Effects of Different Cutting Height on Nutritional Quality of Whole Crop Barley Silage and Feed Value on Hanwoo Heifers

The present study evaluated the effects of different cutting height on nutritive value, fermentation quality, in vitro and in vivo digestibility of whole crop barley silage. Whole crop barley forage (Yuyeon hybrid) was harvested at height of 5, 10, and 15 cm from the ground level. Each cutting height was rolled to make round bale and ensiled for 100 days. After 100 days of ensiling, pH of silage was lower (p<0.05) in 5 cm, but no difference between 10 and 15 cm of cutting height. The content of lactate and lactate to acetate ratio were increased (p<0.05) in 5 cm of cutting height, whereas the acetate content was higher (p<0.05) in 10 and 15 cm than that of 5 cm cutting height. Aerobic stability was greater (p<0.05) in silages of 10 and 15 cm of cutting height. Three total mixed rations (TMR) were formulated with silages from the three different cutting heights (TMR5, TMR10, and TMR15) incorporated as forage at 70:30 ratio with concentrate (dry matter [DM] basis). In vitro dry matter digestibility was higher (p<0.05) in the TMR5 and TMR10 than that in TMR15, whereas in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility was higher (p<0.05) in the TMR10 and TMR15 than that in TMR5. Concentration of NH3-N was highest (p<0.05) in the TMR10 followed by TMR15 and TMR5. Total volatile fatty acid was decreased (p<0.05) with increased cutting height. The digestibility of DM and neutral detergent fiber were highest (p<0.05) in TMR15, than those in TMR5 and TMR10, whereas acid detergent fiber digestibility was higher (p<0.05) in TMR5 than that in TMR10. The results showed that increasing cutting height, at least up to 10 to 15 cm, of whole crop barley forage at harvest (Yuyeon) may be beneficial for making silage for TMR formulation and increasing digestibility of DM and NDF

Cross-Protective Shigella Whole-Cell Vaccine With a Truncated O-Polysaccharide Chain

Shigella is a highly prevalent bacterium causing acute diarrhea and dysentery in developing countries. Shigella infections are treated with antibiotics but Shigellae are increasingly resistant to these drugs. Vaccination can be a countermeasure against emerging antibiotic-resistant shigellosis. Because of the structural variability in Shigellae O-antigen polysaccharides (Oag), cross-protective Shigella vaccines cannot be derived from single serotype-specific Oag. We created an attenuated Shigella flexneri 2a strain with one rather than multiple Oag units by disrupting the Oag polymerase gene (Δwzy), which broadened protective immunogenicity by exposing conserved surface proteins. Inactivated Δwzy mutant cells combined with Escherichia coli double mutant LT(R192G/L211A) as adjuvant, induced potent antibody responses to outer membrane protein PSSP-1, and type III secretion system proteins IpaB and IpaC. Intranasal immunization with the vaccine preparation elicited cross-protective immunity against S. flexneri 2a, S. flexneri 3a, S. flexneri 6, and Shigella sonnei in a mouse pneumonia model. Thus, S. flexneri 2a Δwzy represents a promising candidate strain for a universal Shigella vaccine

Sublingual Immunization with M2-Based Vaccine Induces Broad Protective Immunity against Influenza

The ectodomain of matrix protein 2 (M2e) of influenza A virus is a rationale target antigen candidate for the development of a universal vaccine against influenza as M2e undergoes little sequence variation amongst human influenza A strains. Vaccine-induced M2e-specific antibodies (Abs) have been shown to display significant cross-protective activity in animal models. M2e-based vaccine constructs have been shown to be more protective when administered by the intranasal (i.n.) route than after parenteral injection. However, i.n. administration of vaccines poses rare but serious safety issues associated with retrograde passage of inhaled antigens and adjuvants through the olfactory epithelium. In this study, we examined whether the sublingual (s.l.) route could serve as a safe and effective alternative mucosal delivery route for administering a prototype M2e-based vaccine. The mechanism whereby s.l. immunization with M2e vaccine candidate induces broad protection against infection with different influenza virus subtypes was explored.A recombinant M2 protein with three tandem copies of the M2e (3M2eC) was expressed in Escherichia coli. Parenteral immunizations of mice with 3M2eC induced high levels of M2e-specific serum Abs but failed to provide complete protection against lethal challenge with influenza virus. In contrast, s.l. immunization with 3M2eC was superior for inducing protection in mice. In the latter animals, protection was associated with specific Ab responses in the lungs.The results demonstrate that s.l. immunization with 3M2eC vaccine induced airway mucosal immune responses along with broad cross-protective immunity to influenza. These findings may contribute to the understanding of the M2-based vaccine approach to control epidemic and pandemic influenza infections

Optical Contribution of Graphene in Enhanced sensitivity of graphene-gold coupled surface plasmon resonance sensing

Surface plasmons at metal/dielectric interface can resonate with the incident light depending on the incident angle, wavelength of the light or the refractive index (RI) of the medium. These characteristics have been utilized as a basis of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors, providing label-free and real-time sensing format. However, the sensitivity of SPR sensors still needs to be improved to meet the requirements for the small molecule sensing. In order to enhance the performance, plasmonic nanomaterials have been introduced on SPR sensor chip. Dirac fermions in graphene can behave like photons showing linear dispersion relation. In this regard, graphene can be utilized as an alternative plasmonic material to conventional metal nanostructure. Herein, we employed graphene from different preparation methods; graphene oxide (GO) using Hummer???s method, graphene from chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and N-doped reduced graphene oxide were incorporated on top of Au film of 50 nm thickness with the aim to increase electric field through coupling of graphene plasmons with propagating SPs from Au film which was located in Kretschmann configuration-based surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. Thickness, reduction state and nitrogen doping state of graphene were systematically controlled and RI sensing was conducted. Au substrates with CVD graphene bilayers showed highest RI sensitivity (RIS) compared to bare Au film or Au film with other types of graphene and the figure of merit of Au/graphene substrates was not deteriorated due to the extremely thin graphene layer. Immuno-sensing was demonstrated with the mass sensitivity of 1430 pg/mm2, 3.3 times higher than that of bare Au film. Moreover, the optical contribution of graphene for the overall sensitivity enhancement mechanism could be confirmed by studying RIS. Therefore, graphene adlayers could amplify electric field and biomolecular adsorption which was experimentally proved by monitoring RIS and immunoassay

Alloyed nanoparticles : low-temperature chemical vapor deposition synthesis of Pt-Co alloyed nanoparticles with enhanced oxygen reduction reaction catalysis

Pt3Co nanoparticles synthesized by the one-pot chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique, described by S. O. Kim, H. Kim and co-workers on page 7115. Pt3Co alloyed nanoparticles, illustrated as small planets in space, are synthesized from two different precursor spacecraft, MeCpPtMe3 and CpCo(CO)2. In the image, the silver spheres signify Pt atoms, and the blue spheres represent Co atoms. After both precursor spacecraft land on a carbonaceous planet, they are decomposed and made into Pt3Co small planets releasing small spacecraft of by-products (C5H5, CO2, CH4, and CH3-C5H5). The astronauts perform post-treatment for the perfectly alloyed structure, which corresponds to the thermal treatment in this study