Search

Today, attention has been paid to the effects of global climate change on different species and ecosystems. Our aim was to predict the distribution range of Pistacia atlantica species under different climate change scenarios in the semi-arid forests of Zagros, Iran. Data related to environmental and climatic variables in three time periods under four atmospheric general circulation models (MRI-ESM2-0, BCC-CSM2-MR, HadGEM3-GC31-LL and ACCESS-CM2) in two different scenarios (SSP245-SSP585) It was used to predict the distribution range of Pistacia atlantica in the time periods of 2050 and 2070. The results showed that among the four distribution models, the MaxEnt model with excellent accuracy (AUC = 0.947) justifies the distribution range and for predicting time periods. In 2050 and 2070 under SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios and MRI-ESM2-0 and HadGEM3-GC31-LL models showed higher accuracy. The effect of different predictive factors on the range of P. atlantica showed that in the optimistic (SSP245) and pessimistic (SSP585) scenarios for the periods of 2050 and 2070, respectively, factors such as altitude. Variables resulting from temperature (seasonal temperature changes, annual temperature); The variables resulting from precipitation (seasonal changes of precipitation, precipitation in the wettest season) had the greatest effect in predicting the distribution pattern of P. atlantica trees in the Zagros forest of Ilam province. Also, the results of the model in optimistic and pessimistic conditions showed that the area of excellent, good and poor classes will decrease in the future and the area of very good and average classes will increase in the future. Examining the change of the spatial distribution pattern of the species from SSP245 and SSP585 (from optimistic and pessimistic conditions) shows a decrease in the presence of P. atlantica in the region, especially in the high potential class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horizontal wells have gained popularity as a technology for exploring water resources and remediating aquifers over the last decades, due to costs and numerous technical benefits compared to traditional vertical wells. This study presents a set of analytical solutions for drawdown distribution and various components of water budget contributing to flow toward a horizontal well in an aquifer-aquitard system interacting with a fully penetrating stream. It is assumed that the water level in the upper unconfined aquifer remains fixed at a specific elevation during the course of the pumping in the lower leaky aquifer. The water budget components account for inflows from aquifer storage, stream depletion, and leakage across the aquifer-aquitard interface. Analytical solutions to this three-dimensional, transient, non-axisymmetric Darcian flow model are given for both transient and steady-state flow conditions, relying on a four-fold integral transform technique that includes a Robin-type boundary condition at the aquifer-aquitard interface. It is shown how various components of water budget collectively counterbalance the effect of pumping discharge, confirming that the mass is conserved under both continuous and non-continuous pumping scenarios. Response maps are prepared to assess how different components of water budget react to changes in the well position. Furthermore, it is found that the components of water budget are most sensitive to the well-to-stream distance and anisotropy ratio of the leaky aquifer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This research investigated the effects of management and nutrition strategies on dairy cows under heat stress. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effects of zinc mineral supplementation and mist spray, alone and in combination, on yield, milk production and composition, blood parameters and HSP70 gene expression in dairy cows. Methods: Sixteen Holstein lactating cows were used for our experiment in four treatment groups: Basal diet without heat stress alleviation methods (control), zinc supplementation in diet, basal diet and application of mist spray method and supplementation of zinc in basal diet with mist spray. We measured milk production and composition, blood parameters and HSP70 gene expression in all cows. Results: The results showed that the cows in the mist and zinc+mist treatments had significantly better performance and temperature-humidity index than the control group. The milk yield and its compounds were significantly affected by experimental treatments, with the best results seen in the treatment with both spray and zinc. The cows exposed to dry and lactation periods showed a significant increase in the concentration of blood biochemical factors and antioxidant indices in response to heat stress. HSP70 gene expression was significantly decreased in all treatments compared to the control. Conclusion: This experiment suggests that applying nutritional and management strategies can effectively mitigate the effects of heat stress on dairy cows. The study recommends using zinc supplementation and mist spray to alleviate heat stress effectively. Overall, this study highlights the importance of implementing management and nutrition strategies to improve the welfare and productivity of dairy cows under heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing concerns regarding antibiotic use in livestock, due to antibiotic resistance and potential human transmission, have led to increased interest in herbs and their derivatives, including essential oils, which possess antimicrobial properties that may enhance overall productivity and serve as a strategy for methane mitigation. The objective of this meta-analysis was to investigate the effects of adding oregano to the diet in different forms (essential oils, plant materials, or leaves) on the dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield (MY), milk components, nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation parameters, and methane (CH4) emissions of dairy cows. A literature search was conducted to identify papers published from 2000 to 2023. Effect size for all outcomes was reported as a standardized means difference (SMD) and raw means difference with 95% confidence intervals. Heterogeneity was determined using the Q test and I2 statistic. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that adding oregano had no effect on DMI (SMD = 0.081; p = 0.507) and MY (SMD = 0.060; p = 0.665). Milk fat percentage, milk protein percentage, and milk lactose percentage were not affected by oregano. The addition of oregano to the diet significantly decreased dry matter digestibility (SMD = −0.502; p = 0.013), crude protein digestibility (SMD = −0.374; p = 0.040), and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (SMD = −0.505; p = 0.014). Ruminal pH (SMD = −0.122; p = 0.411), total volatile fatty acids concentration (SMD = −0.038; p = 0.798), acetate (SMD = −0.046; p = 0.757), propionate (SMD = 0.007; p = 0.960), and butyrate (SMD = 0.037; p = 0.801) proportion were not affected by oregano. The addition of oregano to the diet tended to decrease CH4/DMI (SMD = −0.275; p = 0.095) but did not affect CH4 production (SMD = −0.156; p = 0.282). Heterogeneity (Q and I2) was non-significant for all parameters. We conclude that the inclusion of oregano in various forms (essential oils, plant materials, or leaves) in the diet of dairy cows reduces nutrient digestibility but does not significantly affect DMI, MY, milk components, ruminal fermentation parameters, or CH4 production. Future research should focus on optimizing the dosage of oregano (both EOs and plant materials) and exploring the impact of its form on lactation, nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and CH4 emissions in