Effect of cycles of feed deprivation on growth and food consumption of immature three-spined sticklebacks and European minnows

Individual juvenile three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus and European minnow Phoxinus phoxinus, from sympatric populations, were subjected to four cycles of I week of food deprivation and 2 weeks of ad libitum feeding. Mean specific growth rate during the weeks of deprivation was negative and did not differ between species. The three-spined stickleback showed sufficient growth compensation to recover to the growth trajectory shown by control fish daily fed ad libitum. The compensation was generated by hyperphagia during the re-feeding periods, and in the last two periods of re-feeding, the gross growth efficiencies of deprived three-spined sticklebacks were greater than in control fish. The expression of the compensatory changes in growth and food consumption became clearer over the successive periods of re-feeding. The European minnow developed only a weak compensatory growth response and the mass trajectory of the deprived fish deviated more and more from the control trajectory During re-feeding periods, there were no significant differences in food consumption or gross growth efficiency between control and deprived European minnows. The differences between the two species are discussed in terms of the possible costs of compensatory growth, the control of growth and differences in feeding biology (C) 2003 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Effect of feeding frequency on growth, feed utilization, and size variation of juvenile gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

Juvenile (3.0 +/- 0.2 g) gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio ) were fed to satiation for 8 weeks to investigate the effect of feeding frequency on growth, feed utilization and size variation. Five feeding frequencies were tested: two meals per day (M2), three meals per day (M3), four meals per day (M4), 12 meals per day (M12) and 24 meals per day (M24). The results showed that daily food intake increased significantly with the increase in feeding frequency and there was no significant difference between daily food intakes in M12 and M24 treatments. Growth rate, feed efficiency increased significantly with increasing feeding frequencies. Size variation was not affected by feeding frequency. Apparent digestibility of dry matter was not influenced by feeding frequency, while apparent digestibility of protein and energy increased significantly at high feeding frequencies. The feeding frequency had no significant effect on the moisture, lipid, protein, or energy contents of gibel carp, while the ash content decreased with increased feeding frequency. It was recommended that 24 meals per day was the optimal feeding frequency for juvenile gibel carp.

Compensatory growth in the gibel carp following feed deprivation: temporal patterns in growth, nutrient deposition, feed intake and body composition

To investigate the nature of compenstory growth in fish, an 8 week study at 28 degreesC was performed on juvenile gibel carp Carassius auratus gibelio weighing 6.6 g. Fish were starved for 0 (control), 1 (Sl)or 2 (S2) weeks and then re-fed to satiation For 5 weeks. Weekly changes in weight gain, feed intake and body composition were monitored during re-feeding. No significant difference was found in final body weight between the three groups, indicating complete compensation in the deprived fish, The deprived groups caught up in body weight with that of the control after 2 weeks of re-feeding. Body fat:lean body mass ratio was restored to the control level within 1 week of re-feeding. In the re-feeding period, weekly gains in body weight, protein. lipid, ash and energy in the S1 group were significantly higher than in the controls for 1 week. For the S2 group, weekly gains in body weight. lipid. ash and energy were higher than in the controls for 2 weeks, and gain in protein was higher than in the controls for 3 weeks, though gain in body energy became elevated again during the last 2 weeks of the experiment. Feed intake remained higher than the control level for 3 weeks in the S1 group and 3 weeks in the SZ group. Growth efficiency was not significantly different among the three groups in any of the weeks during re-feeding. Compensatory responses in growth and especially feed intake tended to last longer than the recovery of body composition. (C) 2001 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Compensatory growth, feed utilization and activity in gibel carp, following feed deprivation

Following a period of food deprivation, gibel carp compensated for growth through increased feed intake and conversion efficiency, but increased conversion efficiency was not achieved by increasing digestibility or reducing activity. (C) 2000 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Growth and feed utilization by F-4 human growth hormone transgenic carp fed diets with different protein levels

The F-4 generation of human growth hormone (hGH) transgenic red common carp Cyprinus carpio had significantly higher growth rates than the non-transgenic controls. Protein and energy intakes were significantly higher in the transgenic carp than in the controls fed the 20% protein diet, but were not different between the two strains fed diets with 30 and 40% protein. Faecal protein loss, as a proportion of protein intake, was significantly lower in the transgenics than in the controls fed diets with 20 and 30% protein, but was not different between the two strains Fed diet with 40% protein. Faecal energy loss, as a proportion of energy intake, was significantly lower in the transgenics than in the controls fed diet with 20% protein, but was not different between the two strains fed diets with 30 and 40% protein. Recovered protein, as a proportion of protein intake, was significantly higher in the transgenics than in the controls fed all diets, whereas recovered energy was significantly higher in the transgenic fish fed the 40% protein diet. For fish fed each diet, the transgenics had significantly higher body contents of dry matter and protein, but lower contents of lipid than the controls. It was concluded that transgenics were more efficient in utilizing dietary protein than the controls. it a lower dietary protein level; transgenics achieved higher growth rates mainly by increasing feed intake; at higher levels of dietary protein, transgenics achieved higher growth rates mainly through a higher energy conversion efficiency. (C) 1998 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Numerical analysis for four-wave mixing based wavelength conversion of differential phase-shift keying signals

