Dry matter intake is decreased more by abomasal infusion of unsaturated free fatty acids than by unsaturated triglycerides

Previous experiments from our group have demonstrated that abomasal infusion of unsaturated free fatty acids (FFA) markedly decreases dry matter intake (DMI) in dairy cows. In contrast, experiments from other groups have noted smaller decreases in DMI when unsaturated triglycerides (TG) were infused postruminally. Our hypothesis was that unsaturated FFA would be more potent inhibitors of DMI than an equivalent amount of unsaturated TG. Four Holstein cows in late lactation were used in a single reversal design. Cows were fed a total mixed ration containing (DM basis) 23% alfalfa silage, 23% corn silage, 40.3% ground shelled corn, and 10.5% soybean meal. Two cows received soy FFA (UFA; 0, 200, 400, 600 g/d) and 2 received soy oil (TG) in the same amounts; cows then were switched to the other lipid source. Cows were abomasally infused with each amount for 5-d periods. The daily amount of lipid was pulse-dosed in 4 equal portions at 0600, 1000, 1700, and 2200 h; no emulsifiers were used and there was no sign of digestive disturbance. Both lipid sources linearly decreased DMI, with a significant interaction between lipid source and amount. Slope-ratio analysis indicated that UFA were about 2 times more potent in decreasing DMI than were TG. Decreased DMI led to decreased milk production. Milk fat content was increased linearly by lipid infusion. Milk fat yield decreased markedly for UFA infusion but was relatively unaffected by infusion of TG. Contents of short- and medium-chain fatty acids in milk fat decreased as the amount of either infusate increased. Contents of C(18:2) and C(18:3) in milk fat were increased linearly by abomasal infusion of either fat source; cis-9 C(18:1) was unaffected. Transfer of infused C(18:2) to milk fat was 35.6, 42.5, and 27.8% for 200, 400, and 600 g/d of UFA, and 34.3, 39.6, and 34.0% for respective amounts of TG. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-36) amide (GLP-1) concentration in plasma significantly increased as DMI decreased with increasing infusion amount of UFA or TG. Plasma concentration of cholecystokinin-octapeptide (CCK-8) was unaffected by lipid infusion. These results indicate that unsaturated FFA reaching the duodenum are more potent inhibitors of DMI than are unsaturated TG; the effect may be at least partially mediated by GLP-1.     

Learning deterministic finite automata with a smart state labeling evolutionary algorithm

Learning a deterministic finite automaton (DFA) from a training set of labeled strings is a hard task that has been much studied within the machine learning community. It is equivalent to learning a regular language by example and has applications in language modeling. In this paper, we describe a novel evolutionary method for learning DFA that evolves only the transition matrix and uses a simple deterministic procedure to optimally assign state labels. We compare its performance with the evidence driven state merging (EDSM) algorithm, one of the most powerful known DFA learning algorithms. We present results on random DFA induction problems of varying target size and training set density. We also study the effects of noisy training data on the evolutionary approach and on EDSM. On noise-free data, we find that our evolutionary method outperforms EDSM on small sparse data sets. In the case of noisy training data, we find that our evolutionary method consistently outperforms EDSM, as well as other significant methods submitted to two recent competitions.     

Comments, with reply, on `Display of surfaces from volume data' byM. Levoy

The commenter clarifies some of the terminology used by M. Levoy (see ibid., vol.8, no.3, p.29-37, May 1988) and puts it into historical perspective with other terminology in use in medical imaging today. He takes exception to Levoy's use of the term `volume rendering'. He also discusses his prior use of the term `gradient shading' and suggests that it be renamed `distant gradient shading' to distinguish it from a similar technique, which is `density gradient shading'. The author defends his usage, pointing out that it is unfortunate but common for two related scientific disciplines (in this case, image processing and computer graphics) to apply differing and even incompatible definitions to the same term     

Effect of low concentrations of oxygen on the production of ethylene and on other ripening changes in apple fruit

When apples were stored at 12° in atmospheres deficient in oxygen it was found that the onset of the climacteric, as indicated by ethylene evolution, was progressively retarded the lower the oxygen content. from the point of view of horticultural technique, One disadvantage of storage in low-oxygen atmospheres at high temperature lay in the tendency for the fruit to begin alcoholic fermentation.     

