Strain In Conjunction Research Articles

Genetic effects on growth and egg production traits in two-way crosses of Egyptian and commercial layer chickens

A crossbreeding experiment was conducted between the Sinai (SI), an indigenous Egyptian strain, and the exotic Lohmann Brown (LB) breeds of chickens. A total of 790 chicks were produced in four genetic groups, namely SI x SI, LB x LB, SI x LB, and LB x SI. The objective was to estimate the direct additive effect (gi), individual heterosis (hi), and maternal additive effect (gm) for growth and reproduction traits. Direct additive effects were positive (P ≤0.01) for bodyweight (BW) at 4, 8, and 12 weeks old in favour of SI. For egg production traits, gi was positive for age at sexual maturity (ASM) and age at which the first 10 eggs were produced (P10), but negative for mean 10 egg production (MP10), egg number at 90 days (EN90),mean egg number at 90 days (MEN90), and egg mass (EM). The estimates of heterosis (%) were high for BW and daily gain except for BW0. Maternal effect estimates of BW and daily weight gain were significant (P <0.05) only for bodyweight at hatching (BW0), bodyweight at 4 weeks old (BW4) and daily weight gain from four to eight weeks old (DWG4-8). Thus, the Sinai and Lohmann Brown crossbreed produced favourable heterosis on the growth of the chicks. As an adapted indigenous strain, SI should be regarded as a dam line in crossing with LB, which has greater genetic potential for growth. Use of LB as a sire strain in conjunction with Sinai would increase egg production from the resulting hybrid chickens.

Soluble guanylate cyclase stimulation in late gestation does not mitigate asymmetric intrauterine growth restriction or cardiovascular risk induced by placental ischemia in the rat.

Stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) improves fetal growth at gestational day 20 in the reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) rat model of placental ischemia suggesting a role for sGC in the etiology of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). This study tested the hypothesis that stimulation of sGC until birth attenuates asymmetric IUGR mitigating increased cardiovascular risk in offspring. Sham or RUPP surgery was performed at gestational day 14 (G14); vehicle or the sGC stimulator Riociguat (10 mg/kg/day sc) was administered G14 until birth. Birth weight was reduced in offspring from RUPP [intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR)], sGC RUPP (sGC IUGR), and sGC Sham (sGC Control) compared with Sham (Control). Crown circumference was maintained, but abdominal circumference was reduced in IUGR and sGC IUGR compared with Control indicative of asymmetrical growth. Gestational length was prolonged in sGC RUPP, and survival at birth was reduced in sGC IUGR. Probability of survival to postnatal day 2 was also significantly reduced in IUGR and sGC IUGR versus Control and in sGC IUGR versus IUGR. At 4 mo of age, blood pressure was increased in male IUGR and sGC IUGR but not male sGC Control born with symmetrical IUGR. Global longitudinal strain was increased and stroke volume was decreased in male IUGR and sGC IUGR compared with Control. Thus late gestational stimulation of sGC does not mitigate asymmetric IUGR or increased cardiovascular risk in male sGC IUGR. Furthermore, late gestational stimulation of sGC is associated with symmetrical growth restriction in sGC Control implicating contraindications in normal pregnancy.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The importance of the soluble guanylate cyclase-cGMP pathway in a rat model of placental ischemia differs during critical windows of development, implicating other factors may be critical mediators of impaired fetal growth in the final stages of gestation. Moreover, increased blood pressure at 4 mo of age in male intrauterine growth restriction offspring is associated with impaired cardiac function including an increase in global longitudinal strain in conjunction with a decrease in stroke volume, ejection fraction, and cardiac output.

Interplay of dislocation substructure and elastic strain evolution in additively manufactured Inconel 625

The unique thermal history of direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) leads to complex microstructures and local elastic residual strains which accumulate to affect the global residual stress and mechanical properties of components. Characterization of residual stress using neutron and x-ray diffraction result in bulk and grain level residual stress measurements; however, the contribution of the microscale residual strain remains largely unaccounted for. High-resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) has emerged as a promising tool for the characterization of such micron-level elastic strains. This work presents an early effort in analysis of microscale elastic strain in conjunction with subgrain dislocation structures to further the understanding of microstructural evolution during laser additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. Elastic strain in DMLS fabricated IN625 is analyzed using open source cross-correlation software OpenXY while the geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density is calculated from EBSD data using the Nye tensor. Dislocation structures previously seen in similar materials are shown here to contain low elastic strain gradients, supporting the assertion that these structures occur as strain minimization mechanisms during solidification.

