Effects of dietary phosphorus level on non-faecal phosphorus excretion from yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata Temminck & Schlegel) fed purified and practical diets

Non-faecal phosphorus (P) was determined for large yellowtail to estimate a minimum available P requirement (Experiment  1) and to justify inorganic P supplementation in a fish meal-based diet (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, purified diets with incremental P concentrations were fed to yellowtail (mean weight 917 g) at a feeding rate of 1.5% of body weight. The peaks of non-faecal P excretion appeared 5–6 h after feeding in fish fed more than 4.5 g available P kg⁻¹ dry diet. Broken-line analysis indicated that the minimum available P requirement was 4.4 g kg⁻¹ dry diet. In Experiment 2, a purified diet (PR) containing 6.5 g available P kg⁻¹ and a fish meal-based diet with (F1) and without (F0) additional phosphorus were fed to yellowtail (mean weight 1.1 kg) at 1.5% (PR) and 2% (F0 and F1) feeding rates respectively. There was no significant difference in P excretion between fish fed the F0 (5.5 g soluble P kg⁻¹ dry diet) and the PR diet. However, significantly higher (34.5%) amounts of non-faecal P excretions (7.4 g soluble P kg⁻¹ dry diet) were found in fish fed F1 compared with the F0 diet. This suggested that there was an excess of dietary P in the F1 diet and that supplementation is not needed in fish meal-based diets for large yellowtail.     

Isolation and purification of a low molecular weight protein from bovine urine

A low molecular weight protein was separated from urine samples obtained from a heifer with spontaneous renal disease and from cows with CaNa2EDTA-induced renal dysfunction. The molecular weight and electrophoretic mobility of the separated protein were examined. The low molecular weight protein collected by gel filtration chromatography was further separated into two fractions by ion exchange chromatography using DEAE-cellulose. One of the two fractions, the lowest molecular weight protein showed a single band in SDS-PAGE, and its molecular weight was approximately 12,000. An antiserum against this protein formed a single precipitin line with the urine from cows with experimentally induced renal dysfunction and a heifer with spontaneous renal disease by the double immunodiffusion technique. However, the antiserum did not form any precipitin line with the concentrated urine of healthy cow and human beta 2-microglobulin. In cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis, this protein migrated in the same position as that of serum gamma-globulin from healthy cow.     

The Effect of Diminazene Aceturate on Spienectomized Dogs with Babesia gibsoni Infection

The effect of diminazene aceturate on splenectomized and nonspienectomized dogs with Babesia gibsoni (B. gibsoni) infection was investigated. In splenectomized dogs, the fissional and multiplicational stages of B. gibsoni were observed in peripheral blood films, and hemoglobinuria was frequently observed. These findings were different from previous reports and were not changed by administration of diminazene aceturate. It is clear that the intramuscular administration of diminazene aceturate at the dose of 3 mg/kg body weight for 3 days is not effective against B. gibsoni infection in splenectomized dogs.     

Randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of enrofloxacin as a second‐line antibiotic for treatment of acute Escherichia coli mastitis

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of enrofloxacin (ERFX) as a second‐line antibiotic for treatment of acute Escherichia coli (E. coli) mastitis. Forty‐two cows with naturally occurring acute E. coli mastitis were enrolled. On the first day of treatment (day 0), empirically selected antibiotics (oxytetracycline: n = 32, kanamycin: n = 10) were administered. Although systemic signs improved in 10 cows (first‐line group), the signs remained unchanged or worsened in 32 cows on day 1, including two cows that were found dead. The 30 surviving cows were randomly assigned to second‐line groups constituting an ERFX group (n = 19) or a control group (n = 11) that was treated with other antibiotics. Response to each treatment was evaluated by measuring clinical signs from day 0 to day 3, subsequent quarter milk recovery, and the 60‐day survival rate. Appetite on day 3 was significantly better in the ERFX group compared to the control group. No significant differences were observed in the 60‐day survival rate or the subsequent milk recovery between the ERFX group and the control group. Thus, the use of ERFX as a second‐line antibiotic for the treatment of acute E. coli mastitis could induce a rapid appetite recovery.     

