Characteristics of some almond kernel and oils

The proximate properties, the fatty acid and mineral contents of different almond kernel varieties were determined. The crude protein contents of kernels ranged between 12.7% (guara) and 16.3% (cristomorto). The oil yields from these kernels were established between 48.8% (cristomorto) and 55.7% (ferragnes). The acidity value of oils were found between 1.389 and 3.559%. In addition, peroxide values were established between 7.586 (nonpareil) and 15.590 mequiv./kg (cristomorto). The major fatty acids of almond kernel oils were oleic (72.5–79.9%), linoleic (13.5–19.8%) and palmitic acids (5.9–6.7%). The predominant mineral in most kernel was potassium (13.1–15.1 mg/100 g). The mineral contents of the kernels were established as 7.94–9.38 mg/100 g potassium, 2.9–4.0 mg/100 g magnesium and 1.84–2.94 mg/100 g calcium. From the results of the present study, it can be concluded that the kernels of almond varieties are being potential sources of valuable oil which might be used for edible and other industrial applications.     

Relationships between the presence of Johne's disease and farm and management factors in dairy cattle in England

The data collected by a postal questionnaire sent to 3772 randomly selected dairy farmers in England and the border regions in Wales were used to estimate the relationships between the presence of clinical Johne's disease and farm and management factors associated with that disease. Two binary outcomes (case reported in 1993, case reported in 1994) and 27 predictor variables were considered. Only two variables were consistently and significantly associated with clinical disease in multivariable analysis. Farms on which Channel Island breeds were predominant were associated with an increased risk of reporting disease (odds ratios (ORs) ranged from 10.9 to 12.9). The presence of farmed deer on the farm also increased the risk of reporting disease (ORs ranged from 15.2 to 209.3). There were other significant but inconsistent associations involving the source of replacements, age of first-offering hay, type of concentrate feed to calves, and calving in individual pens when the cows were at grass. Since Johne's disease is predominantly subclinical, these contributing factors may play important roles in switching subclinical infection to overt disease.     

Resistance to common insecticides and mechanisms of resistance in Aphis pomi de Geer (Hemiptera: Aphididae), in apple orchards in Turkey

Phytoparasitica - The Green apple aphid, Aphis pomi de Geer (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is one of the most common and serious insect pests of apple orchards in Turkey. This species feeds on succulent...     

Genetic variation among cotton (G. hirsutum L.) cultivars for motes,seed-coat fragments and loading force

Seed quality is one of the important objectives in cotton production and breeding. Seed-coat fragments (SCFs) and motes are the main impurities in lint cotton and are major concerns in the textile industry. A 2-year study was conducted to compare 10 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars for the number of SCFs, motes, and resistance to loading force (RL).     

Volatilization of organic chemicals from water

Liquid-phase transfer coefficients of ten selected organic pollutants were measured simultaneously with the O₂ reaeration coefficient in a 2L reactor. The contents of the reactor were stirred in the laboratory by a 0.15 m diameter propeller attached to a constant speed motor. The ratio of the mass transfer coefficient of the chemical to that of O₂ is found to vary between 0.43 and 0.60 for eight of the chemicals tested. This result is in good agreement with the literature concerning high volatility chemicals. The value of this ratio for the other two chemicals was found to be 0.10 for nitrobenzene and 0.01 for phenol, confirming the predominance of gas phase resistances in the transport process for these two compounds.     

Identification and characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alternaria alternata</Emphasis> (Fr.) Keissler causing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ceratonia</Emphasis> Blight disease of carob (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ceratonia siliqua</Emphasis> L.) in Turkey

A new dagger nematode, Xiphinema tica n. sp., is described and illustrated from several populations extracted from soil associated with several crops and wild plants in Costa Rica. The new dagger nematode is characterised by a moderate body size (3276–4240 μm), a rounded lip region, ca 13.5 μm wide, separated from body contour by a shallow depression, amphidial fovea large, stirrup-shaped, a moderately long odontostyle ca 135 μm long, stylet guiding ring located at ca 122 μm from anterior end, vulva almost equatorial (50–54%), well-developed Z-organ, with heavy muscularised wall containing in the most of specimens observed two moderately refractive inclusions variable in shape (from round to star-shaped), with uterine spines and crystalloid bodies; female tail short, dorsally convex-conoid, with rounded end and a small peg, with a c’ ratio ca 0.8, bearing two or three pairs of caudal pores and male absent. The unique and novel uterine differentiation based on the coexistence of a well-developed Z-organ mixed with uterine spines and crystalloid bodies in Xiphinema prompted us to update and include this combination of characters in the polytomous key of Loof and Luc (1990). Integrative diagnosis was completed with molecular data obtained, using D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S rDNA, ITS1-rDNA, partial 18S–rDNA and the partial mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (coxI). The phylogenetic relationships of this species with other Xiphinema spp. indicated that X. tica n. sp. was monophyletic to the other species from the morphospecies Group 4, Xiphinema oleae.     

Note: Evaluation of antibacterial activity of essential oil of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rosa damascena</Emphasis> on<Emphasis Type="Italic">Erwinia amylovora</Emphasis>

Significant antibacterial activity was observed in the essential oil (E.O.) ofRosa damascena Mill. and the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of the E.O. was determined as 1386.5 μg ml⁻¹ forErwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight disease. Ooze formation on immature pears and lesion formation in artificially inoculated shoots were completely (100%) prevented by the essential oil ofR. damascena (1500 μg ml⁻¹), essential oil ofThymbra spicata var.spicata (500 μg ml⁻¹) and streptomycin (100 μg ml⁻¹). Copper oxychloride plus maneb significantly reduced ooze formation and lesion formation, but the control was less than that obtained with the essential oils or streptomycin. The essential oil ofR. damascena may be a useful natural bactericide for the control of the fire blight pathogen,E. amylovora. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting July 14, 2004.     

Dose-dependent immunohistochemical and ultrastructural changes after oral methylphenidate administration in rat heart tissue

Methylphenidate, more commonly known as Ritalin, is a piperidine derivative and is the drug most often used to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, one of the most common behavioural disorders of children and young adults. Our aims were to investigate dose-dependent immunohistochemical D2 expression and ultrastructural changes of the rat heart tissue, and to demonstrate possible toxicity of the long-term and high dose use of the methylphenidate. In this study, 27 female pre-pubertal Wistar albino rats, divided into three different dose groups (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) and their control groups, were used. They were treated orally with methylphenidate dissolved in saline solution for 5 days/week during 3 months. At the end of the third month, after perfusion fixation, left ventricle of cardiac tissue was removed. Paraffin, semi-thin and thin sections were collected and immunohistochemical, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated Dig-dUTP nick end labelling assay and ultrastructural studies were performed. In conclusion, we believe that Ritalin is dose-related affecting dopaminergic system to increase heart rhythm and contraction. Thus, this drug may cause degenerative ultrastructural changes in mitochondrial path.