The Arbitrary Linear Plasma Solver (ALPS) is a parallelised numerical code that solves the dispersion relation in a hot (even relativistic) magnetised plasma with an arbitrary number of particle species with arbitrary gyrotropic equilibrium distribution functions for any direction of wave propagation with respect to the background field. ALPS reads the background momentum distributions as tables of values on a $(p_{\bot },p_{\Vert })$ grid, where $p_{\bot }$ and $p_{\Vert }$ are the momentum coordinates in the directions perpendicular and parallel to the background magnetic field, respectively. We present the mathematical and numerical approach used by ALPS and introduce our algorithms for the handling of poles and the analytic continuation for the Landau contour integral. We then show test calculations of dispersion relations for a selection of stable and unstable configurations in Maxwellian, bi-Maxwellian, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}$-distributed and Jüttner-distributed plasmas. These tests demonstrate that ALPS derives reliable plasma dispersion relations. ALPS will make it possible to determine the properties of waves and instabilities in the non-equilibrium plasmas that are frequently found in space, laboratory experiments and numerical simulations.

Chemical and physical treatments of barley grain increase ruminally resistant starch and can improve the rumen fermentation pattern. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of chemical (addition of citric acid, CA) and physical (grinding to two different particle sizes, PS) treatment of barley grain on performance, rumen fermentation, microbial protein yield in the rumen and selected blood metabolites in growing calves. In all, 28 male Holstein calves (172±5.1 kg initial BW) were used in a complete randomised design with a factorial arrangement of 2 barley grain particle sizes×2 levels of citric acid. The diets were as follows: (i) small PS (average 1200 µm) barley grain soaked in water (no CA addition); (ii) small PS barley grain soaked in a CA solution (adding 20 g CA/kg barley); (iii) large PS (average 2400 µm) barley grain soaked in water (no citric acid addition) and (iv) large PS barley grain soaked in a citric acid solution (adding 20 g CA/kg barley). Barley grain was then incorporated at 35% in a total mixed ration and fed to the calves for 11 weeks. Feeding small PS barley decreased feed intake (P=0.02) and average daily weight gain (P=0.01). The addition of CA to barley grain did not affect intake but increased weight gain (P<0.01) and improved feed to gain ratio (P=0.03). Digestibility of organic matter and NDF tended (P<0.10) to increase, whereas faecal scoring was improved (P=0.03) and the presence of undigested grain particles in faeces was reduced (P<0.01) with CA-treated barley grain. Glucose and urea concentrations were increased (P<0.01) in the blood of calves fed the CA-treated barley grain. Ruminal pH tended (P=0.08) to be decreased with more finely ground barley and was increased when barley grain was treated with CA. Total volatile fatty acid concentrations in the rumen did not differ among treatments (P>0.05). However, the molar proportion of propionate was increased (P=0.03) when barley was more finely ground, and that of acetate was increased (P=0.04) when CA was added to barley grain. The ruminal concentration of ammonia nitrogen was increased (P<0.01) and microbial nitrogen synthesis in the rumen tended to decrease by adding CA to barley. Treating barley grain with citric acid increased fibre digestibility of total mixed rations, attenuated the decrease in ruminal pH, and improved weight gain and feed efficiency in male Holstein growing calves fed a high-cereal diet (550 g cereal grain/kg diet).

