Abstract: Modern broilers are selected for fast growth and a large proportion of breast tissue, contributing to a top-heavy phenotype, leg disorders, and inactivity as birds reach market weight. Therefore, the objective was to motivate broilers to move through environmental enrichment. Twelve hundred Ross 308 broilers were housed in pens of 30 for 6 wk; 600 birds were exposed to a novel laser enrichment device (LASER) and 600 were control. Each device projected 2 randomly moving red laser dots onto the floor 4 times/day for 4-min “laser periods”. Seven LASER and 7 control pens, with 5 focal birds/pen (n=70), were randomly selected to be video-recorded d0-8 and once weekly for the remainder of the trial. Videos were analyzed to measure broiler time-budget and behaviors such latency to feed and distance walked during laser periods. Focal birds were gait scored weekly on-farm. A test of the Human-Approach Paradigm was carried out on wk 1 and 6 on all pens.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods and systems for the characterization of a microtexture of a sample, component, or the like. The methods may include methods of determining a service life limiting region of a component, determining a treatment method for a component, and/or selecting components from a batch of components for use in production. The characterization may include calculating a microtexture level indicator from ultrasonic C-scan images for various samples, regions, components, or the like. The microtexture level indicator may include at least one of an average peak factor, a standard deviation of peak amplitude, and/or a baseband bandwidth.

Abstract: Methods for preventing feedlot bovine respiratory diseases employing mirtazapine as pre-shipment treatments are disclosed. Compositions are further disclosed. Beneficially, the methods and compositions provide safe and cost-effective management of a costly disease.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polymer comprising a repeating group having the structure of formula (I) wherein R, R1, R2, R3, R4, X, and s are as described herein and salt thereof. Also disclosed is a process of synthesizing such polymers.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method of generating energy. This method involves providing a fuel cell comprising anode and cathode electrodes; a separator positioned between the anode and cathode electrodes; and anode and cathode catalysts. The anode catalyst comprises (i) a low-loading of platinum group metals (PGMs) supported on a Group 4-6 transition metal carbide (TMC) or nitride (TMN); (ii) an alloy or physical mixture comprising a Group 10 transition metal selected from Pt, Pd, and Ni and one or more of the following elements: Pt, Pd, Ni, Ir, Rh, Ru, Fe, Re, Sn, W, Mo, Ta, and Nb; or (iii) mixtures thereof. According to the method, a liquid anode fuel comprising one or more hydrazide compounds is added to the fuel cell to generate energy from the liquid anode fuel. Also disclosed is a fuel cell for generating energy from a liquid anode fuel comprising one or more hydrazide compounds.

Abstract: An automated, fieldable ion-selective sensor system for frequent detection of nutrients in soils or water is set forth. In one aspect, an integrated small form-factor housing includes a battery, processor, a fluid manipulation unit and reservoirs, and a chemical species detection cell. A flow-through sampling head can be connected to the detection cell and a waste reservoir by flexible tubing sealingly connected at opposite ends of the tube. In one aspect, improved performance of the ion-selective sensor includes adding an ion-to-electron transfer interlayer between an ion-selective membrane and its working electrode. In one aspect, the sensor is solid-state and uses printed polymeric composite of POT-MoS2. The use of a porous tube for a sampling head and fluid connection at opposite ends allows not only fluid to be removed from the head to the detection cell for measurement but also flow in an opposite direction and out to a waste reservoir to clean and reset for a next sample measurement.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are immunogenic and/or vaccine compositions and methods for treating or preventing Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The compositions and methods include an immunogenic portion of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2-2 (COVID-19) spike protein. In at least particular cases, a mutated version of a portion of the RBD is utilized, such as a deglycosylated, or amino acid substituted mutant of the spike protein.

Abstract: Various embodiments relate to additive manufacturing in which the Langmuir equation can be used to predict composition in the processing. This equation can be integrated into a model with knowledge of elemental solubility and relative reactivity of relevant elements in the additive manufacturing processing. Use of thermodynamic principles can be programmed into a finite element modeling strategy integrating the Langmuir equation, coupling the thermal fields of additive manufacturing and the surrounding environments with the rules and/or equations to predict solute pickup and/or solute loss. The modeling strategy can be implemented to identify the elements in relative concentrations to be used in the additive manufacturing processing to provide for the controlled loss of certain elements to prevent absorption of unwanted elements into molten material, formed by additive manufacturing, from the atmosphere around the molten material. Additional systems and methods are disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to relates to a method of producing an improved asphalt. This method includes providing an asphalt binder and providing a compound of formula (I): as described herein. The asphalt binder is mixed with the compound of formula (I) under conditions effective to produce an improved asphalt. Also disclosed are an asphalt product and a method of making asphalt material.

