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We determined if a microbial inoculant could improve the fermentation and aerobic stability of corn silage subjected to various challenges during storage that included an air stress challenge and low packing density. In Experiment 1, whole-plant corn was untreated (CTR) or treated (INO, Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 and Pediococcus pentosaceus 12455. Five individually replicated 7.5-L silos, at a density of 240 kg of dry matter (DM)/m3, for each treatment were kept sealed (NAS) for 19 wk, air stressed early (ES, 3 h/wk for wk 1-9), or air stressed late during storage (LS, 3 h/wk for wk 10-19). Inoculation increased the number of agar-culturable lactic acid bacteria regardless of air stress status, but it did not affect the relative abundance of Lactobacillus. Early, but not late air stress, resulted in silages with a higher relative abundance of Acetobacter when compared with NAS. Silages treated with INO had greater concentrations of acetic acid than CTR. Numbers of yeasts were lowest for INO regardless of air stress and CTR-LS had the most yeasts among all treatments. Silages that were not air stressed had a higher relative abundance of Candida tropicalis than air stressed silages. Monascus purpureus was detected in ES and LS but not in NAS, and its relative abundance was numerically higher in CTR-ES than in INO-ES and statistically higher in CTR-LS compared with INO-LS. Early air stress numerically reduced aerobic stability compared with NAS, and there was a statistical tendency for lower stability in LS compared with NAS. Inoculation improved aerobic stability regardless of when the air stress occurred. In Experiment 2, corn silage was prepared with the same primary treatments of CTR and INO but was packed at a low (LD; 180 kg of DM/m3) or a normal (ND; 240 kg of DM/m3) density and sealed (NAS) or air stressed (AS; 24 h on d 28, 42, and 89) for 92 d of storage. The concentration of acetic acid was greater in INO compared with CTR and in AS compared with NAS. Numbers of yeasts were lower in NAS compared with AS regardless of inoculation and they were lower in INO-AS compared with CTR-AS. Treatment with INO improved aerobic stability but the improvement was better in NAS versus AS and better in ND versus LD. Overall, our experiments corroborate past findings showing that INO markedly improves the aerobic stability of corn silage but they are the first to show that improvement can be sustained even when the silage was exposed to regular air stresses and when packed at a low density.

Deposition and fuel retention profiles in low power hydrogen L-mode plasmas and neon (Ne) seeded ITER DT burning plasmas have been investigated. Two different Ne seeded plasma backgrounds with varying sub-divertor neutral pressures but the same Ne impurity concentration are considered, representing high recycling and partially detached divertor solutions. The 2D SOLPS numerical grid does not extend all the way to the wall surfaces so that an extrapolation of the plasma background is required and is performed using a second simulation stage in which the far scrape-off layer (SOL) region is numerically gridded and plasma transport solved on the extended grid using the OSM (a 1D simplified Braginski code) approach [1] . The plasma conditions chosen for this far SOL region strongly influence the results. The hydrogenic flux is calculated from the electronic density and ion flow, the latter of which has an assumed distribution. Depending on the main-SOL plasma flow parameters and far-SOL density, fuel retention is driven by deposition on the first wall (when parallel flow through the main-SOL is switched off), or by deposition on the divertor (parallel flow through the main-SOL is switched on). When retention is dominated by deposition on the first wall, there is slightly more retention in the partially detached case compared to a high recycling scenario. In the low power cases, there is insignificant deposition and fuel retention.

