Adequate Growth Rate Research Articles

Effect of intrahospital growth rate on somatometric measurements at 2 years old in children with a birth weight of less than 1500 grams.

To determine the association between intrahospital growth rate (GR) and breast milk fortification and somatometry, and risk for death after discharge or severe disability at 2 years of corrected age (CA). Retrospective analysis of GR and subsequent course. Infants born in the 1990-2015 period with a birth weight < 1500 g were included. Infants with diseases affecting growth were excluded. An overall cohort and 2 sub-cohorts were studied: infants born in the 1990-2001 period (without fortification) and 2002-2015 period (with fortification). The GR was estimated and deemed adequate if > 12 g/kg/day. A total of 1194 patients were recruited. An adequate GR was associated with a higher median weight at 2 years of CA in the overall cohort (11 400 g [10 300-12 500] versus 11 000 g [10 000-12 140], p = 0.02). The 2002-2015 cohort reached a higher mean height (86.42 ± 4.03 cm versus 85.56 ± 4.01, p = 0.02). More preterm infants caught-up growth at 2 years of CA in the overall cohort with an adequate GR (62.50 % versus 34.69 %, p < 0.02). No differences were observed in the risk for death after discharge or severe disability at 2 years of CA with an adequate GR (OR: 0.79; 95 % confidence interval: 0.47-1.12). An adequate GR was associated with improved growth, but not with a lower risk for death after discharge or severe disability. The cohort with fortified breast milk reached a higher mean height at 2 years of CA.

Knowledge management in turbulent times: time-based scenario analysis of vaccinations against COVID-19

Purpose This paper aims to estimate the delay or timely effects of the national vaccination strategy for COVID-19 on Italian gross domestic product (GDP). By adopting a knowledge management lens, the study highlights the importance of “time” for Italian recovery. Indeed, recovering an adequate growth rate is crucial for the future of employment, well-being and management of Italian public debt. Design/methodology/approach This study applies an epidemiological model of a universal access vaccination programme against COVID-19. The economic model is based on the time-shift of available quarterly projections deriving from the expected delay or acceleration of the national vaccination plan against COVID-19. Findings The basic concept underlying the scenario analysis is that the sustainability of the expected recovery of the Italian economy due to the COVID-19 shock, and consequently the growth of the GDP, is time-dependent on the rollout of the national vaccination plan. Research limitations/implications A delay in the vaccination campaign could have a twofold negative impact on the growth of the Italian gross product: it reduces the quarterly growth over the previous year in the short term and it delays the quarterly upwards trend over the next two years. Policymakers and practitioners are called to promptly face new dynamic scenarios due to public and economic policies to fight the COVID-19 crisis. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt of research that focuses attention on the synchrony between the economic time necessary for recovery and the real-time necessary to achieve vaccination coverage for the restart of production activities.

Eucalyptus bakeri: a potential source species for eucalyptus oil production in the subtropics

ABSTRACT There is a paucity of eucalypt species in tropical Australia that produce a foliar essential oil in high concentration and rich in 1,8-cineole, the sought-after component of medicinal eucalyptus oils. Eucalyptus bakeri, a mallee from the dry subtropical parts of northern New South Wales and Queensland, is an exception, with limited earlier studies reporting that this species produced foliar oil with commercial characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine the variation in foliar oil characteristics throughout the natural range of E. bakeri as a precursor to the more intensive field-testing of the species as a commercial source of eucalyptus oil. Mature leaves and, when available, coppice leaves for comparison were collected over three separate field trips in 2020 from individual trees representing each of 17 provenances throughout the natural range of E. bakeri in Queensland. Foliar oil concentrations on a fresh-weight basis throughout the provenances sampled were relatively high, averaging 2.3% for mature leaves and 2.8% for coppice leaves, with an individual tree high of 4.1% for both leaf categories. 1,8-Cineole was the dominant compound in all foliar oils sampled, averaging 89.3% (range 70.2–94.6%) in oils from mature leaves and 87.6% (range 79–92.5%) from coppice leaves. Sabinene levels, restricted to a maximum of 0.3% in some oil standards, averaged 0.3% (range trace – 1.5%) in oils from mature leaves and 0.4% (range trace – 0.7%) from coppice leaves. The high foliar oil concentrations and consistency in oil qualities mark this species as a potential candidate as a eucalyptus oil source species for the dry subtropics. Provenance/progeny trials are now needed to determine which provenances produce adequate growth rates and the silviculture required to manage the species as an oil-producing crop, as well as to investigate variations in oil characteristics, including sabinene levels, when all sources are grown at a common site.

