Protein quality studies on rats fed on cassava-root meal enriched with Cephalosporium eichhorniae 152 or with conventional plant-protein supplements

Using rats, the protein content and quality of an enriched cassava-root meal (CRM) biomass, produced by growing Cephalosporium eichhorniae 152 on a CRM medium in a submerged fermentation, was compared with that of soya-bean meal (SBM) and cotton-seed cake (CSC) in rats. The contents of crude protein of these feeds were 38.8, 52.0 and 42.3% on DM basis, respectively, and there were differences in their amino acid composition. The nitrogen digestibility of the enriched CRM-biomass and of CSC was lower than that of SBM. The biological value of the enriched CRM-biomass was equal to that of CSC, but lower than that of SBM. Net protein-utilization estimates for the enriched CRM-biomass and for CSC were similar, whereas that for SEM was greater. Enriching CRM by C. eichhorniae 152 seems to be a way of increasing protein supply for livestock production.     

Semantic and prosodic effects of Dutch linking elements

The studies presented here investigate the contribution of linking -en- and rhythm to a compound’s conceptual plurality. Participants were asked to estimate the conceptual plurality of the modifier constituents of Dutch compounds. In the first study, pseudo-compounds (compounds composed of pseudo-words, burb+en+tijpis) and novel compounds (novel combinations of existing nouns, aap+en+leraar, ‘monkey teacher’) with linking -en- were investigated. In study two, we examined written existing compounds that occur with and without -en- (bloem+bak or bloem+en+bak, ‘flower box’) and present a stress clash or not at the constituent boundaries. Finally, study three investigated the same question as study two for spoken existing compounds. The results reveal that existing compounds written or spoken with linking -en- are considered to bear more plural meaning than the ones without linking element. Furthermore, an effect of rhythm on plurality was observed in pseudo-compounds and in spoken existing compounds. When these compounds contain linking -en- to prevent a stress clash, they are considered to bear less plural meaning than those with linking -en- in a neutral context. These studies demonstrate that rhythm can affect the interpretation of linking elements. The fact that we only find a rhythmic effect in pseudo-compounds and spoken existing compounds but not in written existing compounds is explained in terms of processing.     

Une stratégie combinée coroscanner-scintigraphie myocardique peut permettre de réduire avec sécurité le recours à la coronarographie chez les patients ayant un résultat équivoque à l’un des tests

ObjectivesCT-coronary angiography (CTCA) and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) have both high negative predictive values in detecting coronary artery disease (CAD) but suboptimal predictive positive values, leading to unnecessary invasive coronary angiography (ICA) in case of equivocal findings. Combining these two tests may obviate their inherent limitations.Patients and methodsSixty-seven patients at mostly intermediate risk of CAD were subjected to either CTCA (45 patients) or MPS (22 patients) at first test, followed by the second test because of equivocal results of the first test. A discordant defect between the two tests was considered as false positive, hence likely to exclude CAD, and a concordant defect as true positive, likely to confirm CAD. All patients with concordant defects were referred to subsequent ICA. All patients with discordant defects (except for seven of them who underwent ICA too) were subjected to a mean follow-up of 730 ± 377 days.ResultsDiscordant findings between CTCA and MPS were found in 41 patients, from whose 7/7 had no significant stenosis at the invasive angiography and 34/34 had no major cardiac event during follow-up. Concordant findings were found in 26 patients. Invasive coronary angiography revealed significant stenoses in 14/26 patients; 9/14 of them needed revascularization.ConclusionA strategy combining CTCA and MPS may safely reduce referral to ICA in patients with equivocal findings at a single examination.     

Causes of mortality in laying hens in different housing systems in 2001 to 2004

Background  

The husbandry systems for laying hens were changed in Sweden during the years 2001 – 2004, and an increase in the number of submissions for necropsy from laying hen farms was noted. Hence, this study was initiated to compare causes of mortality in different housing systems for commercial laying hens during this change.