Interspecific variation in wildlife responses to cattle, swine and chicken feed in the forests surrounding poultry farms.

To strengthen farm biosecurity, wildlife behaviors around livestock environments require significant attention. Livestock feed is considered one of essential factors that attract wildlife to the livestock environment. We experimentally studied wildlife response to cattle, swine, and chicken concentrated feeds in the forests surrounding poultry farms. In 14 feeding sites, four feed conditions were established: without feed (control); cattle feed; chicken feed; and swine feed. Wildlife behaviors at each feed point were monitored using infrared cameras. In 3,175 videos, 10 mammals were photographed on 10 or more occasions. Wildlife more frequently appeared at the points with feed than without feed. In addition, the number of videos that captured foraging or interest behaviors was largest for swine feed, followed by chicken feed, then cattle feed. There was a large difference among wildlife in their response to livestock feeds, although each species did not have a strong preference for a specific feed. Livestock feeds invite frequent visits by high and moderate response groups, especially omnivores and carnivores with omnivorous tendencies. Therefore, to protect against such wildlife intrusion, leftover feed and feed storage must be properly managed. This study also suggests that livestock feeds may not cause intrusions by rare response group species; hence, if their intrusions occur, they may be due to factors other than livestock feed. The study situation can partly reflect actual feed-stealing situations. The results will contribute to consider the properly management to protect livestock environments from wildlife intrusions.

Few-layer HfS2 transistors.

HfS2 is the novel transition metal dichalcogenide, which has not been experimentally investigated as the material for electron devices. As per the theoretical calculations, HfS2 has the potential for well-balanced mobility (1,800 cm(2)/V·s) and bandgap (1.2 eV) and hence it can be a good candidate for realizing low-power devices. In this paper, the fundamental properties of few-layer HfS2 flakes were experimentally evaluated. Micromechanical exfoliation using scotch tape extracted atomically thin HfS2 flakes with varying colour contrasts associated with the number of layers and resonant Raman peaks. We demonstrated the I-V characteristics of the back-gated few-layer (3.8 nm) HfS2 transistor with the robust current saturation. The on/off ratio was more than 10(4) and the maximum drain current of 0.2 µA/µm was observed. Moreover, using the electric double-layer gate structure with LiClO4:PEO electrolyte, the drain current of the HfS2 transistor significantly increased to 0.75 mA/µm and the mobility was estimated to be 45 cm(2)/V·s at least. This improved current seemed to indicate superior intrinsic properties of HfS2. These results provides the basic information for the experimental researches of electron devices based on HfS2.

Effects of hypoxia and glucose-removal condition on muscle contraction of the smooth muscles of porcine urinary bladder.

To elucidate the dependence of aerobic energy metabolism and utilization of glucose in contraction of urinary bladder smooth muscle, we investigated the changes in the reduced pyridine nucleotide (PNred) fluorescence, representing glycolysis activity, and determined the phosphocreatine (PCr) and ATP contents of the porcine urinary bladder during contractions induced by high K(+) or carbachol (CCh) and with and without hypoxia (achieved by bubbling N2 instead of O2) or in a glucose-free condition. Hyperosmotic addition of 65 mM KCl (H-65K(+)) and 1 µM CCh induced a phasic contraction followed by a tonic contraction. A glucose-free physiological salt solution (PSS) did not change the subsequent contractile responses to H-65K(+) and CCh. However, hypoxia significantly attenuated H-65K(+)- and CCh-induced contraction. H-65K(+) and CCh induced a sustained increase in PNred fluorescence, representing glycolysis activity. Hypoxia enhanced H-65K(+)- and CCh-induced increases in PNred fluorescence, whereas glucose-free PSS decreased these increases, significantly. In the presence of H-65K(+), hypoxia decreased the PCr and ATP contents; however, the glucose-free PSS did not change the PCr contents. In conclusion, we demonstrated that high K(+)- and CCh-induced contractions depend on aerobic metabolism and that an endogenous substrate may be utilized to maintain muscle contraction in a glucose-free PSS in the porcine urinary bladder.

Permeability-controlled optical modulator with Tri-gate metamaterial: control of permeability on InP-based photonic integration platform.

Metamaterials are artificially structured materials that can produce innovative optical functionalities such as negative refractive index, invisibility cloaking, and super-resolution imaging. Combining metamaterials with semiconductors enables us to develop novel optoelectronic devices based on the new concept of operation. Here we report the first experimental demonstration of a permeability-controlled waveguide optical modulator consisting of an InGaAsP/InP Mach-Zehnder interferometer with 'tri-gate' metamaterial attached on its arms. The tri-gate metamaterial consists of metal resonator arrays and triple-gate field effect elements. It changes its permeability with a change in the controlling gate voltage, thereby changing the refractive index of the interferometer arm to switch the modulator with an extinction ratio of 6.9 dB at a wavelength of 1.55 µm. The result shows the feasibility of InP-based photonic integrated devices that can produce new functions by controlling their permeability as well as their permittivity.

Evaluation of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography using perfluorobutane (Sonazoid(®)) in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma: comparison with dynamic computed tomography.

