Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of the proportions of high or medium digestibility grass silage and concentrates in the diet of beef cattle on liveweight gain, carcass composition and fatty acid composition of muscle

An experiment was carried out over 2 years to evaluate the effects of increasing the proportion of cereal-based concentrates in diets containing high-digestibility and conventional medium-digestibility grass silages on the dry-matter (DM) intake, liveweight gain and carcass composition of beef cattle, and to examine the effects of grazed grass and the ratio of grass silage:concentrates in the diet on the fatty acid composition of selected muscle tissues. Late-maturing steers (n = 231) were offered diets based on high-digestibility (HD) (0.743 digestible organic matter (DOM) in DM) or medium-digestibility (MD) (0.643 DOM in DM) grass silages supplemented with barley/soyabean meal-based concentrates. The concentrates constituted 0.20, 0.40, 0.60 and 0.80 of total DM of the diets, which were offered ad libitum (AL). The two diets, which contained 0.80 concentrates, were also offered at 0.80 of AL intake. A further group of fourteen animals were given the medium-digestibility silage only for 5 months and then grazed perennial ryegrass pastures for a further 5 months (silage/pasture treatment). For the diets containing HD silage and 0.20, 0.40, 0.60 and 0.80 concentrate, and 0.80 concentrate at 0.8 of AL intake, the DM intakes were 9.4, 10.2, 10.4, 10.2 and 8.1 (s.e. 0.16) kg d(-1), respectively, and daily carcass gains were 0.67, 0.78, 0.77, 0.79 and 0.62 (s.e. 0.029) kg d(-1), respectively; for those containing MD silage and 0.20, 0.40, 0.60 and 0.80 concentrate, and 0.80 concentrate at 0.8 of AL, the DM intakes were 8.2, 9.3, 10.1, 10.1 and 8.0 (s.e. 0.16) kg d(-1), respectively, and daily carcass gains were 0.38, 0.48, 0.64, 0.77 and 0.56 (s.e. 0.029) kg d(-1) respectively. Increasing the proportion of concentrates in silage-based diets decreased the concentration of omega-3 (omega-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (P < 0.001) and increased the concentration of omega-6 PUFA (P < 0.001) in muscle. Cattle on the silage/pasture treatment had the highest concentration of omega-3 PUFA in muscle (51 g kg(-1) lipid), this value being over three times that for animals given diets containing MD silage and 0.80 concentrate in the diet. These results demonstrate the potential of HD silage made from perennial ryegrass relative to high concentrate diets. The consumption of pasture-finished beef could make a significant contribution towards increasing the intake of omega-3 PUFA in the human diet.
Tyrosine Phosphorylation and Association of BIT with SHP‐2 Induced by Neurotrophins

Abstract: BIT (brain immunoglobulin‐like molecule with tyrosine‐based activation motifs) is a membrane glycoprotein that has two cytoplasmic TAMs (tyrosine‐based activation motifs). We previously reported that tyrosine‐phosphorylated TAMs of BIT interact with the Src homology 2 domain‐containing protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP‐2 both in vitro and in transfected cells, and this association results in a potent stimulation of the phosphatase activity of SHP‐2. Both BIT and SHP‐2 are highly expressed in the mammalian brain, and they may play important roles in the regulation of synaptic function. In this study, we found that nerve growth factor (NGF) treatment of PC12 cells leads to the tyrosine phosphorylation of BIT and a subsequent complex formation between BIT and SHP‐2. Furthermore, brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin‐3 (NT‐3) also induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of BIT and the association with SHP‐2 in primary cultured rat neurons. Our results suggest that the BIT‐SHP‐2 signaling pathway is a novel signal transduction mechanism of neurons that acts in response to neurotrophic factors such as NGF, BDNF, and NT‐3.
Effects of Elevated CO2 Concentration on Photosynthetic Carbon Metabolism in Flag-Leaf Blades of Rice before and after Heading

