Two fiber-bundle-type FI/FO devices of low insertion loss and cross talk applied for connecting 13-core 5-mode fiber.

Two fiber-bundle-typed fan-in/fan-out (FI/FO) devices, "wavy hexagon-shaped silhouette" type (W-FI/FO) and "tortoise-shaped silhouette" type (T-FI/FO), have been proposed and manufactured based on tapering glass tubes for docking with a self-made 13-core 5-mode fiber. The W-FI/FO device consists of 19 5-mode fibers and has an extended layout based on the 13-core 5-mode fiber structure. It could dock multiple fibers with 19 or 13 cores of the same size standards. When connecting it with 13-core 5-mode, the average losses (ILs) of its five modes are 1.07 dB, 2.95 dB, 3.42 dB, 3.65 dB, and 4.38 dB. The cross talks of the five linearly polarized (LP) modes are -69.1 dB, -64.7 dB, -44.2 dB, -43.9 dB, and -39.1 dB. The T-FI/FO device has a similar core arrangement to the 13-core 5-mode fiber and its average ILs of the five LP modes are 0.23 dB, 1.31 dB, 2.09 dB, 2.66 dB, and 3.03 dB. The cross talks of its five LP modes between adjacent cores are -72.8 dB, -67.8 dB, -43.6 dB, -40.0 dB, and -35.3 dB. The IL and cross talk of the LP01 mode are of satisfactory values, which are 0.23 dB and -72.8 dB, respectively. These two proposed FI/FO devices are expected to be used for high-speed optical interconnection and fiber communication.

Involvement of caspase in patulin-induced hepatotoxicity in vitro and in vivo.

Patulin (PAT) a kind of mycotoxin, is a widely disseminated mycotoxin found in agricultural products and could cause liver damage. However, evidence on the underlying mechanisms of patulin is still lacking. In the present study, Human liver cancer cells (HepG2) together with a mouse model were used to explore the possible effect and mechanism. The results demonstrated that PAT treatment inhibited cell proliferation and caused liver toxicity in mice. In vitro, PAT inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner and a time-dependent manner; lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde (MDA) production increased and the level of SOD and GSH in cells changed significantly. In vivo, Kunming mice were treated with PAT(2.5-15 µM), We indicated that liver damage are observed. The activity of serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) were increased significantly, the hepatocyte nucleus stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) was blurred and deformed. we also explored the lipid peroxidation and enzymes related to redox and found that the activities of SOD in animals do not change significantly, not like that in cells, while GSHpx played a major role. In addition, we measured the caspase activity of cells and the expression of caspase in mice. PAT-induced the caspase cascade was confirmed with the elevation of the activity and expression of caspase. These data suggest that PAT treatment altered both the redox systems in cells and animals. involvement of caspase in patulin-induced hepatotoxicity.

Greenhouse gas emissions from dairy open lot and manure stockpile in northern China: A case study.

UNLABELLED: The open lots and manure stockpiles of dairy farm are major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in typical dairy cow housing and manure management system in China. GHG (CO(2), CH(4) and N(2)O) emissions from the ground level of brick-paved open lots and uncovered manure stockpiles were estimated according to the field measurements of a typical dairy farm in Beijing by closed chambers in four consecutive seasons. Location variation and manure removal strategy impacts were assessed on GHG emissions from the open lots. Estimated CO(2), CH(4) and N(2)O emissions from the ground level of the open lots were 137.5±64.7 kg hd(-1) yr(-1), 0.45±0.21 kg hd(-1) yr(-1) and 0.13±0.08 kg hd(-1) yr(-1), respectively. There were remarkable location variations of GHG emissions from different zones (cubicle zone vs. aisle zone) of the open lot. However, the emissions from the whole open lot were less affected by the locations. After manure removal, lower CH(4) but higher N(2)O emitted from the open lot. Estimated CO(2), CH(4) and N(2)O emissions from stockpile with a stacking height of 55±12 cm were 858.9±375.8 kg hd(-1) yr(-1), 8.5±5.4 kg hd(-1) yr(-1) and 2.3±1.1 kg hd(-1) yr(-1), respectively. In situ storage duration, which estimated by manure volatile solid contents (VS), would affect GHG emissions from stockpiles. Much higher N(2)O was emitted from stockpiles in summer due to longer manure storage. IMPLICATIONS: This study deals with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from open lots and stockpiles. It's an increasing area of concern in some livestock producing countries. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology is commonly used for estimation of national GHG emission inventories. There is a shortage of on-farm information to evaluate the accuracy of these equations and default emission factors. This work provides valuable information for improving accounting practices within China or for similar manure management practice in other countries.