Finite element based micro modelling of masonry walls subjected to fire exposure: Framework validation and structural implications

This paper presents a 2-D finite element (FE) based micro modelling framework for thermo-mechanical response history analysis of solid brick masonry structures subjected to fire. The 2-D FE framework considers geometric and material nonlinearities, and transient states of strain in conjunction with the temperature-dependent material properties. Material nonlinearity within the 2-D FE model is considered by the temperature-dependent total strain rotating crack model. The FE framework is validated against the thermo-mechanical response of a half-scale masonry wall subjected to one-sided fire exposure, and it is observed that the predictions of the FE framework are reasonably accurate. Utilizing the validated FE framework, thermo-mechanical response history characterization is performed on a full-scale masonry wall subjected to one-sided fire exposure. Critical physical phenomena which include thermal bowing, heat diffusion, unit-mortar thermo-mechanical interaction, cracking and stress profiles within the masonry structures are studied intricately. Furthermore, thermo-mechanics within representative volumes enclosing unit as well as mortar and their correlation with the global thermo-mechanical response is studied. Such 2-D micro-scale thermo-mechanical computations on masonry walls followed by a detailed discussion on their thermo-mechanics are one of the novel features of the present study. It is observed that thermal bowing resulted from a complex interaction between thermal dilation and cracking and crushing in the mortar and unit within the masonry structure.

Ketonization of Proline Residues in the Peptide Chains of Actinomycins by a 4-Oxoproline Synthase.

X-type actinomycins (Acms) contain 4-hydroxyproline (Acm X0 ) or 4-oxoproline (Acm X2 ) in their β-pentapeptide lactone rings, whereas their α ring contains proline. We demonstrate that these Acms are formed through asymmetric condensation of Acm half molecules (Acm halves) containing proline with 4-hydroxyproline- or 4-oxoproline-containing Acm halves. In turn, we show-using an artificial Acm half analogue (PPL 1) with proline in its peptide chain-their conversion into the 4-hydroxyproline- and 4-oxoproline-containing Acm halves, PPL 0 and PPL 2, in mycelial suspensions of Streptomyces antibioticus. Two responsible genes of the Acm X biosynthetic gene cluster of S. antibioticus, saacmM and saacmN, encoding a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (Cyp) and a ferredoxin were identified. After coexpression in Escherichia coli, their gene products converted PPL 1 into PPL 0 and PPL 2 in vivo as well as in situ in permeabilized cell of the transformed E. coli strain in conjunction with the host-encoded ferredoxin reductase in a NADH (NADPH)-dependent manner. saAcmM has high sequence similarity to the Cyp107Z (Ema) family of Cyps, which can convert avermectin B1 into its keto derivative, 4''-oxoavermectin B1. Determination of the structure of saAcmM reveals high similarity to the Ema structure but with significant differences in residues decorating their active sites, which defines saAcmM and its orthologues as a distinct new family of peptidylprolineketonizing Cyp.

Construction of plasmid-free Escherichia coli for the production of arabitol-free xylitol from corncob hemicellulosic hydrolysate.

High costs and low production efficiency are a serious constraint to bio-based xylitol production. For industrial-scale production of xylitol, a plasmid-free Escherichia coli for arabitol-free xylitol production from corncob hemicellulosic hydrolysate has been constructed. Instead of being plasmid and inducer dependent, this strain relied on multiple-copy integration of xylose reductase (XR) genes into the chromosome, where their expression was controlled by the constitutive promoter P43. In addition, to minimize the flux from L-arabinose to arabitol, two strategies including low XR total activity and high selectivity of XR has been adopted. Arabitol was significantly decreased using plasmid-free strain which had lower XR total activity and an eight point-mutations of XR with a 27-fold lower enzyme activity toward L-arabinose was achieved. The plasmid-free strain in conjunction with this mutant XR can completely eliminate arabitol formation in xylitol production. In fed-batch fermentation, this plasmid-free strain produced 143.8 g L−1 xylitol at 1.84 g L−1 h−1 from corncob hemicellulosic hydrolysate. From these results, we conclude that this route by plasmid-free E. coli has potential to become a commercially viable process for xylitol production.