Abstract We monitored the effects of elevated atmospheric C02 concentrations on the photosynthetic carbon metabolism in the flag leaves of rice plant (Oryza sativaL. cv. Akitakomachi) before and after heading. The plants were grown under ambient (350 ppm : control) or elevated (650 ppm) C02 conditions. Flag-leaf blades grown under high C02 accumulated more starch than control leaf blades before heading, but the level of starch declined to almost zero under both C02 concentrations as soon as the development of ears began. Before heading, the transcript level of sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS) (EC 2.4.1.14), a key enzyme in the sucrose synthesis in flag-leaf blades was significantly higher under elevated C02 conditions than under elevated C02 (P<0.01). The difference in the expression of SPS decreased after heading, coinciding with a change in starch contents in both groups. These results showed that the effects of elevated C02 concentration on rice plants might vary with the growth stage of the leaf blades. We also discussed the influence of the changes in the carbohydrate metabolism of rice plants caused by elevated C02 concentration on yield.
Effect of dietary protein content on growth and body composition of fast and slow feathering broiler chickens

Abstract 1. Broilers were produced from two lines of breeders selected for three generations for fast and slow feather growth. The base population foundation stock originated from a commercial pedigree female line, which carried only the dominant sex‐linked late feathering gene K. Three isoenergetic (12.7 MJ AME/kg) starter and grower diets were formulated to contain 280, 240 and 200, and 260, 220 and 180 g/kg protein, respectively, and fed to 156 broilers of each sex to give three starter‐grower combinations. 2. Broiler performance in terms of growth, food conversion ratio, carcase meat, fat and protein content was optimised on the 240 to 220 g/kg protein starter‐grower series of diets. 3. Birds of the slow line were significantly (P<0.05) heavier at 48 d of age and had the same food intake and food conversion ratio as birds of the fast feathering line. 4. The slow line birds had significantly (P<0.01) shorter feathers and less total plumage weight at 48 d. The slow line birds had significantly (P<0.001).
Levels of Glutathione and Activities of Related Enzymes During Ripening of Koshu and Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes and During Winemaking

The glutathione content of berries and wines and the activities of six enzymes related to glutathione metabolism were investigated during the ripening of Koshu and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and during winemaking from the two varieties. In general, changes associated with ripening were similar in both. The glutathione content in berries increased during ripening, and over 90% of it was reduced. The highest levels of reduced glutathione were 107 and 69 nmol/g fresh weight of Koshu and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, respectively. Catalase, nonspecific peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase activities were undetectable in grapes of either cultivar during ripening, but glutathione reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione peroxidase activities were detected in both. Dehydroascorbate reductase showed a high level of activity (0.03 U/g fresh weight) during berry ripening, but the activity rapidly disappeared at 18° to 19° Brix. The levels of glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase were low or absent until 18° to 19° Brix, after which they increased. These enzyme activities may indicate maturity of the grape berry. During winemaking, the activities of glutathione peroxidase and dehydroascorbate reductase decreased but glutathione reductase showed increased activity in both wines, which was probably derived from yeast.
Developments in grapevine trunk diseases research in Australia.

In Australia, trunk diseases of grapevines are becoming increasingly important. Phaeoacremonium chlamydosporum causes black goo decline and is very common in newly planted vineyards in which establishment is slow and uneven. It is apparently introduced to these vineyards as infections of the propagating material. We have isolated the fungus many times from rootstock mother vines and speculate that it spreads from the trunk of the mother vine to the canes which are later harvested as cuttings. Histological studies of inoculated vine shoots in tissue culture, show that the fungus infects the xylem parenchyma cells as intracellular hyphae, and these cells produce tyloses in the adjacent xylem vessels. The hyphae also penetrate the vessels, often by way of the tyloses. Brown deposits (black goo) are seen in vessels and cells, often some distance from active hyphae. Phaeoacremonium chlamydosporum has also been found to produce pycnidia on the surfaces of infected wood when moist incubated. The same pycnidia were also found on the surfaces of inoculated tissue culture vines, proving that they are pycnidia of P. chlamydosporum. The spores produced by the pycnidia appear to be conidial rather than spermatial as they germinate readily on agar and develop normal colonies. Esca was formally diagnosed for the first time in Australia in 1999, although it is believed to have been present for many years. In addition to Phellinus (Fomitiporia) punctatus, we have also found a second species of Phellinus associated with similar symptoms. This species differs from P. punctatus in the production of setae on host tissue and in culture. Like P. punctatus it has a close association with Phaeoacremonium chlamydosporum. Eutypa dieback appears to be increasing in severity in Australian vineyards and may be a major limiting factor in the sustainability of Australian wine production. A national trunk disease project has commenced to develop management strategies for black goo decline, esca, Eutypa dieback and other trunk diseases.
Sexual selection in the barn swallow Hirundo rustica. VI. Aerodynamic adaptations

