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Natural products play a significant role in cancer therapy and prevention; with considerable number of anticancer in use are either natural products or their derivatives. In this study, chromatographic separation of CH 2 Cl 2 /CH 3 OH (1:1, v/v) extract of the leaves of Olinia usambarensis gave four compounds among which compound 1 , caffeoyloxy-5,6-dihydro-4-methyl-(2H)-pyran-2-one is a new natural product. The structures of the identified compounds were established using spectroscopic and mass spectrometric analyses. The crude extract and isolated compounds were evaluated against the human ovarian cancer cell lines, A2780 and SKOV3, and showed IC 50 of 79–170 and 74–136 μM, respectively. The crude extract and isolated compounds were also tested against normal cell, an immortalized ovarian surface epithelial (IOSE) cells, but did not show activity up to 100 μM.

Bacterial communities in the different re- gions of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of broiler chickens were analyzed by pyrosequencing approach to under- stand microbial composition and diversity. The DNA samples extracted from 7 different regions along the GIT were subjected to bacterial-community analysis by pyrosequencing of the V1-V3 region of 16S rRNA gene. Major bacterial phyla in the chicken-gut microbi- ota included Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria, but Firmicutes were mostly dominant (67.3 ± 16.1% of the total sequence reads identified). Among Firmicutes, Lactobacillales, including the genera Lactobacillus and Enterococcus, were the most dominant (51.8 ± 34.5% of the total sequence reads identified) from the crop to ileum. In contrast, in the cecum and large intestine, those genera were rarely detected, and Clostridiales were dominant (55.9 ± 31.4%). Fast UniFrac analysis showed that mi- crobial communities from the crop to jejunum of the same individual chicken were grouped together, and those from ileum, cecum, and large intestine were clus- tered in a more GIT-specific manner. The numbers of shared operational taxonomic units between the neigh- boring segments of GIT were low, ranging from 2.9 to 20.3%. However, the abundance of shared operational taxonomic units in each segment was relatively high, ranging from 61.7 to 85.0%, suggesting that substan- tial proportions of microbial communities were shared between each segment and its neighboring segments, comprising a core microbiota. Our results suggested that the microbial communities of 7 main segments in the chicken GIT were distinctive according to both in- dividuals and the different segments of GIT, but their stability was maintained along the GIT.

N-Acetyl cysteine, a glutathione precursor, has been shown to benefit patients with Alzheimer's disease and reduce the symptoms of traumatic brain injury in soldiers. Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease are both characterized by stress from protein misfolding, or proteotoxicity. We have developed a high-throughput model of proteotoxicity by treating neuroblastoma N2a cells with the proteasome inhibitor MG132 and performing three independent assays for viability. Our previous study showed that N-acetyl cysteine protects N2a cells against two sequential treatments of MG132 and raises glutathione levels in a two-hit model of synergistic neurodegeneration. In the present study, however, N-acetyl cysteine was found to reduce the toxicity of a single hit of MG132 independent of its effect on glutathione. All three viability assays confirmed this protection. We measured heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) levels because Hsp70 is a protective chaperone that helps refold proteins or guides ubiquitinated proteins toward degradation by the proteasome. Hsp70 levels were higher in MG132-treated cells when N-acetyl cysteine was applied. No parallel change in heat shock cognate 70 (Hsc70) was elicited. Inhibition of Hsp70/Hsc70 activity with VER 155008 attenuated the protection afforded by N-acetyl cysteine in a dose-responsive manner. MG132 induced a large rise in ubiquitinated proteins and N-acetyl cysteine reduced this effect. Consistent with the chaperone functions of Hsp70, VER 155008 also prevented the reduction in ubiquitin-conjugated proteins by N-acetyl cysteine. These data reveal a new role for N-acetyl cysteine: this compound may reduce misfolded protein levels and ameliorate proteotoxicity through heat shock proteins. These findings broaden the potential mechanisms of action for this dietary supplement in neurodegenerative proteinopathies.

