Piglets Comfort with Hot Water by Biogas Combustion under Controllable Ventilation

The purpose of this study is to develop a hot-water heating system for pig farms which use biogas as the energy source while the air quality is regulated using an inverter-controlled fan. The biogas is a by-product from the 3-stage wastewater treatment process in regular pig farms. The biogas is burned for hot water which is circulated to warm piglet compartments with regulated, forced ventilation. The hot water is connected to a heat exchanger and hot air is hence blown into the pigsty. To maintain the pigsty at a comfort atmosphere, ventilation is regulated using an inverter-controlled fan. The mechanical ventilation is to be optimized as a compromise between indoor air quality and ventilation rate. The temperature uniformity and air quality in the pigsty is to be secured for comfortability. Experimental results show that hot water circulating at 0.043 m3/min and 60°C could keep the pigsty at 28°C for a stocking density of 1.77 pig/m2. Forced ventilation of 1.7 ACH (air change rate per hour) at 28°C could keep the pigsty comfort in terms of indoor temperature, relative humidity, and carbon-dioxide concentration

The relationship between velocity utilization rate and pole vault performance

In the pole vault event, the velocity of approach is a highly vital factor. As velocity of approach improvements highly impact performance improvements. This study analysed the relationships between sprint running’s speed (SR), pole running (PR, without jump), and the pole vault approach (PVA, with real jump). Analysed too were the relationships between both the approach and performance’s respective running distance, velocity, and velocity utilization rates. Methods: Ten male pole vaulters were recruited. Measured was each 5-meter segment’s average velocity of his respective SR, PR, and PVA, along with the distance to maximum velocity. Results: The maximum average velocity of the PR’s 5m segments altogether was significantly positively correlated with pole vault (PV) performance; The maximum average velocity of the PR’s 5m segments altogether was significantly positively correlated with the last 5m PVA average velocity; The PVA velocity’s utilization rate was significantly negatively correlated with the difference between the distance to the PR’s maximum velocity and the PVA’s distance. Conclusion: The PR segment’s maximum speed capability can evaluate both a pole vaulter’s potential and pole vault-specific abilities. This study’s recruited pole vaulters’ respective approach distances were generally insufficient that resulted in a lower velocity utilization rate. Suggested is that in training, the pole vaulter could first find the distance required to reach the highest velocity upon starting from the PR test. Thus, this subsequently known distance could be applied in tandem with the pole vault’s approach to both improve the PVA’s utilization rate and reach the individual highest speed level

On the Wind Reduction Effect of Windbreak Nets in Front of the Simple Greenhouse for Planting Fruits and Vegetables

The island of Taiwan experiences frequent strong winds coming with typhoons in the summer and with northeast monsoons in the winter. The strong winds are hazardous to the structure of a simple greenhouse that is widely used for vegetable and fruit plantation. The damage may reduce agricultural yields. Windbreak netting is a practical procedure for protecting a greenhouse from strong winds. The purpose of this study is to carry on the wind tunnel simulation test of windbreak nets in front of the simple greenhouse. Windbreak nets of densities 50%, 40%, 30% and 20% had a uniform dimension of 10 cm (per unit 1 h) in height and 29.2 cm in width. A windbreak net was tested at tilt angles of 0o, 5o, 10o and 15o. The wind tunnel simulation test is carried on at 10 m/s of reference wind velocity. The wind velocities at different horizontal distances and vertical distances front and behind the windbreak net are measured. The relative wind velocity is calculated. The wind reduction effect at different horizontal distances behind the windbreak net is analyzed and discussed. From the test results, it is known that when the tilt angle of windbreak net is 0o and the height of windbreak net is 1h, the corresponding wind reduction effect of windbreak nets with 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% porosity is 62%, 61%, 59% and 52% respectively at 2h horizontal distance. The corresponding wind reduction effect of windbreak nets with 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% porosity is 46%, 45%, 40% and 32% respectively at 10h horizontal distance. However, the increase of tilt angle of windbreak net does not have much influence on the wind reduction effect

Biomechanical characterization of the periodontal ligament: Orthodontic tooth movement

To quantify the biomechanical properties of the bovine periodontal ligament (PDL) in postmortem sections and to apply these properties to study orthodontic tooth intrusion using finite element analysis (FEA). We hypothesized that PDL’s property inherited heterogeneous (anatomical dependency) and nonlinear stress-strain behavior that could aid FEA to delineate force vectors with various rectangular archwires

Structural and DNA-binding studies on the bovine antimicrobial peptide, indolicidin: evidence for multiple conformations involved in binding to membranes and DNA

