betula pubescens), silver birch (Betula pendula), grey alder (Alnus incana), black alder (Alnus glutinosa) and trembling aspen (Populus tremula) were studied. Each sample tree was divided into wood, bark and foliage components. Bomb calorimetry was used to determine the calorimetric heating values. The species is a significant factor in the heating value of individual tree components. The heating value of the wood proper is highest in conifers. Broad-leaved species have a higher heating value of bark than conifers. The species factor diminishes when the weighted heating value of crown, whole stems or stump-root-system are considered. The crown material has a higher heating value per unit weight in comparison with fuelwood from small-sized stems or wholetrees. The additional advantages of coniferous crown material are that it is a non-industrial biomass resource and is readily available. The variability of both the chemical composition and the heating value is small in any given tree component of any species. However, lignin, carbohydrate and extractive content were found to vary from one part of the tree to another and to correlate with the heating value.

Subcutaneous fat composition of youthful and mature Canadian beef: emphasis on individual conjugated linoleic acid and trans-18:1 isomers

[EN]A comprehensive evaluation of the fatty acid composition of subcutaneous adipose tissue from beef cattle produced in western Canada was undertaken to determine if the current Canadian grading system is able to distinguish classes of animals with value added potential due to their fatty acid composition. Grades included youthful Canadian Yield Grade 1 A/AA beef, under (YUTM) and over (YOTM) 30 mo of age and the four mature grades (D1, D2, D2 and D4). Subcutaneous fat between the 12th and 13th ribs over the longissimus muscle was obtained from 18_21 animals per grade. Fatty acids were analyzed using a combination of silver-ion HPLC and GC with a highly polar 100 m column. There were no differences in total trans-18:1 content amongst grades, but adipose tissue from grade D1, D2 and D4 had more 11t-18:1 than YUTM (PB0.05), whereas adipose tissue from YUTM carcasses had more 10t-18:1 than all other grades (PB0.05). Adipose tissue from YUTM carcasses also had less total CLA (PB0.05) than the D grades, mainly due to a lower level of 9c,11t-CLA, but they had slightly more 7t,9c-CLA and 10t,12c-CLA (PB0.05). Adipose tissue from YOTM and D grades contained more n-3 fatty acids relative to YUTM (0.56% vs. 0.29%; PB0.05) and lower n-6:n-3 ratios (PB0.05). Overall, older animals (YOTM and D grades) had adipose tissue compositions with higher levels of fatty acids with reported health benefits. Taken together, these higher levels may provide opportunities for value added marketing if regulatory authorities allow claims for their enrichment based on demonstrated health benefits. Higher concentrations of beneficial fatty acids, however, need to be considered within the context of the complete fatty acid profile and it would be important to demonstrate their advantages in the presence of relatively high levels of saturated fatty acids.

Resveratrol Metabolites Modify Adipokine Expression and Secretion in 3T3-L1 Pre-Adipocytes and Mature Adipocytes

Objective: Due to the low bioavailability of resveratrol, determining whether its metabolites exert any beneficial effect is an interesting issue. Methods: 3T3-L1 maturing pre-adipocytes were treated during differentiation with 25 mu M of resveratrol or with its metabolites and 3T3-L1 mature adipocytes were treated for 24 hours with 10 mM resveratrol or its metabolites. The gene expression of adiponectin, leptin, visfatin and apelin was assessed by Real Time RT-PCR and their concentration in the incubation medium was quantified by ELISA. Results: Resveratrol reduced mRNA levels of leptin and increased those of adiponectin. It induced the same changes in leptin secretion. Trans-resveratrol-3-O-glucuronide and trans-resveratrol-4'-O-glucuronide increased apelin and visfatin mRNA levels. Trans-resveratrol-3-O-sulfate reduced leptin mRNA levels and increased those of apelin and visfatin. Conclusions: The present study shows for the first time that resveratrol metabolites have a regulatory effect on adipokine expression and secretion. Since resveratrol has been reported to reduce body-fat accumulation and to improve insulin sensitivity, and considering that these effects are mediated in part by changes in the analyzed adipokines, it may be proposed that resveratrol metabolites play a part in these beneficial effects of resveratrol.

Philopotamidae. Key to genera - mature larvae [Translation from: Fauna SSSR, Trichoptera II , part 1, pp 367-368, 1964

Short identification key and morphological description of the mature larvae of Philopotamidae, Limnophilidae (genus Apatania) and Sericostomatidae