Physiometabolic responses to road transport in weaned piglets for a short period and the effects of straw bedding

The aim of the study was to evaluate the physiometabolic responses to stress in hybrid suckling piglets that were weaned and transported at different ages on a paved road under two vehicle conditions: with and without a layer of straw bedding. The piglets were weaned and transported at the following ages: 8, 15 and 22 days. The duration of each trip was 1 h. The piglets in each group were further divided into two sub‐groups for two distinct experimental transport conditions: (1) over the road with straw bedding; and (2) over the same road but without straw bedding. A total of three repetitions were performed for each experimental condition. In order to assess their responses to weaning‐ and transport‐induced stress, the study evaluated a thorough physiometabolic blood profile. The 8‐ and 15‐day‐old piglets transported without straw bedding showed increases in their pCO2, blood glucose, blood lactate levels and the percentage of hematocrit, but a decrease of pO2 upon arrival (P < 0.05). In contrast, the 22‐day‐old piglets transported on the same road with straw bedding were able to re‐establish their blood concentrations of lactate, pCO2, pO2, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and pH during the trip (P < 0.05).     

Connections between the internal and the external capsules and the globus pallidus in the sheep: A dichromate stain X-ray microtomographic study

Sheep are recognized as useful species for translational neurodegeneration research, in particular for the study of Huntington disease. There is a lack of information regarding the detailed anatomy and connections of the basal ganglia of sheep, in normal myeloarchitectonics and in tract-tracing studies. In this work, the organization of the corticostriatal projections at the level of the putamen and globus pallidus (GP) are explored. For the first time, the myeloarchitectonic pattern of connections between the internal (IC) and the external (EC) capsules with the GP have been investigated in the sheep. Formaldehyde-fixed blocks of the striatum were treated with a metallic stain containing potassium dichromate and visualized using micro-CT (µ-CT). The trivalent chromium (Cr3+), attached to myelin phospholipids, imparts a differential contrast to the grey and white matter compartments, which allows the visualization of myelinated fascicles in µ-CT images. The fascicles were classified according to their topographical location in dorsal supreme fascicles (X, Y, apex) arising from the IC and EC; pre-commissurally, basal fascicles connecting the ventral part of the EC with the lateral zone of the ventral pallidum (VP) and, post-commissurally, superior (Z₁), middle (Z₂) and lower (Z₃) fascicles, connecting at different levels the EC with the GP. The results suggest that the presumptive cortical efferent and afferent fibres to the pallidum could be organized according to a dorsal to ventrolateral topography in the sheep, similar to that seen in other mammals. The proposed methodology has the potential to delineate the myeloarchitectonic patterns of nervous systems and tracts.     

Contribution of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal and Saprobe Fungi to the Tolerance of Eucalyptus globulus to Pb

The application of Pb inhibited the development of mycelia of the saprobe fungi Fusarium concolor and Trichoderma koningii and the hyphal length of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) Glomus mosseae and G. deserticola in vitro. The application to soil of 1500 mg kg^?1 of Pb decreases the dry weight, total N, P, Mg and Fe concentration and chlorophyll content of the shoot of E. globulus no inoculated with AM fungi. However, G. deserticola increased the dry weight, total nutrient concentration and chlorophyll content of the shoot, and the percentage of AM root length colonization and the succinate dehydrogenase activity of AM mycelia of E. globulus in presence of 1500 mg kg^?1 of Pb, and these increases were higher when G. deserticola was inoculated together with T. koningii. The application to soil of 3000 mg kg^?1 of Pb decreased the shoot dry weight and AM colonization of E. globulus in all treatments tested. Pb was accumulated in the stem more than in the leaves of E. globulus. In presence of 1500 mg kg^?1 of Pb the highest accumulation of this metal in the stem took place when E. globulus was colonized with G. deserticola. In conclusion, the possibility to increase Lead accumulation in stem is very attractive for phytoextraction function, the saprobe fungi, AM and their interaction may have a potential role in elevating phytoextraction efficiency and stimulate plant growth under adverse conditions such as lead contaminated soil.     

