Subacute Rumen Acidosis in Greek Dairy Sheep: Prevalence, Impact and Colorimetry Management.

Subacute rumen acidosis (SARA) is a current issue in intensive livestock farming, and it is particularly associated with feeding high-concentrate diets. This study investigated the prevalence and impact of SARA in forty-two Greek dairy sheep flocks by recording rumen pH, milk composition, and milk yield over a period of nine months. Moreover, it explored the use of computerized rumen colorimetry as a management and diagnostic tool for SARA in dairy sheep.

Effects of a Curcumin/Silymarin/Yeast-Based Mycotoxin Detoxifier on Redox Status and Growth Performance of Weaned Piglets under Field Conditions.

The aim of this in vivo study was to investigate the effects of a novel mycotoxin detoxifier whose formulation includes clay (bentonite and sepiolite), phytogenic feed additives (curcumin and silymarin) and postbiotics (yeast products) on the health, performance and redox status of weaned piglets under the dietary challenge of fumonisins (FUMs). The study was conducted in duplicate in the course of two independent trials on two different farms. One hundred and fifty (150) weaned piglets per trial farm were allocated into two separate groups: (a) T1 (control group): 75 weaned piglets received FUM-contaminated feed and (b) T2 (experimental group): 75 weaned piglets received FUM-contaminated feed with the mycotoxin-detoxifying agent from the day of weaning (28 days) until 70 days of age.

Multilayered noise model for transport in complex environments.

Transport in complex fluidic environments often exhibits transient subdiffusive dynamics accompanied by non-Gaussian probability density profiles featuring a nonmonotonic non-Gaussian parameter. Such properties cannot be adequately explained by the original theory of Brownian motion. Based on an extension of kinetic theory, this study introduces a chain of hierarchically coupled random walks approach that effectively captures all these intriguing characteristics.

Can computerized rumen mucosal colorimetry serve as an effective field test for managing subacute ruminal acidosis in feedlot cattle?

Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is one of the major nutritional disorders in the dairy and beef industries, leading to significant financial losses. Diagnosing SARA is challenging due to the need to evaluate multiple parameters, such as milk fat/protein ratio, ruminal lactate, and hemogram, instead of relying on a single definitive symptom or diagnostic method. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of computerized rumen colorimetry in detecting SARA in beef cattle.

Effects of a Multi-Component Mycotoxin-Detoxifying Agent on Oxidative Stress, Health and Performance of Sows.

This in vivo study aimed to investigate the effects of a multi-component mycotoxin-detoxifying agent, containing clays (bentonite, sepiolite), phytogenic feed additives (curcumin, silymarin) and postbiotics (yeast cell wall, hydrolyzed yeast) on the antioxidant capacity, health and reproductive performance of pregnant and lactating sows challenged by mycotoxins. Eighty (80) primiparous sows (mean age 366 ± 3 days) per each of the two trial farms were divided into two groups in each farm: a) T1 (control group): 40 sows received the contaminated feed and b) T2 group (experimental group): 40 sows received the contaminated feed plus the mycotoxin-detoxifying agent, one month before farrowing until the end of the lactation period. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyls (CARBS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were evaluated as biomarkers of oxidative stress.

Inter-Rater Agreement for Diagnosing Adenomyosis Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Transvaginal Ultrasonography.

Our aim was to compare the inter-rater agreement about transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with regard to diagnosing adenomyosis and for assessing various predefined imaging features of adenomyosis, in the same set of women. The study cohort included 51 women, prospectively, consecutively recruited based on a clinical suspicion of adenomyosis. MRIs and TVS videoclips and 3D volumes were retrospectively assessed by four experienced radiologists and five experienced sonographers, respectively.

Self-Regulated Symmetry Breaking Model for Stem Cell Differentiation.