Effects of dietary glutamate and succinate on growth performance and mitochondrial respiration in heart and liver of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts

The smolt stage of salmon has challenges in reaching adequate growth rates due to the changing environmental conditions at sea. Therefore, it is necessary to provide adequate diets to achieve sufficient growth. This study determined the impacts of glutamate and succinate (1% each) supplemented diet on the growth of Atlantic salmon smolts along with characterization of mitochondrial respiration using high-resolution respirometry technique. Results indicated that there was no significant difference in growth response between the treatment and control groups. Maximum oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) was reached after addition of succinate. Analysis of heart homogenates revealed a significant difference in LEAK respiration state (P = 0.005). No significant difference was recorded between the diet groups for liver homogenates. Differences between heart and liver respiration revealed that mitochondrial activity is organ dependent.

Improved Algal Toxicity Test System for Robust Omics-Driven Mode-of-Action Discovery in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Algae are key components of aquatic food chains. Consequently, they are internationally recognised test species for the environmental safety assessment of chemicals. However, existing algal toxicity test guidelines are not yet optimized to discover molecular modes of action, which require highly-replicated and carefully controlled experiments. Here, we set out to develop a robust, miniaturised and scalable Chlamydomonas reinhardtii toxicity testing approach tailored to meet these demands. We primarily investigated the benefits of synchronised cultures for molecular studies, and of exposure designs that restrict chemical volatilisation yet yield sufficient algal biomass for omics analyses. Flow cytometry and direct-infusion mass spectrometry metabolomics revealed significant and time-resolved changes in sample composition of synchronised cultures. Synchronised cultures in sealed glass vials achieved adequate growth rates at previously unachievably-high inoculation cell densities, with minimal pH drift and negligible chemical loss over 24-h exposures. Algal exposures to a volatile test compound (chlorobenzene) yielded relatively high reproducibility of metabolic phenotypes over experimental repeats. This experimental test system extends existing toxicity testing formats to allow highly-replicated, omics-driven, mode-of-action discovery.

Three-dimensional levitation culture improves in-vitro growth of secondary follicles in bovine model

Does a three-dimensional culture system based on magnetic levitation with nanoparticles assembly maintain the follicular structure and viability with adequate growth rates leading to oocyte maturation after long-term culture? Randomized-controlled trial of treatments in a bovine model. Secondary follicles (n = 213) isolated from bovine ovaries were cultured in a two-dimensional system (two-dimensional control) or three-dimensional levitation system with different concentrations (three-dimensional 50 µl/ml, 100 µl/ml and 200 µl/ml) of magnetic nanoparticles. Follicular growth (diameter, daily growth and growth patterns), morphology (normal, degenerated and extruded follicles), antrum formation, oocyte viability and chromatin configuration were assessed. Secondary follicles of three-dimensional 200-µl/ml treatment showed higher viability, antrum formation and lower degeneration rates than two-dimensional control. Also, follicles cultured in the three-dimensional 200-µl/ml treatment presented a most homogenous daily growth rate as shown by the lowest variance and standard deviation. Compared with the two-dimensional control, the proportion of non-growing and slow-growing follicles were 3.8-fold lower and 1.6-fold higher, respectively, in the three-dimensional 200-µl/ml treatment. After in-vitro maturation, the three-dimensional 200-µl/ml had a greater proportion of viable oocytes (1.7-fold) and meiotic resumption rates (2.4-fold) than the two-dimensional control treatment. The three-dimensional levitation culture system improves the viability of in-vitro development of bovine secondary follicles, antrum formation and lower extrusion and degeneration rates and adequate growth rate leading to relevant oocyte viability and meiotic resumption after in-vitro maturation. This approach does not require a specific medium, and has the potential as an alternative method to in-vitro follicle culture in several species, including humans.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of different types of enteral nutrition in premature infants

