Development of wood and wood ash-based hydroxyapatite composites and their fire-retarding properties

For making efficient use of waste wood ash emitted from wood biomass plant, the wood and wood ash-based hydroxyapatite (HAp) composite was produced and their flammability characterization was studied by thermogravimetric (DTA-TG) analysis, oxygen index (OI) measurement and cone calorimeter test. The results show that the exothermic and weight loss peaks in DTA-TG combustion profiles due to their significant thermal decomposition were weakened by the HAp agent impregnation. In addition, the OI value of HAp composites was increased by the HAp combining and the OI showed a correlation with the HAp contents. Also, the cone calorimeter study revealed that the heat release rates were decreased with increasing amount of HAp injection and accordingly their total heat release has an inverse relationship to the HAp contents. These results indicate that the treatment with wood ash-based HAp agents can enhance the flame retardancy of the treated woods.     

农田防护林主带间距离的确定——基于林带结构与风速降低的关系(英文)

本文通过对9条分布均匀、相对较窄的不同疏透度(透光疏透度,下同)(0.13～0.33)的树木林带和不同疏透度(0.00～0.80)风障组合的野外风速观测,确定了树木林带和风障的最适疏透度分别为0.25和0.13。基于林带结构(疏透度)与风速降低的关系,确定了林带主带间距离的主要参数,即,林带结构系数(δ)和以主害风为代表的小气候参数(Lrp)。另外,通过对林带树木的野外调查,应用树木解析技术确定林带成林高(H0)。因此,树木林带的主带间距可以通过林带结构系数、希望降低风速的比例和树木生长模型来确定。本文以杨树林带为例,具体确定了杨树林带的主带间距。该研究结果不仅适于树木林带的设计,同时适于其它生物材料或人工风障的设计。图4表5参40。     

Cross-sectional cutting of bamboo with a pair of shearing blades for bamboo cube production

As a new use of bamboo, bamboo cubes may be useful as a shot-blast material for surface treatments. However, a suitable processing technique for bamboo cubes has not been established. In this study, to obtain basic knowledge regarding the processing technology for bamboo cubes, we installed shearing blades (upper and lower blades) in a universal testing machine to test cross-sectional shearing of bamboo. The shearing force generated in this shearing was composed of a vertical component (F _v), a forward component (F _f), and a side component (F _s). This shearing force (F _v, F _f, and F _s) and the machining accuracy were investigated under various processing conditions. The shearing force became larger as the thickness of bamboo increased. In particular, F _v showed a tendency to increase rapidly. Changes in the shear angle of the upper blade had a remarkable influence on F _v. This result suggests that the shearing force could be greatly decreased by adjusting the shear angle. The shearing force within bamboo of 3mm in thickness was almost unaffected by the blade angle, and the change of shearing force with increasing clearance was almost indiscernible. It was clearly demonstrated that a large number of bamboo cubes could be made when the shear angle was large and cross-sectional shearing was performed from the bark side. However, a consequence of a large shear angle is that burr area increases. Part of this article was presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Fukuoka, March 2003     

Erratum to: Regulation effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phyllostachys pubescens</Emphasis> methanol extractives on growth of seed plants

Due to a processing error, first author's name is missing in the HTML version of this article abstract page. The correct authors are given below: Jun Mu, Tohru Uehara, Takeshi Furuno The online version of the original article can be found at     

Detection and verification of QTLs associated with heat-induced quality decline of rice (Oryza sativa L.) using recombinant inbred lines and near-isogenic lines

Decline in the apparent quality of rice (Oryza sativa L.) grain due to high temperatures during ripening recently became a major concern in many areas in Japan. The occurrence of white-back kernels (WBK) is one of the main problems of heat-induced quality decline. We identified QTLs associated with the occurrence of WBK using recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and verified their effects using near-isogenic lines (NILs). The QTL analysis used F₇ and F₈ RILs derived from ‘Hana-echizen’ (HE), which is tolerant to high temperature, × ‘Niigata-wase’ (NW), which is sensitive to high temperature. Four QTLs were identified on chromosomes 3, 4, 6, and 9 (qWB3, qWB4, qWB6 and qWB9). To verify the effects of qWB6 and qWB9, we developed two NILs in which qWB6 or both were introduced from HE into the NW background. The HE allele at qWB6 significantly decreased WBK under multiple environments. The combination of qWB6 and qWB9 in an F₂ population derived from a cross between a NIL and NW showed that the NW allele at qWB9 significantly decreased WBK if the qWB6 allele was HE. These results will be of value in marker-assisted selection for the breeding of rice with tolerance to heat-induced quality decline.