Beating crystallization in glass-forming metals by millisecond heating and processing

The development of metal alloys that form glasses at modest cooling rates has stimulated broad scientific and technological interest. However, intervening crystallization of the liquid in even the most robust bulk metallic glass-formers is orders of magnitude faster than in many common polymers and silicate glass-forming liquids. Crystallization limits experimental studies of the undercooled liquid and hampers efforts to plastically process metallic glasses. We have developed a method to rapidly and uniformly heat a metallic glass at rates of 10(6) kelvin per second to temperatures spanning the undercooled liquid region. Liquid properties are subsequently measured on millisecond time scales at previously inaccessible temperatures under near-adiabatic conditions. Rapid thermoplastic forming of the undercooled liquid into complex net shapes is implemented under rheological conditions typically used in molding of plastics. By operating in the millisecond regime, we are able to "beat" the intervening crystallization and successfully process even marginal glass-forming alloys with very limited stability against crystallization that are not processable by conventional heating.     

Validation of the indirect fluorescent antibody and the complement fixation tests for the diagnosis of Theileria equi

The indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test for Theileria equi was evaluated to assess test's suitability for the serological diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis, to provide performance parameters for the purpose of test validation, and to compare it with the complement fixation (CF) test. Using a protocol that included Evan's blue, the specificity of the IFA test was estimated at 99.0% for T. equi by the classical method of analysis, and 96.6% by the Bayesian method. The use of Evan's blue in the test protocol increased test specificity and contributed to an excellent test agreement between two collaborating laboratories (kappa = 0.96). Using Bayesian analysis, the sensitivity estimate for the IFA test was 89.2%. The CF test sensitivity and specificity estimates for T. equi were 63.1 and 96.4%, respectively, as determined by Bayesian analysis. The IFA test was more sensitive than the CF test but the specificity estimates were similar.     

Accuracy of an indirect fluorescent-antibody test and of a complement-fixation test for the diagnosis of Babesia caballi in field samples from horses

We evaluated the indirect fluorescent-antibody (IFA) test and complement-fixation (CF) test for diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis in the absence of a gold standard. Using Evan's blue, we estimated the specificity of the IFA test on a parasite-free, field horse population to be 98% (95% confidence interval=97, 99). We observed an excellent test agreement (kappa=0.83) between two collaborating laboratories when the IFA test was performed on identical samples from an endemic area. Using Bayesian analysis with informative prior probability distributions, we estimated the sensitivity of the IFA test to be 92% (95% probability interval, PI=81, 98), and specificity to be 95% (95% PI=88, 99). The CF test sensitivity and specificity estimates were 28% (95% PI=15, 47) and 99% (95% PI=96, 100), respectively. We found the IFA to be superior to the CF test, and the inclusion of Evan's blue in test protocol improved the performance of the IFA test. We conclude that the IFA test for Babesia caballi is a sensitive and specific test for the diagnosis of equine piroplasmosis.     

Irrigating Onions and Potatoes with Chromium and Nickel: Its Effects on Catalase and Peroxidase Activities and the Cross-Contamination of Plants

Tropospheric ozone (O₃) has long been documented to cause an injury to plants, but a plants’ protectant, widely applicable in agronomical practice, does not exist. We evaluated the potential antiozonate efficacy of the antitranspirant di-1-p-menthene (Vapor Gard) compared with ethylenediurea (EDU) on Bel-W3 tobacco plants. Plants were treated either with water, or by EDU (10, 100, and 500 mg dm^?3), or by vapor (1, 5, 10, and 50 ml dm^?3) and were exposed either to O₃-enriched (90 ppb) or O₃-free air, for 12 days and 8 h day^?1. EDU when applied at 10 mg dm^?3 did not protect the plants against O₃, but when applied at 100 and 500 mg dm^?3 offered a significant protection to the plants. Vapor, when applied at 1 ml dm^?3 did not protect the plants against O₃, neither by terms of foliar visible injury nor by terms of aboveground biomass. In addition, when applied at 10 and 50 ml dm^?3 caused phytotoxicity to all the plants, which it was expressed as necrotic spots on the leaves’ surface, misshaping of the leaves, or short plants' height_. It is obvious that vapor does not protect Bel-W3 tobacco plants against O₃. The antiozonate role of di-1-p-menthene is species-specific and probably occurs only under short-term exposures.     

宁镇丘陵区村域小流域不同土壤景观下表土质量变化及评价

中国南方丘陵区存在着自然过程和人类活动交互影响的、土地利用—土地覆盖叠加变化的多种土壤景观,其土壤质量对乡村农业产业发展具有重要影响。在南京市远郊的溧水区晶桥镇芝山村域小流域,选取流域内生态保护的林地、农业利用的园地、旱地和稻田4种土壤景观,于秋季分别采集表土样品,测定土壤基础理化性质、土壤团聚体粒径组成及土壤微生物磷脂肪酸和胞外酶活性分布,分析土壤肥力、土壤团聚化、土壤生物活性等关键性质在不同土壤景观中的变异情况,并采用土壤质量评价方法探明土壤景观与表土质量的变化关系。结果表明,与原生林地相比,农业土壤景观中有机质减少50.93%~69.63%,土壤团聚体平均重量直径降低41.34%~68.71%;相应地,土壤微生物总磷脂脂肪酸含量也降低19.20%~42.04%,土壤归一化酶活性降低22.48%~63.27%。因此,与林地景观土壤相比,农业土壤景观的土壤生态系统服务功能已经显著削弱。不过,在农业土壤景观中,稻田的土壤有机质储量和微生物活性相对较高。回归分析表明,土壤有机质含量是影响土壤性质变化的最强因子。基于总数据集和最小数据集的土壤质量评价和基于土壤健康理念的土壤功能质量评价均表明,表土总体土壤质量的变化趋势为林地>稻田>旱地>园地。同时,基于土壤健康理念的评价体系能综合地反映不同土壤景观间土壤的质量变化及其生态系统功能意义。     

Aquaculture Feed Management System Powered by Renewable Energy Sources: Investment Justification

Fish feed accounts for more than 50% of aquaculture farms’ operating costs and thus careful feeding planning is vital. In the case of the Mediterranean, most farms have their installations in coastal waters, hence this is relatively easy to perform. Low magnitude environmental conditions (winds, waves and currents) as well as easy and quick access ensures high consumption rates and smooth operation. Nevertheless, as competition for these waters increases the option of moving to offshore waters is seen as a solution. Moving further away from shore means exposing installations to harsher environments and lower degree of onshore monitoring. As a result, environmental conditions must now be monitored on-site, especially the ones affecting operations and feeding planning. For this reason, this article presents a feed management system powered by a stand-alone renewable energy sources system. The system provides energy independence and mobility by wirelessly transmitting important parameters onshore. An investment appraisal cost model is also described. The model compares the system’s costs over the fish feed cost saved by a priori feeding planning through better monitoring of on-site conditions. It concludes that such synergies have profitable potentials.     

Comparison of absorbable and nonabsorbable sutures for intradermal skin closure in cats

Paired skin incisions were made in 6 cats and closed intradermally with the copolymer of glycolide, ɛ-caprolacton, and trimethylene-carbonate, or polypropylene suture. The macroscopic and histologic appearance of the incisions was compared. Polypropylene suture compared favorably to glycolide, ɛ-caprolacton, and trimethylene-carbonate suture for closure of skin incisions in cats.