Birth (BWT) (n = 1,335) and weaning weight (WWT) (n = 1,246), pregnancy rate (PR) (n = 1,513), calf crop born (CCB) (n = 1,504), calf crop weaned (CCW) (n = 1,500), cow weight at palpation (CW) (n = 1,662), and cow body condition score (BCS) (n = 1,666) were evaluated from 1994 to 2010 in 143 F1 females sired by Brahman (B), Boran (Bo), and Tuli (T) bulls and out of Angus and Hereford cows. Mouth scores (MS) (n = 253) were assigned to the remaining cows from 2004 to 2009, excluding 2008. Pregnancy rate, CCB, CCW, CW, and BCS were evaluated using a model that consisted of sire of cow breed, dam of cow breed, and calf's birth year/age of cow as fixed effects. Cow within sire of cow within sire breed of cow and sire of cow within sire breed of cow were used as random effects. Birth weight and WWT were evaluated including sex of calf in the same model. Mouth scores were evaluated with two models. When broken and solid mouths were scored 1 and smooth 0, B- and Bo-sired cows (0.87 and 0.83) had higher scores (P < 0.05) than T-sired females (0.65). When solid mouths were scored 1 and smooth and broken scored 0, B-sired cows (0.40) were higher than T (0.07) (P < 0.05), and Bo (0.30) sired cows were not different from either (P > 0.05). The model for MS only included sire of cow breed and calf's birth year/age of cow as fixed effects. Two-way interactions were tested for significance. Calf's birth year/age of cow was important for all traits (P < 0.05) except the first MS model. Adjusted means (LSM) for BWT for calves out of cows by B, Bo, and T sires were 34.1, 34.0, and 34.1 kg respectively, and were not different from one another (P > 0.05). Least squares means for WWT for calves out of cows by B, Bo, and T sires were 236.7, 217.5, and 197.2 kg, respectively, and were significantly different. For both BWT and WWT, male calves were heavier (P < 0.05) than females, by 2.13 kg and 10.39 kg, on average. Least squares means for PR for females sired by B, Bo, and T bulls were 0.900, 0.930, and 0.912, and were not different (P > 0.05). Adjusted means for CCB for females sired by B, Bo, and T sires were 0.872, 0.944, and 0.892 respectively, and Bo was higher (P < 0.05) than B and T. Calf crop weaned ranked the same as CCB with adjusted means of 0.805, 0.894, and 0.843 for cows by B, Bo, and T bulls, with Bo being higher (P < 0.05) than B. Cow weight adjusted means for cows by B, Bo and T sires were 537.1, 468.9, and 462.6 kg, respectively, with B-sired females being heavier (P < 0.05) than both Bo and T sired cows. Body condition scores for B, Bo, and T sired cows were 5.19, 5.43, and 5.15, respectively, with Bo-sired cows being the highest (P < 0.05). Higher reproductive rates were found for Bo-sired cows, but B-sired cows weaned heavier calves.

Reproductive, maternal, and weight traits were analyzed for Angus (A), Brahman (B), and Hereford (H) straightbred cows; F1 and F2 BA and BH cows; and 3/8 B 5/8 A first (Bn) and second (Bn2) generation cows in Central Texas. Heterosis was estimated for calf crop born (CCB), calf crop weaned (CCW), and cow weight at palpation (PW) by linear contrasts within cow breed groups. F1 BA cows expressed heterosis (P<0.01) for CCB (0.10) and CCW (0.11), while F2 BA cows expressed negative heterosis (P<0.10) for CCB (-0.06) and CCW (-0.07). F1 BH cows expressed heterosis (P<0.001) for CCB (0.15) and CCW (0.16), and F2 BH cows retained F1 heterosis (P<0.001) for CCB (0.13) and CCW (0.15). Bn2 cows expressed heterosis (P<0.01) for CCB (0.14), but Bn cows did not express heterosis (P>0.10) for CCB or CCW. Only the F1 BA (22.9 kg) and F2 BH (42.1 kg) groups expressed heterosis (P<0.10) for PW. Bn2 cows (-65.7 kg) expressed negative heterosis (P<0.01) for PW. Heterosis for calf survival (CS), birth weight (BW), and weaning weight (WW) was estimated by linear contrasts within calf breed groups for B- and H-influenced calves. F1 BH (0.11) and F2 BH (0.14) calves expressed heterosis (P<0.01) for CS. None of the groups expressed heterosis (P>0.10) for BW, but B-sired F1 BH calves were 5.5 kg heavier (P<0.01) than H-sired F1 calves at birth. F1 BH (22.4 kg) and F2 BH (26.2 kg) calves expressed heterosis (P<0.001) for WW, and H-sired F1 BH calves were 20.7 kg heavier (P<0.10) than B-sired F1 calves at weaning.

