2,824 research outputs found
A conserved metalloprotease mediates ecdysis in Caenorhabditis elegans
Molting is required for progression between larval stages
in the life cycle of nematodes. We have identified four
mutant alleles of a <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> metalloprotease
gene, <i>nas-37</i>, that cause incomplete ecdysis. At each molt
the cuticle fails to open sufficiently at the anterior end and
the partially shed cuticle is dragged behind the animal. The
gene is expressed in hypodermal cells 4 hours before ecdysis
during all larval stages. The <i>NAS-37</i> protein accumulates
in the anterior cuticle and is shed in the cuticle after
ecdysis. This pattern of protein accumulation places NAS-
37 in the right place and at the right time to degrade the
cuticle to facilitate ecdysis. The nas-37 gene has orthologs
in other nematode species, including parasitic nematodes,
and they undergo a similar shedding process. For example,
<i>Haemonchus contortus</i> molts by digesting a ring of cuticle
at the tip of the nose. Incubating <i>Haemonchus</i> larvae in
extracted exsheathing fluids causes a refractile ring of
digested cuticle to form at the tip of the nose. When
<i>Haemonchus</i> cuticles are incubated with purified NAS-37,
a similar refractile ring forms. NAS-37 degradation of the
<i>Haemonchus</i> cuticle suggests that the metalloproteases and
the cuticle substrates involved in exsheathment of parasitic
nematodes are conserved in free-living nematodes
A Status Report Lockheed Launch Vehicle
This paper discusses a new family of small and medium space launch vehicles being developed by Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc. The development program will culminate in a demonstration launch in November 1994. The paper gives a brief background and gives the program status as of the date of this paper. Supporting graphics are included
Continuous Observation of Interference Fringes from Bose Condensates
We use continuous measurement theory to describe the evolution of two Bose
condensates in an interference experiment. It is shown how the system evolves
in a single run of the experiment into a state with a fixed relative phase,
while the total gauge symmetry remains unbroken. Thus, an interference pattern
is exhibited without violating atom number conservation.Comment: 4 pages, Postscrip
Dynamical density functional theory for the evaporation of droplets of nanoparticle suspension
We develop a lattice gas model for the drying of droplets of a nanoparticle
suspension on a planar surface, using dynamical density functional theory
(DDFT) to describe the time evolution of the solvent and nanoparticle density
profiles. The DDFT assumes a diffusive dynamics but does not include the
advective hydrodynamics of the solvent, so the model is relevant to highly
viscous or near to equilibrium systems. Nonetheless, we see an equivalent of
the coffee-ring stain effect, but in the present model it occurs for
thermodynamic rather the fluid-mechanical reasons. The model incorporates the
effect of phase separation and vertical density variations within the droplet
and the consequence of these on the nanoparticle deposition pattern on the
surface. We show how to include the effect of slip or no-slip at the surface
and how this is related to the receding contact angle. We also determine how
the equilibrium contact angle depends on the microscopic interaction
parameters.Comment: 35 pages, 10 figure
Relative toxicity of gossypol enantiomers in laying and broiler breeder hens
Gossypol, a natural component of cottonseed
meal, exists in positive (+) or negative (ā) enantiomeric
forms, and their levels and ratio could be altered
by developing new genetic strains of cotton. Two experiments
were conducted to determine the relative toxicity of
the individual gossypol enantiomers in laying and broiler
breeder hens. In the first experiment, 25 individually
caged Hy-Line W-36 forty-three-week-old laying hens
were fed a standard corn-soy diet supplemented with
either no gossypol or the individual enantiomers at 200
and 400 mg/kg of diet for 20 d (5 hens/treatment). In
the second experiment, 15 individually caged Cobb 500
fast-feathering 44-wk-old broiler breeder hens were fed
a standard corn-soy-wheat middlings diet supplemented
with either no gossypol or the individual enantiomers at
400 mg/kg of diet for 18 d (5 hens/treatment). In both
experiments, feed intake, egg production, and egg weight
were determined daily. All eggs were individually
opened and scored for yolk discoloration. At the end of
both experiments, several organ and tissue samples were
collected for gossypol analyses. In both experiments, the
addition of (+)-gossypol to the diet reduced egg production.