Introduction. Optimal nutrition of premature baby should ensure him adequate growth without metabolic and other complications in the short term, with the realization of genetic potential and development in the long-term perspective. The most valuable product for such infants is breast milk, which has nutritional, immunological, psychological, social and economic benefits over milk mixtures. However, in all cases, it is not possible to feed a premature infant with suckling breast milk (difficult conditions are menses, the presence of contraindications for breastfeeding). In such circumstances, the physician poses the question of choosing a mixture of enteral nutrition that would provide the body of a premature baby with all the necessary nutrients, allow for adequate growth rates of increase in feeding volume and minimize the development of complications.The aim of the study. To analyze the outcomes of children with very low body weight at birth, depending on the nature of the enteral nutrition.Materials and methods. Clinical and laboratory examination of 68 premature infants with very low body weight at birth (1000 g-1500 g) was conducted. Of the 24 children (Group I), enteral nutrition was carried out from the first hours of life with breast milk, in the 44 (second group) newborns - early enteral nutrition with a mixture of PreNAN Gold. Exclusion criteria: congenital malformations and abnormalities requiring surgical intervention, conditions delaying the early onset of enteral nutrition.A daily clinical assessment of the general condition of newborns, neurological status, weighing, monitoring of growth parameters, head circumference and abdomen were carried out. All children were thoroughly examined before each feeding for the purpose of identifying symptoms of tolerance to enteral nutrition, monitoring the results of laboratory and additional research methods in accordance with the protocols for the provision of newborns approved by the orders of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.Results and discussion. Part of the children of the second group for 4-5 days of life, in addition to the mixture, began to receive and strained breast milk (they are classified in IIa subgroups). The weight loss of newborns who fed with the PreNAN Gold blend was probably lower compared to those in Group I infants. The average increase in the daily volume of enteral nutrition during the first week of life did not differ significantly in all groups of children. The achievement of full volume of enteral nutrition was most rapidly observed in newborn infants receiving breast milk. However, body weight gain was better for babies on artificial feeding. Cases of intolerance to enteral nutrition were almost the same in all infant groups, but the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis did not differ with all types of enteral nutrition. In newborns who received PreNAN Gold, the stomach did not contain pathological impurities. Data from laboratory studies in Group II (total protein, urea, creatinine) were within the age range. Allergic reactions were not registered.Conclusions. The use of the PreNAN Gold blend for the feeding of prematurely born infants with a very low body weight at birth allows them to fully provide their body with all necessary nutrients, allow them to maintain proper rates of increase in feeding volume, promote adequate body weight gain, minimize the development of NEC and disturb the tolerance to enteral food. The mixture is well tolerated by infants, does not cause allergic reactions, the liquid form simplifies its use.

Spatial and Temporal Consumption Dynamics of Trout in Catch‐and‐Release Areas in Arkansas Tailwaters

AbstractRestrictive angling regulations in tailwater trout fisheries may be unsuccessful if food availability limits energy for fish to grow. We examined spatial and temporal variation in energy intake and growth in populations of Brown Trout Salmo trutta and Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss within three catch‐and‐release (C‐R) areas in Arkansas tailwaters to evaluate food availability compared with consumption. Based on bioenergetic simulations, Rainbow Trout fed at submaintenance levels in both size‐classes (≤400 mm TL, &gt;400 mm TL) throughout most seasons. A particular bottleneck in food availability occurred in the winter for Rainbow Trout when the daily ration was substantially below the minimum required for maintenance, despite reduced metabolic costs associated with lower water temperatures. Rainbow Trout growth rates followed a similar pattern to consumption with negative growth rates during the winter periods. All three size‐classes (&lt;250 mm TL, 250–400 mm TL, &gt;400 mm TL) of Brown Trout experienced high growth rates and limited temporal bottlenecks in food availability. We observed higher mean densities for Rainbow Trout (47–342 fish/ha) than for Brown Trout (3–84 fish/ha) in all C‐R areas. Lower densities of Brown Trout coupled with an ontogenetic shift towards piscivory may have allowed for higher growth rates and sufficient consumption rates to meet energetic demands. Brown Trout at current densities were more effective in maintaining adequate growth rates and larger sizes in C‐R areas than were Rainbow Trout. Bioenergetic simulations suggest that reducing stocking levels of Rainbow Trout in the tailwaters may be necessary in order to achieve increased catch rates of larger trout in the C‐R areas.Received August 31, 2016; accepted January 9, 2017 Published online March 21, 2017

