Variation of milk citrate with stage of lactation and de novo fatty acid synthesis in dairy cows

Citrate is a normal constituent of milk that affects milk-processing characteristics. It is an intermediate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and plays an indirect role in fat synthesis by providing reducing equivalents in the form of NADPH. The objective of this study was to investigate variation in citrate with stage of lactation and de novo fatty acid synthesis, without confounding dietary effects. Twenty-four cows were fed the same diet, and milk citrate and fatty acids were determined over a 10-d period. Eight cows were in early lactation [13 ± 1.8 d in milk (DIM; mean ±standard error], 8 in midlactation (130 ±4.6 DIM), and 8 in late lactation (283 ±3.4 DIM). For cows in early, mid, and late lactation, milk yield was 34.4, 34.4, and 21.4 L/d [standard error of difference (SED) 1.78]; milk fat was 50.4, 40.3, and 41.4 g/L (3.68); milk citrate was 11.3, 9.7, and 10.1 mmol/L (0.64); the ratio of 4-14 C:18-20 C fatty acids was 0.9, 1.3, and 1.2 (0.07). Activity of the fatty acid synthase enzyme system (EC 2.3.1.85) was calculated as acetate used for chain elongation (ACE); ACE (mol/d) for cows in early, mid, and late lactation, was 7.3, 11.1, and 8.1 (SED 1.05). For individual cows, citrate (mmol/L) = 14.3 − 0.44 ×ACE (r² = 0.58). We propose that ACE provides a more accurate indication of synthase activity than do fatty acid ratios or yields. This study confirms the hypothesis that variation in milk citrate with stage of lactation is related to de novo synthesis of fatty acids and that the relationship is independent of diet and milk yield.     

Solar motors with flat-plate collectors

Research at the Laboratory of Meteorological Physics of the University of Dakar has been devoted for several years to the study of solarenergy utilization. An experimental solar motor has been operating since August 1962. This motor drives a pump lifting 8 to 10 liters water per minute from a depth of 13 meters. (Output 130 kg meters per MINUTE = 21 watt).

This experiment being successful, the construction of a more efficient pump was begun. It has a collector of 300 m² (3228 ft²) capable of supplying (during 5 hours/day) about 40 m³/hour of water lifted from a depth of 8 to 10 m (10,000 gallons water per hr raised 27 to 33 ft). This quantity of water represents the approximate daily requirement of a community of 500 persons. This engine, which is very simple and sturdily built, necessitating no servicing, opens a new area in the utilization of solar energy in tropical countries.     

Proper Generalized Decomposition based dynamic data driven inverse identification

Dynamic Data-Driven Application Systems—DDDAS—appear as a new paradigm in the field of applied sciences and engineering, and in particular in Simulation-based Engineering Sciences. By DDDAS we mean a set of techniques that allow the linkage of simulation tools with measurement devices for real-time control of systems and processes. One essential feature of DDDAS is the ability to dynamically incorporate additional data into an executing application, and in reverse, the ability of an application to dynamically control the measurement process. DDDAS need accurate and fast simulation tools using if possible off-line computations to limit as much as possible the on-line computations. With this aim, efficient solvers can be constructed by introducing all the sources of variability as extra-coordinates in order to solve the model off-line only once. This way, its most general solution is obtained and therefore it can be then considered in on-line purposes. So to speak, we introduce a physics-based meta-modeling technique without the need for prior computer experiments. However, such models, that must be solved off-line, are defined in highly multidimensional spaces suffering the so-called curse of dimensionality. We proposed recently a technique, the Proper Generalized Decomposition—PGD—able to circumvent the redoubtable curse of dimensionality. The marriage of DDDAS concepts and tools and PGD off-line computations could open unimaginable possibilities in the field of dynamic data-driven application systems. In this work we explore some possibilities in the context of on-line parameter estimation.     

Factors influencing leucine catabolism by a strain of Staphylococcus carnosus.

The metabolism of leucine by resting cells of Staphylococcus carnosus 833 was studied according to three physicochemical factors: preculture condition (defined medium; complex medium), nitrate concentration (0% and 0.03%) and stirring condition (static or shaking). A factorial design was set up to test the effects of these factors, each at two levels. The results showed that resting cells of S. carnosus 833 produced 3-methyl butanal, 3-methyl butanol and 3-methyl butanoic acid from leucine. Whatever the incubation conditions, there was greater quantity of 3-methyl butanoic acid than 3-methyl butanal and 3-methyl butanol. The preculture and incubation conditions influenced the level of production of the 3 metabolites. The highest overall production of the 3 metabolites was observed when cells were incubated without nitrate in the reaction mixture. 3-methylbutanoic acid production was enhanced when S. carnosus 833 was precultivated in complex medium. 3-methylbutanal was only detected when cells were precultivated in defined medium. Stirring condition had no effect on leucine catabolism of S. carnosus 833.     