In conventional disorder-order phase transitions, a system shifts from a highly symmetric state, where all states are equally accessible (disorder) to a less symmetric state with a limited number of available states (order). This transition may occur by varying a control parameter that represents the intrinsic noise of the system. It has been suggested that stem cell differentiation can be considered as a sequence of such symmetry-breaking events.

Effects of Injectable Administration of Dexamethasone Alone or in Combination with Vitamin E/Se in Newborn Low Birth Weight Piglets.

Increasing litter size may lead to low-birth-weight piglets (LBW) and further negative long-term effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of intramuscular administration (IM) of dexamethasone (Dexa) alone or in combination with vitamin E/Se on LBW piglets during the early postnatal period. The study included a total of 100 LBW piglets that were divided into 5 groups (20 LBW piglets per group) and treated with IM Dexa alone or in combination with vitamin E/Se (Vit E/Se) after birth as follows: (a) Group A-Cont: Control group, (b) Group B-Dexa1: Dexa on D1 (1st day of life), (c) Group C-Dexa3: Dexa on D1, D2, D3 (D2: 2nd day of life, D3: 3rd day of life), (d) Group D-Dexa + VitE/S1: Dexa + Vit E/Se on D1, and (e) Group E-Dexa + VitE/S3: Dexa + Vit E/Se (IM) on D1, D2, D3.

Emergent Criticality in Coupled Boolean Networks.

Early embryonic development involves forming all specialized cells from a fluid-like mass of identical stem cells. The differentiation process consists of a series of symmetry-breaking events, starting from a high-symmetry state (stem cells) to a low-symmetry state (specialized cells). This scenario closely resembles phase transitions in statistical mechanics.

Inter-reader agreement of interpretation of radiological course of bile duct changes between serial follow-up magnetic resonance imaging/3D magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography of patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Interpretation of MRI/MRCP in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) at a single time point has low inter-reader agreement. Agreement of interpretation of the dynamic course of duct changes in follow-up MRI/MRCP is of clinical importance but remains unknown. Our aims are therefore to assess the inter-reader agreement of interpretation of the course of duct changes in PSC and investigate if elimination of 3 D MRCP affects inter-reader agreement.

The role of contrast-enhanced computed tomography to detect renal stones.

Purpose: To investigate the detectability of renal stones in corticomedullary and nephrographic phases on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT).

Methods: All consecutive patients between January 2012 and February 2016 undergoing CT of the kidneys according to our department's standard four-phase protocol and having at least one stone in the NC-phase (NCP) were included. Fifty patients with altogether 136 stones were eligible.

Triple Arterial Phase CT of the Liver with Radiation Dose Equivalent to That of Single Arterial Phase CT: Initial Experience.

Purpose To develop and evaluate a triple arterial phase CT liver protocol with a similar radiation dose to that of standard single arterial phase CT in study subjects suspected of having hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods The study consisted of a retrospective part A for protocol development (n = 15) and a prospective part B to evaluate diagnostic accuracy (n = 38). All 53 participants underwent perfusion CT with 50 mL contrast material between August 2013 and September 2014.

Modeling nanoscale hydrodynamics by smoothed dissipative particle dynamics.

Thermal fluctuation and hydrophobicity are two hallmarks of fluid hydrodynamics on the nano-scale. It is a challenge to consistently couple the small length and time scale phenomena associated with molecular interaction with larger scale phenomena. The development of this consistency is the essence of mesoscale science.

Allostery through protein-induced DNA bubbles.

Allostery through DNA is increasingly recognized as an important modulator of DNA functions. Here, we show that the coalescence of protein-induced DNA bubbles can mediate allosteric interactions that drive protein aggregation. We propose that such allostery may regulate DNA's flexibility and the assembly of the transcription machinery.

Dynamic mesoscale model of dipolar fluids via fluctuating hydrodynamics.

