Effects of Postpartum Supplemental Oral Ca for Dairy Cows Fed Prepartum Dietary Acidogenic Salts

Postpartum hypocalcemia is a problem in dairy cows. Both the Jersey vs. Holstein breed and increasing parity are known risk factors. Our objectives were: (1) to evaluate a simple approach to provide dietary acidogenic salts suitable for application on small dairies and (2) to evaluate the combined effects of degree of acidification and oral Ca supplementation along with breed and parity group on periparturient Ca status of Holstein and Jersey cows. Cows were moved weekly from the far-off dry pen at 260 days pregnant to the close-up pen, where all cows received the acidogenic diets. The diet was offered as a total mixed ration and CaCl2, and our source of acidogenic salts was top-dressed in liquid form and mixed in by hand. Thirty-six cows were blocked by parity group (parity = 2 vs. parity ≥ 3) and breed (Holstein vs. Jersey) and assigned to one of two treatments (no intervention or postpartum oral Ca bolus supplementation) in an alternating fashion, based on expected date of parturition. Urinary acidification appeared complete within 3–4 days. Increased urinary Ca excretion was >93% of maximum from 7–21 days before falling to <5% of maximum by 28 days. Serum Ca concentrations 12–24 h postpartum were lower for Jerseys vs. Holsteins and for parity ≥ 3 vs. parity = 2 cows. Serum Ca over 6–48 h postpartum decreased and increased, respectively, with oral Ca supplementation for parity = 2 and parity ≥ 3 cows. Decreased prepartum urinary Ca excretion and increased colostrum yield appear to be independent risk factors of hypocalcemia for parity ≥ 3 Jerseys.

Acidity of rainfall samples in close vicinity of coal-fired power plant with wet cooling tower with flue gas injection

The paper presents measurement data concerning the degree of acidification of precipitation collected during a 6-month measurement campaign carried out in an immediate vicinity of a power plant, where the cooling tower was used for discharging flue gases as a product of coal combustion. As reference, data obtained from parallel measurements carried out at a monitoring station considered as city background station were used. High acidity of precipitation was anticipated due to reactions of acid gases contained in the combustion gases with water, which already occur inside the cooling tower. The results have not confirmed this assumption. The pH value of the precipitation samples was significantly higher than the pH of rainwater at the background station located 18 km away from the power plant.

DEGREE OF ACIDIFICATION OF RAW FODDER GRAIN DEPENDING ON PRESERVATION CONDITIONS

Fodder grain plays a priority role in ensuring high productivity of farm animals and poultry, revealing their genetic potential. Therefore, it is necessary to use the most advanced methods of grain preservation for the most complete preservation of the original feeding power. Such methods in recent years include the technology of sealed storage of raw fodder grain harvested before the complete maturation phase. Various biological and chemical additives are used to improve the preservation results. The use of such additives (due to the specific features of preserved raw materials) is obligatory. The authors conducted comparative tests of certain types of additives for processing raw fodder grains in the whole and flattened forms to determine the effect of different degree of compaction on the effectiveness of their preserving action. They made an experiment,and the quality of fermentation was determined using generally accepted methods. The raw grain isolated from air access is protected from spoilage due to acidification, so the effectiveness of using preservative additives was primarily determined by the effect on this indicator. The whole grain was put into storage with a higher moisture content (35%) than the flattened one (about 25%),which ensured its significantly better acidification regardless of the degree of compaction. A denser grain storage pattern provided better grain acidification regardless of grain moisture. From tested preparations, the flattened grain was better acidified by powdered sulphur at the medium degree of compaction for storage; the whole grain was better acidified by Biosil NN at the maximum degree of compaction. On average the preparations used in the experiment were arranged in the following sequence (as their influence on the degree of grain acidification weakened): powdered sulphur → biopreparations Biosil NN → chemical preservative Promir.

Short-term acidification detection in soils along the northern Dráva floodplain (SW Hungary) by means of Acid Neutralising Capacity (ANC) analysis

Various methods can be used for soil acidification monitoring, which can be useful towards remediation or preventing environmental degradation. It has been demonstrated that acidification can be made evident over the span of a few years, with proper monitoring. However, a reliance on pH as a main indicator can lead to detection inadequacies, especially where soils are relatively well buffered against acidity and acid deposition is negligible. A technique employing acid-neutralising capacity (ANC) derivation was applied to cultivated and uncultivated Alluvial Meadow soils to find out whether ANC data could prove effective in determining the occurrence and degree of acidification. Sampling and lab work were carried out between 2009 and 2010 on 33 sites under various land uses. Unlike pH, ANC, soil organic matter (SOM), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) decreased significantly. ANC analysis appears to be effective in detecting acidification trends over short periods and, in contrast to previous studies, under ostensibly unremarkable conditions.

Determination of the Corrosiveness of a Lubricating Oil by a Corrosion Sensor

The degree of acidification is considered a crucial property of lubricating oils for some applications, e.g. gas engines, as corrosive wear of machine components may be caused by acidic contaminations. For this reason, a sensor concept using the effect of material loss of a thin metal film due to corrosion is proposed. The corrosion of these films prepared from lead has been monitored electrically. In laboratory tests, the sensors were immersed in a series of oils characterized by different types and amounts of acidic components. The usefulness of the proposed sensor concept is also illustrated by corrosion tests with used oil samples taken from engines. The experiments clearly showed a correlation of corrosion rate with acidification expressed as TAN.

