The effect of ammoniation on the intake and nutritive value of straw

Studies were conducted to compare the increases in dry matter digestibility (DMD) in vitro and in vivo and to determine the metabolisable energy (ME) value of straw ammoniated at ambient temperature. Two stacks of straw sealed with polyethylene were allowed to react with 3% (w/w) anhydrous NH₃ for 30 and 56 days, respectively. Both DMD in vitro and nitrogen tests were carried out over an eight-week period subsequent to opening the stacks. Digestibility in vivo was measured with 12 wether lambs. The non-treated and ammoniated straws were given ad libitum, with a supplement of either ground barley or a lamb concentrate which contained 16% crude protein (CP).There was a mean increase of 15 percentage units in DMD in vitro for the ammoniated straw irrespective of whether it was treated for 30 or 56 days. The corresponding increase in mean DMD in vivo was 14.2 units. The CP content of the straw was increased from 3.1 to 7.6%. The increase in DMD in vitro and total N content was maintained throughout the sampling period. Approximately 58% of the anhydrous NH₃ added to the straw appeared to have been irreversibly “bound” to the straw. The ME values for the ammoniated straw were 6.78 and 7.49 MJ/kg when the straw was supplemented with either barley or the lamb concentrate, respectively. Straw ammoniation had a marked effect on intake. The overall increase in intake was 70% for the treated compared with the non-treated material.     

On aspects of skull form in African apes and orangutans, with implications for hominoid evolution

The study of hominoid phylogeny is currently in a state of controversy and debate due to the discovery of new fossil material and reanalysis of the morphology of extant apes. An important key to the resolution of these debates lies in attaining a fuller understanding of the morphological differences in skull form between the African and Asian great apes. In this paper I have analyzed aspects of facial morphology and internal cranial anatomy in the great apes. Results from this study and previous ones suggest that Pongo is characterized by a marked dorsal deflection of the face relative to the basicranium. Many aspects of circumorbital, midfacial, palatal, and mandibular morphology in Pongo may be related to this airorynchous condition. This hypothesis is supported by Enlow's work on form and pattern in the primate and mammalian skull. The position of the face in known Sivapithecus appears to be similar to that seen in Pongo. Although Pongo may be specialized in its marked degree of airorynchy, it seems likely that an important derived feature linking African apes and hominids is a ventral rotation of the splanchnocranium on the neurocranium. The appearance of marked supraorbital tori and ethmofrontal sinuses are probably correlated developments. Additional implications of this work for debates about hominoid phylogeny are discussed.     

Combined use of strain construction and affinity chromatography in the rapid, high-yield purification of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli.

A rapid, high-yield method for purification of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli K-12 is described. Sonic extracts prepared from heat-induced cultures of strain RW184, doubly lysogenic for the specialized transducing bacteriophage lambdacI857St68h80dgndhis and bearing a deletion of the gene for glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, contained levels of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase 15- to 20-fold higher than cultures of wild-type cells. Affinity chromatography on blue dextran-Sepharose with batchwise elution with 1 mM nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate affected a further 10-fold purification. Enzyme prepared in this manner was homogeneous according to electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels and immunoelectrophoresis using antiserum directed against it. Fructose 1,6-diphosphate is an inhibitor of enzyme activity.     

Membrane-coated nanoparticles for direct recognition by T cells

The direct modulation of T cell responses is an emerging therapeutic strategy with the potential to modulate undesired immune responses including, autoimmune disease, and allogeneic cells transplantation. We have previously demonstrated that poly(lactide-co-glycolide) particles were able to modulate T cell responses indirectly through antigen-presenting cells (APCs). In this report, we investigated the design of nanoparticles that can directly interact and modulate T cells by coating the membranes from APCs onto nanoparticles to form membrane-coated nanoparticles (MCNPs). Proteins within the membranes of the APCs, such as Major Histocompatibility Complex class II and co-stimulatory factors, were effectively transferred to the MCNP. Using alloreactive T cell models, MCNP derived from allogeneic dendritic cells were able to stimulate proliferation, which was not observed with membranes from syngeneic dendritic cells and influenced cytokine secretion. Furthermore, we investigated the engineering of the membranes either on the dendritic cells or postfabrication of MCNP. Engineered membranes could be to promote antigen-specific responses, to differentially activate T cells, or to directly induce apoptosis. Collectively, MCNPs represent a tunable platform that can directly interact with and modulate T cell responses.     

Enhancement of goldfish virus-2 in vitro replication by the pesticides carbaryl and toxaphene

Goldfish virus-2 replication was enhanced in vitro by pretreatment of CAR cells with subcytotoxic concentrations of carbaryl and toxaphene. This phenomenon was time and temperature dependent. Shortening of pretreatment with carbaryl eliminated enhancement, which was observed for toxaphene only with substantially increased concentrations. Decreasing the temperature of pretreatment (4 degrees C) abrogated any enhancement by carbaryl and resulted in enhancement by toxaphene only at increased concentrations. Increased absorption of input virus was ruled out as a mechanism for enhancement, as was stimulation of cell division in the presence of pesticides over that of control cultures. Pretreatment of virus rather than cells did not result in enhancement.     

Effect of lignin derived phenols and their methylated derivatives on the growth of Lentinus spp.

The effect of several lignin related phenols and the corresponding 4-methoxylated derivatives on the growth of edible and timber degrading Lentinus spp. was investigated. Methoxylated derivatives were generally more inhibitory, findings which conflict with previous speculation that fungal mediated 4-O-methylation of phenolics represented a general detoxification mechanism.