Vitamin and mineral supplementation and rate of gain during the first trimester of gestation affect concentrations of amino acids in maternal serum and allantoic fluid of beef heifers

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding vitamin and mineral (VTM) supplement and (or) rate of gain (GAIN) during early gestation on amino acid (AA) concentrations in allantoic fluid (ALF) and amniotic fluid (AMF) and maternal serum. Seventy-two crossbred Angus heifers (initial BW = 359.5 ± 7.1 kg) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with main effects of VTM supplement (VTM or NoVTM) and rate of gain (GAIN; low gain [LG], 0.28 kg/d, vs. moderate gain [MG], 0.79 kg/d). The VTM treatment (113 g•heifer⁻¹•d⁻¹, provided macro and trace minerals and vitamins A, D, and E to meet 110% of the requirements specified by the NASEM in Nutrient requirements of beef cattle. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/19014, 2016) was initiated 71 to 148 d before artificial insemination (AI). To complete the factorial arrangement of treatments, at breeding heifers were either maintained on the basal diet (LG), or received MG diet which was implemented by adding a protein/energy supplement to the LG diet. Thirty-five gestating heifers with female fetuses were ovariohysterectomized on d 83 of gestation and maternal serum, ALF, and AMF were collected. Samples were analyzed for concentrations of neutral AA: Ala, Asn, Cys, Gln, Gly, Ile, Leu, Met, Phe, Pro, Ser, Thr, Trp, Tyr, and Val; cationic AA: Arg, His, and Lys; and anionic AA: Asp and Glu. In serum, a VTM × GAIN interaction (P = 0.02) was observed for Glu, with greater concentrations for VTM-LG than VTM-MG. Concentrations of serum Cys, Met, and Trp were greater (P ≤ 0.03) for MG than LG. In ALF, concentrations of Glu were affected by a VTM × GAIN interaction, where VTM-MG was greater (P < 0.01) than all other treatments. Further, ALF from VTM had increased (P ≤ 0.05) concentrations of His, Asp, and 12 of the 14 neutral AA; whereas GAIN affected concentrations of Arg, Cys, and Asp, with greater concentrations (P ≤ 0.05) in MG heifers. In AMF, AA concentrations were not affected (P ≥ 0.10) by VTM, GAIN, or their interaction. In conclusion, increased concentrations of AA in maternal serum and ALF of beef heifers were observed at d 83 of gestation in response to VTM supplementation and rate of gain of 0.79 kg/d, which raises important questions regarding the mechanisms responsible for AA uptake and balance between the maternal circulation and fetal fluid compartments.     

Novel inhibitors of sterol C-14 demethylase and Δ14 Reductase/Δ8 → Δ7 isomerase for cereal disease control

The activity of five experimental fungicides combining structural elements responsible for sterol C-14 demethylase inhibition and sterol nuclear double-bond transformations has been investigated by examining sterol accumulation in Ustilago maydis (DC.) Corda, inhibition of sterol-biosynthesis enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Meyer using a cell-free system and protective activity in cereals against Erysiphe graminis DC. and Puccinia coronata Corda. Combining the fenpropidin/fenpropimorph basic structure with a pyridine moiety offered no advantage in fungicidal activity. However, the combination of the pyrifenox structure with a morpholine moiety yielded a compound which was a good inhibitor of C-14 demethylase and Δ⁸ → Δ⁷ isomerase in vitro and gave good cereal protection.     

Vaccination of weaner pigs against classical swine fever with the subunit vaccine "Porcilis Pesti": influence of different immunization plans on excretion and transmission of challenge virus

Excretion and transmission of CSFV after vaccination with the CSF subunit marker vaccine "Porcilis Pesti" have been studied using the following different vaccination schedules: Group A--two vaccinations with an interval of 28 d, challenge 14 d after second vaccination (p.v2.); group B--two vaccinations with an interval of 14 d, challenge 14 d later; group C--two vaccinations with an interval of 28 d, challenge at time of booster vaccination; group D--two vaccinations with an interval of 14 d, challenge 7 d p.v2.; group E--single vaccination and infection 14 d later. After infection one sentinel pig was added to the vaccinated and infected pigs of each group. A single vaccination did not induce protective immunity against a CSFV challenge. Double vaccination at a four-week interval protected piglets from clinical infection, and neither viraemia and leukopenia nor virus excretion were detected if infected 14 d p.v2. Two vaccinations at a two-week interval followed by a challenge 7 d p.v2. led to a short viraemia on day 5 p.i. but without excretion of CSFV. Though all other vaccination schedules induced a reduction in virus shedding and a decrease in CSFV replication, in all these cases in-contact controls became infected. The results of transmission of CSFV are discussed in relation to a potential use of subunit marker vaccines in CSF control.     

CerealBeta-Amylases

Cerealbeta-amylases are perhaps best known in terms of the vital role they play in releasing easily fermentable sugars from cereal grain starch to fuel the production of alcohol by yeast in brewing. The extent to which they have been investigated is indeed largely due to their significance in this economically important industry. However, cerealbeta-amylases are also, or could be, employed in many other aspects of the food industry and the analysis of starch, and they constitute valuable markers in cereal assessment and breeding studies. Quite apart from their practical significance, they are rewarding objects of biochemical and physiological research. They are interesting models for the study of enzyme polymorphism, post-translational modification and the differential expression of isoenzymes. In spite of their often high activitiesin situand all that is known about their generation, they are an enigma in that their physiological function, or even necessity, remains unclear. It has been recently recognised that there are two different categories of cerealbeta-amylases which exhibit different tissue and taxonomic specificities and physiological developmental patterns. The «classical»beta-amylases present at high activities in cereal seeds appear to be limited to the endosperm of the species of the Triticeae tribe of the Festucoideae subfamily of the Gramineae (wheat, barley and rye), whereas all cereals exhibit a different, tissue-«ubiquitous» form of the enzyme which is present at much lower activity levels. The physiological phenomenology and the usage of cerealbeta-amylases are discussed in relation to these two categories of enzyme.     

Modeling the egg and larval transport pathways of the Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) in the East Antarctic region: New insights into successful transport connections

The Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) is an important fishery species widely distributed in the Southern Ocean, especially in areas covered by sea ice. Understanding fish distributions and life cycles, including the transport and survival of eggs and larvae, is essential for the assessment and sustainable management of the fishery. However, owing to difficulties with in situ winter observations, information on the early life stages of D. mawsoni is lacking. Here, we investigated the transport pathways of fish eggs and larvae through a particle tracking study, using satellite-derived ocean surface velocities in the East Antarctic region, which includes important D. mawsoni habitats and exploratory fisheries. Our results indicate that particles released from continental slopes are more likely to be successfully transported to suitable settlement grounds than those released from the BANZARE Bank (the southern region of the Kerguelen Plateau), which is situated further north and has been hypothesized to be a potential spawning ground for D. mawsoni. This study demonstrates successful source–settlement connections in relation to ocean recirculation and suggests important settlement regions for D. mawsoni larvae in the East Antarctic region.