370 research outputs found
Gezamenlijk richting dier-voeding interactomics = Collectively heading for animal-nutrition interactomics
No full textRede, gehouden door Prof. dr. ir. Wouter H. Hendriks waarin hij een korte schets geeft van zijn "huidige visie" op het vakgebied
Disruption of the developmental programme of Trypanosoma brucei by genetic ablation of TbZFP1, a differentiation-enriched CCCH protein
No full textThe regulation of differentiation is particularly important in microbial eukaryotes that inhabit multiple environments. The parasite Trypanosoma brucei is an extreme example of this, requiring exquisite gene regulation during transmission from mammals to the tsetse fly vector. Unusually, trypanosomes rely almost exclusively on post-transcriptional mechanisms for regulated gene expression. Hence, RNA binding proteins are potentially of great significance in controlling stage-regulated processes. We have previously identified TbZFP1 as a trypanosome molecule transiently enriched during differentiation to tsetse midgut procyclic forms. This small protein (101 amino acids) contains the unusual CCCH zinc finger, an RNA binding motif. Here, we show that genetic ablation of TbZFP1 compromises repositioning of the mitochondrial genome, a specific event in the strictly regulated differentiation programme. Despite this, other events that occur both before and after this remain intact. Significantly, this phenotype correlates with the TbZFP1 expression profile during differentiation. This is the first genetic disruption of a developmental regulator in T. brucei. It demonstrates that programmed events in parasite development can be uncoupled at the molecular level. It also further supports the importance of CCCH proteins in key aspects of trypanosome cell function
O-methylisourea can react with the α-amino group of lysine: Implications for the analysis of reactive lysine
No full textThe specificity of O-methylisourea (OMIU) to bind to the ε-amino group of Lys, an important supposition for the OMIU-reactive Lys analysis of foods, feeds, ingredients, and digesta, was investigated. Crystalline L-Lys incubated under standard conditions with OMIU resulted in low homoarginine recoveries. The reaction of OMIU with the α-amino group of Lys was confirmed by MS analysis, with double derivatized Lys being identified. None of the changes in reaction conditions (OMIU pH, OMIU to Lys ratio, and reaction time) with crystalline L-Lys resulted in 100% recovery of homoarginine. The average free Lys content in ileal digesta of growing pigs and broilers was found to be 13% of total Lys, which could result in a significant underestimation of the reactive Lys content. The reaction of OMIU with α-amino groups may necessitate analysis of free Lys to accurately quantify reactive lysine in samples containing a large proportion of Lys with a free α-amino group
Environmental impacts during the operational phase of residential buildings
No full textTo date, the focus in the field of sustainable building has been on new building design. However, existing residential buildings inflict great environmental burden through three causes: continuous energy consumption, regular building maintenance and replacements. This publication analyses and compares these three causes of environmental burden and shows that material resources needed for replacements generally have a limited potential to reduce environmental impact. Reducing energy consumption for climate control and electrical appliances is much more effective. According to the author, sustainable measures should be tested for shifts in the kind of environmental impact caused due to the use of alternative types of energy resources and altered material quantities. The sustainability of the electricity supply is essential to decrease the total environmental impact of the residential building stock.Sustainable and Healthy HousingOTB Research Institut
Browse species from Ethiopia: role in methane reduction and nematode control in goats
No full textThe aim of the research reported in this thesis was to evaluate browse species collected from Ethiopia for preference by goats, and for their in vitro anthelmintic and methane (CH4) reduction properties. During the conduct of the studies observations were made warranting a further aim, to compare in vitro fermentation patterns of browse species using inocula from goats and cows kept on identical dietary regime. The preference of browse species using dry matter intake (DMI) as a proxy and in combination with polyethylene glycol (PEG), relationships between browse species intake and chemical composition were determined in Chapter 2. Air-dried leaves of Acacia etbaica, Cadaba farinosa, Capparis tomentosa, Dichrostachys cinerea, Dodonaea angustifolia, Euclea racemosa, Maerua angolensis, Maytenus senegalensis, Rhus natalensis and Senna singueana were used. Two cafeteria trials, each lasting 10 days were conducted using goats receiving a daily ration of grass hay and wheat