Effects of lysophospholipids on short-term production,nitrogen utilization,and rumen fermentation and bacterial population in lactating dairy cows

An experiment was conducted to examine effects of supplemental lysophospholipids (LPL) in dairy cows. Eight ruminally cannulated lactating Holstein cows were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design. Dietary treatments were (1) a dairy ration [CON; 55% forage and 45% concentrate on a dry matter (DM) basis], (2) a positive control diet supplemented with monensin (MON; 16 mg/kg in dietary DM; Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN], (3) a control diet supplemented with low LPL (0.05% of dietary DM; Lipidol Ultra, Easy Bio Inc., Seoul, South Korea), and (4) a control diet supplemented with high LPL (0.075% of dietary DM). Experimental periods were 21 d with 14-d diet adaptation and 7-d sample collection. Daily intake and milk yield were measured and rumen contents were collected for fermentation characteristics and bacterial population. Spot urine and fecal samples (8 samples/cow per period) were collected to determine nutrient digestibility and dietary N utilization. All data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC; group and cow within group were random effects and treatments, time, and their interaction were fixed effects). Preplanned contrasts were made to determine effect of MON versus CON, effect of LPL versus MON, and linear effect of increasing LPL. In the current study, responses to MON generally agreed with effects of monensin observed in the literature (increased milk yield and feed efficiency but decreased milk fat content). Supplementation of LPL to the diet did not alter DM intake but linearly increased milk yield, resulting in increases in feed efficiency (milk yield/DM intake) and milk protein and fat yields. However, total-tract digestibility of DM and organic matter tended to be lower (60.9 vs. 62.2% and 61.8 vs. 63.1%, respectively) for LPL compared with CON. Linear increases in milk N secretion and decreases in urinary N excretion were observed with increasing LPL in the diet. A slight decrease in acetate proportion in the rumen for LPL was found. Relative to MON, very few bacteria in the rumen were affected with increasing LPL. In conclusion, LPL is a potential feed additive that can increase milk yield and components and dietary N utilization. However, more studies with large numbers of animals are needed to confirm the effect of LPL on production. Similar positive effects on production were observed between LPL and MON, but individual mechanisms were likely different according to ruminal fermentation characteristics. Further studies are needed to explore the mode of action of LPL in dairy cows.     

Rapid histologic diagnosis using quick fluorescence staining and tissue confocal microscopy

With the development of advanced and minimally invasive surgical techniques, and in view of the functional and cosmetic aspects, the need for rapid and accurate diagnosis during surgery is increasing. This study was conducted to develop a tissue diagnosis method using confocal microscopy after simple tissue staining that does not require freezing and slicing. At present, fluorescence staining with confocal microscopy is not generalized for real‐time diagnosis during surgery. In this paper, we propose a fluorescence staining method using Hoechst 33342 and Eosin that does not require tissue freezing and slicing. The proposed method can be used as part of a rapid tissue diagnosis method that is suitable for use in the operating room, although further research is required before it can be applied in clinical practice.     

Electromagnetic transmission of an oblique waveguide array

Transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) wave transmissions of an oblique parallel-plate waveguide array is studied. The scattered wave is represented in terms of continuous and discrete modes based on the Fourier transform and series, respectively. The tangential field continuities at the boundary are enforced to obtain simultaneous equations for the discrete modal coefficients. Residue calculus is utilized to transform the radiation field and reflection coefficient into numerically efficient forms. Numerical computations are performed to illustrate the behavior of wave radiation and reception by an oblique waveguide array.     

A pilot study on accelerated sludge degradation by a high-concentration membrane bioreactor coupled with sludge pretreatment.

A new sludge treatment process combining a high MLSS membrane bioreactor with sludge pretreatment techniques was studied in pilot-scale experiments. The membrane bioreactor (MBR) was adopted for high efficiency aerobic digestion. The combination of alkaline-ozone treatment of the mixed liquor in the MBR reactor accelerated the biodegradation process by enhancing biodegradability of the sludge. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the reactor was set as 3.1 days and the DO level was 1 mg/L on average. After 5 months of operation, the accumulative total solids reduction was more than 70%. Removal efficiency of volatile solids and non-volatile solids were 76% and 54%, respectively. It was found that a considerable portion of the non-volatile solids was dissolved into ions and then flushed out with the effluent. Also, about 41% and 28% of T-N and T-P in the raw sludge were removed although no biological nutrient removal process was adopted. The experiment was run smoothly without significant membrane fouling, even at the relatively high levels of MLSS concentration (11,000-25,000 mg/L). It is concluded that the newly proposed process can significantly increase the sludge reduction efficiency with much shorter retention times.     

Fracture behavior in medium-carbon martensitic Si- and Ni-steels

A study of fracture behavior in medium-carbon martensitic Ni- and Si-steels has been made. Charpy impact testing was conducted in order to investigate fracture mode as a function of test temperature. Whereas the transgranular cleavage fracture becomes the primary brittle fracture mode with decreasing test temperature in the Si-steel, intergranular fracture is the only brittle fracture mode observed at low temperatures in the Ni-steel. The different fracture behavior between these steels appears to be due to variation in intrinsic matrix toughness. Since Si may impair the intrinsic matrix toughness, the occurrence of transgranular cleavage fracture becomes relatively easy with decreasing test temperature. On the other hand, since Ni may improve considerably the intrinsic matrix toughness, the transgranular cleavage fracture is not able to occur although the test temperature decreases. Thus, the intrinsic matrix toughness can play a significant role in controlling the fracture behavior.     

High-power performance limitation of an ESQW SEED in an AFP etalonstructure

We report the effects of a high power light beam on the performance of a self electro-optic effect device, which employs an extremely shallow quantum well in an asymmetric Fabry-Perot etalon structure. For a continuously incident laser beam having 4 mW power and 7 μm diameter, for example, we observed the change of reflectivity difference from 25% to 13% and the change of contrast ratio from 16 to 5, both of which we attribute to the rise of local temperature induced by laser heating. Experimental measurements and a simplified thermal analysis show that the device degradation by ohmic heating at reverse bias of -5 V is more pronounced than that by the exciton absorption saturation at forward bias     

Near room-temperature continuous-wave operation of all-monolithic InAlGaAs/InP 1.3 /spl mu/m VCSELs

InAlGaAs/InP-based all-monolithic 1.3 /spl mu/m VCSELs operating continuous wave up to 18/spl deg/C are demonstrated. The whole structure is grown by a single step of MOCVD. Selective wet etching of an InP layer is used to form an air-gap aperture for the current confinement. The threshold current of an 8 /spl mu/m device at 15/spl deg/C is /spl sim/2.8 mA.