High-speed steel tool wear during wood cutting in the presence of high-temperature corrosion and mineral contamination

Dulling of high-speed steel (HSS) cutting tools after milling five wood species has been analyzed. The wood investigated varied in mineral contamination, high-temperature corrosivity (HTC) and density (D). Experiments performed proved that up to date methods for evaluation of mineral contamination in wood should be improved. A new pipe-like form of mineral contamination particles was evidenced. The correlation between the presence of 3D aggregates of silica in wood and high content of K and Ca in the ash was established. Employing multivariable theoretical simulation method, the combined effect of mineral contamination, HTC and wood density on the tool dullness appeared to be a reasonable explanation of the results obtained.     

The culturable leaf mycobiome of Viscum album subsp. austriacum

In Poland's pine forests, mistletoe (Viscum album subsp. austriacum) abundance has increased over the past 20 years. This mistletoe infestation has decreased the growth and vigour of Scots pine trees. In this study, we surveyed the culturable fungi from healthy and diseased V. album subsp. austriacum leaves from two stands in Poland. In total, 63 distinct species were identified, 99.8% of which belonged to the phylum Ascomycota. The community compositions of fungi in mistletoe leaves were similar in healthy and diseased leaves as Alternaria alternata, Aureobasidium pullulans, Botryosphaeria visci, Fusarium paeoniae and Microsphaeropsis olivacea were consistently found in leaves of all symptom types. The most frequently isolated fungus from asymptomatic leaves was M. olivacea, followed by A. alternata, A. pullulans and Hypoxylon rubiginosum. In comparison, the most frequently isolated fungi from leaves with rusty-brown necrotic spots were (in decreasing order) M. olivacea, B. visci, F. paeoniae and A. alternata, while the most frequently isolated fungi from leaves with black or dark brown spots were M. olivacea, A. alternata, A. pullulans, Epicoccum layuense and F. paeoniae. This study was the first comprehensive report showing that certain fungal species may be pathogens of V. album subsp. austriacum in Poland. This study was also the first report of F. paeoniae, F. juglandicola, Diaporthe vacuae and Heterotruncatella spartii from V. album, and the first report of D. vacuae and H. spartii in Poland.     

Pyramiding genes affecting sprouting resistance in Rye by means of marker assisted selection

The 541 × Ot1-3 intercross population and bulked segregant analysis (BSA) were used to search for molecular markers linked to genes underlying sprouting and alpha-amylase activity. Six RAPD markers showing association with studied traits were tested for their potential effectiveness in selecting sprouting resistant genotypes. It was shown that although individual effects of markers were not high, their accumulation in one genotype gives substantial increase in sprouting resistance.     

Marsh woundwort, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stachys palustris</Emphasis> L. (Lamiaceae): an overlooked food plant

The aim of this article is to study the geographical distribution and historical patterns of use of a little known root crop native to Europe—marsh woundwort Stachys palustris L. The species grows in wet grasslands and arable fields. It produces edible tubers. Both ethnographic literature and archival sources were searched. Seventeen reliable references concerning the consumption of S. palustris in southern and south–eastern Poland were found. The tubers were usually dried and powdered, and then added to soups or to bread dough. They were also eaten as raw snacks. The plant was used mainly during food shortages in spring, until the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century, and later only as an occasional raw snack until the 1970s. Marsh woundwort was also eaten in western Ukraine (one reference). There are many references to the edibility of marsh woundwort in the eighteenth and nineteenth century European economic botany literature, particularly in Sweden and Great Britain. These publications tried to popularize the use of S. palustris as food. However, there is no firm evidence from these countries that marsh woundwort was used as food there. Marsh woundwort was also used, throughout northern and central Europe, as pig fodder and as a medicinal plant, particularly for healing wounds. Further studies on the nutritive value of this forgotten crop should be undertaken, particularly that there is little knowledge of the chemical composition of both marsh woundwort and its Asian relative Stachys affinis widely cultivated in China as a vegetable.     

Diversity and abundance of springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) in soil under 90-year potato monoculture in relation to crop rotation

The monoculture cropping system causes significant changes within the soil ecosystem, which constitutes a habitat for soil-dwelling springtails. Focusing on the response of soil fauna to 90 years of potato cultivation in monoculture the study investigates the abundance and diversity of soil-dwelling springtails, considering changes in the soil environment in relation to five-crop rotation. Another point was the soil quality evaluation using Collembola as bioindicators (QBS-c index). A long-term monoculture experiment was established in Poland in 1923 and has continued uninterruptedly to the present time. Soil samples were taken over a period of three years (2011–2013) to determine collembolan abundance and composition, as well as physical and chemical soil properties.

The study demonstrated that there were greater numbers of Collembola in the long-term monoculture of potatoes, especially before planting time, compared to numbers in a five-field crop rotation. At the same time apparently greater species diversity was found in potato culture within crop rotation. The biological indicator of soil quality based on the occurrence of springtails (QBS-c) has proved useful in assessing changes in soil caused by agrotechnical activities. This index indicated better biological soil quality in the five-field rotation system compared to monoculture.     

Biochemical and spectroscopic characterization of almond and cashew nut seed 11S legumins, amandin and anacardein

Native, undenatured amandin and anacardein secondary structures were estimated to be, respectively, 56.4 and 49% β-sheet, 14 and 23.7% α-helix, and 29.6 and 27.4% random coil. Circular dichroic (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to assess structural changes in amandin and anacardein subjected to denaturing treatments that included heat (100 °C, 5 min), guanidium HCl (GuHCl), urea, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and reducing agent, 2% v/v β-mercaptoethanol (βME) + heat. Mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) 4C10 and 4F10 directed against amandin and 1F5 and 4C3 directed against anacardein were used to assess the influence of denaturing treatments on the immunoreactivity of amandin and anacardein. Among the denaturing treatments investigated, SDS and β-ME caused a significant reduction in the immunoreactivity of amandin and anacardein when probed with mAb 4C10 and 4C3, respectively.     