On the eve of component procurement, this paper discusses the present physics basis for the first ITER tungsten (W) divertor, beginning with a reminder of the key elements defining the overall design, and outlining relevant aspects of the Research Plan accompanying the new “staged approach” to ITER nuclear operations which fixes the overall divertor lifetime constraint. The principal focus is on the main design driver, steady state power fluxes in the DT phases, obtained from simulations using the 2-D SOLPS-4.3 and SOLPS-ITER plasma boundary codes, assuming the use of the low Z seeding impurities nitrogen (N) and neon (Ne). A new perspective on the simulation database is adopted, concentrating purely on the divertor physics aspects rather than on the core-edge integration, which has been studied extensively in the course of the divertor design evolution and is published elsewhere. Emphasis is placed on factors which may increase the peak steady state loads: divertor target shaping for component misalignment protection, the influence of fluid drifts, and the consequences of narrow scrape-off layer heat flux channels. All tend to push the divertor into an operating space at higher sub-divertor neutral pressure in order to remain at power flux densities acceptable for the target material. However, a revised criterion for the maximum tolerable loads based on avoidance of W recrystallization, sets an upper limit potentially ∼50% higher than the previously accepted value of ∼10 MW m−2, a consequence both of the choice of material and the finalized component design. Although the simulation database is currently restricted to the 2-D toroidally symmetric situation, considerable progress is now also being made using the EMC3-Eirene 3-D code suite for the assessment of power loading in the presence of magnetic perturbations for ELM control. Some new results for low input power corresponding to the early H-mode operation phases are reported, showing that even if realistic plasma screening is taken into account, significant asymmetric divertor heat fluxes may arise far from the unperturbed strike point. The issue of tolerable limits for transient heat pulses is an open and key question. A new scaling for ELM power deposition has shown that whilst there may be more latitude for operation at higher current without ELM control, the ultimate limit is likely to be set more by material fatigue under large numbers of sub-threshold melting events. Keywords: ITER, Tungsten, Divertor, Heat fluxes, SOLPS

The feeding behaviour of insects is a difficult ecological interaction to study. To date, entomologists have used biochemical and molecular techniques to identify the meals of predatory insects. We present here a molecular approach to identifying the DNA of plant species in the insect gut using the ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase gene large subunit (rbcL). A reference collection of 23 plant species from the southern Jordan Valley, Israel, was genetically characterized and employed. Insects belonging to eight different families were collected in the field along with the plants upon which they were found. After collection and prior to analysis, these insects were isolated on the plants they were found upon in the laboratory. This was to ensure that the insects had only one plant meal in their gut, as multiple plant meals would require additional techniques like cloning. A blind study was performed, genetically confirming plant DNA to species level from the processed gut contents of the insects. All reference plant species could be differentiated using a 157 bp long fragment of the rbcL gene. Plant DNA was identifiable, and the meal of the respective insect was accurately determined in each case. Analyses using experimentally fed crickets, Gryllodes hebraeus, determined that plant DNA was still detectable by PCR up to 12 h post-ingestion. This research proposes the application of molecular techniques for the identification of herbivorous insect feeding behaviour to increase understanding of plant–insect interactions.

Silicone rubber has received attention as an alternative to polyvinyltoluene in applications in which the scintillator is exposed to high doses of radiation because of the increased resistance of the rubber to the formation of blue-absorbing color centers. Work by Bowen, et al., and Harmon, et al., has demonstrated their properties under gamma/X-ray irradiation, and Bell, et al. have shown their response to thermal neutrons. This last work, however, provides an example of a silicone in which both the boron and the scintillator are contained in the rubber as solutes, a formulation which leads to the precipitation of solids and sublimation of the boron component. In the present work we describe a scintillator in which the boron is chemically bonded to the siloxane and so avoids the problem of precipitation and loss of boron to sublimation. Material containing up to 18% boron, by weight, was prepared, mounted on photomultipliers, and exposed to both neutron and gamma fluxes. Pulse height spectra showing the neutron and photon response were obtained, and although the light output was found to be much poorer than from samples in which boron was dissolved, the higher boron concentrations enabled essentially 100% neutron absorption in only a few millimeters of rubber.

