Additional Gain Research Articles

High-power and ultra-wide-tunable fiber-type external-cavity diode lasers

High-power and wide-tunable fiber-type external-cavity diode lasers (FTECDLs) are of pivotal importance across various scientific and practical applications, such as polarization lidar, communication, sensing, and spectroscopy. As the output power and tuning characteristics are currently much lower than the saturation power and bandwidth of semiconductor gain media, further improvements conventionally require additional gain media in parallel and external amplifiers, resulting in lower energy efficiency and complex configurations. This study implemented energy manipulation in FTECDLs with a single gain medium, overcoming the mutual restriction between low damage threshold and laser output power. This approach makes it possible to completely exploit the intrinsic performance of the semiconductor gain medium. We demonstrated various FTECDL designs, achieving a maximum tuning range of 226.8 nm, maximum output power of 160 mW, and maximum optical signal-to-noise ratio of 86.3 dB with different configurations. These results are the highest levels ever achieved for E, S, C, L, and U bands. Additionally, the achieved polarization extinction ratio of nearly 38 dB has not been previously reported. Our work provides significant guidance for the design of traveling wave ring cavity (TWRC) lasers, including free-space light semiconductor and solid-state lasers with a TWRC.

Effect of different energy and protein levels on growth performances and carcass yields of Sonali chicken

This study evaluated how varied energy and protein levels affect the growth and carcass traits of Sonali chickens. A 63-day experiment was conducted on 400-day-old Sonali chicks that were raised straight. The chicks were split into four groups of 100 birds apiece, which were then further separated into four subgroups of 25 birds each. The treatment groups were: T1 (2900 kcal/kg ME, 20% CP for starter and 3000 kcal/kg ME, 19% CP for grower); T2 (2900 kcal/kg ME, 21% CP for starter and 3000 kcal/kg ME, 20% CP for grower); T3 (2950 kcal/kg ME, 20% CP for starter and 3050 kcal/kg ME, 19% CP for grower) and T4 (2950 kcal/kg ME, 21% CP for starter and 3050 kcal/kg ME, 20% CP for grower) group. Sonali chicks were fed on starter diets from day old to 5 weeks of age and grower diets from 6 to 9 weeks of age. Results revealed that body weight was significantly (P<0.05) higher in the group having 2950 kcal/kg ME, 21% CP for starter and 3050 kcal/kg ME, 20% CP for grower at 9th weeks of age. In addition, FCR and total body weight gain showed significantly (P<0.05) better in the high nutrition group compared to other treated groups. Dressing percentage was numerically and abdominal fat was significantly (P<0.05) higher in the group having 2950 kcal/kg ME, 21% CP for starter and 3050 kcal/kg ME, 20% CP for grower compared to other groups. However, there were no significant differences (P>0.05) in skin, head, leg, liver, heart, gizzard, breast meat, drumstick meat, wing meat and thigh bone weight in relation to body weight among different dietary groups. Furthermore, despite the higher feed costs, the high nutrition group had higher selling price and profit margins per bird than the low nutrition diet. So, taken together, it can be concluded that a diet with high energy and high protein increases body weight and body weight gain and gives better FCR. Moreover, higher nutrition diet improves dressing yield, abdominal fat percentage and profit margins than the low nutrition diet. It is suggested that provision of energy (2950 kcal/kg ME for starter and 3050 kcal/kg ME for grower) and protein (21% CP for starter and 20% CP for grower) in the diet could be a potential energy and protein level for better performances of Sonali chicken. Bangladesh Journal of Animal Science 53(3): 101-110, 2024

Dual-media laser system: Nitrogen vacancy diamond and red semiconductor laser.

Diamond is a potential host material for laser applications due to its exceptional thermal properties, ultrawide bandgap, and color centers, which promise gain across the visible spectrum. More recently, coherent laser methods offer improved sensitivity for magnetometry. However, diamond fabrication is difficult in comparison to other crystalline matrices, and many optical loss channels are not yet understood. Here, we demonstrate a continuous-wave laser threshold as a function of the pump intensity on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers. To achieve this, we constructed a laser cavity with both an NV diamond medium and an intracavity antireflection-coated diode laser. This dual-medium approach compensates intrinsic losses of the cavity by providing a fixed additional gain below threshold of the diode laser. We observe a continuous-wave laser threshold of the laser system and linewidth narrowing with increasing green pump power on the NV centers. Our results are a major development toward coherent approaches to magnetometry.

Sleep improves accuracy, but not speed, of generalized motor learning in young and older adults and in individuals with Parkinson's disease.