Secondary sexual characters are assumed to be costly to produce and maintain, and this will select for morphological modifications that reduce the magnitude of such costs. Here we test whether a feather ornament, the sexually exaggerated outermost tail feathers of male barn swallows Hirundo rustica, a trait currently subject to a directional female mate preference, and other aspects of the morphology used for flight have been modified to increase aerodynamic performance. This was done by making comparisons among sexes within populations, among individuals varying in tail length within populations, and among populations from different parts of Europe. Male barn swallows experienced reduced drag from their elongated tail feathers by morphological modifications of the ornamental feathers as compared to females. Morphological features of the outermost tail feathers were unrelated to tail length in both males and females within populations. Wing and tail morphology (length of central tail feathers and wings, wing span, wing area, wing loading, and aspect ratio) was modified in males compared to females. Barn swallows with long tails had morphological tail and wing modifications that reduced the cost of a large ornament, and similar modifications were seen among populations. The costs of the exaggerated secondary sexual character were therefore reduced by the presence of cost‐reducing morphological modifications. The assumptions of reliable signalling theory, that signals should be costly, but more so to low than to high quality individuals, were not violated because long‐tailed male barn swallows had the largest cost‐reducing morphological characters.
Variation in potassium and calcium uptake with time and root depth

McGonigle, T. P. and Grant, C. A. 2015. Variation in potassium and calcium uptake with time and root depth. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 771-777. Root uptake of calcium (Ca) and potassium (K) with depth in soil and through time are of interest not only as fundamental processes of plant physiology but also for the practical application of crop management. For K specifically, depth of band placement for fertilizer should be optimized for crop uptake. Environmentally rare strontium (Sr) and rubidium (Rb) are used as root activity tracers for Ca and K, respectively. We applied Sr and Rb to field micro-plots at depths 0-5 cm, 5-10 cm, and 10-15 cm. Tracer application throughout the entire rooting volume for a given depth interval eliminated confounding effects of age-related lateral root spread seen with point application. Soil analyses confirmed there was no within-profile movement of amendments. Maize (Zea mays L.) shoot Sr concentration was greatest at 16 d of growth for amendment to 0-5 cm, in keeping with expected restriction of Ca uptake to root tips. In contrast, maximum shoot Rb concentration was at 24 d and with amendment to 5-10 cm, indicating more proximal root uptake of K. Uptake of Sr and Rb was sustained for a longer period from 5 to 15 cm than from 0 to 5 cm, so that most of the Ca and K in shoots likely comes from this greater depth interval. Soil pasteurization reduced colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi but had no impact on tracer uptake, indicating these fungi do not influence uptake of Ca and K. Studies on maize root activity using Sr and Rb should apply tracers in the 5- to 15-cm depth interval and harvest shoots between 3 and 7 wk after planting. Based on Sr uptake, determination of soil Ca levels to predict early-season uptake by maize should focus on the 5- to 15-cm depth interval. Based on Rb uptake, banded application of K fertilizer is expected to be most effective to promote early-season growth when band placement is within 5- to 15-cm depth.
The effect of supplemental biotin in dairy cow diets on fibre fermentation patterns as measured by in vitro gas production

Six ruminally-cannulated cows were assigned to a 2 x 3 changeover experiment with two periods to determine the effect of supplemental biotin on in vitro fibre fermentation kinetics. All the cows received the same basal diet but with different biotin concentrations. Treatments were no biotin supplementation (Control) or biotin mixed into the feed to provide 40 mg biotin/cow/day (Biotin). In each period, three cows received the Control and three cows the Biotin treatment. After an adaptation period of 21 days, rumen liquor was extracted and used as inoculum in gas production trials with lucerne hay, oat hay and wheat straw as substrates. Gas production was measured after 12, 18, 24, 30 and 48 hours fermentation. For all three substrates, biotin supplementation resulted in a significant increase in gas production rate during the early hours of fermentation (0-12 hours), but not at the subsequent times. It was concluded that biotin supplementation appears to increase initial fermentation rate, which may suggest an increased rate of NDF degradation in biotin-supplemented cows.
Competing tadpoles: Australian native frogs affect invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) in natural waterbodies

