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Carcass attributes of steers were examined for influences of selection for residual feed intake (RFI), and exposure to different levels of prenatal nutrition. Heifers characterized for RFI corrected for backfat were mated to bulls with genetic potential for either High-RFI or Low-RFI, such that the progeny were expected to be H/H or L/L RFI (sire/dam). Pregnant heifers were assigned to a low diet (Ldiet; 0.40 kg/d ADG), or moderate diet (Mdiet; 0.57 kg/d ADG), from 30 to 150 days of gestation, after which all heifers were managed similarly. Steer offspring (n = 23) were also managed similarly until slaughter. Dressing percentage of steers from H-RFI dams/sires exposed to Ldiet during gestation was lower than all other groups (P = 0.02). Marbling was greater for steers from H-RFI parents, as was fat content of longissimus thoracis et lumborum and triceps brachii (P ≤ 0.02). Results suggest that parental selection for RFI and prenatal maternal diet can influence carcass characteristics of progeny.

Our objective was to evaluate the effects of dietary starch content, altered by partial substitution of dietary grain with wheat dried distillers grain with solubles (DDGS), on the interval from calving to first ovulation, concentrations of hormones and metabolites in plasma and follicular fluid, and granulosa cell gene expression in preovulatory follicles. Sixty lactating dairy cows were assigned to 1 of 2 diets from calving until 84d postpartum. Diets were formulated to contain either 17.3% rolled barley grain (29.2% starch) or 17.2% wheat DDGS (19.1% starch), with 43.0% barley silage and 21.6% rolled corn grain as the other major ingredients (dry matter basis). Transrectal ultrasonography was performed twice weekly to monitor ovarian dynamics from 7±2d postpartum until ovulation or until 56d in milk, whichever occurred earlier. Plasma concentrations of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were determined in all 60 cows, and that of glucose, fatty acids, and urea in a subset of 24 cows, representing those in which the first ovulation occurred spontaneously within 5 wk postpartum. Estradiol (proestrus) and progesterone (12d postovulation) in plasma were also measured. Concentrations of insulin, IGF-1, glucose, fatty acids, and urea were determined in follicular fluid (wk 9), and the expression of LH receptor, estrogen receptor β, cytochrome P450 aromatase, and plasma type glutathione peroxidase genes measured in granulosa cells obtained from the preovulatory follicles at wk 9 postpartum in the subset of 24 cows. Diets did not alter the interval from calving to first ovulation (32.3±2.5d), but a significantly lower proportion of cows on the DDGS diet (20%) ovulated multiple (≥2) follicles at the first ovulation than those on the barley grain diet (40%). The incidence of multiple ovulations tended to be lower at first insemination (10 vs. 21% for cows fed DDGS and barley grain diets, respectively). Mean plasma concentration of insulin was higher in cows fed the barley grain diet (2.5 vs 1.6 IU/mL), and a diet by time interaction was noted, with cows on the barley grain ration having higher insulin from wk 6 to 12 postpartum; however, mean plasma IGF-1 concentration did not differ between dietary groups. In the subsets, mean plasma concentrations of metabolites or estradiol and progesterone were not affected by diet, parity, or diet by parity interactions. Cows on the DDGS diet had lower concentrations of IGF-I (69 vs. 108 ng/mL) and higher fatty acids (222 vs. 149mEq/L) in the follicular fluid obtained from preovulatory follicles. Diet, parity, and diet by parity interactions did not affect the concentrations of insulin, glucose, urea, estradiol, and progesterone in follicular fluid. Diets did not alter the expression profiles of LHr, estrogen receptor β, CYP19, and GPx3 genes in granulosa cells. In summary, diets did not affect the interval from calving to first ovulation or granulosa cell gene expression. However, reducing dietary starch content by a partial replacement of dietary grain with wheat DDGS increased fatty acids in follicular fluid and reduced the concentrations of insulin in plasma, IGF-1 in follicular fluid, and the incidence of multiple ovulations.