Design and Testing of a Superconducting Rotating Machine

We have designed, constructed and tested an eight-pole superconducting rotating machine, based on an unconventional topology that could potentially lead to a significant increase in power density. Calculations have been carried out in two steps: estimation of the magnetic scalar potential from a Coulomb formulation using the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, and the calculation of the flux density by derivation of the potential using a regularization method. The use of the MCMC method enables the calculation of the magnetic scalar potential in selected regions of the discrete geometry, which is an important factor to minimize the computation time. The principle of the operation has been validated by a successful testing of the motor showing this novel configuration of an electrical motor as very promising     

Influence of Genetic Variations on Levels of Inflammatory Markers of Healthy Subjects at Baseline and One Week after Clopidogrel Therapy; Results of a Preliminary Study

We aimed to assess the association between the most common polymorphisms of cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenases on the plasma levels of inflammatory markers in a population of healthy subjects. We also sought to determine whether CYP2C19*2 polymorphism is associated with the anti-inflammatory response to clopidogrel. In a population of 49 healthy young males, the baseline plasma levels of inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein, haptoglobin, orosomucoid acid, CD-40 were compared in carriers vs. non-carriers of the most frequent CYP epoxygenase polymorphisms: CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3, CYP2C19*2, CYP2C8*2 and CYP2J2*7. Also, the variation of inflammatory markers from baseline to 7 days after administration of 75 mg per day of clopidogrel were compared in carriers vs. non-carriers of CYP2C19* allele and also in responders vs. hypo-responders to clopidogrel, determined by platelet reactivity tests. There was no significant association between epoxygenase polymorphisms and the baseline levels of inflammatory markers. Likewise, CYP2C19* allele was not associated with anti-inflammatory response to clopidogrel. Our findings did not support the notion that the genetic variations of CYP epoxygenases are associated with the level of inflammatory markers. Moreover, our results did not support the hypothesis that CYP2C19*2 polymorphism is associated with the variability in response to the anti-inflammatory properties of clopidogrel.     

Influence of grain direction and pre-heating on linear wood welding

Grain direction has some influence on linear wood welding, but such differences are smaller with a newer welding technology and furthermore can be overcome by different techniques.     

Road accident statistics: discrepancies between police and hospital data in a French island

In most developed countries, information on road crashes are routinely collected by the police. However, comparison of police records and hospital data underlines a deficit of the number of road accidents in the routine statistics. In La Réunion, a French overseas dependency, an epidemiological study of injuries leading to hospitalisation or deaths has been performed from June 1993 to June 1994. The comparison between hospital data and police records showed that only 37.3% of non-fatally traffic-injured in-patients were recorded by the police. Length of stay in hospital, physician in charge of the first aid, urban place of the crash, type of vehicle involved, day and time of the crash and blood alcohol concentration were significantly associated with the presence in the police file. Police overestimated the severity of the injuries. Police notified 100 deaths on the 115 counted by the study. In France, non-fatally traffic-injured should be followed 30 days to improve quality of police death records. A capture-recapture method was used to estimate the total number of injured people. The capture-recapture method consists in merging information from several sources of notification to determine the real number of cases in the population and the exhaustivity of each source. We estimated that 346 subjects were injured in one month whereas police data recorded only 87 and hospital data 137. This method seems interesting to use in routine after validation when unique personal identifiers are available.     

Optically and thermally stimulated luminescence of KMgF3:Ce3 and NaMgF3:Ce3+

The potentialities of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) for personal dosimetry of ionising radiation have stimulated the search for new synthetic materials with good dosimetric properties. The sensitivity of two new OSL materials KMgF3 and NaMgF3 doped with Ce3+ ions has been evaluated and found to be of the same order of magnitude as that of Al2O3:C. Several other characteristics have also been investigated. Promising results for KMgF3:Ce are the high sensitivity and the low fading. However, this material suffers from a high self-dose due to the presence of 40K. NaMgF5:Ce is sensitive as well but shows strong fading. Interesting information on the mechanism has been obtained by correlating the signals of OSL and TL. Furthermore, the different bleachabilities under blue LED illumination of the strongly overlapping glow peaks allowed the extraction of one single peak for KMgF3:Ce3+. The results demonstrate new possibilities offered by the combination of TL and OSL.