Effect of recombinant porcine somatotropin on lactational performance and metabolite patterns in sows and growth of nursing pigs

Sixteen crossbred sows (Yorkshire x Duroc) were used to determine the effect of recombinantly derived porcine somatotropin (pST) on lactational performance and the pattern of plasma metabolites and growth rate of nursing pigs. Daily s.c. injections of either pST (8.22 mg.sow-1.d-1) or excipient were administered at 1000 on d 12 through d 29 of lactation. Jugular cannulas were inserted in three sows/treatment and hourly blood samples were collected on d 11 to 13 and d 28 to 29 of lactation to determine the effect of treatment on plasma concentrations of somatotropin, glucose and nonesterified fatty acids in plasma. Milk production and weight of nursing pigs were determined pretreatment (d 9 and 10) and on d 16, 22 and 28. Milk production of sows receiving pST progressively increased above that of control sows and was 22% greater on d 28. Milk composition was not affected by treatment with pST (P greater than .10), so that the increase in yields of milk fat, lactose and solids paralleled the increases in milk yield. Total milk protein yield tended to be higher in sows receiving pST, but protein yield was greater (P less than .10) only on d 28. Pigs suckling sows treated with pST weighed .34 kg more at the end of the lactation period (P less than .05). Sows receiving pST consumed less feed (P less than .05) during the treatment period, and, as a result, lost more weight (P less than .10) and backfat (P less than .05) than control sows. Average concentrations of plasma somatotropin were elevated approximately 2.5-fold above baseline levels by exogenous pST. No acute alterations in plasma glucose or nonesterified fatty acids were observed in response to pST treatment, however, sows receiving pST had a chronic elevation of plasma glucose on d 29 of lactation.     

The relationship of subsequent racing performance to foreleg flight patterns during racing speed workouts of unraced 2-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses at auctions

Workouts of 980 unraced 2-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses at major U.S. auctions were videotaped using digital high-speed video equipment (ie, slow motion) and studied for signs of extraneous foreleg motion.^a Extraneous foreleg motion included, but was not limited to: 1) hyper rotation of the cannon bone on an axis parallel to the plane of the running surface (ie, moving in sagittal plane; hoof hitting an elbow in extreme cases) and perpendicular to the direction of the racetrack longitudinally; and 2) foreleg flight patterns not symmetrical and/or not parallel to the vector of the forward momentum of the horse's center of gravity (eg, winging, paddling, and/or wobbling at joints). Experienced Thorough bred racehorse industry videographers and gait analysis researchers were trained and used as film reviewers who rated foreleg motion on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 indicating little or no extraneous motion, 3.5 indicating average extraneous motion (relative to the other unraced 2-year-olds at these auctions and to more than 20,000 similar horses at similar auctions over the past 10 years), and 5 indicating extreme extraneous motion (ie, at least 1 standard deviation or more from the mean). Because these were subjective ratings, only the more extreme rankings were used for comparison purposes in this study—that is, a minority (15.3%) of the overall study population.

A group of 73 horses with “good” foreleg motion had ratings from 1 to 3. A group of 77 horses with “bad” foreleg motion had ratings from 4 to 5. The subsequent North American racing performance of horses with good and bad foreleg motion was compared. Both groups had similar average velocity and similar distribution patterns of the velocities of the workouts, so the differences between the groups that are discussed in this study were not caused by different overall workout velocities.

Extraneous foreleg motion was shown to be related to subsequent racing earnings and the level of racing competition achieved. Horses with good foreleg motion (as defined herein) earned more and had greater stakes-level success than horses with bad foreleg motion. For example, the median earnings per start of horses with good foreleg motion was 83% higher than those of horses with bad foreleg motion, and horses with good foreleg motion were 58% more likely to win a top race (ie, one designated as a “graded” stakes) than horses with bad foreleg motion. However, the “good movers” raced less overall than the “bad movers.”

A secondary finding of this study is that although there is a widely held industry belief that horses with high action or bad foreleg motion are more suited to turf racing, horses with good foreleg motion were more likely than horses with bad foreleg motion to race at least once on turf, and, among horses to race on turf, horses with good foreleg motion were more likely than horses with bad foreleg motion to win and to finish “in the money” (ie, at least third).     

Thermal Structure of Jupiter's Upper Atmosphere Derived from the Galileo Probe

Temperatures in Jupiter's atmosphere derived from Galileo Probe deceleration data increase from 109 kelvin at the 175-millibar level to 900 ± 40 kelvin at 1 nanobar, consistent with Voyager remote sensing data. Wavelike oscillations are present at all levels. Vertical wavelengths are 10 to 25 kilometers in the deep isothermal layer, which extends from 12 to 0.003 millibars. Above the 0.003-millibar level, only 90- to 270- kilometer vertical wavelengths survive, suggesting dissipation of wave energy as the probable source of upper atmosphere heating.     

High-Energy Charged Particles in the Innermost Jovian Magnetosphere

The energetic particles investigation carried by the Galileo probe measured the energy and angular distributions of the high-energy particles from near the orbit of Io to probe entry into the jovian atmosphere. Jupiter's inner radiation region had extremely large fluxes of energetic electrons and protons; intensities peaked at approximately2.2RJ (where RJ is the radius of Jupiter). Absorption of the measured particles was found near the outer edge of the bright dust ring. The instrument measured intense fluxes of high-energy helium ions (approximately62 megaelectron volts per nucleon) that peaked at approximately1.5RJ inside the bright dust ring. The abundances of all particle species decreased sharply at approximately1.35RJ; this decrease defines the innermost edge of the equatorial jovian radiation.     

Whole-genome shotgun sequencing of mitochondria from ancient hair shafts

Although the application of sequencing-by-synthesis techniques to DNA extracted from bones has revolutionized the study of ancient DNA, it has been plagued by large fractions of contaminating environmental DNA. The genetic analyses of hair shafts could be a solution: We present 10 previously unexamined Siberian mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) mitochondrial genomes, sequenced with up to 48-fold coverage. The observed levels of damage-derived sequencing errors were lower than those observed in previously published frozen bone samples, even though one of the specimens was >50,000 14C years old and another had been stored for 200 years at room temperature. The method therefore sets the stage for molecular-genetic analysis of museum collections.