Objetivos Medir la prevalencia de sindrome disforico premenstrual mediante encuesta heteroadministrada con los criterios diagnosticos de la Asociacion Americana de Psiquiatria presentes en el DSM-IV. Metodos Se disena un estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal, con emplazamiento en la Zona Basica de Salud de Porzuna (Ciudad Real). Ambito: Atencion Primaria de salud; medio rural. Poblacion diana: todas las mujeres de entre 18 y 50 anos de edad de la Zona Basica de Salud (948); se seleccionaron 226 por muestreo aleatorio simple, con reemplazo automatico y consecutivo de aquellas que rehusaron participar (8), no fueron localizables (21) o reunian criterios de exclusion: menopausia, gestacion, deficit mental (11), participando finalmente en el estudio 186 mujeres. A dichas mujeres se les aplico una encuesta heteroadministrada recabando informacion referente a los criterios de la APA para el diagnostico del sindrome disforico premenstrual durante el ultimo ano, asi como datos sociodemograficos, de comorbilidad y sobre tratamiento farmacologico. Resultados El 84,33% de las encuestadas presentaba algun tipo de molestia premenstrual, siendo moderada (al menos un sintoma durante todos o la mayoria de los ciclos del ultimo ano) en el 69,73% e intensa (5 o mas sintomas la mayoria de los ciclos pero sin afectar a la vida laboral, social o familiar) en el 8,11%. La prevalencia encontrada de sindrome disforico premenstrual segun criterios de la Asociacion Americana de Psiquiatria es del 6,49% (n = 12; IC 95%: 2,95-10,03%). Conclusiones La prevalencia encontrada de sindrome disforico premenstrual en nuestra poblacion concuerda con los datos publicados en estudios internacionales (2,5- 14%) y se aleja de las prevalencias publicadas en nuestro pais (20,6-28,6%) con encuestas autoadministradas.

Thirty-one patients (33 knees) with symptomatic patellofemoral osteoarthritis and minimal tibiofemoral changes underwent LCS total knee arthroplasty without patellar resurfacing. Average age was 73 years (range, 58-89 years) with a female-to-male ratio of 5:1. Average follow-up was 20 months (range, 12-40 months). All except 4 patients had grade 3 or 4 patellofemoral osteoarthritis. Preoperatively, all patients had significant knee pain. Sleep disturbance was reported in 21 patients. All but 10 patients required walking aids. Average range of motion was 108 degrees (range, 80-125 degrees ). At latest review, 21 knees were pain-free, the remaining 12 knees being described as having only occasional knee pain. Two patients continued to have night pain. Average range of motion was 104 degrees (range, 70-135 degrees ). Lateral patellar tilt improved in all but 5 knees by an average of 7 degrees (range, 1-26 degrees ). Patellar congruency improved in all but 3 knees by an average of 18% (range, 3-63%). None of the patients to date have required revision surgery. Total knee arthroplasty without patellar resurfacing is an effective option in older patients with isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis.

Between 1991 and 1995 five hundred and twenty tibial diaphyseal fractures were treated with intramedullary nailing in Northern Ireland. We retrospectively reviewed three hundred and thirty eight patients in three out of the four fracture units in Northern Ireland. Within this group there were three hundred and forty fractures and we identified twenty five episodes of implant failure. This group of patients had a higher percentage of open injuries with a higher degree of comminution and had been treated with smaller diameter nails when compared with the group of patients, who had no implant failure. Failure occurred most frequently at the transverse proximal locking screw when a single screw was used. Fractures in the distal third of the tibia had a higher incidence of nail breakage. We would recommend early elective dynamisation and the use of statically locked larger diameter nails, especially in comminuted or distal third fractures.

