Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Voluntary feed intake in growing-finishing pigs: A review of the main determining factors and potential approaches for accurate predictions

The ability of pigs to consume sufficient nutrients for optimal performance is an important consideration in commercial pork production. Nutrient intake levels are directly related to voluntary feed intake. Voluntary feed intake in pigs is influenced by several factors including environmental conditions (e.g. thermal and social conditions), animal status (e.g., age and physiological status), and feed and feeding conditions (e.g. bulkiness of the feed and feed form). Although the individual effects of many of these factors on voluntary feed intake have been investigated and quantified, little has been done to characterize their interactive effects. Under commercial conditions, voluntary feed intake is clearly influenced by multiple factors at any one time. Thus, there is a need for a means to accurately quantify voluntary feed intake in pigs as affected by the different interacting factors. Until quantitative effects of these interactions are established it is suggested that feed intake be monitored. This .
The dominant N gene in New Zealand Romney sheep

The existence of the dominant N gene, derived from two different sources, has been established by monogenic ratios. The gene is variable in expression in the heterozygote, and is pleiotropic. Horns are a sex-influenced expression of this gene, being dominant in males and recessive in females, with exceptions of the order of one in 10 in both sexes. There are hints that the exceptions in rams have a genetic basis, and strong evidence that this is so in heterozygous ewes, a dominant gene, F, variable in expression, being postulated. In the birthcoat of heterozygotes the expression of the N gene varies over a range as wide as is possible. There is extreme variation in halo-coverage over the body in animals of N-abundance on the back, and all halo-grades, from borderline-N to no-halo, are found in the one-sixth of heterozygotes less than N-grade. There is evidence that some part in causing the heterozygote to be less than N-grade is played by genes which reduce the abundance of halo-hairs on the main area of the body in non-N lambs. Possibly one dominigene, not linked with N, is powerful in the heterozygote. Heterozygous dominant N-grade lambs, with very few exceptions, can be distinguished from homozygotes in having halo-hair abundance reduced below that of N-grade at the anterior end of the body, at least in a small area behind the shoulder which is called the shoulder patch. The absence of the shoulder patch in heterozygotes has a genetic basis. Very occasionally there appears to be overlap between the two genotypes in the opposite direction. Recently a very small number of lambs thought to be homozygotes have been a little short of full halo-hair abundance on the shoulder patch on either one or both sides of the body. It is also of some help in distinguishing the genotypes that homozygous ram lambs have lumps in the horn positions, while heterozygous ram lambs frequently have no lumps at birth. On the average homozygous fleeces are more coarsely hairy than heterozygous, and contain more secondary kemp. In setting out the facts from which the above circle of conclusions is drawn it is sometimes convenient to make use at an earlier stage of something which is not proved until later. This applies especially to distinguishing homozygote and heterozygote.
Comment

rates for all the methods (even the Nadaraya–Watson estimator) are close to minus one, the parametric rate. The figure also illustrates that μ̂ often does better in terms of MISE than the Nadaraya–Watson method would do even if it could estimate μ(t) from all n datapoints (i.e., U(1) dist. = U(2)). On one hand, that is surprising since it means that, for the sake of prediction, one is better off observing data that do not all come from the distribution of interest. On the other hand, the result is sensible because the Nadaraya–Watson estimator works with data that have more measurement error than μ̂. The Nadaraya–Watson estimator uses n data points with an average measurement error variance of σ 2 U(1) , and μ̂ uses n data points with an average measurement error variance of {mσ 2 U(1) + (n − m)σ 2 U(2) }/n, that is, less measurement error. Note also that in the top panel of the figure, the estimator [μ̃, authors’ Equation (2.9)] that applies to the nonconvolution situation (σ 2 U(1) < σ 2 U(2) ) performs worse than the Nadaraya–Watson estimator based on an equivalent sample size. Finally, while the No-EX-SIMEX method often has a slightly smaller MISE than the authors’ methods, this is perhaps not surprising since the No-EX-SIMEX method was developed to apply to a special case of the problem, and the authors’ methods are admirably applicable beyond that special case. It also is interesting that No-EX-SIMEX’s empirical rates are slower than μ̂’s. The authors’ asymptotic analysis is impressive. A similar analysis of the No-EX-SIMEX would be interesting, but that is outside the scope of this comment. One way such an analysis would be useful is that it could help guide the optimal amount of smoothing for each of the B estimates of μ(b)(·) in the No-EX-SIMEX algorithm. As implemented, the algorithm chooses a smoothing parameter that is aimed at optimally trading off bias and variance for each of the B μ̂(b)(·)s separately. Those smoothing parameters are not necessarily optimal for the target of estimating μ̂(tj) = B−1 ∑Bb=1 μ(tj). Empirically, they seem to oversmooth; the averaging step in the algorithm seems to smooth in addition to the nonparametric regression step. Staudenmayer and Ruppert (2004) considered a similar problem. Our nonoptimal smoothing parameter selection for No-EX-SIMEX may explain No-EXSIMEX’s slower empirical convergence rate in the simulations.
Exogenous glycinebetaine application improves yield under water-limited conditions in hybrid sunflower