Daily parathyroid hormone (PTH) injections that transiently increase plasma PTH levels within the physiological range increase bone mass in osteopenic, ovariectomized (ovx) rats. This study tested the hypothesis that repeated transient decreases in plasma PTH levels from normal, induced by the daily oral administration of the calcimimetic NPS R-568, would induce an anabolic effect in bone of ovx rats with established osteopenia and/or prevent the rapid bone loss that occurs following ovx. In the reversal study, NPS R-568 was administered orally (10 or 100 micromol/kg) for 30 days to 14-month-old retired breeder rats that were ovx 5 months earlier. NPS R-568 treatment did not increase bone formation rate (BFR) or cancellous bone area (B.Ar) in the proximal tibial metaphysis, or bone mineral density (BMD), at any femoral site. In the prevention study, 3-month-old virgin rats were ovx and given NPS R-568 for the following 28 days. The 10 micromol/kg dose prevented the increase in osteoclast number and 42% of the loss of B.Ar, without affecting the elevated osteoblast populations or BFR. Surprisingly, the 100 micromol/kg dose had fewer protective effects, despite preventing the increase in BFR in both cancellous and cortical bone. Detailed analysis of cancellous bone showed that tendency for a dose-related protection of true cancellous bone occurred, but, while the 10 micromol/kg dose prevented 88% of the loss of calcified cartilage seen in control ovx rats, the 100 micromol/kg dose increased that loss by a further 31%. The mechanism underlying these disparate effects of NPS R-568 on calcified cartilage accumulation in the tibial metaphysis is unclear, but may be related to the different effects that the two doses have on plasma Ca(2+) levels. In conclusion, transient increases in PTH levels above basal, and not simple oscillations in hormone levels below normal, appear necessary for the anabolic properties of endogenous PTH to be manifested in the bones of osteopenic ovx rats.

A measurement of the proton spin structure function g1p(x,Q^2) in deep-inelastic scattering is presented. The data were taken with the 27.6 GeV longitudinally polarised positron beam at HERA incident on a longitudinally polarised pure hydrogen gas target internal to the storage ring. The kinematic range is 0.021, Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, RevTeX latex

This paper describes the development of an intelligent process-control system for the production of fiber-reinforced organic polymeric composites. The composite material consists of a polymer matrix (polyamide resin F174) and high-modulus quartz-fiber reinforcement. This composite material has good mechanical properties at high temperatures, and possesses a low dielectric constant, making it suitable for applications in missile radomes. The problem is that the raw materials are chemically reactive, and the process-control system must enable adaptation to variations in the temperature-time exposure of the raw materials and/or variations which may occur in the materials received from different suppliers. The uniqueness of the control system lies in that it is self-directing, and relies on information derived from sensors (laser fiber-optic probes and dielectric sensors) placed within the material. In addition, a materials-transformation model based on the chemical kinetics of the polymerization process calculates a number of key polymer parameters, such as degree of imidization, degree of cure, molecular weight distribution, and polydispersity ratio in situ. The collective ability to collect high-quality sensor information, to run sophisticated but robust process models in real time, to make complex decisions using artificial intelligence (AI), and to implement these decisions for controlling the structure of the actual material being processed represents a significant breakthrough in materials and process capability in this field. The focus of this work, measuring and controlling the physical and chemical properties of the material, rather than the physical attributes of the processing machinery, is an important paradigm shift.

Androgens are associated with the greater skeletal mass and size in men compared with women and have been used as anabolic agents promoting skeletal growth and mineral accretion in both sexes, but specific effects on growth and bone formation in the female skeleton are not well understood. The effects of 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) alone, and in combination with 17 beta-estradiol on bone and bone growth were studied in female ovariectomized (OVX) rats with established osteopenia. Eight weeks after OVX, rats were given 0.1 mg 17 beta-estradiol and/or 2.5 mg or 10 mg DHT administered by controlled-release pellets for 2 months. Body weights decreased with estrogen treatment but increased with DHT. Bone mineral density increased with the highest dose of DHT relative to OVX controls and the estrogen treated group. Dry and ashed bone weights and ash/dry weight ratios increased in the estrogen and DHT treated animals compared to the baseline OVX controls. Total bone calcium was greater with DHT and estrogen combined with DHT. The percent of calcium in the ash increased in all DHT treated groups. When normalized to final body weight, the total femur calcium content was significantly increased in the estrogen and estrogen with DHT groups, but not in the DHT groups compared with the baseline OVX and OVX control groups. The periosteal bone formation rates were increased with the high dose DHT alone and combined with estrogen. OVX rats had increased endochondral bone elongation rates relative to controls but this was decreased with estrogen treatment. DHT combined with estrogen increased endochondral growth rates relative to the estrogen treated group. Trabecular bone volume was decreased in all OVX groups relative to the base line group, but there were no significant effects observed with any treatments. Cancellous bone formation rates were suppressed with estrogen treatment but were partially reversed when combined with DHT. DHT treatments also increased most cancellous bone formation indices over OVX controls. While estrogen is known to preserve skeletal mass by reducing bone turnover, DHT increased skeletal mass by promoting bone growth and formation with concomitant increases in total body mass. DHT had greater effects on cortical bone and partially mitigated the suppressive effects of estrogen on bone growth and formation in the female skeleton.