dairy cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the application of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as a treatment method for abdominal wall endometriosis (AWE). Materials and Methods: The characteristics of the AWE lesions in the patients were obtained using ultrasound (US). The patients received general and local anesthesia, and then, AWE lesions were divided into 1 cm3 sections visually, and each of these sections underwent US-guided RFA using the moving shot technique. Follow-up included outpatient appointments, including a US examination 1, 3, and 6 months after the treatment to assess the volume of the lesions. In addition, the level of pain experienced by the patients was measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS) before and the day after the procedure, as well as at each follow-up appointment. Results: Ten patients were treated with RFA. The procedural success was achieved in all of the patients. The median volume of the lesions decreased from 7.3 cm3 (IQR = 4.39,23.75) to 2.95 cm3 (IQR = 1.65,9.09) (P = 0.005). All patients reported reduced pain levels, and the median of their VAS score decreased from 9 (IQR = 8,9) to 0 (IQR = 0,1.25) (P = 0.004) at the end of the follow-up period. None of the patients experienced complications related to RFA treatment. Conclusion: Based on the study's findings, RFA appears to be a promising minimally invasive treatment for AWE. However, larger studies with longer follow-up periods are required for a more comprehensive understanding of its efficacy and safety. Level of Evidence: Level 4, Case Series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to predict corona anxiety based on practical obsessive-compulsive disorder and health literacy. This research is a descriptive and correlational study. The population of the study was the general population of Amol city during the first peak of Corona in 2021. A total of 174 individuals in the age group of 18 to 45 years of the general population were studied as the sample using the availability sampling. Three questionnaires of corona anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and health literacy were used as data collection tools. The data was analyzed using SPSS software. Statistical analysis using Pearson correlation coefficient showed that there is a significant positive relationship between corona anxiety and obsessive-compulsive at the level of 0.01 and a significant negative relationship with health literacy at the level of 0.05. Also, the results of multiple regression analysis with simultaneous method showed that predictor variables could explain the degree of corona anxiety. People need to be informed that they need to obtain health information from the right sources and use it properly to improve their health by interpreting the information correctly. In general, it can be said that the level of awareness and information (health literacy) has an important role in improving health-based behaviors. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is also one of the variables related to corona anxiety, therefore, it is necessary to take preventive measures and interventions to control and reduce obsessive-compulsive disorder by psychologists and counselors. Therefore, in addition to increasing awareness and level of health literacy among the general public, measures should be considered to help reduce the incidence of symptoms such as OCD, which lead to anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to summarize the baseline and radiological characteristics of patients with COVID-19 and investigate the correlation between clinical outcomes and radiological findings in the first week after admission. Materials and Methods: A single-center retrospective study was carried out on confirmed cases of COVID-19 based on RT-PCR and chest CT scan findings according to Iran’s National Guidelines for defining COVID-19 in patients admitted to Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Baseline and chest CT scan characteristics of patients were investigated, and their correlation with the change in clinical outcome was reported. Results: 72 patients (50%) with a mean age of 54.65±16.2 years were in two periods of time including the first day of diagnosis and 6.0±3.4 days later. Based on CT scan Severity Score (CTSS) changes (decrease/no change or increase) during the study, patients were divided into two groups of CTSS progression (n=47) and CTSS no-progression (n=25). Diabetes mellitus (20%) and hypertension (19.1%) were the most frequent comorbidities among the patients in the non-progression and progression groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in demographic features including age and gender, and comorbidities (P>0.05). On the first day of diagnosis, there was no significant difference in blood tests and radiological findings and the number of patients who managed out-patients or in-patients in both groups. However, on the second evaluation day, patients in the progression group had significantly higher CTSS in comparison with the non-progression group (13.11±4.7 vs. 9.48±4.2, P=0.003), and the clinical situation in 15 patients in progression changed from out-patient to in-patient (p=0.033). Only chest CT imaging score was a potential parameter associated with the change in clinical progression (P=0.030, RR=10.18, 95, CI=1.25-89.72). Conclusion: Increasing CTSS is a strong predictor of worsening clinical outcomes during hospitalization in COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oscillatory pumping tests presents a potential advancement in aquifer testing as they minimize hydraulic perturbations and result in no net water abstraction or injection. However, aquifer property estimates can be less accurate if they are compromised by well head losses during the pumping test. Currently, oscillatory pumping test models ignore these losses. The objective of this study is to develop and evaluate an analytical solution that can interpret oscillatory pumping test data affected by rate‐dependent skin losses. Accordingly, the sensitivity of the drawdown response to small variations in aquifer and well parameters was analyzed. In addition, a previous field aquifer test was analyzed to evaluate the feasibility of the solution for aquifer parameter estimation. The results indicate that neglecting the rate‐dependent skin effect can lead to substantial errors in the determination of aquifer parameters such as transmissivity and storativity. Additionally, the proposed solution effectively reproduces the sharp groundwater level peaks observed in field data, whereas the solution that does not consider the rate‐dependent skin effect greatly underestimates the peak values. Plain Language Summary: This study looks at a new method called the oscillatory pump test for measuring aquifer properties. There can be problems with obtaining accurate results when testing aquifer properties, because there can be a loss of water at the top of the well. This study aims to solve this problem by creating a new solution that can account for this loss of water and still yield accurate results. The study found that ignoring this loss of water can lead to significant errors in the estimation of the aquifer properties. The study shows that when the value of the loss of water is over 10,000 min/m3, it can have a substantial effect on the accuracy of the results. Overall, this study improves our ability to estimate aquifer properties using the oscillatory pumping test method. Key Points: An analytical solution is developed for oscillatory pumping tests with rate‐dependent skinThe effects of rate‐dependent skin on the head response are evident in field dataNeglecting rate‐dependent skin can lead to biased estimates of aquifer parameters [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the risk factors of osteoporosis and osteopenia of the spine in postmenopausal women. An analytical cross-sectional study was performed on postmenopausal women. The T-score of the lumbar spine (L2–L4) was measured by densitometry and compared between osteoporotic, osteopenia, and normal women. One thousand three hundred fify-nine postmenopausal women were evaluated. The prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis was 58.2% and 12.8% respectively. Age, BMI, parity, total breastfeeding years, dairy use, calcium-D supplements, and regular exercise were significantly different in women with osteoporosis, osteopenia, and normal women. Ethnicity, diabetes, and previous fracture history were only other among women with osteoporosis (not osteopenia) and normal women. For osteopenia of the spine, age [AOR 1.08 (1.05–1.11; p <.001)] was the risk factor, and BMI = >30 [AOR 0.36 (0.28–0.58; p <.001)] and BMI 25–<30 [AOR 0.55 (0.34–0.88; p =.012)] were protective factors. Hyperthyroidism (AOR 23.43, p =.010), Kurdish ethnicity (AOR 2.96, p =.009), not having regular exercise (AOR 2.22, p =.012), previous fracture history (AOR 2.15, p =.041)], and age (AOR 1.14, p <.001)], were risk factors for osteoporosis, while BMI ≥30 [AOR 0.09, p <.001], BMI 25–<30 [AOR 0.28, p =.001], and diabetes [AOR 0.41, p =.038] were protective factors for osteoporosis of the spine. Hyperthyroidism, low BMI <25, parity ≥ 6, Kurdish ethnicity, not having regular exercise, history of previous fracture, and age, were risk factors for osteoporosis of the spine respectively, while low BMI and age were risk factors for osteopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural forests of western Iran play a key role in delivering services and goods to local society. Nonetheless, this forest ecosystem, despite its importance, is threatened by natural factors and anthropogenic activities, resulting in decreasing soil quality and soil erosion. The present research aimed to assess the effects of the forest ecosystems on soil erosion control in Ilam catchment in southwest Iran. For this purpose, after estimating the soil loss in natural conditions (NC), we predicted the amount of soil erosion under two scenarios: (i) convert natural forest with 20% canopy cover to destructed forest with 0% canopy cover (SC.1), (ii) increase forest cover by 40% (SC.2). Our results indicate that the estimated mean soil erosion was within the range of 9.36 t ha-1 yr-1 in irrigated and garden use to about 256 t ha-1 yr-1 in bare soils under NC. We found that when converting natural forest to destructed forest, the mean annual soil erosion rate increased 105.75 t ha-1 yr-1, 118.1 t ha-1 yr-1, and 19.57 t ha-1 yr-1 in the dense forest, sparse forest, and Agri-Forest use, respectively. These results show the protective effect of the forest against soil erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The goal of this study was to retrospectively investigate the relationship between renal transplanted volume indexes (Total kidney volume (TKV)/Body surface area (BSA), Renal parenchymal volume (RPV)/BSA, Renal cortical volume (RCV)/BSA, RPV/Body mass index (BMI), RCV/BMI, RPV/Weight, RCV/Weight), and short- and long-term function of the graft. Methods: One-hundred and twelve live donor-recipient pairs from 2017 to 2018, whose donors underwent preoperative renal computed tomography angiography and recipients survived during 12 months of follow-up, were included in this study. Results: The crude and adjusted linear regressions for the effect of volume measurements by voxel and ellipsoid methods on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at different post-transplantation times demonstrated that the RPV/weight ratio had the most substantial crude effect on the eGFR 12 months and 4 years after renal transplant. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for six different renal volume ratios demonstrated no significant difference between these ratios in terms of discriminative ability (p value < 0.05). A strong direct correlation between TKV calculated by the ellipsoid formula with RPV and RCV measured using OsiriX software was noted. Analysis of ROC curves for renal volume indices has demonstrated fair to good discriminative ability of our cut-off points to estimate 4-year post-transplantation eGFR > 60 mL/min. Conclusion: Renal transplant recipients' volume indices, such as RPV/weight, had strong correlations with eGFR at different points in time, and renal transplant recipients with the volume ratios higher than our cut-off points had a good chance of having a 4-year post-transplantation eGFR higher than 60 mL/min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in males. The use of intra-prostatic fiducial markers (FM) for image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) has become widespread due to their accuracy, relatively safe use, low cost, and reproducibility. FM provides a tool to monitor prostate position and volume changes. Many studies reported low to moderate rates of complications following FM implantation. In the current study, we present our five years' experience regarding the insertion technique, technical success, and rates of complication and migration of intraprostatic insertion of FM gold marker. Methods: From January 2018 to January 2023, 795 patients with prostate cancer candidate for IGRT (with or without a history of radical prostatectomy) enrolled in this study. We used three fiducial markers (3*0.6 mm) inserted through an 18-gauge Chiba needle under transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) guidance. The patients were observed for complications up to seven days after the procedure. Besides, the rate of marker migration was recorded. Results: All procedures were completed successfully, and all patients tolerated the procedure well with minimal discomfort. The rate of sepsis after the procedure was 1%, and transient urinary obstruction was 1.6%. Only two patients experienced marker migration shortly after insertion, and no fiducial migration was reported throughout radiotherapy. No other major complication was recorded. Discussion: TRUS-guided intraprostatic FM implantation is technically feasible, safe, and well-tolerated in most patients. The FM migration can seldom occur, with negligible effects. This study can provide convincing evidence that TRUS-guided intra-prostatic FM insertion is an appropriate choice for IGRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In prodromal and early schizophrenia, disorders of attention and perception are associated with structural and chemical brain abnormalities and with dysfunctional corticothalamic networks exhibiting disturbed brain rhythms. The underlying mechanisms are elusive. The non‐competitive NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine simulates the symptoms of prodromal and early schizophrenia, including disturbances in ongoing and task & sensory‐related broadband beta−/gamma‐frequency (17–29 Hz/30–80 Hz) oscillations in corticothalamic networks. In normal healthy subjects and rodents, complex integration processes, like sensory perception, induce transient, large‐scale synchronised beta/gamma oscillations in a time window of a few hundred ms (200–700 ms) after the presentation of the object of attention (e.g., sensory stimulation). Our goal was to use an electrophysiological multisite network approach to investigate, in lightly anesthetised rats, the effects of a single psychotomimetic dose (2.5 mg/kg, subcutaneous) of ketamine on sensory stimulus‐induced oscillations. Ketamine transiently increased the power of baseline beta/gamma oscillations and decreased sensory‐induced beta/gamma oscillations. In addition, it disrupted information transferability in both the somatosensory