Multiple-Mode Bowtie Cavities for Refractive Index and Glucose Sensors Working in Visible and Near-infrared Wavelength Ranges

Plasmonics - A multiple-mode metal-insulator-metal plasmonic sensor with four coupled bowtie resonators containing two pairs of silver baffles is numerically investigated using the finite element...     

Factors affecting neurite outgrowth of occipital cortical explants

The effects of various substrata including laminin, collagen gel, collagen I, and human amniotic basement membrane on neurite outgrowth of occipital cortical and diencephalic explants were studied. The results showed that the extent and pattern of growing neurites of cortical explants varied considerably depending on the substrata used. While an elaborated network of growing neurites was observed when cortical explants were plated on laminin, the most extensive neurite outgrowth was observed when collagen gel was used as the substratum. In contrast, diencephalic explants did not grow on most of the substrata. The significance of the findings are discussed.     

Comparative effect of various powder diets on growth of big-eyed bug Geocoris ochropterus (Fieber) (Hemiptera: Geocoridae)

Application of powder diets may promote development of the predator Geocoris ochropterus (Fieber) when densities are low in greenhouses or fields. Development and nymphal survival ratio of G. ochropterus fed on different powder diets including silkworm pupae (A), crickets (B), silkworm pupae and sunflower seed (C) and crickets and sunflower seed (D) were examined. Total average development period was 30.14 days for instars fed on silkworm pupae, 34.43 days for instars fed on crickets, 26.28 days for instars fed on silkworm pupae and sunflower seed and 29.67 days for instars fed on crickets and sunflower seed, and they were significantly different. Head width, body length, forewing length, dry body weight of adults and sex ratio were not affected by the different diets. There were significantly different found in survival rates among the diets when the nymph reached 5th instar. Results indicate that the combination powder of silkworm pupae and sunflower seed will promise as an alternative diet in the greenhouses to maintain the population of G. ochropterus.     

Production of actinomycin D with immobilizedStreptomyces parvullus under nitrogen and carbon starvation conditions

Summary The productivity of actinomycin D withStreptomyces parvullus could be enhanced with calcium alginate immobilized cells and a synthetic starvation medium in a continuous air-lift bioreactor with moderately low dilution rate. In addition, the cell mass must be cycled periodically between the growth and starvation media to maintain long-term antibiotic production.     

Analysis of the effects of (-) and (+) isomers of the 1,4-dihydropyridine calcium channel agonist BAY k 8644 on postrest potentiation in the canine ventricular muscle

Contraction of canine ventricular trabeculae were recorded stimulation at a frequency of 0.5 Hz and after rest periods of 2 and 8 min to analyze the effect of the Ca channel agonist BAY k 8644, on sarcoplasmic reticular function. Short periods of rest interposed between steady trains of stimuli caused a potentiation of the postrest beat. This is believed to be due to the mobilization of activator Ca from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Racemic BAY k 8644 and its Ca channel agonist enantiomer, (-) BAY k 8644, both produced an increase in contraction in response to a steady train of stimuli but converted rest potentiation into rest depression. This has been interpreted as increased loss of Ca from the SR during diastole. Addition of Ca channel antagonists, (+) BAY k 8644, nitrendipine, or nifedipine, to reverse the agonistic effect of (-) and racemic BAY k 8644 on the Ca channel did not convert the rest depression into rest potentiation. In the presence of stimuli but converted rest potentiation into rest depression. This has been interpreted as increased loss of Ca from the SR during diastole.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Antimicrobial Consumption in Medicated Feeds in Vietnamese Pig and Poultry Production