Fluctuating hydrodynamics (FHD) is a general framework of mesoscopic modeling and simulation based on conservational laws and constitutive equations of linear and nonlinear responses. However, explicit representation of electrical forces in FHD has yet to appear. In this work, we devised an Ansatz for the dynamics of dipole moment densities that is linked with the Poisson equation of the electrical potential ϕ in coupling to the other equations of FHD.

Linking hydrophobicity and hydrodynamics by the hybrid fluctuating hydrodynamics and molecular dynamics methodologies.

The development of a hybrid fluctuating hydrodynamics (FHD) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method that combines the molecular dynamics of moving particles with the fluctuating hydrodynamics of solvent fields on Eulerian grid cells is presented. This method allows resolution of solute-solvent interfaces and realization of excluded volumes of particles in the presence of hydrodynamic coupling. With these capabilities, we show that the ubiquitous forces mediated by the solvent, hydrophobicity and hydrodynamics, can be linked in a mesoscopic simulation.

Fluctuating hydrodynamics for multiscale modeling and simulation: energy and heat transfer in molecular fluids.

This work illustrates that fluctuating hydrodynamics (FHD) simulations can be used to capture the thermodynamic and hydrodynamic responses of molecular fluids at the nanoscale, including those associated with energy and heat transfer. Using all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories as the reference data, the atomistic coordinates of each snapshot are mapped onto mass, momentum, and energy density fields on Eulerian grids to generate a corresponding field trajectory. The molecular length-scale associated with finite molecule size is explicitly imposed during this coarse-graining by requiring that the variances of density fields scale inversely with the grid volume.

Fluctuating hydrodynamics for multiscale simulation of inhomogeneous fluids: mapping all-atom molecular dynamics to capillary waves.

We introduce a multiscale framework to simulate inhomogeneous fluids by coarse-graining an all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) trajectory onto sequential snapshots of hydrodynamic fields. We show that the field representation of an atomistic trajectory is quantitatively described by a dynamic field-theoretic model that couples hydrodynamic fluctuations with a Ginzburg-Landau free energy. For liquid-vapor interfaces of argon and water, the parameters of the field model can be adjusted to reproduce the bulk compressibility and surface tension calculated from the positions and forces of atoms in an MD simulation.

Modeling the nanoscale viscoelasticity of fluids by bridging non-Markovian fluctuating hydrodynamics and molecular dynamics simulations.

A multiscale computational method is developed to model the nanoscale viscoelasticity of fluids by bridging non-Markovian fluctuating hydrodynamics (FHD) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. To capture the elastic responses that emerge at small length scales, we attach an additional rheological model parallel to the macroscopic constitutive equation of a fluid. The widely used linear Maxwell model is employed as a working choice; other models can be used as well.

Bridging fluctuating hydrodynamics and molecular dynamics simulations of fluids.

A new multiscale coarse-graining (CG) methodology is developed to bridge molecular and hydrodynamic models of a fluid. The hydrodynamic representation considered in this work is based on the equations of fluctuating hydrodynamics (FH). The essence of this method is a mapping from the position and velocity vectors of a snapshot of a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to the field variables on Eulerian cells of a hydrodynamic representation.

Pre-melting dynamics of DNA and its relation to specific functions.

We discuss connections between the nonlinear dynamics of double-stranded DNA, experimental findings, and specific DNA functions. We begin by discussing how thermally induced localized openings (bubbles) of the DNA double strand are important for interpreting dynamic force spectroscopy data. Then we demonstrate a correlation between a sequence-dependent propensity for pre-melting bubble formation and transcription initiation and other regulatory effects in viral DNA.

Opening rates of DNA hairpins: experiment and model.

We present single-molecule measurements of the opening rate of DNA hairpins under mechanical tension and compare with the results obtained from a reduced-degrees-of-freedom statistical mechanics model. We extract the apparent position of the transition state s and find that the model, with no fitting parameters, reproduces the experimental measurements surprisingly well. Our values for s are different from the ones obtained in previous experiments, where, however, the experimental conditions were different (different force fields, different salt concentrations).