The effect of substituting fishmeal with poultry by-product meal in diets forTotoaba macdonaldijuveniles

Four diets were formulated to evaluate the partial to total substitution of fishmeal with poultry by-product meal (PBM) (0, 33, 67 and 100PBM) in diets for totoaba juveniles (Totoaba macdonaldi). Amino acid profiles from diets and fatty acid content in diets and muscle tissue were used to assess the fish performance using PBM as fishmeal replacement. Stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ15N) were measured in muscle and liver tissue to quantify the retention of each protein source. At the end of the experimental period, the fish fed the 67PBM diet had a significantly higher growth gain increase compared to the other treatments (almost 2000% over an 86 days period; TGC of 1.06). The total replacement of fishmeal with PBM led to low growth gain increase (ca. 220% over 72 days; TGC of 0.52) and increased mortality. Both fish performance and tissues' fatty acid composition suggest that the 100PBM diet was deficient in essential fatty acids. An isotope-mixing model applied to isotope ratios of muscle and liver tissues of fish fed the 67PBM tissues indicated that PBM was retained into muscle and liver tissue in a higher proportion than its level of inclusion in the diet. We conclude that PBM is a good source of nutrients for totoaba juveniles when used in up to 67% fishmeal replacement level in diets containing 52% protein leading to adequate growth rate and survival.

Feasibility of co-culture of the Australasian sea cucumber (Australostichopus mollis) with the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) in northern New Zealand

The Australasian sea cucumber (Australostichopus mollis) has attracted commercial attention for aquaculture development, partly due to its potential for co-culture with shellfish and finfish species. However, minimal attention has been given to the possibility of co-culturing this species with oysters. In this study we evaluated the growth of juvenile sea cucumbers (36.7 ± 0.9 g, wet weight) caged underneath Pacific oyster farms in northern New Zealand. Co-culture started at the end of the summer, and after 304 days the juveniles had doubled in size (79.8 ± 3.3 g, wet weight), but their subsequent growth appeared to be constrained by overstocking of the cages and summer water temperatures, reaching a carrying capacity of 720 g m−2. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the co-culture of juvenile sea cucumbers with Pacific oysters is feasible, if sea cucumber losses are reduced (between 33% and 52% lost in this study) and careful attention is given to stocking rates and the water temperature regimes of oyster farms in order to maintain adequate growth rates.

Ensiling characteristics of rice whole stillage inoculated with or without Amylomyces rouxii and evaluation of the feeding value for growing Japanese black steers

Rice whole stillage (RWS) is disposed to aerobic spoilage when stored for a prolonged period. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the fermentation characteristics of ensiled RWS with wheat straw (WS) and wheat bran (WB) inoculated with Amylomyces rouxii, as well as to evaluate their impact on the metabolic profiles and the growth performance in Japanese black steers. Ensiled blends containing RWS, WS and WB were prepared either with A. rouxii inoculation (AS) or without (US). Fifteen silo bags were made for each blend; each bag had a width × height of 110 × 110 cm. The silos were analysed on Days 0, 7, 14, 28, 42 and 60 after ensiling. Notably, crude protein concentrations were found to be higher in the US treatment than in the AS treatment. In contrast, ash and acetic acid concentrations were elevated in the AS treatment compared with the US treatment. Lactic acid (LA) concentrations did not differ between the two treatments. Furthermore, the feeding efficacies of the prepared silages were evaluated as a feeding material for Japanese black steers. Control diets were composed of total mixed ration (TMR) and timothy hay, and the test diets were composed of TMR supplemented with either 1 kg/head.day US silage blend (USTMR) or 1 kg/head.day AS silage blend (ASTMR). Steers fed on the ASTMR diet exhibited a decrease in blood LA concentrations compared with the other groups. Moreover, growth performance revealed that daily gain and final bodyweight values were similar among treatments. Collectively, RWS can be effectively ensiled with or without A. rouxii and used as a feedstuff for maintaining an adequate growth rate of steers.