Morphological and physiological changes exhibited by a Cd-resistant Dictyosphaerium chlorelloides strain and its cadmium removal capacity

ABSTRACTChanges induced on freshwater microalga Dictyosphaerium chlorelloides (Dcwt) acclimated in the laboratory until their survival in culture media enriched with cadmium 100 µM have been studied. Cadmium removal by living cells of this Cd-resistant (DcCdR100) strain was tested in cultures exposed to 100 µM Cd during 30 days. Cell dimensions were measured under light microscopy, and cell growth was studied. Photosynthetic yield (ΦPSII) was analyzed and the photosynthetic oxygen development and respiration response was obtained. Results show that DcCdR100 strain exhibited significant cell morphology changes in comparison to Dcwt cells, which affected both surface area and cell biovolume. Malthusian fitness analysis showed that DcCdR100 strain living in Cd-enriched culture had developed a lower capacity of nearly 50% growth, and its photosynthetic oxygen development and respiration response were significantly reduced in both light and dark photosynthetic phases. DcCdR100 strain showed a very high capacity to remove cadmium from the aquatic environment (over 90%), although most of the removed heavy metal (≈70%) is adhered to the cell wall. These specific characteristics of DcCdR100 cells suggest the possibility of using this strain in conjunction with Dcwt strain as bioelements into a dual-head biosensor, and in bioremediation processes on freshwater polluted with Cd.

Fast evaluation of local elastic constants and its application to nanosized structures

We derive a method to determine the effective local elasticity tensor by combining the local stress, local strain, and global strain in conjunction with a linear least-squares solver. This method reduces to the standard stress-strain fluctuation method for the estimation of global moduli if the local stress and the local strain are substituted by global counterparts. The quality of the developed method is verified by the analysis of an fcc Lennard-Jones single crystal. By using this method, surface elastic behaviors of three nanoplates are investigated. Simulation results prove that both softening and stiffening effects could be detected, depending on the surface orientations and loading directions. This approach could be especially valuable for complicated morphologies where the physical properties of the local material are challenging or impractical to obtain.

Efficacy of Longitudinal Speckle Tracking Strain in Conjunction with Isometric Handgrip Stress Test for Detection of Ischemic Myocardial Segments

Isometric handgrip stress test is a simple method for detecting coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the value of this method alone is limited by relatively low sensitivity. This study thus aimed to investigate the usefulness of two-dimensional speckle-tracking strain combined with handgrip for CAD patients. We studied 35 patients with stable angina pectoris who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Longitudinal (L-ɛ) and transverse peak systolic (T-ɛ) strains were measured from three standard apical views before and 1 month after PCI. Segments corresponded to perfusion territories of coronary arteries were divided into two groups based on coronary angiography results: stenotic (S) and nonstenotic (NS) segment. L-ɛ in S segments increased significantly after PCI, from -15.8% to -17.6% (P < 0.01), but not in NS segments. Moreover, L-ɛ in S segments increased significantly during handgrip before PCI, from -15.8% to -17.6% (P < 0.01), but decreased after PCI, from -17.6% to -16.7% (P = 0.02). In contrast, L-ɛ in NS segments decreased significantly during the isometric handgrip stress test before and after PCI (P < 0.05). Especially noteworthy is that a relative change in L-ɛ of >1.2% during handgrip before PCI could detect significant coronary stenosis with a sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 66%, and area under the curve of 0.77 (P < 0.001). On the other hand, no significant changes were observed in either T-ɛ segments during handgrip either before or after PCI. Longitudinal speckle-tracking strain combined with handgrip may constitute a valuable tool for detection of ischemic myocardial segments and prediction of improvement of regional contraction after revascularization.