Shankara, the great Indian thinker, was known as the accurate expounder of the Upanishads. He is seen as a towering figure in the history of Indian philosophy and is credited with restoring the teachings of the Vedas to their pristine form. However, there are others who do not see such contributions from Shankara. They criticize his philosophy by calling it “crypto-Buddhism.” It is his unique philosophy of Advaita Vedanta that puts him at odds with other Hindu orthodox schools. Ironically, he is also criticized by Buddhists as a “born enemy of Buddhism” due to his relentless attacks on their tradition. This thesis, therefore, probes the question of how Shankara should best be regarded, “a Hindu Revivalist or a Crypto-Buddhist?” To address this question, this thesis reviews the historical setting for Shakara’s work, the state of Indian philosophy as a dynamic conversation involving Hindu and Buddhist thinkers, and finally Shankara’s intellectual genealogy.

Calf crop born, calf crop weaned, calf birth weight, calf weaning weight, and cow weight at weaning were evaluated from 1996 to 2009 in Brahman (B) and Hereford (H) straightbred and crossbred cows (n = 1,515). The objective of these analyses was to estimate heterosis for F1 and F2 females for these reproductive and maternal traits. Breed groups included B, H, F1 Hereford-sired (HB) and Brahman-sired (BH) cows (n = 114 purebreds, 55 F1, 52 F2). Second generation breed groups included cows sired by HB and out of HB dams (F2HB) and BH dams (HBxBH); and cows sired by BH and out of HB dams (BHxHB) and BH dams (F2BH). Least squares means were calculated for calf crop born, calf crop weaned, and calf birth and weaning weights, using numerous different models, where the trait was the dependent variable. Previous research and these preliminary analyses showed that the effects of year and cow age are real as is their interaction each other and with breed type. In each attempted model designed to remove these effects, different breed groups received excessive adjustments, rendering the resultant heterosis estimates inappropriate. To more clearly assess differences, presentation and visual evaluation of unadjusted means were conducted. The model for mature cow weight (cows at 6 years of age) included breed group as fixed effects and cow within breed group and year as random effects. F2 cows appeared to retain approximately 39% of F1 heterosis for calf crop born and approximately 50% for calf crop weaned. HB x BH cows delivered the lightest calves at 33.9 (4.74) kg and F2BH had the heaviest calves at birth at 36.6 (5.37) kg. BH cows weaned the heaviest calves at 240.9 (38.1) kg and F2BH cows weaned the lightest calves at 208.4 (31.9) kg. Sire breed of calf and age of cow appear to be important factors regarding weight traits. Retained heterosis for cow weight at weaning was higher than expected at 73%. Sire breed group differences (HB vs. BH) for these traits in F2 cows may merit further investigation.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the different characteristics of the newly introduced breed, Waguli (Wagyu x Tuli) when comparing it with the Brahman breed. Twenty-four animals were used. Six steers of each breed were fed 94% concentrate diet (94C) and the other six were fed 86% concentrate diet (86C). Eight steers, two from each group, each were harvested at 128 days, 142 days, and 156 days on feed. Feedlot performance data indicated that Waguli steers were highly efficient (P < 0.05) and gained more than Brahman steers on a daily basis (P < 0.05). Carcass characteristic data showed that Waguli steers have larger ribeye area with more 12th rib fat thickness, marbling score and higher quality grade (P < 0.05). It is well known that Wagyu is a highly marbled and tender Japanese breed. It was found that the reason for the Waguli tenderness and low shear force values to be the low level of calpastatin activity (P < 0.05), the inhibitor of the postmortem proteolytic enzyme-calpain. While the toughness of the Brahman meat was due to the high level of calpastatin activity. The calpain activity did not differ between the two breeds. Shear force values agreed with the calpain and calpastatin activities data, in which the Waguli steaks showed less shear force values at day 7 and 10 postmortem than the Brahman steaks (P < 0.05). However, at day 14 postmortem there was no difference in shear force values between the two breeds (P < 0.05). Fatty acid data analysis indicated that Waguli steers had a profile with less saturated fatty acids (SFA) and more unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) content than those in Brahman steers fat. Looking at the ratio of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) to saturated fatty acids (SFA), it is observed that Waguli steers had a greater ratio than Brahman steers. In conclusion, Waguli steers produce tender meat with good marbling ability, which likely to satisfy the consumers demand. In addition, they have a desirable average daily gain and feed efficiency with high polyunsaturated fatty acids comparatively with Brahman steers.

