Towards Understanding Non-Infectious Growth-Rate Retardation in Growing Pigs

For growth-rate retardation in commercial growing pigs suffering from non-infectious diseases, no biomarker is available for early detection and prevention of the condition or for the diagnosis of affected animals. The point in question is that the underlying pathological pathway of the condition is still unknown and multiple nutritional or management issues could be the cause of the disease. Common health status markers such as acute phase proteins, adenosine deaminase activity or total antioxidant capacity did not show any alteration in the saliva of animals with growth-rate retardation, so other pathways should be affected. The present study investigates saliva samples from animals with the same commercial crossbreed, sex and age, comparing control pigs and pigs with growth-rate retardation. A proteomics approach based on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis including mass spectrometry together with validation experiments was applied for the search of proteins that could help understand disease mechanisms and be used for early disease detection. Two proteins were detected as possible markers of growth-rate retardation, specifically S100A12 and carbonic anhydrase VI. A decrease in innate immune response was confirmed in pigs with growth-rate retardation, however further studies should be necessary to understand the role of the different CA VI proteoforms observed.

Effect of Loading Waveform and Spectrum Loading on the Fatigue Crack Growth Rate in Simulated Light Water Reactor Environments

High temperature water environments, typical of light water reactor primary coolant, are known to lead to significant environmental enhancement of fatigue crack growth of austenitic stainless steels. For PWR environments. these effects have recently been codified in ASME Code Case N-809. However, just as for the detrimental effect of these environments on fatigue endurance, plant experience indicates that crack growth rates must be significantly lower than predictions based on laboratory data using simple sawtooth waveforms. In order to explain this discrepancy, a significant amount of research has been conducted to quantify factors leading to crack growth rate retardation with sulfur content having been identified as significant in promoting crack growth rate retardation. However, the inherent conservatisms in current analysis techniques may be just as significant in generating the perceived over-conservatism of environmental fatigue crack growth laws such as Code Case N-809. The current work looks at the impact of waveform shape and spectrum loading on the level of environmental enhancement for a given stress intensity factor range and total rise time by considering simplified transients and loading spectra. The observations suggest that simplified definitions of total rise time used in fatigue assessments can lead to large over-estimation of actual fatigue damage. These data form the basis of an analytical methodology being developed by RollsRoyce (presented in a separate paper at this conference) aimed at partitioning damage across the loading cycle in order to remove over-conservatisms in current analytical methodologies.

Dynamics of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide mediated reaction of phenylsulfinylacetic acid with Cr(VI): Treatment of pseudo-phase models

micellar effect % Hammett correlation % Piszkiewicz cooperative model KR nema The influence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTon the oxidative decarboxylation of phenylsulfinylacetic acid, PSAA and several meta- and para-substituted PSAAs by Cr(VI) was investigated in 95 % H2O-5 % CH3CN medium. The rate profile displayed a peculiar trend with an initial rate increase at low [CTAB] followed by sharp rate inhibition at higher [CTAB]. The initial rate acceleration can be explained by strong binding of SO42- on the positively charged micellar surface. The specific partitioning of PSAA in micellar phase by hydrophobic interaction and the oxidizing species, HCrO3+ in aqueous phase by electrostatic repulsion accounted the rate retardation at higher [CTAB]. The Hammett plot with different substituted PSAAs showed an excellent correlation affording negative ? value which supports the proposed mechanism involving a sulfonium cation intermediate formation. The obtained ? value in CTmedium is found to be slightly lower than that in aqueous medium. The quantitative analysis of rate data for the inhibition shown by CTwas performed using Menger-Portnoy and Piszkiewicz pseudo-phase models. The binding constant for PSAA with micelle was evaluated from Piszkiewicz cooperative model.

Juvenile red swamp crayfish growth affected by isolation from their mother

The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii Girard, 1852) which is indigenous to North America, is the most commercially exploited species in astaciculture. Farming profitability depends mainly on crayfish growth rates. Thus research focused on factors affecting growth of crayfish is of high priority in this sector of aquaculture. Growth rate retardation related to social deprivation in crayfish has never been evaluated in crustaceans. The present experiment was carried out in order to compare growth rates of the Stage 3 juvenile red swamp crayfish from two offspring origins: maternal incubation and early separation from the mother. Juveniles were kept in three types of groups composed each by six individual: maternal incubated, early separated, and mix of both of them. Offspring origin significantly affected juvenile crayfish growth rates when maternally incubated individuals grew faster than crayfish from the other two group types. Moreover, the same significant differences were shown in number of moults. The results of the present study provide new insight into crayfish behaviour related to prior social experience of juveniles, but future studies are needed to verify our assumption.