The effect of nutrition and body condition of triplet-bearing ewes during late pregnancy on the behaviour of ewes and lambs

Gabriella V. Gronqvist,Rene A. Corner-Thomas,Paul R. Kenyon,Kevin J. Stafford,Stephen T. Morris,Rebecca E. Hickson 아세아·태평양축산학회 2018 Animal Bioscience Vol.31 No.12

Objective: Triplet-born lambs are less likely to survive to weaning than twin-born or single-born lambs. Appropriate ewe-lamb bonding behaviours and lamb vigour behaviours are necessary for survival of lambs. The aim of this experiment was to determine whether maternal nutrition during late pregnancy influenced behaviour of the ewe and her lambs soon after birth, and to determine whether mid-pregnancy body condition score (BCS) influenced any behavioural response. Methods: The experiments included ewes that were in BCS 2.0, 2.5, or 3.0 in mid-pregnancy and were fed either ad libitum or to pregnancy-maintenance requirements in late-pregnancy (day 115 until 136 in experiment one, and day 128 until 141 in experiment two). The time taken for lambs to stand, contact dam, suck from dam and follow dam was recorded three to 18 h after birth. The number of high- and low-pitched bleats emitted by the ewe and lambs was recorded, along with maternal behaviour score (MBS) of the ewe. Lambs in experiment two underwent a maternal-recognition test at 12 or 24 h. Results: There were significant effects of feeding treatment on bleating behaviour of ewes and lambs, but these were inconsistent among BCS groups and between experiments. Lamb vigour behaviours were not affected by feeding treatment. In experiment one, there was no effect of feeding treatment or BCS on MBS, but in experiment two, ewes in BCS3 in mid-pregnancy had greater MBS than ewes in BCS2 in mid-pregnancy (MBS 3.1/5 vs MBS 2.1/5; p<0.05). Conclusion: Given there were no repeatable effects on behaviour of ewes and lambs, ad libitum feeding rather than feeding for pregnancy-maintenance requirements cannot be used to improve behaviours soon after birth of triplet-bearing ewes in BCS 2-3 and their lambs in extensive pastoral conditions.

Three-dimensional real-space crystallography of MCM-48 mesoporous silica revealed by scanning transmission electron tomography

Yates, Timothy J.V.,Thomas, John Meurig,Fernandez, Jose-Jesus,Terasaki, Osamu,Ryoo, Ryong,Midgley, Paul A. Elsevier 2006 Chemical physics letters Vol.418 No.4

<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron tomography has been used to reveal the three-dimensional lattice structure of the mesoporous silica MCM-48. The incoherent nature of the dark-field signal leads to directly interpretable images and three-dimensional tomographic reconstructions. The ability to manipulate the three-dimensional reconstruction allows the structure to be visualised at any orientation, revealing detail in projection or as slices not hitherto seen by direct imaging techniques.</P>

Development of Efficient Dynamic Aeroelasticity Model for High Fidelity Pointing Accuracy Assessment of VLBI Earth-Based Radio Antennas

Nieto Michelle Guzman,Thomas Paul V.,ElSayed Mostafa S. A.,Saad Mohamed,Brown Gary L.,Hilliard Lawrence M. 한국항공우주학회 2020 International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sc Vol.21 No.3

Modern Earth-based radio antennas of very-long-baseline interferometry system are furnished with robust control systems for their pointing control. Their pointing accuracy is critical to the quality of the radio wave-front captured. External disturbances, particularly those of wind gusts, produce a non-negligible dynamic aeroelastic response that degrades its pointing accuracy, and yet are not mitigated by the antenna’s control system. In this paper, a high fidelity and efficient dynamic aeroelastic model of an earth-based antenna is developed which is used to study the effects of wind gusts on the antenna’s pointing accuracy. Model order reduction of the antenna structural model is carried out using Craig–Bampton method taking into consideration the dominant modal characteristics of the antenna. The aerodynamic forces are approximated using the 2D Doublet-Lattice Method. The Davenport Spectrum is used to model aerodynamic turbulences near the earth surface. The developed dynamic aeroelastic model is employed to investigate the effects of discrete and random gusts on the pointing accuracy of the antenna. It is found that the deviation in the pointing angle is more prominent in the z (azimuth) direction and it displays a quadratic dependency with respect to the mean wind speed. This behavior is attributed to the inertial component of the aeroelastic response solution represented by the gravitational field acting on the center of gravity of the main reflector and the counterweights. The developed efficient aeroelastic model can be integrated into the antenna control system for its response prediction and mitigation.

Evaluating Bone Loss with Bone Turnover Markers Following Acute Spinal Cord Injury

Prince Thakkar,Naveen B. Prakash,George Tharion,Sahana Shetty,Thomas V. Paul,Joseph Bondu,Bijesh Yadav 대한척추외과학회 2020 Asian Spine Journal Vol.14 No.1

Study Design: Prospective observational study. Purpose: To evaluate bone turnover markers (BTMs) in individuals with acute spinal cord injury (SCI) and to compare the results with those of healthy controls and postmenopausal females. Overview of Literature: SCI significantly impacts bone health. Change in bone mineral density appears 6 months after SCI and rapid bone loss during the acute phase is often underestimated, resulting in osteoporosis and a high risk of sublesional fractures. However, few studies have evaluated BTMs in the Indian SCI population. Despite a high risk of fracture, there are no guidelines for the diagnosis, monitoring, and management of SCI-induced osteoporosis. Methods: Twenty patients within 1 month of traumatic SCI who had been admitted to a tertiary care rehabilitation center were included in this study. Serum BTMs, C telopeptide (CTX) as a bone resorption marker, and osteocalcin as a bone formation marker, were serially measured at baseline, and 3 and 6 months after SCI. BTMs of SCI patients were compared with those of a control group of age-matched healthy males, premenopausal females, and a vulnerable group of postmenopausal females. Results: BTMs were significantly elevated in patients with SCI, with maximum levels observed at the 3rd month of injury. At baseline, the bone resorption marker CTX was approximately 3 times higher in SCI patients than in the control male population and premenopausal females, and about double that of postmenopausal females. The rise in the bone formation marker was marginal in comparison to that of the bone resorption marker. BTMs were persistently elevated and did not reach the normative range until the 6th month of SCI. Conclusions: Raised bone resorption markers in comparison to bone formation markers indicate hyper-resorption-related bone loss following acute SCI. Markedly elevated bone resorption markers in the SCI population, compared with those in control and vulnerable groups, emphasize the need for early bone health monitoring and management.

Singlet oxygen generation using a porous monolithic polymer supported photosensitizer: potential application to the photodynamic destruction of melanoma cells

Burguete, M. Isabel,Galindo, Francisco,Gavara, Raquel,Luis, Santiago V.,Moreno, Miguel,Thomas, Paul,Russell, David A. Korean Society of Photoscience 2009 Photochemical & photobiological sciences Vol.8 No.1

Photogeneration of singlet oxygen ($^1O_2$) by rose bengal is improved through the use of a porous monolithic polymer (PMP) as a support, as compared to a classic gel-type resin matrix. This type of monolithic polymeric matrix can be made at a multigram scale in quantitative yields enabling the preparation of large amounts of supported photosensitizer at low cost. The singlet oxygen induced oxidation of 9,10-diphenylanthracene has been used as a benchmark reaction, and a comparative study using rose bengal in solution, entrapped within gel-type derived polymer and entrapped within a porous monolithic polymer (PMP) has been performed. The enhanced photoreactivity of the PMP-rose bengal conjugates has been utilised for the successful photodynamic therapy (PDT) of melanoma cells.