• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.636-640
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• 2000

Cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) has potential to produce high biomass and highly digestible forage in the wetlands where other productive forages do not grow or produce well. However, high moisture content at harvest is a considerable disadvantage of cup-plant for the production of high quality silage. This study was conducted to determine the effect of moisture content on the characteristics of cup-plant silage. Harvested cup-plant was ensiled in farm scale plastic bag silos and laboratory silos. In the plastic bag silos, first growth (FG) and regrowth (RG) cup-plant was harvested, wilted and ensiled. Dry matter content of FG and RG was 280 g/kg and 320 g/kg after 48 hr of wilting. The silage made with FG had pH 5.3 and 5.63 g/kg DM of acetate as a major volatile fatty acid. The composition of lactate, butyrate and acetate production was 1.0: 0.9: 2.3. The pH of silage made with RG was 4.5 and lactate was a major fermentation end product (16.8 g/kg DM). In the laboratory silos, wilted and unwilted first growth cup-plant material was ensiled to compare the early fermentation end products at days 2, 4, 11, and 40. Wilting increased dry matter content by 42% in the harvested material. Wilted silage showed about one unit lower pH until day 11. The contents of ammonia nitrogen and acetate were higher in un wilted silage, while that of lactate was higher in wilted silage (p<0.05). Butyrate and propionate were not detected in the wilted silage until day 40. We conclude from the results that moisture control is essential for the production of high quality cup-plant silage and high pH of cup-plant silage is due to low concentrations of fermentation end products.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2000

For the rapid selection of higher recombinant hirudin producing strain in a methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha, a multiple gene integration and dose-dependent selection vector, based on a telomere-associated ARS and a bacterial aminoglycoside 3-phosphotransferase (aph) gene, was adopted. Two hirudin expression cassettes (HV1 and HV2) were constructed using the MOX promoter of H. polymorpha and the mating factor $\alpha$ secretion signal of S. cerevisiae. Multiple integrants of a transforming vector containing hirudin expression cassettes were easily selected by using an antibiotic, G418. Hirudin expression level and integrated plasmid copy number of the tested transformants increased with increasing the concentration of G418 used for selection. The expression level of HV1 was consistently higher than that of HV2 under the similar conditions, suggesting that the gene context might be quite important for the high-level gene expression in H. polymorpha. The highest hirudin producing strain selected in this study produced over 96 mg/L of biologically active hirudin in a 500-mL flask and 165 mg/L in a 5-L fermentor.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Pathology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2002

A1celaphine herpesvirus 1 (AHV-1) is a causative agent of malignant catarrhal fever which is a fatal and a lymphoproliferative syndrome. AHV-1 is a gamma herpesvirus, which induces frequent latent infection and often difficult to detect its antigens or specific nucleic acids because of its low viral copies in the infected tissues. A new method, in situ PCR, is developed for the detection of AHV-1 nucleic acid in this study. Target sequences of AHV-1 open reading frame 50 gene were detected within AHV-1 infected MDBK cells. As compare with other molecular biological methods for the detection of AHV-1, in situ PCR was found to be more sensitive than in situ hybridization and to be less sensitive than nested PCR. However, nested PCR cannot afford to observe and differentiate AHV-1 infected cells. In situ PCR amplifies a target sequence within cells that can be visualized microscopically with increased sensitivity compared to detection by in situ hybridization. In situ PCR has wide applications for sensitive localization of low copy AHV-1 viral sequences within cells to investigate the role of viruses in a variety of clinical conditions and also provide the rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of AHV-1 infection.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.214-218
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• 1998

This study was performed to stabilize the physical properties of Sodium Carbonate Decahydrate that was selected as a highly concentrative thermal energy storage medium. The addition of ARS(additives to prevent supercooling) showed to prevent the supercooling of Na$_{2}$CO$_{3}$.10H$_{2}$O, and the supercooling was decreased below $1.5^{\circ}C$ with ARS of 3 wt% and the addition of PSC(phase separation controller) of 1.5 wt% controlled the phase separation of Na$_{2}$CO$_{3}$ .10H$_{2}$O with the phase change cycles increased from 0 to 1,500, the phase change temperature and the latent heat has changed in the range of 30$\pm$1.$0^{\circ}C$ and 54$\pm$2.0Kcal.kg$^{-1}$ respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.650-655
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• 1998

