The association between daily average feeding behaviors and morbidity in automatically fed group-housed preweaned dairy calves.

Group housing and computerized feeding of preweaned dairy calves is gaining popularity among dairy producers worldwide, yet disease incidence and detection remain a challenge in these systems. The aim of this prospective observational cohort study was to describe the relationship between morbidity and feeding behavior around the period of illness detection. Calves were enrolled upon entrance to the group pen on 10 farms in Minnesota (n = 4) and Virginia (n = 6) utilizing group housing and computerized feeding from February until October 2014.

Genetic and Small Molecule Disruption of the AID/RAD51 Axis Similarly Protects Nonobese Diabetic Mice from Type 1 Diabetes through Expansion of Regulatory B Lymphocytes.

B lymphocytes play a key role in type 1 diabetes (T1D) development by serving as a subset of APCs preferentially supporting the expansion of autoreactive pathogenic T cells. As a result of their pathogenic importance, B lymphocyte-targeted therapies have received considerable interest as potential T1D interventions. Unfortunately, the B lymphocyte-directed T1D interventions tested to date failed to halt β cell demise.

Detecting the impact of temperature on transmission of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya using mechanistic models.

Recent epidemics of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya have heightened the need to understand the seasonal and geographic range of transmission by Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes. We use mechanistic transmission models to derive predictions for how the probability and magnitude of transmission for Zika, chikungunya, and dengue change with mean temperature, and we show that these predictions are well matched by human case data.

The Effect of Conservation Tillage and Cover Crop Residue on Beneficial Arthropods and Weed Seed Predation in Acorn Squash.

Conservation tillage combined with cover crops or mulching may enhance natural enemy activity in agroecosystems by reducing soil disturbance and increasing habitat structural complexity. In particular, weed seed predation can increase with vegetation cover and reduced tillage, indicating that mulches may improve the quality of the habitat for weed seed foraging. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects of tillage and mulching for conservation biological control in cucurbit fields.

Enhanced Mucosal Defense and Reduced Tumor Burden in Mice with the Compromised Negative Regulator IRAK-M.

Aberrant inflammation is a hallmark of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer. IRAK-M is a critical negative regulator of TLR signaling and overzealous inflammation. Here we utilize data from human studies and Irak-m mice to elucidate the role of IRAK-M in the modulation of gastrointestinal immune system homeostasis.

K-shuff: A Novel Algorithm for Characterizing Structural and Compositional Diversity in Gene Libraries.

K-shuff is a new algorithm for comparing the similarity of gene sequence libraries, providing measures of the structural and compositional diversity as well as the significance of the differences between these measures. Inspired by Ripley's K-function for spatial point pattern analysis, the Intra K-function or IKF measures the structural diversity, including both the richness and overall similarity of the sequences, within a library. The Cross K-function or CKF measures the compositional diversity between gene libraries, reflecting both the number of OTUs shared as well as the overall similarity in OTUs.

Settling regimen transitions quantify solid separation limitations through correlation with floc size and shape.

This study monitored three different activated sludge systems from the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Plant for a 1 year period to explore the relationship between effluent quality and activated sludge settling and flocculation behavior. Hindered settling rates (ISV) and sludge volume index (SVI) measurements were collected weekly. Novel metrics based on the solids concentration at which the transition between settling regimens occurred were also collected weekly.

Single nucleotide variant discovery of highly inbred Leghorn and Fayoumi chicken breeds using pooled whole genome resequencing data reveals insights into phenotype differences.

Background: Analyses of sequence variants of two distinct and highly inbred chicken lines allowed characterization of genomic variation that may be associated with phenotypic differences between breeds. These lines were the Leghorn, the major contributing breed to commercial white-egg production lines, and the Fayoumi, representative of an outbred indigenous and robust breed. Unique within- and between-line genetic diversity was used to define the genetic differences of the two breeds through the use of variant discovery and functional annotation.

Enzymatic activity of cell-free extracts from Burkholderia oxyphila OX-01 bio-converts (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin to (+)-taxifolin.

This study characterized the enzymatic ability of a cell-free extract from an acidophilic (+)-catechin degrader Burkholderia oxyphila (OX-01). The crude OX-01 extracts were able to transform (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin into (+)-taxifolin via a leucocyanidin intermediate in a two-step oxidation. Enzymatic oxidation at the C-4 position was carried out anaerobically using HO as an oxygen donor.

Induction of rapid, reproducible hepatic ablations using next-generation, high frequency irreversible electroporation (H-FIRE) in vivo.

Introduction: Irreversible electroporation (IRE) offers an alternative to thermal tissue ablation in situ. High-frequency IRE (H-FIRE), employing ultra-short bipolar electrical pulses, may overcome limitations associated with existing IRE technology to create rapid, reproducible liver ablations in vivo.

Methods: IRE electrodes (1.

Cell layer-electrospun mesh composites for coronary artery bypass grafts.

This work investigates the potential of cell layer-electrospun mesh constructs as coronary artery bypass grafts. These cell-mesh constructs were generated by first culturing a confluent layer of 10T½ smooth muscle progenitor cells on a high strength electrospun mesh with uniaxially aligned fibers. Cell-laden mesh sheets were then wrapped around a cylindrical mandrel such that the mesh fibers were aligned circumferentially.