Bio-mediated soil improvement: The way forward

Bio-mediated soil improvement involves the usage of microbes to improve soil engineering performance through a series of bio-geochemical processes. In particular, Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP), a ubiquitous bio-geochemical process that occurs in soil and results in permanent inorganic cementation between soil grains, has received the greatest research focus. While substantial progress has been made to develop MICP as a mainstream soil improvement technique, we still need to: (a) improve our understanding of the fundamental microbial, chemical and flow processes involved; (b) achieve multi-functionality by coupling engineering performance enhancement with ecological, environmental and carbon footprint benefits; and (c) maintain ecological balance and environmental friendliness, avoid long-term deterioration and lower the energy demand.     

Fire resistance of thick wood-based boards

Thick wood-based boards are used as construction materials for walls and floors in Japan. In this study, fire resistance tests (ISO 834-1) and cone calorimeter tests (ISO 5660-1) were conducted for thick plywood, particleboard, and medium density fiberboard with sample thicknesses of about 28–30mm, and their suitabilities for quasi-fireproof or fire-preventive structures were evaluated. In the ISO 834-1 fire resistance test, the heat-shielding performance (insulation criterion) for walls was evaluated and the results showed that the larger the apparent density of a woodbased board, the higher its insulation performance. The insulation performance of thick wood-based boards in the fire resistance test could be forecast from the results of the cone calorimeter test, especially when the second peak of heat release rate appeared. In the cone calorimeter tests, the surface layer density of the plywood, particleboard, and medium density fiberboard was the dominant parameter for the time to ignition and initial heat release rate. These results indicate that thick wood-based board is a suitable fire-preventive construction material. Part of this study was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Architectural Institute of Japan, Hokkaido, Japan, August 2004     

Predicting the humidity control capacity of material based on a linear excitation-response relationship

The Cb value is a useful parameter for estimating the humidity control capacity of materials. It is defined as the ratio of the range of variation of relative humidity in a steel box lined with the material of interest to that in an empty steel box, when sinusoidal temperature variation is applied. However, because it takes a long time to obtain the Cb values for materials at each temperature variation period, we developed an easier method based on a linear excitation-response theory to obtain the Cb values without measuring at each period. Japanese cedar was the material used in this study. The temperature excitation, a jump from a constant temperature to another constant temperature, was used to obtain the absolute humidity response. Under the assumption that the temperature excitation-humidity response relationship is linear, we were able to predict humidity variation to sinusoidal temperature variation at any period, and we obtained the Cb value for each temperature variation period. Predicted values agreed well with the experimental values. From this, it was found that the Cb value could be predicted without measuring the Cb value at each period over a long time. In addition, the peak time difference, which is closely related to the Cb value, could also be predicted in a similar manner.     

Condensation reactions of phenolic resins VII: catalytic effect of sodium bicarbonate for the condensation of hydroxymethylphenols

This article describes the catalytic effect of NaHCO₃ on condensation reactions of monomeric hydroxymethylphenols (HMPs) to elucidate the cure-acceleration mechanism. By comparison of the kinetics of self-condensations of HMPs, NaHCO₃ was proved to increase the reactivity of para-hydroxymethyl groups. The changes of ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts on each HMP system with the additive indicated that the addition of NaHCO₃ enhanced some molecular interactions between HMPs and NaHCO₃, facilitating a resonance effect that might play a similar role in dissociation of the phenolic hydroxyl groups of HMPs. In addition, computational modeling by molecular orbital calculations elucidated that hydrogen carbonate anion (HCO ₃ ⁻ ) forms an interaction between either the para-hydroxymethyl group and the phenolic hydroxyl group or between the two para-hydroxymethyl groups of HMPs by hydrogen bonds. From the experimental results, the authors proposed the mechanism of the catalytic action of NaHCO₃: it appears to be due to the delocalization of an electron initiated by the interaction of the para-hydroxymethyl groups and the phenolic hydroxyl of HMPs with HCO ₃ ⁻ through hydrogen bonds, which results in facilitating the formation of active species.