Postmortem tissue from patients with neurodegeneration exhibits protein-misfolding stress and reduced proteasome activity. This hallmark burden of proteotoxic stress has led to the term "proteinopathies" for neurodegenerative diseases. Proteinopathies may also be exacerbated by previous insults, according to the two hit hypothesis of accelerated neurodegeneration. In order to model the response to two successive insults in a high-throughput fashion, we exposed the neuronal cell line N2a to two hits of the proteasome inhibitor MG132 and performed three unbiased viability assays. MG132 toxicity was synergistically exacerbated following sequential hits provided the first hit was high enough to be toxic. This accelerated viability loss was apparent by (1) a nuclear and cytoplasmic stain (DRAQ5+Sapphire), (2) immunocytochemistry for a cytoskeletal marker (α-tubulin), and (3) ATP levels (Cell Titer Glo). Ubiquitin-conjugated proteins were raised by toxic, but not subtoxic MG132, and were thus correlated with toxicity exacerbation at higher doses. We hypothesized that levels of autophagic and antioxidant defenses would be reduced with toxic, but not subtoxic MG132, explaining their differential impact on a second hit. However, proteins involved in chaperone-mediated autophagy were raised by toxic MG132, not reduced. Furthermore, inhibiting autophagy enhanced the toxicity of both subtoxic and toxic MG132 as well as of dual hits, suggesting that autophagic removal of cellular debris protected against proteasome inhibition. Two toxic hits of MG132 synergistically decreased the antioxidant glutathione. The glutathione precursor N-acetyl cysteine reversed this glutathione loss and prevented the toxic response to dual hits by all three assays. Dietary supplementation with N-acetyl cysteine benefits Alzheimer's patients and is currently undergoing clinical trials in Parkinson's disease. The present report is the first demonstration that this versatile compound is protective against synergistic loss of viability as well as of glutathione following unrelenting, sequential hits of proteotoxic stress as may occur in the diseased brain.

Vertically aligned, c-axis oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires were grown on Si substrate by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique, where sputtered aluminum nitride (AlN) film was used as an intermediate layer and thermally evaporated barium fluoride (BaF2) film as a sacrificial layer. The aspect ratio and density of the nanowires were also varied using only Si microcavity without any interfacial or sacrificial layer. The UV detectors inside the microcavity have shown the higher on–off current ratio and fast photoresponse characteristics. The photoresponse characteristics were significantly varied with the aspect ratio and the density of nanowires.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were grown on A-, C- and R-plane sapphires by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique. The shape of nanostructures was greatly influenced by the underlying sapphire substrate. Vertical aligned nanowires were observed on A- and C-plane sapphires, whereas the nanopencils were grown on R-plane sapphire. A correlation between the morphological and optical properties of the nanostructures has been established, where the morphological and structural characteristics are responsible for the evolution of optical properties. The nanowires, grown on C-plane sapphires, have shown superior optical properties. Comparatively higher photo-induced wettability transition has also been observed for ZnO nanostructures on R-plane sapphire.

Orange-emissive Ce 3+ /Eu 2+ co-doped Sr 3 Al 2 O 5 Cl 2 phosphors were synthesized by a solid-state reaction. The large overlap between the emission spectrum of blue Sr 3 Al 2 O 5 Cl 2 :Ce 3+ and the excitation spectrum of orange Sr 3 Al 2 O 5 Cl 2 :Eu 2+ , and the shortening trend in lifetime of Ce 3+ donors with increasing Eu 2+ concentration in Sr 3 Al 2 O 5 Cl 2 :Ce 3+ , Eu 2+ provide the strong evidence of energy transfer from Ce 3+ to Eu 2+ ions. It supports that the orange emission intensity of the optimal co-doped phosphor is 1.5 times stronger than that of single Eu 2+ -doped one. The Sr 3 Al 2 O 5 Cl 2 :Ce 3+ , Eu 2+ phosphor is a promising orange-emitting phosphor for warm-white-light-emitting diode because of its effective excitation in the near ultraviolet range.

