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The choice of bedding material affects the quality of air in a stable and, consequently, the respiratory health of horses and humans. The risk of respiratory problems can be mitigated by improving the quality of air in the stable. The choice of bedding material is particularly important in cold climate conditions where horses are kept indoors throughout the year. This study examined the impact of three bedding materials: straw (S), peat with shavings (PS), and crushed wood pellets (CWP). The investigated factors were air contamination, including dust contamination and microbial (bacterial and fungal) contamination, and the condition of the equine respiratory tract. The condition of the respiratory tract was evaluated based on the results of arterial blood biochemistry tests and endoscopic evaluations of the upper respiratory tract. Mechanical dust contamination was lowest for PS (1.09mg/m3) and highest for CWP (4.07mg/m3). Bacterial contamination (in CFU - colony forming units) was highest for PS (5.14log10CFU/m3) and lowest for CWP (4.81log10CFU/m3). Fungal air contamination was lowest for CWP (4.54log10CFU/m3) and highest for S (4.82log10CFU/m3) and PS (4.88log10CFU/m3). An analysis of physiological indicators revealed that all horses were clinically healthy regardless of the type of applied bedding. The type of bedding material did not exert a clear influence on arterial blood biochemistry or the results of endoscopic evaluations of the respiratory tract; however, the use of alternative for straw bedding materials improved endoscopy results.

Titanium oxynitride films are prepared by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition method using two different precursors and nitrogen sources. Synchrotron radiation-based X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy are used to characterize the nitrogen species incorporated within these films depending on the deposition parameters. It is found that nitrogen atoms in these films are differently bonded. In particular, it can be distinguished between Ti ON and Ti N bonding configurations and molecular nitrogen species caused by precursor fragments.

Bedding material used in stables is an important factor affecting the welfare of horses. One of the factors used for investigating the level of welfare of animals is behavior observations. The aim of the study was an assessment and analysis of impact of straw (S), peat moss with shavings, and crushed wood pellets beddings used in the stables on the behavior of horses. In this study, among the observed behaviors were behavioral events and behavioral states showing the comfort of animals (standing at rest, occupation with bedding, resting in sternal, and lateral position), as well as comfortable behavioral events (laying down into sternal and lateral position, and occupation with the bedding) undesirable behavioral events, including the behavior of demonstrating a lack of occupation (lignophagia, walking around the box, and biting the bars) and aggressive behaviors (threatening neighbor, biting the neighbor, and kicking the box). Compared with peat moss with shavings bedding and crushed pellets, the application of S led to significantly longer duration and higher frequency of occupation with bedding and, in turn, shorter fractions of standing. The longest total time spent on recumbency was observed during usage of S. Except for “neighbor threatening,” the undesired behaviors appeared the least frequently during usage of S. In addition, the smallest percentage of horses manifested undesired behaviors when the S bedding was used. Regard to the obtained results, it was concluded that S bedding was the best in terms of fulfilling behavioral needs of horses staying in boxes.

The aim of this study was to determine quantitative and qualitative occurrence of noxious gas compounds in the stable, depending on the time of the day (4:00 AM, 12:00, 8:00 PM), the height (20 cm, 150 cm), and the place (boxes, aisle) from which the samples were collected. Seven compounds were analyzed (NH3, SO2, COS, HCN, CH4, NO2, and CO). For analyzing stable air, a mobile gas analyzer was used. The time of day was a significant differential factor (P < .01) for concentrations of NH3, COS, and CH4. The highest concentrations of CH4, COS, NO2, NH3, and CO appeared at 4:00. For the rest of the studied compounds (SO2, HCN, CO) differences were not statistically significant, but there was a tendency for the highest concentrations at 12:00. The concentrations of gas compounds depending on height did not differ significantly from each other, but there was a tendency for higher concentrations of NH3, SO2, CH4, and CO at 150 cm and for HCN at 20 cm. COS and NO2 remained constant at both heights in boxes. The places where the samples were collected was a significant differential factor (P < .01) for NH3 and SO2. For the rest of the studied compounds the differences were not statistically significant. It can be concluded that many noxious compounds may appear without being noticed, and that is why it is necessary to provide stables with efficient air exchange throughout the day.

