BACKGROUND Ever increasing demand for fossil fuels is a major factor for rapid depletion of these non-renewable energy resources, which has enhanced the interest of finding out alternative sources of energy. In recent years jatropha seed oil has been used extensively for production of bio-diesel and has shown significant potential to replace petroleum fuels at least partially. De-oiled jatropha...

Most models developed for poultry are linear to the point where genetic potential is reached. Models reliant on the premise that growth rate determines requirements based on some fixed rate of nutrient utilization do not adequately represent the biological phenomena involved. Therefore, a dichotomy between the accepted theories of nutrient utilization in animals and the assumptions of mathemati...

Growth and N utilization responses of pigs to Aspergillus niger phytase supplementation of low-protein or high-phytin diets were examined in 2 experiments. In the first experiment, 6 diets arranged in a 3 x 2 factorial with Aspergillus niger phytase at 0, 600, or 1,200 units/kg and dietary protein at 160 or 200 g/kg; and 12 pigs (growth) or 6 pigs (N utilization) per diet were used to test the ...

Though traditionally perceived as weapons, antibiotics are also hypothesized to act as microbial signals in natural habitats. However, while subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics (SICA) are known to shift bacterial gene expression, specific hypotheses as to how SICA influence the ecology of natural populations are scarce. We explored whether antibiotic 'signals', or SICA, have the potenti...

A three-dimensional, process-based model of the ocean’s carbon and nitrogen cycles, including C and N isotopes, is used to explore effects of idealized changes in the soft-tissue biological pump. Results are presented from one preindustrial control run (piCtrl) and six simulations of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) with increasing values of the spatially constant maximum phytoplankton growth rat...

The elemental stoichiometry of sea water and particulate organic matter is remarkably similar. This observation led Redfield to hypothesize that the oceanic ratio of nitrate to phosphate is controlled by the remineralization of phytoplankton biomass1. The Redfield ratio is used universally to quantitatively link the marine nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in numerous biogeochemical applications2–...

Recent interest in renewable energy production has exponentially increased the utilization of ethanol, a biofuel produced largely from corn in the United States. Increased production of ethanol has redistributed corn from livestock production to ethanol production. In 2002, 11% of the US corn crop was used in ethanol production; with the increase in production as much as 30% of US corn was bein...