scholarly journals Basic principles of nuclear techniques and applications in livestock production

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-139
Author(s):  
P. I. Rekwot ◽  
V. O. Sekoni ◽  
S. P. Mallam ◽  
E. K. Bawa ◽  
Y. U. Abubakar ◽  
...  

It is known. that many of the advances which have been made in improving the feeding, fertility and health of livestock in developed countries would not have been possible without nuclear tech-niques. Nuclear techniques have been used by scientists to study and understand those biological processes which are responsible for growth, reproduction and disease resistance in animals. Tracer tech-niques based on isotopes have been used for tagging feed constituents, amino acids and other metabolites, whereby their fate .can be fol-lowed within the digestive system and other parts of the body. This forms an integral part of the armoury used by animal nutritionists to establish the nutri-tional value of all the materials potentially available to feed animals. The development and use of highly sensi­tive immunoassay methods, to measure the minute quantities. of reproductive hormones in the blood enables us to determine when. animals are ready- for breeding, check whether animals have been inseminated at the correct time, diagnose pregnancy early enough, and devise corrective measures for reproductive disorders and improve the efficiency of artificial insemination and embryo transfer programmes. Radioisotopic methods have been used to study the immune system. to examine infec­tious agents and how they Stimulate this system, and to develop specific and sensitive methods for development of veterinary vaccines and diagnostic tests.

Author(s):  
Joanna D. Haigh ◽  
Peter Cargill

This concluding chapter talks about how the Earth's climate is fundamental to the well-being of humanity, and any factor with the potential to affect that is obviously of concern. Thus, an understandable interest in the body that provides the energy for all life on Earth has driven a long history of study of how changes in the Sun might influence the climate. The wealth of physical, chemical, and biological processes involved also makes the topic of intrinsic scientific fascination. Observations of the Sun, alongside theoretical advances and developments in models, are helping to further understanding of its behavior. In particular, significant advances have been made in determining how different activity indicators relate to the physical processes involved in the evolution of the solar magnetic field, sunspots, and radiation over the 11-year cycle.


1976 ◽  
Vol 15 (02) ◽  
pp. 69-74
Author(s):  
M. Goldberg ◽  
B. Doyon

This paper describes a general data base management package, devoted to medical applications. SARI is a user-oriented system, able to take into account applications very different by their nature, structure, size, operating procedures and general objectives, without any specific programming. It can be used in conversational mode by users with no previous knowledge of computers, such as physicians or medical clerks.As medical data are often personal data, the privacy problem is emphasized and a satisfactory solution implemented in SARI.The basic principles of the data base and program organization are described ; specific efforts have been made in order to increase compactness and to make maintenance easy.Several medical applications are now operational with SARI. The next steps will mainly consist in the implementation of highly sophisticated functions.


Author(s):  
Robert Laumbach ◽  
Michael Gochfeld

This chapter describes the basic principles of toxicology and their application to occupational and environmental health. Topics covered include pathways that toxic substances may take from sources in the environment to molecular targets in the cells of the body where toxic effects occur. These pathways include routes of exposure, absorption into the body, distribution to organs and tissues, metabolism, storage, and excretion. The various types of toxicological endpoints are discussed, along with the concepts of dose-response relationships, threshold doses, and the basis of interindividual differences and interspecies differences in response to exposure to toxic substances. The diversity of cellular and molecular mechanisms of toxicity, including enzyme induction and inhibition, oxidative stress, mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, and teratogenesis, are discussed and the chapter concludes with examples of practical applications in clinical evaluation and in toxicity testing.


Author(s):  
Nora Goldschmidt ◽  
Barbara Graziosi

The Introduction sheds light on the reception of classical poetry by focusing on the materiality of the poets’ bodies and their tombs. It outlines four sets of issues, or commonplaces, that govern the organization of the entire volume. The first concerns the opposition between literature and material culture, the life of the mind vs the apprehensions of the body—which fails to acknowledge that poetry emerges from and is attended to by the mortal body. The second concerns the religious significance of the tomb and its location in a mythical landscape which is shaped, in part, by poetry. The third investigates the literary graveyard as a place where poets’ bodies and poetic corpora are collected. Finally, the alleged ‘tomb of Virgil’ provides a specific site where the major claims made in this volume can be most easily be tested.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Severino Bonadio ◽  
Larissa Barbosa Nunes ◽  
Patricia Natália S. Moretti ◽  
Juliana Forte Mazzeu ◽  
Stefano Cagnin ◽  
...  

AbstractMost biological features that occur on the body after death were already deciphered by traditional medicine. However, the molecular mechanisms triggered in the cellular microenvironment are not fully comprehended yet. Previous studies reported gene expression alterations in the post-mortem condition, but little is known about how the environment could influence RNA degradation and transcriptional regulation. In this work, we analysed the transcriptome of mouse brain after death under three concealment simulations (air exposed, buried, and submerged). Our analyses identified 2,103 genes differentially expressed in all tested groups 48 h after death. Moreover, we identified 111 commonly upregulated and 497 commonly downregulated genes in mice from the concealment simulations. The gene functions shared by the individuals from the tested environments were associated with RNA homeostasis, inflammation, developmental processes, cell communication, cell proliferation, and lipid metabolism. Regarding the altered biological processes, we identified that the macroautophagy process was enriched in the upregulated genes and lipid metabolism was enriched in the downregulated genes. On the other hand, we also described a list of biomarkers associated with the submerged and buried groups, indicating that these environments can influence the post-mortem RNA abundance in its particular way.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktória Mozgai ◽  
Bernadett Bajnóczi ◽  
Zoltán May ◽  
Zsolt Mráv

