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Stability of estimated breeding values for average daily gain (ADG) between 5 and 10 weeks of age was analysed for 47 242 Pannon White rabbits, reared in 7470 litters and born between 2000 and 2008. The dataset was divided into 5 successive 5-year periods: (1) 2000-2004, (2) 2001-2005, (3) 2002-2006, (4) 2003-2007, and (5) 2004-2008. Then, after selecting the appropriate part of the pedigree for these sub-datasets, genetic parameters and breeding values were estimated for ADG using REML and BLUP methods. In the applied models sex, year-month, animal and random litter effects were considered. Estimated heritabilities for all 5 periods from 1 to 5 were moderate and stable (0.28 ± 0.01, 0.28 ± 0.02, 0.29 ± 0.02, 0.27 ± 0.02, and 0.28 ± 0.02). Magnitudes of random litter effects were low and stable (0.14 ± 0.01, 0.15 ± 0.01, 0.15 ± 0.01, 0.16 ± 0.01, and 0.16 ± 0.01). After breeding value estimation the dataset of period 5 was merged pair-wise with the other periods 4, 3, 2 and 1 using an inner join. Thus only the common records of the datasets representing the periods 5-4, 5-3, 5-2, and 5-1 were included in the merged datasets. In these merged datasets each rabbit had two breeding values for ADG based on two different periods. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated between the breeding values based on the dataset of period 5 and the other periods. With the successive years the rank correlation coefficients decreased (0.989, 0.979, 0.965 and 0.924). The correlation coefficients between ranks remained moderately high, even when the proportion of the common rabbits in the merged datasets was low. However, a reasonable re-ranking occurred among the top animals. Rank correlations for the top 100 and 1000 animals varied from 0.41 to 0.55 and from 0.37 to 0.54, respectively, which could influence selection efficiency if the rolling base were used for genetic evaluation.

Pedigree and field test data - collected between 1997-2005 - were analyzed in a group of 68062 Hungarian Landrace pigs. The analysed traits were loin depth (LD), fat depth1 (FD1) and fat depth2 (FD2). In the present study inbreeding coefficients, pedigree completeness (complete generation equivalents) and inbreeding depression for LD, FD1 and FD2 were estimated. Increasing number of generations that were considered in the pedigree the estimated inbreeding coefficients did not change after the 5th generation, but pedigree completeness was continuously increasing. The estimated inbreeding depression for LD, FD1 and FD2 were different applying 5 different models but the magnitude of the differences was small. Increasing inbreeding coefficient by 10% caused LD decrease by 0.084 mm, the FD1 by 0.062 mm and did not affect FD2. It can be concluded that the estimated inbreeding depression was low and substantial depression can not be expected in the near future. However, the low level of inbreeding of the studied population can partly be explained by the short pedigrees. This suggests that Hungarian pig breeders may often import breeding animals or carry out herd replacements rather than apply within group selection.

The analysis was conducted of the national database of station tests carried out between May 1996- February 2001, using the Hungarian Large White breed. Days of test, total amount of consumed feed and valuable cuts were taken into the analysis. Using the method of cross validation, small subsets of the data were excluded and then predicted using the remaining part of the data treating herd × year effects either as fixed or as random. The size of the data excluded was 50 or 10 records at a time and the process was repeated 100 or 500 times, respectively. Mean squared error, bias and correlation between the excluded and predicted observations were calculated for all the excluded subsets. There was no significant difference between the fixed and random models but in the case of valuable cuts the random models showed a lower mean squared error and higher correlation between the excluded and predicted observations than the fixed models.

Adipose tissue is a major site of cholesterol storage. In an attempt to define mechanisms controlling this process, a variety of nutritional and metabolic alterations were employed and their effects on adipose tissue cholesterol levels were determined by direct chemical analysis. When rats were raised on Purina chow, a linear increase in the cholesterol/DNA ratio in relation to animal weight (from 120 g [5–6 wk] to 700 g [2 yr]) occurred. The rate of cholesterol accumulation was related to the dietary cholesterol load. Cholesterol accumulation by adipose tissue also occurred in rats raised on a cholesterol-free diet and reached levels exceeding those observed in animals fed on a diet containing 0.05 or 0.1% (w/w) cholesterol. In rats maintained on semisynthetic diets containing 0 to 5% (w/w) cholesterol, the serum cholesterol concentration was inversely related to the dietary concentration, suggesting that feedback inhibition of cholesterol formation may be an important determinant of serum cholesterol levels in this species. Early dietary alterations affected adipose tissue levels later in life. Net cholesterol mobilization from adipose tissue also occurred after acute starvation. Comparison of obese mice with nonobese littermate controls showed that the size of the adipose cholesterol pool was proportional to the degree of adipocity because the amount of cholesterol stored per unit glyceride mass was identical. Adipose tissue cholesterol was not affected by animal sex. Thus, adipose tissue cholesterol levels were dependent on animal age, dietary cholesterol load, early nutritional deprivations, and the size of the adipose organ itself.