bran, without (trial 1) or with (trial 2) the inclusion of PEG. Preference measured as the first 10 min browse DMI differed significantly among browse species and with PEG (PD. cinerea, R. natalensis and A. etbaica were the most preferred species regardless of PEG presence. Preference appeared to be based on digestible fibre fraction, hemicellulose rather than tannin levels in the browse species. Extracts of the 10 browse species were evaluated for their anthelmintic activity against Haemonchus contortus (Chapter 3). The larval exsheathment inhibition assay (LEIA) was applied using H. contortus third stage larvae (L3) in a dose dependent manner with extract concentrations of 0, 150, 300, 600, 1200 µg/ml phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The role of polyphenols in the inhibition against L3 was evaluated using polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP). All browse extracts significantly (PC. farinosa and lowest in E. racemosa and M. senegalensis. Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone treated A. etbaica, C. tomentosa, M. angolensis, R. natalensis and D. cinerea were different (PE. racemosa, M. senegalensis, D. angustifolia and S. singueana, and control suggest that inhibition was mostly attributable to tannins and other polyphenols. Browse species anthelmintic property against H. contortus L3 was due to the presence of phenolic and non-phenolic compounds. In vitro gas production (GP), CH4, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) of the 10 browse species were determined using PEG 6000 in Chapter 4. Proanthocyanidins (PA) were quantified using a modified HCl-butanol method and PA composition was determined by UPLC-DAD, with detection of other polyphenols by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Substrates were inoculated in buffered goat rumen fluid with or without PEG 6000 for 72 h to measure GP with head space gas sample measurements taken at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 30, 48, 54, and 72 h for CH4. At the end of incubation, VFA, ammonia (NH3) and IVOMD were determined. Increased (Pin vitro fermentative activities with possible minor effects of other phenolic and non-phenolic components. Due to unusual fermentation patterns observed in Chapter 4, a comparison was made between goat and cow inocula on in vitro gas and CH4 production and kinetics parameters as well as VFA production in Chapter 5. Leaves of A. etbaica, C. tomentosa, D. cinerea, R. natalensis, freeze-dried maize and grass silage, and a concentrate were inoculated for 72 h to measure GP, in buffered inocula from goats and cows kept on an identical feeding regime. During incubation, headspace gas samples were obtained at 0, 3, 6, 9, 24, 30, 48, 54, and 72 h, and analysed for CH4 with VFA determined at the end of incubation. A triphasic and monophasic modified Michaelis-Menten equation was fitted to the cumulative GP and CH4 curves, respectively. Total GP and CH4 (PPPPP A synthesis of the results from the four research chapters is provided in the general discussion (Chapter 6). The present work highlights the browse species characteristics which can be strategically exploited in goat production systems to improve health and feed utilization efficiency.</p
Sustainable solutions for Dutch housing: Reducing the environmental impacts of new and existing houses
No full textTechnology, Policy and Managemen
Optimizing the concrete load-bearing structure of high-rise buildings: Combining the ground structure method with a recursive resizing algorithm on a case study
No full textTheshortage in housing and office spaces, combined with the desire of people tolive in densely populated cities results in a lack of space. A proposedsolution can be found in the usage of high-rise buildings. Nowadays there ismore awareness for the environment, thus this research tries to reduce theenvironmental impact of a high-rise building by optimizing the material used inload-bearing structures. This research aims to give designers and engineersmore insight into the added value of structural optimization; in particular forthe material usage in the load-bearing structure of high-rise buildings. Theresearch objective is formulated as follows: What is the optimal topology for a reinforced concrete load-bearingstructure, situated at the perimeter of a high-rise building when optimizingthe material use? A building isclassified as high-rise building when its roof is 70 m or more above groundlevel and accommodates work and/or living space. In literature the distinctionis made between three sorts of optimization: size, shape and topologyoptimization. Topology optimization has the most freedom, therefore it is morelikely to find a novel structure which minimizes the material use as much aspossible. In specific the Ground Structure Method (GSM) is used. The initialground structure is constructed by creating members between all nodes (fullconnectivity) which are located in the design space. The cross-sectional