Suggested key variables for assessment of soil quality in urban roadside tree systems

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Urban roadside soils are important growth media for roadside trees. However, typical assessment variables are limited in describing the characteristics of roadside...     

Evaluation of Fermented Soybean Curd Residues as an Energy Source in Diets for Juvenile Olive Flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

A 10‐wk feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential use of fermented soybean curd residues (FSCR) as an energy source in diets for juvenile olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated to contain dry soybean curd residues to replace wheat meal (WM) at the levels of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% (FSCR₀, FSCR₂₅, FSCR₅₀, FSCR₇₅, and FSCR₁₀₀, respectively). Fish averaging 6.00 ± 0.07 g (mean ± SD) were randomly distributed into 15 aquaria as groups of 15 fish and fed the experimental diets in triplicate at a rate of 4–5% of wet body weight per day twice daily on dry matter basis. At the conclusion of the feeding trial, weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) of fish fed diet FSCR₂₅ were significantly higher than those of fish fed diets FSCR₅₀, FSCR₇₅, and FSCR₁₀₀ (P < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences in WG and SGR among fish fed diets FSCR₀ and FSCR₂₅ and among those fed diets FSCR₀ and FSCR₅₀. Feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio of olive flounder fed diet FSCR₂₅ were significantly higher than those of fish fed diets FSCR₅₀, FSCR₇₅, and FSCR₁₀₀ (P < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences in these parameters among fish fed diets FSCR₀ and FSCR₂₅ and among those fed diets FSCR₀, FSCR₅₀, FSCR₇₅, and FSCR₁₀₀. Hematological characteristics, condition factor, hepatosomatic index, and survival rate of fish fed FSCR₀ were not significantly different from those of fish fed the other diets. These results indicated that FSCR could replace up to 50% WM as an energy source in juvenile olive flounder diets based on ANOVA test.     

Dietary medicinal herbs improve growth performance,fatty acid utilization,and stress recovery of Japanese flounder

Some effects of dietary medicinal herbs mixture (HM), Massa medicata fermentata, Crataegi fructus, Artemisia capillaries, and Cnidium officinale, in the proportions 2∶2∶1∶1 were identified in juvenile Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. In an 8-week feeding trial, fish were fed with 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0% HM in a moist diet composed of horse mackerel and an artificial diet in equal parts. Fish fed the diets with 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0% HM showed higher weight gain and feed efficiency than fish in 0.1 and 0% HM feed groups. No significant differences were found in survival, feed intake, final carcass proximate composition, hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, plasma total cholesterol level, and alanine aminotransferase activity among the dietary treatments. Fish fed with 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0% HM showed higher total carcass unsaturated fatty acid content and docosahexaenoic acid (22∶6n−3) level, and plasma high density lipoprotein-cholesterol level, but lower carcass saturated fatty acid content and plasma aspartate aminotrasferase activities than the control group. Moreover, a 10-min air exposure test with five times repeat, and an anesthesia test for 2 min with 200 p.p.m. 2-phenoxyethanol, also revealed lower mortality and lower recovery time in 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0% HM groups than the control group at the end of the trial. These results indicate that the medicinal herb mixture is useful to improve growth, fatty acid utilization, and stress recovery in the Japanese flounder.     

