Variation in hepatic regulation of metabolism during the dry period and in early lactation in dairy cows

The purpose of this study was to investigate variations in hepatic regulation of metabolism during the dry period, after parturition, and in early lactation in dairy cows. For this evaluation, cows were divided into 2 groups based on the plasma concentration of beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) in wk 4 postpartum (PP; group HB, BHBA >0.75 mmol/L; group LB, BHBA <0.75 mmol/L, respectively). Liver biopsies were obtained from 28 cows at drying off (mean 59 +/- 8 d antepartum), on d 1, and in wk 4 and 14 PP. Blood samples were collected every 2 wk during this entire period. Liver samples were analyzed for mRNA abundance of genes related to carbohydrate metabolism (pyruvate carboxylase, PC; phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, PEPCK; citrate synthase, CS), fatty acid biosynthesis (ATP citrate lyase, ACLY) and oxidation (acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain, ACSL; carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A, CPT 1A; carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2, CPT 2; acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase very long chain, ACADVL), cholesterol biosynthesis (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase 1, HMGCS1), ketogenesis (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase 2, HMGCS2), and of genes encoding the transcription factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), and sterol regulatory element binding factor 1 (SREBF1). Blood plasma was assayed for concentrations of glucose, BHBA, nonesterified fatty acids, cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-I, and thyroid hormones. In both groups, plasma parameters followed a pattern usually observed in dairy cows. However, changes were moderate and the energy balance in cows turned positive in wk 7 PP for both groups. Additionally, the energy balance and milk yield were similar for both groups after parturition onwards. Significant group effects were found at drying off, when plasma concentrations of triglycerides were higher in LB than in HB, and in wk 4 PP, when plasma concentrations of glucose and IGF-I were lower in HB than in LB. Similarly, moderate changes in mRNA expression of hepatic genes between the different time points were observed, although HB cows showed more adaptive performance than LB cows based on changes in mRNA expression of PEPCKc, PEPCKm, CS, CPT 1A, CPT 2, and PPARalpha. Part of the variation measured in this study was explained by parity. Significant Spearman rank correlation coefficients between the variables were not similar at each time point and were not similar between the groups at each time point, suggesting that metabolic regulation differs between cows. In conclusion, metabolic regulation in dairy cows is a dynamic system, and differs obviously between cows at different metabolic stages related to parturition.

The Levy Runs Dry: A Legal and Economic Analysis of EU Private Copying Levies

This article provides a legal and economic analysis of private copying levies in the EU, against the background of the Copyright Directive (2001/29), a number of recent rulings by the European Court of Justice and the recommendations presented by mediator Vitorino earlier this year. It concludes that notwithstanding these rulings and recommendations, there remains a lack of concordance on the relevance of contractual stipulations and digital rights management technologies (DRM) for setting levies, and the concept of harm. While Mr Vitorino and AG Sharpston (in the Opinion preceding VG Wort v. Kyocera) use different lines of reasoning to argue that levies raised on authorised copies would lead to double payment, the Court of Justice’s decision in VG Wort v. Kyocera seems to conclude that such copies should nonetheless be levied. If levies are to provide fair compensation for harm resulting from acts of private copying, economic analysis suggests one should distinguish between various kinds of private copies and take account of the extent to which the value said copies have for consumers can be priced into the purchase. Given the availability of DRM (including technical protection measures), the possibility of such indirect appropriation leads to the conclusion that the harm from most kinds of private copies is de minimis and gives no cause for levies. The user value of copies from unauthorised sources (e.g. from torrent networks or cyber lockers), on the other hand, cannot be appropriated indirectly by rightholders. It is, however, an open question in references for preliminary rulings pending at the Court of Justice whether these copies are included in the scope of the private copying exception or limitation and can thus be levied for. If they are not, as currently happens in several EU Member States, legal and economic analysis leads to the conclusion that the scope of private copying acts giving rise to harm susceptible of justifying levies is gradually diminishing.