Limited water availability is a severe threat to the sustainability of crop production. Exogenous application of glycinebetaine (GB) has been found very effective in reducing the adverse affects of water scarcity. This study was conducted to examine the role of exogenous GB application in improving the yield of hybrid sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) under different irrigation regimes. There were three levels of irrigation: Control (four irrigations), three irrigations (irrigation missing at budding stage) and two irrigations (irrigation missing at budding and grain formation stage) in the experiment. While GB was applied exogenously at 100 mM GB each at budding and grain formation stages, the Control treatment did not receive any GB application. Data regarding yield, yield components and quality parameters showed that water stress reduced the head diameter, number of achene per head, 1000-achene weight and yield. Nonetheless, it was significantly improved by the exogenous GB application. Among the qualitative characteristics, protein contents were significantly increased by water stress at different growth stages but were reduced by exogenous GB application. Whilst oil contents were reduced by drought at different stages, GB application, however, did not ameliorate the negative effect of drought stress on achene oil contents. The effects of water stress and foliar application of GB were more pronounced when applied at vegetative stage than at the reproductive stage. Moreover, exogenous GB application was only advantageous under stress conditions.
Relationship of Incubation Humidity and Flock Age to Hatchability of Broiler Hatching Eggs

Abstract The present study was conducted to determine the effect of incubation humidity (different wet bulb temperature at same dry bulb temperature) on hatchability and embryonic development with respect to flock age. All eggs in Experiment 1 were collected from a flock of broiler breeders over a 4-day period every 4 wk from 28 to 64 wk of age. On the day following the 4th day of collection, half the eggs were placed in an incubator at a wet bulb temperature of 28.3±. 5 C, and the remaining half were placed in an incubator at a wet bulb temperature of 30.0±. 5 C. The dry bulb temperature was 37.5 C in all cases. A second experiment was conducted with eggs collected from 34- and 66-wk-old flocks. Incubation conditions were the same as in Experiment 1 with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments in a completely randomized design. When pooled across breeder age in Experiment 1, hatchability of fertile eggs was increased and early embryonic mortality was decreased by the 28.3 C wet bulb temperature. The improvement was most evident when the flock was young. Data from Experiment 2 suggest that the reduced early embryonic mortality was due to increased water loss in the 34-wk-old flock in the lower wet bulb temperature treatment during the first 3 days of incubation, which presumably increased oxygen influx. When the flock was older, there was evidence of lower hatchability in some larger eggs due to lower wet bulb temperature. The data suggest that lower incubation wet bulb temperature overcomes barriers to water loss and vital gas diffusion, which are evident in small eggs from young flocks but not present in larger eggs from older flocks.
Sugar, Non-volatile and Phenolic Acids Composition of Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo L. var.ellipsoidea ) Fruits

