ABSTRACT The study aimed to investigate the effect of methionine deficiency on conventional nutrient composition, NO and NOS activity in the liver and kidney, and expression of genes related to the NF-κB signal pathway. One hundred 1-day-old broilers were divided into control and methionine deficiency group, and provided with a standard diet. The methionine-deficient group was fed with a methionine-deficient diet for 42 days. Moisture content, protein content, and crude lipid content were determined by freeze drying, the Kjeldahl method, and the ether extraction method. The concentration of NO was measured using the nitrate reductase method, and the activity of NOS was measured using colorimetry. mRNA expression of related genes in the NF-κB signal pathway was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed the contents of crude protein and crude lipid in the liver and kidney of the methionine-deficient group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.05 or p<0.01). There was no significant change in dry matter (p>0.05). Methionine deficiency resulted in significantly increased NO concentration and total nitric oxide synthase (TNOS) activities in the liver and kidney (p<0.01). In contrast, cNOS and inducible iNOS activities significantly decreased (p<0.01). The expression of NF-κB, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1, and IL-6 mRNA, which are related to the NF-κB signal pathway of the methionine-deficient group, were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.05 or p<0.01). It is concluded that long-term feeding diets lacking methionine will lead to changes in nutrient composition and inflammatory injury of the liver and kidney. NFκB NF κB 1dayold dayold 1 day old methioninedeficient deficient 4 days drying method colorimetry transcriptionpolymerase transcription polymerase RTPCR. RTPCR RT PCR . (RT-PCR) p<0.05 p005 p 0 05 (p<0.0 p<0.01. p001 p<0.01 01 p<0.01) p>0.05. p>0.05 (p>0.05) TNOS (TNOS (p<0.01) contrast NFκB, κB, TNFα, TNFα TNF α, α TNF-α IFNγ, IFNγ IFN γ, γ IFN-γ IL1, IL1 IL 1, IL-1 IL6 6 IL- longterm long term (RT-PCR p<0.0 p00 (p<0. p>0.0 (p>0.05 (p<0.01 p<0. p0 (p<0 p>0. (p>0.0 p<0 (p< p>0 (p>0. p< (p p> (p>0 (p>

Slope instability is one of the major concerns in open pit mining. A significant collapse of the pit wall can result in injuries or fatalities, damage to mining equipment, interruptions to production, and potential loss of reserves. Properly interpreted microseismic data can be used to augment surface monitoring systems in identifying potential instability and the associated failure mode. A challenge for this microseismic application is that many seismic events associated with slope movements are weak and they hardly trigger a microseismic monitoring system that is set up to record an event in a trigger mode. A research project carried out at an open pit mine in Australia used both trigger mode and continuous mode to record microseismic events. The preliminary results have shown that the weak events are equally important as the strong seismic events for slope stability assessment, and they should not be ignored in microseismic monitoring for open pit mining.

Supplementation of vitamin E improves beef colour stability by minimizing lipid oxidation-induced myoglobin oxidation. Mitochondria affect myoglobin redox stability, and dietary vitamin E influences mitochondrial functionality in skeletal muscles. Nonetheless, the influence of vitamin E on the mitochondrial proteome of beef skeletal muscles has yet to be investigated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effect of dietary vitamin E on mitochondrial proteome of post-mortem beef longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle. Beef LL muscle samples (24 hours post-mortem) were obtained from the carcasses of nine (n = 9) vitamin E-fed (VITE) (1000 IU vitamin E for 89 days) and nine (n = 9) control (CONT) (diet without supplemental vitamin E) heifers. The mitochondrial proteome was analysed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, and nine differentially abundant spots were identified. All the differentially abundant spots were over-abundant in CONT, and the proteins were electron transport chain enzymes (NADH dehydrogenase iron-sulphur protein 8, NADH dehydrogenase flavoprotein 2, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 5B), metabolic enzymes (succinate-CoA ligase (ADP-forming) subunit beta; dihydrolipoyllysine-residue succinyltransferase component of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex; pyruvate dehydrogenase protein X component), and enzymes involved in ATP regeneration (creatine kinase S-type). The low abundance of these proteins in VITE may decrease mitochondrial activity, resulting in low oxidative activity. These findings suggest that the strong antioxidant activity of vitamin E leads to less expression of mitochondrial oxidative enzymes in beef skeletal muscles.