Oxygen adsorption on Pt/Ru(0001) layers

Chemical properties of epitaxially grown bimetallic layers may deviate substantially from the behavior of their constituents. Strain in conjunction with electronic effects due to the nearby interface represent the dominant contribution to this modification. One of the simplest surface processes to characterize reactivity of these substrates is the dissociative adsorption of an incoming homo-nuclear diatomic molecule. In this study, the adsorption of O(2) on various epitaxially grown Pt films on Ru(0001) has been investigated using infrared absorption spectroscopy and thermal desorption spectroscopy. Pt/Ru(0001) has been chosen as a model system to analyze the individual influences of lateral strain and of the residual substrate interaction on the energetics of a dissociative adsorption system. It is found that adsorption and dissociative sticking depends dramatically on Pt film thickness. Even though oxygen adsorption proceeds in a straightforward manner on Pt(111) and Ru(0001), molecular chemisorption of oxygen on Pt/Ru(0001) is entirely suppressed for the Pt/Ru(0001) monolayer. For two Pt layers chemisorbed molecular oxygen on Pt terraces is produced, albeit at a very slow rate; however, no (thermally induced) dissociation occurs. Only for Pt layer thicknesses N(Pt) ≥ 3 sticking gradually speeds up and annealing leads to dissociation of O(2), thereby approaching the behavior for oxygen adsorption on genuine Pt(111). For Pt monolayer films a novel state of chemisorbed O(2), most likely located at step edges of Pt monolayer islands is identified. This state is readily populated which precludes an activation barrier towards adsorption, in contrast to adsorption on terrace sites of the Pt/Ru(0001) monolayer.

Thermal buckling and postbuckling analysis of functionally graded annular plates with temperature-dependent material properties

As a first endeavor, the thermal buckling and postbuckling analysis of functionally graded (FG) annular plates with material properties graded in the radial direction is presented. The formulation is derived based on the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and the geometrical nonlinearity is modeled using Green’s strain in conjunction with von Karman’s assumptions. The material properties are temperature-dependent and graded according to the power law distribution. It is assumed that the temperature varies along the radial direction. Using the virtual work principle, the pre-buckling and postbuckling equilibrium equations and the related boundary conditions are derived. Differential quadrature method (DQM) as an efficient numerical technique is adopted to solve the governing equations. The presented formulation and the method of solution are validated by performing convergence and comparison studies with available results in the literature. Finally, the effects of volume fraction index, geometrical parameters, mechanical/thermal properties of the constituent materials and boundary conditions on the thermal buckling and postbuckling behavior of the radially graded annular plate are evaluated and discussed.

Large amplitude flexural vibration analysis of tapered plates with edges elastically restrained against rotation using DQM

The large amplitude free vibration analysis of tapered rectangular thin plates with edges elastically restrained against rotation is investigated using a differential quadrature method (DQM). The governing equations are based on the thin plate theory using Green’s strain in conjunction with von Karman assumption. In order to better recognize the nonlinearity effects, the in-plane immovable conditions are assumed along the edges of the plate. The boundary conditions are exactly implemented at the boundary grid points and are conveniently built into the equations of motion using a DQ methodology recently developed by the authors to solve fourth-order governing differential equations. The harmonic balance method is used to transform the resulting differential equations from temporal to frequency domain. Consequently, a direct iterative method is used to solve the nonlinear eigenvalue system of equations. The convergence of the method is verified and the solution accuracy is demonstrated by comparing the results with those for limiting cases, i.e., the free vibration of tapered plates under classical boundary conditions. Furthermore, the effects of different parameters on the nonlinear to linear natural frequency ratio of plates with linearly or bi-linearly varying thickness and with edges elastically restrained against rotation are studied and the results are compared with those of DQ solution based on the first-order shear deformation plate theory.