Abstract Using GC-MS, phenolic and non-volatile acids and soluble sugars were identified and quantified in strawberry tree ( Arbutus unedo L.) fruits. The phenolic acids quantified were gallic (10.7 mg/g dry weight), gentisic (1.9 mg/g), protocatechuic (0.6 mg/g), p -hydroxybenzoic (0.3 mg/g), vanillic (0.12 mg/g) and m -anisic (0.05 mg/g). From the group of non-volatile acids, fumaric (1.94 mg/g dry weight), lactic (0.84 mg/g), malic (0.84 mg/g), suberic (0.23 mg/g) and citric acids were found. Fructose, glucose, sucrose and maltose were the soluble sugars identified and quantified in the amount of 27.8, 21.5, 1.8 and 1.11% dry weight, respectively. Fructose and glucose among the sugars, fumaric and malic acids among the non-volatile acids and gallic acid among the phenolic acids were found to be major compounds contributing the taste of the fruits.
β-Galactosidase and α-L-Arabinofuranosidase in Cell Wall Modification Related with Fruit Development and Softening

Fruit softening and textural changes are two important factors of fruit quality. The loss of galactosyl and arabinosyl residues from cell wall polysaccharides is observed in many fruit species during ripening. The release of neutral sugar residues could change wall polysaccharides properties of accessibility or reactivity for other cell wall hydrolases. β-Galactosidase and α-L-arabinofuranosidase contribute to the loss of neutral sugar residues. Thus, the enzymes alter polysaccharide properties and might contribute to fruit softening or textural changes during ripening. β-Galactosidase is composed of multiple isozymes and they are clearly distinguishable by their substrate specificity and expression pattern of the related gene. A transgenic experiment revealed that a β-galactosidase isozyme plays an important role in tomato fruit softening. In addition to fruit softening, the contribution of β-galactosidase to plant development is also indicated. α-L-Arabinofuranosidase genes constitute a gene family and the isozymes are expressed in various organs and stages. Moreover, several α-L-arabinofuranosidases possess β-xylosidase activity in addition to α-L-arabinofuranosidase activity, therefore, substrate specificity against native polysaccharides is very complex. Arabinose containing polysaccharides seem to contribute to cell to cell adhesion but the crucial roles of α-L-arabinofuranosidase in fruit development or softening remain unclear. Further biochemical and physiological studies of the enzyme are required.
Determination of Mega-Environments for Peanut Breeding Using the CSM-CROPGRO-Peanut Model

Breeding for locally adapted cultivars requires a subdivision of the target region into megaenvironments. Crop models could assist in generating the required data for mega-environment determination. The objective of this study was to determine whether subdividing the peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) production areas in Thailand into mega-environments using a crop simulation model would be justifi ed. The Cropping System Model (CSM) CROPGRO-Peanut was used to simulate pod yield of 17 diverse peanut lines for 130 locations covering all peanut production areas in Thailand. The data were statistically analyzed, and the genotype and genotype × environment (GGE) biplot method was used to subdivide the peanut production areas into subregions. The results reveal that the genotype × location interaction accounted for only a small proportion of total yield variation for all years. The analyses of yearly data by the GGE biplot shows inconsistent results across years for location grouping as well as for the winning genotypes of the individual location-groups. The GGE biplot analysis of the mean data over 30 yr also indicates a similarity in genotype discrimination for all the locations. The results from this study show that the subdivision of peanut production areas into mega-environments is not justifi ed for Thailand. Therefore, for peanut breeding, Thailand should be considered as one mega-environment.
Fontes de lipídio e monensina sódica na fermentação, cinética e degradabilidade ruminal de bovinos

The objective of this work was to evaluate degradability in the rumen, fermentation and kinetics of diets with whole cottonseed or calcium salt of fatty acid, used as fat sources, with sodium monensin, as well as to verify the monensin effect on diet with cottonseed. Treatments consisted of three diets with monensin (control, calcium salt of fatty acid and cottonseed) and one diet with cottonseed without monensin. The incubation periods were 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours, and the ruminal liquid was sampled 0, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 hours after feeding. Diets with cottonseed showed the highest degradability of the neutral detergent fiber and crude protein. Diets containing cottonseed with monensina showed the highest liquid passage and turnover. There were no differences, between the diets, related to ruminal pH, ammonia and volatile fatty acids. The fat sources, calcium salt of fatty acid and whole cottonseed, showed no deleterious effects of the fat on the rumen environment. The inclusion of monensin affects the degradability, rumen kinetics and fermentation, when high concentrate diets with fat as whole cottonseed is fed.
Variation in flowering times and agronomic characteristics of Medicago laciniata (L.) Miller collected from diverse locations in New South Wales