AbstractThis study details the non-destructive chemical analysis of composite silver objects (ewers, situlas, amphora and casket) from one of the most significant late Roman finds, the Seuso Treasure. The Seuso Treasure consists of fourteen large silver vessels that were made in the fourth–early fifth centuries AD and used for dining during festive banquets and for washing and beautification. The measurements were systematically performed along a pre-designed grid at several points using handheld X-ray fluorescence analysis. The results demonstrate that all the objects were made from high-quality silver (above 90 wt% Ag), with the exception of the base of the Geometric Ewer B. Copper was added intentionally to improve the mechanical properties of soft silver. The gold and lead content of the objects shows constant values (less than 1 wt% Au and Pb). The chemical composition as well as the Bi/Pb ratio suggests that the parts of the composite objects were manufactured from different silver ingots. The ewers were constructed in two ways: (i) the base and the body were made separately, or (ii) the ewer was raised from a single silver sheet. The composite objects were assembled using three methods: (i) mechanical attachment; (ii) low-temperature, lead-tin soft solders; or (iii) high-temperature, copper-silver hard solders. Additionally, two types of gilding were revealed by the XRF analysis, one with remnants of mercury, i.e. fire-gilding, and another type without remnants of mercury, presumably diffusion bonding.


1939 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Fenwick

Numerous attempts have been made in the past to induce the eggs of Ascaris suum to hatch outside the body of the host. Extra-corporeal hatching has been observed under a variety of conditions by different workers. Kondo (1920, 1922), Asada (1921) and others record hatching in water, charcoal and sand cultures. Wharton (1915) states that hatching will occur in alkaline digestive juices, while Martin (1913) records a similar phenomenon in pancreatic fluid. Many different explanations have been offered to explain this hatching. Wharton suggested that the interaction of algae and sand might have some effect. Ohba (1923), who found that hatching would occur in 0·2% hydrochloric acid and 0·2% sodium carbonate believed that extra-corporeal hatching was limited to very old cultures of eggs. Many workers are of the opinion that some stimulus normally present in the digestive tract is necessary for hatching.


1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Alikhan

Tbe circulatory system, lying in the mid-dorsal line of the body, consists of an oval heart, the opthalmic artery, and a dorsal abdominal artery.The digestive system comprises a wide, large alimentary tube and two pairs of digestive glands. An oesophagus, a proventriculus, midgut, and a short proctodacum or hindgut form the digestive tube. The digestive glands are very well developed and are beaded in form; each pair lies on either side of the alimentary canal.The reproductive organs are well developed in both sexes: in the male they consist of paired testes and their vas deferentia, and in the female paired bilobed ovaries and oviducts.A cerebral or supraoesophageal ganglion, a suboesophageal ganglion, and seven thoracic ganglia form the nervous system. The supraoesophageal ganglion is united with the suboesophageal ganglion by means of the circumoesophageal commissures, whereas the thoracic ganglia and suboesophageal ganglia are linked with each other by paired connectives.The gills and the tracheae are the organs of respiration. The gills are borne of the bases of the pleopods and are enclosed in the branchial chamber. The tracheae are located on the lateral lobes of the first two pleopods only.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Suwaree Ashton ◽  
Noel Scott

Purpose This paper aims to investigate Thai stakeholders’ perceptions of developing a destination for international retirement migration (IRM). Increasingly, residents of developed nations such as Japan who retire from work are choosing to live in Thailand or other less-developed countries. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative approach was used, and data were collected through focus groups and in-depth interviews in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Content analysis technique was used to analyze data after completing the interviews of 35 industry participants. Findings It was found from the participants that considerable new real estate development and services specifically for these retirees has been created in recent years, but that there is a lack of stakeholder collaboration in catering to this market. Moreover, local resident knowledge of the retirees’ culture and language is lacking, along with a need for policy and planning support from government. Research limitations/implications A limitation of this study is that it explored only the perception of business stakeholders involved with Japanese IRM, a group of importance to the Thai Government due to their increasing numbers. Further study could look at local community attitudes toward IRM and how a community adapts to this new phenomenon. Practical implications This study provides guidelines for stakeholders, government and local communities. Especially, the role of government is to provide support with clear information about the visa process and legal documents. Originality/value This study contributes to the body of knowledge of destination development strategy for a specific international retirement tourist group.


Author(s):  
Herlinde Dumez ◽  
Gunther Guetens ◽  
Gert De Boeck ◽  
Martin S. Highley ◽  
Robert A. A. Maes ◽  
...  

AbstractTherapeutic drug monitoring generally focuses on the plasma compartment only. Differentiation between the total plasma concentration and the free fraction (plasma water) has been described for a number of limited drugs. Besides the plasma compartment, blood has also a cellular fraction which has by far the largest theoretical surface and volume for drug transport. It is with anti-cancer drugs that major progress has been made in the study of partition between the largest cellular blood compartment, i.e., erythrocytes, and the plasma compartment. The aim of the present review is to detail the progress made in predicting what a drug does in the body, i.e., pharmacodynamics including toxicity and plasma and/or red blood cell concentration monitoring. Furthermore, techniques generally used in anti-cancer drug monitoring are highlighted. Data for complex Bayesian statistical approaches and population kinetics studies are beyond the scope of this review, since this is generally limited to the plasma compartment only.


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