Selection and hydroponic growth of bread wheat cultivars for bioregenerative life support systems

As part of the ESA-funded MELiSSA program, the suitability, the growth and the development of four bread wheat cultivars were investigated in hydroponic culture with the aim to incorporate such a cultivation system in an Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS). Wheat plants can fulfill three major functions in space: (a) fixation of CO2 and production of O2, (b) production of grains for human nutrition and (c) production of cleaned water after condensation of the water vapor released from the plants by transpiration. Four spring wheat cultivars (Aletsch, Fiorina, Greina and CH Rubli) were grown hydroponically and compared with respect to growth and grain maturation properties. The height of the plants, the culture duration from germination to harvest, the quantity of water used, the number of fertile and non-fertile tillers as well as the quantity and quality of the grains harvested were considered. Mature grains could be harvested after around 160 days depending on the varieties. It became evident that the nutrient supply is crucial in this context and strongly affects leaf senescence and grain maturation. After a first experiment, the culture conditions were improved for the second experiment (stepwise decrease of EC after flowering, pH adjusted twice a week, less plants per m2) leading to a more favorable harvest (higher grain yield and harvest index). Considerably less green tillers without mature grains were present at harvest time in experiment 2 than in experiment 1. The harvest index for dry matter (including roots) ranged from 0.13 to 0.35 in experiment 1 and from 0.23 to 0.41 in experiment 2 with modified culture conditions. The thousand-grain weight for the four varieties ranged from 30.4 to 36.7 g in experiment 1 and from 33.2 to 39.1 g in experiment 2, while market samples were in the range of 39.4–46.9 g. Calcium levels in grains of the hydroponically grown wheat were similar to those from field-grown wheat, while potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper, manganese and nickel levels tended to be higher in the grains of experimental plants. It remains a challenge for future experiments to further adapt the nutrient supply in order to improve senescence of vegetative plant parts, harvest index and the composition of bread wheat grains.

Dry grasslands of NW Bulgarian mountains: first insights into diversity, ecology and syntaxonomy

We present the data of the 3rdresearch expedition of the European Dry Grasslands Group (EDGG), which was conducted in 2011 in two contrasting areas in NW Bulgarian mountains. The aim was to collect plot data for comparing Bulgarian dry grasslands with those of other parts of Europe in terms of syntaxonomy and biodiversity. We sampled 15 nested-plot series (0.0001–100 m²) and 68 normal plots(10 m²) covering the full variety of dry grassland types occurring in the Vratsa area (Balkan Mts.) and the Koprivshtitsa area (Sredna Gora Mt.). In the plots all vascular plants, terricolous non-vascular plants and a set of soil and other environmental parameters were determined. By applying modified TWIN-SPAN, we distinguished 10 floristically well characterised vegetation types at the association level. After comparison with the regional and European literature, we propose to place them within three classes and five orders: Festuco-Brometea with the orders Stipo pulcherrimae-Festucetalia pallentis (xerophilous dry grasslands of base-rich rocks; alliance Saturejion montanae), Brachypodietalia pinnate (meso-xeric, basiphilous grasslands; alliances Cirsio-Brachypodion pinnate and Chyrsopogono grylli-Danthonion calycinae),Calluno-Ulicetea with the order Nardetalia stricae (lowland to montane Nardus swards; alliance Violion caninae), and Koelerio-Corynephoretea with the orders Sedo-Scleranthetalia (open communities of skeleton-rich, acidic soils; alliance unclear) and Trifolioarvensis-Festucetalia ovinae(closed, meso-xeric, acidophilous grasslands; alliance Armerio rumelicae-Potentillion). The Violion caninae with the association Festuco rubrae-Genistelletum sagittalisis reported from Bulgaria for the first time, while the two occurring Koelerio-Corynephoretea communities are described as new associations (Cetrario aculeatae-Plantaginetum radicatae, Plantagini radicatae-Agrostietum capillaris). According to DCA the main floristic gradient was largely determined by soil conditions, differentiating the Festuco-Brometea communities on soils with high pH and high humus content from the Koelerio-Corynephoretea communities on acidic, humus-poor soils, while the Calluno-Ulicetea stands are the connecting link. At 10 m² Festuco-Brometea and Calluno-Ulicetea stands were richer in species across all investigated taxa and in vascular plants than Koelerio-Corynephoretea stands; the latter were richest in lichen species, while bryophyte richness did not differ significantly among syntaxa. Among the Bulgarian classes, the species-area relationships tended to be steepest in the Festuco-Brometea (i.e. highest beta diversity), but both alpha and beta diversity clearly fell behind the Festuco-Brometea communities in the Transylvanian Plateau, Romania, located less than 500 km north of the study region. Overall, our study contributes to a more adequate placement of the Bulgarian dry grasslands in the European syntaxonomic system and provides valuable data for large-scale analyses of biodiversity patterns