Daily injection of ovine and bovine somatotropin (oST and bST, respectively) has been shown to improve performance and carcass quality of finishing lambs. To evaluate responses to continuously released bST and porcine ST (pST), which have 99 and 91% sequence homology with oST, respectively, finishing lambs were implanted with 2-wk Alzet pumps containing bST or pST, which was released at rates of 2 or 4 mg/d. Six-week growth rate and feed efficiency responses to bST were greater than those to pST (P less than .05). Overall feed efficiency was improved 15% and growth rate was increased 16% in lambs treated with 4 mg/d of bST compared with control lambs and neither trait was affected in pST-treated lambs. Performance responses were reflected by changes in circulating glucose, blood urea nitrogen, and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) concentrations. Scatchard analysis of sera with relative binding of greater than 30% revealed that average binding capacities and affinities of pST-treated lambs were 7.0 mg/liter and 6.0 x 10(9) liters/mol, respectively, and of bST-treated lambs were .8 mg/liter and 1.3 x 10(9) liters/mol, respectively. In addition, lambs with high-capacity pST antibodies had lower 6-wk IGF-I concentrations than those of controls, suggesting that these antibodies may have been attenuating responsiveness to pST. It is concluded that continuously released bST, but not pST, improves performance of finishing lambs.

Because cancellous bone loss occurs following ovariectomy (OVX) in rats, this has become a popular model to explore therapeutic modalities for postmenopausal bone loss in humans. The purpose of this study was to determine intestinal calcium absorption in situ and organ-, tissue-, envelope-, and site-specific changes in osseous tissues at six weeks after OVX in rats using chemical, biochemical, absorptiometric, microradiographic, and morphometric methods. There were no changes in intestinal absorption of calcium, but duodenal weight per length was significantly increased in the OVX animals compared with age-matched, sham-operated controls. There was an increase in wet bone weight, but decreases in ash/dry bone weight, total bone Ca, and Ca per ash weight in the OVX animals. There were significant decreases in the OVX animals in metaphyseal bone mineral content, as determined by photon absorptiometry and metaphyseal cancellous bone volume. The perimeter to area ratio of the metaphyseal cancellous bone in the OVX animals was increased compared with controls. Endochondral growth rates were increased in the OVX animals, attributable to an increased growth plate hypertrophic cell size and rate of chondrocyte proliferation. In the OVX animals there was an increase in modeling in the formation mode of the periosteal surface at the tibio-fibular junction. Increased periosteal modeling in the formation mode was also observed in the body of the mandible, suggesting that the changes in periosteal bone formation are not strictly coupled with changes in endochondral growth. There was an increase in modeling in the resorption mode of the endocortical surface at the tibio-fibular junction in the OVX animals. There was increased bone turnover in the OVX animals compared with controls on the endosteal surface, as indicated by increases in both formation and resorption indices, including an increase in the osteoclast population. In the long bones, OVX results in larger bones due to increases in endochondral growth and modeling in the formation mode at the periosteal surfaces, with a loss of cancellous bone and total bone calcium due to increased resorption on the endocortical surfaces and turnover (increased formation and resorption) on endosteal surfaces. This study emphasizes that osseous tissue changes following OVX in rats are tissue-specific, envelop-specific, and site-specific.

Eight pregnant Holstein cows were given weekly injections of 15 g of recombinant bST over a 2-wk period for a total dose of 30 g to determine signs of acute toxicity. Cows were monitored intensively throughout the study, and samples were taken for analyses of hormones, metabolites, chemistries, hematology, and urine analytes. Animal health throughout the study was generally excellent. Mean rectal temperatures were significantly higher in treated cows (38.7 vs. 39.2 degrees C). Least squares means for 3.5% FCM production were 15.9 and 23.0 kg/d, and net energy intakes were 29.4 and 26.9 Mcal/d for control and treated cows, respectively. Somatotropin concentrations reached more than 250 ng/ml on d 10 and remained above 200 ng/ml. Insulin and glucose concentrations were also increased but returned toward baseline values. Free fatty acid concentrations were higher in treated cows, but beta-hydroxybutyrate was not affected. Most hematological measurements were unaffected except for a reduction in erythrocyte number in treated cows and decreases in hematocrit and hemoglobin, but values were within clinically normal ranges. Although cows received in 2 wk a dose that was equivalent to the amount administered during more than 2 yr of continuous use, no signs of acute toxicity to bST were observed.