The cane toad (Rhinella marina) is one of the most successful invasive species worldwide, and has caused significant negative impacts on Australian fauna. Experimental work in the laboratory and in mesocosms has shown that tadpoles of native frogs can affect survival, size at metamorphosis and duration of larval period of cane toad tadpoles. To test if these effects occur in nature, we conducted a field experiment using two temporary ponds where we set up enclosures with tadpoles of native green tree frogs (Litoria caerulea) and cane toads in treatments with a range of densities and combinations. The presence of green tree frog tadpoles significantly decreased the growth rate of toad tadpoles and increased the duration of their larval period in both ponds; in one pond, frog tadpoles also significantly reduced the body length and mass of metamorph toads. Toad tadpoles did not have any significant negative effects on green tree frog tadpoles, but there was strong intraspecific competition within the latter species: increased frog tadpole density resulted in increased larval period and reduced survival, growth rate and size at metamorphosis for frogs at one or both ponds. Our results are encouraging for the possibility of using native frogs as one component of an integrated approach to the biological control of cane toads.
Integrating dual-purpose wheat and canola into high-rainfall livestock systems in south-eastern Australia. 1. Crop forage and grain yield

Abstract. The development of guidelines for successful dual-purpose (graze and grain) use of wheat and canola in Australia’s high-rainfall zones (HRZ) has mostly emerged from separate wheat- and canola-focused research. Less attention has been placed on the benefits of integrating dual-purpose wheat and canola into pasture-based grazing enterprises. We conducted a farming systems experiment during 2010–11 to evaluate the benefits of integrating wheat and canola as dual-purpose crops into a pasture-based grazing system in Australia’s south-eastern tablelands. We compared forage production and grain yield in three separate crop–livestock systems in which the sheep grazed long-season wheat, winter canola or a combination of these. Initial growth rates were higher in early-autumn-sown canola than wheat in 2010, but were much lower although similar in both crops in 2011. Significant forage was available from both canola (3.1–3.4 t ha–1) and wheat (2.3–2.4 t ha–1) at the onset of grazing, but winter growth rates of wheat were higher than those of canola, leading to increased sheep grazing days (SGD). In the favourable 2010 season, dual-purpose wheat and canola separately provided 2393 and 2095 SGD ha–1, and yielded 5.0 and 1.9 t ha–1 grain, respectively, with an apparent nitrogen limitation in canola. In the drier season of 2011, grazing was reduced to 1455 and 735 SGD ha–1 in wheat and canola, respectively. Wheat yield was reduced from 5.9 to 5.4 t ha–1 grain by grazing, whereas canola yield was unaffected (3.6 t ha–1). In both years, grazing did not affect harvest index or oil content of canola, but harvest index was higher in grazed wheat crops. The yield of wheat and canola crops grazed in sequence did not differ from yield in treatments where animals grazed only a single crop, but the total overall grazing window when crops were grazed sequentially increased by 1054 and 618 SGD ha–1 in wheat, and by 1352 and 1338 SGD ha–1 in canola in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The major benefits of including crops that can be grazed sequentially were the widening of the grazing window and other operational windows (sowing, harvest), along with the rotational benefits for wheat by including canola in the system. Additional benefits to pastures may include eliminating the need to re-sow, because a more productive pasture composition is maintained under lower grazing pressure while stock are on crops, and reduced weed invasion. The commercial availability of new, herbicide-tolerant winter canola varieties provides significant opportunities to underpin the performance of dual-purpose crop sequences on mixed farms in the high-rainfall zone.
Genetic approaches to study Rel/NF-κB/IκB function in mice

