The application of nonlinear programming on ration formulation for dairy cattle

The objective of this study was to compare the application of iterative linear programming (iteLP), sequential quadratic programming (SQP), and mixed-integer nonlinear programming-based deterministic global optimization (MINLP_DGO) on ration formulation for dairy cattle based on Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle (NRC, 2001). Least-cost diets were formulated for lactating cows, dry cows, and heifers. Nutrient requirements including energy, protein, and minerals, along with other limitations on dry matter intake, neutral detergent fiber, and fat were considered as constraints. Five hundred simulations were conducted, with each simulation randomly selecting 3 roughages and 5 concentrates from the feed table in NRC (2001) as the feed resource for each of 3 animal groups. Among the 500 simulations for lactating cows, 57, 45, and 21 simulations did not yield a feasible solution when using iteLP, SQP, and MINLP_DGO, respectively. All the simulations for dry cows and heifers were feasible when using SQP and MINLP_DGO, but 49 and 11 infeasible simulations occurred when using iteLP for dry cows and heifers, respectively. The average ration costs per animal per day of the feasible solutions obtained by iteLP, SQP, and MINLP_DGO were $4.78 (±0.71), $4.45 (±0.65), and $4.44 (±0.65) for lactating cows; $2.39 (±0.52), $1.48 (±0.26), and $1.48 (±0.26) for dry cows; and $0.98 (±0.72), $0.97 (±0.15), and $0.91 (±0.14) for heifers, respectively. The average computation time of iteLP, SQP, and MINLP_DGO were 0.59 (±1.87) s, 1.15 (±0.62) s, and 58.69 (±68.45) s for lactating cows; 0.041 (±0.070) s, 0.76 (±0.37) s, and 14.84 (±39.09) s for dry cows; and 1.60 (±2.90) s, 0.51 (±0.19) s, and 16.45 (±45.56) s for heifers, respectively. In conclusion, iteLP had limited capability of formulating least-cost diets when nonlinearity existed in the constraints. Both SQP and MINLP_DGO handled the nonlinear constraints well, with SQP being faster, whereas MINLP_DGO was able to return a feasible solution under some situations where SQP could not.

Phosphorus digestibility and phytate degradation by yearlings and mature horses

Inorganic P is often added to growing horse diets because organic P, or phytate-P, is believed to have lower digestibility. If horses can efficiently digest organic P, then the need for inorganic P may be reduced. Much of the P in grain-based concentrates fed to growing horses is in the form of phytate-P. Little is known about the ability of growing horses to degrade phytate-P or whether horse age affects mineral digestion in horses. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of age on P, Ca, and Mg digestibility as well as phytate-P degradation. Four yearling geldings and 4 mature geldings were fed a diet of alfalfa cubes, timothy cubes, and a pelleted concentrate. The diet contained 0.28% total P and 17.4% of that P was in the phytate form. There was a 14-d diet adaptation period followed by a 4-d fecal collection period. Apparent total tract P digestibility was higher for yearlings than mature geldings ( = 0.036; 7.7 and -6.6% for yearlings and mature geldings, respectively). Phytate-P disappearance was 94.8% and did not differ between ages ( = 0.190). Apparent Ca digestibility was lower in mature geldings ( = 0.043), but apparent Mg digestibility did not differ between ages ( = 0.414). Phytate is broken down in the gastrointestinal tract, but the low P digestibilities suggest that either degradation occurs after the site of P absorption or liberated P is recycled back into the gastrointestinal tract. Yearlings can utilize organic P as well as mature horses; therefore, diets without inorganic P are acceptable for growing horses.

Chemical characteristics and methane potentials of source-separated and pre-treated organic municipal solid waste

A research project has investigated the biogas potential of pre-screened source-separated organic waste. Wastes from five Danish cities have been pre-treated by three methods: screw press; disc screen; and shredder and magnet. This paper outlines the sampling procedure used, the chemical composition of the wastes and the estimated methane potentials.

Geomagnetic disturbance associated with decrease in heart rate variability in a subarctic area

BACKGROUND

Physical environmental variables, such as the natural variation in the geomagnetic field in and around the earth, influence biological processes and human health. The effect of geomagnetic disturbances on heart rate variability (HRV) in healthy students in a subarctic area is studied herein.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Seven-day records by Holter ECG were obtained from eight clinically healthy subjects in Alta, Norway (70 N). Frequency- and time-domain measures of HRV were compared between 24-hour spans of high geomagnetic disturbance versus quiet conditions.

RESULTS

A 5.9% increase in the 24-hour average of HR (P = 0.020) and a 25.2% decrease in HRV (P = 0.002) were documented on days of high geomagnetic disturbance. The decrease in spectral power was found primarily at frequencies lower than 0.04 Hz and was not statistically significant around 3.6 sec.

CONCLUSIONS

The physiological mechanism involved may be other than the parasympathetic, usually identified with spectral power centered around 3.6 sec, a spectral region wherein no statistically significant differences were found.