Thirty-two accessions of Medicago laciniata (L.) Miller collected from throughout western New South Wales and 1 from southern Queensland, 4 accessions of M. minima (L.) Bartalini, 1 of M. polymorpha L. , and 3 cultivars of M. truncatula Gaertner were grown in rows at Condobolin over 2 years. There were no significant differences between the M. laciniata accessions for flowering time, dry matter score, seed yield, pod weight, and seed weight in either year. No differences were detected in plant or pod morphology. This lack of variation means that any accession may be used as parent material for a breeding program to reduce pod spine and potential to contaminate wool. Should absence of phenotypic variation be indicative of no genotypic difference, it follows that all the M. laciniata accessions had a common origin.
Tylosis Formation in Pinus Tracheids

Abundant tyloses were discovered in the stem xylem of Pinus elliottii Engelm. and P. palustris Mill. following a combination of mechanical wounding and chemical treatment. Tyloses started from ray parenchyma and continued growing in vesicles of cells in tracheid lumens. Chemical stimulation, tracheid length, size and structure of bordered pits, and oleoresin saturation were restricting factors in tylosis development.
Rejoinder

equilibrium models. Its attractiveness is that it retains the economic interpretability of traditional econometric models, while being more microfounded, general equilibrium, and tractable. Of course, ease of interpretation may come at a price in terms of out-of-sample forecast accuracy. The authors show that the DSGE–VAR(λ̂|4) model is about as accurate as or even more accurate than the unrestricted VAR(4) model in forecasting from rolling regressions, whereas the DSGE–VAR(∞|4) model is distinctly less accurate in some cases. Although the unrestricted VAR model may seem to be a natural benchmark in this context, it is something of a straw man in that in practice no one would rely on unrestricted VAR models for forecasting macroeconomic aggregates. Within the class of linear reduced-form models, more realistic competitors would include Bayesian VAR models developed for forecasting, forecasts from single-equation models based on shrinkage estimators, factor model forecasts, and forecast combination methods for large cross-sections of time series data. It is less than obvious that the DSGE–VAR(∞|4) model would remain competitive with the latter forecasting models. There is another key difference between forecasting exercises conducted by central bankers and forecasting exercises studied by most academics, however, suggesting that the latter comparison would not be the right comparison either. Central bankers invariably are interested in forecasting macroeconomic aggregates, such as inflation or output growth conditional on a prespecified path of interest rates. Such conditional forecasts require a structural model (see Waggoner and Zha 1999). None of the standard methods of forecasting through forecast combination or shrinkage allows the imposition of an exogenous path of the interest rate in prediction. Thus the most relevant comparison of the forecasting ability of the New Keynesian model would be against suitable alternative structural models, given the same path of the interest rate.
Effects of alprazolam on the activity of rat cerebellar purkinje neurons: Evidence for mediation by norepinephrine

Acute administration of alprazolam causes a dose‐dependent slowing of the spontaneous discharge of cerebellar Purkinje neurons. This effect is reversed by treatment with propranolol. There is also significantly less slowing in animals in which cerebellar neuronal circuitry has been destroyed by pretreatment with 6‐hydroxydopamine. These data suggest that some of the depressant effects of alprazolam may be mediated by an interaction with norepinephrine.
Tree regeneration and future dynamics of the laurel forest on Tenerife, Canary Islands