The antimicrobial properties of essential oils have been demonstrated by various in vitro studies, whereas their effect on poultry farm hygiene has not been thoroughly investigated, in particular with reference to aerial treatment. The present study aims to assess the antibacterial effects of natural essential oils in broiler houses. Two experimental rooms were fogged with aqueous solutions of peppermint and thyme oils. The control room was sprayed with pure water. The experiment was conducted on broilers aged 1 to 42 d. The rooms were fogged every 3 d. One day after fogging, the total counts of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and mannitol-positive staphylococci were determined. Samples were collected from the air, litter, walls, and drinkers. The results of the study demonstrate that essential oil mist may improve hygiene standards in broiler farms. During broiler growth, the mean total counts of mesophilic bacteria in the rooms treated with essential oils were lower (P0.01 or P0.05) in comparison with the control. Enterobacteriaceae and staphylococci counts were also higher in the control group. A single exception was noted in a litter sample where the mean count of Enterobacteriaceae in the room fogged with peppermint oil was higher than in the control. Both oils reduced bacterial counts, but thyme oil was more effective in reducing coliform bacteria, whereas peppermint oil had a higher inhibitory effect on the proliferation of staphylococci. These promising results encourage further research to determine the optimal doses and the effects of essential oils and their combinations on the living conditions and health status of broiler chickens.

This paper deals with the impact of the top metal electrode on the resistive switching properties of HfO 2 -based Metal-Insulator-Metal diodes. By screening five different metals as top electrode, Al–Cu–Hf–Pt–Ti, we have demonstrated the feasibility of the resistive switching effect on HfO 2 . Metals with a low enthalpy of formation of oxides Δ H f 0 (Pt and Cu) lead to uni-polar switching whereas easily oxidizable metals with a higher Δ H f 0 (Al, Hf and Ti) lead to bipolar switching. Cu-, Hf- and Pt-based devices show a degradation of the top electrode after the forming step by the formation of bubbles whereas such phenomenon was not observed in Al- and Ti-based devices. 200 switching cycles were performed on each device in order to extract the main parameters of the resistive switching effect: I ON and I OFF currents in the mA range, R OFF /R ON resistance ratio up to 5, V set and V reset , voltage levels around 1 V, and powers dissipated during read and write operations in the μW and mW range, respectively. For all systems, the reset process dissipates higher power than the set process. From these results, the Ti top adlayer shows the best performance in terms of stability and resistive switching characteristics.

Selected possible applications of (Cd, Mn)Te, a classical wide-bandgap semimagnetic semiconductor, will be described. Both the semimagnetic character and the other physical properties of this material give rise to its wide applications. As a semimagnetic semiconductor (Cd, Mn)Te demonstrates “giant Faraday rotation” (of the direction of polarization in a strong static magnetic field) for photons with energy a little below that of the free exciton energy. This effect, which is strongest at low temperatures, is also significant at room temperature. (Cd, Mn)Te-based “Faraday rotators” can be used in optical telecommunications as “optical isolators” between the source of radiation (a strong laser) and the rest of the optical transmission line to avoid having parasitic light reflected back to the laser and disturbing its operation. In (Cd, Mn)Te crystals the Faraday effect is extremely fast. The results of the experiments, showing that the response time of the (Cd, Mn)Te crystals to a pulsed magnetic field is in the range 300–500 fs, will be presented, as well as the possible applications of this super-fast Faraday effect. As a wide-bandgap semiconductor with high stopping power for X- and γ-rays, (Cd, Mn)Te can be applied to the construction of radiation detectors. The required parameters: high resistivity (∼10 10 Ω cm) and a high mobility–lifetime product ( μτ = 3 × 10 −3 cm 2 /V) have already been achieved and the results will be described.

Whole-body imaging of green fluorescent protein (GFP) can be used to test the efficiency of gene carriers for in vivo transduction. The aim of the current study was to determine the sensitivity and the accuracy of a GFP imaging procedure by in vivo investigation of GFP-expressing tumor cells. An improved method of whole-body GFP imaging made use of a laser excitation source and band-pass filters matched specifically to GFP and constitutive tissue fluorescence emission bands. Processing of the primary GFP fluorescence images acquired by the CCD camera subtracted background tissue autofluorescence. Our approach achieved 100% sensitivity and specificity for in vivo detection of 10%-transfected BxPc3 pancreatic tumor after subcutaneous grafting or orthotopical implantation in the pancreas of nude mice. It also detected less transfected tumors (i.e., 1 to 5%) but with a loss in sensitivity (50% of cases). The system was employed over a 5-week period to monitor the persistence of GFP expression in 10%-transfected BxPc3 tumors orthotopically implanted in the pancreas of two nude mice, allowing the direct visualization of tumor progression and spread. In facilitating the temporal–spatial follow-up of GFP expression in vivo, the optimized laser-induced fluorescence imaging device can support preclinical investigations of vectors for therapeutic gene transduction through regular, harmless, real-time monitoring of theirin vivo transductional efficacy and persistence.