An essential aspect of motor learning is generalizing procedural knowledge to facilitate skill acquisition across diverse conditions. Here, we examined the development of generalized motor learning during initial practice-dependent learning, and how distinct components of learning are consolidated over longer timescales during wakefulness or sleep. In the first experiment, a group of young healthy volunteers engaged in a novel motor sequence task over 36 h in a two-arm experimental design (either morning-evening-morning, or evening-morning-evening) aimed at controlling for circadian confounders. The findings unveiled an immediate, rapid generalization of sequential learning, accompanied by an additional long-timescale performance gain. Sleep modulated accuracy, but not speed, above and beyond equivalent wake intervals. To further elucidate the role of sleep across ages and under neurodegenerative disorders, a second experiment utilized the same task in a group of early-stage, drug-naïve individuals with Parkinson's disease and in healthy individuals of comparable age. Participants with Parkinson's disease exhibited comparable performance to their healthy age-matched group with the exception of reduced performance in recalling motor sequences, revealing a disease-related cognitive shortfall. In line with the results found in young subjects, both groups exhibited improved accuracy, but not speed, following a night of sleep. This result emphasizes the role of sleep in skill acquisition and provides a potential framework for deeper investigation of the intricate relationship between sleep, aging, Parkinson's disease, and motor learning.

Erratum: Pilipenko and Samaha, "Double Dissociation of Spontaneous Alpha-Band Activity and Pupil-Linked Arousal on Additive and Multiplicative Perceptual Gain".

Erratum: Pilipenko and Samaha, "Double Dissociation of Spontaneous Alpha-Band Activity and Pupil-Linked Arousal on Additive and Multiplicative Perceptual Gain".

367 Changing the conversation: Evaluating feedyard closeouts and the beef system on a carcass basis

Abstract Beef cattle genetics, management, technologies and nutritional strategies are ever evolving, and current US trends favor feeding cattle to heavier carcass endpoints and optimizing quality grade. The average number of days on feed (DOF) in the US has increased year after year, averaging 195 and 183 DOF for steers and heifers, respectively, as reported by Elanco Benchmark data in 2021. As DOF increase, cattle live performance, including average daily gain and feed efficiency decline; however, hot carcass weight (HCW) becomes significantly heavier. Although a reduction in live feed conversion occurs as cattle are fed for extended DOF, the kilograms of additional live gain that result as kilograms of gain on the carcass, termed carcass transfer, increase linearly. As DOF are extended, carcass transfer has been reported to increase up to 88 %. As a result of genetic advancements, technologies, and feeding longer, HCW has trended heavier over the last 60 yr, with 2024 USDA HCW reported for April as 11.3 and 9.5 kg heavier for steers and heifers, respectively, year after year. According to mandatory price reporting data, approximately 74 % of fat cattle marketed in the US are sold as dressed beef. As we continue to feed to heavier endpoints and longer DOF, the profitability of selling on a carcass-basis increases. With the increase in carcass transfer as DOF extend, this presentation will attempt to address that cattle live performance should be adjusted to a carcass-basis for feedyards to appropriately capture the inflection point at which cost of additional gain equals the price received for the additional gain.

All-Optical Control of Vortex Lasing in Silicon-Organic Lattices.

This paper reports a silicon-organic hybrid lattice that can lase with vortex emission and allow all-optical control. We combine an array of amorphous silicon nanodisks with gain from dye molecules in organic solvents to generate vortex lasing from bound states in the continuum under pulsed optical pumping. Irradiating the device with an additional continuous wave green laser beam can cause optical heating in silicon and lead to negative change in the refractive index of the organic solvents; meanwhile, the green laser beam can provide additional gain. Dynamic tuning of the lasing wavelength is achieved by varying the intensity of the controlling beam. Furthermore, the vortex beam lasing can be switched to single-lobed beam lasing by moving the controlling spot to break the in-plane symmetry within the pumping spot. Our findings could shed new light on active silicon topological devices.