Inhibition by chromium and cadmium of anaerobic acidogenesis

The effects of chromium (III) and cadmium on the anaerobic acidogenesis of a simulated dairy waste were examined using serum vials. At Cd dosages less than 20 mg/l, the acidogenesis process was enhanced by the dosage, resulting in a higher degree of acidification, protein conversion, and hydrogen production than the control. At dosages over 20-mg/l, Cd inhibited the acidogenesis. The Cr (III) dosage of 5 mg/l reduced overall volatile fatty acid and alcohol generation, degree of acidification, conversions of lactose, lipid and protein, and total biogas production, with the exception of accumulation of hydrogen and propionate. At dosages exceeding 5 mg/l, Cr (III) had a severe inhibition on the acidogenesis. The Cd concentrations which caused a 50% reduction in total volatile fatty acid and alcohol production, degree of acidification and cumulative gas production were higher than the corresponding values caused by Cr (III), suggesting that Cr (III) was more toxic to acidogenic bacteria than Cd.

The Mode of Action of Polyene Antibiotics; Induced Entry of Hydrogen Ions as a Consequence of Polyene Action on the Cell Membrane of Candida albicans

Summary: The polyene antibiotic candicidin is a potent antifungal agent acting upon the cell membrane of Candida albicans. Destruction of selective permeability by polyenes allows cations to leak into the environment and permits the entry of protons to neutralize the charge so created, causing internal acidification. Quantitive studies on proton entry reveal that K+ leakage alone is not sufficient to account for the degree of acidification recorded. Extracts of untreated C. albicans, when acidified to the same extent, precipitated. Electron micrographs of candicidin treated C. albicans cells confirm this precipitation.

Effect of forms of nitrogen supply on mobilisation of phosphorus from a phosphate rock and acidification in the rhizosphere of tea

Nitrogen (N) is the main fertiliser input to tea plantations because of the large removal of this element with regular harvests of young shoots in the field. The form of N supply is known to influence the uptake of other plant nutrients, notably phosphorus (P), through its effect on soil pH in the rhizosphere. A glasshouse study was conducted to test the effect of N form (NH +4, NO-3 , or both) on the transformation of soil P in the rhizosphere and its availability to tea (Camellia sinensis L.) plants fertilised with sparingly soluble Eppawala phosphate rock (EPR). Four-month-old tea (TRI 2025) plants were grown in rhizosphere study containers containing an Ultisol from Sri Lanka (pH 4 ·5 in water) amended with EPR and KCl at 200 g P or K/g soil, and mixed with (NH4)2SO4 (100% NH+4 -N), NH4NO3 (50% NH+4 -N and 50% NO-3 -N), and Ca(NO3)2 (100% NO-3 -N) at the rate of 200 g N/g soil, with a control (no N fertiliser), as treatments. Rhizosphere pH decreased compared with the bulk soil when N was supplied as NH+4 or NH+4 +NO-3 forms, and increased when N was supplied as NO-3. The cation{anion balance estimations in the plants showed that the plants had taken up more NO-3 than NH+4 even in (NH4)2SO4 treated soil, suggesting high nitrification rates, especially in the rhizosphere, in spite of using a nitrification inhibitor. More EPR dissolved in the rhizosphere compared with that in the bulk soil, regardless of the N form applied. The (NH4)2SO4 treatment had the highest dissolution rate of EPR in the rhizosphere, whereas Ca(NO3)2 treatment had the lowest, reflecting the degree of acidification in the rhizosphere. Resin-P and NaOH-Pi (inorganic P) concentrations were lower and NaOH-Po (organic P) concentration was higher in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soil. Plant and possible microbial uptake of P is the main reason for the decrease in resin-P and NaOH-Pi. The increase in NaOH-Po concentration in the rhizosphere is believed to be due to transformation of Pi to Po by the high microbial activity in the rhizosphere. The (NH4)2SO4 treatment caused the highest depletion of resin-P but lowest depletion of NaOH-Pi, probably due to the fixation of P by the soils at the low pH in the rhizosphere. The study revealed that the use of the NH+4 form of fertiliser can increase acidification in tea rhizosphere compared with bulk soil and this can enhance the effectiveness of PR fertiliser utilisation by tea plants.

pH regulatory Na/H exchange by Amphiuma red blood cells.

In Amphiuma red blood cells, the Na/H exchanger has been shown to play a central role in the regulation of cell volume following cell shrinkage (Cala, P. M. 1980. Journal of General Physiology. 76:683-708.) The present study was designed to evaluate the existence of pH regulatory Na/H exchange in the Amphiuma red blood cell. The data illustrate that when the intracellular pHi was decreased below the normal value of 7.00, Na/H exchange was activated in proportion to the degree of acidification. Once activated, net Na/H exchange flux persisted until normal intracellular pH (6.9-7.0) was restored, with a half time of approximately 5 min. These observations established a pHi set point of 7.00 for the pH-activated Na/H exchange of Amphiuma red blood cell. This is in contrast to the behavior of osmotically shrunken Amphiuma red blood cells in which no pHi set point could be demonstrated. That is, when activated by cell shrinkage the Na/H exchange mediated net Na flux persisted until normal volume was restored regardless of pHi. In contrast, when activated by cell acidification, the Na/H exchanger functioned until pHi was restored to normal and cell volume appeared to have no effect on pH-activated Na/H exchange. Studies evaluating the kinetic and inferentially, the molecular equivalence of the volume and pHi-induced Amphiuma erythrocyte Na/H exchanger(s), indicated that the apparent Na affinity of the pH activated cells is four times greater than that of shrunken cells. The apparent Vmax is also higher (two times) in the pH activated cells, suggesting the involvement of two distinct populations of the transporter in pH and volume regulation. However, when analyzed in terms of a bisubstrate model, the same data are consistent with the conclusion that both pH and volume regulatory functions are mediated by the same transport protein. Taken together, these data support the conclusion that volume and pH are regulated by the same effector (Na/H exchanger) under the control of as yet unidentified, distinct and cross inhibitory volume and pH sensing mechanisms.