This work addresses a 1T1R RRAM architecture, which allows for the precise and reliable control of the forming/set current by using an access transistor. The 1T1R devices were fabricated in a modified [email protected] CMOS technology. The memory cells show stable resistive switching in dc as well as pulse-induced mode with an endurance of 10^3 and 10^2cycles, respectively. The variation of pulse widths as a function of amplitudes in 1R devices confirmed the set process distribution over a wide range of pulse widths ([email protected]), whereas the reset process variation is confined ([email protected]).

Analysis of 102 Polish Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy (D/BMD) patients was performed by 'multiplex' amplification of 22 fragments of the DMD/BMD gene and deletions were found in 55% of the patients. The data obtained using PCR were compared with results of 25 Southern blotting and hybridization experiments with cDNA probes and with immunostaining using anti-dystrophin antibodies. In order to determine more precise deletion breakpoints, additional experiments were performed on dystrophin transcripts isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes. These data found direct application in carrier analysis in the respective families by detection or exclusion of aberrant cDNA fragments. Carrier detection was also performed by RFLP-PCR, analysis of polymorphic (CA)n repeats and single stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) for selected exons of the DMD gene.

Summary The UV-laser ( λ 355 nm) induced fluorescence emission spectra of green leaves comprise the blue(F440) and green (F520) fluorescence bands as well as the red (F690) and far-red (F740) chlorophyll fluorescence emission bands. Based on the four UV-laser induced fluorescence bands blue, green, red and farred a high resolution fluorescence imaging system was established, which allows a fast and large scale screening of fluorescence gradients and local disturbances in fluorescence emission over the whole leaf surface. The new imaging method not only permits to screen leaves by means of images in four fluorescence bands ( LIF images ) but, in addition, via images of the fluorescence ratios blue/red (F440/F690), blue/farred (F440/F740), the chlorophyll fluorescence ratio red/far-red (F690/F740) and the ratio blue/green (F440/F520) ( LIF ratio images ). By fluorescence imaging we could prove that in aurea tobacco the major part of the leaves' blue and green fluorescence is emitted from the main and side leave veins, whereas the major part of the leaves' red and far-red chlorophyll fluorescence is emitted from the vein-free leaf regions, which also have the highest chlorophyll content. A smaller proportion of the aurea tobacco leaves' blue-green fluorescence emission is derived from the cell walls of epidermis cells. The fluorescence ratios blue/red and blue/far-red are very sensitive to environmental changes, and thus permit early stress and strain detection in plants, and the evaluation of damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. Via monitoring the increase in chlorophyll fluorescence LIF images allow to detect differences in the time-dependent uptake of diuron and the progressing inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport in the treated leaf part. The novel fluorescence imaging technique sets a new dimension for early stress detection in the photosynthetic apparatus and in plants. It has many advantages over the previously applied point-data measurements of selected leaf points using conventional spectrofluorometers. The new fluorescence imaging system proved to be very suitable for remote sensing of plants in the near distance, and can be further developed for far distance remote sensing of the state of health of terrestrial vegetation. Some examples in the many possible ways of computer-aided fluorescence data processing (formation of different fluorescence ratios, screening of fluorescence profiles, histogramme plotting) are indicated.

Summary Fluorescence images of leaves from tobacco plants (green wild type and aurea mutant) were determinedin the blue (F440), green (F520), red (F690) and far-red region (F740), and also expressed as fluorescence ratio images. Under long-term water stress tobacco plants initially showed constant ratios of the blue to red fluorescence (F440/F690) and the blue to far-red fluorescence (F440/F740). Below a distinct threshold in water content (84° in green and 88° in aurea tobacco), however, a linear increase of the fluorescence ratios blue/red and blue/far-red was observed. This was due to a distinct increase in the bluegreen fluorescence emission, whereas the red and far-red chlorophyll fluorescence increased to a lower proportion. These changes in fluorescence ratios could easily be monitored by high resolution fluorescence imaging of whole leaves. For each point of the leaf, the fluorescence ratio can be read from the fluorescence ratio images of the leaves. In contrast, a short-term heat plus water stress in green tobacco plants was very fast detected via fluorescence imaging as a significant increase of red and far-red chlorophyll fluorescence emission (F690 and F740) on the leaf rim, whereas the central part of the leaf still exhibited the regular fluorescence signatures of photosynthetically active leaves. A combined outdoor stress (light, heat and water stress) at a dry sunny summer period was detected in Rhododendron by fluorescence imaging due to a much reduced red and far-red chlorophyll fluorescence. The latter was caused by UV-absorbing substances (e.g. flavonols) which accumulated primarily in the epidermis of these stressed leaves. These compounds seemed to act as UV-radiation filter, thus reducing the amount of the UV-excitation radiation, which could penetrate the mesophyll and which resulted in a reduced chlorophyll fluorescence excitation and emission. These results demonstrate that fluorescence imaging of leaves in the blue, green, red and far-red emission bands is an excellent tool for an early stress detection in plants, which is much superior to the hitherto applied spectral point data measurements.