Intestinal extramedullary plasmacytomas (EMPs) are rare tumours in dogs. Three cases of canine intestinal EMP with amyloid deposits are described in this report. These tumours, which were located in the rectal submucosa, had variable numbers of well-differentiated plasma cells and fewer multinucleated giant cells of plasmacytoid and histiocytic morphology, admixed with abundant amyloid. Two cases had metaplastic cartilage and bone within the amyloid deposits. Immunohistochemically, the plasma cells of all three tumours reacted for lambda-light chains of immunoglobulins but not for kappa-chains, indicating monoclonality. Plasma cells of two tumours were also positive to CD79a antiserum. Amyloid deposits were labelled with an A lambda (amyloid of immunoglobulin lambda-light chain origin) antiserum but not with antisera against its precursor protein, the immunoglobulin lambda-light chains, indicating possible conformational changes of amyloidogenic proteins during their transformation into amyloid.

To establish the naturally occurring range of insulin-like growth factor-I concentrations in bovine milk, samples from individual cows (n = 409) managed on five Missouri dairy herds were assayed. Parity, stage of lactation, and farm affected milk insulin-like growth factor-I concentration. Milk insulin-like growth factor-I concentration was higher in early lactation than mid and late lactation with concentrations in multiparous cows exceeding those in primiparous cows. Insulin-like growth factor-I concentration was negatively correlated to milk production the day of sample collection (r = –.15) and not correlated to predicted 305-d milk yields. Unprocessed bulk tank milk samples (n = 100) from a commercial processing plant had a mean concentration of insulin-like growth factor-I in milk of 4.32ng/ml with a range of 1.27 to 8.10ng/ml. This distribution was similar to the range detected in samples from individual cows, but values were lower than those reported for human milk. Concentration of insulin-like growth factor-I in milk was not altered by pasteurization (at 79°C for 45s). However, insulin-like growth factor-I was undetectable in milk heated to temperatures (121°C for 5min) required for infant formula preparation or in commercially available infant formula. These data indicated that insulin-like growth factor-I is a normal but quantitatively variable component of bovine milk that is not destroyed by pasteurization but is undetectable in infant formula. Concentration of insulin-like growth factor-I in bovine milk is lower than concentrations reported for human milk yet similar to those reported for human saliva. Farm, stage of lactation, and parity all have large effects on variability of insulin-like growth factor-I concentration of bovine milk.

Changes in bone mass and cancellous bone remodeling parameters were determined during lactation in adult beagles. Bone mineral content was determined by photon absorptiometry, fraction of mineralized cancellous bone area and perimeter to area ratios by image analysis of microradiographs, and bone remodeling parameters by fluorochrome-based histomorphometry. Bone mineral content of the intact proximal humerus and fraction of mineralized tissue areas of lumbar vertebral cancellous bone were decreased during lactation when compared with controls. There were significant increases during lactation in osteoid volumes and osteoid surface, although osteoid seam thickness was not changed. There were significant increases in the fraction of fluorochrome-labeled cancellous bone surfaces in the lactating dogs when compared with controls. The mineralizing surface, bone formation rate and activation frequency were significantly increased in the lactating dogs when compared with controls. There were also significant increases in resorption parameters during lactation. These data indicate that during lactation, bone remodeling and bone turnover is increased. Increased bone remodeling during lactation in a longer-lived mammal may represent an example of a "reversible mineral deficit" which may be an important physiological mechanism in nursing mothers to ensure adequate calcium for milk production. Increased bone remodeling may also provide a physiological mechanism to enhance the capacity of the skeleton to better accommodate the greatly increased and episodic changes in mineral homeostasis during lactation.