The effect of feeding two levels of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the performance of crossbred Friesian calves was investigated. Twenty-four neonatal male Friesian × Baladi calves (35·5 ± 0·25 kg of initial body weight) were randomly assigned in a completely randomized design into three experimental groups for 90 days (eight calves per group). Calves fed their diets without yeast (S. cerevisiae) were considered as Control, while the diets of other calves were supplemented daily either with 2·5 g (YL diet) or with 5 g (YH diet) of yeast per calf. Calves fed the YH diet showed increased feed intake, while dry matter and fibre digestibilities were increased in calves fed YH and YL diets. Calves fed YL and YH diets showed lower ruminal ammonia-N and higher total volatile fatty acids, acetate and propionate concentrations than Control calves. Both YH and YL calves showed increased plasma concentrations of total protein, globulin and glucose and decreased cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations. Calves’ final weight and daily gain were increased with S. cerevisiae yeast supplemented diets. After 42 days of experiment, Clostridium spp., Escherichia coli and Enterobacteria spp. counts were down to undetectable levels in the faeces of calves fed S. cerevisiae additive. It could be concluded that adding S. cerevisiae to milk-fed calves increased feed utilization and improved pre-weaned calf performance and health status, reducing faecal pathogenic bacteria.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of adding xylanase enzyme (XY) to a basal diet containing 300 g maize stover and 700 g concentrate/kg dry matter (DM) on feed intake, ruminal fermentation, total tract and ruminal digestibility, as well as some blood parameters. Four male Rambouillet sheep (39 ± 1·8 kg body weight), with permanent rumen and duodenum cannulae were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. Sheep were fed a basal diet without xylanase addition (control, XY0), or with the addition of xylanase at 1 (XY1), 3 (XY3) or 6 (XY6) μl/g of diet DM for 84 days, with four 21-day experimental periods. Feed intake, digestibility and rumen fermentation parameters were determined on days 16–21 in each experimental period, and the apparent ruminal neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility was determined on days 16 and 17. Treatments XY1 and XY3 increased feed intake, whereas digestibility was increased with XY6. Ruminal NDF digestibility increased when sheep were fed diets treated with xylanase. Ruminal pH, ammonia-N and acetic acid increased with xylanase treated diets. Propionic acid concentration increased with diet XY1 at 3 h post-feeding, but after 9 h post-feeding its concentration decreased in the rumen of sheep fed xylanase treated diets. Xylanase had no effect on blood urea, phosphorus and triglycerides. Addition of xylanase at 6 µl/g DM in a diet containing 300 g maize stover and 700 g concentrate/kg DM and fed to Rambouillet sheep improved feed digestibility and ruminal fermentation without affecting blood parameters.

We demonstrate the fabrication by anodization of niobium oxide microcones, several microns long, from aqueous solutions of 1 wt% hydrogen fluoride (HF) with varied sodium fluoride (NaF) concentration (0–1 M). Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffractometer analysis revealed the as-grown microcones to be crystalline Nb2O5−x with preferred (1 0 0) and (0 1 0) orientations. The overall Nb2O5−x formation rate increased with the increasing NaF concentration, and structures as tall as 20 μm were achieved in just 20 min of anodization at 1 M NaF. Rapid formation of niobia microcones was even observed in the absence of HF at this NaF concentration. Photocatalytic activity for water oxidation was highest for microcones grown under the highest NaF concentration.

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is mainly caused by Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica parasites. Diagnosis of CL is predominately made by clinicians, who at times fail to detect the disease and are unable to identify parasite species. Here, we report the development of a chemiluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CL-ELISA) to measure the levels of anti-α-galactosyl antibodies in human sera. Using this assay, we have found that individuals infected with either Leishmania spp. had significantly elevated levels (up to 9-fold higher) of anti-α-Gal IgG compared to healthy control individuals. The assay sensitivity was 96% for L. major (95% CI; 94–98%) and 91% for L. tropica (95% CI; 86–98%) infections and therefore equivalent to restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction analysis of parasite ITS1 gene. In addition, the assay had higher sensitivity than microscopy analysis, which only detected 68 and 45% of the L. major and L. tropica infections, respectively. Interestingly, up to 2 years following confirmed CL cure individuals had 28-fold higher levels of anti-α-Gal IgG compared to healthy volunteers. Monitoring levels of anti-α-Gal antibodies can be exploited as both a diagnostic tool and as a biomarker of cure of Old World CL in disease elimination settings.