Assessing nutrition intervention programmes that addressed malnutrition among young children in South Africa between 1994-2010

Several nutrition intervention programmes have been implemented to alleviate malnutrition among young children in South Africa. However, both nationwide studies and smaller, region-based reports show that many of these programmes have failed to improve nutritional health among the target groups. This is an overview of the most important nutrition intervention programmes implemented in post -apartheid South Africa. It is based on data sampled between 1994 and 2010, and collected from HighWire Press and MEDLINE data bases, local journals, official reports as well as experience gathered over the past two decades. Abstracts and nutrition issues related to chronic and communicable and non-communicable diseases were not included. The main aim of the implemented supplementation programmes after the Second World War was to correct states of undernutrition. However, these efforts did not benefit the disadvantaged groups, particularly the coloureds and the blacks. Following the downfall of the apartheid regime, various nutrition intervention programmes have been implemented with varying degrees of success. These include health facility-based programmes, community-based programmes as well as nutrition promotion strategies. The more holistic approach of the Integrated Nutrition Programme since 1994 is commendable, but programmes have failed to restore adequate growth rates among the impoverished children. Most likely, the failures are not as a result of inappropriate policies and strategies or lack of knowledge about relevant solutions, but rather inadequate implementation and scale of the programmes. In order to ensure a satisfactory improvement in nutritional health in South Africa, the various programmes should undergo regular evaluations to identify pitfall s and shortcomings. The fight against undernutrition and hunger, which are rooted in poverty and social inequalities, remains a major challenge for the South African health authorities. Urgent scale-up of the current nutrition intervention programmes as well as evaluation of their implementation are needed, coupled with strategies for education, skills development, job creation and poverty alleviation.

Diseño y evaluación de un prototipo de sistema piscícola en San Clemente de Térapa, Moctezuma, Sonora

El presente estudio pretende contribuir a un diseño y evaluación de un prototipo para un sistema piscícola de Oreochromis niloticus en la comunidad de San Clemente de Térapa a manera de un sistema intensivo en estanques circulares durante un ciclo de 12 semanas con la utilización de aguas termales. La producción de O. niloticus a escala de autoconsumo es común en la acuicultura, ya que este organismo posee una tasa de crecimiento y conversión alimenticia que favorece su cultivo, además de ser resistente a condiciones adversas en su medio, como variaciones en la temperatura, anoxia, exceso de materia orgánica y aguas duras. Se diseño un sistema piscícola apropiado a las condiciones de la calidad y cantidad de agua. Se evaluó el crecimiento corporal, y sobrevivencia bajo las condiciones del diseño piloto y se analizó la viabilidad del cultivo para las condiciones particulares del proyecto. El diseño experimental consistió en la instalación de dos estanques circulares; de 4.5 m y de 3 m de diámetro. En los estanque se sembraron 800 y 400 alevines de O. niloticus respectivamente, con alevines con peso promedio individual 0.84 g y 0.54 g. En el estudio se monitoreó los principales parámetros fisicoquímicos del agua (temperatura, oxígeno disuelto y pH), se realizaron muestreos biométricos a los organismos en el cultivo. La sobrevivencia lograda fue de 98.5 % y 98.25 % al final del cultivo. Los resultados obtenidos indicaron una rápida adaptación de la especie y un crecimiento en masa corporal aceptable. Los parámetros fisicoquímicos se mantuvieron dentro de los intervalos aceptables para el cultivo. El estudio muestra que en éstas condiciones, es posible conducir un cultivo intensivo durante ocho meses, con resultados alentadores.