Only laying and broiler breeder hens fed (+)-gossypol
produced eggs with severe yolk discoloration (score
ā„ 4). Total feed intake was lower (P < 0.05) in laying hens
fed the 400 mg/kg level of (+)-gossypol compared with
laying hens fed the other dietary treatments. In contrast,
broiler breeder hens consumed less of the diet supplemented
with (ā)-gossypol. In both experiments, tissue
accumulation of (+)-gossypol was higher than (ā)-gossypol,
with the exception of bile and excreta. The results
suggest that in hens the ingestion of (+)-gossypol has a
greater effect on egg yolk discoloration than the consumption
of (ā)-gossypol
Relative toxicity of gossypol enantiomers in broilers
Use of cottonseed meal in poultry diets has
been avoided in large part because of fear of gossypol
toxicity. Gossypol exists naturally as a mixture of 2 enantiomers
that exhibit different biological activities. Two experiments
were conducted to determine the relative toxicity
of gossypol enantiomers on broilers. In the first experiment,
3-d-old broilers were fed a standard diet containing
0, 100, 200, 300, or 400 mg of gossypol from gossypol
acetic acid per kilogram of diet from 3 to 42 d of age.
This form of gossypol contains both enantiomers in an
equimolar ratio. Each dietary treatment consisted of 6
replicate pens of 4 birds. In the second experiment, 3-dold
broilers were divided into 15 pens of 4 birds each
and fed a standard diet supplemented with either no
gossypol or one of the gossypol enantiomers at 200 or
400 mg/kg of diet from 3 to 21 d of age. In both experiments,
feed intake and BW gain were measured. In addi-
(Key words: cottonseed meal, gossypol, gossypol enantiomer, broiler)
2005 Poultry Science 84:1376ā1382
INTRODUCTION
Cottonseed meal (CSM) could be an attractive alternative
protein source for poultry diets, but concern over
the presence of the potentially toxic agent, gossypol, has
limited its use. Gossypol [1,1ā²,6,6ā²,7,7ā²-hexahydroxy-5,5ā²-
diisopropyl-3, 3ā²-dimethyl-(2, 2ā²- binaphthalene)-8, 8ā²-dicarboxaldehyde]
is a polyphenolic compound located in
pigment glands that are distributed throughout the cotton
plant. Gossypol is composed of 2 naphthalene rings with
restricted rotation around the bond connecting the rings.
As a result of this restricted rotation, gossypol occurs
naturally as a mixture of 2 enantiomers [(+)- and (ā)-
2005 Poultry Science Association, Inc.
Received for publication February 7, 2005.
Accepted for publication May 5, 2005.
1This research was supported in part by grant 2631RE683-118 from
the Georgia Cotton Commission, Perry, GA.
2Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is
solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not
imply recommendation or endorsement by the US Department of Agriculture.
3To whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected].
1376
tion, several organ and tissue samples were collected at
21 d (experiments 1 and 2) and 42 d (experiment 1) of
age and analyzed for gossypol. In experiment 1, feed
consumption and BW gain were reduced (P < 0.05) at 21
and 42 d for the birds fed the highest level of gossypol.
The concentration of gossypol in the heart, kidney, and
plasma were equivalent at 21 and 42 d of age. In experiment
2, total feed consumption was reduced only in birds
consuming (ā)-gossypol, but BW gains were lower for
birds fed either enantiomer. However, (ā)-gossypol was
more detrimental to growth than (+)-gossypol. The liver
had the highest tissue concentration of both enantiomers,
and accumulation of (+)-gossypol was higher than (ā)-
gossypol in all tissues examined. No racemization of the
enantiomers was apparent in the tissues analyzed. Our
results indicated that both gossypol enantiomers were
toxic to broilers but that (ā)-gossypol was more harmful
to efficient broiler production than (+)-gossypol
Three-Fluid Description of the Sympathetic Cooling of a Boson-Fermion Mixture
We present a model for sympathetic cooling of a mixture of fermionic and
bosonic atomic gases in harmonic traps, based on a three-fluid description. The
model confirms the experimentally observed cooling limit of about 0.2 T_F when
only bosons are pumped. We propose sequential cooling -- first pumping of
bosons and afterwards fermions -- as a way to obtain lower temperatures. For
this scheme, our model predicts that temperatures less than 0.1 T_F can be
reached.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
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