ZnO films have been grown on Si(0 0 1) substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. In growing the ZnO films, effects of Zn pre-exposures at temperatures of 50–400 °C have been investigated by X-ray diffraction and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. All the ZnO films were grown with a preferred c -axis orientation, regardless of Zn pre-exposure temperatures and the Zn pre-exposure was not effective in protecting the surface oxidation of the substrate, which resulted in polycrystalline films growth. However, the Zn pre-exposures at 200–400 °C were effective in improving the crystal quality, where the columns of the ZnO films were ordered with only the two zone axes of ZnO〈2 1¯ 1¯ 0〉 and ZnO〈0 1 1¯ 0〉, while the ZnO films where Zn pre-exposures were performed at 50 and 100 °C showed completely polycrystalline features with columns of high value of tilt component and/or random orientations along the 〈0 0 0 1〉 direction. The ZnO films with the Zn pre-exposures at 200–400 °C showed full-width at half-maximums of 1.6–1.8° for the X-ray rocking curves with the ZnO(0 0 0 2) reflections, while those for the ZnO films with the Zn pre-exposures at 50 and 100 °C were 5.4° and 9.8°, respectively.

The synthesis of a new series of 1β-methylcarbapenems having methoxyimine and substituted sulfonamide moieties is described. Their in vitro antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were tested and the effect of substituents on the pyrrolidine ring was investigated. A particular compound ( IIIc ) having methylaminosulfonamide moiety showed the most potent antibacterial activity.

The growth behavior and atomic structure of the Ag wetting layer grown on the W(1 1 0) surface, was studied with scanning tunneling microscopy. Deposited Ag atoms preferentially adsorb at the step edges and reveal a step-flow growth behavior at room temperature. In the Ag wetting layer, a periodic bright ridge structure was observed along the [ 3 ¯ 3 7 ] and [ 3 ¯ 3 7 ¯ ] directions. The atomic registry of the ridge structure is proposed on the basis of atomically resolved images.

As the semiconductor industry moves to the 32 nm node, it becomes apparent that new lithography technology will be needed. One possibility for fabricating this feature size is extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology. With the advent of EUV, new high performance resist materials will need to be developed. This study looks at the use of a poly[4-hydroxystyrene-co-2-(4-methoxybutyl)-2-adamantyl methacrylate] system as a possible candidate material for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). This material was synthesized and evaluated as an EUV chemically amplified resist. This resist system showed reasonable sensitivity and contrast compared to conventional PMMA resist. This resist system exhibits both negative and positive tone behavior at high and low dose, respectively. A negative pattern of 35 nm L/S (70 nm pitch) was printed using the transmission-grating EUV Interference Lithography (EUV-IL) tool [J.K. Chen, F.H. Ko, H.L. Chen, F.C. Chang, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 42 (2003) 3838]. A positive pattern of 50 nm (pitch 180 nm) was achieved using the EUVL tool at Sandia National Laboratory [Synchrotron Radiation Center website www.src.wisc.edu & Center for Nanotechnology website www.nanotech.wisc.edu]. Resist patterns were characterized in detail using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Both showed similar characteristics of the pattern lines.

In this work, the effect of the stress ratio R on the five areas that constitute the fatigue damage map is presented. The effect of R on crack arrest is modelled through the Kujawski’s empirical parameter α. The idea of matching crack growth rates was used to predict the effect of R on the transition from Stage I to Stage II growth. The transition from Stage II to Stage III was modelled through its direct relation to R. Finally, the areas of general yielding and toughness failure were modelled through the relationship between Δσ and R. The accuracy of the modelling for each area is validated with experimental results.

In this second part an experimental matrix designed to verify the modelling in part I is presented. The obtained experimental data consist of crack growth rates, S–N curves, crack arrest curves and an extensive fractographic analysis to measure Stage I to Stage II and Stage II to Stage III transitions. Comparisons between the experimental data and the modelling confirmed that the concept of the fatigue damage map can be used to predict the effect of the stress ratio on the fatigue behaviour of the 2024-T351 aluminium alloy. Prediction error in the case of the crack arrest behaviour is also acknowledged.