Summary The possibility of time resolved chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements using an intensified and gatedstreak camera was demonstrated on different plants at a distance of 40-80 m. The investigations, carried out in various experimental conditions: different target geometries (one planar leaf, tilted leaves, sparce foliage, separated levels of leaves), variable slit widths (0.1 to 1 mm) of the camera and measurements at different weather conditions have shown a good reproducibility of the results. The decay profiles were analyzed in order to obtain the best fit between the experimental curves and those obtained by convoluting the experimental response function R exp ( t ) with the theoretical emission law F( t ) modelled by a sum of two or three exponentials. The mean value T m of the chlorophyll fluorescence lifetimes was determined for each experimental condition. For example for poplar leaves measured in October 1993, t m was equal to = 0.8 ns in the morning, decreased strongly to = 0.4 ns in midday and then slowly increased to 1.21 ns in the night.

The plume produced by laser ablation of an YBa 2 Cu 3 O y target under irradiation with different laser beam wavelengths has been studied by means of intensified CCD imaging. ArF excimer (193 nm) and Nd:YAG (532 and 1064 nm) laser beams were used. The fluence was about 1 J/cm 2 . The investigation was carried out under high vacuum. The plume images show the evolution of different velocity components which depend on the laser wavelength. The fastest one shows a front velocity near 10 4 m/s. It is the dominant feature during many μ s in the images obtained for 193 nm and can be also seen for the case of 532 nm. A slower emission, with an estimated velocity ≤ 3 × 10 2 m/s, can also be observed for the case of 193 nm laser irradiation. Two slower velocity components are present in the 532 and 1064 nm laser plumes. One of them has a front velocity around 3 × 10 2 and 7 × 10 2 m/s for 532 and 1064 nm laser wavelength, respectively. The velocity of the other one is estimated as ≤ 10 2 m/s.

The occurrence of dual fluorescence in ruthenium complexes containing dimethylaminobenzonitrile (DMABN) has been studied at liquid nitrogen and room temperatures. It was concluded that in the [RuII(NH3)5DMABN]2+, [RuIII(NH3)5DMABN]3+ and [RuII(bipy)2Cl(DMABN)]+ complexes (bipy ≡ bipyridyl) a typical twisted internal charge transfer (TCT) fluorescence of DMABN appears upon excitation on a π-π* ligand absorption band. The ratio of the two luminescence band intensities is modified with respect to the free ligand. The excitation of [Ru(NH3)5DMABN]n+ on a metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) band gives rise to fluorescence with maxima at 378 nm (77 K) and 393 nm (room temperature) for [Ru(NH3)5DMABN]2+ and at 435 nm (room temperature) and 450 nm (77 K) for [Ru(NH3)5DMABN]3+ complexes, which is the first example for an Ru(NH3)5L system. The four emission bands at 555, 595, 635 and 690 nm which occur in the [Ru(bipy)2-Cl(DMABN)]+ spectrum are members of a vibrational progression with Δν ≈ 1175 cm−1 and they could be assigned to the excited states with electron localization on either the bipyridyl or the dimethylaminobenzonitrile ligand, i.e. [RuIII(bipy- (bipy)Cl(DMABN)]+ or [RuIII(bipy)2Cl-(DMABN- )]+ respectively.

The properties of N,N′-bis(4-cyanophenyl)piperazine are described. This molecule has been devised to exhibit bridging properties, together with the possibility of giving twisted internal charge transfer (TICT) states following irradiation. The crystal structure shows that the molecule is almost planar in the ground state. Photochemical excitation on the charge transfer band at 300 nm gives rise to a luminescence which is very sensitive to the solvent polarity. In butanol, the dual luminescence characteristic of TICT is observed, which is attributed to the twisting motion of the acceptor(s) part of the molecule with respect to the donor. Transient absorption measurements have been also performed, which characterize the triplet state. A comparison with dimethylaminobenzonitrile is made.