thalamus and the related cortex and decreased the sensory‐induced thalamocortical connectivity in the broadband gamma range. The present findings support the hypothesis that NMDA receptor antagonism disrupts the transfer of perceptual information in the somatosensory cortico‐thalamo‐cortical system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound widely used in industry and medical fields such as Anatomy and Pathology. Exposure to this chemical negatively affects the skin, mucous membrane, and respiratory system. It can pass through the blood-brain barrier, potentially causing neurotoxicity. According to studies, formaldehyde might be involved in memory impairment and the cognitive decline process in Alzheimer disease (AD). Objectives: This study aimed to simulate chronic occupational formaldehyde exposure in rats and study its impacts on passive avoidance conditioning and anxiety. Methods: Twenty-four adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups of 6 rats each. After an adaptation period, the rats were exposed to 1, 2, and 3 ppm formaldehyde vapor in an exposure chamber, 6 hours per day for 7 days. The control group was exposed to saline. After the exposure period, a shuttle box for passive avoidance conditioning and an elevated plus-maze test for assessing anxiety levels were performed. The data were analyzed by 1-way ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range test for group comparison in SPSS and SAS software. Results: In the shuttle box test, formaldehyde dose-dependently decreased escapethrough latency and increased the percentage of dark compartment entries (P<0.0001). In the elevated plus maze test, the percentage of time spent in open arms decreased by increasing the dosage (P<0.0001). Conclusion: Based on these findings, formaldehyde exposure can negatively alter brain function and cause memory impairment and anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rate of return visit, predicting factors of return visit and occurrence of adverse events in suspected to be or likely cases of COVID-19 patients who received outpatient treatment. This is a retrospective observational cohort study on patients (> 16 years), suspected to be or likely cases of COVID-19 who were visited in a respiratory emergency department and subsequently discharged home. Patients' baseline characteristics were extracted from medical charts. All patients were followed-up for 7 days after their first visit. Patients' outcomes during the7-day follow-up, as well as the severity of pulmonary involvement based on imaging were recorded. A total number of 601 patients (350 men and 251 women) were recruited. The rate of return visit was 27.74% (144 patients) with 6.74% (34 patients) experiencing a poor outcome. Six factors with a significant odds ratio were predictors of poor outcome in patients who received outpatient treatment, namely, older age [odds ratio = 3.278, 95% confidence interval: 1.115-9.632], days from onset of symptoms [1.068, 1.003-1.137], and history of diabetes [6.373, 2.271-17.883]). Predictors of favorable outcome were female gender [0.376, 0.158-0.894], oxygen saturation > 93% [0.862, 0.733-1.014], smoking habit [0.204, 0.045-0.934]. The findings of this study demonstrate that the rate of return visit with poor outcome in patients who received outpatient treatment was reasonably low. Age, male sex, diabetes mellitus and pulmonary disease are predicting factors of poor outcome in these COVID-19 patients who received outpatient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater resources can be artificially augmented by managed aquifer recharge especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Unlike most of the existing results which focus only on impervious aquifer base and assume perfect hydraulic connection between aquifer and adjacent stream, the present study addresses the recharge process in a more realistic case of leaky aquifer interacting with semipervious streambank. The mathematical model relies on 2D linearized Boussinesq equation with Robin boundary condition accounting for hydraulic resistance owing to semiperviousness of the streambed. The method of Green's function offers an integral representation of hydraulic head in semi-infinite aquifer domain in response to time-varying recharge from a rectangular basin. Hydrological components of groundwater recharge are derived taking into account volumetric rates of leakage, mound storage, and outflow to adjacent stream. Hypothetical test cases illustrate how sum of these components exactly counterbalances the volumetric rate of recharge received by the aquifer at each instant of time, and this is in full conformity with the expected mass balance at aquifer scale. The most influential parameters affecting the model outputs are identified through sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, interaction of pumping wells with groundwater mound is examined. Performance of the present results is assessed against numerical counterparts from finite element method, and extremely good agreement is found for temporal mound peaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) seed powder and aqueous extract on growth performance, immunity, and liver activity in the ROSS 308 broiler were investigated. A total of 270 day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into 9 groups (n=30), with three replicate, T1 (control group) fed with a basal diet, T2 fed with basal diet added to Immunofin®, and T3 fed with basal diet added to HEPARENOL® in drinking water based on a producer recommended methods. Other 6 groups, were fed with basal diet added to 3 different level of fenugreek seed powder: T4 (0.1%), T5 (0.2%), T6 (0.3%) and 3 different level of extract in drinking water: T7 (0.1%), T8 (0.2%) and T9 (0.3%) and All groups were used during 42 days of rearing. To evaluate antibody titers against Newcastle disease, Avian Influenza, and Gambro vaccines, Hemagglutination Inhibition and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay tests were performed. Administration of fenugreek seed extract and powder according to recommended doses had no significant effect on growth performance; however, it had a significant effect on the antibody levels and the levels of Alanine Aminotransferase and Aspartate Aminotransferase enzymes that highly increase in liver disorder, were significantly decreased by aqueous extract of fenugreek seed in 0.2% and 0.3% (P =0.05). Overall, the present study showed that aqueous extract and seed powder of fenugreek could be used as a new approach to increase the level of immunity and to improve liver activity in broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the exploitation of renewable energies and technologies in order to reduce the restrictions of fossil fuels is the attention of energy managers and engineers. Additionally, energy production cycles based on solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are known for their versatility in fuel intake. In this regard, in the current article the thermodynamic-conceptual assessment of a novel combined energy system (CES) based on biomass gasification is developed. The proposed CES is comprised of four main units: a biomass gasification unit, a reformer fuel cell unit (based on SOFC), a waste heat recovery unit (WHRU), and an ignition engine (homogeneous charge compression type). The biomass gasification unit is considered as a fuel supply unit of proposed energy process. A larger fraction of CES electricity is produced through the fuel cell unit. Moreover, additional electric power is produced through the ignition engine (IE) unit. The combustible fuel for IE unit is obtained during the chemical reactions of the fuel cell unit. Further, the WHRU is responsible for the heat recovery of the fuel cell and IE