Objective Protective effects of SKI 306X, a natural herbal product extracted from three herbs Clematis mandshurica , Trichosanthes kirilowii , and Prunella vulgaris , on articular cartilage was examined and compared with other osteoarthritis (OA) drugs using in vitro and in vivo models. Methods In vitro culture of rabbit articular cartilage explants was used as a model to measure the effects of drugs on the matrix degradation. The recombinant human interleukin-1α (rhIL-1α, 5ng/ml) was added to induce proteoglycan (PG) degradation and the degree of PG degradation was assessed by measuring the amount of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) released into the culture medium. In in vivo experiment, collagenase was intraarticularly injected twice into the right knee joint of rabbits to induce OA-like change, and test agents were orally administered once a day for 28 days. The degrees of OA-like changes were evaluated through a histological examination. Results In vitro study revealed SKI 306X inhibited the degradation of PG in a concentration-dependent manner. Trichosanthes kirilowii , which is one of the major components of SKI 306X, also significantly inhibited the GAG release in cartilage explant culture at 0.3 and 0.1mg/ml. Dexamethasone and NSAIDs, such as diclofenac and rofecoxib, had no significant effects on the suppression of PG degradation. In in vivo studies, OA-like degeneration of the articular cartilage and synovial tissue was induced by injecting collagenase into the right knee joint of mature rabbits. At a dose of 200mg/kg, SKI 306X reduced the OA-like histological changes, whereas diclofenac had no effect at 10mg/kg. Conclusion These results indicate that SKI 306X inhibited PG degradation in cartilage explant culture, and its prophylactic administration significantly protected the knee joint of rabbit from OA-like change in collagenase-induced experimental OA model. This strongly suggests that SKI 306X can be a good OA agent with some cartilage protection activity. Copyright 2002 OsteoArthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved .

The flow characteristics around an inclined elliptic cylinder located near a flat plate were investigated experimentally. The axis ratio of the elliptic cylinder was AR=2. The pressure distributions along the surface of the cylinder and the flat plate were measured by varying the angle of attack of the elliptic cylinder. The velocity profiles behind the cylinder were measured using hot-wire anemometry. When the angle of attack varies, the peak pressure location on the windward cylinder surface moves towards the rear edge of the cylinder, while that on the leeward surface moves towards the front edge of the cylinder. The vortex-shedding frequency also gradually decreases, defining a critical angle of attack for each gap ratio. The location of the minimum pressure on the flat plate surface moves downstream for positive angles of attack, while it moves upstream for negative angles of attack. Negative angles of attack cause a greater disturbance in the boundary layer near the wall compared to positive angles of attack. This shows that the separated wall shear layer from the boundary layer and the lower shear layer of the cylinder wake are strongly merged compared to other cases.

A novel blue-emitting Sr3Ga2O5Cl2:Eu2+ phosphor has been synthesized by a two-step solid-state reaction. The luminescence properties have been investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and temperature-dependent PL spectra. It shows an efficient broad absorption band around 400 nm, which matches well with the commercial near-ultraviolet light-emitting chips, and an efficient blue emission. It shows a higher thermal quenching temperature than that of Sr3Al2O5Cl2:Eu2+ phosphor. Sr3Ga2O5Cl2:Eu2+ phosphor is a promising blue-emitting component for UV chip excited white light-emitting-diodes.

