529 research outputs found
Effects of reducing dietary crude protein and metabolic energy in weaned piglets
The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of a pure reduction in the dietary crude protein (CP) and metabolic energy (ME) contents on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profile, faecal microflora and odour gas emission in weaned pigs. A total of 80 weaned piglets ((Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc) with a mean initial bodyweight (BW) of 6.8 ± 0.5 kg were randomly allotted to four treatments with four replicate pens of five piglets per pen (based on average BW) for 45 days. The dietary treatments consisted of i) CON: basal diet; ii) LME: reduction of 10% of ME in basal diet; iii) LCP: reduction of 10% of CP in basal diet; iv) MECP: reduction of 10% of CP and 10% of ME in basal diet. During the experimental period, average daily feed intake (ADFI) improved in piglets fed the LME and LCP diets, compared with those fed the CON diets. Average daily gain (ADG) and gain to feed (G : F) ratio decreased in piglets fed LCP, LME, and MECP diet, when compared with those fed the CON diet. However, during the total experimental period, ADG and G : F ratio were not affected by dietary treatment. With regard to nutrient digestibility, apparent total track digestibility (ATTD) of CP was not affected by experimental diets. The concentration of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in blood decreased more in piglets fed LME, LCP, and MECP than those fed the CON diet. The emissions of ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sufide (H2S), and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were lower in piglets fed LME, LCP, and MECP diet than those fed the CON diet. In conclusion, these results indicate that reduction in dietary CP and ME content did not decrease growth performance and nutrient digestibility, and they increased positive effects such as BUN and gas emission reduction.Keywords: Blood profile, digestibility, growth performance, odour emission, pi
Enhancement of service life of polymer electrolyte fuel cells through application of nanodispersed ionomer
Copyright © 2020 The Authors, some rights reserved.In polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), protons from the anode are transferred to the cathode through the ionomer membrane. By impregnating the ionomer into the electrodes, proton pathways are extended and high proton transfer efficiency can be achieved. Because the impregnated ionomer mechanically binds the catalysts within the electrode, the ionomer is also called a binder. To yield good electrochemical performance, the binder should be homogeneously dispersed in the electrode and maintain stable interfaces with other catalyst components and the membrane. However, conventional binder materials do not have good dispersion properties. In this study, a facile approach based on using a supercritical fluid is introduced to prepare a homogeneous nanoscale dispersion of the binder material in aqueous alcohol. The prepared binder exhibited high dispersion characteristics, crystallinity, and proton conductivity. High performance and durability were confirmed when the binder material was applied to a PEFC cathode electrode11sciescopu
Recommended from our members
Momentum dependent dxz/yz band splitting in LaFeAsO
The nematic phase in iron based superconductors (IBSs) has attracted attention with a notion that it may provide important clue to the superconductivity. A series of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies were performed to understand the origin of the nematic phase. However, there is lack of ARPES study on LaFeAsO nematic phase. Here, we report the results of ARPES studies of the nematic phase in LaFeAsO. Degeneracy breaking between the dxz and dyz hole bands near the Γ and M point is observed in the nematic phase. Different temperature dependent band splitting behaviors are observed at the Γ and M points. The energy of the band splitting near the M point decreases as the temperature decreases while it has little temperature dependence near the Γ point. The nematic nature of the band shift near the M point is confirmed through a detwin experiment using a piezo device. Since a momentum dependent splitting behavior has been observed in other iron based superconductors, our observation confirms that the behavior is a universal one among iron based superconductors
Spinor Field in Bianchi type-I Universe: regular solutions
Self-consistent solutions to the nonlinear spinor field equations in General
Relativity has been studied for the case of Bianchi type-I (B-I) space-time. It
has been shown that, for some special type of nonliearity the model provides
regular solution, but this singularity-free solutions are attained at the cost
of broken dominant energy condition in Hawking-Penrose theorem. It has also
been shown that the introduction of -term in the Lagrangian generates
oscillations of the B-I model, which is not the case in absence of
term. Moreover, for the linear spinor field, the term provides
oscillatory solutions, those are regular everywhere, without violating dominant
energy condition.
