Compressive deformation of wood impregnated with low molecular weight phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin V: effects of steam pretreatment

This study evaluated the potential of steam pre-treatment for making highly compressed phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin-impregnated wood at a low pressing pressure. Sawn veneers of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) were first subjected to saturated steam at different steaming temperatures (140°-200°C), followed by impregnation with a 20% low molecular weight PF resin aqueous solution resulting in a weight gain of around 50%-55%. Four oven-dried treated veneers were laminated and compressed up to a pressing pressure of 1 MPa at a pressing temperature of 150°C and pressing speed of 5 mm/min, and the pressure was held for 30 min. Steam treatment, causing partial hydrolysis of hemicellulose, accelerated the compressibility of Japanese cedar in the PF resin-swollen condition. As a consequence, a discernible increment in density was achieved at a pressing pressure of 1 MPa due to steam pretreatment between 140° and 200°C for 10 min. It was also found that even a short steaming time such as 2 min at 160°C is sufficient for obtaining appreciable compression of PF resin-impregnated wood. The density, Young’s modulus, and bending strength of steam-treated (200°C for 10 min) PF resin-impregnated wood composite reached 1.09 g/cm³, 20 GPa, and 207MPa, respectively. In contrast, the values of untreated PF resin-impregnated wood composite were 0.87 g/cm³, 13 GPa, and 170MPa, respectively.     

Compressive deformation of wood impregnated with low molecular weight phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin IV: Species dependency

Flat-sawn specimens of eight wood species, albizia (Paraserianthes falkata, 0.23 g/cm³), Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica, 0.31 g/cm³), red lauan (Shorea sp., 0.36 g/cm³), European spruce (Picea abies, 0.44 g/cm³), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga douglasii, 0.50 g/cm³), elm (Ulmus sp., 0.51 g/cm³), Japanese beech (Fagus crenata, 0.64 g/cm³), and Japanese birch (Betula maximowicziana, 0.71 g/cm³), were impregnated with low molecular weight phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin and their compressive deformations were compared. The volume gain (VG) and weight gain due to 20% resin solution impregnation were different among species. Furthermore, the specific volume gain (VG/specific gravity), indicating the degree of swelling of the cell wall, also varied from 17.7% for European spruce to 26.4% for elm. Oven-dried specimens of each species were compressed using hot plates fixed to an Instron testing machine. The deformation behavior of resin-impregnated wood up to 10MPa was significantly different among the species. Stress development during cell wall collapse for low density wood was minimal. As a consequence, a significant increment of density occurred up to 2MPa for low density wood such as albizia and Japanese cedar. When PF resin-impregnated wood was compressed up to 2MPa and the pressure was kept constant for 30min, the density of Japanese cedar reached 1.18g/cm³, about 30% higher than the density of compressed Japanese birch, which possesses an original density that is 2.5 times higher than that of Japanese cedar. The mechanical properties of resin-impregnated wood, especially low density wood, increased with density. Hence, it is manifested that low density wood species have an advantage as raw materials for obtaining high-strength wood at low pressing pressure.     

Trampoline effect in extreme ground motion

In earthquake hazard assessment studies, the focus is usually on horizontal ground motion. However, records from the 14 June 2008 Iwate-Miyagi earthquake in Japan, a crustal event with a moment magnitude of 6.9, revealed an unprecedented vertical surface acceleration of nearly four times gravity, more than twice its horizontal counterpart. The vertical acceleration was distinctly asymmetric; the waveform envelope was about 1.6 times as large in the upward direction as in the downward direction, which is not explained by existing models of the soil response. We present a simple model of a mass bouncing on a trampoline to account for this asymmetry and the large vertical amplitude. The finding of a hitherto-unknown mode of strong ground motion may prompt major progress in near-source shaking assessments.     

Schema-dependent gene activation and memory encoding in neocortex

When new learning occurs against the background of established prior knowledge, relevant new information can be assimilated into a schema and thereby expand the knowledge base. An animal model of this important component of memory consolidation reveals that systems memory consolidation can be very fast. In experiments with rats, we found that the hippocampal-dependent learning of new paired associates is associated with a striking up-regulation of immediate early genes in the prelimbic region of the medial prefrontal cortex, and that pharmacological interventions targeted at that area can prevent both new learning and the recall of remotely and even recently consolidated information. These findings challenge the concept of distinct fast (hippocampal) and slow (cortical) learning systems, and shed new light on the neural mechanisms of memory assimilation into schemas.     