areasof the bars are the design variables in the optimization. An option is that thevariables turn to zero, thus elements are deleted resulting in less material.The conventional GSM starts with the full connectivity as initial groundstructure, deletes elements and calculates the new load distribution until athreshold is reached. In the end the load-bearing structure will consist ofcolumns, braces and beams, which are located at the perimeter of the floorplan. Literature indicates that (high-rise) buildings which are mainly loadedby horizontal loads would be optimal if they contain arches in the load-bearingstructure, or resemble the so-called Michell truss. However, the influence ofthe vertical load is often not taken into account, therefore this isinvestigated with the help of a parametric study. To compare the results withreality, a case study (Boston & Seattle, Rotterdam) is investigated. The core of the research is the furtherdevelopment of the optimization code, based on the GSM, written by He et al.,where multiple load cases and demands for the material strengths are implemented.In contrast to deleting elements, the code uses an adaptive ‘member adding’scheme, which is firstly proposed by Gilbert and Tyas. This scheme solvesproblems faster than the conventional GSM, up to 8 times, and is able to solvelarge problems. This code is extended during this research with new functionswhich implement demands for fire, second-order, buildability, flexural bucklingand stiffness. Also it is possible to add self-weight to the optimization. Thestiffness is implemented by adding a constraint to the displacement of the topof the building, wherefore a recursive resizing algorithm is written based onthe article of Chan. Thus the extended code exists of two optimizations, firsta strength optimization and afterwards a stiffness optimization. The code iswritten in Python and for the purpose of post-processing exporting the data toExcel and Abaqus is possible. With thehelp of the extended code, two design spaces are investigated. One design spaceis smaller, such that the computational time is low and many variations can beexamined during the parametric study on the total vertical to total horizontalload ratio (v/h-ratio). The other is based on a case study for comparison witha realistic situation. The verification of the code shows that the extrafunctions work properly for the investigated problems. If the functionsconcerning the stiffness optimization, inclusion of self-weight, fire,buildability and second-order are used, the extended code becomes unstable andthe computation time increases enormously when optimizing the case study.Therefore it is chosen not to include during obtaining the results. The resultsof the parametric study shows an expected pattern for the load-bearingstructure, for a v/h-ratio below 4. The pattern consist of arches, originatingfrom the Michell truss. The optimization of the case study, subjected to onerealistic load combination, showed no clear pattern for the load-bearingstructure. Post-processing steps, based on engineering judgement, are taken toclarify the solutions, which showed that the columns above the supports shouldbe large in comparison to the other elements and that the arches are the mostoptimal structure. Therefore an “optimized” load-bearing structure consistingof arches is proposed. The analysis of the “optimized” load-bearing structureshows us that most of the elements meet the strength requirements. To find theoptimal solution an iterative process would be needed, because increasing thecross-section of an element will decrease the stress but increase thestiffness, thus attracting more load. Thedifference between the optimized load-bearing structure and the originalload-bearing structure of the case study is that the optimized uses archesinstead of (punched) structural walls and uses less material (±3%). From thepost-processing of the results it is concluded that increasing the strengthratio (compression to tensile) to 1.0, decreasing the total v/h-ratio orignoring the rigid-diaphragm working of the floor help clarify the results ofthe optimization. This research extendsthe current literature with extra insights in the use of the Ground StructureMethod in an optimization code. Also, it confirms that the arches (originatingfrom Michel Truss) is an efficient manner to transfer the loads to thesupports. However, more research in the influence of the supports, the designspace and the material type on the clearness of the optimal solution is needed. The advice for designers and engineersis to see what the possibilities are for arches to use in their load-bearingstructure, because these are efficient in transferring the loads so materialcan be saved. The current version of the code needs to be made more userfriendly, stabler and faster before it is recommended to be used by designersand engineers. The extended code is a first attempt to implement multiple rulesfrom the Eurocode in a optimization code. Related dataset 4TU.ResearchData https://doi.org/10.4121/uuid:d5a42352-a417-4082-aa0f-87047812bfedCivil Engineering | Structural Engineering | Structural Mechanic