Effects of Dietary Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin Levels on Growth, Plasma Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin Concentrations, and Body Composition of Juvenile Korean Rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of the graded recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) levels on growth, plasma rBST concentrations, and body composition of Korean rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli, and to estimate the optimum oral dosage of rBST. Seven experimental diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric and to contain 49.0% crude protein and 16.7 kJ available energy/g, with 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 50 mg rBST/kg body weight (BW)/wk (rBST₀, rBST₅, rBST₁₀, rBST₁₅, rBST₂₀, rBST₂₅, and rBST₅₀, respectively). After the feeding trial, fish fed all the diets supplemented with rBST showed higher weight gain (WG), feed efficiency (FE), specific growth rate (SGR), and protein efficiency ratio (PER) than those fed the rBST₀ diet (P < 0.05). WG of fish fed rBST₁₅, rBST₂₀, rBST₂₅, and rBST₅₀ diets was significantly higher than that of fish fed rBST₀ and rBST₅ diets (P < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences among fish fed rBST₁₀, rBST₁₅, rBST₂₀, rBST₂₅, and rBST₅₀ diets. FE of fish fed rBST₁₅ and rBST₂₀ diets was significantly higher than that of fish fed rBST₀, rBST₅, rBST₁₀, and rBST₅₀ diets, and fish fed rBST₁₀, rBST₂₅, and rBST₅₀ diets had significantly higher FE than those fed rBST₀ and rBST₅ diets (P < 0.05). SGR of fish fed all the diets supplemented with rBST was significantly higher than that of fish fed rBST₀ diet (P < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences among fish fed all the diets supplemented with rBST. PER of fish fed rBST₁₅ and rBST₂₀ diets was significantly higher than that of fish fed rBST₀, rBST₅, and rBST₅₀ diets, and fish fed rBST₁₀, rBST₂₅, and rBST₅₀ diets had significantly higher PER than those fed rBST₀ and rBST₅ diets (P < 0.05). Whole‐body protein of fish fed rBST₁₅ diet was significantly higher than that of fish fed rBST₀, rBST₅, and rBST₁₀ diets (P < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences among fish fed rBST₁₅, rBST₂₀, rBST₂₅, and rBST₅₀ diets. Plasma rBST concentrations of fish fed all the diets began to rise at 3 h after oral administration of rBST; the maximum plasma rBST concentration peaked at 12 h and returned to the basal level at 24 h. Broken‐line model analyses of WG and FE were 12.8 and 13.2 mg rBST/kg BW/wk, respectively. These results indicated that the optimum oral dosage could be greater than 12.8 mg rBST/kg BW/wk but less than 13.2 mg rBST/kg BW/wk in juvenile Korean rockfish.     

Dietary germanium biotite supplementation enhances the induction of antibody responses to foot-and-mouth disease virus vaccine in pigs

We evaluated the potential ability of germanium biotite (GB) to stimulate the production of antibodies specific for foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). To this aim, we measured the total FMDV-specific antibody responses and IgM production after vaccination against FMD both experimentally and in the field. GB supplementation with FMDV vaccination stimulated the production of anti-FMDV antibodies, and effectively increased IFN-γ and TNF-α levels. These results suggest that GB may be a novel alternative feed supplement that can serve as a boosting agent and an immunostimulator for increasing the efficacy of FMDV vaccination in pigs.     

Use of hydrophilic extra-viral domain of canine distemper virus H protein for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay development

Simple methods for measuring the levels of serum antibody against canine distemper virus (CDV) would assist in the effective vaccination of dogs. To develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) specific for CDV, we expressed hydrophilic extra-viral domain (HEVD) protein of the A75/17-CDV H gene in a pET 28a plasmid-based Escherichia (E.) coli vector system. Expression was confirmed by dot and Western blotting. We proposed that detection of E. coli-expressed H protein might be conformation-dependent because intensities of the reactions observed with these two methods varied. The H gene HEVD protein was further purified and used as an antigen for an ELISA. Samples from dogs with undetectable to high anti-CDV antibody titers were analyzed using this HEVD-specific ELISA and a commercial CDV antibody detection kit (ImmunoComb). Levels of HEVD antigenicity measured with the assays and immunochromatography correlated. These data indicated that the HEDV protein may be used as antigen to develop techniques for detecting antibodies against CDV.     

Antibiotic resistance and molecular characterization of ophthalmic Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolates from dogs

The prevalence, virulence potential, and antibiotic resistance of ophthalmic Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (SP) isolated from dogs were examined. Sixty-seven Staphylococcus species were isolated from ophthalmic samples and surveyed for species-specific sequences in the Staphylococcus intermedius group (SIG) nuclease gene (SInuc), exfoliative toxin gene for SIG (siet), and antibiotic resistance genes (blaZ and mecA). PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the pta gene was also performed. Fifty isolates were identified as SIG strains, all of which were found to be SP. The blaZ gene was detected in 42 of the 50 SP strains and mecA gene was observed in 18 of the 50 SP strains. The 50 SP strains were most susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (94%) and chlorampenicol (70%), and highly resistant to tetracycline (94%) and penicillin (92%). It was also found that 16 (88.9%) mecA-positive SP strains were resistant to oxacillin, tetracycline and penicillin. All mecA-positive SP were resistant to more than four of the eight tested antibiotics and therefore considered SP with multi-drug resistance (MDR). Our results indicate a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in ophthalmic SP along with a close relationship between MDR SP strains and the mecA gene. Based on our findings, judicious administration of antibiotics to companion dogs is necessary.     