Ractopamine is a beta-adrenergic agonist that increases leanness and carcass weight in finishing pigs. Our previous study observed that dietary ractopamine increased the abundance of several glycolytic enzymes in the sarcoplasmic proteome of post-rigor pork longissimus thoracis muscle. Pork semimembranosus is an economically important muscle and demonstrates differences in biochemistry compared with longissimus thoracis. Nonetheless, the effects of ractopamine on sarcoplasmic proteome of semimembranosus have not been evaluated yet. Therefore, this study examined the influence of ractopamine on sarcoplasmic proteome of post-rigor pork semimembranosus. Analyses of sarcoplasmic proteome of semimembranosus muscles from control (CON; diet without ractopamine) and ractopamine-fed (RAC; 7.4 mg/kg for 14 days followed by 10.0 mg/kg for 14 days) barrows revealed that haemoglobin subunit beta, alpha-crystallin B, and titin fragments were over-abundant in CON. In contrast, myosin light chain 1/3 and tripartite motif-containing protein 72 were over-abundant in RAC. The low abundance of haemoglobin subunit beta and alpha crystallin B in RAC could be attributed to fibre type shift (from oxidative to glycolytic) in response to ractopamine. The over-abundance of MLC 1/3 and tripartite motif-containing protein 72 in RAC could be due to the increased myofibrillar protein synthesis and muscle mass in ractopamine-fed pigs. Dietary ractopamine decreased the abundance of sarcoplasmic proteins involved in oxygen transport and chaperone activity, but increased the abundance of proteins involved in muscle contraction and plasma membrane repair in pork semimembranosus muscle.

Contact force (CF) sensing technology allows real-time monitoring during catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the effect of CF sensing technology on procedural parameters and clinical outcomes still needs clarification. Because of the inconsistent results thus far in this area, we performed a meta-analysis to determine whether CF sensing technology can improve procedural parameters and clinical outcomes for the treatment of AF. Studies examining the benefits of CF sensing technology were identified in English-language articles by searching the MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases (inception to May 2015). Ten randomized, controlled trials involving 1834 patients (1263 males, 571 females) were included in the meta-analysis (681 in the CF group, 1153 in the control group). Overall, the ablation time was significantly decreased by 7.34 min (95%CI=-12.21 to -2.46; P=0.003, Z test) in the CF group compared with the control group. CF sensing technology was associated with significantly improved freedom from AF after 12 months (OR=1.55, 95%CI=1.20 to 1.99; P=0.0007) and complications were significantly lower in the CF group than in the control group (OR=0.50, 95%CI=0.29 to 0.87; P=0.01). However, fluoroscopy time analysis showed no significantly decreased trend associated with CF-guided catheter ablation (weighted mean difference: -2.59; 95%CI=-9.06 to 3.88; P=0.43). The present meta-analysis shows improvement in ablation time and freedom from AF after 12 months in AF patients treated with CF-guided catheter ablation. However, CF-guided catheter ablation does not decrease fluoroscopy time.

The cosmic ray flux (CRF) and 10.7 cm flux (F10.7) are studied for solar cycles 19-23. The cross-correlations show longer time-dependence at odd than at even cycles. A shift of the maximum at the histograms of CRF¹ /F10.7¹ (the ratios of normalized values), does not depend on the polarity of the cycle. The behavior of CRF¹ vs F10.7¹ differs for odd and even cycles and also for different cycle phases. We fitted an inverted CRF¹ profile to the F10.7¹ profile with a linear function. The F10.7¹/CRFinv histogram differs for odd and even cycles. The results for sunspot number (SSN) are similar to F10.7 but differ for the F10.7¹ /CRFinv histograms. Summarizing, besides the differences between odd and even cycles, there occur variations at different phases of the cycles and also variations independent of the polarity of the cycle, the latter perhaps arising outside the heliosphere.

Estudiamos los flujos de rayos cósmicos (CRF) y de 10.7 cm (F10.7) para los ciclos solares 19-23. La correlación cruzada indica dependencia más prolongada en ciclos impares que en pares. El movimiento del máximo en los histogramas CRF¹/F10.7¹ (los cocientes de los valores normalizados), no depende de la polaridad del ciclo. El comportamiento de CRF¹ vs F10.7¹, difiere entre ciclos pares e impares y también en diferentes fases del ciclo. Ajustamos un perfil CRF¹ invertido (CRFinv) a F10.7¹ con una función lineal. El histograma F10.7¹/CRFinv difiere para ciclos pares e impares. Los resultados para el número de manchas solares (SSN) son similares a los de F10.7 pero no para los histogramas F10.7¹/SSNinv. Resumiendo, hay diferencias entre ciclos pares e impares, también en las fases de los ciclos y otras independientes de la polaridad del ciclo; estas últimas tal vez se originan fuera de la heliosfera.