The objective of this study was to elucidate the effect of feeding a calf starter on the volatile fatty acid (VFA) profile in the rumen and on expression of genes involved in epithelial intracellular pH regulation, butyrate metabolism, and hepatic urea cycle during the weaning transition. Twenty Holstein bull calves were fed either milk replacer and hay (MR) or milk replacer, hay, and a commercial texturized calf starter (MR+S) in a randomized complete block design. All calves were fed 750g/d of milk replacer as the basal diet. Calves on the MR+S treatment were also fed starter ad libitum, and the energy intake of calves within blocks was maintained by supplementing the MR group with extra milk replacer that was equivalent to the energy intake from calf starter. Calves were killed 3 d after they consumed 680g/d of calf starter for 3 consecutive days. Calves fed MR+S had higher VFA concentrations in the rumen (99.1±8.1 vs. 64.6±8.6m M ) and a higher molar proportion of butyrate (15.6±1.7 vs. 7.9±1.9%) than calves fed MR. Relative abundance of mRNA for monocarboxylate transporter isoform 1 was higher (1.45 vs. 0.53), and that of Na + /H + exchanger isoform 3 (0.37 vs. 0.82) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl synthase isoform 1 (0.40 vs. 0.94) lower for the MR+S treatment compared with the MR treatment. In the liver, relative mRNA abundances of argininosuccinate synthetase isoform 1 (2.67 vs. 1.56), argininosuccinate lyase (1.44 vs. 0.99), and arginase isoform 1 (3.21 vs. 1.74) were greater for MR+S than for MR calves. Calf starter consumption appeared to increase fermentation in the rumen and affected expression of genes involved in cholesterol synthesis and intracellular pH regulation in ruminal epithelium, and those involved in urea cycle in the liver.

Reed-Muller coefficients are used to generate a test-pattern selection procedure for detecting single stuck-at faults. This procedure is based on the heuristics deduced from the way in which the spectral coefficients are affected by such faults. The changes that the spectral coefficients undergo are also compared with the fault models used most frequently to model defects in combinational circuits. The proposed pattern-generating procedure does not need a simulation of the circuit for each of the possible stuck-at faults, and its complexity is proportional to the number of gates in the circuit. The proportionality constant increases exponentially as the number of inputs in the circuit increases. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, its application to some benchmark circuits, including the ALU 74181, is presented. >

Azimuthal asymmetries in exclusive electroproduction of real photons are measured for the first time with respect to transverse target polarisation, providing new constraints on Generalized Parton Distributions. From the same data set on a hydrogen target, new results for the beam-charge asymmetry are also extracted with better precision than those previously reported. By comparing model calculations with measured asymmetries attributed to the interference between the deeply virtual Compton scattering and Bethe-Heitler processes, a model-dependent constraint is obtained on the total angular momenta carried by up and down quarks in the nucleon., 24 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables; 1 figure,3 references added, slight text change

Resistive bridges not only cause a static faulty behavior in CMOS memories, but also lead to several dynamic faulty behaviors which are timing related failures. This paper introduces a new realistic dynamic fault model for random access-memories: the delay coupling fault, which models resistive bridges in the memory array. We show that well-known march tests do not cover delay coupling faults at the memory array. To cover the delay coupling faults, a new and efficient test algorithm (DITEC+) is presented. We have performed inductive fault analysis to validate this novel algorithm and shown a significant improvement on fault coverage. Also, experiment on silicon is carried out to show the existence of such dynamic faults and their detection by implementing DITEC+.

Rapid developments in semiconductor technology have made denser semiconductors memories on a chip a reality, but the efficient testing of such devices has been recognized as a difficult problem, both economical and functionally. This paper present an optimal march test, called DITEC, to detect all fault models in random access memories. DITEC proves to be more efficient and shorter than previous march tests.

This paper introduces the idea of the delay coupling faults between the memory cells and also shows a new method to integrate a test for them within march tests. March tests do not cover delay coupling faults, moreover, the correct sensitizing operation sequences are not sufficient to cover them because of the large propagation time required to affect the content of the coupled cell. To cover the delay coupling faults, a special test based on the idea of the logic state of the memory array is presented. The new and more efficient march test, called DITEC+, proves to be efficient to cover the delay coupling faults.

Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction has a satisfactory functional outcome of up to 90%, but there are few long-term prospective studies. This prospective study presents the outcomes of ACL reconstruction in terms of laxity, function and degenerative change, after a mean follow-up of 7 years. Function was assessed using the Lysholm and Tegner Activity Scores, laxity using the Stryker Knee Laxity Tester, employing maximum manual effort, and degenerative change was assessed as joint line narrowing on standardised radiographs. At latest follow-up, the mean Lysholm score improved from 70 to 87 and the Tegner from 4 to 7 (P