Performance comparison of various end-to-end learning technologies with a bandwidth-limited OWC system

Recently, end-to-end (E2E) learning methodologies have garnered significant attention as a compelling approach to attain global optimal communication within the domain of 6 G native intelligent systems. Nevertheless, a precise evaluation of the diverse E2E techniques is still lacking, leading to uncertainties regarding their applicable scenarios and effectiveness. In this paper, we present a comprehensive comparison applying three advanced E2E methods including the autoencoder-based geometric shaping (AEGS) model, comprehensive autoencoder (CAE) model, and wave-wise auto-equalization (WWAE) model in a real bandwidth-limited optical wireless communication (OWC) system. A novel attention-based comprehensive noise joint channel estimator (ACNJCE) is proposed to serve as a universal channel model adaptable to the existing E2E methods. Based on traditional carrier-less amplitude and phase modulation (CAP) modulation, AEGS, WWAE, and CAE are compared under the conditions of 2 GBaud and 3 GBaud respectively. The final results demonstrate that the CAE exhibits the capability to autonomously allocate bandwidth and achieves the highest dynamic adjustment range, which is increased by 69% compared with CAP based on neural network (NN) equalization. In contrast, AEGS has obvious advantages in terms of received optical power (ROP) gain. Based on bit-power loading discrete multi-tone modulation (DMT) modulation, WWAE can effectively compensate the signal spectrum after modulation order optimization and finally achieves the highest data rate under the condition that the −3 dB bandwidth of the channel is only close to 1 GHz. The BER of WWAE with DMT at this rate is 25.2% of that using the NN equalization. Furthermore, experimental results under turbulent conditions reveal that AEGS exhibits superior and more stable performance amidst the perturbations caused by turbulence due to its ability to achieve end-to-end autonomous optimization while integrating traditional modulation and bringing additional shaping gain. According to our knowledge, this marks the first comprehensive evaluation and comparison of existing major E2E algorithms and traditional communication algorithms in a real OWC system.

Development of insulating backfill materials produced from the ternary mixtures of red mud, fly ash and preformed foam

Many public utility lines to transport power, water, natural gas, water, sewer, and communication are placed beneath trafficable areas. However, insufficient or inadequate backfill induces sudden subsidence, damage, or pothole on the road. This study aims to develop lightweight controlled low-strength materials (CLSM) with low thermal conductivity using the ternary mixtures of red mud to replace aggregate sand, high carbon fly ash, and preformed foam. Changes in flow consistency, air void characteristics, bulk unit weight, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and thermal conductivity (k) of the tested materials with varying red mud contents were investigated as a function of the foam volume ratio (FVR). The results demonstrate that the UCS and k of tested materials decreased with increasing FVR due the decrease in unit weight, and a greater UCS but smaller k was observed at a given FVR with increasing red mud content because the inclusion of red mud in the lightweight CLSM mix design helps improve the stability of air bubbles and achieve uniform distribution of air voids. In addition, the red mud can act as a NaOH supplier, leading to the developed material had additional strength gain from the alkali activation. Thus, the developed insulating backfill material showed 43 % decrease in k while maintaining UCS similar to non-foam CLSM without red mud.

Circular RNA circESYT2 serves as a microRNA-665 sponge to promote the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through ENO2.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as crucial regulators in tumor progression, yet their specific role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, we utilized high-transcriptome sequencing to identify the upregulation of circESYT2 (hsa_circ_002142) in HCC tissues. Functional experiments carried out invivo and invitro revealed that circESYT2 played a significant role in maintaining the growth and metastatic behaviors of HCC. Through integrative analysis, we identified enolase 2 (ENO2) as a potential target regulated by circESYT2 through the competitive endogenous RNA sponge mechanism. Additional gain- or loss-of-function experiments indicated that overexpression of circESYT2 led to a tumor-promoting effect, which could be reversed by transfection of microRNA-665 (miR-665) mimic or ENO2 knockdown in HCC cells. Furthermore, the direct interaction between miR-665 and circESYT2 and between miR-665 and ENO2 was confirmed using RNA immunoprecipitation, FISH, RNA pull-down, and dual-luciferase reporter assays, highlighting the involvement of the circESYT2/miR-665/ENO2 axis in promoting HCC progression. These findings shed light on the molecular characteristics of circESYT2 in HCC tissues and suggest its potential as a biomarker or therapeutic target for HCC treatment.

Protein supplementation during mid-gestation affects maternal voluntary feed intake, performance, digestibility,and uterine blood flow of beef cows.

