Visceral organs play an important role in animals' energy requirements, so their growth must be well understood. The objective of the current study was to fit and compare growth curves that best describe body and visceral organ growth over time in Saanen goats of different sexes. Data were synthesized from seven studies in which curves were fitted to visceral organ growth over time for female, intact male and castrated male Saanen goats from 5 to 45 kg body weight. The liver, pancreas, spleen, rumen–reticulum, omasum, abomasum, small intestine, large intestine and mesenteric adipose tissue (MAT) data were fitted to eight models: simple linear regression, quadratic, monomolecular, Brody, Von Bertalanffy, logistic, Gompertz and Richards. The best-fit model was chosen based on the corrected Akaike information criterion and the concordance correlation coefficient. Model parameters for each sex were compared. Overall, the model that best described visceral organ growth was the logistic model. Sex did not influence the parameters that predicted organ growth (g), except for MAT, where females presented a lower tissue deposition rate and greater inflection point than males. Irrespective of sex, at the beginning of the growth curve, the liver accounted for 28 ± 1.1 g/kg of empty body weight, and the inflection point occurred at 1.7 months. The rumen–reticulum and large intestine presented higher growth rates in the first 2 months of life. Knowledge of the visceral organ growth curve is useful in improving the understanding of the effect of nutritional requirements for goats and must be used to optimize the nutritional plans.

Raman spectroscopy is a fundamental tool for the characterization of two-dimensional materials. It provides insights into the electronic and vibrational properties of these materials and is particularly rich in features when the incident laser energy approaches the electronic energy transition of the material. Among these features, the double resonance Raman process provides important information on the electron, phonon, and electron–phonon properties. It was on the study of carbon-related materials that the double resonance bands sparkled showing their potential and, since then, have been deeply searched in the study of novel 2D materials. Here, the authors review the double resonance Raman process in 2D materials focusing on graphene and semiconducting MoS2 highlighting the origin of the bands mediated by the two-phonon and phonon–defect processes. The authors discuss the observed properties of the double resonance bands and compare the processes for graphene and MoS2 to find guiding principles for the appearance of double resonance bands. The authors also discuss the new findings of the intervalley scattering process in transition metal dichalcogenides. A brief discussion of the defect-induced bands in both materials is also presented.

Weathered soil material derived from tectonically emplaced serpentinized ultrabasic intrusive rocks of southern Cameroon has received considerable attention from mining companies due to its extractable-metal (i.e. Ni, Co) potential. As these cations can be incorporated into Fe oxides, it was deemed appropriate to study the mineralogical assemblage of a highly weathered serpentinite soil profile from the area. This study focuses on the different Fe-oxide phases, which were investigated using 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, showing goethite and hematite as the dominant Fe oxides throughout the weathering profile. These minerals, in association with gibbsite and kaolinite, indicate an advanced degree of weathering. The clay fraction of the ‘Lower Limonite’ layer, above the saprolite and at a depth of 7 m, is very rich in goethite, whereas hematite and magnetite are almost absent. Above this layer, the hematite content in the fine-earth and clay fractions increases upwards, while the goethite content remains constant. The significant substitution and change in the particle size of the goethite and the poor crystallinity of hematite, as indicated by the hyperfine parameters and XRD, suggest that the upper material evolved under different pedological conditions compared to the deeper layers. The mixed composition of the upper layers (above 7 m), which contain muscovite and a relatively chaotic distribution of trace elements, suggests ancient mica-schist capping and possibly different cycles of erosion and pedimentation.

The objectives of the current study were to investigate the dynamics of body calcium (Ca) and to estimate the net Ca maintenance requirements (NCam) of Saanen goats, using 45Ca as a radiotracer. Eighteen castrated male Saanen goats (25 ± 2.3 kg body weight (BW)) received a basal diet (ground ear maize, ground maize and vitamin–mineral premix). The treatments consisted of adding limestone to the basal diet to provide Ca content of 0.6, 1.7 and 3.0 g/kg dry matter (DM). The experiment lasted 45 days (i.e. 36 d of adaptation and 9 days of measurements). On day 38, 0.5 ml of 7.4 MBq 45Ca solution was administrated before feeding. From days 39 to 45, samples of faeces, blood and urine were collected, and Ca concentration determined. The Ca intake, Ca in faeces, Ca in urine, faecal endogenous Ca and true absorbed Ca increased linearly as Ca content in the diets increased, while retained Ca increased at a decreasing rate. Dry matter intake decreased at an increasing rate with increased Ca content in the diets. In contrast, Ca content in the diets did not affect biological availability of Ca, or Ca in plasma. The true biological availability of Ca from limestone in Saanen goats was 0.72. The daily NCam was 11.6 (±1.3) mg/kg BW. The current results might help to understand Ca dynamics in goats and enhance the formulation of balanced diets to best meet Ca requirements of Saanen goats.