Alternating light-darkness-influenced human electrocardiographic magnetoreception in association with geomagnetic pulsations

Geomagnetic variations of partly interplanetary origin, with cyclic signatures in human affairs and pathology include the incidence of various diseases, regarding which this study of healthy subjects attempted to determine an underlying mechanism by worldwide archival and physiological monitoring, notably of heart rate variability (HRV). In the past half-century, the possible health and other hazards of natural, solar variability-driven temporal variations in the earth's magnetic field have become a controversial subject in view of the inconsistent results. Some well-documented claims of associations between geomagnetic storms and myocardial infarction or stroke have been rejected by a study based on more comprehensive data analyzed by rigorous methods - covering, however, only part of a solar cycle in only part of a hemisphere. It seems possible that inter-solar cycle and geographic variability, if not geographic differences, may account for discrepancies. Herein, we examine the start of a planetary study on any influence of geomagnetic disturbances that are most pronounced in the auroral oval, on human HRV. The magnetic field variations exhibit complex spectra and include the frequency band between 0.001-10 Hz, which is regarded as ultra-low frequency by physicists. Since the 'ultra-low-frequency' range, like other endpoints used in cardiology, refers to much higher frequencies than the about-yearly changes that are here shown to play a role in environmental-organismic interactions revealed by HRV, the current designations used in cardiology are all placed in quotation marks to indicate the need for possible revision. Whether or not this suggestion has an immediate response, we have pointed to a need for the development of instrumentation and software that renders the assessment of circadian, infradian and even infra-annual (truly low frequency) modulations routinely feasible. HRV was examined on the basis of nearly continuous 7-day records by ECG between December 10, 1998, and November 2, 2000, on 19 clinically healthy subjects, 21 to 54 years of age, in Alta, Norway. A geomagnetic record was obtained from the Auroral Observatory of the University of Tromsø. First, frequency-domain measures of HRV were compared for each person in 24-hour spans of high geomagnetic disturbance versus quiet conditions. Second, cross-spectra between geomagnetic activity and HRV measures were quantified via the squared coherence spectrum using 7-day time series. A 7.5% increase in the 24-hour average of heart rate, HR (P = 0.00020) and a decrease in HRV were documented on days of high geomagnetic disturbance. The decrease in HRV was validated statistically for the 'total frequency', 'TF' endpoint (18.6% decrease, P= 0.00009). The decrease in spectral power was found primarily in the 'circaminutan frequency', 'VLF' (21.9% decrease, P< 0.000001) in conjunction with the 'minutes-to-hours' component, ultra-low-frequency, 'ULF' (15.5% decrease, P= 0.00865) and circadecasecundan 'low frequency', 'LF' (14.2% decrease, P = 0.00187) regions of the spectrum. Power-law scaling of the power spectra did not show any statistically significant difference. It is noteworthy that most of the decrease in HRV, except for the circaminutan (VLF) component, was observed only in the season in which sunshine alternated with darkness (D/L), a finding suggesting a mechanism influenced by the alternation of light and darkness. The hypothesis of a light-dark-influenced magnetoreception was also supported by cross-spectral analysis. Group-averaged coherence at frequencies coincident with the geomagnetic Pc 6 pulsations (with periods ranging from 10 minutes to 5 hours) differed with a statistical significance (P < 0.000001) among the three natural lighting conditions, the association being weaker during UL or D/D than during D/L. By contrast, no statistically significant differences were found in terms of the circadian and circasemidian frequencies in relation to the alternation of sunshine with darkness or rather circannual rhythm stage. In conclusion, evidence is provided herein that an alteration of HRV is most apparent in the circaminutan ('VLF') region, which is clinically important, because a reduction in its power is a predictor of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. The circadecasecundan ('LF') component of HRV also decreased in association with geomagnetic disturbance, which may reflect an episodic alteration of arterial pressure related to changes in geomagnetic activity. Lastly, our study suggests the existence of a light-dark-influenced magnetoreception mechanism in humans involving mainly the Pc 6 band of the magnetic field.

[Logbook. A possible method]

The European board of psychiatry recommends the use of a logbook and checklist. There has been discussion about the extent of registration--and the resources involved. We present a simple method of registering supervision. Trainees make a daily report of the amount of supervision received. The trial period was divided into two sections: March, April and May 1997; (training intensive) and June, July and August 1997; (holiday season). The trainees responded well to the logbook, the answering rate was 94.2% in the first period, 60.9% in the holiday season. Calculations based on the first period show that trainees receive supervision during 9.8% of their working hours (range 4.8-16.0). Twenty-nine percent of supervision is of the direct variety, where both trainer and trainee are present. This variety suffers during holiday season. This type of logbook provides an opportunity to be directed in training activities, with a minimum of resources involved.