This study aimed to assess the impact of protein supplementation and its interaction with calf sex (CS) on the performance, metabolismand physiology of pregnant beef cows. Fifty-two multiparous Zebu beef cows carrying female (n = 22) and male (n = 30) fetuses were used. Cows were individually housed from day 100 to 200 of gestation and randomly assigned to restricted (RES, n = 26) or supplemented (SUP, n = 26) groups. The RES cows were ad libitum fed a basal diet (corn silage + sugarcane bagasse + mineral mixture), achieving 5.5% crude protein (CP), while SUP cows received the same basal diet plus a protein supplement (40% CP, at 3.5 g/kg of body weight). All cows were fed the same diet during late gestation. Differences were declared at p < 0.05. No significant interaction between maternal nutrition and calf sex was found for maternal outcomes (p ≥ 0.34). The SUP treatment increased the total dry matter (DM) intake (p ≤ 0.01) by 32% and 19% at mid- and late-gestationrespectively. The total tract digestibility of all diet components was improved by SUP treatment at day 200 of gestation (p ≤ 0.02), as well as the ruminal microbial CP production (p ≤ 0.01). The SUP treatment increased (p ≤ 0.03) the cows'body score condition, ribeye area, the average daily gain (ADG) of pregnant components (PREG; i.e., weight accretion of cows caused by pregnancy)and the ADG of maternal tissues (i.e., weight accretion discounting the gain related to gestation) in the mid-gestation. The SUP cows exhibited a lower maternal ADG (p < 0.01) compared to RES cows in late pregnancy. There was a 24% additional gain (p < 0.01) in the PREG components for SUP cows during late gestation, which in turn improved the calf birthweight (p = 0.05). The uterine arterial resistance and pulsatility indexes (p ≤ 0.01) at mid-gestation were greater for RES cows. In conclusion, protein supplementation during mid-gestation is an effective practice for improving maternal performance, growth of the gravid uterusand the offspring's birth weight.

Synergetic light and cytokinin treatments mitigate the recombinant protein yield depression induced by high-density cultivation of hydroponically-grown Nicotiana benthamiana.

Plant molecular farming is currently operating a transition from soil-based cultures towardhydroponic systems. In this study, we designed a whole-plant NFT (nutrient film technique) platform for the transient expression of influenza virus-like particles harboring hemagglutinin H1 proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana. In particular, we examined the effects of plant density during the post-infiltration expression phase on plant growth and H1 yield in relation to the daily light integral (DLI) received by the crop and the exogenous application of 6-BAP cytokinin (CK). We expected from previous work that high DLI and CK treatments would stimulate the development of highly productive leaves on axillary (secondary) stems and thereby improve the H1 yield at the whole-plant scale. Increasing plant density from 35.7 to 61 plants m-2 during the post-infiltration phase significantly decreased the proportion of axillary leaf biomass by 30% and H1 yield per plant by 39%, resulting in no additional yield gain on a whole-crop area basis. Adding CK to the recirculated nutrient solution decreased the harvested leaf biomass by 31% and did not enhance the relative proportion of S leaves of the plants as previously reported with foliar CK application. There was a 36% increase in H1 yield when doubling the DLI from 14 to 28 mol m-2 s-1, and up to 71% yield gain when combining such an increase in DLI with the hydroponic CK treatment. Contrary to our expectations, leaves located on the main stem, particularly those from the upper half of the plant (i.e.,eighth leaf and above), contributed about 80% of total H1 yield. Our study highlights the significantly different phenotype (~30% less secondary leaf biomass) and divergent responses to light and CK treatments of NFT-grown N. benthamiana plants compared to previous studies conducted on potted plants.

Effectiveness of integrated use of non-conventional additives in the feeding of young cattle

It is known that eff ective feed additives include pine fl our, zeolites and mineral salts. The purpose of the work was to investigate the eff ectiveness of the integrated inclusion of local non-conventional feed additives in the rations of young cattle of Simmental breed under the conditions of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Scientifi c and production evaluation of the results obtained was carried out under the conditions of the Lonkur peasant farm in the Suntar district of Western Yakutia. The scientifi c and production experiment was carried out in accordance with generally accepted methodological recommendations in the fi eld of feeding of farm animals. It was found during the experiment that the integrated inclusion of non- conventional feed additives in the rations of young cattle of Simmental breed contributed to an increase in the weight growth rate of animals in the experimental group to 610 g/day (versus 560 g/day in the control group). As a result, the live weight of the animals in the experimental group was 386.8 kg, and in the control group it was 375.7 kg or the absolute gain in live weight was 128.1 and 117.6 kg, respectively, for the groups. Due to the additional gain in live weight in the experimental group (525 kg), an economic eff ect was obtained in it, which amounted to 152.25 thousand rubles or 14.5 rubles per day for 1 head. It was found as a result of experiment that in the experimental group the level of profitability was 8.21 %, while in the control group it was only 1.77 %. We note that scientific and production testing confirmed the trend that we had previously established in scientific and economic experiments. Thus, the research base was updated in terms of economic indicators with the use of experimental non-conventional feed additives when rearing of young cattle, which shows the promise and practical feasibility of their use under the conditions of Western Yakutia.