The CIDA-QUEST large-scale survey of Orion OB1: evidence for rapid disk dissipation in a dispersed stellar population

We are conducting a large-scale, multiepoch, optical photometric survey [Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomia-Quasar Equatorial Survey Team (CIDA-QUEST)] covering about 120 square degrees to identify the young low-mass stars in the Orion OB1 association. We present results for an area of 34 square degrees. Using photometric variability as our main selection criterion, as well as follow-up spectroscopy, we confirmed 168 previously unidentified pre-main sequence stars that are about 0.6 to 0.9 times the mass of the sun (Mo), with ages of about 1 million to 3 million years (Ori OB1b) and about 3 million to 10 million years (Ori OB1a). The low-mass stars are spatially coincident with the high-mass (at least 3 Mo) members of the associations. Indicators of disk accretion such as Halpha emission and near-infrared emission from dusty disks fall sharply from Ori OB1b to Ori OB1a, indicating that the time scale for disk dissipation and possibly the onset of planet formation is a few million years.     

A synthetic conjugate polysaccharide vaccine against Haemophilus influenzae type b

Glycoconjugate vaccines provide effective prophylaxis against bacterial infections. To date, however, no commercial vaccine has been available in which the key carbohydrate antigens are produced synthetically. We describe the large-scale synthesis, pharmaceutical development, and clinical evaluation of a conjugate vaccine composed of a synthetic capsular polysaccharide antigen of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). The vaccine was evaluated in clinical trials in Cuba and showed long-term protective antibody titers that compared favorably to licensed products prepared with the Hib polysaccharide extracted from bacteria. This demonstrates that access to synthetic complex carbohydrate-based vaccines is feasible and provides a basis for further development of similar approaches for other human pathogens.     

Effect of sucrose ester addition on nucleation and growth behavior of milk fat-sunflower oil blends

The effects of addition of the sucrose esters (SE) P-1670, P-170, and S-170 to a high-melting fraction of milk fat (HMF) and its blends with sunflower oil (SFO) on nucleation and growth were studied by laser polarized light turbidimetry and polarized light microscopy (PLM). The three SE delayed nucleation of HMF at the temperatures selected. P-1670 did not modify average crystal size after 3 h at crystallization temperature (T(c)) or crystal size distribution and modified crystallization kinetics only slightly. P-170 and S-170, however, markedly diminished crystal size and narrowed crystal size distribution. Activation free energies of nucleation at equivalent supercooling, calculated using the Fisher-Turnbull equation, significantly increased with addition of SE. According to these results, among the mechanisms described in the literature for fats or emulsions, the cocrystallization hypothesis is the one that better described the effects of sucrose esters on crystallization behavior in these systems.     

Magnetic Collapse in Transition Metal Oxides at High Pressure: Implications for the Earth

Magnetic collapse in transition metal ions is predicted from first-principles computations at pressures reached in the Earth's lower mantle and core. Magnetic collapse would lead to marked changes in geophysically important properties, such as elasticity and conductivity, and also to different geochemical behavior, such as element partitioning, than estimated by extrapolating low-pressure data, and thus change the understanding of Earth's structure and evolution. Magnetic collapse results from band widening rather than from changes in crystal field splitting under pressure. Seismic anomalies in the outer core and the lowermost mantle may be due to magnetic collapse of ferrous iron, dissolved in iron liquid in the outer core, and in solution in magnesiowustite in the lowermost mantle.     

Excitation spectra of circular, few-electron quantum dots

Studies of the ground and excited states in semiconductor quantum dots containing 1 to 12 electrons showed that the quantum numbers of the states in the excitation spectra can be identified and compared with exact calculations. A magnetic field induces transitions between the ground and excited states. These transitions were analyzed in terms of crossings between single-particle states, singlet-triplet transitions, spin polarization, and Hund's rule. These impurity-free quantum dots allow "atomic physics" experiments to be performed in magnetic field regimes not accessible for atoms.