Phenotypic Relationships Between Meat Quality Parameters And Residual Feed Intake In Japanese Black Wagyu Cattle.

Japanese black Wagyu cattle are renowned for producing some of the world's most highly valued and recognized beef with exceptional marbling. Therefore, the primary focus of genetic selection for Wagyu cattle has historically been on meat quality, particularly achieving high marbling levels. However, even when the price of the final product is high, production costs also remain high, especially considering that most of the feed has to be imported. The objective of this study was to evaluate phenotypic relationships between feed efficiency, specifically residual feed intake, as the most utilized efficiency index in cattle, and various meat quality parameters in Japanese black cattle in order to determine if a common phenotypic selection for these parameters could be feasible. For this, a total of 39 Wagyu cattle were evaluated for feed efficiency over their entire fattening period (900 days), with a focus on RFI as a key indicator. Animals were fed high-starch diets with vitamin A deprivation to achieve the desired marbling. Results revealed positive correlations between feed efficiency and meat quality in Wagyu cattle. Specifically, animals with higher feed efficiency exhibited superior meat quality traits, including firmness, marbling, and overall meat rating. When comparing the 20 most extreme RFI individuals (10 most and 10 least efficient), we observed that efficient RFI animals showed increased marbling levels (+13.2%, P=0.05) and ranking quality (+12%, P=0.06) of the meat. In conclusion, this research contributes to understanding the interplay between feed efficiency and meat quality in Japanese black Wagyu cattle. Phenotypic correlations observed suggest the possibility of incorporating RFI criteria into genetic selection programs without compromising the prized meat quality traits of Wagyu beef.

The effectiveness of dance movement therapy for individuals with Down syndrome: a pilot randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit deficits in static and dynamic balance abilities and maladaptive functions. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of dance movement therapy (DMT) group intervention in individuals with DS. METHODS: The 31 participating individuals with DS, aged 5-29 years, were randomly divided into intervention (n = 16) and control (n = 15) groups. Posturography was used for static balance measurement, timed up and go test for dynamic balance measurement and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) questionnaire for adaptive function and behavioural problem measurement in participants before and after the DMT interventions. The intervention group underwent 60-min DMT intervention once a week for 10 times, while the control group had usual daily activities. RESULTS: The results revealed a statistically significant difference and large effect sizes in dynamic balance [(f(1, 29) = 4.52, P = 0.04, ηp 2 = 0.14)] in the intervention group compared with the control group. There were no statistically significant differences in static balance and ASEBA scores between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the DMT interventions helped to improve the dynamic balance in individuals with DS.

Non-invasive classification of single and double-yolk eggs using Vis-NIR spectroscopy and multivariate analysis.

1. This study was conducted to develop an efficient technique for separating double-yolked (DY) from single-yolked (SY) light brown broiler eggs with comparable shape and size, that were hard to distinguish merely by their external characteristics, using Vis-NIR transmission spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis.2. Spectroscopic transmission (200-900 nm) was measured after collecting the eggs, and the yolk number was verified by breaking the eggs after boiling. The absorbance of important spectral wavelengths sensitive to yolk amount were identified using feature selection techniques (Principal Component Analysis and Genetic Algorithm).3. Discriminant analysis (DA) and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers were used to develop classification models for DY and SY eggs using the selected important spectral wavelengths.4. When compared to alternative nonlinear techniques, the developed model applying linear discriminant analysis produced greater accuracies in the first (96%) and second (100%) experiments, implying lower inter-egg variability from spectral data and a linear relationship between classes. However, the position and orientation of yolks in DY eggs may limit the classification accuracy of the eggs.

Artificial intelligence for the automated single-shot assessment of psoriasis severity.

BACKGROUND: PASI score is globally used to assess disease activity of psoriasis. However, it is relatively complicated and time-consuming, and the score will vary due to the inconsistent subjectivity between dermatologists. Therefore, an AI system capable of assessing psoriasis severity will be useful. OBJECTIVES: To propose a simplified PASI system (Single-Shot PASI) and associated AI models capable of assessing psoriasis severity. METHODS: Overall, 705 psoriasis images of the trunk's front and back were used in our research. Considering the relatively small number of images, we used data augmentation techniques to expand the data. A psoriasis expert's scores were used as teacher data. Various convolutional neural network models and hyperparameters were adjusted using a fivefold cross-validation. From these adjustments, we discovered that fine-tuning Imagenet2012-pretrained InceptionV3 whose last linear layer was replaced by a two-layer perceptron (30 hidden units and five output units) exhibited the best performance. RESULTS: To validate our deep learning system, 10 images were selected as test sets and were excluded from the training sets. The AI assessment of Single-Shot PASI was almost consistent with the clinical severity. We examined whether AI assistance would affect human scoring. In this study, 13 dermatologists and 9 medical students were invited as evaluators. Mean absolute differences from AI scores and standard deviation among evaluators reduced with AI assistance. In addition, the evaluator's scores got close to the teacher's score with AI's assistance. CONCLUSIONS: We proposed a Single-Shot PASI system and developed an associated AI system capable of assessing psoriasis severity simply by uploading a single clinical image. An easy-to-use scoring system and our freely available AI software would help dermatologists and patients with psoriasis.