Records of embryo production in Red Brahman donor cows (n=50) and F1 recipients (n=531) were evaluated from the collection day to the birth of the embryo produced. The effects of the sire of the donor and the embryo, protocol, season-protocol, and body condition of the donor on the total number of good, degenerated, unfertilized, and total embryos were evaluated. The number of donors collected for protocols 1, 2, and 3 were 50, 39, and 46 respectively. The production of good transferable embryos, and embryos/collection for protocols 1, 2, and 3 were 171 (4.6), 152 (4.6), and 208 (6.3) respectively. The final status of each recipient was recorded as non-pregnant, resorption, abortion, and live calf. The model used to analyze pregnancy state was: protocol, embryo stage, embryo quality, corpora lutea size, and season. The effects of sire of the embryo, season-protocol, protocol, embryo stage, embryo quality, body condition score, and corpora lutea size on gestation length and birth weight were analyzed. Season-protocol affected (P<0.05) the number of degenerated embryos. Mean number of degenerated embryos were higher (P<0.05) during winter for protocols 2 and 3 than during other seasons. The ratio for good embryos differed (P<0.01) by sire of donor. The final status of recipients was affected (P<0.01) by protocol. The maximum percentage of live calves and the minimum percentage of non-pregnant recipients were achieved for protocol 3. Gestation length differed (P<0.01) by sire of the embryo, season-protocol, protocol, and body condition score. Spring-protocol 3 resulted in the shortest while Fall-protocol 2 resulted in the longest mean gestation length. Calf birth weight differed (P<0.05) by season-protocol and by embryo quality. The lightest birth weights resulted from embryo quality grade 2 and from spring-protocol 3. These results indicate that using protocols that combine 17??-estradiol, FSH and GnRH (protocol 3) during the spring in conjunction with selection for sire of donor can increase embryo production by Red Brahman cows. Use of protocol 3 with donors in the spring, selection of embryo sire for short gestation length and transfer of quality grade 2 embryos can be used to minimize the incidence of dystocia in recipients.