Adipose tissue was shown to contain 0.6–1.6 mg of cholesterol per gram wet weight. When expressed per unit of protein or organ mass, fat tissue contains more cholesterol than most other organs or membranes. The cholesterol content of fat tissue increased with the age and weight of the rat. Over 95% of adipose tissue sterols was cholesterol, and most of it was free. In young (150–165 g) rats two-thirds of fat tissue cholesterol was in collagenase-derived adipocytes while in older rats (450–480 g) 90% of fat tissue cholesterol was in adipocytes and the remainder was in stromal–vascular elements. Age-related differences in subcellular cholesterol distribution were also observed. The cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratios of purified plasma membrane fractions from small and large fat cells were identical (0.22–0.25), thus resembling muscle and liver membranes. 7.5 days after intravenous administration of [4-14C]cholesterol the specific activity of adipose cholesterol exceeded that of plasma cholesterol. At 28 days the specific activity of adipose and muscle cholesterol exceeded that of plasma three- to fivefold. The t½ disappearance of adipose tissue cholesterol was approximately 27 days, which is consistent with its function as a slowly turning over storage pool.Thus, fat tissue is a major cholesterol storage organ. This may well account for the marked expansion of the slowly exchangeable cholesterol pool (pool B) observed in obesity.

Background: The SI.Menu study offers the latest data on the dietary intake of Slovenian adolescents aged 10 to 17. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively assess their dietary intake (energy and nutrients) and compare their food intakes with dietary recommendations for healthy and sustainable diets., Methods: The cross-sectional epidemiological dietary study SI.Menu (March 2017-April 2018) was conducted on a representative sample of Slovenian adolescents aged 10 to 17 years ( n = 468) (230 males and 238 females). Data on dietary intake were gathered through two non-consecutive 24 h recalls, in line with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) EU Menu methodology. The repeated 24 h Dietary Recall (HDR) and Food Propensity Questionnaire (FPQ) data were combined to determine the usual intakes of nutrients and food groups, using the Multiple Source Method (MSM) program., Results: Adolescents' diets significantly deviate from dietary recommendations, lacking vegetables, milk and dairy products, nuts and seeds, legumes, and water, while containing excessive meat (especially red meat) and high-sugar foods. This results in insufficient intake of dietary fibre, and nutrients such as vitamin D, folate, and calcium., Conclusions: The dietary intake of Slovenian adolescents does not meet healthy and sustainable diet recommendations. This study provides an important insight into the dietary habits of Slovenian adolescents that could be useful for future public health strategies.