Indolicidin, a l3-residue antimicrobial peptide-amide, which is unusually rich in tryptophan and proline, is isolated from the cytoplasmic granules of bovine neutrophils. In this study, the structures of indolicidin in 50% D(3)-trifluoroethanol and in the absence and presence of SDS and D(38)-dodecylphosphocholine were determined using NMR spectroscopy. Multiple conformations were found and were shown to be due to different combinations of contact between the two WPW motifs. Although indolicidin is bactericidal and able to permeabilize bacterial membranes, it does not lead to cell wall lysis, showing that there is more than one mechanism of antimicrobial action. The structure of indolicidin in aqueous solution was a globular and amphipathic conformation, differing from the wedge shape adopted in lipid micelles, and these two structures were predicted to have different functions. Indolicidin, which is known to inhibit DNA synthesis and induce filamentation of bacteria, was shown to bind DNA in gel retardation and fluorescence quenching experiments. Further investigations using surface plasmon resonance confirmed the DNA-binding ability and showed the sequence preference of indolicidin. Based on our biophysical studies and previous results, we present a diagram illustrating the DNA-binding mechanism of the antimicrobial action of indolicidin and explaining the roles of the peptide when interacting with lipid bilayers at different concentrations

A Controlled Fermentation Environment for Producing Quality Soya Sauce

Soy sauce fermentation under controlled temperature is a way to shorten the fermentation time. An energy-saving fermentation system was developed to power a heat pump for maintaining the temperature of sauce moromi at 37±1°C during fermentation. The chemical properties of the sauce moromi and the sensory properties of the soy sauce produced using the controlled fermentation system were evaluated and compared to those of the sauce moromi fermented outdoors without temperature control. The sauce moromi processed using the controlled fermentation system had significantly higher total nitrogen, formal nitrogen, amino nitrogen, reducing sugar and organic acid contents than the moromi fermented outdoor. However, no significant difference was found in overall liking score between two soy sauces. The soy sauce fermented under the control temperature showed higher Brix and salt concentration, but lower pH value than the sauce fermented outdoor. It was possible that the beneficial effects of reducing sugar and organic acid contents were rebuffed by the disadvantage of salt concentration. It was concluded that a controlled fermentation environment deserves the potential to produce a high quality soy sauce

A Controlled Fermentation Environment for Producing Quality Soya Sauce

Soy sauce fermentation under controlled temperature is a way to shorten the fermentation time. An energy-saving fermentation system was developed to power a heat pump for maintaining the temperature of sauce moromi at 37±1°C during fermentation. The chemical properties of the sauce moromi and the sensory properties of the soy sauce produced using the controlled fermentation system were evaluated and compared to those of the sauce moromi fermented outdoors without temperature control. The sauce moromi processed using the controlled fermentation system had significantly higher total nitrogen, formal nitrogen, amino nitrogen, reducing sugar and organic acid contents than the moromi fermented outdoor. However, no significant difference was found in overall liking score between two soy sauces. The soy sauce fermented under the control temperature showed higher Brix and salt concentration, but lower pH value than the sauce fermented outdoor. It was possible that the beneficial effects of reducing sugar and organic acid contents were rebuffed by the disadvantage of salt concentration. It was concluded that a controlled fermentation environment deserves the potential to produce a high quality soy sauce

The Antiinfective Effects of Velvet Antler of Formosan Sambar Deer (Cervus unicolor swinhoei) on Staphylococcus aureus-Infected Mice

We assayed the effects of velvet antler (VA) of Formosan sambar deer (Cervus unicolor swinhoei) and its extracts on the anti-infective activity against pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and in vivo in this study. In vitro data indicated that the VA extracts stimulated the proliferation of resting splenocytes and macrophages in a dose-dependent manner up to the highest concentration used (150 μg mL−1). The production of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12) by lipoteichoic acid was significantly suppressed after being cocultured with the VA extracts in a dose-dependent manner. Animal test in S. aureus-infected mice demonstrated that the numbers of bacteria determined in the kidneys and peritoneal lavage fluid of S. aureus-infected mice were significantly higher than those found in the same organs of mice pretreated with the VA samples. Moreover, the highly enhanced phagocytic activity of macrophages was further verified after in vitro treatment with the VA samples. The protective mechanisms of the VA samples might include an immune enhancer and an inflammatory cytokine suppressor

Cathodoluminescence spectra of gallium nitride nanorods

Gallium nitride [GaN] nanorods grown on a Si(111) substrate at 720°C via plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy were studied by field-emission electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence [CL]. The surface topography and optical properties of the GaN nanorod cluster and single GaN nanorod were measured and discussed. The defect-related CL spectra of GaN nanorods and their dependence on temperature were investigated. The CL spectra along the length of the individual GaN nanorod were also studied. The results reveal that the 3.2-eV peak comes from the structural defect at the interface between the GaN nanorod and Si substrate. The surface state emission of the single GaN nanorod is stronger as the diameter of the GaN nanorod becomes smaller due to an increased surface-to-volume ratio