Trans-crustal structural control of CO2-rich extensional magmatic systems revealed at Mount Erebus Antarctica.

Erebus volcano, Antarctica, with its persistent phonolite lava lake, is a classic example of an evolved, CO2-rich rift volcano. Seismic studies provide limited images of the magmatic system. Here we show using magnetotelluric data that a steep, melt-related conduit of low electrical resistivity originating in the upper mantle undergoes pronounced lateral re-orientation in the deep crust before reaching shallower magmatic storage and the summit lava lake. The lateral turn represents a structural fault-valve controlling episodic flow of magma and CO2 vapour, which replenish and heat the high level phonolite differentiation zone. This magmatic valve lies within an inferred, east-west structural trend forming part of an accommodation zone across the southern termination of the Terror Rift, providing a dilatant magma pathway. Unlike H2O-rich subduction arc volcanoes, CO2-dominated Erebus geophysically shows continuous magmatic structure to shallow crustal depths of < 1 km, as the melt does not experience decompression-related volatile supersaturation and viscous stalling.

Penetration of MeV electrons into the mesosphere accompanying pulsating aurorae.

Pulsating aurorae (PsA) are caused by the intermittent precipitations of magnetospheric electrons (energies of a few keV to a few tens of keV) through wave-particle interactions, thereby depositing most of their energy at altitudes ~ 100 km. However, the maximum energy of precipitated electrons and its impacts on the atmosphere are unknown. Herein, we report unique observations by the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) radar showing electron precipitations ranging from a few hundred keV to a few MeV during a PsA associated with a weak geomagnetic storm. Simultaneously, the Arase spacecraft has observed intense whistler-mode chorus waves at the conjugate location along magnetic field lines. A computer simulation based on the EISCAT observations shows immediate catalytic ozone depletion at the mesospheric altitudes. Since PsA occurs frequently, often in daily basis, and extends its impact over large MLT areas, we anticipate that the PsA possesses a significant forcing to the mesospheric ozone chemistry in high latitudes through high energy electron precipitations. Therefore, the generation of PsA results in the depletion of mesospheric ozone through high-energy electron precipitations caused by whistler-mode chorus waves, which are similar to the well-known effect due to solar energetic protons triggered by solar flares.

Hypoxic hepatitis with marked elevation of serum ferritin probably due to activation of intrahepatic macrophages: another form of hypoxic hepatitis hitherto not reported?

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Hypoxic hepatitis (HH) is an acute liver injury that develops in patients with underlying diseases, such as heart failure, respiratory failure, septic/toxic shock. However, some patients do not have underlying diseases or episodes which are known to result in HH. Here, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of this particular patient group (called 'unknown HH' hereafter) to understand its pathogenesis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between October 2010 and January 2016, 157 consecutive patients with acute liver injury were admitted to our hospital. Among these patients, 15 patients were categorized as unknown HH. Medical histories and blood test results of unknown HH were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 15 patients of unknown HH, 11 were habitual drinkers and all experienced one of digestive symptoms which might result in mild hypovolemia such as vomiting, diarrhea, appetite loss, and epigastralgia. All patients of unknown HH presented marked elevation of serum ferritin concentration paralleled with aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentrations. The serum levels of ferritin, ALT, LDH, and prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR) were rapidly decreased during hospitalization and all 15 patients of unknown HH recovered without any complication. CONCLUSIONS: We found the particular group of HH with marked elevation of serum ferritin probably due to intrahepatic macrophage activation. Anti-inflammatory treatments might be effective for this group of hypoxic hepatitis.

Longitudinal association between polypharmacy and development of pruritus: a Nationwide Cohort Study in a Japanese Population.