Biological mechanisms that potentially contribute to residual feed intake (RFI) have not been fully understood in the grazing animal. The objective of this study was to determine the differences of RFI measured in confinement (RFIc) or grazing (RFIg) on animal performance. Animals were previously classified in confinement as high RFI (HRFIc), or low RFI (LRFIc) and subsequently under grazing as high (HRFIg) or low (LRFIg). Effects of forage quantity on dry matter intake (DMI), and biological mechanisms that contribute to variations in RFI were investigated using ultrasound, carcass traits and bacterial populations. Bulls were allotted to replicate bermudagrass pastures at low (LSTK) or high (HSTK) stocking intensities and heifers grazed one Ryegrass pasture. Ruminal microbial content was collected and profiled using bacterial tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing technique. In 2009, bulls were harvested directly off the pasture and ultrasound and carcass measurements were determined. Data were analyzed using PROC GLIMMIX of SAS. Linear regressions were obtained using PROC REG to estimate RFI. In 2009, there was a difference for LRFIc bulls in F:G (P=0.032), and HRFIg bulls on LSTK had an interaction for ADG (P=0.043). HRFIg bulls had greater intakes regardless of STK (P=0.003). In 2010, HRFIc bulls remained heavier throughout with the greatest DMI (P=0.0095). There were no differences for any traits for 2010 RFIg bulls. At a LSTK, HRFIg bulls tended (P>0.05) to have a lighter gastrointestinal tract (GIT) weight (P=0.093) while liver weight (P=0.072) tended to be heavier for all bulls. The small intestine was heavier for LRFIg bulls (P=0.09) on a HSTK. There was an interaction for microbial bacteria identified in the rumen in 2009 on hemicellulolytic (P=0.048), starch (P=0.025), and pectinolytic (P=0.057) degrading bacteria. HRFIg bulls at a LSTK had a greater percentage for amylolytic and pectinolytic degrading bacteria (P=0.008 and P=0.051, respectively) in the large intestine. There were no interactions for any substrates in 2010. DMI (P<0.0001) was greater each year for HRFIc heifers and was greater (P=0.0168, P=<0.0001, P=<0.0001) each year respectively for LRFIg heifers. No differences were found for initial BW, final BW, MetBW, and ADG in the RFIc or RFIg classes. HRFIg bulls with the greatest forage availability consumed more and had heavier GIT, but it is still unclear how the microbial fauna affected the efficiency among RFI phenotyped bulls.

In my thesis, I will argue that while at first glance Spinoza's system seems to conflict with itself and provide an explanation of the mind that can be more confusing than helpful, its aspect of panpsychism provides a sort of lifeline for understanding. Not only does Spinoza's cosmopsychism make his system cohesive, but it can also be independently motivated by ideas that are compatible with the more contemporary intuitions in philosophy of mind. I will explore the specific nature of this universal mentality, how Spinoza's particular genre of panpsychism relates to other theories of panpsychism, and how his conception of omnipresent mind affects our understanding of consciousness and its place in the world.

Submitted by Anelize de Souza Trecenti (anelize.ast@gmail.com) on 2017-11-28T13:57:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Anelize de Souza Trecenti.pdf: 742493 bytes, checksum: 1cc7f3125a676db3f05ac0229913179b (MD5) / Submitted by Anelize de Souza Trecenti (anelize.ast@gmail.com) on 2017-11-28T14:22:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Anelize de Souza Trecenti.pdf: 742493 bytes, checksum: 1cc7f3125a676db3f05ac0229913179b (MD5) / Submitted by Anelize de Souza Trecenti (anelize.ast@gmail.com) on 2017-11-28T14:31:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Anelize de Souza Trecenti.pdf: 742493 bytes, checksum: 1cc7f3125a676db3f05ac0229913179b (MD5) / Submitted by Anelize de Souza Trecenti (anelize.ast@gmail.com) on 2017-11-28T14:37:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Anelize de Souza Trecenti.pdf: 742493 bytes, checksum: 1cc7f3125a676db3f05ac0229913179b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by ROSANGELA APARECIDA LOBO null (rosangelalobo@btu.unesp.br) on 2017-11-28T16:31:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 trecenti_as_me_bot.pdf: 742493 bytes, checksum: 1cc7f3125a676db3f05ac0229913179b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-28T16:31:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 trecenti_as_me_bot.pdf: 742493 bytes, checksum: 1cc7f3125a676db3f05ac0229913179b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-11-01 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A doença de acúmulo de glicogênio tipo II (GSD-II) e a síndrome miastênica congênita (CMS) são enfermidades autossômicas recessivas importantes no gado Brahman. Nenhum estudo avaliou previamente a prevalência de mutações responsáveis pelo GSD II (E7, c.1057_1058delTA e E13, c.1783C> T) ou CMS (CHRNE, c.470del20) nos bovinos Brahman brasileiro. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a presença dessas mutações em 276 amostras de bulbos pilosos de bovinos PO brasileiros e em 35 amostras de sêmen de touros da raça Brahman, rotineiramente utilizadas em programas de melhoramento genético no Brasil. Dos 276 bovinos Brahman testados, 7,3% foram identificados como heterozigotos para E7. Enquanto, todos os bovinos Brahman estudados eram wild-type para E13. Para as amostras de sêmen foi identificado 8,6% (3/35) heterozigotos para a E7 e para a E13 nenhum animal foi identificado. A mutação CHRNE, 0,73% das amostras de bulbo piloso são heterozigotos, enquanto para as amostras de sêmen, nenhum animal foi considerado heterozigoto. Este resultado indica que as mutações E7 e CHRNE estão presentes no rebanho Brahman brasileiro, e medidas de controle devem ser adotadas para evitar um aumento na incidência de GSD-II e CMS no gado Brahman no Brasil. / Glycogen storage disease type II (GSD-II) and congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) are important autosomal recessive disorders in Brahman cattle. No study has previously evaluated the prevalence of mutations responsible for GSD II (E7, c.1057_1058delTA; and E13, c.1783C>T) or CMS (CHRNE, c.470del20) in Brazilian Brahman cattle. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of these mutations in 276 hair roots from purebred Brazilian Brahman cattle and in 35 semen samples from purebred Brahman bulls that were routinely used in breeding programmes in Brazil. Of the 276 Brahman cattle tested, 7.3% were identified as heterozygous for E7. All Brahman cattle studied were homozygous for the wild-type E13 allele. The E7 mutations was identified as heterozygous in 8.6% (3/35) of the commercial semen samples, whereas the E13 mutations was not identified. The CHRNE mutation was identified as heterozygous in 0.73% of the hair root samples, but this mutation was not present in any semen sample assessed. In summary, the E7 and CHRNE mutations are present in the Brazilian Brahman herd, and control measures should be adopted to prevent an increase in the incidence of GSD-II and CMS in Brahman cattle in Brazil. / 432/2014

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / A realizaÃÃo desta pesquisa teve por objetivos a descriÃÃo do mapa eletroforÃtico bidimensional do plasma seminal de touros adultos Bos indicus, raÃa Brahman, bem como a determinaÃÃo das associaÃÃes estatÃsticas entre proteÃnas do plasma seminal e parÃmetros seminais destes touros. Amostras de sÃmen de 56 touros foram coletadas e o plasma seminal foi obtido atravÃs de centrifugaÃÃo e submetido à eletroforese bidimensional. Os gÃis foram corados com Coomassie coloidal, digitalizados e analisados por meio do aplicativo PDQuest. Os touros foram divididos em grupos de alta e baixa motilidade espermÃtica e alto e baixo percentual de cÃlulas espermÃticas morfologicamente normais. As proteÃnas mais abundantes no plasma seminal dos touros Bos indicus e detectadas em todos os 56 gÃis apresentaram semelhanÃa com espermadesinas e BSPs. A expressÃo de spots com valores de kDa e pI equivalentes aos das proteÃnas aSFP, BSPs, clusterina , albumina e osteopontina foram estatisticamente diferentes entre os grupos de animais com parÃmetros contrastantes de motilidade e morfologia espermÃticas. As associaÃÃes encontradas entre tais spots protÃicos e os parÃmetros seminais sugerem a possibilidade do uso destes como marcadores moleculares da fertilidade potencial dos animais. / This research aimed to describe the two-dimensional electrophoresis map of bull seminal plasma of adult Bos indicus, Brahman, and the determination of statistical associations between proteins of seminal plasma and semen parameters of these bulls. Semen samples from 56 bulls were collected and seminal plasma was obtained by centrifugation and subjected to two-dimensional electrophoresis. The gels were stained with colloidal Coomassie, scanned and analyzed using PDQuest application. The bulls were divided into groups of high and low sperm motility and high and low percentage of morphologically normal sperm cells. The most abundant proteins in seminal plasma of bulls Bos indicus and detected in all 56 gels showed similarity to espermadesinas and BSPs. The expression of spots with pI values &#8203;&#8203;kDa protein equivalent to aSFP, BSPs, clusterin, albumin and osteopontin were significantly different between groups of animals with contrasting parameters of sperm motility and morphology. The associations found between such protein spots and semen parameters suggest the possibility of their use as molecular markers of potential fertility of animals.