Malnutrition Causing Neonatal Dyslipidemia

Lipid abnormalities in children have become more common in recent decades. This trend is related to the increase in overweight and obesity. The 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported that the percentage of risk for overweight and overweight in children aged > 6 years is 31%, higher than the previous surveys. Serum lipids tend to increase quickly up to 6 months of age and reach values very close to adult values by age 2. As suggested by the American Heart Association, serum lipid values for children and adolescents (2-19 years old) are considered abnormal when total cholesterol is >200 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein is <35 mg/dL, low-density lipoprotein is >130 mg/dL, and triglycerides are >150 mg/dL. Dyslipidemia can be found in patients with malnutrition, a severe condition that needs prompt nutrition intervention. This report describes a case of malnutrition causing severe dyslipidemia in a newborn. Primary dyslipidemia was excluded by the presence of primary malnutrition, normal response to a postheparin lipoprotein lipase activity test, a favorable clinical course after nutrition intervention, and relatives' blood lipid levels close to normal that did not indicate familial dyslipidemia. The child was fed fat-free milk formula supplemented with medium-chain triglycerides and had adequate weight gain with a decrease in blood lipids. Subsequently the formula was changed to regular milk-based formula, and the child maintained adequate growth rate. Although blood lipids never returned to normal values for age and sex, they were lower than before treatment.

Observations on Hearing Aid Users' Strategies for Controlling the Level of Their Own Voice

Evidence suggests that hearing-aid users have difficulties with own-voice level control, most likely because their auditory feedback is affected by hearing-aid amplification. The purpose of this study was to investigate how changes to auditory feedback affect the voice level of hearing-aid users. A correlational study was set up to investigate the relation between voice level and hearing-aid amplification. Seven hearing-impaired speakers participated. All were experienced hearing-aid users. The speakers projected their voice to a passive listener across different speaker-listener distances and with different prescriptions of gain in an experimental hearing aid. For each combination of conditions, produced voice level and self-perceived voice level was measured. These data were subjected to an analysis of variance assuming a mixture of random and fixed effects. In addition, all speakers took part in interviews. Three speakers reacted to the changes in auditory feedback in agreement with previous experiments with normal-hearing speakers: they compensated by changing produced voice level. In contrast, the voice levels in the other four speakers were largely unaffected by the changes to auditory feedback. A secondary observation was that while all speakers increased their voice level with distance, the two subgroups produced different growth rates of vocal level versus distance. It is hypothesized that the speakers in the former subgroup relied on auditory feedback for solving the experimental task, whereas the latter subgroup had developed an own-voice level-control strategy based on proprioceptory feedback, possibly because they have lost faith in their auditory feedback mechanism, which indeed is changed by both hearing loss and hearing-aid amplification. Comparison to "target" voice levels suggests that proprioceptory feedback is less effective than auditory feedback for achieving adequate level-distance growth rate.

Ensiling characteristics of wet distillers grains mixed with soybean hulls and evaluation of the feeding value for growing Holstein heifers1

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the fermentation characteristics of ensiled wet corn distillers grains with solubles (WDG) alone or mixed with soybean hulls (SH) and the ability of the mixture to maintain growth performance in dairy heifers. The first experiment was an ensiling study using laboratory silos. Ensiled blends were 100% WDG, 85% WDG with 15% SH, and 70% WDG with 30% SH on an as-fed basis. Silos were opened for analysis on d 0, 3, 7, and 21. The pH was less in the 100% WDG compared with other treatments (P < 0.01), but all treatments had a pH near 4. Lactic acid concentration was greater in 100% WDG compared with the blends of WDG and SH (P < 0.01). Acetic acid was not found in 100% WDG and increased over time in the 2 blends (P < 0.01). Other differences between blends, such as DM, CP, ammonia N, fiber, and fat, were reflective of the different concentrations of WDG and SH in the blends. In the second experiment, the 70% WDG and 30% SH (as-fed) blend was ensiled in a silo bag and then evaluated as a feed for growing dairy heifer diets. Twenty-four heifers were used in a randomized complete block design and assigned to be fed 1 of 3 diets: 1) control, 2) low inclusion of WDGSH, and 3) a high inclusion of WDGSH. All treatment diets consisted of 50% brome grass hay on a DM basis. The control diet had 50% of the diet (DM basis) as a grain mix, which was composed of corn, soybean meal, and minerals. The low WDGSH diet contained 24.4% of the blend and 25.6% grain mix. The high WDGSH diet contained 48.7% of the blend and 1.3% mineral mix. Average daily gain and most of the body growth measures were similar among treatments. However, DMI decreased linearly (P < 0.01) as the WDGSH blends were fed, resulting in improved (P = 0.02) G:F. Results from these experiments indicated that WDG can be effectively ensiled with SH and sustain adequate growth rate when fed to growing dairy heifers.