This study aimed to elucidate the efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) with perfluorobutane (Sonazoid(®)) in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), particularly small HCCs, by comparing the results with dynamic computed tomography (Dy-CT). Seventy-nine nodules in 69 patients with chronic liver disease, suspected as HCCs were studied. The nodules were selected based on the results of B-mode ultrasonography and/or Dy-CT conducted between January and August 2007. The nodules were divided into two groups: the S-group with tumors ≤2 cm (49 nodules), and the L-group with tumors >2 cm (30 nodules). Typical HCCs were defined, and the nodules were enhanced and shown as defects in the arterial and late phase of Dy-CT, respectively. Target lesions were scanned using CEUS, and the results were compared with those of Dy-CT. The L-group nodules diagnosed as HCCs using Dy-CT were also diagnosed as HCCs using CEUS. In the S-group, the diagnostic sensitivity of CEUS was 94.7% and the specificity was 81.8%. We diagnosed two liver tumors that were detected by CEUS but not by Dy-CT; biopsies revealed one tumor to be a well-differentiated HCC and the other to be an atypical adenomatous hyperplasia. The sensitivity and specificity of CEUS against HCC were high even in the small-size HCCs. Thus, Sonazoid is useful in the screening for small HCCs.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in congenital diaphragmatic hernia during mechanical ventilation.

PURPOSE: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is detected in lung tissues subjected to ventilator-induced injury and is involved in the process of lung injury. We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of MMP-9 in the bilateral lungs of newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) during mechanical ventilation and evaluated the degree of damage based on MMP-9 expression. METHODS: Lung tissue samples were obtained during autopsy from six newborns with CDH. Control lung tissue samples were obtained from two of these newborns; one who died of persistent pulmonary hypertension after being ventilated for 2 days, but whose bilateral lungs were not subjected to the compressions of herniation, and one who died of bilateral diaphragmatic hernias soon after birth, but was not subjected to artificial ventilation. The other four newborns with CDH had unilateral Bochdalek hernias. Immunohistochemical detection of MMP-9 expression was done using a wet autoclave antigen retrieval method on sections from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded lung tissue. RESULTS: The reaction and distribution of MMP-9 was strongly positive in the alveolar macrophages in thickened alveolar septi and ducts, and in the inflammatory cells around the parenchymal hemorrhage and intra-alveolar spaces. Only the four patients with unilateral Bochdalek hernia had widely positive MMP-9 immunoreactivity in the unaffected side, as well as the affected side. CONCLUSIONS: Based on MMP-9 expression, the lungs of newborns with CDH were damaged bilaterally during mechanical ventilation.

Design and experiments of a near-field optical disk head for very high efficiency.

A high-density optical disk system with super parallel optical heads using a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array is described for higher data transfer rate and technological capability. Optical heads of the VCSEL array and microlens array play key roles for obtaining higher evanescent light from small apertures with the optical disk, which is coated with lubricant and protective films on the flat surface in order to keep the gap between the super parallel optical head and the disk surface within 20 nm. Higher throughput efficiency has been obtained in the near-field semiconductor optical probe array head. However, the obtained evanescent light power is about 10 microW from a 100 nm probe aperture and 1 m W VCSEL power, which is still not enough to write a bit on the phase change optical disk. One solution to improve the optical power more than 10 times is to develop a special nanofabricated optical probe array of higher throughput efficiency. A metal fine grating fabrication method to get evanescent light wave resonant enhancement has been studied along with a 2-dimensional finite difference time domain simulation technique.

Young's double-slit interference observation of hot electrons in semiconductors.

We have carried out Young's double-slit experiment for the hot-electron wave in man-made semiconductor structures with a 25-nm-space double slit in an InP layer buried within GaInAs, a 190-nm-thick GaInAsP hot-electron wave propagation layer, and a collector array of 80 nm pitch. At 4.2 K, dependences of the collector current on the magnetic field were measured and found to agree clearly with the double-slit interference theory. The present results show evidence for the wave front spread of hot electrons using the three-dimensional state in materials, for the first time, and the possibility of using top-down fabrication techniques to achieve quantum wave front control in materials.

Detection of peripherally inserted central catheter occlusion by in-line pressure monitoring.

BACKGROUND: Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) are being increasingly used in neonatal practice. Their use is not without technical difficulty. This report describes the use of continuous pressure monitoring to detect catheter occlusion in critically ill neonates. METHODS: In-line venous pressure of the PICC line was monitored by pressure transducer in neonates; 28-gauge 20 cm PICC or 29-gauge 25 cm PICC were used. RESULTS: In-line pressure of the PICC was monitored 64 times in 50 neonates. Increases in the in-line pressure were observed when the catheter tip was against the vessel wall and the catheter was obstructed partially or completely. Decreases were observed when the infusion syringe was changed and when an inappropriate infusion rate was set. Two infants experienced marked variations of blood pressure due to intermittent catheter occlusion of the tip against the vessel wall. These infants were receiving dopamine via a PICC line. CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill infants, in-line pressure monitoring of the PICC is helpful in detecting the occlusion of the catheter.