Value of High-Oil and High-Protein Corn Grains for Finishing Cattle

Three specialty corns, high oil, high protein and high oil with high protein, were compared with control corn in a 113-day steer feeding trial. During the first 63 days of the study, steers fed the corns containing more oil had slower gain and poorer feed conversion compared with the control corn. At the end of the trial there were no statistically significant differences in performance of steers fed the different corns. Steers fed the high protein corn tended to have higher grading carcasses compared with those fed the control corn. Otherwise there were no differences in carcass measurements due to source of corn fed the steers. Feed cost of gain was reduced with the high-protein corn and the corn with high fat and high protein compared with the control corn because of similar feed conversions and the reduced amount of soybean meal needed to supplement the specialty corns.

Effect of mannitol dry powder challenge on exhaled nitric oxide in children

BACKGROUND Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), a non-invasive marker of eosinophilic airway inflammation, is increasingly used for diagnostic and therapeutic decisions in adult and paediatric asthma. Standardized guidelines for the measurement of FENO recommend performing FENO measurements before rather than after bronchial provocation tests. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether FENO levels decrease after a Mannitol dry powder (MDP) challenge in a clinical setting, and whether the extent of the decrease is influenced by number of MDP manoeuvres, baseline FENO, atopy and doctor diagnosed asthma. METHODS Children aged 6-16 years, referred for possible reactive airway disease to a respiratory outpatient clinic, performed an MDP challenge (Aridol®, Pharmaxis, Australia). FENO was measured in doublets immediately before and after the challenge test using the portable NIOX MINO® device (Aerocrine, Stockholm, Sweden). We analysed the data using Kruskal-Wallis rank tests, Wilcoxon signed rank tests and multivariable linear regressions. RESULTS One hundred and seven children completed both tests (mean±SD age 11.5±2.8 years). Overall, median (interquartile range) FENO decreased slightly by -2.5 ppb (-7.0, -0.5), from 18.5 ppb (10.5, 45.5) before the MDP challenge to 16.5 ppb thereafter (8.5, 40.5; p<0.001). In all participants, the change in FENO was smaller than one standard deviation of the baseline mean. The % fall in FENO was smaller in children with less MDP manoeuvres (e.g. higher bronchial responsiveness; p = 0.08) but was not influenced by levels of baseline FENO (p = 0.68), atopy (p = 0.84) or doctor diagnosed asthma (p = 0.93). CONCLUSION MDP challenge test influences FENO values but differences are small and clinically barely relevant.

A Coastal Transect of McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica) Snow and Firn: Marine and Terrestrial Influences on Glaciochemistry

Samples of snow and firn from accumulation zones on Clark, Commonwealth, Blue and Victoria Upper Glaciers in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (similar to 77-78 degrees S, 161-164 degrees E), Antarctica, are evaluated chemically and isotopically to determine the relative importance of local (site-specific) factors vs regional-scale influences in defining glaciochemistry. Spatial variation in snow and firn chemistry confirms documented trends within individual valleys regarding major-ion deposition relative to elevation and to distance from the coast. Sodium and methylsulfonate (MS-), for example, follow a decreasing gradient with distance from the coast along the axis of Victoria Valley (350-119 mu gL(-1) for Na+; 33-14 mu gL(-1) for MS-); a similar pattern exists between Commonwealth and Newall Glaciers in the Asgaard Range. When comparing major-ion concentrations (e.g. Na-+,Na- MS-, Ca2+) or trace metals (e.g. Al, Fe) among different valleys, however, site-specific exposures to marine and local terrestrial chemical sources play a dominant role. Because chemical signals at all sites respond to particulates with varying mixtures of marine and terrestrial sources, each of these influences on site glaciochemistry must be considered when drawing temporal climate inferences on regional scales.