Sixteen Suffolk lambs with 29 ± 2·0 kg body weight were housed in individual cages for 60 days and allotted to four treatments in a completely randomized design to determine the effect of administration of Salix babylonica (SB) extract and/or exogenous enzymes (ZADO®) on lamb performance. Lambs were fed with 300 g/kg concentrate (160 g crude protein (CP)/kg, 13·4 MJ metabolizable energy (ME)/kg dry matter (DM)) and 700 g/kg maize silage (80 g/kg CP, 11·7 MJ ME/kg DM) as a basal diet (control). Another three treatments were tested; the SB extract was administered at 30 ml/day (SB) and exogenous enzymes ZADO® (i.e. an exogenous enzyme cocktail in a powder form) directly fed at 10 g/day (EZ), while the last treatment contained ZADO® at 10 g/day + SB extract at 30 ml/day (EZSB). Lambs of the treatment EZSB had the greatest average daily weight gain (ADG) and feed conversion throughout the period of the experiment. However, during the first 30 days SB was more effective for ADG than EZ and vice versa during the last 30 days of the experiment. Water consumption was greater for SB, followed by EZ and EZSB compared to the control. Intakes of DM and organic matter (OM) were the highest in EZSB followed by EZ, which had the greatest neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre (ADF) and nitrogen (N) intakes. The EZSB treatment had the greatest DM and OM digestibilities compared to the other treatments; however, SB had the greatest ADF digestibility. Combination of EZ and SB had the best N balance. Allantoin, total purine derivatives (PD), allantoin : -creatinine ratio, and PD : creatinine ratio were increased in EZSB compared to the other treatments. However, EZ supplementation increased uric acid concentration, whereas the microbial N (g N/day) and metabolizable protein (g N/day) were increased in EZSB versus the other treatments. It can be concluded that addition of 10 g ZADO® in combination with S. babylonica extract at 30 ml/day in the diet of lambs increased feed intake, nutrient digestibility and daily gain, with a positive impact on the use of N and microbial protein synthesis.

A two-stage in vitro procedure was used for assessing the activity of parotid saliva to enhance rumen digestion of tanniniferous browse foliage. The procedure consisted of pre-incubation in saliva for 4 h at 39 °C followed by incubation in diluted buffered rumen fluid. Using this procedure, a study was conducted to examine the effects of pre-incubation in sheep (SS), quebracho-supplemented sheep (qSS) and goat (GS) parotid saliva or in McDougall's artificial saliva (AS, used as control) on in vitro rumen fermentation kinetics (estimated using the gas production technique) of browse foliage from six shrub species (Cytisus scoparius, Genista florida, Rosa canina, Quercus pyrenaica, Cistus laurifolius and Erica australis) collected over two seasons (spring and autumn), thus varying the in vitro digestibility (from 0·597 to 0·903) and tannin contents (from 3 to 130 g tannic acid equivalent/kg dry matter (DM)). Saliva was collected from four sheep and four goats fed alfalfa hay, and from four sheep fed the same alfalfa hay but supplemented with quebracho (rich in condensed tannins) for 60 d, through a cannula inserted in the parotid duct, and rumen fluid was always from sheep fed alfalfa hay. The extent of degradation when browse foliage was pre-incubated in qSS was similar to that observed with control AS (0·449 v. 0·452, respectively), and 8% less than the value with pre-incubation in SS (0·490). In vitro fermentation kinetics (gas production parameters) of browse foliage were not significantly enhanced with pre-incubation in qSS compared with SS, whereas in vitro digestibility and extent of degradation in the rumen were significantly reduced with qSS compared with SS. After pre-incubation in sheep and goat saliva, the extent of browse foliage degradation was significantly increased by 4–8% compared with pre-incubation in the control AS. Fermentation efficiency of browse foliage was increased (P<0·05) with pre-incubation in GS compared with SS. Sheep or goat saliva may have some activity to affect in vitro rumen fermentation of the foliage samples incubated, enhancing extent of degradation of tannin-rich browse. However, a relationship between the magnitude of this effect and the tannin content of the browse foliage could not be established, suggesting that sheep and goat saliva may not be particularly important in neutralizing tannins.

By conducting a case-control study in two university hospitals, we explored the association between modifiable risk behaviours and diarrhoea. Children aged <5 years attending outpatient clinics for diarrhoea were matched by age and sex with controls. Data were collected on family demographics, socioeconomic indicators, and risk behaviour practices. Two rectal swabs and a stool specimen were collected from cases and controls. Samples were cultured for bacterial pathogens using standard techniques and tested by ELISA to detect rotavirus and Cryptosporidium spp. Four hundred cases and controls were enrolled between 2007 and 2009. The strongest independent risk factors for diarrhoea were: presence of another household member with diarrhoea [matched odds ratio (mOR) 4·9, 95% CI 2·8–8·4] in the week preceding the survey, introduction to a new kind of food (mOR 3, 95% CI 1·7–5·4), and the child being cared for outside home (mOR 2·6, 95% CI 1·3–5·2). While these risk factors are not identifiable, in some age groups more easily modifiable risk factors were identified including: having no soap for handwashing (mOR 6·3, 95% CI 1·2–33·9) for children aged 7–12 months, and pacifier use (mOR 1·9, 95% CI 1·0–3·5) in children aged 0–6 months. In total, the findings of this study suggest that community-based interventions to improve practices related to sanitation and hygiene, handwashing and food could be utilized to reduce the burden of diarrhoea in Egyptian children aged <5 years.