Estuaries in rainfall poor regions are highly susceptible to climatic and hydrological changes. The Coorong, a Ramsar-listed estuarine-coastal lagoon at the end of the Murray-Darling Basin (Australia), has experienced declining ecological health over recent decades. Twenty years of environmental data were analysed to assess patterns and drivers of water quality changes. Large areas of the Coorong are now persistently hyper-saline (salinity >80 psu) and hypereutrophic (total nitrogen, TN > 4 mg L -1 , total phosphorus, TP > 0.2 mg L -1 , chlorophyll a > 50 μg L -1 ) which coincided with reduced flushing due to diminished freshwater inflows and increasing evapo-concentration. Sediment quality also was related to flushing, with higher concentrations of organic carbon, TN, TP and sulfides as salinity increased. While total nutrient levels are very high, dissolved inorganic nutrients are generally low. Increased lagoonal flushing would be beneficial to reduce the hypersalinisation and hypereutrophication and improve ecosystem health., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Adenosine test was proposed as a tool for identification of syncopal patients who benefit from pacemaker implantation. Aim of the study was to assess the relationship between adenosine levels, the outcome of adenosine test and results of implantable loop recorder (ILR) monitoring in patients with syncope., Methods: In 29 patients (mean age 59 ± 11 years, 15 men, 14 women) with unexplained syncope ILR was implanted. In addition, adenosine test (intravenous injection of 20 mg adenosine bolus) and assays of plasmatic adenosine and adenosine-deaminase were performed., Results: Adenosine test was positive in 15 patients and negative in 14 patients. Patients with positive adenosine test had lower adenosine levels compared to patients with negative test (8.86 ± 2.07 ng/ml vs. 15.18 ± 2.14 ng/ml, p = .04). No difference was observed in adenosine deaminase levels (16.35 ± 2.20 IU/l vs. 13.20 ± 2.48 IU/l, p = .40). There was a negative correlation between adenosine level and AVB duration during adenosine test (p = .04; R 2  = 0.22). Patients with positive adenosine test had more frequent asystole during ILR monitoring than patients with negative test (9 pts vs. 1 pt, p = .005). Adenosine levels were lower in patients with asystolic syncope on ILR compared to vasodepressor syncope 8.20 ± 2.86 ng/ml versus 13.27 ± 7.26 ng/ml, p = .05)., Conclusions: Patients with positive adenosine test have decreased production of endogenous adenosine compared to patients with negative adenosine test. Positivity of adenosine test and low adenosine level in the peripheral blood were associated with more frequent asystolic episodes during ILR monitoring., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Retrograde clay mineral reactions (reverse weathering), including glauconite formation, are first-order controls on element sequestration in marine sediments. Here, we report substantial element sequestration by glauconite formation in shallow marine settings from the Triassic to the Holocene, averaging 3 ± 2 mmol·cm - ²·kyr -1 for K, Mg and Al, 16 ± 9 mmol·cm - ²·kyr -1 for Si and 6 ± 3 mmol·cm - ²·kyr -1 for Fe, which is ~2 orders of magnitude higher than estimates for deep-sea settings. Upscaling of glauconite abundances in shallow-water (0-200 m) environments predicts a present-day global uptake of ~≤ 0.1 Tmol·yr -1 of K, Mg and Al, and ~0.1-0.4 Tmol·yr -1 of Fe and Si, which is ~half of the estimated Mesozoic elemental flux. Clay mineral authigenesis had a large impact on the global marine element cycles throughout Earth's history, in particular during 'greenhouse' periods with sea level highstand, and is key for better understanding past and present geochemical cycling in marine sediments., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The distribution of cadmium (Cd) within the oceans strongly suggests that it is used as a nutrient by marine phytoplankton. Biologically induced removal of Cd from modern surface waters is accompanied by an isotopic fractionation leaving surface-waters enriched in isotopically heavy Cd. This first study focusses on tying the Cd isotopic record preserved in modern shallow platform carbonates of the Great Bahama Bank (GBB) to conditions in the upper water column, and provides a base for future studies aiming at reconstructing past bioproductivity levels in ancient ocean/basin surface waters. In addition, we compare δ 114 Cd values with previously published chromium (Cr) isotope values and link signals of bioproductivity with redox conditions in the surface waters. The GBB core samples yield [Cd] (21-188 μg/kg), which increases with depth alongside changes in carbonate mineralogy related to sediment supply and diagenesis. The δ 114 Cd values of these carbonates are mainly positively fractionated with an average of 0.11‰ ± 0.17 (2σ; n = 17) relative to the NIST 3108 reference standard. Unlike previously observed for Cr isotopes, there is no control of δ 114 Cd values by relative abundances of the carbonate polymorphs aragonite and calcite in the studied profile. Likewise, δ 114 Cd values are not correlated to major and trace element (e.g. Ca, Mg, Mn and Sr) contents. We postulate that the burial and diagenetic processes of carbonate cannot modify the Cd isotope signals. Using the experimental fractionation factor for Cd into calcite (-0.45‰), calculated seawater δ 114 Cd of +0.56 ± 0.17‰ is in agreement with values for modern North Atlantic Surface Seawater. This study's results suggest that δ 114 Cd values in carbonates are a reliable tool for reconstruction of bioproductivity levels in past surface seawaters, and open new possibilities in combination with Cr isotopes to link these with past ocean redox., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that they could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Slovenia similar to some European countries has a long tradition of the organized system of school meals. The present survey aimed to compare school lunch composition in Slovene primary schools ( n = 40) with the national dietary guidelines; Methods: The survey took place from January to September 2020. Sampling of a 5-day school lunch ( n = 200) for adolescents aged 10 to 13 years, were performed in schools. Chemical analysis was provided by an accredited national laboratory., Results: The median energy value of school lunches was 2059 kJ (24% of the recommended daily energy intake). The school lunches contained 24.8 g of proteins, 52.9 g of carbohydrates and 16.7 g of dietary fats. Saturated fatty acids represent 4.7 g, polyunsaturated fatty acids 4.7 g, monounsaturated fatty acids 5.8 g, and industrial trans fats 0.2 g/100 g of a meal (1.2 g/meal). Dietary fibre represented 7.8 g, free sugars for 14.7 g and salt for 3.9 g; Conclusions: The survey showed lower values for energy, carbohydrates and total fats in school lunches as recommended, and exceeded values of salt, saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The leachability of air-pollution-control (APC) residues from a secondary lead smelter in organic soil horizons (F and H) from a deciduous and a coniferous forest during incubation periods of 0, 3 and 6 months were compared in this work. While the concentration of Pb, Zn and Cd associated with the exchangeable/acid extractable fraction in the horizon F from the coniferous forest was higher compared to the deciduous, significantly lower concentrations in the humified horizon H was found. It is suggested that lower pH and a higher share of fulvic acids fraction (FAs) of solid phase soil organic matter (SOM) in the humified soil horizon H from the coniferous compared to the deciduous forest is responsible for a higher metal association with solid phase SOM and therefore a lower metal leaching in a soil system. From this point of view, the humified soil horizon H from the deciduous forest represents a soil system more vulnerable to Pb, Zn and Cd leaching from APC residues., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)