BACKGROUND: Although polypharmacy is known to cause side-effects due to drug-drug interactions, dermatological symptoms triggered by polypharmacy are not fully addressed. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether polypharmacy is associated with the risk of pruritus. METHOD: A cohort study was performed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between polypharmacy and pruritus in a general population. Data were collected from the Norm Study conducted in 2016 and 2017, which is a nationwide survey based on a self-administered questionnaire with Japanese representative participants aged 16-84 years. Presence of polypharmacy which was defined as concurrent use of ≥5 prescribed drugs. Primary outcomes were the presence of severe pruritus at baseline for the cross-sectional analysis and the development of severe pruritus after one year for the longitudinal analysis. Multivariable modified Poisson regression analyses were performed to estimate risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) with adjustment for potential confounders (age, gender, smoking habits, drinking habits, depressive symptoms, moderate activities based on IPAQ score and presence of 11 comorbid conditions including skin disease). RESULTS: The study included 3126 participants (mean age, 48.7 years); nearly half (49.8%) were male. In all, 332 participants (10.3%) had polypharmacy in the cross-sectional analysis. Participants with polypharmacy were more likely to present with severe pruritus at baseline than those who were not using drugs (adjusted RR = 1.52 [95%CI 1.15-2.01, P = 0.003]). The longitudinal analysis (n = 1803) was limited to those without severe pruritus at baseline; participants with polypharmacy at baseline were more likely to develop severe pruritus after a one-year follow-up period than those not using drugs (adjusted RR = 1.46 [95%CI 1.14-1.87, P = 0.002]). CONCLUSION: Polypharmacy was associated with the presence of pruritus at baseline and may predict the future risk of developing pruritus.

Non-destructive sex-specific monitoring of early embryonic growth rate in light brown broiler eggs using light transmission and its correlation with hatching time and chick weight.

1. Monitoring early embryonic growth rate (EGR) has significant economic and animal welfare benefits. This study focuses on monitoring sex-specific early EGR using light transmission, and correlating this with hatching time and chick weight. For broiler eggs in particular, spectral masking of the light brown eggshells needed to be addressed. This was done using longitudinal visible transmission spectroscopy combined with eggshell colour image analysis. 2. Prior to incubation, colour images of eggs were captured followed by daily measurements of transmission spectra of eggs from days one to nine of incubation. The sex of the eggs was subsequently verified 2 d after hatching. 3. To accurately and sensitively determine sex differences in EGR using light transmission, while minimising interference from eggshell colour and thickness, the ratio of longitudinal transmissions was determined to be most effective at 575 and 610 nm. 3. Embryonic growth was detectable from d 3 (72 h) of incubation, 24 h earlier than previously reported lateral transmission measurements. However, at this time, low blood levels meant that no significant sex-differences (P > 0.05) for the mean T575/T610 ratio were detectable. This may have been due, in part, to spectral masking from the light brown eggshells. At d 7, female embryos had a significantly lower (P < 0.05) mean T575/T610 ratio than males. 4. Although the T575/T610 ratio had low correlations with hatching time and hatch-weight of chicks, this could be a good starting point for further non-destructive investigations for such predictions. 5. In conclusion, the methodology had the sensitivity to differentiate sex-specific early EGR in broiler eggs, even with pigmented eggshells, and has the potential to advance precision hatchery management and poultry research.

Coexistence of osteoporosis and atherosclerosis in pheochromocytoma: new insights into its long-term management.

Osteoporosis and atherosclerosis frequently coexist in patients with pheochromocytoma. The presence of osteoporosis may predict that of atherosclerosis and vice versa in patients with PHEO. These findings have implications for the long-term management of the pheochromocytoma and its potential chronic complications. INTRODUCTION: Pheochromocytoma (PHEO), a catecholamine-producing tumor, is often found incidentally, and it may be present for years before it is diagnosed. However, long-term exposure to catecholamines excess may induce chronic complications, such as osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. We aimed to evaluate concomitant osteoporosis and atherosclerosis in patients with PHEO. METHODS: Fifty-one patients with PHEO and 51 patients with a non-functional adrenal tumor were compared radiographically for the prevalence of vertebral fracture (VF), a typical osteoporotic fracture, and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC). RESULTS: In patients with PHEO, the prevalence of AAC was higher in those with VF (58%) than in those without (6%, p < 0.001). AAC was associated with VF after adjusting for age and sex (odds ratio, 1.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-2.46; p = 0.003) in patients with PHEO. The degree of catecholamine excess correlated with the presence of VF and AAC (p = 0.007). The prevalence of VF was higher in patients with PHEO (37%) than those with non-functional AT (12%, p = 0.005), but the prevalence of AAC was comparable between the two groups (25% and 19%, p = 0.636). VF and AAC more frequently coexisted in patients with PHEO (22%) than in those with non-functional AT (2%, p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: This study represents the first demonstration that osteoporosis and atherosclerosis frequently coexist in patients with PHEO. The presence of osteoporosis may predict that of atherosclerosis and vice versa in patients with PHEO. These findings have implications for the long-term management of the PHEO and its potential chronic complications.

Multiple time-scale beats in aurora: precise orchestration via magnetospheric chorus waves.