In the USA, infant formulas contain long-chain PUFA arachidonic acid (ARA) and DHA in a ratio of 2:1 and comprise roughly 0·66 g/100 g and 0·33 g/100 g total fatty acids (FA). Higher levels of dietary DHA appear to provide some advantages in visual or cognitive performance. The present study evaluated the effect of physiologically high dietary ARA on growth, clinical chemistry, haematology and immune function when DHA is 1·0 g/100 g total FA. On day 3 of age, formula-reared (FR) piglets were matched for weight and assigned to one of six milk replacer formulas. Diets varied in the ratio of ARA:DHA as follows (g/100 g FA/FA): A1, 0·1/1·0; A2, 0·53/1·0; A3-D3, 0·69/1·0; A4, 1·1/1·0; D2, 0·67/0·62; D1, 0·66/0·33. A seventh group was maternal-reared (MR) and remained with the dam during the study. Blood collection and body weight measurements were performed weekly, and piglets were killed on day 28 of age. No significant differences were found among any of the FR groups for formula intake, growth, clinical chemistry, haematology or immune status measurements. A few differences in clinical chemistry, haematology and immune function parameters between the MR pigs and the FR groups probably reflected a difference in growth rate. We conclude that the dietary ARA level up to 1·0 g/100 g total FA is safe and has no adverse effect on any of the safety outcomes measured, and confirm that DHA has no adverse effect when ARA is at 0·66 g/100 g FA.

In this work we report on the characteristics of (Ni/Au)/AlGaN/GaN/SiC Schottky barrier diode (SBD). A variety of electrical techniques such as capacitance-voltage (C-V) and deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements were used to characterize the diodes. We observed an hysteresis phenomenon on the C-V characteristics in the Schottky diode. The parasitic effect can be attributed to the presence of traps in the heterostructure. Deep defects analysis was performed by deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). One hole trap have been detected with an activation energy and a capture cross-section of 0.75 eV and 1.093 × 10−11 cm2. The localization and the identification of this trap have occurred and a correlation between the defect and the hysteresis phenomenon has been discussed. At high temperatures, the DLTS signal sometimes becomes negative, likely due to an artificial surface-state effect.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing levels of saponins from Quillaja saponaria on fatty acid (FA) composition and cholesterol content in muscle Longissimus dorsi of lambs. A total of 24 Barbarine lambs were assigned to four dietary treatments: control diet (C) consisting of oat hay ad libitum and 400 g of concentrate (80% barley, 17.5% soybean meal and 2.5% vitamin and mineral supplement); C diet plus 30 ppm of Q. saponaria L. (QS30); C diet plus 60 ppm of Quillaja (QS60); C diet plus 90 ppm of Quillaja (QS90). Saponin supplementation reduced the concentration of C14:1 cis-9 (P = 0.001) and of its desaturation index (P = 0.002). None of the FA intermediates of ruminal biohydrogenation (BH) was affected by Quillaja saponin supplementation (P > 0.05). The concentration of C20:4n-6 was higher in the meat of animals receiving 60 ppm of Quillaja than C and QS30 groups. Supplementing 60 ppm of Quillaja reduced the ratio between α-linolenic and linoleic acids compared with the C group (P = 0.023). We did not find any significant effect of Quillaja saponins on muscle cholesterol level. Further investigations are necessary to assess the metabolic fate of saponins in the rumen and to understand whether there is an effect of saponin on Δ9-desaturase enzyme activity, ruminal BH and cholesterol metabolism in ruminants. Supplementing up to 90 ppm of Quillaja saponins did not produce detrimental effects on the overall meat FA profile.