units, which balances the thermal power of the process. Embedding of a unit to recover the heat of the fuel cell units and the engine can be improving the performance of the cycle. The main goal of the article is to provide a thermodynamic-conceptual evaluation of the system considering energy, exergy, exergoeconomic, and environmental analysis to achieve a comprehensive feasibility study. According to the energy analysis, it was determined that the considered CES can produce around 1.09 MW of electricity and 0.36 MW of heat. Additionally, the values obtained for electrical and total energy efficiencies were 50.5% and 68.7%, respectively. The total exergy destroyed by the considered process and the total exergy efficiency were yielded as nearly 1.1 MW and 51.6%, respectively. Besides that, the specific cost rates of electric power yielded by fuel cell and IE units were almost 8.81 and 10.04 USD/GJ, indicating that the electric power produced through the fuel cell unit is a cheaper method. Moreover, compared to petroleum and coal-driven plants, the considered CES can reduce the amount of emitted CO2 by nearly 47.7% and 62.4%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering a physical system to feature designated characteristics states an inverse design problem, which is often determined by several discrete and continuous parameters. If such a system must feature a particular behavior, the mentioned combination of both, discrete and continuous, parameters results in a challenging optimization problem that requires an extensive search for an optimal system design. However, if the corresponding inverse design problem can be reformulated as a parameterized Markov decision process, reinforcement learning (RL) provides a heuristic framework to solve it. In this work, we use multi-layer thin films as an example of the aforementioned optimization problems and consider three design parameters: Each of the thin film layer's dielectric material (discrete) and thickness (continuous), as well as the total number of layers (discrete). While recent methods merely determine the optimal thicknesses and—less commonly—the layers' materials, our approach optimizes the total number of stacked layers as well. In summary, we further develop a Q-learning variant to solve inverse design optimization and thereby outperform human experts and current approaches like needle-point optimization or naive RL. For this purpose, we propose an exponentially transformed reward signal that eases policy search and enables constrained optimization. Moreover, the learned Q-values contain information about the optical properties of multi-layer thin films, which allows us a physical interpretation or what-if analysis and thus enables explainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural components with arbitrary cross sections play a key role in several engineering fields. Many engineering structures are subjected to torsional moments, so it is important to design and analyze these type of crucial engineering issues. First, this study offers a novel analytical solution for Prandtl's stress distribution of arbitrary annular wedge-shaped bars under uniform torsion moment based on eigenfunction expansion. Next, warping function is derived by integration of Cauchy-Riemann type relations in polar coordinate system. The solution encompasses existing solutions for standard wedge-shaped bars as subsets. Finally, accuracy of the proposed analytical method is fully demonstrated through some benchmarks which are available in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iranian Journal of Veterinary Medicine is the property of University of Tehran and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The objective of this trial was to determine the amount of alfalfa hay (AH) in low forage diets that could be replaced with dried corn gluten feed (DCGF) without negatively altering eating behaviour, ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility, and performance of lactating dairy cows. Eight multiparous Holstein cows were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment. Treatments included (dry matter [DM] basis): 18.81% AH without DCGF (0DCGF,); 12.53% AH and 6.26% DCGF (6DCGF); 6.26% AH and 12.53% DCGF (12DCGF); and 0% AH and 18.81% DCGF (18 DCGF). Diet particle size and physically effective neutral detergent fibre declined linearly (p <.001) as DCGF replaced AH resulting in a linear decrease (p <.001) in time (min/d) spent eating, ruminating, and chewing. As DCGF replaced AH, ruminal pH decreased linearly (p =.003) and total VFA concentrations increased linearly (p =.02) tending to be highest (p =.062) for 12DCGF. Ruminal acetate and butyrate, and plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations declined linearly (p =.001) whereas ruminal propionate concentration increased linearly (p =.001) as DCGF increased. Dry matter intake (DMI; p =.001) and nutrient digestibility increased linearly (p <.05) and tended to be greatest (p <.10) for 12DCGF. Milk yield (MY; p =.016) and protein yield (p =.001) increased linearly, but milk fat yield declined as DCGF replaced 6 and 12% of AH and decreased more when DCGF replaced all AH resulting in a quadratic response (p =.041). Results of this trial suggest that replacing 12% of the AH with DCGF increases MY because of higher DMI and nutrient digestibility, but replacing all of the AH with DCGF reduces milk fat yield and dairy efficiency. DCGF can replace AH to improve nutrient digestibility and milk yield. Improvements in nutrient digestibility when DCGF replaces AH potentially reduce total waste production of dairy cows. Completely replacing AH with DCGF in low forage diets reduces milk fat yield due to change in ruminal fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary intervention is a well‐recognised approach to modifying milk yield and physicochemical characteristics. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementing ewes' diet with tannin and/or linseed oil on the physicochemical characteristics and fatty acid profile of milk, as well as the antioxidant status of dairy ewes. The study involved 36 3‐year‐old lactating Moghani sheep randomly assigned to six treatment groups. Results demonstrated that tannin extract and linseed oil changed the fatty acid content of milk. In particular, unsaturated fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid were increased by the treatments (P < 0.05). Generally, groups receiving tannin extracts and/or oil showed higher concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids in their milk, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids including C18:3n3, C20:2, C20:3n3, C20:4n6, CLA cis‐9 trans‐11, CLA trans‐10 cis‐12, C22:2 and total unsaturated fatty acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn gluten feed (CGF) is a co-product of wet milling that can replace energy or fiber ingredients in dairy cow rations. The present meta-analysis examines how inclusion of CGF can affect dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield (MY), milk components, and ruminal fermentation parameters. A literature search was conducted to identify papers published from 1990 to 2018. Effect size for all parameters was calculated as standardized mean difference with a 95% confidence interval. Heterogeneity was determined using Q test and I2 statistic, while meta-regression was used to examine factors influencing heterogeneity. Results indicate that feeding CGF increased the effect size for DMI and MY. No differences were observed for effect size for percentage milk fat or protein; however, increases were observed in the effect size for milk fat yield, milk protein yield, milk lactose percentage, and milk lactose yield. Ruminal fermentation parameters revealed a decrease in the effect size