The flow characteristics around an elliptic cylinder with an axis ratio of AR=2 located near a flat plate were investigated experimentally. The elliptic cylinder was embedded in a turbulent boundary layer whose thickness is larger than the cylinder height. For comparison, the same experiment was carried out for a circular cylinder having the same vertical height. The Reynolds number based on the height of the cylinder cross-section was 14000. The pressure distributions on the cylinder surface and on the flat plate were measured for various gap distances between the cylinder and the plate. The wake velocity profiles behind the cylinder were measured using hot-wire anemometry. In the near-wake region, the vortices are shed regularly only when the gap ratio is greater than the critical value of G/B=0·4. The critical gap ratio is larger than that of a circular cylinder. The variation of surface pressure distributions on the elliptic cylinder with respect to the gap ratio is much smaller than that on the circular cylinder. This trend is more evident on the upper surface than the lower one. The surface pressures on the flat plate recover faster than those for the case of the circular cylinder at downstream locations. As the gap ratio increases, the drag coefficient of the cylinder itself increases, but the lift coefficient decreases. For all gap ratios tested in this study, the drag coefficient of the elliptic cylinder is about half that of the circular cylinder. The ground effect of the cylinder at small gap ratio constrains the flow passing through the gap, and restricts the vortex shedding from the cylinder, especially in the lower side of the cylinder wake. This constraint effect is more severe for the elliptic cylinder, compared to the circular cylinder. The wake region behind the elliptic cylinder is relatively small and the velocity profiles tend to approach rapidly to those of a flat plate boundary layer

The first real size Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) prototype of ME2/1 for the forward region of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector was constructed at Korea Detector Laboratory (KODEL). The parallel resistive electrodes of the double gap RPC were made of bakelite whose resistivity was 5×10 9 Ω cm . The prototype was tested at the Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF) of CERN in an environment of the background intensity ranging up to 1 kHz / cm 2 / gap . We report that the full efficiency of 98% has been achieved with time resolution of about 1 ns. These results demonstrate that such a double gap RPC is suitable for the muon trigger in the future experiments.

Carbonization of petroleum and coal tar pitches to toluene insoluble fraction (TI) was investigated under air and nitrogen gas blowing systems. The TI yield was evaluated on the basis of the weight of pitch loaded. Changes of the yield with the reaction time were analyzed by a kinetic model of carbonization. The model assumes that pitch as a reactant contains a reactive component, P1, which converts to active thermal fragment, P ∗ , and gas and tar, G, more quickly than the residual component, P2, exhibiting a nonlinear decrease of pitch in semilogarithmic plot against the reaction time in an early stage of the reaction. The activation energies for P1, and P2 conversions depended on pitch and gas atmosphere. In particular, activation energies for P1 conversion in the air blowing system was found to be appreciably smaller than those in the nitrogen blowing system. This less temperature-sensitive carbonization in the former system may be attributed to pitch reactivity improved by oxygen in air.

Polyaniline (PANI) films have been prepared by applying neutral and ionized cluster beam deposition (NCBD and ICBD) methods. Spectroscopic studies demonstrate that the dominant chemical structure of the as-deposited PANI films corresponds to the reduced leucoemeraldine state in comparison to the initial emeraldine state. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements show that the cluster beam deposition method is effective in producing uniform polymeric films consisting of the reduced PANI species.

patients Western blot test were positive and in 7 of them were negative. As a result, our confirmation ratio was %61.11. HIV seroprevalence of Eskisehir region between 2001–2009 was found %0.032. Conclusions: HIV/AIDS seroprevalence in our region was fortunately too low. When we evaluated for confidence of HIV tests used in our lab, high confirmation ratio of the results showed that our kits are sensitive enough to detect antigen-antibody. In 17 patients first assay results were reactive but second assay results were negative and this showed us high sensitivity of the test kit.

