Quantitation of the main constituents of some authentic sesame seed oils of different origin

This paper describes the composition of sesame seed oils obtained from seeds collected from five countries that are major suppliers of traded sesame seed oil. Oils were extracted from the seeds using small-scale industry pressing equipment and analyzed using standard methods for fatty acids, fatty acids in the triglyceride 2-position, tocopherols and tocotrienols, triglycerides, sterols, steradienes, and iodine value. Values for the composition of the sterols, triglycerides, fatty acids, iodine value, and tocopherol composition were generally in good agreement with the results published elsewhere. All of the oils from roasted seeds contained low levels of the sterol degradation products stigmasta-3,5-diene and campesta-3,5-diene, which were probably formed by dehydration of the parent sterols during roasting.     

Near-field investigations of the landers earthquake sequence, april to july 1992

The Landers earthquake, which had a moment magnitude (M(w)) of 7.3, was the largest earthquake to strike the contiguous United States in 40 years. This earthquake resulted from the rupture of five major and many minor right-lateral faults near the southern end of the eastern California shear zone, just north of the San Andreas fault. Its M(w) 6.1 preshock and M(w) 6.2 aftershock had their own aftershocks and foreshocks. Surficial geological observations are consistent with local and far-field seismologic observations of the earthquake. Large surficial offsets (as great as 6 meters) and a relatively short rupture length (85 kilometers) are consistent with seismological calculations of a high stress drop (200 bars), which is in turn consistent with an apparently long recurrence interval for these faults.     

Effect of Antioxidants During Bovine In Vitro Fertilization Procedures on Spermatozoa and Embryo Development

Increased amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during in vitro fertilization (IVF) may cause cytotoxic damage to gametes, whereas small amounts of ROS favour sperm capacitation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of antioxidants [50 μ m β-mercaptoethanol (β-ME) and 50 μ m cysteamine (Cyst)] or a pro-oxidant (5 m m buthionine sulfoximine) on the quality and penetrability of spermatozoa into bovine oocytes and on the subsequent embryo development and quality when added during IVF. Sperm quality, evaluated by the integrity of plasma and acrosomal membranes, and mitochondrial function, was diminished (p < 0.05) after 4-h culture in the presence of antioxidants. Oocyte penetration rates were similar between treatments (p > 0.05), but antioxidants adversely affected the normal pronuclear formation rates (p < 0.05). The incidence of polyspermy was high for β-ME (p < 0.05). No differences were observed in cleavage rates between treatments (p > 0.05). However, the developmental rate to the blastocyst stage was adversely affected by Cyst treatment (p < 0.05). The quality of embryos that reached the blastocyst stage, evaluated by total, inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm cell numbers and ICM/total cell ratio was unaffected (p > 0.05) by treatments. The results indicate that ROS play a role in the fertilizing capacity in bovine spermatozoa, as well as in the interaction between the spermatozoa and the oocytes. It can be concluded that supplementation with antioxidants during IVF procedures impairs sperm quality, normal pronuclear formation and embryo development to the blastocyst stage.     

Influence of glucocorticoid on macromolecular absorption and passive immunity in neonatal lambs

The relationship of serum cortisol to immunoglobulin absorption and gut closure in cesarean-derived neonatal lambs was evaluated in two trials. In trial 1, 21 lambs were obtained on d 136 to 138 of gestation, and in trial 2, 17 lambs were obtained on d 140 to 142 of gestation. At birth, lambs were assigned randomly to four treatments: 1) control (CO), 1 ml saline/kg BW every 4 h; 2) a drug to lower cortisol (LC), 5 mg metyrapone/kg BW every 4 h; 3) single-peak cortisol (SP), 10 IU ACTH/kg BW at 0 h; or 4) elevated cortisol (HC), 5 mg cortisol/kg BW every 4 h in trial 1 or 10 IU ACTH/kg BW every 4 h in trial 2. The treatment period was 24 and 48 h after delivery for trial 1 and 2, respectively. Lambs were fed pooled bovine colostrum every 4 h for 48 h after birth at 2 and 3.5% BW for trial 1 and 2, respectively. Compared with CO, HC increased serum cortisol, LC decreased serum cortisol and SP elevated serum cortisol concentrations through at least 8 h for both trials. In trial 1, HC and SP lambs exhibited elevated serum IgG, IgM and IgA concentrations by 20 h compared with CO. However, no difference in serum immunoglobulin concentration was observed at 36 h among CO, HC and SP. Conversely, LC had the lowest immunoglobulin concentration at 36 and 48 h, and precocious closure to immunoglobulin absorption had occurred by 20 h (P less than .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Earthquakes in the los angeles metropolitan region: a possible fractal distribution of rupture size

Although there is debate on the maximum size of earthquake that is possible on any of several known fault systems in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan region, it is reasonable to assume that the distribution of earthquakes will follow a fractal distribution of rupture areas. For this assumption and an overall slip-rate for the region of approximately 1 centimeter per year, roughly one magnitude 7.4 to 7.5 event is expected to occur every 245 to 325 years. A model in which the earthquake distribution is fractal predicts that, additionally, there should be approximately six events in the range of magnitude 6.6 in this same span of time, a higher rate than has occurred in the historic record.     

The effect of accumulation period and harvest date in spring on dry-matter yield and forage quality in mixed swards containing Lolium spp. and Trifolium subterraneum in Western Australia

The object of this study was to determine the effect of closing date and date of harvest for conservation (accumulation period), on dry‐matter (DM) yield and forage quality of annual pasture in Western Australia. The field study comprised 48 plots, 2 m × 2 m, sown with either annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud.) or Italian ryegrass (L. multiflorum Lam.), and mixed with subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.). Defoliation of swards until the end of winter was at the three leaves tiller^–1 stage. In spring, once stem nodal development had commenced, swards were defoliated every 3–4 weeks. Swards were defoliated either twice with three leaves tiller^–1 (accumulation period 1 commenced on 15 August); twice with three leaves tiller^–1 and then once after 4 weeks (accumulation period 2 commenced on 11 September); twice with three leaves tiller^–1 and then twice after 4‐week intervals (accumulation period 3 commenced on 9 October) or; twice with 3 leaves tiller^–1 and then twice after 4‐week intervals and then once after 3 weeks (accumulation period 4 commenced on 30 October). From the commencement of the accumulation period, tiller density, DM yield and forage quality were determined weekly for up to 10 weeks. There was a positive quadratic association between DM yield and days after the commencement of the accumulation period. Yields were maximized from accumulation period 1 with 5·3, 6·6 and 9·5 t DM ha^–1, and growth rates were 140, 128 and 145 kg DM ha^–1 d^–1, for Wimmera annual ryegrass and Richmond and Concord cultivars of Italian ryegrass respectively. In contrast, in vitro dry‐matter digestibility (IVDMD) and crude protein (CP) content were negatively associated with days after the commencement of the accumulation period, and initial values were greater than 0·80 and 180 g kg DM^–1 for IVDMD and CP content respectively. The rate of decline in IVDMD d^–1 for Wimmera annual ryegrass was 0·005, 0·019 and 0·012 d^–1 for accumulation periods 1, 2 and 3, respectively, while for Italian ryegrass cultivars Richmond was 0·015, 0·011, 0·02 and 0·012 d^–1 and Concord was 0·014, 0·009, 0·013 and 0·01 d^–1, for the 4 accumulation periods respectively. It is recommended that annual and Italian ryegrass pastures be harvested between 10% and 20% inflorescence emergence when IVDMD will exceed 0·70 regardless of cultivar and/or defoliation practice prior to the commencement of the accumulation period.