for pH and acetate and an increase for propionate. No differences were observed in the effect size for total VFA or butyrate. The Q test demonstrated heterogeneity (P < 0.1) for MY, MFP, and pH. The results indicate differences in forage intake between groups receiving CGF and control as an important factor contributing to heterogeneity for DMI, MFP, and pH. It can be concluded from this meta-analysis that in addition to increased DMI, inclusion of CGF in cow diets increases MY and improves milk components. Furthermore, inclusion of CGF in the diet lowers ruminal pH while decreasing acetate and increasing propionate contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest canopy cover represents different characteristics of forest stands. However, especially in semiarid forest, the estimation of canopy cover by field measurements is too expensive. Therefore, it is necessary to develop appropriate techniques to estimate forest canopy cover for forest management in semiarid areas. In this research, a robust procedure to estimate canopy cover using stratification field sampling and AdaBoostM1 machine learning algorithm with Landsat 8 OLI imagery is suggested. Approximately 29,000 ha of semiarid forest (Manesht- and Ghelarang-protected area) in west of Iran was selected as the study area. The unsupervised classification was used on NDVI layer extracted from OLI data, and Neyman method was applied for allocation, in stratified areas. The crown cover was measured in percentage in each plot. In inaccessible plots, the optical satellite imagery of Worldview-2 from Google Earth database was used (0.46 m spatial resolution). For the classification of canopy cover, the AdaBoostM1 algorithm with random forest classifier was trained by 75% split original data, while 25% remaining data were used for accuracy assessment using ROC curve, true positive (TP), false positive (FP), overall accuracy (OA) and kappa coefficient (K). The results showed the overall accuracy and kappa coefficient of 91% and 0.88, respectively. Based on the results, the methodology developed in this study is suitable to estimate canopy cover in semiarid forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pivot weirs have been proved efficient to measure, control and stabilize open channel flows in an easy-to-use manner. This work presents a numerical investigation of free surface overflow from full-width rectangular pivot weirs based on the hydrostatic-corrected smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). In verification stage, the draining process of a reservoir-vertical weir system is separately analyzed by activating and deactivating the hydrostatic correction. The SPH results are benchmarked against a simplified analytical solution derived herein. It is shown that the declining reservoir head is more accurately predicted by activating the correction term. The SPH simulations are then validated for five weir inclination angles, ranging from a very mild to vertical configurations. Comparison with relevant experimental data demonstrates satisfactory agreement in each case. It is observed that the location of vena contracta in the overtopping jet shifts further downstream at steeper inclination angles. Moreover, a simple relation among discharge coefficient and weir inclination angle is proposed based on the curve-fitting of SPH results. These two parameters appeared to be negatively correlated so that an increase in the inclination angle poses a decrease in the discharge coefficient and vice-versa. The present analysis can be useful for estimating flow discharge if a simple head measurement is available for a given geometry of the pivot weir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of tannin extract and n-3 fatty acid supplementation on nutrient digestibility, ruminal parameters, blood metabolites, and enzyme activity in lactating ewes. Thirty-six lactating ewes were allocated to 6 experimental groups. The dietary treatments were as follows: 1) control, 2) diet supplemented with 2% dry matter (DM) oak leaf tannin extract, 3) diet supplemented with 2% DM grape pomace tannin extract, 4) diet supplemented with 2% DM linseed oil, 5) diet supplemented with 2% DM oak leaf tannin extract and 2% DM linseed oil, and 6) diet supplemented with 2% DM grape pomace tannin extract and 2% DM linseed oil. The results showed the significant effects of treatments on final body weight, digestibility, and some blood metabolites (P < 0.05). Therefore, the treatment groups had higher final body weight, better nutrient digestibility, and higher values of blood parameters. In conclusion, our results showed that the dietary tannin extract and the n-3 fatty acid source improved nutrient digestibility and blood metabolites, and they had a trend of improving the ruminal volatile fatty acid profile while not having any adverse effects on the animals' performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an analytical solution for the linearized Boussinesq equation describing the nature of well hydraulics in equilateral triangular-shaped unconfined aquifer. This homogeneous, isotropic, fully-saturated porous media is hydraulically connected to three surrounding streams of constant-head. The solution enables modeling aquifer response to a system of arbitrarily-located, fully-penetrating multiwells (injection, extraction or combination of both), each characterized by stepwise time-varying rate. First, a fundamental solution is provided for multiwell-induced head distribution in an infinite aquifer domain. Image well theory is then efficiently implemented to create an equivalent flow field for the intended domain. Spatiotemporal head distribution is obtained in the form of fivefold series involving exponential integrals. Expressions are also derived to quantify stream depletion rates caused by a single pumping well, under both transient and steady-state conditions. As a hypothetical example, an aquifer remediation scheme is planned by combining two extraction wells with an injection one. The computed head profiles reveal strictly close agreement with numerical results obtained by finite element method. Sensitivity map for stream depletion rate is also discussed. The present results are found to exactly reproduce those available for the wedge-shaped domain, under certain geometric constraint. Finally, the solution is extended to the case of hemi-equilateral triangular-shaped aquifer with or without an impervious boundary line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the important issues both in the political discussion about climate change and in forest ecosystem research is carbon sequestration. In this paper, we estimated soil carbon sequestration (SCS) in two Persian oak forest stands of different origin (seed and coppice). Soil samples were taken at two soil depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm) and locations (under the tree crown and open area) in each oak stand. Results showed that surface layers (0-15 cm) had the highest soil carbon sequestration ranging from 41.2 t·ha-1 to 47.9 t·ha-1 for both oak forests. The total SCS was higher (between 79.5 and 89.07 t·ha-1) in open areas of the two forest stands than under the crowns of oak trees. Finally, the amount of total SCS in seed originated forest (SOF) (86.52 t·ha-1) was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than in coppice forest (CF) (77.70 t·ha-1). The results indicate that a relatively large proportion of C loss in CF is due to overgrazing, forest degradation and conversion to coppice forests in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to examine effects of resistant starch (RS), compared to fructooligosaccharide (FOS) and zinc bacitracin (ZnB), on cecal short-chain fatty acids, cecal microflora intestinal morphology, and antibody