OBJECTIVE: Periventricular leukomalacia, a common brain white matter lesion in preterm neonates, is a major risk factor for cerebral palsy. Recently, cytokines (i.e., tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-lJ~) have been implicated as mediators for the development of periventricular leukomalacia. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between umbilical cord plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-cq interleukin-l[3, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist and the occurrence of periventricular leukomalacia in preterm neonates. STUDY DESIGN: Umbilical cord blood was collected from 172 consecutive preterm births (25 to 36 weeks). Periventricular leukomalacia-associated lesions were diagnosed by brain ultrasonography within the first 3 days of life. Tumor necrosis factor-cq interleukin-ll3, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist were measured by sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunoassay methods. Umbilical cord arterial pH was measured at birth. Statistical analysis was performed with multiple logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: Periventricular leukomalacia-associated lesions were present in 14.5% (25/172) of infants. Plasma concentrations of interleukin-6 but not of tumor necrosis factor-cq interleukin-l[3, and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist were significantly higher in neonates with periventricular leukomalacia-associated lesions than in those without these lesions (median 718, range 400 pg/ml had a sensitivity of 72% (18/25) and a specificity of 74% (108/147) in the identification of periventricular leukomalacia-associated lesions. Multivariate analysis showed that umbilical cord interleukin-6 was an independent risk factor for periventricular leukomalacia (odds ratio 6.2, p < 0.002) after correction for known confounding variables (i.e., gestational age at birth, umbilical artery pH, chorioamnionitis). CONCLUSIONS: Interleukin-6 concentrations in umbilical cord plasma are elevated in neonates with periventricular ieukomalacia-associated lesions. Our data support the hypothesis that periventricular leukomalacia may be the result of cytokine-mediated brain injury. (AM J OBSTET GYNECOL 1996;174:1433-40.)

In the first 2 experiments, laying hens were fed a diet containing .30% phosphorus for a preliminary period of 3 days. At the beginning of the experimental period, hens were fed .30, .75, or 1.40% phosphorus with 3.50% calcium. Another group of hens was fed .75% phosphorus and 1.40% calcium. Specific gravity of the eggs and blood serum inorganic phosphorus were determined and compared with those from control hens continuously fed a diet containing .75% phosphorus and 3.50% calcium. Both high phosphorus and/or low calcium decreased the specific gravity of eggs and increased the serum phosphorus level. In Experiment 2, hens were fed different levels of phosphorus at different times of the day. Birds receiving 1.40% phosphorus between 0700 and 0930 hr and .30% phosphorus between 0930 and 2000 hr (Treatment 2) laid eggs with higher specific gravity than hens fed .30% phosphorus between 0700 and 0930 hr and 1.40% phosphorus between 0930 and 2000 hr (Treatment 3). There was no further improvement in egg shell quality over that from hens fed .75% phosphorus for both time periods (0700 to 2000 hr). In both experiments it was apparent that the dietary phosphorus level affected egg shell quality.

Two experiments were conducted to determine if time of oviposition would affect characteristics of eggs from five different strains of commercial type laying hens. A corn-soybean meal type diet containing 17% protein, 3.5% calcium, and .75% total phosphorus was fed. Eggs were collected at 2-hr intervals beginning at 0600 hr with each egg individually identified. Egg weight, yolk weight, albumen weight, shell weight, and shell thickness of each egg were measured, and die percentage of the components was calculated. Hens laid the heaviest eggs between 0600 and 0800 hr. Egg weights decreased gradually during the day while yolk weights decreased after 1000 hr. Shell weights, thickness, and percent were somewhat higher in eggs laid in the early morning, decreased slightly for eggs laid between 1000 and 1200 hr, and increased for eggs laid in the afternoon. Albumen weight and albumen percentage decreased during the day in Experiment 2 but increased slighdy later in the afternoon in Experiment 1. Significant differences were found among different strains of hens for all parameters, except in shell thickness of eggs from the older hens.

Two types (mash and crumble) of the starter ration (for 0 to 4 weeks of age) and two types (mash and pellets) of the finisher ration (for 4 to 8 weeks of age) were fed to broilers in a 2 X 2 factorial arrangement. Chicks fed the crumbled starter diet gained more weight and consumed more feed (P less than .01). Pelleting the finisher diet also significantly (P less than .01) improved weight gain and feed intake. Feeding the crumble during the starter period significantly (P less than .05) decreased gizzard weight at 4 weeks of age. Pelleting the finisher diet also significantly (P less than .01) reduced weights of the digestive tract and the gizzard at 8 weeks of age, compared to those fed the mash diet.