Abstract: A physical and chemical method is provided for de-mixing (e.g. extracting, separating, purifying and/or enriching) the metal constituents of an alloy or mixed material into different droplet or solid particle products that are highly enriched in the respective phases of the metal. The method involves for instance but is not limited to, shearing, separating and segregating metallic droplets and particles in a carrier fluid to form other droplets or particles that are each separately highly enriched in one of some, if not of all, of the constituent phases of the alloy or mixed material.

Abstract: The disclosure concerns methods for making a composition comprising a light metal and an intermetallic comprising the light metal and a light rare earth element. The composition also may include a plurality of nanoparticles comprising an oxide of the light metal. The method includes directly reducing a light rare earth element precursor compound in a melt of the light metal, thereby forming the light rare earth element and nanoparticles of the light metal oxide.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to synbiotic compositions of probiotic strains and prebiotics, along with uses thereof for targeted human and animal applications, for example, in promoting health and well-being and/or treating therapeutic conditions. The present invention is also directed to methods of probiotic selection and detection of strains with the ability to produce neurochemicals in the gastrointestinal tract of a subject, providing a microbial endocrinology-based mechanism and approach for optimization of synbiotic delivery of a probiotic with a neurochemical precursor. Still further the present invention is directed to industrial applications for production of dopamine utilizing methods and media suitable for the same.

Abstract: A gas chromatographic (GC) column using a zwitterionic compound and methods of use thereof are disclosed herein. The volatile free acids were observed to strongly retain on these zwitterionic compounds-based columns with excellent peak symmetry. By carefully tuning the structures of these zwitterionic compounds, different selectivity toward volatile free acids was demonstrated. These stationary phases possess a wide working range with thermal stabilities at higher temperatures.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes methods and components for production of valuable industrial compounds in yeast. In an embodiment, the present invention provides a nucleic acid construct with increased stability for gene expression or gene editing comprising: a nucleic acid sequence encoding one or more of SEQ ID NO: 1-8 (CENs 1-8); and one or more regulatory elements functional in a yeast cell. In an embodiment of the present invention the nucleic acid constructs are vectors, preferably episomal vectors. High expression promoters, as well as methods for increasing production of compounds such as aromatics are disclosed.

Abstract: A biologically-inspired model for sequence representation, method of construction and application of such models, and systems incorporating same are provided. The model captures the statistical nature of sequences and uses that for sequence encoding, recognition, and recall. The model can be trained in real time, has few tunable parameters, and is highly parallelizable, which ensures that it can scale up to very large problems. Applications of the model to word and speech recognition, machine leaning, robotics, computational bioinformatics, genetics datasets, and other sequence processing pipelines are provided.

Abstract: This invention relates to a wax composition comprising a plurality of fatty acid amide compounds having the Formula (I): where R1, R2, n1, n2, m1, and m2 are as described herein. This invention also relates to a wax composition comprising: a) one or more fatty acid amide compounds having the Formula (II): and b) one or more fatty acid amide compounds having the Formula (III): where R1, R2, n1, and n2 are as described herein. This invention also relates to a fatty acid amide compound having the Formula (I) and a process for preparing a compound of Formula (I).

Abstract: A belt for an algal growth system includes a flexible sheet material configured to facilitate growth of a biofilm. The flexible sheet material is mounted on a first frame in a first mounted geometry, the flexible sheet material having a substantially vertical orientation when mounted on the first frame such that a first height of the first mounted geometry is greater than a first width of the first mounted geometry, the flexible sheet material being in contact with a contacting liquid.

Abstract: A magnetocaloric material comprising a La—Fe—Si based alloy composition that is compositionally modified to include a small but effective amount of at least one of Al, Ga, and In to improve mechanical stability of the alloy (substantially reduce alloy brittleness), improve thermal conductivity, and preserve comparable or provide improved magnetocaloric effects. The alloy composition may be further modified by inclusion of at least one of Co, Mn, Cr, and V as well as interstitial hydrogen.

Abstract: The present invention provides mito-metformin compounds, pharmaceutical compositions thereof, and methods of using the mito-metformin compounds in the treatment of cancer.

Abstract: Materials and methods related to gene targeting (e.g., gene targeting with transcription activator-like effector nucleases; “TALENS”) are provided.