titer against Newcastle disease virus in broilers. The experiment groups included the control group (basal diet with no additive; CON), four groups receiving different levels of RS type 2 (1, 2, 3, and 4% in basal diet; RS), a FOS group (0.4% of basal diet), and a ZnB group (50 mg/kg of basal diet). On day 35, the highest concentration of acetic, propionic, and butyric was found in the 4% RS, showing a significant difference from the CON as well as the FOS and the ZnB (P < 0.05). The greatest lactobacillus count was found the FOS (P < 0.05), and of the groups that received RS, the 4% RS had the greatest lactobacillus count. The smallest coliform count was found in the 3% and 4% RS groups (P < 0.05). In the duodenum and the jejunum, the largest villus height (VH) and the smallest crypt depth (CD) were found in the ZnB. Among the groups treated with RS, the 3% RS had the greatest VH and the smallest CD. The group that received FOS showed the greatest antibody titer on day 23, and of the groups treated with RS, the 4% RS had the greatest antibody titer showing a significant difference from the CON. The findings suggest that adding 3 and 4% RS or FOS to broiler's feed may improve intestinal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different aspects of groundwater mound dynamics in triangular-shaped aquifers are investigated analytically under spatially uniform recharge of time-varying rate. The aquifer response is analyzed relying on 2-D linearized Boussinesq equation, subject to two different configurations of hydrogeological boundary conditions (constant-head streams and no-flow barrier). The aquifer is homogeneous, isotropic and rests over a horizontal, semipervious layer, through which vertical leakage can take place. Point-recharge formula (Green's function) is first derived for the intended aquifer domain and then properly converted to accommodate the effect of rainfall-induced areal recharge. Components of groundwater budget are evaluated in terms of volumetric rates, taking into account the jointed effects of leakage, mound storage and outflow to adjacent streams. The resulting expressions are then proven to obey the expected mass balance in a rigorous mathematical fashion. Hypothetical examples illustrating main features of flow field are presented, with attention paid on groundwater equpotentials and streamlines. The computed mound profiles appear to agree well with numerical results from finite element method. Further, the most influential parameters affecting each component of groundwater budget are identified with the help of sensitivity analysis. Finally, the combined effects of a pumping well and rainfall-induced mound are discussed. The present solution may serve as a test case for verifying numerical schemes that are being developed for more comprehensive mound analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turkeys and broilers have been identified as important reservoirs for Campylobacter jejuni which is of public health significance. The evaluation of the genotypes among C. jejuni strains within different reservoirs is critical for our understanding of the epidemiology of this infectious agent. The present study aimed to compare the genetic diversity and differences of C. jejuni isolates from turkeys and broilers using flagellin PCR-RFLP typing (flaA typing) technique, in terms of the ease of use and discriminatory power. Sixty C. jejuni isolates were detected biochemically and confirmed by duplex-PCR from turkeys and broilers (30 strains from each bird species). Then, a flaA gene fragment (1725 bp) of C. jejuni isolates was amplified and amplicons were digested with HpyF3I enzyme. Restriction analysis by HpyF3I gave four different flaA patterns (H1, H2, H3, H4) among all tested C. jejuni isolates. In broiler isolates, all four patterns were observed but in turkey isolates, only H2 and H4 patterns were present. The results clearly demonstrated that distribution of the flaA typing patterns differed depending on the host species (broiler/turkey). H1 and H3 flaA types are more prevalent in broiler than turkey isolates, while H2 type is significantly more prevalent within isolates from turkey (p < 0.05). The flaA typing technique by digestion with HpyF3I enzyme can almost give us a clue to the source of infection in local outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Kafkas Universitesi Veteriner Fakultesi Dergisi is the property of University of Kafkas, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This correction notice is for an article titled "Studying the effect of donor kidney volume ratios to recipients' body surface area, body mass index, and total body weight on post-transplant graft function" published in the journal Abdominal Radiology. The correction addresses an error in one of the co-author's family name, which should be "Tania Dehesh" instead of "Tania Dahesh." The original article has been corrected. The publisher, Springer Nature, remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. The authors of the article are Arash Mahdavi, Amir Masoud Negarestani, Navid Masoumi, Roya Ansari, Pegah Salem, Tania Dehesh, and Ali Mahdavi. [Extracted from the article]

The objective of the present study is to examine the effect of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on reduction of methane (CH4) production in dairy and beef cattle using meta-analytic methods. After compilation of relevant scientific publications available from the literature between 1990 and 2016, and applying exclusion and inclusion criteria, meta-analyses of data from dairy and beef cattle were applied for the pooled dataset or for each animal category (dairy or beef). The results of meta-analysis of all three datasets (all cattle, dairy cattle, or beef cattle) suggested that effect size of yeast either on daily CH4 production or on CH4 production per dry matter intake (CH4/DMI) was not significant. The results of Q test and I2 statistic suggest that there is no heterogeneity between different studies on CH4 production and CH4/DMI. The results of meta-analysis suggest that use of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) as feed additive does not offer significant results in terms of reduction of CH4 production in dairy and beef cattle. Further research on the effects of different doses of yeast, use of yeast products, different strains, and experimental designs is warranted to elucidate the effects of yeasts on methane production in the rumen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to investigate the effects of soybean oil, an oilseed rich in the polyunsaturated fatty acid C18:2, on dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield (MY) and milk composition (including fatty acid profile) of dairy cows by using a meta-analysis approach. In the meta-analysis, effect size for all outcomes was reported as standardised means difference with 95% confidence intervals. Q test and I2 were calculated to detect the heterogeneity, with a meta-regression also used to investigate sources of heterogeneity. Results of the meta-analysis indicated that adding soybean oil to the diet of dairy cows decreased DMI, milk fat percentage (MFP), milk fat yield (MFY) and milk protein percentage (MPP), whilst significantly increasing MY. Unsaturated fatty acids C18:2, C18:1 trans-11 and C18:2 cis-9 trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) all significantly increased with soybean oil inclusion in the diet, whereas C18:3 was numerically higher but not significantly different. Milk composition, including MFP, MFY, MPP, short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids (C4–C20) and unsaturated fatty acids showed a significant percentage of heterogeneity. Results of the meta-regression indicated that dose of soybean oil, total fatty acids in the