Studies on environmental consequences of stress on animal production have grown substantially in the last few years for economic and animal welfare reasons. Physiological, hormonal, and immunological ...deficits as well as increases in animals' susceptibility to diseases have been reported after different stressors in broiler chickens. The aim of the current experiment is to describe the effects of 2 different heat stressors (31 ± 1 and 36 ± 1°C/10 h per d) applied to broiler chickens from d 35 to 42 of life on the corticosterone serum levels, performance parameters, intestinal histology, and peritoneal macrophage activity, correlating and discussing the obtained data under a neuroimmune perspective. In our study, we demonstrated that heat stress (31 ± 1 and 36 ± 1°C) increased the corticosterone serum levels and decreased BW gain and food intake. Only chickens submitted to 36 ± 1°C, however, presented a decrease in feed conversion and increased mortality. We also showed a decrease of bursa of Fabricius (31 ± 1 and 36 ± 1°C), thymus (36 ± 1°C), and spleen (36 ± 1°C) relative weights and of macrophage basal (31 ± 1 and 36 ± 1°C) and Staphylococcus aureus-induced oxidative burst (31 ± 1°C). Finally, mild multifocal acute enteritis characterized by an increased presence of lymphocytes and plasmocytes within the jejunum's lamina propria was also observed. The stress-induced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation was taken as responsible for the negative effects observed on the chickens' performance and immune function and also the changes of the intestinal mucosa. The present obtained data corroborate with others in the field of neuroimmunomodulation and open new avenues for the improvement of broiler chicken welfare and production performance.
Rural development and poverty reduction have been one of the main development goals planned by various Indonesian governments. After the fall of the Suharto government, decentralisation was ...introduced to overcome imbalances in economic development between Java and the outer islands. However, the rural poverty rate and underdevelopment in outer islands of Indonesia still remain an issue which requires scholarly and policy enquiry. This paper draws on my research which I have conducted on the theme of equitable development in Indonesia. I have examined the roles of regional government initiatives, community resource management, Islamic philanthropic organisations, Islamic businesses and microfinance, (social) entrepreneurship, and gender roles. These studies are based on multiple case studies over nearly two decades. I will highlight the major challenges facing contemporary Indonesia and also key strategies which are emerging as sustainable and innovative ways to foster rural innovations.
Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a high-dose-intensive radiation therapy that has gained popularity due to advancements in accelerator neutron sources. To determine the dose for BNCT, it is ...necessary to know the difficult-to-determine boron concentration and neutron fluence. To estimate this dose, we propose a method of measuring the prompt γ-rays (PGs) from the boron neutron capture reaction (BNCR) using a Compton camera. We performed a fundamental experiment to verify basic imaging performance and the ability to discern the PGs from 511 keV annihilation γ-rays. A Si/CdTe Compton camera was used to image the BNCR and showed an energy peak of 478 keV PGs, separate from the annihilation γ-ray peak. The Compton camera could visualize the boron target with low neutron intensity and high boron concentration. This study experimentally confirms the ability of Si/CdTe Compton cameras to image BNCRs.
Electrochemical and UV-VIS measurements demonstrate that the pH value of a 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-pipperidinyloxyl (TEMPOL) electrolyte significantly impacts its redox reversibility. The ...diffusion coefficient and kinetic rate constant of TEMPOL in neutral aqueous solution are determined and shown to be comparable to those of vanadium ions used for industrially utilized redox flow batteries (RFBs). RFBs that incorporate a TEMPOL catholyte and Zn-based anolyte have an average voltage of 1.46 V and an energy efficiency of 80.4% during the initial cycle, when subject to a constant current of 10 mA cm−2. We demonstrate several factors that significantly influence the concentration and capacity retention of TEMPOL upon cycling; namely, pH and atmospheric gases dissolved in electrolyte. We expand upon the known reactions of TEMPOL in aqueous electrolyte and propose several concepts to improve its electrochemical performance in a RFB. Controlling these factors will be the key to enable the successful implementation of this relatively inexpensive and environmentally friendly battery.
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•The pH of TEMPOL electrolyte greatly affects the reversibility of its redox reaction.•Reaction of TEMPOL with OH− ion causes the decrease of electrolyte pH.•TEMPOL in an acidic electrolyte leads to a decrease in its concentration.