Thermal degradation and cyclodepolymerization of poly(ethylene terephthalate-co-isophthalate)s

The thermal degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate-co-isophthalate)s (PETIs) is investigated by using isothermal thermogravimetric analysis at the temperature range of 280–310°C. The degradation rate of PETIs is increased as the mole ratio of ethylene isophthaloyl (EI) units in PETIs increases. The activation energies for the thermal degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate), PETI(5/5), and poly(ethylene isophthalate) are 33.4, 16.6, and 8.9 kcal/mole, respectively. The degradation rate of PETIs is influenced by their volatile cyclic oligomer components formed during the polymerization and the thermal degradation. It is simulated by the rotational isomeric state model that the content of cyclic dimer in PETIs, which is the most volatile cyclic oligomer component, increases with the EI units in PETIs.     

Comparision of the properties of UV-cured polyurethane acrylates containing different diisocyanates and low molecular weight diols

UV-curable polyurethane acrylate prepolymers were prepared from diisocyanates [isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI), or 4,4′-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate (H₁₂MDI)], diols [ethylene glycol (EG), 1,4-butane diol (BD), or 1,6-hexane diol (HD)], polypropylene glycol as a polyol. UV-curable mixtures were formulated from the prepolymer (90 wt%), reactive diluent monomer trimethylol propane triacrylate (10 wt%), and photoinitiator 1-hydroxycyclohexyl ketone (3 wt% based on prepolymer/diluent). The effects of different diisocyanates/low molecular weigh diol on the dynamic mechanical thermal properties and elastic recovery of UV-cured polyurethane acrylate films were examined. The tensile storage modulus increased a little in the order of EG>BD>HD at the same diisocyanate. Two loss modulus peaks for all samples are observed owing to the glass transition of soft segments (T _gs ) and the glass transition temperature of hard segments (T _gh ). For the same diisocyanate,T _gs decreased, however,T _gh increased, in the order of HD>BD>EG. The elastic recovery also increased in the order of HD>BD>EG at the same diisocyanate. In case of same diols,T _gh increased in the order of H₁₂MDI>TDI>IPDI significantly. The ultimate elongation and elastic recovery increased in the order of TDI>IPDI>H₁₂MDI at the same diol.     

Indigo dyeing onto ramie fabric via microbial reduction: Reducing power evaluation of some bacterial strains isolated from fermented indigo vat

This research is to examine the reducing power of bacterial single strain and the mixture of strains. Four strains of Dietzia sp. KDB1 (KC433534), Nesterenkonia sp. KDB2 (KC433535), Nesterenkonia sp. KDB3 (KC433536), and Nesterenkonia sp. KDB4 (KC433537) separated from the fermented indigo vat were cultivated in aerobic condition. Natural indigo of the niram powder obtained from the water extract of Polygonum tinctorium and synthetic indigo purchased was used after sterilization. Natural and synthetic indigo samples were reduced with the strains in an incubator. Oxidation/reduction potential and pH of the mixture of indigo and strain(s) solutions were measured at the same intervals of elapsed time. Dyeing test was applied to evaluate the reduction power of bacterial strains isolated. Ramie fabric was used for the indigo dyeing and its color strength was determined from the reflectance at 660 nm and expressed as K/S values by using a spectroscope. CIELAB coordinates were measured with the same spectroscope and H V/C values were obtained by using the conversion program. All the strains showed reducing power onto natural and synthetic indigo samples. With the elapsed time, dye-uptake was increased up to maximum dye-uptake, and then decreased. The potential was dropped rapidly around ?500 mV and then changed very slightly maintaining lower than ?400 mV. The pH measured was decreased with the elapsed time. All the hue values obtained were of bluish purple (PB) shade. On the reducing power represented as dye-uptake, KDB1 strain was the highest among the strains selected for natural indigo and KDB3 strain for synthetic indigo. KDB2 showed the lowest for both of natural and synthetic indigo. Mixture of strains shortened the start time of reduction and that of maximum dye-uptake than any single strain.