The Effects of Cellulase on Cell Wall Structure and the Rumen Digestion of Alfalfa Silage

First- and second-cut alfalfa (Medicago sativa) was ensiled with no additive, microbial (Lactobacillus casei) inoculant, cellulase derived from Acremonium celluloytics Y-94, co-addition of inoculant and cellulase, and formic acid. The resultant silages were digested in the rumen of a dairy cow. The alfalfa and the silages were then examined with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and their chemical characteristics analyzed to evaluate the effects of cellulase on the quality of alfalfa silage and its cell wall structure. The addition of cellulase lend to both a greater loss of parenchymal tissue and decrease in digestibility during rumen degradation than did the other additives moreover, photos taken during SEM examination also showed that cellulase affected cell wall decomposition. The results of this study may suggest that the addition of cellulase affects fiber digestion by ruminant animals

The Effect of Cellulase on Cell Wall Structure and the Rumen Digestion of Timothy Silage

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of additives on the structure changes of related tissues during the ensiling process and the rumen digestion of timothy. In the first cut-timothy, the addition of LC+AC improved the fermentation qualities of the silage. Addition of cellulase resulted in significant decreases in NDF, ADF, cellulose, and hemicellulose content. SEM examination of the samples suggests that the degradation of parenchymal tissues was enhanced by the cellulase, but no significant differences were observed among the additives in the rumen digestion. The NDF and cellulose digestibility of the AC- and LC+AC-treated silages were lower than those of the other silages. In the second one, after digestion in the rumen, there was a marked loss of inner parenchymal tissues in AC and LC+AC-treated silages

Molecular bases of thermophily in hyperthermophiles

I reflect on some of our studies on the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1 and its enzymes. The strain can grow at temperatures up to 100 ℃, and also represents one of the simplest forms of life. As expected, all enzymes, DNA, RNA, cytoplasmic membrane, and cytoplasmic solute displayed remarkable thermostability, and we have determined some of the basic principles that govern this feature. To our delight, many of the enzymes exhibited unique biochemical properties and novel structures not found in mesophilic proteins. Here, I will focus on some enzymes whose three-dimensional structures are characteristic of thermostable enzymes. I will also add some examples on the stabilization of DNA, RNA, cytoplasmic membrane, and cytoplasmic solute

Non-deterministic Boolean Proof Nets

16 pagesInternational audienceWe introduce Non-deterministic Boolean proof nets to study the correspondence with Boolean circuits, a parallel model of computation. We extend the cut elimination of Non-deterministic Multiplicative Linear logic to a parallel procedure in proof nets. With the restriction of proof nets to Boolean types, we prove that the cut-elimination procedure corresponds to Non-deterministic Boolean circuit evaluation and reciprocally. We obtain implicit characterization of the complexity classes NP and NC (the efficiently parallelizable functions)

Practical Implementation of Attitude-Control Algorithms for an Underactuated Satellite

The challenging problem of controlling the attitude of satellites subject to actuator failures has been the subject of increased attention in recent years. The problem of controlling the attitude of a satellite on all three axes with two reaction wheels is addressed in this paper. This system is controllable in a zero-momentum mode. Three-axis attitude stability is proven by imposing a singular quaternion feedback law to the angular velocity trajectories.Two approaches are proposed and compared to achieve three-axis control: The first one does not require angular velocity measurements and is based on the assumption of a perfect zero momentum, while the second approach consists of tracking the desired angular velocity trajectories. The full-state feedback is a nonlinear singular controller. In-orbit tests of the first approach provide an unprecedented practical proof of three-axis stability with two control torques. The angular velocity tracking approach is shown to be less efficient using the nonlinear singular controller. However, when inverse optimization theory is applied to enhance the nonlinear singular controller, the angular velocity tracking approach is shown to be the most efficient. The resulting switched inverse optimal controller allows for a significant enhancement of settling time, for a prescribed level of the integrated torque

Ambient fine and coarse particles in Japan affect nasal and bronchial epithelial cells differently and elicit varying immune response

Ambient particulate matter (PM) epidemiologically exacerbates respiratory and immune health, including allergic rhinitis (AR) and bronchial asthma (BA). Although fine and coarse particles can affect respiratory tract, the differences in their effects on the upper and lower respiratory tract and immune system, their underlying mechanism, and the components responsible for the adverse health effects have not been yet completely elucidated. In this study, ambient fine and coarse particles were collected at three different locations in Japan by cyclone technique. Both particles collected at all locations decreased the viability of nasal epithelial cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs), increased the production of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-1β from bronchial epithelial cells and APCs, and induced expression of dendritic and epithelial cell (DEC) 205 on APCs. Differences in inflammatory responses, but not in cytotoxicity, were shown between both particles, and among three locations. Some components such as Ti, Co, Zn, Pb, As, OC (organic carbon) and EC (elemental carbon) showed significant correlations to inflammatory responses or cytotoxicity. These results suggest that ambient fine and coarse particles differently affect nasal and bronchial epithelial cells and immune response, which may depend on particles size diameter, chemical composition and source related particles types

Untyping Typed Algebras and Colouring Cyclic Linear Logic

We prove "untyping" theorems: in some typed theories (semirings, Kleene algebras, residuated lattices, involutive residuated lattices), typed equations can be derived from the underlying untyped equations. As a consequence, the corresponding untyped decision procedures can be extended for free to the typed settings. Some of these theorems are obtained via a detour through fragments of cyclic linear logic, and give rise to a substantial optimisation of standard proof search algorithms.Comment: 21

Polyamines Are Required for Virulence in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

Sensing and responding to environmental cues is a fundamental characteristic of bacterial physiology and virulence. Here we identify polyamines as novel environmental signals essential for virulence of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, a major intracellular pathogen and a model organism for studying typhoid fever. Central to its virulence are two major virulence loci Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 1 and 2 (SPI1 and SPI2). SPI1 promotes invasion of epithelial cells, whereas SPI2 enables S. Typhimurium to survive and proliferate within specialized compartments inside host cells. In this study, we show that an S. Typhimurium polyamine mutant is defective for invasion, intracellular survival, killing of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and systemic infection of the mouse model of typhoid fever. Virulence of the mutant could be restored by genetic complementation, and invasion and intracellular survival could, as well, be complemented by the addition of exogenous putrescine and spermidine to the bacterial cultures prior to infection. Interestingly, intracellular survival of the polyamine mutant was significantly enhanced above the wild type level by the addition of exogenous putrescine and spermidine to the bacterial cultures prior to infection, indicating that these polyamines function as an environmental signal that primes S. Typhimurium for intracellular survival. Accordingly, experiments addressed at elucidating the roles of these polyamines in infection revealed that expression of genes from both of the major virulence loci SPI1 and SPI2 responded to exogenous polyamines and was reduced in the polyamine mutant. Together our data demonstrate that putrescine and spermidine play a critical role in controlling virulence in S. Typhimurium most likely through stimulation of expression of essential virulence loci. Moreover, our data implicate these polyamines as key signals in S. Typhimurium virulence