We numerically investigate the main constrains for high efficiency wavelength conversion of differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) signals based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF). Using multi-tone pump phase modulation techniques, high efficiency wavelength conversion of DPSK signals is achieved with the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) effects effectively suppressed. Our analysis shows that there is a compromise between conversion efficiency and converted idler degradation. By optimizing the pump phase modulation configuration, the converted DPSK idler's degradation can be dramatically decreased through balancing SBS suppression and pump phase modulation degradation. Our simulation results also show that these multi-tone pump phase modulation techniques are more appropriate for the future high bit rate systems.

High-average-power and high-conversion-efficiency continuous wave mode-locked Nd : YVO4 laser with a semiconductor absorber mirror

A high-power continuous wave (cw) mode-locked Nd:YVO4 solid-state laser was demonstrated by use of a semiconductor absorber mirror (SAM). The maximum average output power was 8.1 W and the optic-to-optic conversion efficiency was about 41 %. At the maximum incident pump power, the pulse width was about 8.6 ps and the repetition rate was 130 MHz. Experimental results indicated that this absorber was suitable for high power mode-locked solid-state lasers. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conversion of Soybean oil to Biodiesel Fuel with Immobilized Candida Lipase on Textile Cloth

The characteristic of biodiesel fuel production from transesterification of soybean oil is studied. The reactant solution is the mixture of soybean oil, methanol, and solvent. A new lipase immobilization method, textile cloth immobilization, was developed in this study. Immobilized Candida lipase sp. 99-125 was applied as the enzyme catalyst. The effect of flow rate of reaction liquid, solvents, reaction time, and water content on the biodiesel yield is investigated. Products analysis shows that the main components in biodiesel are methyl sterate, methyl hexadecanoate, methyl oleate, methyl linoleate, and methyl linolenate. The test results indicate that the maximum yield of biodiesel of 92% was obtained at the conditions of hexane being the solvent, water content being 20 wt%, and reaction time being 24 h.

Numerical analysis of four-wave-mixing based multichannel wavelength conversion techniques in fibers

We numerically investigate four-wave-mixing (FWM) based multichannel wavelength conversion for amplitude-modulated signals, phase-modulated signals, together with mixed amplitude and phase modulated signals. This paper also discusses the influence of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) effects on high-efficiency FWM-based wavelength conversion applications. Our simulation results show that DPSK signals are more suitable for FWM-based multichannel wavelength conversion because the OOK signals will suffer from the inevitable datapattern-dependent pump depletion. In future applications, when the modulation format is partially upgraded from OOK to DPSK, the influence of OOK signals on the updated DPSK signals must be considered when using multichannel wavelength conversion. This influence becomes severe with the increase of OOK channel number. It can be concluded that DPSK signals are more appropriate for both transmission and multichannel wavelength conversion,especially in long haul and high bit-rate system.

Modeling study on the flow, heat transfer and energy conversion characteristics of low-power arc-heated hydrogen/nitrogen thrusters

A modeling study is conducted to investigate the effect of hydrogen content in propellants on the plasma flow, heat transfer and energy conversion characteristics of low-power (kW class) arc-heated hydrogen/nitrogen thrusters (arcjets). 1:0 (pure hydrogen), 3:1 (to simulate decomposed ammonia), 2:1 (to simulate decomposed hydrazine) and 0:1 (pure nitrogen) hydrogen/nitrogen mixtures are chosen as the propellants. Both the gas flow region inside the thruster nozzle and the anode-nozzle wall are included in the computational domain in order to better treat the conjugate heat transfer between the gas flow region and the solid wall region. The axial variations of the enthalpy flux, kinetic energy flux, directed kinetic-energy flux, and momentum flux, all normalized to the mass flow rate of the propellant, are used to investigate the energy conversion process inside the thruster nozzle. The modeling results show that the values of the arc voltage, the gas axial-velocity at the thruster exit, and the specific impulse of the arcjet thruster all increase with increasing hydrogen content in the propellant, but the gas temperature at the nitrogen thruster exit is significantly higher than that for other three propellants. The flow, heat transfer, and energy conversion processes taking place in the thruster nozzle have some common features for all the four propellants. The propellant is heated mainly in the near-cathode and constrictor region, accompanied with a rapid increase of the enthalpy flux, and after achieving its maximum value, the enthalpy flux decreases appreciably due to the conversion of gas internal energy into its kinetic energy in the divergent segment of the thruster nozzle. The kinetic energy flux, directed kinetic energy flux and momentum flux also increase at first due to the arc heating and the thermodynamic expansion, assume their maximum inside the nozzle and then decrease gradually as the propellant flows toward the thruster exit. It is found that a large energy loss (31-52%) occurs in the thruster nozzle due to the heat transfer to the nozzle wall and too long nozzle is not necessary. Modeling results for the NASA 1-kW class arcjet thruster with hydrogen or decomposed hydrazine as the propellant are found to compare favorably with available experimental data.

