Metabolic and lactational responses during recombinant bovine tumor necrosis factor-alpha treatment in lactating cows

This study examined the effects of recombinant bovine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (rbTNF) administration on metabolic and hormonal responses and lactational performance in dairy cows. Twelve lactating Holstein cows were injected subcutaneously with rbTNF (2.5 microg per kg per d) or saline (3 ml per head per d) at 1200 h daily for 7 d (d 0-6) and used in a crossover design. The rbTNF treatment induced increases in plasma haptoglobin, nonesterified fatty acid, cortisol, and growth hormone levels compared with the control levels. The rbTNF-treated cows had lower triiodothyronine and insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrations than control cows. In a somatoliberin challenge on d 6, the somatotropin response to somatoliberin (0.25 microg/kg) was smaller in the rbTNF group than in the control. The rbTNF treatment also produced increases of the nitrite plus nitrate concentration in plasma and milk during the period between d 1 and 7. Milk yield was reduced by rbTNF administration from d 1 to 8. The percentage of milk fat was increased on d 1-7 by rbTNF treatment, but milk protein content in the rbTNF group was decreased on d 5 and 7 as compared with that in the control group. These results support the possibility that tumor necrosis factor-alpha is responsible for the changes in hormone secretion, milk production and composition, and inflammatory parameters observed during coliform mastitis.     

Evaluation and improvement of optical-grade LiTaO3 single crystals by the LFB ultrasonic material characterization system

This paper describes the first demonstration for feeding back the results obtained by the line-focus-beam ultrasonic material characterization (LFB-UMC) system to the crystal growth conditions for optical-grade LiTaO₃ crystals and for achieving much improved homogeneity of chemical composition. We evaluated a commercially available optical-grade LiTaO₃ single crystal with a nominally congruent composition in detail, by measuring distributions of the velocities of leaky surface acoustic waves (LSAW) along the Y-axis direction for a Z-cut specimen plate prepared from the crystal grown in the Y-axis direction. We detected an increment of 0.66 m/s in LSAW velocity along the pulling axis direction corresponding to 0.024 mol% in Li₂O content, and the compositional gradient was +0.346×10^-3 (Li₂O-mol%)/mm. By experimentally obtaining the starting material composition dependence of the gradients, we developed a method of estimating the proper composition ratio that would lead to a more homogeneous crystal. We grew a new crystal with a Li₂O content of 48.47 mol%, resulting in a very small compositional gradient of +0.046×10^-3 (Li ₂O-mol%)/mm and a compositional homogeneity of less than 0.012 Li₂O-mol% in a Z-cut area of 50 mm×50 mm used for device substrates     

Regulation of miRNA Expression by Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) and Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

Applications of laser therapy, including low-level laser therapy (LLLT), phototherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT), have been proven to be beneficial and relatively less invasive therapeutic modalities for numerous diseases and disease conditions. Using specific types of laser irradiation, specific cellular activities can be induced. Because multiple cellular signaling cascades are simultaneously activated in cells exposed to lasers, understanding the molecular responses within cells will aid in the development of laser therapies. In order to understand in detail the molecular mechanisms of LLLT and PDT-related responses, it will be useful to characterize the specific expression of miRNAs and proteins. Such analyses will provide an important source for new applications of laser therapy, as well as for the development of individualized treatments. Although several miRNAs should be up- or down-regulated upon stimulation by LLLT, phototherapy and PDT, very few published studies address the effect of laser therapy on miRNA expression. In this review, we focus on LLLT, phototherapy and PDT as representative laser therapies and discuss the effects of these therapies on miRNA expression.     

Determination of the true congruent composition for LiTaO3 single crystals using the LFB ultrasonic material characterization system.

The true congruent composition for LiTaO3 single crystals was determined by measuring the velocities of leaky surface acoustic waves (LSAWs) with the line-focus-beam ultrasonic material characterization (LFB-UMC) system for two 42 degrees YX-LiTa3s crystal ingots. The congruent composition determined here was 48.460 Li2O-mol%, corresponding to the LSAW velocity (42 degrees YX-LiTaO3) of 3125.3 m/s, and the absolute relationship between the LSAW velocity and chemical composition was obtained. Simulations on the variation of the melt and crystal compositions in a mass production of 100 crystals were conducted as a function of the composition of the starting material around the congruent composition. The result showed that the distributions of the melt and crystal compositions within and among the crystals varied largely with the material composition, providing the relationship of the material composition with the maximum composition variation for the 100 crystals. Based on these results, we verified the relationships between the tolerance of the material composition variation and the tolerances for the SH-type SAW velocity, LSAW velocity, and Curie temperature. The material composition needs to be constrained to within +/- 0.007 Li2O-mol% around the congruent composition to mass-produce the crystals with reliable homogeneity, satisfying the tolerance of +/- 0.01% in the SAW velocity. Furthermore, a guideline for the specification of reliable piezoelectric SAW-device wafer substrates was presented with the accurate interrelationships among the chemical composition ratio, LSAW velocity, and Curie temperature.     

Evaluation method of TiO2-SiO2 ultra-low-expansion glasses with periodic striae using the LFB ultrasonic material characterization system.