diet, and the concentration of C18:2 between groups receiving soybean oil and control are the most important factors affecting this heterogeneity. By performing meta-analysis and meta-regression it can be concluded that dietary supplementation of soybean oil to lactating dairy cows decreased DMI, and increased MY and the amount of unsaturated fatty acids in milk. Soybean oil dietary supplementation to dairy cows increased milk yield but reduced milk fat content. Milk fat in soybean oil dietary supplemented cows has a lower content of short-chain fatty acids, associated with de novo synthesis. Milk fat in soybean oil dietary supplemented cows has a higher content of C18:1 trans-11, C18:2 and CLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study introduces the concept of pseudo-fluid particles for modeling fluid-rigid body interaction in Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH). Such particles obey rigid body dynamics in a fully coupled framework with fluid pressure forces acting as external excitations for the object. The proposed algorithm allows treating the actual rigid body as a hollow shape composed of few layers of pseudo-fluid particles, the mass of which is introduced as an input data, rather than computed by summing up the contribution from individual particles. This decreases the computational cost by reducing the number of particles to be involved in the simulation. A modification is introduced in the discretized mass conservation equation which improves the computational accuracy when the flow is mostly dominated by hydrostatic pressure distribution. To highlight the role of this modification, a buoyant floating object is shown to properly maintain its initial equilibrium over relatively long simulation time. The efficiency of proposed model is then evaluated by reproducing the well-known Scott Russell’s wave generator in three cases, followed by the wedge water entry problem. Comparisons with available experimental measurements demonstrate reasonable agreement in predicting different aspects of generated flow field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effect of zinc supplementation on the sleep quality (SQ) of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. In a double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 54 ICU nurses were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 27) that received 220 mg zinc sulfate capsules every 72 hours for 1 month and the control group (n = 26) that received placebo. Sleep quality of ICU nurses was measured by calculating the total quality sleep score using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The serum zinc level was a secondary outcome. All measurements were calculated at both baseline and 1 month after intervention. The total PSQI, subjective SQ, and sleep latency scores for the intervention group were significantly lower than the control group, which means that the SQ of ICU nurses in the intervention group improved from baseline. The serum zinc level of the intervention group at the end of the study was significantly higher than the control group, which means that zinc supplementation improved participants’ serum zinc level. Based on these findings, the researcher suggested that zinc supplementation could be associated with better SQ, subjective SQ, and sleep latency in this group of workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We experimentally demonstrate free space excitation of coupled Anderson-localized modes in photonic crystal (PhC) line-defect waveguides (W1) with polarization tailored beams. The corresponding light beam is tightly focused on a pristine W1, and out-of-plane scattering is imaged. By integrating the scattering spectra along the guide, at the W1 modal cut-off, Anderson-localized cavities are observed due to residual W1 fabrication-disorder. Their spectral lines exhibit high quality Q factors up to 2 x 105. The incident beam polarization and scattering intensities of the localized modes characterize the efficiency of free-space coupling. The coupling is studied for linearly and radially polarized input beams and for different input coupling locations along the W1 guide. The proposed coupling scheme is particularly attractive for excitation of PhC waveguide modes and Anderson-localized cavities by beam steering and scanning microscopy for sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let f ≠= 1; 3 be a positive integer. We prove that there exists a numerical semigroup S with embedding dimension three such that f is the Frobenius number of S. We also show that the same fact holds for affine semigroups in higher dimensional monoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Pecuarias is the property of Universidad de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of intra vaginal progesterone releasing device (IVPRD), estradiol and GnRH for resynchronization on fertility of non-pregnant Holstein dairy cows. Non-pregnant cows (n = 117) were divided into three groups. The first group (n = 38) was treated with Ovsynch [GnRH, day 0; PGF2α, day 7; GnRH, day 9; timed artificial insemination (TAI), day 10]. The second group (n = 39) was treated with cue-mateestradiol benzoate (EB) (cue-mate intra vaginal insertion and first EB, day 0; PGF2α, day 7; cue-mate withdrawn and second EB, day 8; TAI, day 10). The third group (n = 40) was treated with PG (PGF2α, day 0; AI after heat expression). The trial was conducted from September 2014 to March 2015. Milk sampling was done for each cow 14, 21 and 24 days after resynchronized AI for analysis of progesterone concentration. Conception rate was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) with IVPRD and EB compared to with PG. In contrast, in the Ovsynch and cue-mate-EB treatment groups, return to estrus tended to be higher than in the PG group (P = 0.05). In conclusion, the reproductive performance in the PG group was better than in the cue-mate-EB group, but was similar to that in the Ovsynch group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of the distribution of quantitative variables in a forest stand is of great interest to forest managers, for the evaluation of forest resources and scheduling of future silvicultural treatments. The aim of this research was to model the distribution of quantitative variables for Quercus persica in open forests in Iran. To investigate the probability distribution of trees in natural stands, 642 trees were selected for measurement using a systematic random sampling method. Selected trees were measured and data were analyzed. Gamma, beta, normal, lognormal, exponential and Weibull probability distributions were fitted to the height distribution of trees. Variables of distribution functions were estimated using the maximum likelihood estimation method. Actual probability and probability which derived from functions was compared using Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Anderson-Darling tests. Beta, Weibull and Weibull probability distributions explained the distributions of tree height, DBH and crown area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medulloblastoma is one of the common posterior fossa tumors in children. The natural history of this tumor in presymptomatic period is not well known. Widespread use of brain imaging has increased the detection of incidental brain tumors in totally asymptomatic persons. Here, we report a case of a 4-year-old boy with prenatal diagnosis of congenital brain abnormalities and neurofibromatosis type I. He underwent regular brain imaging to follow interhemispheric arachnoid cyst and ventriculomegaly that a posterior fossa tumor was discovered. The tumor size increased during time and became symptomatic after 28 months which was resected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]