A mutation of pyruvate carboxylase in fibroblasts from a patient with severe, chronic lactic acidaemia

Pyruvate carboxylase activity was investigated in cultured fibroblasts from a patient shown to have hepatic pyruvate carboxylase deficiency. Under standard conditions, the activity in fibroblasts was 50% of controls (p less than 0.001). Kinetic investigations of the enzyme showed abnormal protein linearity with low activity at low protein concentration. Mixture of homogenates from the patient and a control revealed no endogenous inhibitor. Temperature stability of the mutant enzyme was similar to controls. Apparent kinetic constants for the substrates bicarbonate, ATP and pyruvate were in the patient 2.6 mmol/l, 0.08 mmol/l and 0.10 mmol/l compared to 2.1 mmol/l, 0.13 mmol/l and 0.22 mmol/l in controls, respectively. The 50% inhibitory concentration of oxaloacetate was 0.5 mmol/l in controls. However, no inhibitory effect of oxaloacetate was found for pyruvate carboxylase in fibroblasts from the patient. With acetyl-CoA, the apparent activation constant was 0.21 mmol/l in controls and 0.10 mmol/l in the patient, while the Hill coefficients were similar. These results may be explained by a mutation primarily affecting the transcarboxylation site of pyruvate carboxylase from the patient.

Succinate dehydrogenase activity in cultured human skin fibroblasts and amniotic fluid cells. A methodological study

Through a methodological evaluation, reliable histochemical and biochemical methods for succinate dehydrogenase activity in cultured human skin fibroblasts and amniotic fluid cells were developed. The histochemical method includes a cleaning of the cultured cells in 1 mM malonate in 0.9% NaCl, air-drying and fixation in acetone (5 min at -20 degrees C), coating of cells with CoQ10 (0.2 mg/ml in ether/acetone) and incubation for 1 h at 37 degrees C in 50 mM succinate and 0.5 mg/ml Nitro BT in 200 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.6 PMS as an intermediate electron carrier was found inferior to exogenous CoQ10. Both types of cells exhibit equal activity. In the biochemical method homogenizing was performed in 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.5, and 200 mM sucrose. The standard incubation was 2.0 mM INT and 10 mM succinate in 10 mM Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.5 for 1 h at 37 degrees C. The apparent Km values for INT and succinate were estimated to 0.39 mM and 0.13 mM, respectively, while I0.5 for malonate was 0.46 mM. Activity in amniotic fluid cells was 18.1 pkat/mg protein and in human skin fibroblasts 20.3 pkat/mg protein. Specificity of the methods was tested by use of a Chinese hamster fibroblast strain B9 known to be succinate dehydrogenase deficient in addition to various control experiments. Congruent results were obtained with the two methods.

Determination of pyruvate dehydrogenase in cultured human fibroblasts and amniotic fluid cells

A new assay method for pyruvate dehydrogenase in platelets [1] using in situ generation of [1-14C]pyruvate from [1-14C]lactate has been further developed for the use in cultured human fibroblasts and amniotic fluid cells. A very low blank rate was found compared to the method using [1-14C]pyruvate as substrate and an activity of 20 times the blank was obtained in normal fibroblasts and amniotic fluid cells. The pyruvate dehydrogenase was linear with time and protein concentration. The activity was greatly decreased by addition of non-radioactive pyruvate to the assay mixture and by preincubation with ATP. The cofactor requirement was similar to pyruvate dehydrogenase from other sources. Normal activities in cultured human fibroblasts and amniotic fluid cells were 13.9 pkat/mg protein (n = 15) and 21.7 pkat/mg protein (n = 10), respectively. The method was found to be very reliable and makes the diagnosis of pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency possible in easily accessible tissue such as cultured fibroblasts. Prenatal diagnosis may also be a possibility.

Studies on pyruvate carboxylase, pyruvate decarboxylase and lipoamide dehydrogenase in subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy

In two autopsy-proven cases of subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy (SNE, Leigh's Disease) the activities of pyruvate carboxylase, pyruvate decarboxylase and lipoamide dehydrogenase were investigated in cultured fibroblasts. Normal activities of pyruvate carboxylase and lipoamide dehydrogenase were found in both cases. The activity of pyruvate decarboxylase was low in one of the cases (p less than 0.05), while the activity in the other was within normal limits. The concentrations of alanine, lactate and pyruvate were normal or only slightly increased. The relationship between SNE and a defect in pyruvate metabolism is under discussion, and it is concluded that the general assumption that pyruvate carboxylase deficiency is the cause of SNE is not in agreement with our results or the present literature. However, pyruvate decarboxylase deficiency may in some cases contribute to the development of SNE.

Studies on pyruvate carboxylase from cultured human fibroblasts and amniotic fluid cells

The properties of pyruvate carboxylase in cultured human fibroblasts were investigated. A pH optimum around pH 7.6 was found in Tris buffer at 37 degrees C. The apparent Km for pyruvate and bicarbonate were 0.22 mmol/l and 2.1 mmol/l respectively. The activity of the crude homogenate was most stable at room temperature. The major end product was identified as citric acid during the assay conditions used. During growth the specific activity increased from 0.5 to 2 nmol/min per mg protein. The activity of pyruvate carboxylase in the crude homogenate from cultured human fibroblasts was 0.76 +/- 0.12 nmol/min per mg protein, while the activity in cultured amniotic fluid cells was 0.66 +/- 0.17 nmol/min per mg protein, suggesting the possibility of prenatal diagnosis of pyruvate carboxylase deficiency.