Experimental procedures and standard specimens for characterizing and evaluating TiO2-SiO2 ultra-low expansion glasses with periodic striae using the line-focus-beam (LFB) ultrasonic material characterization system are discussed. Two types of specimens were prepared, with specimen surfaces parallel and perpendicular to the striae plane using two different grades of glass ingots. The inhomogeneities of each of the specimens were evaluated at 225 MHz. It was clarified that parallel specimens are useful for accurately measuring velocity variations of leaky surface acoustic waves (LSAWs) excited on a water-loaded specimen surface associated with the striae. Perpendicular specimens are useful for obtaining periodicities in the striae for LSAW propagation perpendicular to the striae plane on a surface and for precisely measuring averaged velocities for LSAW propagation parallel to the striae plane. The standard velocity of Rayleigh-type LSAWs traveling parallel to the striae plane for the perpendicular specimens was numerically calculated using the measured velocities of longitudinal and shear waves and density. Consequently, a reliable standard specimen with an LSAW velocity of 3308.18 +/- 0.35 m/s at 23 degrees C and its temperature coefficient of 0.39 (m/s)/degrees C was obtained for a TiO2-SiO2 glass with a TiO2 concentration of 7.09 wt%. A basis for the striae analysis using this ultrasonic method was established.     

Accurate measurements of the acoustical physical constants of synthetic alpha-quartz for SAW devices

Accurate measurements of the acoustical physical constants (elastic constants, piezoelectric constants, dielectric constants, and density) of commercially available and widely used surface acoustic wave (SAW)-grade synthetic α-quartz are reported. The propagation directions and modes of bulk waves optimal for accurately determining the constants were selected through numerical calculations, and three principal X-, Y-, and Z-cut specimens and several rotated Y-cut specimens were prepared from a single crystal ingot to determine the constants and to confirm their accuracy. All of the constants were determined through highly accurate measurements of the longitudinal velocities, shear velocities, dielectric constants, and density. The velocity values measured for the specimens that were not used to determine the constants agreed well with those calculated from the determined constants, within a difference of ±0.20 m/s (±0.004%)     

Performance of sputtered SiO2 film as acoustic antireflection coating at sapphire/water interface

The effect of sputtered SiO2 films as an acoustic antireflection coating for matching the large acoustic discontinuity at the sapphire/water interface is experimentally and theoretically investigated in a frequency range of 200 to 1100 MHz. By the introduction of SiO2 films, the transmission loss of more than 9 dB at the interface is reduced to less than 1 dB at a quarter-wavelength frequency of SiO2 film with high reproducibility.     

Anisotropy detection in sapphire by acoustic microscope using line-focus beam

Nonscanning reflection acoustic microscopes can be satisfactorily applied to detect the anisotropy of acoustic properties of solid materials using a line-focus beam. As a demonstration, the anisotropic dependence of leaky surfac-acoustic-wave velocities on the propagation directions are measured on the water/Z-cut-sapphire boundary at a frequency of 200 MHz. The measured values are in good agreement with the calculated results within a difference of about 1%.     

Effect of beta-lactoglobulin on plasma retinol and triglyceride concentrations, and fatty acid composition in calves

Beta-lactoglobulin (beta-lg) is the main protein of ruminant milk whey. Although beta-lg can bind in vitro to a variety of hydrophobic substrates, mainly retinol and long-chain fatty acids, its physiological function is still unknown. In Exp. 1, we investigated the effect of beta-lg on the plasma retinol concentration in preruminant calves. Holstein male calves (n = 20) were fed Holstein whole milk at 40 g/kg body weight (BW) plus vitamin A acetate (500,000 i.u.) with or without beta-lg (0.4 g/kg BW). The plasma retinol concentration of 10-d-old calves was greater (P < 0.05) in the beta-lg-fed group) than in the control group during the period from 8 to 12 h and at 24 h after the feeding. The postprandial change of plasma retinol in 40-d-old calves fed milk with beta-lg was higher (P < 0.05) than that in the control calves only at 12 h after the feeding. In Exp. 2, Holstein male calves (n = 18) were used to investigate the effect of beta-lg on plasma triglyceride concentration and fatty acid composition. Calves were fed Holstein whole milk at 40 g/kg BW plus milk fat prepared from whole milk at 2 g/kg BW with or without beta-lg (0.4 g/kg BW). Plasma triglyceride concentration at age 10 d was higher (P < 0.05) in the beta-lg-fed group than in the controls during the periods from 1 to 2 h and from 7 to 11 h after the feeding. At age 40 d, plasma triglyceride in the beta-lg-fed group was higher (P < 0.05) than in the control group only at 9 h. Ratios of palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids to total plasma lipids were higher (P < 0.05) in the calves fed beta-lg milk than in the control calves at age 10 d. These results suggest that beta-lg enhances the intestinal uptake of retinol, triglyceride, and long-chain fatty acids in preruminant calves.     

Accurate measurements of the acoustical physical constants of LiNbO (3) and LiTaO(3) single crystals

The acoustical physical constants (elastic constant, piezoelectric constant, dielectric constant, and density) of commercial surface acoustic wave (SAW)-grade LiNbO(3) and LiTaO(3) single crystals were determined by measuring the bulk acoustic wave velocities, dielectric constants, and densities of many plate specimens prepared from the ingots. The maximum probable error in each constant was examined by considering the dependence of each constant on the measured acoustic velocities. By comparing the measured values of longitudinal velocities that were not used to determine the constants with the calculated values using the previously mentioned constants, we found that the differences between the measured and calculated values were 1 m/s or less for both LiNbO(3) and LiTaO(3) crystals. These results suggest that the acoustical physical constants determined in this paper can give the values of bulk acoustic wave velocities with four significant digits.