Large Amplitude Free Vibration Analysis of Composite Plates with Rotationally Restrained Edges using DQM

Large amplitude free vibration analyses of thin-to-moderately thick angle-ply laminated rectangular plates with edges rotationally restrained against rotation are investigated using the differential quadrature method (DQM). The governing equations are based on two different theories: thin or classical plate theory and the first order shear deformation plate theory. In both theories, Green's strain in conjunction with the von Karman assumption is employed. The boundary conditions are implemented precisely at boundary grid points and are built into the equations of motion without any extra efforts. After transforming the governing equations from temporal to frequency domain, a direct iterative method is used to solve the nonlinear eigenvalue system of equations. The convergence of the method is shown and its accuracy is demonstrated by comparing the results with those for limit cases, i.e., laminated plates with classical boundary conditions and also for linear free vibration analysis of laminated plates with restrained edges. Finally, the effects of different parameters on the ratio of nonlinear to linear natural frequency of plates are studied.

A differential quadrature nonlinear free vibration analysis of laminated composite skew thin plates

Using a differential quadrature (DQ) method, large amplitude free vibration analysis of laminated composite skew thin plates is presented. The governing equations are based on the thin plate theory (TPT) and the geometrical nonlinearity is modeled using Green's strain in conjunction with von Karman assumptions. To cause the impact due to nonlinear terms more significant, in-plane immovable simply supported, clamped and different combinations of them are considered. The effects of different parameters on the convergence and accuracy of the method are studied. The resulted solutions are compared to those from other numerical methods to show the accuracy of the method. Some new results for laminated composite skew plates with different mixed boundary conditions are presented and are compared with those obtained using the first order shear deformation theory based DQ (FSDT-DQ) method. Excellent agreements exist between the solutions of the two approaches but with much lower computational efforts of the present DQ methodology with respect to FSDT-DQ method.

A study on the coherence of compacted binary composites of microcrystalline cellulose and paracetamol

This paper describes and interprets the coherence and the tensile strength of bi-component compacted tablets, composing a mixture of a poorly compactable drug, paracetamol and a very cohesive and ductile carrier, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), Avicel ® PH 102, using the concepts of the stored elastic strain in conjunction with the particle size and the relative volume fraction of the powders. Cylindrical compacts of the bi-component tablets, at various compositions formed at a common ultimate stress of 99 MPa, were subsequently fractured using the indirect tensile test method (Brazilian test method) to obtain a measure of their tensile strength. Various inter-relations between the compaction and tensile rupture characteristics are described. A simple model, which may predict the required volume fraction of MCC to produce a cohesively viable tablet is suggested, and applied to the current system. The results show to some extent the consistency of the suggested model with the experimental results.

Increased Genome Instability and Telomere Length in the elg1 -Deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mutant Are Regulated by S-Phase Checkpoints

Gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs) are frequently observed in cancer cells. Abnormalities in different DNA metabolism including DNA replication, cell cycle checkpoints, chromatin remodeling, telomere maintenance, and DNA recombination and repair cause GCRs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Recently, we used genome-wide screening to identify several genes the deletion of which increases GCRs in S. cerevisiae. Elg1, which was discovered during this screening, functions in DNA replication by participating in an alternative replication factor complex. Here we further characterize the GCR suppression mechanisms observed in the elg1Delta mutant strain in conjunction with the telomere maintenance role of Elg1. The elg1Delta mutation enhanced spontaneous DNA damage and resulted in GCR formation. However, DNA damage due to inactivation of Elg1 activates the intra-S checkpoints, which suppress further GCR formation. The intra-S checkpoints activated by the elg1Delta mutation also suppress GCR formation in strains defective in the DNA replication checkpoint. Lastly, the elg1Delta mutation increases telomere size independently of other previously known telomere maintenance proteins such as the telomerase inhibitor Pif1 or the telomere size regulator Rif1. The increase in telomere length caused by the elg1Delta mutation was suppressed by a defect in the DNA replication checkpoint, which suggests that DNA replication surveillance by Dpb11-Mec1/Tel1-Dun1 also has an important role in telomere length regulation.

Idealized Solutions for the Energy Balance of the Finescale Internal Wave Field*

Abstract Recent fine- and microstructure observations indicate enhanced finescale shear and strain in conjunction with bottom-intensified turbulent dissipation above rough bathymetry in the Brazil Basin. Such observations implicate the bottom boundary as an energy source for the finescale internal wave field. Simple analytical and numerical solutions to an equation governing the spatial and temporal evolution of the finescale wave field are described here. The governing equation implicitly treats the effects of wave breaking on the vertical propagation of internal waves through a flux representation of nonlinear transports associated with internal wave–wave interactions. These solutions identify the rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy with downscale energy transports at high vertical wavenumber, resulting in an estimate of dissipation versus depth. The sensitivity of the turbulent dissipation depth profile to various environmental parameters is examined. Observed dissipation profiles and shear...