Einfluß physikalischer Eigenschaften und anthropogener Tätigkeit auf die Hysterese der Wasserspannungskurve organogener Böden

Influence of the soil properties and human activity on the hysteresis of the moisture retention function in organic soils The hysteresis of the moisture retention function is characterized by the greatest difference of water content during drying and wetting (Θ_AΘ_B) at the same suction. It diminishes by an increased degree of peat decomposition, ash content, bulk density and pH and increases with the volume of macropores (Ø > 50 μm). In the soil suction range Ψ = –1 to –6 kPa the hysteresis can be calculated by multiple regression equations (Tab. 3). Under arable land compared with grassland the hysteresis increases depending on the soil looseness and diminution of soil aggregates. A sand cover on peatland leads in the upper (20–30 cm) layer to a diminution of hysteresis proportional to the sand thickness.     

Differentiation of interglycosidic linkages in permethylated flavonoid glycosides from linked-scan mass spectra (B/E)

A series of per-O-methylated flavonoid di- and tri-glycosides, linked with 1-2 and/or 1-6 glycosidic bonds between sugar rings that were isolated from different plant materials were analyzed. It was demonstrated that the fragmentation behavior of permethylated flavonoid glycosides is dependent on the glycosidic bond placement between sugars. Y(n) type fragment ions, created after glycosidic bond cleavage with oxygen retention on sugar at the reducing end for permethylated compounds, were observed in the normal and linked-scan mass spectra recorded for alpha(1-2) bonded conjugates of flavonoid di- and tri-glycosides. Moreover, for alpha (1-6) linked glycosides, Y fragments created after rearrangement and elimination of internal sugar residues were observed in addition to Y(n) type ions, but these fragment ions were not registered in normal desorption ionization spectra. This second type of fragmentation was also reported previously in collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (CID MS/MS) spectra of some oligosaccharides and flavonoid glycosides, but their presence was independent of the glycosidic bonds placement between sugar rings.     

The metal — Metal interactions in biological systems Part III. Daphnia magna

The toxicity of single metal ions: Al, Co(II), Cr(III), Cu(II), Fe(III), Mg, Mn(II), Mo(VI), Ni(II), Se(VI), V(V) and Zn and the following pairs of them: Al-Co, Al-Mg, Al-Mo, Al-Se, Al-Zn, Cr-Co, Cr-Mg, Cr-Mo, Cr-Se, Cr-Zn, Cu-Co, Cu-Mg, Cu-Mo, Cu-Se, Cu-Zn, Fe-Co, Fe-Mg, Fe-Mo, Fe-Se, Fe-Zn, Mn-Co, Mn-Mg, Mn-Mo, Mn-Se, Mn-Zn, Ni-Co, Ni-Mg, Ni-Mo, Ni-Se, Ni-Zn, V-Co, V-Mg, V-Mo, V-Se, V-Zn, Zn-Co, Zn-Mg, Zn-Mo, and Zn-Se on Daphnia magna was examined. The most prominent antagonism in the toxicity was observed in the following ion pairs: Al-Mo(VI), Cr(III)-Co(II), Cr(III)-Mg, Cr(III)-Mo(VI), Cr(III)-Se(VI), Cr(III)-Zn, Fe(III)-Se(VI), Mn(II)-Mg, Mn(II-Se(VI), Zn-Mg and Zn-Mo(VI). The strong synergism was found for the following ion systems: Cr(III)-Se(VI), Cr(III)-Zn, Fe(III)-Se(VI), Mn(II)-Zn, Mn(II)-Se(VI), Ni(II)-Co(II), Ni(II)-Mo(VI), Ni(II)-Se(VI), Ni(II)-Zn, V(V)-Co(II), V(V)-Mo(VI), V(V)- Se(VI), and V(V)-Zn. Synergism and antagonism in toxicity were dependent on water hardness as well as on the ion concentration. Adaptive procesess of the animals to the toxic environment could also be observed. Thus, the toxicity of the single ions and their pairs was not linear with respect to time.     

Synthesis and phytotoxicity of new ionic liquids incorporating chiral cations and/or chiral anions

The aim of this work was to synthesize chiral ionic liquids as chiral solvents for organic synthesis and to evaluate the phyto(eco)toxicity of the new products and starting N-alkylimidazoles and their potential environmental influence on soil and plants. Chiral ionic liquids containing anions such as Cl-, Br-, TsO-, PF6(-), NO3(-), CF3SO3(-), and (+)- and (-)-C6H5CH(OH)C(O)O- were synthesized using (-)-(1R)-6,6-dimethylbicyclo[3.1.1]hept-2-ene-2-ethyl [(-)-(1R)-nopyl] halides (X = Cl, Br) and tosylate in 62-100% yields. The chloride 7 and the nitrate 13 ionic liquids possessed a toxicity dependent on the applied concentration. The lowest concentration causing a distinct reduction in plant germination/growth was 100 mg/kg. Spring barley better tolerated the ionic liquids (200 mg/kg) than common radish (100 mg/kg). The nitrate liquid did not exhibit an inhibiting effect on the germination ability of seeds. The starting N-methylimidazole used in lower concentrations (1 and 10 mg/kg of soil dry weight) was not phytotoxic, in contrast to higher doses (>1000 mg/kg).