Zinc Sulfide Nanoscaled Buffer Layers for Cu(In,Ga)Se&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; Thin Film Solar Cells by Chemical Bath Deposition

Chemical bath deposition (CBD) is a fairly simple synthetic route to prepare II-VI semicondutive zinc sulfide thin films, which can be prepared on the flat surface of glass or silicon wafer substrates in the solution containing the precursors of zinc and sulfur ions in terms of ambient conditions of varying acidity. This study particularly aims at the growth dependence and optical property of ZnS thin films in the CBD process by different experiment parameters, whereas we intend to choose suitable types of zinc ionic precursors to be coupled with various CBD parameters such as reaction temperature and time, precursor concentration, types and complexing agents as well as post-deposition heat treatment conditions. Addition of different concentration of ethylenediamine, ammonium sulfate, sodium citrate and hydrazine in the CBD reaction process was used to control the adequate growth rate of ZnS thin films. As a consequence, the rapid thermal annealing was employed to enhance the film uniformity and thickness evenness, transmittance and the energy gap of ZnS samples. The results would lead to a potential application of buffer layer for the Cu (In,Ga)Se2 based thin film solar cells. The analytic instrument including SEM, AFM, UV-VIS were used to examine the CBD-derived nanosized ZnS buffer layers for the thin film solar cells. The ZnS thin films prepared by the chemical bath deposition in this study results in film thickness of 80 ~ 100 nm, high transmittance of 80~85% and the energy gap of 3.89 ~ 3.98 eV.

Kinetic-Anisotropy-Induced Ordering-Orientation Transition in Epitaxial Growth: A Method to Synthesize Ordering-Orientation Superlattices

The epitaxial growth has a distinct kinetic feature that the lateral surface diffusion is faster than the longitudinal bulk diffusion. We show there is an ordering-orientation transition of alloy films with the change of growth rate due to this kinetic anisotropy. As an example, we have calculated the epitaxial growth of CoPt alloy films on the Pt buffer layer. We show the ordered structure of CoPt films changes from the L1(0) [001] (a compositional modulation along the [001] direction) variant to the L1(0) [100] variant with the increase of growth rate. This ordering-orientation transition also occurs with the decrease of temperature at adequate growth rate. Based on this mechanism, we propose a simple method to synthesize the ordering-orientation superlattices.

Effect of monocalcium phosphate supplementation in a low fish meal diet for rainbow trout based on growth, feed utilization, and total phosphorus loading

In order to verify methods for minimizing waste output of phosphorus (P) into the water and preserve an adequate growth rate in rainbow trout, a succession of two feeding trials were performed employing three test diets that were formulated with a low proportion of fish meal (FM), low-P ingredients (defatted soybean meal, corn gluten meal, feather meal, and blood meal), and varying levels of monocalcium phosphate (MCP) as a P supplement (0,05 and 1% of diet which represent 0, 1 and 2 mg/g of available P, respectively). Total P concentrations achieved were 6.2, 8.7 and 9.6 mg/g, respectively. A control diet was formulated with FM as the main protein source and without MCP (total P content was 17.0 mg/g). Diets were fed until apparent satiation to duplicate groups of 50 (1.5 g) and 15 fish (147.8 g) during 24 and 14 weeks, respectively. In both cases, the lowest growth was observed in fish fed the basal diet without MCP. The test diet supplemented with 0.5% MCP provided growth and feed performance comparable to that obtained in fish fed the control diet. These results suggest that diets formulated with low-P ingredients should be supplemented with an adequate amount of P in order to meet the fish requirements and reduced diet-related P loading.

Production of Acinetobacter radioresistens lipase with repeated fed-batch culture

Acinetobacter radioresistens lipase was produced with repeated fed-batch culture using a balanced medium based on Tween 80 as the carbon source. A constant cell concentration was shown to be a prerequisite to extend the number of repeated cycles, and an adequate cell growth rate was critical for a high lipase yield. The pH-stat feeding was found to sustain cell growth at a rate too high to effect the lipase production. The DO-stat feeding, on the other hand, could be manipulated to allow adequate growth rate for efficient lipase production. The lipase production rate obtained could reach 42,000 U/h in a 2.5 l tank fermentor.