Direct decomposition of NO activated by microwave discharge

The environmentally friendly removal of NO has been investigated using continuous microwave discharge (CMD) at atmospheric pressure. In these experiments, conversions of NO to N-2 as well as NO2 were mainly observed for both dry and wet feed gas, which showed a great difference from those observed with other discharge methods. The effects of a series of reaction parameters, including microwave input power, O-2 concentration, NO concentration, and gas flow rate, on the product distribution and energy efficiency were also studied. Under all reaction conditions, the conversions of NO to N-2 were higher than those to NO2. The highest conversion of NO to N-2 was 88%. The reaction rate of NO removal and the effects of the different discharge modes on NO conversion and product distribution are also discussed. Through comparison of the results of different discharge modes, it was found that the addition of CH4 apparently increased the conversion of NO to N-2 as well as the energy efficiency. A possible reaction process is suggested.

Combined single-pass conversion of methane via oxidative coupling and dehydroaromatization

A new reaction mode, i.e., the combined single-pass conversion of methane via oxidative coupling (OCM) over mixed metal oxide (SLC) catalysts and dehydroaromatization (MDA) over Mo/HZSM-5 catalysts, is reported. With the assistance of an OCM reaction over SLC catalysts in the top layer of the reactor, the deactivation resistance of Mo/HZSM-5 catalysts is remarkably enhanced. Under the selected reaction conditions, the CH(4) conversion decreased from similar to18 to similar to1% and the aromatics yield decreased from 12.8 to 0.1%, respectively, after running the reaction for 960 min on both 6Mo/HZSM-5 and SLC-6Mo/HZSM-5 catalyst system without O(2) in the feed. On the other hand, for the SLC-6Mo/HZSM-5 catalyst system with O(2) in the feed, the deactivation was improved greatly, and after 960 min onstream the CH(4) conversion and aromatics yield were still as high as 12.0 and 8.0%, respectively. The promotion effect mainly appears to be associated with in situ formation of CO(2) in the OCM layer, which reacts with coke via the reverse Boudouard reaction.

Novel activity of TiO2 for catalytic conversion of CO and H2O to alcohols in the presence of K2CO3

In the presence of K2CO3, TiO2 shows good catalytic activity and stability for the alcohols synthesis from CO and H2O. CO conversion of 7.6% and the STY of MeOH (about 24 mg g(-1) h(-1)) and EtOH (about 8 mg g(-1) h(-1)) are obtained under reaction conditions of T = 573 K, P = 0.5 MPa, CO flow rate of 30 ml min(-1) and CO/H2O = 3/2 during the period of 12 h to 44 h time-on-stream.

Graft chain propagation rate coefficients of acrylic acid in melt graft copolymerization with linear low density polyethylene

Graft chain propagation rate coefficients (k(p.g)) for grafting AA onto linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) in the melt in ESR tubes have been measured via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy in the temperature range from 130 to 170 degrees C. To exclude the effect of homopolymerization on the grafting. the LLDPE was pre-irradiated in the air by electron beam to generate the peroxides and then treated with iodide solution to eliminating one kind of peroxides, hydroperoxide. The monomer conversion is determined by FTIR and the chain propagation free-radical concentration is deduced from the double integration of the well-resolved ESR spectra, consisting nine lines in the melt. The temperature dependence of k(p.g) is expressed:The magnitude of k(p.g) from FTIR and ESR analysis is in good agreement with the theoretical data deduced from ethylene-AA copolymerization, suggesting this method could reliably and directly provide the propagation rate coefficient. The comparison of k(p.g) with the data extrapolated from solution polymerization at modest temperature indicates that the extrapolated data might not be entirely fitting to discuss the kinetics behavior in the melt.

Light energy conversion into H-2 by Anabaena variabilis mutant PK84 dense cultures exposed to nitrogen limitations

Concentrated cultures (25-86 mg Chl a l(-1)) of Anabaena variabilis PK84 were incubated under 99% Ar+1% CO2 atmosphere in the photobioreactor made of coaxial cylinders. Under illumination equal to 353 mu E m(-2) s(-1) they produced hydrogen with the rate more than 20 ml l(-1) h(-1) for several days. The efficiency of light energy conversion into H-2 was approx. 1% and did not depend significantly on initial Chl a concentration. H-2/O-2 ratio reached 41.5% of theoretical value for water photolysis. Data indicate that dense cultures might be used for outdoor systems under direct sun light. Supra-optimal temperatures 36 degrees C were not harmful for cultures even for 2 days period. Short-term incubation of cultures under 36 degrees C even increased H2 production rate and efficiency of light energy bioconversion by 1.25 times. (c) 2006 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.