Antimicrobials are extensively used as growth promoters in animal feeds worldwide, but reliable estimates are lacking. We conducted an internet-based survey of commercial chicken and pig feed products officially approved for sale in Vietnam over the period March–June 2015. Information on the antimicrobial contents in feed products, alongside animal production data, was used to estimate in-feed antimicrobial consumption to produce one kilogram of live animal (chicken, pig), as well as to estimate country-wide antimicrobial consumption through animal feeds. A total of 1462 commercial feed formulations were examined. The survey-adjusted estimated antimicrobial contents were 25.7 and 62.3 mg/kg in chicken and pig feeds, respectively. Overall, it was estimated that 77.4 mg [95% CI 48.1–106.8] and 286.6 mg [95% CI 191.6–418.3] of in-feed antimicrobials were used to raise 1 kg of live chicken and pig, respectively. Bacitracin (15.5% feeds), chlortetracycline (11.4%), and enramycin (10.8%) were the most common antimicrobials present in chicken feed formulations, whereas bacitracin (24.8%), chlortetracycline (23.9%), and florfenicol (17.4%) were the most common in pig feed formulations. Overall, 57% of the total quantitative usage consisted of antimicrobials regarded by WHO of importance for human medicine, including amoxicillin, colistin, tetracyclines, neomycin, lincomycin, and bacitracin. These figures confirm a very high magnitude of in-feed consumption of antimicrobials, especially in pig production. Results from this study should encourage further monitoring of antimicrobials used in animal production, and foster discussion about existing policies on inclusion of antimicrobials in animal feed rations.     

SCANGRAPH: a program for digitization of graphs using an image scanner

The program SCANGRAPH has been developed for vectorizing anydrawing or graph in the form of a single continuous line. Withthe use of the software, the raster image of a graph in theTIFF format as generated from an optical scanner or digitizingvideo system can be converted to the corresponding digitizedgraph with x and y coordinates given. The digitized data canbe output in the ASCII format for importing to other softwarepackages. Options for peak identification, data smoothing andcompression, and graph comparison are also provided for datamanipulation.     

Heat extraction through the palm of one hand improves aerobic exercise endurance in a hot environment.

In situations where the accumulation of internal heat limits physical performance, enhanced heat extraction from the body should improve performance capacity. The combined application of local subatmospheric pressure (35-45 mmHg) to an entire hand (to increase blood volume) and a heat sink (18-22 degrees C) to the palmar surface were used to draw heat out of the circulating blood. Subjects walked uphill (5.63 km/h) on a treadmill in a 40 degree C environment. Slopes of the treadmill were held constant during paired experimental trials (with and without the device). Heat extraction attenuated the rate of esophageal temperature rise during exercise (2.1 +/- 0.4 degrees and 2.9 +/- 0.5 degrees C/h, mean +/- SE, with and without the device, respectively; n = 8) and increased exercise duration (46.1 +/- 3.4 and 32.3 +/- 1.7 min with and without the device, respectively; n = 18). Hand cooling alone had little effect on exercise duration (34.1 +/- 3.0, 38.0 +/- 3.5, and 57.0 +/- 6.4 min, for control, cooling only, and cooling, and subatmospheric pressure, respectively; n = 6). In a longer term study, nine subjects participated in two or four trials per week for 8 wk. The individual workloads (treadmill slope) were varied weekly. Use of the device had a beneficial effect on exercise endurance at all workloads, but the benefit proportionally decreased at higher workloads. It is concluded that heat can be efficiently removed from the body by using the described technology and that such treatment can provide a substantial performance benefit in thermally stressful conditions.     

Can Fish Control Planthopper and Leafhopper Populations in Intensive Rice Culture?

Planthoppers and leafhoppers are important rice pests. We tried to find out whether a polyculture of silver barb, common carp and Nile tilapia could control hoppers in intensively cropped rice fields. We used the data of five rice-fish experiments conducted between 1995 and 1998 at the Co Do rice-fish research station, Can Tho province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Our results showed that the number of Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth), Nephotettix virescens (Distant) and Recilia dorsalis (Motschulsky) was the same in fields with and without stocked fish. We concluded that the three stocked fish species are not able to control hopper numbers. Other, predatory fish species might be more effective in hopper control.