Low temperature-induced sterility in rice: Evidence for the effects of temperature before panicle initiation

Spikelet sterility of rice (Oryza sativa L.) results from low temperatures during panicle development. However, this temperature alone cannot fully explain the fluctuations in sterility observed in the field, since the susceptibility of rice plants to low temperature often changes according to its physiological status during sensitive stages. In the present study, we examined whether temperatures before the panicle initiation stage (PI) influence the plant's susceptibility to sterility during panicle development. To test this, we conducted a 2-year pot study and an analysis of field data using a model of cooling degree-days (CDD). In the pot study, the air temperature (T_a) and water temperature (T_w) were controlled independently for 3 weeks during the vegetative growth stage before PI. After PI, the plants were submerged in a cool water bath at a critical temperature of 19.5 °C to induce floral sterility. We found that low T_w during vegetative growth significantly increased the sterility. Low T_a during vegetative growth also significantly increased the sterility, but this effect was diminished by warm T_w even at low T_a. There was a close and negative correlation between sterility and T_w during vegetative growth. In the analysis of field data, we introduced CDD using temperatures below a threshold level of 20 °C to represent the magnitude of the exposure to low temperature from PI to the heading stage. Data of T_a was used for this analysis because data of T_w was scare. The CDD model was applied to 77 independent data sets collected at nine Agricultural Research Centers during four typical cool summers (1980, 1988, 1993, and 2003) in northern Japan. Year-to-year variations in sterility at one site were roughly accounted for by the variations in CDD, but large deviations were observed among the years. The deviations were related to T_a averaged over the 30-day period before PI. For a similar level of CDD, the lower the T_a before PI, the greater the sterility. Similar deviations were observed in the between-site relationships between sterility and CDD, and these deviations were related with the T_a before PI. These results suggest that temperatures before PI, and especially T_w, change the susceptibility of a rice plant to low temperatures during panicle development.     

Correction to: Chlorantraniliprole application differentially affects adult emergence of Sympetrum dragonflies in rice paddy fields

Paddy and Water Environment -     

Split luciferase complementation assay to detect regulated protein-protein interactions in rice protoplasts in a large-scale format

Background

The rice interactome, in which a network of protein-protein interactions has been elucidated in rice, is a useful resource to identify functional modules of rice signal transduction pathways. Protein-protein interactions occur in cells in two ways, constitutive and regulative. While a yeast-based high-throughput method has been widely used to identify the constitutive interactions, a method to detect the regulated interactions is rarely developed for a large-scale analysis.

Results

A split luciferase complementation assay was applied to detect the regulated interactions in rice. A transformation method of rice protoplasts in a 96-well plate was first established for a large-scale analysis. In addition, an antibody that specifically recognizes a carboxyl-terminal fragment of Renilla luciferase was newly developed. A pair of antibodies that recognize amino- and carboxyl- terminal fragments of Renilla luciferase, respectively, was then used to monitor quality and quantity of interacting recombinant-proteins accumulated in the cells. For a proof-of-concept, the method was applied to detect the gibberellin-dependent interaction between GIBBERELLIN INSENSITIVE DWARF1 and SLENDER RICE 1.

Conclusions

A method to detect regulated protein-protein interactions was developed towards establishment of the rice interactome.     

Effects of Popping on Nutrient Contents of Amaranth Seed

Amaranth seeds can be popped by heating. The traditional method of popping in a skillet is simple, but it is difficult to control the heating time and temperature. To overcome these disadvantages, we developed a fluidized bed continuous processing system based on hot air heating for producing popped amaranth seeds in bulk. Using this system, we evaluated the effects of heat treatment at 260 °C for 15 s on the contents of B-group vitamins and essential and trace elements in amaranth seeds. The results showed that the treatment did not affect the content of B-group vitamins, and the recovery for essential and trace elements was 97–196 %. This popping system is useful for processing amaranth seeds in terms of the product quality and nutrition.     

Seasonal and Annual Fluxes of Inorganic Constituents in a Small Catchment of a Japanese Cedar Forest near the Sea of Japan

Fluxes of major ions in rainfall (RF), throughfall plus stemflow (TF + SF), and stream water (SW) were measured for five water years in a small catchment of a Japanese cedar forest near the Sea of Japan. The fluxes of most ions in RF and in TF + SF, including the non-sea-salt constituents, increased from late autumn to midwinter owing to the seasonal westerly wind. The concentrations of most ions in SW showed no obvious seasonal trend during the study period, whereas ${\text{NO}}_3 ^ - $ concentrations were lowest in summer, with a small seasonality. The Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ outputs in SW were approximately 3.7 and 1.8 times the TF + SF inputs of these cations, respectively. The large net outputs of base cations in the catchment may indicate a decrease in the soil's acid-neutralizing capacity. Annual dissolved inorganic nitrogen inputs in RF and in TF + SF were 17.7 and 17.9 kg N ha^?1 year^?1, respectively, which exceeded previously published thresholds in Europe and the U.S. (i.e., the values at which these inputs increased ${\text{NO}}_3 ^ - $ levels in SW) and equaled the highest level of nitrogen deposition previously reported in Japan. The ${\text{NO}}_{\text{3}} ^{\text{ - }} $ concentrations in SW were relatively high even in summer. During high-precipitation events, ${\text{NO}}_{\text{3}} ^{\text{ - }} $ concentrations in SW increased with increasing water discharge, and the pH decreased simultaneously during several events. Nitrogen deposition may contribute to the high ${\text{NO}}_{\text{3}} ^{\text{ - }} $ concentrations in SW and the temporary acidification that occurred during the rain events.