A Schrödinger-type equation for a heavy quarkonium in terms of the dynamical quark mass is obtained in a quasi-particle approach by Llanes-Estrada and Cotanch. To observe the relationship between the ...obtained equation and the constituent quark (potential) model equation, we treat the dynamical quark mass by a constant parameter
M
and expand the equation in 1/
M
up to order (1/
M
). The equation reduces to that of the traditional nonrelativistic constituent quark model when a nonlocal interaction is neglected. We investigate the nonrelativistic model where the dynamical quark mass
M
in the Schrödinger-type equation is treated as a free parameter and call it the quasi-quark (QQ) model. To elucidate the role of the nonlocal interaction and to observe the reliability of the QQ model, we studied the charmonium
S
-wave states.
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•Cu/CeO2 contains three CuO species, isolated Cu2+, CuO film, and CuO particle.•CuO film shows the highest NO–CO reaction activity than the other species.•Reduction of Cu–O–Ce ...interface is highly important for Cu/CeO2 catalytic activity.
The stoichiometric NO–CO reaction was studied over Cu/CeO2 catalysts prepared with different Cu loadings and specific surface areas of CeO2 to investigate the relationship between catalytic activity and the copper–ceria interaction. XRD, ESR and H2-TPR results revealed that CuO species interacted with CeO2 in three structurally different forms: isolated Cu2+, a highly dispersed CuO film, and large CuO particles. The CuO film showed a higher NO–CO reaction activity than the other species. An Operando XAFS study revealed that the reduction of the CuO film during the NO–CO reaction occurred at the Cu–O–Ce interface. Thus, we concluded that the most suitable CuO structure to effectively exploit Cu–O–Ce interface sites in the NO–CO reaction is a two-dimensionally dispersed CuO film.
Fifty-one lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were isolated and identified based on 16S ribosomal DNA sequence from the intestinal tracts of 142 kuruma shrimps (
Marsupenaeus japonicus
) collected ...from Kanmon Strait, Fukuoka and Tachibana Bay, Nagasaki, Japan. Cellular immunomodulatory function of 51 isolated LAB strains was assessed by measuring the level of interferon (IFN)-γ induction in mouse spleen cell culture. The strain
Lactococcus
lactis
D1813 exhibited the highest amount of IFN-γ production and also bactericidal activity and was selected for testing its immunomodulatory role as a probiotic in kuruma shrimp. We also assessed the effect of dietary incorporation of this probiotic on resistance to
Vibrio penaeicida
infection in the kuruma shrimp. Our results demonstrate that probiotic
L. lactis
D1813-containing diet-fed (10
5
cfu g
−1
) shrimps displayed a significant up-regulation of lysozyme gene expressions in the intestine and hepatopancreas. However, insignificantly higher expression of anti-lipopolysaccharide factor, super oxide dismutase, prophenoloxidase, and toll-like receptor 1 was recorded in the intestine of shrimps fed the probiotic diet. Moreover, significantly increased (
P
< 0.01) resistance to the bacterial pathogen in term of better post-infection survival (61.7 %) was observed in the shrimps fed with the probiotic-incorporated diet compared with the control diet-fed group (28.3 %). The present study indicates the immunomodulatory role of the LAB
L. lactis
D1813 on the kuruma shrimp immune system and supports its potential use as an effective probiotic in shrimp aquaculture.
Two spayed female cats presented with hepatic encephalopathy due to hyperammonaemia. On abdominal ultrasound, concurrent portal vein thrombosis and splenosystemic shunts were suspected in both cats. ...Computed tomographic angiography clearly detected thrombi as non‐contrast enhancing intraluminal structures in the main portal vein of both cats. Additionally, splenorenal shunts were revealed in both cats. Follow‐up computed tomographic angiography for portal vein thrombosis was performed in both cats, only one of whom received anticoagulant therapy. In the untreated cat, portal vein thrombosis had progressed with the development of an aberrant tortuous vessel. In the cat treated with low‐molecular‐weight heparin, the thrombus progressively decreased in size and disappeared on follow‐up diagnostic imaging. Computed tomographic angiography might be useful for the diagnosis and follow‐up of portal vein thrombosis in cats.
Liquid xenon particle detectors rely on excellent light collection efficiency for their performance. This depends on the high reflectivity of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) at the xenon scintillation ...wavelength of 178 nm, but the angular dependence of this reflectivity is not well-understood. IBEX is designed to directly measure the angular distribution of xenon scintillation light reflected off PTFE in liquid xenon. These measurements are fully described by a microphysical reflectivity model with few free parameters. Dependence on PTFE type, surface finish, xenon pressure, and wavelength of incident light is explored. Total internal reflection is observed, which results in the dominance of specular over diffuse reflection and a reflectivity near 100% for high angles of incidence.
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