Multimodal training with dual-task enhances immediate and retained effects on dual-task effects of gait speed not by cognitive-motor trade-offs in stroke survivors: a randomized controlled trial

Purpose Individuals who have experienced stroke may benefit from dual-task related training to improve gait speed performance. Whether noted improvements reflect true effects on gait or cognitive-motor trade-offs still remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of dual-task training on dual-task effects of both walking and cognitive domains in stroke survivors. Materials and methods Forty-four individuals with stroke were randomized to dual-task or single-task training groups. Both groups exercised three 60-minute sessions per week for 4 weeks. The primary outcomes were dual-task effects on gait speed and cognitive score. Outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention and 1-month follow-up. Results While both groups exhibited improvement in absolute gait speed under dual-task conditions, the dual-task training group demonstrated superior results by providing an additional gain on dual-task effects of gait speed. Compared to single-task training, dual-task training exhibited a significant improvement in dual-task effects of gait speed at post-treatment and follow-up. Regarding the dual-task effects on cognitive scores, no significant differences within and between groups after training were observed. Conclusion Dual-task training enhances immediate and retained effects on the dual-task effects of gait speed in individuals with stroke, not by cognitive-motor trade-offs. Trial registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02686515

Clinical consequences of computer-aided colorectal polyp detection

Background and aimRandomised trials show improved polyp detection with computer-aided detection (CADe), mostly of small lesions. However, operator and selection bias may affect CADe’s true benefit. Clinical outcomes of increased...

Differential Responses of Soil Microbial and Carbon‐Nitrogen Processes to Future Environmental Changes Across Soil Depths and Environmental Factors

AbstractAccurately predicting carbon‐climate feedbacks relies on understanding the environmental factors regulating soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and dynamics. Here, we employed a microbial ecological model (MEND), driven by downscaled output data from six Earth system models under two Shared Socio‐economic Pathways (SSP1‐2.6 and SSP5‐8.5) scenarios, to simulate long‐term soil biogeochemical processes. We aim to analyze the responses of soil microbial and carbon‐nitrogen (C‐N) processes to changes in environmental factors, including litter input (L), soil moisture (W) and temperature (T), and soil pH, in a broadleaf forest (BF) and a pine forest (PF). For the entire soil layer in both forests, we found that, compared to the baseline period of 2009–2020, the mean SOC during 2081–2100 increased by 40.9%–90.6% under the L or T change scenarios, versus 5.2%–31.0% under the W change scenario. However, soil moisture emerged as a key regulator of SOC, MBC and inorganic N dynamics in the topsoil of BF and PF. For example, W change led to SOC gain of 5.5%–37.2%, compared to the SOC loss of 15.5%–18.0% under L or T scenario. Additionally, a further reduction in soil pH by 0.2 units in the BF, representing the acid rain effect, significantly resulted in an additional SOC gain by 14.2%–21.3%, compared to the LTW (simultaneous changes in the three factors) scenario. These results indicate that the results derived solely from topsoil may not be extrapolated to the entire soil profile. Overall, this study significantly advances our comprehension of how different environmental factors impact the dynamics of SOC and the implications they have for climate change.

Comparative Evaluation of Microhardness and Solubility of Different Combinations of Antibiotic Powders Added to Glass Ionomer Cement: An In Vitro Study.

The imbalance between remineralization and demineralization leads to the formation of secondary caries. Fluoride-releasing ability has been the characteristic property of glass ionomer cement (GIC), but it is uncertain if this property alone will be sufficient for the cessation of the growth of the organisms. Therefore, a restorative material with additional bacteriostatic properties needs to be introduced. To evaluate the microhardness and solubility of the conventional GIC after adding different combinations of antibiotic powders. In this study, the three groups were conventional GIC (group I), GIC + metronidazole + ciprofloxacin (group II), and GIC + metronidazole + amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (group III). The concentration of the double antibiotic combination was maintained at 1.5% w/w. The antibiotic powders were added to the GIC and evaluated for microhardness and solubility of the specimens. The mean microhardness level of group II was the highest, which was statistically significant using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a p-value of 0.022. The comparison of each group's solubility in different solutions was not statistically significant. Along with the conventional properties of GIC, an additional therapeutic gain can also be obtained by incorporating various combinations of antibiotics, thereby arresting the progression of caries at the site of infection itself. This new approach shall help in community health programs, where treatment of a large population needs to be done within a short span of time and arrest the progression of caries activity in deep caries. Benson TL, Sogi S, Jain M, et al. Comparative Evaluation of Microhardness and Solubility of Different Combinations of Antibiotic Powders Added to Glass Ionomer Cement: An In Vitro Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(6):619-624.