The chromosomal DNA fragment from Phaffia rhodozyma CBS 6938 which is able to autonomously replicate in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was cloned on an integrative URA3 plasmid. Its minimal fragment exhibiting autonomously replicating activiy in the S. cerevisiae gave a higher frequency transformation efficiency than that found for centromere-based plasmid, and enabled extrachromosoma1ly stable transmission of the plasmids in one copy per yeast cell under non-selective culture condition. The 836-bp DNA element lacked an ORF and did not contain any acceptable match to an ARS core consensus. Sequence analysis, however, displayed a cluster of three hairpin-Ioop-sequences with individual $\triangle {G_{25}}^{\circ}C$ free energy value of -10.0, -17.5, and -17.0 kcal. $mor^{-l}$as well as a 9-bp sequence with two base pair mismatches to the S. cerevisiae/E. coli gyrase-binding site. This 836-bp sequence also included one 7-bp sequence analogous to the core consensus of centromeric DNA element III (CDEIII) of S. cerevisiae, but CDEIII-like 7 bp sequence alone did not give a replicative function in this yeast.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.169-178
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• 2010

The microbial community structure in Thailand soils contaminated with low and high levels of arsenic was determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Band pattern analysis indicated that the bacterial community was not significantly different in the two soils. Phylogenetic analysis obtained by excising and sequencing six bands indicated that the soils were dominated by Arthrobacter koreensis and $\beta$-Proteobacteria. Two hundred and sixty-two bacterial isolates were obtained from arsenic-contaminated soils. The majority of the As-resistant isolates were Gramnegative bacteria. MIC studies indicated that all of the tested bacteria had greater resistance to arsenate than arsenite. Some strains were capable of growing in medium containing up to 1,500 mg/l arsenite and arsenate. Correlations analysis of resistance patterns of arsenite resistance indicated that the isolated bacteria could be categorized into 13 groups, with a maximum similarity value of 100%. All strains were also evaluated for resistance to eight antibiotics. The antibiotic resistance patterns divided the strains into 100 unique groups, indicating that the strains were very diverse. Isolates from each antibiotic resistance group were characterized in more detail by using the repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (rep-PCR) DNA fingerprinting technique with ERIC primers. The PCR products were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The genetic relatedness of 100 bacterial fingerprints, determined by using the Pearson product-moment similarity coefficient, showed that the isolates could be divided into four clusters, with similarity values ranging from 5-99%. Although many isolates were genetically diverse, others were clonal in nature. Additionally, the arsenic-resistant isolates were examined for the presence of arsenic resistance (ars) genes by using PCR, and 30% of the isolates were found to carry an arsenate reductase encoded by the arsC gene.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2011

An experimental variable rate nursery sprayer was developed to adjust application rates for canopy volume in real time. The sprayer consisted of two vertical booms integrated with ultrasonic sensors, and variable rate nozzles coupled with pulse width modulation (PMW) based solenoid valves. A custom-designed microcontroller instructed the sensors to detect canopy size and occurrence and then controlled nozzles to achieve variable application rates. A spray delivery system, which consisted of diaphragm pump, pressure regulator and 4-cycle gasoline engine, offered the spray discharge function. Spray delay time, time adjustment in spray trigger for the leading distance of the sensor, was measured with a high-speed camera, and it was from 50 to 140 ms earlier than the desired time (398 ms) at 3.2 km/h under indoor conditions. Consequently, the sprayer triggered 4.5 to 12.5 cm prior to detected targets. Duty cycles of the sprayer were from 20 to 34 ms for senor-to-canopy (STC) distance from 0.30 to 0.76 m. Outdoor test confirmed that the nozzles were triggered from 290 to 380 ms after detecting tree canopy at 3.2 km/h. The spray rate of the new sprayer was 58.4 to 85.2% of the constant application rate (935 L/ha). Spray coverage was collected at four areas of evergreen canopy by water sensitive papers (WSP), and ranged from 1.9 to 41.1% and 1.8 to 34.7% for variable and constant rate applications, respectively. One WSP area had significant (P < 0.05) difference in mean spray coverage between two application conditions.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.183-197
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• 2006