Fate of fatty acids during ensiling: relationship with milk fat composition of dairy cows
No full text Transition of dairy cows from grazing to silage based rations significantly increases the saturated: unsaturated fatty acids (FA) ratio and decreases the content of beneficial C18:1 cis-9, C18:1 trans-11, C18:2 cis-9,trans-11 and C18:3n-3 in milk fat. This is partly related to a lower polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) supply from ensiled forages. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the scope of increasing the content PUFA in grass and maize silages, and to establish relationships between silage quality on the one hand and the FA content and composition, post-ensiling stability of PUFA, and milk FA composition of dairy cows on the other hand. The first focus of this thesis was to quantify the variation in FA content and composition in grass (n = 101) and maize (n = 96) silages, randomly sampled from commercial dairy farms in the Netherlands, and use multivariate analysis to identify the causes of this variation. The FA content and composition of grass and maize silages were highly variable, and this variation was primarily caused by differences in plant maturity at harvest. Silages made from younger grass and maize have higher contents of C18:3n-3.Most of the variation in FA content in the ensiled forages was caused by differences in plant maturity at harvest. Changes in FA content and composition were investigated in stover (leaves and stem) and ears (cob, shank and husks) in a set of maize genotypes, grown on sandy and clay soils and harvested at 14, 42, 56, 70, and 84 days after flowering (DAF). The contents of C18:3n-3 and total FAs in the stover dry matter (DM) declined at a slow rate up to 56 DAF and then decreased rapidly during 56–84 DAF. On the other hand the content of C18:2n-6 and total FAs in the ears DM increased up to 56 DAF and thereafter remained more or less constant. The maximum amount of PUFA in silage maize can be harvested around 56 DAF. Identifying pre and post-ensiling processes that optimize the stability of PUFA was the next goal. The stability of FA were investigated in untreated and mechanically bruised perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), wilted under field conditions for 0, 12, 24, 36, and 48 h, or wilted under controlled climate conditions at three temperatures (15, 25 or 35 °C) and two light (dark or light) regimes to DM contents of 425, 525 or 625 g/kg. The oxidation of FAs during wilting of grass was mainly caused by the duration of the wilting, wilting temperature only provoked small differences, whereas mechanical bruising of grass and light intensity did not affect the changes in FA contents. The highly esterified lipids of forages are extensively hydrolysed in the silo. Therefore, the post-ensiling stability of FAs was investigated in grass and maize silages, with a wide range in qualities, exposed to air for 0, 12, and 24 h. Exposure of grass and maize silages to air results in a quantitatively small, but consistent decline in the contents of major unsaturated FAs with a concomitant increase in the proportion of C16:0. The final study evaluated the effects of feeding maize silages, ensiled at different maturities, in combination with a high or low degradable carbohydrate concentrate on nutrient intake, milk production, and composition of milk and milk fatinearly lactating dairy cows. Maize maturity at harvest at a DM content of 300-420 g/kg fresh weight, did not affect the production performance of dairy cows, but resulted in decreased contents of C18:3n-3 and total n-3 and a decreased n-6:n-3 ratio in the milk fat of dairy cows. </p
Biotechnology in the feed industry and animal nutrition: harnessing microbes to provide natural solutions
No full textToday’s feed industry is working to meeting the growing global demand and to further enhance its sustainability. Biotechnological tools to maximize production efficiency and animal health and to reducing nutrient excretion support the strive towards these goals. The use of enzymes increases nutrition utilization and thus can broaden the range of feed ingredients that can efficiently be used in nutrition. Probiotics and yeast products have been shown to stabilize the gut ecosystem and to optimizing intestinal function and health. Yeast products have also been shown to support immune function. Organic minerals being in a form of high bioavailability offer an effective strategy for improving the efficiency of feeding trace minerals and for reducing environmental burden. In the future, algae could play a major role as novel protein sources, as a tool to provide long chain essential fatty acids or other nutrients in highly available forms into the feed and food chain
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