Superhigh gain InGaN/GaN visible-light photodetector using polarization heterointerface barrier and single-carrier superlattices

Visible-light detection with high sensitivity and strong wavelength selectivity is highly desired in emerging applications. Here, we demonstrate a high-performance visible-light photodetector with an active region composed of a polarization induced barrier and single-carrier superlattices (SCSLs). The barrier at SCSLs/GaN heterointerface brings both a low dark current and a high gain originating from the photoinduced barrier reduction effect. Meanwhile, the designed InGaN/GaN SCSLs allow the photoelectrons in the quantum wells to escape, but photogenerated holes are weakly localized, thus generating the additional photoconductive gain. The resulting devices exhibited a super-high gain of 7.8 × 104, a large detectivity of 1.2 × 1016 jones, and a relatively fast response speed with rise/falling time of 2.5/89.6 ns. Also, a 400/500-nm rejection ratio greater than 3 × 105 was shown at 1 V, indicating excellent wavelength selectivity.

Transfer with microbiota from lean donors prevents excessive weight gain and restores gut-brain vagal signaling in obese rats maintained on a high fat diet.

The collection of microorganisms, mainly bacteria, which live in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are collectible known as the gut microbiota. GI bacteria play an active role in regulation of the host's immune system and metabolism, as well as certain pathophysiological processes. Diet is the main factor modulating GI microbiota composition and recent studies have shown that high fat (HF) diets induce detrimental changes, known as dysbiosis, in the GI bacterial makeup. HF diet induced microbiota dysbiosis has been associated with structural and functional changes in gut-brain vagally mediated signaling system, associated with overeating and obesity. Although HF-driven changes in microbiota composition are sufficient to alter vagal signaling, it is unknown if restoring normal microbiota in obesity can improve gut-brain signaling and metabolic outcomes. In this study, we evaluated the effect of lean gut microbiota transfer in obese, vagally compromised, rats on gut-brain communication, food intake, and body weight. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were maintained on regular chow, or 45% HF diet for nine weeks followed by three weeks of microbiota depletion using an antibiotic cocktail. The animals were then divided into four groups (n=10 each): LF - control group on regular chow, LF-LF - chow fed animals that received antibiotics and microbiota from chow fed animals, HF-LF - HF fed animals that received microbiota from chow fed animals, and HF-HF - HF fed animals that received microbiota from HF fed animals. Animals were gavaged with donor microbiota for three consecutive days on week one and once a week thereafter for three more weeks. HF-LF animals received inulin as a prebiotic to aid the establishment of the lean microbiome. We found that transferring a LF microbiota to HF fed animals (HF-LF) reduced caloric intake during the light phase when compared with HF-HF rats and prevented additional excessive weight gain. We did not observe significant changes in the density of vagal afferents terminating in the brainstem among the groups, however, HF-LF animals displayed an increase in postprandial activation of both primary sensory neurons innervating the GI tract and brainstem secondary neurons. We concluded from these data that normalizing microbiota composition in obese rats improves gut-brain communication and restores normal feeding patterns which was associated with a reduction in weight gain.

Growth and adaptability of provenances and progenies of Pinus maximinoi H.E.Moore in northern Mozambique

The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth and adaptability of Pinus maximinoi provenances and progenies and to estimate the genetic variation that could be exploited in feature improvement (e.g. breeding studies). Data from this study are from a 12-year P. maximinoi trial established by the Florestas do Niassa Lda, (an afforestation company), with four provenances and nineteen progenies, in the Chimbonila district, northern Mozambique. The field trial was set up in a randomised block design with four repetitions and six plant linear plots. At two, four and eight years of age, performance in total height, diameter at breast height (DBH) and survival were analysed. The results at eight years of age showed no significant variation between provenances for all variables analysed. Our selection criteria detected 45% of the best performing progenies mostly from Yuscaran and San Jeronimo. Most of the nine progenies classified as best, based on predicted additive genetic effect and genetic gain, belonged to Yuscaran and Tatumbla. On the other hand, most of the progenies at the level of the 17 best-classified individuals were from San Jeronimo, which we suggest can be used for future breeding projects in northern Mozambique.