Abstract The generation of animal models in which individual members of a gene family are genetically altered is a particularly attractive way to elucidate their function. Members of the Rel/NF-κB/IκB family constitute an important network of transcription factors and regulatory proteins that control the expression of numerous cellular and viral genes crucial for a variety of processes. A few examples are developmental pattern formation and immune response in Drosophila , viral replication, and immune, inflammatory, acute phase and stress responses in vertebrates. The findings from knockout and transgenic mice developed to study Rel/NF-κB/IκB function in vivo are reviewed here. In general, these studies point to the essential role of these factors in the development and function of the vertebrate immune system.
Effect of Genistein and Daidzein on Antioxidant Defense System in C57BL/KsJ-db/db Mice

Our preliminary study showed that genistein and daidzein improved blood glucose level in type 2 diabetic mice by enhancing the glucose and lipid metabolism. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether genistein and daidzein are associated with alterations in antioxidant defense mechanism of type 2 diabetic mice. Male C57BL/KsJ-db/db (db/db) mice and age-matched non-diabetic littermates (db/+) were used in this study. The db/db mice were divided into control, genistein (0.02%, w/w) and daidzein (0.02%, w/w) groups. The relative weights of liver, epididymal adipose tissue and perirenal adipose tissue were significantly higher in the db/db group than in the db/+ group, whereas heart weight was lower. The genistein and daidzein supplement did not affect the organ weights in db/db mice. The blood glucose level was positively correlated with superoxide dismutase (SOD, r=0.380, p＜0.05) and catalase (CAT, r=0.345, p＜0.05) activities and negatively correlated with glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px, r=-0.404, p＜0.05) activity in erythrocyte. Therefore, the erythrocyte SOD and CAT activities were significantly elevated in the db/db group compared to the db/+ group and the GSH-Px activity was lowered. However, the supplementation of genistein and daidzein reversed erythrocyte CAT and GSH-Px activities in type 2 diabetic mice. In this current study, the SOD activities in liver, kidney and heart were significantly not different between the groups. The CAT and GSH-Px activities in liver and GSH-Px activity in kidney were significantly higher in the db/db group than in the db/+ group, while the CAT activity in kidney, CAT and GSH-Px activities in heart were lowered. The supplementation of genistein and daidzein significantly attenuated the changes of CAT and/or GSH-Px activities in liver and heart. The supplementation of genistein and daidzein elevated GSH levels in kidney and heart compared to the db/db control group. The lipid peroxide levels in liver, kidney and heart were significantly lowered in the genistein and daidzein supplemented groups compared to the db/db control group. These results suggest that genistein and daidzein might be beneficial for the prevention of type 2 diabetic complication via suppressing changes of antioxidant enzymes activities with simultaneous reduction of lipid peroxidation.
Mechanism of Action of C2H4 in Promoting the Germination of Cocklebur Seeds. III. A Further Enhancement of Priming Effect With Nitrogenous Compounds and C2H4 Responsiveness of Seeds

Efficiency of organic or inorganic osmotica for seed priming of cocklebur (Xanthium pennsylvanicum Wallr.) revealed that KNO3 was the most promising, and was more effective than mannitol or other salts at the same concentration (200 mM) and was independent of the C2H4 action. However, KNO3 applied as a priming reagent enhanced the effect of C2H4 or that of the water stress imposed with mannitol. Unlike the action of mannitol, both KNO3M and C2H4 augmented the pool size of amino acids in seed cells. However, below 50 mM KNO3 imposing no stress only slightly, though insignificantly, affected the germinability as well as the levels of total cyanogen. On the other hand, at a high concentration which imposed water stress on the seeds, 200 mM KNO3 remarkably elevated the contents of both cyanogenic glycosides and lipids in the excised cotyledons. When C2H4 was added with KNO3, the level of cyanogenic compounds significantly increased but when added without KNO3, the contrary effect was shown. Hence the enhancement of the mannitol-induced priming effect by nitrogenous reagents in cocklebur seeds could be implicated in the accumulation of cyanogenic compounds. Unlike cocklebur, both common chickweed and barnyard grass seeds are very responsive to 30 mM KNO3 on germination, and such species abundantly contain cyanogen. The amount of cyanogen was further augmented by contact with KNO3 at only 30 mM. The role of NO-3 -dependent cyanogenesis is highlighted in relation to germination response of seeds.