A total of 552 eggs laid over 3 consecutive days by 184 hens were collected and egg and shell weight determined. Time of oviposition for each hen was recorded individually for the first 2 days and was estimated on the third day. Data indicated that the time of oviposition had no direct effect on egg weight and that the heavier eggs in the morning of the first day were due to the greater proportion of the first egg of the sequence being laid in the morning than later during the day. Weight of the shell increased as the eggs were laid later in the day. Significant linear regressions were obtained on the second day (P

Experimental diets consisting of two levels of total phosphorus (.30 and .75%) and three different treatments of supplemental sodium (.35% NaCl, 1.40% NaCl, and .35% NaCl plus 1.50% NaHCO3) were fed in a 2 X 3 factorial arrangement to laying hens for 16 weeks. The latter two treatments of sodium were designed to supply the same level of sodium (.55%) from different chemical forms. Hens fed .30% phosphorus laid significantly (P less than .01) less eggs than those fed .75% phosphorus. A highly significant (P less than .01) interaction was found between phosphorus and sodium treatments. The high level of sodium from either chloride or bicarbonate decreased egg production at the lower level of phosphorus and increased it when the higher level of phosphorus was fed. Sodium bicarbonate affected egg production more strongly than sodium chloride did. There were no significant treatment effects on egg weight and egg shell weight. Addition of sodium bicarbonate to the low phosphorus diet significantly (P less than .05) decreased feed consumption of the hen. Supplemental sodium bicarbonate with either level of dietary phosphorus significantly (P less than .05) increased percent nitrogen retention of the hen, but excessive sodium chloride did not.

A 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of experimental diets consisting of three levels of total phosphorus (.30, .75, and 1.40%) and three levels of added sodium chloride (0, .35, and 1.40%) were fed to laying hens 16 months of age of Babcock B-300 strain. Most of the hens fed no added salt stopped laying within 2 weeks from the start of the experiment. Although there were no significant differences in egg production among hens fed three different phosphorus levels and between hens fed .35 and 1.40% added salt for 3 weeks, a significant (P Increasing dietary phosphorus resulted in elevated serum phosphorus levels in hens both immediately following oviposition and at 15 hr after oviposition on the second day of the experiment. Although there was no significant phosphorus × salt interaction on serum phosphorus, a significant (P

Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of feeding low levels of dietary phosphorus on the serum inorganic phosphorus level of laying hens. A phosphorus deficient diet containing .30% total phosphorus, all of plant origin, was fed to hens for 3 days in Experiment 1 and 4 weeks in Experiment 2. In Experiment 3, seven different levels of dietary phosphorus were fed. Blood serum inorganic phosphorus level was determined at different durations of feeding the experimental diets. All the blood samples were collected immediately following oviposition from the hens that had laid both on the day before and the day of bleeding in each experiment. The serum phosphorus level of hens previously fed .75% phosphorus was 4.12 mg/100 ml in Experiment 1 and 4.72 mg/100 ml when fed .75% phosphorus in Experiment 3. Serum phosphorus level of hens fed the diet containing .30% phosphorus decreased to between 2 and 3 mg/100 ml within 24 hr and remained at this level for 4 weeks. There were no significant differences in serum phosphorus levels of hens fed levels of dietary phosphorus between .375% and 1.40%. Decreasing dietary phosphorus from .30% to .22% further decreased the serum phosphorus level. It is concluded that the hen is capable of maintaining a normal blood phosphorus level over a wide range of dietary phosphorus, but decreases her serum phosphorus level immediately when fed suboptimal levels of phosphorus.

A total of 7,273 eggs laid by 270 Hisex Brown hens for 31 days, beginning at 29 weeks of age, was identified individually. Each egg was recorded for time of oviposition, and egg and shell weights were measured. The average time of oviposition of all eggs was 0940 ± 0226 hr (mean ± SD) and the average egg weight and shell weight were 55.1 ± 3.6 and 5.24 ±.43 g, respectively. Eggs laid early in the morning were heavier than those laid later during the day. Egg weight decreased thereafter and remained relatively constant after 0930 hr. Shell weights decreased during the morning and gradually increased again in the afternoon. Hens with higher rates of production tended to lay earlier and showed less variation in time of oviposition. No consistent relationship was found between production rate and egg weight or shell weight. A positive correlation (r = .54) was found between egg weight and shell weight.