We studied two sites in the laurel forest of Tenerife to predict future changes in canopy composition. We used two projection methods: Horn's ‘Markovian Projection’, which utilizes information on juveniles in the vicinity of canopy trees, and a 'Stand Projection’, which ignores such information. We performed these projections both including and excluding a-sexual regeneration. Although all of our projections predict a change in species composition, inclusion of a-sexual reproduction decreased the magnitude of successional change. The persistence of Prunus lusitanica and Ilex canariensis appears to be highly dependent on a-sexual regeneration. Both the Markov- and stand projections predict a slight convergence in species composition between the two sites when only sexual regeneration is considered, and also a higher dominance of the shade-tolerant species Laurus azorica. When a-sexual regeneration is also considered, some divergence is shown, with less projected change in the stand projection than in the Markov projection. In spite of some differences between the models, general patterns such as an increase of shade-tolerant species (Laurus azorica and Prunus lusitanica) and a decrease of shade-intolerant species (Erica arborea, Erica scoparia and Myrica faya) are consistent.
Changes in species composition following recent shelterwood cutting in mixed eucalypt stands in the Wombat Forest, Victoria

Summary Partial cutting has been practised throughout the mixed eucalypt stands of the Wombat Forest for several decades. The introduction of shelterwood management in the 1970s has resulted in the species composition changing from a predominantly messmate stringybark (Eucalyptus obliqua) overstorey (dbhob > 30 cm) to approximately equal proportions of messmate and peppermints (E. dives and E. radiata) in the regrowth and regeneration (dbhob < 30 cm) strata. The change in species composition is associated with high overwood densities, favouring the establishment and development of the more shade tolerant and persistent peppermints. Regeneration of messmate, the preferred timber species, requires lower levels of overwood competition in association with adequate seedbed and seed supply. Further study will be required of these changes in species composition to ascertain if they are temporary or maintained, and hence their effect on future wood quality and yield from the forest.
Direct transesterification of lipids from feedstuffs and ruminal bacteria

Direct transesterification of feedstuffs, browse plants, and ruminal bacteria was compared to transesterification of solvent extracted lipids. Weight percentages were of similar magnitude between procedures. Direct transesterification often produced higher concentrations of fatty acids. Results indicate that direct transesterification is an acceptable method for analysis of total fatty acids. Key words: Transesterification, lipids, feedstuffs, bacteria
‘BITTY’ CREAM: THE OCCURRENCE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF BACILLUS CEREUS SPORES IN RAW MILK SUPPLIES

SUMMARY: Methods for determining the Bacillus cereus content of milks and of rinses of dairy equipment are described and their limitations discussed. Milk samples from various sources were examined throughout the year for ‘bittiness’ as well as for B. cereus. The organism was not detected in all samples showing bittiness. There was a marked seasonal variation in the B. cereus index of raw milk supplies; maximum numbers were obtained from July to September and minimum numbers in April and May. Rinses of farm dairy equipment yielded few B. cereus spores but milk cans not uncommonly contained large numbers, especially in the summer months, when 10·5% of cans showed more than 5 × 103/can. Preliminary observations on other sources of B. cereus are described and some of the problems of the control of this organism in raw milk supplies are discussed.
Schistosoma curassoni Brumpt, 1931 in sheep and goats in Senegal

A survey of 5722 sheep and 1752 goats at the abatoir in Dakar, Senegal showed that the overall prevalence of schistosomiasis was 2·1%. Of the 112 animals where identification of the schistosome species was possible, all were infected with Schistosoma curassoni, and 2·7% had mixed infections with S. bovis. The adult worms of S. curassoni are described, and on the basis of egg morphology this species is shown to be distinct from S. bovis and S. mattheei. Eggs of S. curassoni measured 146 μm ± 16·8 × 63·3 μm ± 4·5 from sheep and 149·4 μm ± 13·2 × 62·8 μm ± 4·9 from mouse liver, and appear to be indistinguishable from the eggs of S. haematobium Guede Chantier, Senegal which measure 153·1 μm ± 11·1 × 62·4 μm ± 12·1 from mouse liver. However, S. curassoni differs from S. haematobium in that it develops more quickly than S. haematobium in hamsters, uterine eggs becoming visible at least 20 days earlier; the adult worms of S. curassoni are nearly double the size of S. haematobium in hamsters at 70 days post infec.