Microbial load monitor

Attempts are made to provide a total design of a Microbial Load Monitor (MLM) system flight engineering model. Activities include assembly and testing of Sample Receiving and Card Loading Devices (SRCLDs), operator related software, and testing of biological samples in the MLM. Progress was made in assembling SRCLDs with minimal leaks and which operate reliably in the Sample Loading System. Seven operator commands are used to control various aspects of the MLM such as calibrating and reading the incubating reading head, setting the clock and reading time, and status of Card. Testing of the instrument, both in hardware and biologically, was performed. Hardware testing concentrated on SRCLDs. Biological testing covered 66 clinical and seeded samples. Tentative thresholds were set and media performance listed

Microbial Load Monitor

The Microbial Load Monitor (MLM) is an automated and computerized system for detection and identification of microorganisms. Additionally, the system is designed to enumerate and provide antimicrobic susceptibility profiles for medically significant bacteria. The system is designed to accomplish these tasks in a time of 13 hours or less versus the traditional time of 24 hours for negatives and 72 hours or more for positives usually required for standard microbiological analysis. The MLM concept differs from other methods of microbial detection in that the system is designed to accept raw untreated clinical samples and to selectively identify each group or species that may be present in a polymicrobic sample

Microbial load monitor

A card configuration which combines the functions of identification, enumeration and antibiotic sensitivity into one card was developed. An instrument package was designed around the card to integrate the card filling, incubation reading, computation and decision making process into one compact unit. Support equipment was also designed to prepare the expandable material used in the MLM

Microbial load monitor

Design analysis of a microbial load monitor system flight engineering model was presented. Checkout of the card taper and media pump system was fabricated as well as the final two incubating reading heads, the sample receiving and card loading device assembly, related sterility testing, and software. Progress in these areas was summarized

Ternary cluster decay within the liquid drop model

Longitudinal ternary and binary fission barriers of $^{36}$Ar, $^{56}$Ni and $^{252}$Cf nuclei have been determined within a rotational liquid drop model taking into account the nuclear proximity energy. For the light nuclei the heights of the ternary fission barriers become competitive with the binary ones at high angular momenta since the maximum lies at an outer position and has a much higher moment of inertia.Comment: Talk presented at the 9th International Conference on Clustering Aspects of Nuclear Structure and Dynamics (CLUSTERS'07

Effects of increasing the farm produced content in organic feeds on pig performances

In three experimental facilities (Exp.1, 2 and 3), two organic diets, one complex including processed feedstuffs as wheat bran and heat-treated soya beans (control), the other simplified and containing over 80 % of cereal and pulses (CP), were compared for growing-finishing pigs. The base components of the CP diets were moist maize grain, wheat and faba beans in Exp.1, triticale plus coloured-flowered peas in Exp.2, and triticale, oats, white-flowered peas and faba beans in Exp.3. The diets were formulated with similar energetic values and a lysine content (0.70 g ileal digestible lysine /MJ NE) 20 % lower than the conventional mean requirement for growing pigs. However, the CP diet had a lysine proportion 30% lower than requirement in Exp.1 and did not achieve the ideal protein pattern in Exp. 2 and 3. Diets were given in all experiments from 35 to 115 kg according to a feeding plan. Respectively 96, 100 and 80 pigs were used in Exp.1, 2 and 3 and were blocked in straw bedded pens of 4, 25 and 40. In Exp.1, pigs receiving the control diet had a lower average feed intake than those offered the CP diet (p0.05), 760 and 719 in Exp.2 (p=0.04) and 684 and 677 in Exp.3 (p>0.05). The feed conversion rate (g/g) was high and reached respectively 3.28 and 3.41 in Exp.1 (p=0.01), 3.2 and 3.,4 in Exp.2, 3.3 and 3.4 in Exp.3. The lean meat rate did not differ significantly in Exp.1, 2 and 3, for pigs given control and CP diets. The study underlines that with a moderate growth objective, an organic feed with a low energetic and protein concentration can yield a satisfying lean meat rate. In spite of a tendency for lower performances, especially concerning the feed conversion rate, a simplified diet based on cereal and pulses can be used, taking into account its economical interest for organic pig production