The brightness of aurorae in Earth's polar region often beats with periods ranging from sub-second to a few tens of a second. Past observations showed that the beat of the aurora is composed of a superposition of two independent periodicities that co-exist hierarchically. However, the origin of such multiple time-scale beats in aurora remains poorly understood due to a lack of measurements with sufficiently high temporal resolution. By coordinating experiments using ultrafast auroral imagers deployed in the Arctic with the newly-launched magnetospheric satellite Arase, we succeeded in identifying an excellent agreement between the beats in aurorae and intensity modulations of natural electromagnetic waves in space called "chorus". In particular, sub-second scintillations of aurorae are precisely controlled by fine-scale chirping rhythms in chorus. The observation of this striking correlation demonstrates that resonant interaction between energetic electrons and chorus waves in magnetospheres orchestrates the complex behavior of aurora on Earth and other magnetized planets.

Nondestructive sex-specific monitoring of early embryonic development rate in white layer chicken eggs using visible light transmission.

1. Sex-specific variations in early embryonic development rates may pre-empt later variations in embryonic development through to pipping and hatching. Given that erythropoiesis (blood production) can be equated with early embryonic growth rate, it was hypothesised that blood pigment haemoglobin can act as a specific spectral fingerprint for changes in growth rate. Moreover, by measuring longitudinal, rather than lateral, spectral transmission through the egg, a more consistent spectrum with a higher signal-to-noise ratio could be captured.2. Longitudinal visible transmission (T575/T598 ratio), which is sensitive to haemoglobin, was used to monitor sex-specific early embryonic development rate in white layer chicken eggs from d 0 to 8 of incubation. The sex of these eggs was subsequently confirmed two days after hatching.3. Embryonic development was detectable from d 3 (72 h) of incubation, 36 h earlier than previously reported lateral spectral measurements, supporting the greater sensitivity of longitudinal measurements.4. At d 3, the mean T575/T598 ratio for male embryos was significantly lower (P < 0.001) (i.e. higher absorbance of haemoglobin) than for female embryos, which was thought to be due to sex-differences in early embryogenesis. On the other hand, female embryos had a significantly lower (P < 0.05) mean T575/T598 ratio than male embryos at d 7 of incubation, presumably due to the combined effects of oestrogen synthesis receptors and enzymes on erythropoiesis in female embryos at this time.5. In conclusion, the proposed methodology has the sensitivity to differentiate sex-specific embryonic development rates during early incubation and the potentiality to advance precision incubation management and poultry research.

Sarcopenic obesity is associated with a faster decline in renal function in people with type 2 diabetes.

AIM: To evaluate the association between sarcopenic obesity and the decline in estimated GFR in people with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We enrolled 745 people with type 2 diabetes (mean age 64.6 years, 53.6% men). Body composition was evaluated using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Skeletal muscle index, calculated as appendicular non-fat mass (kg) divided by height squared (m2 ), was used to determine sarcopenia. Sarcopenic obesity was defined as the coexistence of sarcopenia and a ratio of android to gynoid fat mass greater than the median values in each gender. The association of sarcopenic obesity both with the annual rate of decline in estimated GFR and a >30% decline in estimated GFR was evaluated using multivariate linear regression models and Cox proportional hazard models, respectively. RESULTS: Participants with sarcopenic obesity were at an increased risk of a high annual rate of decline in estimated GFR, even after adjustment for the confounding variables (standardized ß = -0.228, P <0.001). Sarcopenic obesity was also significantly associated with risk of a >30% decline in estimated GFR (hazard ratio 4.52, 95% CI 2.16-9.47; P < 0.01) in multivariate model. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenic obesity evaluated by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry is associated with a faster decline in renal function in people with type 2 diabetes.

Trajectory of criterion symptoms of major depression under newly started antidepressant treatment: sleep disturbances and anergia linger on while suicidal ideas and psychomotor symptoms disappear early.

OBJECTIVE: In modern psychiatry, depression is diagnosed with the diagnostic criteria; however, the trajectory of each of the criterion symptoms is unknown. This study aims to examine this. METHODS: We made repeated assessments of the nine diagnostic criterion symptoms with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) among 2011 participants of a 25-week pragmatic randomised controlled trial of sertraline and/or mirtazapine for hitherto untreated major depressive episodes. The changes from baseline were estimated with the mixed-effects model with repeated measures. The time to disappearance of each symptom was modeled using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS: The total score on PHQ-9 was 18.5 (SD = 3.9, n = 2011) at baseline, which decreased to 15.3 (5.2, n = 2011) at week 1, to 11.5 (5.9, n = 1953) at week 3, to 7.8 (6.0, n = 1927) at week 9, and to 6.0 (5.9, n = 1910) at week 25. Suicidal ideas, psychomotor symptoms decreased rapidly, while anergia and sleep disturbance also decreased but only slowly. The survival analyses confirmed the primary analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Upon initiation of antidepressant treatment, patients with newly treated major depressive episodes can expect their suicidal ideas and psychomotor symptoms to disappear first but sleep disturbances and anergia to linger on.