ADSA Foundation Scholar Award: New frontiers in calf and heifer nutrition—From conception to puberty

Dairy calf nutrition is traditionally one of the most overlooked aspects of dairy management, despite its large effect on the efficiency and profitability of dairy operations. Unfortunately, among all animals on the dairy farm, calves suffer from the highest rates of morbidity and mortality. These challenges have catalyzed calf nutrition research over the past decade to mitigate high incidences of disease and death, and improve animal health, growth, welfare, and industry sustainability. However, major knowledge gaps remain in several crucial stages of development. The purpose of this review is to summarize the key concepts of nutritional physiology and programming from conception to puberty and their subsequent effects on development of the calf, and ultimately, future performance. During fetal development, developmental plasticity is highest. At this time, maternal energy and protein consumption can influence fetal development, likely playing a critical role in calf and heifer development and, importantly, future production. After birth, the calf's first meal of colostrum is crucial for the transfer of immunoglobulin to support calf health and survival. However, colostrum also contains numerous bioactive proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates that may play key roles in calf growth and health. Extending the delivery of these bioactive compounds to the calf through a gradual transition from colostrum to milk (i.e., extended colostrum or transition milk feeding) may confer benefits in the first days and weeks of life to prepare the calf for the preweaning period. Similarly, optimal nutrition during the preweaning period is vital. Preweaning calves are highly susceptible to health challenges, and improved calf growth and health can positively influence future milk production. Throughout the world, the majority of dairy calves rely on milk replacer to supply adequate nutrition. Recent research has started to re-evaluate traditional formulations of milk replacers, which can differ significantly in composition compared with whole milk. Transitioning from a milk-based diet to solid feed is critical in the development of mature ruminants. Delaying weaning age and providing long and gradual step-down protocols have become common to avoid production and health challenges. Yet, determining how to appropriately balance the amount of energy and protein supplied in both liquid and solid feeds based on preweaning milk allowances, and further acknowledging their interactions, shows great promise in improving growth and health during weaning. After weaning and during the onset of puberty, heifers are traditionally offered high-forage diets. However, recent work suggests that an early switch to a high-forage diet will depress intake and development during the time when solid feed efficiency is greatest. It has become increasingly clear that there are great opportunities to advance our knowledge of calf nutrition; yet, a more concentrated and rigorous approach to research that encompasses the long-term consequences of nutritional regimens at each stage of life is required to ensure the sustainability and efficiency of the global dairy industry.     

Barrier effect of flame retardant systems in poly(methyl methacrylate): Study of the efficiency of the surface treatment by octylsilane of silica nanoparticles in combination with phosphorous fire retardant additives

In this work, flame retardant systems comprising ammonium polyphosphate (AP423) and hydrophilic (A200) or hydrophobic (R805) nanometric silica were incorporated into PMMA. The following techniques were performed to detail the fire behaviour of the composites: mass loss cone calorimetry, pyrolysis‐combustion flow calorimetry, pyrolysis‐gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and microscopic observations. The best fire behaviour was obtained with the surface‐treated silica in the presence of AP423. The formation of a new crystalline phase from the interactions between AP423 and R805 silica and a strong barrier effect due to a layered residue were the main modes of action of this system. Moreover, we have shown that the difference between the AP423 + R805 and AP423 + A200 systems was due to poor dispersion of the silica into the PMMA matrix in the latter formulation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polystyrene-poly(2-ethylhexylmethacrylate) block copolymers: Synthesis,bulk phase behavior,and thin film structure

Anionic polymerization was employed to synthesize well-defined diblock copolymers of polystyrene and poly(2-ethylhexylmethacrylate), PS-PEHMA. Diblock morphologies in bulk and in substrate-supported thin films were characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. PS-PEHMA diblocks exhibited thermotropic order-disorder transitions; one diblock showed a thermoreversible transition between lamellae and a higher-temperature morphology assigned as perforated lamellae. Unlike PS-poly(alkylmethacrylate) diblocks where the alkyl group is n-butyl or n-pentyl, PS-PEHMA diblocks showed a typical decreasing Flory interaction parameter with increasing temperature. Thin films of PS-cylinder-forming PS-PEHMA diblocks showed a strong preference for the cylinders to lie in the plane of the film; films of incommensurate thickness readily formed terraces. Films of commensurate thickness were easily aligned over macroscopic areas through the application of mechanical shear.     

Epoxidation reaction of trimethylolpropane with epichlorohydrin: Kinetic study of chlorohydrin formation

The kinetics of the reaction between trimethylolpropane (TMP) and epichlorohydrin (ECH) were studied. A mechanism is proposed which involves the synthesis of chlorohydrins, a previous stage which then leads to epoxy resin formation. From this mechanism a set of three coupled non-linear differential equations, (each equation corresponds to each chlorohydrin) was derived and numerical solutions were obtained using a Monte-Carlo method. The concentrations of chlorohydrins determined by this method (41.7, 35.7, and 22.5%) compare well with the experimental GPC results (42.7, 34.7, and 22.6%). The corresponding rate constants for the formation of the chlorohydrins were obtained.