Mineral requirements of pregnant dairy goats are still not well defined; therefore, we investigated the net Ca, P, Mg, Na and K requirements for pregnancy and for maintenance during pregnancy in two separate experiments. Experiment 1 was performed to estimate the net Ca, P, Mg, Na and K requirements in goats carrying single or twin fetuses from 50 to 140 days of pregnancy (DOP). The net mineral requirements for pregnancy were determined by measuring mineral deposition in gravid uterus and mammary gland after comparative slaughter. In total, 57 dairy goats of two breeds (Oberhasli or Saanen), in their third or fourth parturition, were randomly assigned to groups based on litter size (single or twin) and day of slaughter (50, 80, 110 and 140 DOP) in a fully factorial design. Net mineral accretion for pregnancy did not differ by goat breed. The total daily Ca, P, Mg, Na and K requirements for pregnancy were greatest in goats carrying twins (P<0.05), and the requirements increased as pregnancy progressed. Experiment 2 was performed to estimate net Ca, P, Mg, Na and K requirements for dairy goat maintenance during pregnancy. In total, 58 dairy goats (Oberhasli and Saanen) carrying twin fetuses were assigned to groups based on slaughter day (80, 110 and 140 DOP) and feed restriction (ad libitum, 20% and 40% feed restriction) in a randomized block design. The net Ca, P and Mg requirements for maintenance did not vary by breed or over the course of pregnancy. The daily net requirements of Ca, P and Mg for maintenance were 60.4, 31.1 and 2.42 mg/kg live BW (LBW), respectively. The daily net Na requirement for maintenance was greater in Saanen goats (11.8 mg/kg LBW) than in Oberhasli goats (8.96 mg/kg LBW; P<0.05). Daily net K requirements increased as pregnancy progressed from 8.73 to 15.4 mg/kg LBW (P<0.01). The findings of this study will guide design of diets with adequate mineral content for pregnant goats throughout their pregnancy.

The objective of this study was to determine whether salicylic acid, nitric oxide (NO) and/or feeding by nymphs of the spittlebug Mahanarva spectabilis affect the concentration of total phenolic compounds and the dry matter content of different genotypes of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum). Four genotypes of elephant grass with varying levels of resistance to insect attack were treated with 4 mL of salicylic acid (1%) or 2 mL of NO per plant in the presence and the absence of nymphs. We determined the concentration of total phenolic compounds and the percentage dry matter of shoots and roots in the plants. We found that salicylic acid, NO and attack by M. spectabilis did not change significantly the total phenolic compounds concentration in any of the genotypes of elephant grass tested. However, we observed variations in the concentration of phenolic compounds produced between the resistant and susceptible genotypes, both in the shoot, when subjected to salicylic acid or nymphs, and in the roots in the presence of nymphs. Furthermore, the inducers resulted in variation in the dry matter content of the shoots and roots for most of the genotypes tested. Therefore, we conclude that chemical inducers and feeding by M. spectabilis nymphs cannot be used to elicit a resistance response in elephant grass by stimulating the production of phenolic compounds.

Fractionation of Schistosoma mansoni cercariae gland secretion on a Sephadex G-150 column followed by a Superose-12 column in an FPLC system, isolated a 47 kDa protease which migrated as a single band on SDS–PAGE gels. A monoclonal antibody (MAb) was produced which recognizes only the 47 kDa protease, and an immuno-affinity column with the MAb was used to isolate the protease. The 47 kDa protease showed activity on several macromolecules such as elastin and collagen type VI besides gelatin and casein. This suggests that this enzyme can be one of the enzymes that might facilitate invasion of the cercariae through host skin. The optimal pH of the protease against the synthetic substrate, Ac-Phe-Arg-Nan, in Tris–HCI buffer was 10. Experiments with protease inhibitors indicate that the purified enzyme is a serine protease.

This study evaluated the IS6220-RFLP patterns of 109 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates of patients with HIV cared for at a Brazilian university hospital. Thirteen clusters involving 35 (32.1%) individuals were identified. Nosocomial transmission was possible in 5 cases. Strategies to prevent M. tuberculosis transmission should be implemented in hospitals in developing countries.

Genetic variability in Crinipellis perniciosa, the causal organism of witches' broom disease in Theobroma cacao, was determined in strains originating from T. cacao and other susceptible host species Heteropterys acutifolia and Solanum lycocarpum in Brazil, in order to clarify host specificity and geographical variability. RFLP analysis of the ribosomal DNA ITS regions (rDNA ITS), and the mitochondrial DNA small subunit ribosomal DNA gene (mtDNA SSU rDNA) did not reveal any genetic variability in 120 tested strains, possibly serving only as species level markers. Genetic variability was observed in the ribosomal DNA IGS spacer region, in terms of IGS size, RFLPs and sequence data. Phylogenetic analyses (using CLUSTAL W, PHYLIP and TREEVIEW) indicated considerable differences between C. perniciosa strains from T. cacao and those from H. acutifolia (85–86%) and S. lycocarpum (95–96%). Sequence differences also indicated that C. perniciosa from T. cacao in Bahia is less variable (98%) when compared to the pathogen on T. cacao in Amazonas (97–98%), perhaps reflecting a recent introduction to T. cacao in Bahia.

Research in Brazil has been carried out to study mineral metabolism in sheep and cattle, especially phosphorus, by using the isotope dilution technique (Vitti et al., 2000). However there is very little information on calcium metabolism in goats. The proposal of the present study is to measure the intensity of the different processes that occur in goats fed different amounts of calcium, by using radioactive calcium, and to propose a model of Ca metabolism.