Combinations of visible and near-infrared (NIR) bands in an image are widely used for estimating vegetation vigor and productivity. Using this approach to understand within-field grain crop variability could allow pre-harvest estimates of yield, and might enable mapping of yield variations without use of a combine yield monitor. The objective of this study was to estimate within-field variations in crop yield using vegetation indices derived from hyperspectral images. Hyperspectral images were acquired using an aerial sensor on multiple dates during the 2003 and 2004 cropping seasons for corn and soybean fields in central Missouri. Vegetation indices, including intensity normalized red (NR), intensity normalized green (NG), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), green NDVI (gNDVI), and soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), were derived from the images using wavelengths from 440 nm to 850 nm, with bands selected using an iterative procedure. Accuracy of yield estimation models based on these vegetation indices was assessed by comparison with combine yield monitor data. In 2003, late-season NG provided the best estimation of both corn $(r^2\;=\;0.632)$ and soybean $(r^2\;=\;0.467)$ yields. Stepwise multiple linear regression using multiple hyperspectral bands was also used to estimate yield, and explained similar amounts of yield variation. Corn yield variability was better modeled than was soybean yield variability. Remote sensing was better able to estimate yields in the 2003 season when crop growth was limited by water availability, especially on drought-prone portions of the fields. In 2004, when timely rains during the growing season provided adequate moisture across entire fields and yield variability was less, remote sensing estimates of yield were much poorer $(r^2<0.3)$.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.24 no.1 s.62
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• pp.45-50
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• 1985

The use of a modified procedure for the isolation of extrachromosomal DNA of low to high molecular weight, followed by agarose gel electrophoresis of the crude lysates, provided a simple screening procedure for detecting plasmids ranging in molecular weights from approximately 1 to more than 135 megadaltons from serovars of Bacillus thuringiensis. The procedure provides for a relatively large-volume stable lysate for isolation of plasmids for restriction endonuclease mapping and cloning procedures. The method was used for screening of plasm ids in 6 differenentially effective serovars of B. thuringiensis toxic to dipteran and lepidopteran insects. Relatively large plasmid DNAs of masses above 50 megadaltons (Mdal) were isolated from all of the serovars examined using this technique. The number of extrachromosomal DNAs detected in serovars of B. thuringiensis was 8 for israelensis, 10 for kurstaki, 13 for aizawai, 2 for dendrolimus, 1 for finitimus, and 6 for yunnanensis. Smaller plasmid DNAs were isolated in four of the six serovars that ranged in mass down to approximately 2 Mdal.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.97-101
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• 2006

Certain amino acids are essential precursors of a variety of important biomolecules in addition to their major function as protein building blocks. ${\delta}$-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is synthesized from the condensed form of succinyl-CoA with glycine after decarboxylation catalyzed by ALA synthase. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of ALA supplementation on growth performance, behavioral characteristics and hematological/immune status in nursery pigs. A total of 144 pigs weaned at 21 d of age were allotted to three dietary treatments representing (-) control (w/o antibiotics; NC), (+) control (w/carbadox at 50 mg/kg; PC), and the treatment group with ALA supplementation (0.05%; TA). Each treatment had 6 pens (replicates) with 8 pigs per pen. Pigs were fed phase 1 (21.9% CP, 1.40% Lys) and 2 (20.6% CP, 1.15% Lys) experimental diets for 3 and 2 wks, respectively. Feed intake and weight gain were measured weekly during phase 1 and at the end of phase 2. At the end of phase 2, blood samples were taken and analyzed using an automated hematology analyzer. Skin color and activity of pigs (48 h) from all pens in each treatment were measured at the second week of phase 2. Growth performance was not affected (p>0.05) by the dietary supplementation of ALA during the 5 wk nursery period. Pigs in the TA (6.46) and PC (6.68) had a higher (p<0.05) number of red blood cells ($10^6cell/{\mu}L$) than pigs in the NC (6.15). Pigs in PC (12.16) had a higher (p<0.05) hemoglobin level (g/dL) than pigs in the NC group (11.29) and the TA group (11.47). Pigs in the TA and PC had darker (p<0.05) and less (p<0.05) yellow skin color than pigs in the NC. Pigs in the PC tended (p = 0.081) to be less active than pigs in the other groups. There were no differences in behavioral characteristics between the NC and the TA. The data suggest that ALA supplementation has no adverse effects on growth performance of nursery pigs. Moreover, ALA supplementation increased red blood cell counts which may be beneficial to pigs.