Oxides anodically formed on Zr-2 were found to fall into three categories: normal, phosphoric and nitrate films. Normal films were cubic ZrO 2 containing 3.5 nm diameter micropores and 50 nm diameter crystallites. Films grown in phosphoric acid between 1 and 3 mA/cm 2 current density consisted of a network of open, cylindrical, 22.5 nm diameter pores of 10 11 /cm 2 density. Films formed in nitrates were porous and initiated as cubic ZrO 2 which later spalled with the formation and growth of αZrO 2 (monoclinic).

Our previously described force field method has been extended to allow the calculation of structures and energies of molecules containing aldehyde or ketone groups. The method has been applied to a large number of simple cyclic and acyclic compounds, and has been shown to give good structures and energies insofar as these can be checked against available experimental data. Strain energies of ketones have been calculated, and comparison of these values to strain energies in the hydrocarbon series is discussed.

Changes in bone chemistry, cortical bone morphometry, and periosteal and trabecular bone formation rates were determined during pregnancy and lactation in rats. Data were obtained using chemical, static morphometric, and fluorochrome-based histomorphometric methods in pregnant or lactating animals and compared with age-matched, unmated controls. There were significant increases in bone weight, ash weight, calcium content, and femoral cross-sectional area by late pregnancy and decreases in these same parameters during lactation. There were also decreases in bone mass and increases in surface:volume ratios of trabecular bone during lactation. There were increases in femoral periosteal and endosteal perimeters associated with the reproductive cycle. Bone formation and appositional rates at the periosteal and endosteal surfaces were elevated during pregnancy, particularly evident at midpregnancy. Periosteal bone formation rates declined during lactation, but trabecular bone formation rates increased. These results indicate that during pregnancy there are increases in bone formation rates contributing to the increases in skeletal mass. During lactation in rats, reductions in skeletal mass are accompanied by increases in bone turnover, particularly evident in trabecular bone.

Lactose promotes the intestinal absorption of calcium independent of the vitamin D endocrine system. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of lactose supplementation on endochondral bone growth, bone development and mineralization in weanling rats fed a vitamin D-deficient diet. Rat pups were weaned from vitamin D-deficient dams and fed a vitamin D-deficient diet containing sucrose as the primary carbohydrate source or a similar diet but containing 20% lactose. After 4 wk, body weights, serum calcium levels and endochondral bone elongation rates in the lactose-fed animals were higher than in rats fed the sucrose diet. In addition, bone weights, bone calcium content, percent bone ash of bone dry weight, percent metaphyseal osseous tissues and bone osteoid content in the lactose-fed rats were different from those in the rats fed the sucrose diet. In all cases the changes in osseous tissues that were observed in the animals fed the lactose-supplemented diet were toward normal values as observed in age-matched animals fed a vitamin D-replete diet. The improvements in bone growth and development due to lactose supplementation occurred independent of the vitamin D endocrine system and are likely the result of improved calcium absorption in the intestine.

G. A. Sansing , E. B. Lillehoj , R. W. Detroy and M. A. Miller . Synergistic toxic effects of citrinin, ochratoxin A and penicillic acid in mice. Toxicon14, 213–220, 1976.—The ld 50's in mice of citrinin, ochratoxin A, and penicillic acid injected intraperitoneally were 89, 22, and 100 mg per kg of body weight, respectively. Paired combinations of the mycotoxins, citrinin: ochratoxin A (CI:OA), ochratoxin A:penicillic acid (OA:PA), and penicillic acid:citrinin (PA:CI) elicited synergistic lethal responses. After administration of citrinin, 14C-orotic acid incorporation into both liver and kidney increased significantly by 27 hr with a return to control levels at 51 hr. Treatment with penicillic acid also increased orotic acid incorporation into liver ribonucleic acid (RNA) at 27 hr and at 4 hr in the kidney. Ochratoxin A inhibited orotic acid incorporation into both liver and kidney RNA 6 hr after toxin injection with a subsequent return to control levels at 27 hr. Orotic acid incorporation was inhibited in both kidney and liver 6 hr after treatment with the toxin combination CI:OA, PA:CI stimulated precursor incorporation into kidney RNA at 27 hr and inhibited the function in liver. The OA:PA combination inhibited orotic acid incorporation in both organs 15–27 hr after toxin treatment.