Efficacy of a Deletion Mutant Bovine Herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) Vaccine That Allows Serologic Differentiation of Vaccinated from Naturally Infected Animals

Fifteen bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1)-negative calves were vaccinated intramuscularly with 10(7.4) plaque-forming units of a double-deletion BHV-1 mutant (IBRV(NG)dltkdlgIII), and 6 remained as nonvaccinated controls. Thirty days after vaccination, the animals were challenged by nasal instillation of 10(8.2) CCID50 of a virulent BHV-1 strain (Cooper). The vaccinated calves were protected against wildtype virus challenge as demonstrated by clinical evaluation. Most of the vaccinates developed only a mild rhinitis (lasting an average of 6.5 days) with almost no systemic symptoms, whereas the controls developed a serious illness characterized by rhinitis (mean = 11.5 days), conjunctivitis, hyperthermia, apathy, loss of appetite, and dyspnea. The vaccinates also shed significantly less virus and for a shorter period of time (mean = 5.5 days) than the controls (mean = 9 days). Thirty days after vaccination, the vaccinates were negative in an anti-gIII specific blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), despite the fact that most of them had developed neutralizing antibodies (serum neutralization titers ranging from 1:2 to 1:16). Seroconversion to gIII was detected as early as 7 days postinfection (dpi). Fourteen days after the challenge, all the animals exposed to wildtype BHV-1 had developed anti-gIII antibodies and were positive in this differential serologic test. Six controls plus 8 vaccinates kept in isolation were still positive to gIII when tested at 75 dpi. The use of the IBRV(NG)dltkdlgIII strain in conjunction with an anti-gIII specific blocking ELISA kit represents a powerful tool for BHV-1 control/eradication programs.

Chromosomally mediated beta-lactamase production and gentamicin resistance in Enterococcus faecalis

We have analyzed four distinct strains of multiply resistant, beta-lactamase-producing enterococci isolated during an outbreak of colonization with these strains on an infant-toddler surgical ward at The Children's Hospital in Boston, Mass. All four strains were resistant to erythromycin, penicillin, and tetracycline and to high levels of gentamicin and streptomycin. One strain was also resistant to chloramphenicol. Plasmid profiles revealed four different plasmid patterns, with the number of identified plasmids ranging from zero to three. The gene coding for beta-lactamase production could be transferred at low frequency (less than 10(-8)) to an enterococcal recipient from one strain in conjunction with all of the other resistance determinants. Probes derived from the staphylococcal beta-lactamase gene and gentamicin resistance gene failed to hybridize with any of the detectable plasmids, but both genes were present on restriction fragments of genomic DNA in all strains. Our results indicate that the beta-lactamase genes and gentamicin resistance genes in these strains are integrated into the bacterial chromosome. The cotransmissibility of the resistance determinants raises the possibility of their incorporation into a multiresistance transposable genetic element.

A differential killing assay for mutagens and carcinogens based on an improved repair-deficient strain of Escherichia coli.

The lexA gene suppresses the spontaneous inviability of recA strains of Escherichia coli without affecting their repair deficiency. We have taken advantage of this to construct a uvrA recA lexA triple mutant CM871 that combines extreme repair deficiency with near wild-type growth. We have used this strain in conjunction with an isogenic strain WP67 uvrA polA and isogenic wild-type strain WP2 in a differential killing test. Dilute suspensions in buffer of the repair-deficient strains and repair-proficient control are incubated for 2 h at 37 degrees C with test compound in the presence or absence of a S9 metabolising system. Survival is determined by Miles Misra plating. For each strain three 10 microliter spots of each of three concentrations of test compound and of the untreated control are placed on a nutrient agar plate. Following overnight incubation survivors are counted. Results with reference compounds are given and the advantages and disadvantages of the test are discussed.