Key words: Nonlinear spinor field (NLSF), Bianch type -I model (B-I),
term
PACS 98.80.C CosmologyComment: RevTex, 21 page
Graft immaturity and safety concerns in transplanted human kidney organoids
For chronic kidney disease, regeneration of lost nephrons with human kidney organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells is proposed to be an attractive potential therapeutic option. It remains unclear, however, whether organoids transplanted into kidneys in vivo would be safe or functional. Here, we purified kidney organoids and transplanted them beneath the kidney capsules of immunodeficient mice to test their safety and maturity. Kidney organoid grafts survived for months after transplantation and became vascularized from host mouse endothelial cells. Nephron-like structures in grafts appeared more mature than kidney organoids in vitro, but remained immature compared with the neighboring mouse kidney tissue. Ultrastructural analysis revealed filtration barrier-like structures, capillary lumens, and tubules with brush border in the transplanted kidney organoids, which were more mature than those of the kidney organoids in vitro but not as organized as adult mammalian kidneys. Immaturity was a common feature of three separate differentiation protocols by immunofluorescence analysis and single cell RNA sequencing. Stroma of transplanted kidney organoid grafts were filled with vimentin-positive mesenchymal cells, and chondrogenesis, cystogenesis, and stromal expansion were observed in the long term. Transcription profiles showed that long-term maintenance after kidney organoid transplantation induced transcriptomic reprogramming with prominent suppression of cell-cycle-related genes and upregulation of extracellular matrix organization. Our data suggest that kidney organoids derived from iPS cells may be transplantable but strategies to improve nephron differentiation and purity are required before they can be applied in humans as a therapeutic option.11Ysciescopuskc
Crystallization Characteristics of CaO-Al2O3-Based Mold Flux and Their Effects on In-Mold Performance during High-Aluminum TRIP Steels Continuous Casting
Crystallization behaviors of the newly developed lime-alumina-based mold fluxes for high-aluminum transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steels casting were experimentally studied, and compared with those of lime-silica-based mold fluxes. The effects of mold flux crystallization characteristics on heat transfer and lubrication performance in casting high-Al TRIP steels were also evaluated. The results show that the crystallization temperatures of lime-alumina-based mold fluxes are much lower than those of lime-silica-based mold fluxes. Increasing B2O3 addition suppresses the crystallization of lime-alumina-based mold fluxes, while Na2O exhibits an opposite effect. In continuous cooling of lime-alumina-based mold fluxes with high B2O3 contents and a CaO/Al2O3 ratio of 3.3, faceted cuspidine precipitates first, followed by needle-like CaO center dot B2O3 or 9CaO center dot 3B(2)O(3)center dot CaF2. In lime-alumina-based mold flux with low B2O3 content (5.4 mass pct) and a CaO/Al2O3 ratio of 1.2, the formation of fine CaF2 takes place first, followed by blocky interconnected CaO center dot 2Al(2)O(3) as the dominant crystalline phase, and rod-like 2CaO center dot B2O3 precipitates at lower temperature during continuous cooling of the mold flux. In B2O3-free mold flux, blocky interconnected 3CaO center dot Al2O3 precipitates after CaF2 and 3CaO center dot 2SiO(2) formation, and takes up almost the whole crystalline fraction. The casting trials show that the mold heat transfer rate significantly decreases near the meniscus during the continuous casting using lime-alumina-mold fluxes with higher crystallinity, which brings a great reduction of surface depressions on cast slabs. However, excessive crystallinity of mold flux causes poor lubrication between mold and solidifying steel shell, which induces various defects such as drag marks on cast slab. Among the studied mold fluxes, lime-alumina-based mold fluxes with higher B2O3 contents and a CaO/Al2O3 ratio of 3.3 show comparatively improved performance.ope
What can the Gulf of Mexico and Panama tell us about education and outreach?
ABSTRACT: A series of research grants funded by the National Science Foundation involved a major component about education and outreach as it pertained to marine algal diversity. These included comprehensive studies into 1) the diversity of the deep bank marine algae in the Gulf of Mexico (NSF Biodiversity Surveys and Inventories program) and the discovery of unsuspected eukaryotic life inhabiting rhodolith forming coralline algae (NSF DEB), 2) monographic research (NSF PEET), 3) advanced tropical
phycology with the integration of modern and traditional techniques in the study of tropical algae of Panama (NSF PASI), among others.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Observation of the Charmed Baryon Decays to , , and
We have observed two new decay modes of the charmed baryon into
and using data collected with the
CLEO II detector. We also present the first measurement of the branching
fraction for the previously observed decay mode . The branching fractions for these three modes relative to
are measured to be , , and , respectively.Comment: 12 page uuencoded postscript file, postscript file also available
through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN
- …