Brief Report: Insistence on Sameness, Anxiety, and Social Motivation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

While the function of restricted repetitive behaviors (RRBs) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is unclear, RRBs may function as anxiety reduction strategies (Joosten et al. J Autism Dev Disord 39(3):521-531, 2009. Moreover, anxiety in ASD is associated with low social motivation (Swain et al.

Limit of stokesian settling concentration characterizes sludge settling velocity.

Flocculent settling (stokesian) is predominant within ideally operating clarifiers, and the shift to 'slower' hindered settling (non-stokesian) causes both failure and poor effluent quality. Therefore, a new metric for settling characteristics was developed and classified as Limit of Stokesian Settling (LOSS). The technique consisted of determining the total suspended solids (TSS) concentration at which mixed liquor settling characteristics transition from stokesian to non-stokesian settling.

Selection for divergent body size alters rates of embryonic skeletal muscle formation and muscle gene expression patterns.

The impact of divergent selection for body size on embryogenesis is poorly understood. The objective of this experiment was to document skeletal muscle development during embryogenesis in two lines of chickens that display divergent growth as adults. Results reveal that after 54 generations of opposing selection from a common founder population, the embryos from the low weight select (LWS) line develop more rapidly during early embryogenesis than those from the high weight select (HWS) line.

Muscle pathology, limb strength, walking gait, respiratory function and neurological impairment establish disease progression in the p.N155K canine model of X-linked myotubular myopathy.

Background: Loss-of-function mutations in the myotubularin (MTM1) gene cause X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM), a fatal, inherited pediatric disease that affects the entire skeletal musculature. Labrador retriever dogs carrying an MTM1 missense mutation exhibit strongly reduced synthesis of myotubularin, the founder member of a lipid phosphatase required for normal skeletal muscle function. The resulting canine phenotype resembles that of human patients with comparably severe mutations, and survival does not normally exceed 4 months.

Enduring deficits in memory and neuronal pathology after blast-induced traumatic brain injury.

Few preclinical studies have assessed the long-term neuropathology and behavioral deficits after sustaining blast-induced neurotrauma (BINT). Previous studies have shown extensive astrogliosis and cell death at acute stages (<7 days) but the temporal response at a chronic stage has yet to be ascertained. Here, we used behavioral assays, immmunohistochemistry and neurochemistry in limbic areas such as the amygdala (Amy), Hippocampus (Hipp), nucleus accumbens (Nac), and prefrontal cortex (PFC), to determine the long-term effects of a single blast exposure.

Endocrine resistance in breast cancer--An overview and update.

Tumors that express detectable levels of the product of the ESR1 gene (estrogen receptor-α; ERα) represent the single largest molecular subtype of breast cancer. More women eventually die from ERα+ breast cancer than from either HER2+ disease (almost half of which also express ERα) and/or from triple negative breast cancer (ERα-negative, progesterone receptor-negative, and HER2-negative). Antiestrogens and aromatase inhibitors are largely indistinguishable from each other in their abilities to improve overall survival and almost 50% of ERα+ breast cancers will eventually fail one or more of these endocrine interventions.

The connexin 43/ZO-1 complex regulates cerebral endothelial F-actin architecture and migration.

Endothelial cell migration is a fundamental process during angiogenesis and, therefore, a point of intervention for therapeutic strategies aimed at controlling pathologies involving blood vessel growth. We sought to determine the role of the gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43) in key features of angiogenesis in the central nervous system. We used an in vitro model to test the hypothesis that a complex of interacting proteins, including Cx43 and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), regulates the migratory behavior of cerebral endothelium.

Domain nucleation and confinement in agent-controlled bistable systems.

We report a mechanism of pattern formation in growing bistable systems coupled indirectly. A modified Fujita et al. model is studied as an example of a reaction-diffusion system of nondiffusive activator and inhibitor molecules immersed in the medium of a fast diffusive agent.

Biosynthesis and possible functions of inositol pyrophosphates in plants.

Inositol phosphates (InsPs) are intricately tied to lipid signaling, as at least one portion of the inositol phosphate signaling pool is derived from hydrolysis of the lipid precursor, phosphatidyl inositol (4,5) bisphosphate. The focus of this review is on the inositol pyrophosphates, which are a novel group of InsP signaling molecules containing diphosphate or triphosphate chains (i.e.

Certain Malvaceae Plants Have a Unique Accumulation of myo-Inositol 1,2,4,5,6-Pentakisphosphate.

Methods used to quantify inositol phosphates in seeds lack the sensitivity and specificity necessary to accurately detect the lower concentrations of these compounds contained in the leaves of many plants. In order to measure inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP₆) and inositol pentakisphosphate (InsP₅) levels in leaves of different plants, a method was developed to concentrate and pre-purify these compounds prior to analysis. Inositol phosphates were extracted from leaves with diluted HCl and concentrated on small anion exchange columns.

Subacute Oxidative Stress and Glial Reactivity in the Amygdala are Associated with Increased Anxiety Following Blast Neurotrauma.

Behavioral symptoms, such as anxiety, are widely reported after blast overpressure (BOP) exposure. Amygdalar vulnerability to increasing magnitudes of BOP has not been investigated, and single exposures to blast have been limited to acute (<72 h) assessment. Rats were exposed to a single low, moderate, or high BOP (10, 14, or 24 psi) with an advanced blast simulator to test the susceptibility of the amygdala.