Physiological and pathological factors influencing bovine alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin concentrations in milk

Bovine alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin concentrations were determined by radial immunodiffusion in 354 milk samples from uninfected and 98 samples from infected quarters from 42 Holstein-Friesian cows taken at 30, 150, and 270 days of lactation. alpha-Lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin concentrations were not affected by quarter location. The alpha-lactalbumin decreased at the end of lactation and in samples collected beyond second lactation. The beta-lactoglobulin concentration increased with stage of lactation. There was a positive correlation between alpha-lactalbumin and beta lactoglobulin (r = .12). Milk from uninfected quarters had mean alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin concentrations of 1.47 and 4.6 mg/ml, respectively. Milk from quarters infected by major pathogens or Corynebacterium bovis had less alpha-lactalbumin. Milk from quarters infected by minor pathogens had less beta-lactoglobulin. There was a negative correlation between alpha-lactalbumin concentration and somatic cell count (r = .31), which was amplified by infection status of quarters. No correlation was noted between somatic cell count and beta-lactoglobulin concentration when considered over the whole sampling period, but the correlation became negative in quarters infected by major pathogens.     

StoryGrid [educational computing]

The StoryGrid project undertook studying the role new interface technologies might play in education, particularly at the high school level. Unfortunately, technology often seizes center stage in high school classrooms; i.e., it becomes the topic of instruction. We believe that learning about technology would be most successful when technology is not the topic, but simply a tool used during instruction. StoryGrid, therefore, was designed to support and to enhance existing narrative activity in classrooms by adhering to the following goals: trigger reflection and interpretation, accommodate individual expression and encourage student discourse.     

Modeling phosphorus in the upper Etowah River basin: identifying sources under uncertainty.

The Uniform Covering by Probabilistic Rejection (UCPR) algorithm was used, in conjunction with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, to identify P loads from point source and nonpoint source polluters in the upper Etowah River basin (UERB) in Georgia. The key findings of the research are as follows. The mean absolute error was preferred over the root mean square error as a search criterion for the UCPR algorithm when water quality observations are scarce. The undocumented P load from point sources in the UERB was consistently estimated as about 43 kg/d by the proposed method; but the method was not able to identify the broiler litter application rate to the poultry/beef operation pastures. Point sources (both documented and undocumented), poultry/beef operation pastures, and forests are the three major contributors of P. During 1992-1996, on average they accounted for 36.4, 31.7, and 17.2% of P load from the UERB, respectively.     

Acid-base interaction of the components in sodium-borosilicate glasses

The effect of the coordination groups of boron, aluminum, and silicon on the acid-base properties of the glass mass and the change in the redox state of copper in boron-containing melts are studied. Indicators are proposed for evaluating the redox potential of the glass mass. The acid-base properties of commercial alkali-alumoborosilicate glasses are compared using these indicators. __________ Translated from Steklo i Keramika, No. 7, pp. 3–7, July, 2007.     

Nonlinear self-guiding and switching in an all-fiber device

We study the nonlinear propagation of light in optical fibers in the strong nonlinearity limit. In this limit, the transverse guiding properties are altered and cannot be decoupled from the longitudinal part of the wave equation. We consider a refractive index profile with no bound modes at low intensities and show that stable self-guiding occurs at a critical intensity. This critical intensity is a property of the guide and can be made much lower than the threshold for unstable self-focusing. We consider a particular design for which self-guiding occurs at three orders of magnitude lower than the self-focusing threshold.     

Verf?rbung grau und wei? pigmentierter Beschichtungen auf Acrylharzbasis auf Tropenh?lzern

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Some spatial equilibria in facility investment under uncertain demand

This paper describes the spatial distribution of customer demand, supply of customer services and facility investment, as the outcome of a three-level game-like interaction between customers (e.g., shoppers), suppliers (e.g., retailers) and developers (e.g., landlords). Treating both the suppliers and developers at each centre as competitors, oligopolistic equilibria of the Nash-Stackelberg type are developed, and conditions for their existence and uniqueness established. Uncertain customer demand is specified in probabilistic terms, representing the suppliers' perception of expected customer behaviour.