DEM–PBM modeling of impact dominated ribbon milling

Ribbon milling is a critical step in dry granulation using roll compaction as it determines the properties of granules, and subsequently the properties of final products. During ribbon milling, fragmentation of ribbons or flakes (i.e., compressed agglomerates from dry powders) are induced by either impact or abrasion. Understanding these fragmentation mechanisms is critical in optimizing ribbon milling processes. In the current study, the discrete element method (DEM) was used to model fragmentation at the microscopic level, providing a detailed insight into the underlying breakage mechanism. In DEM modeling, virtual ribbons were created by introducing an appropriate interfacial energy using the cohesive particle model based on the JKR theory. A set of three‐dimensional parallelepiped ribbons with solid fraction and surface energies ranging from and were created and then fractured during impacts with a plane at various impact velocities, to model impact dominated milling. The fragmentation rate, and the number and size of fragments (i.e., granules) resulting from the breakage of a ribbon during the impact were determined. The DEM simulations showed that the granules size distribution had a bimodal pattern and there was a strong correlation between the size of fines generated from fragmentation during impact and the size of the feed powder (i.e., the size of the primary particles in this study), which was consistent with the observation from physical experiments. Two quantities were calculated from the DEM simulations: the number of fragments p and the fraction of fines z for each breakage event which were then used as input parameters for population balance models (PBM) to develop a DEM–PBM modeling framework. Comparision with published experimental data shows that the developed DEM‐PBM model is a promising tool for analysing ribbon milling, but all breakage mechanisms involved need to to considered in order to achieve an accurate prediction. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 3692–3705, 2017     

An experimental study of the variability in the properties and quality of wet granules

For wet high-shear granulation, there can be a considerable variability in product quality in terms of the size, binder content, porosity, and appearance. Using the same equipment and feed material, it has been shown that such variability can be reduced by optimising the operating protocol. The associated narrowing of the range of mechanical properties for granules formed using an optimised procedure is exemplified by measurements of a number of parameters such as the coefficient of restitution.     

Morphological and infra-red studies on highly oriented poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends

Highly oriented melt drawn films of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) have been studied by transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction and infra-red spectroscopy. Infra-red spectra show the second moment of the orientation function for PVDF samples to be greater than 0.94. Using such a sample, the transition dipole directions relative to the chain axis have been calculated. Electron microscopic studies of the PVDF/PMMA blends show a transformation for pure PVDF from a lamellar morphology to a mixture of lamellar and needle-like crystals for the 80/20 blend. The 60/40 blend shows a pure needle-like morphology. The β phase content for this blend is dependent upon the composition and thermal history. An increase in the β phase content is observed with the addition of PMMA. After annealing at 110°C, the 50/50 blend shows a lamellar β phase morphology. A significant increase in the segmental orientation of PVDF is also observed.     

Fabrication of aerogels from cellulose nanofibril grafted with β-cyclodextrin for capture of water pollutants

Journal of Porous Materials - Interactions at the molecular and surface chemistry are some of the key factors that determine the adsorption capacity of pollutants and emerging contaminants in...     

Multiple ionic conductances of the human dopamine transporter: the actions of dopamine and psychostimulants

Electrophysiological and pharmacological studies of a cloned human dopamine transporter (hDAT) were undertaken to investigate the mechanisms of transporter function and the actions of drugs at this target. Using two-electrode voltage-clamp techniques with hDAT-expressing Xenopus laevis oocytes, we show that hDAT can be considered electrogenic by two criteria. (1) Uptake of hDAT substrates gives rise to a pharmacologically appropriate "transport-associated" current. (2) The velocity of DA uptake measured in oocytes clamped at various membrane potentials was voltage-dependent, increasing with hyperpolarization. Concurrent measurement of transport-associated current and substrate flux in individual oocytes revealed that charge movement during substrate translocation was greater than would be expected for a transport mechanism with fixed stoichiometry of 2 Na+ and 1 Cl- per DA+ molecule. In addition to the transport-associated current, hDAT also mediates a constitutive leak current, the voltage and ionic dependencies of which differ markedly from those of the transport-associated current. Ion substitution experiments suggest that alkali cations and protons are carried by the hDAT leak conductance. In contrast to the transport-associated functions, the leak does not require Na+ or Cl-, and DAT ligands readily interact with the transporter even in the absence of these ions. The currents that hDAT mediates provide a functional assay that readily distinguishes the modes of action of amphetamine-like "DA-releasing" drugs from cocaine-like translocation blockers. In addition, the voltage dependence of DA uptake suggests a mechanism through which presynaptic DA autoreceptor activation may accelerate the termination of dopaminergic neurotransmission in vivo.