Optimization of the processing conditions and prediction of the quality for dyeing nylon and lycra blended fabrics

This paper is intended to determine the optimal processing parameters applied to the dyeing procedure so that the desired color strength of a raw fabric can be achieved. Moreover, the processing parameters are also used for constructing a system to predict the fabric quality. The fabric selected is the nylon and Lycra blend. The dyestuff used for dyeing is acid dyestuff and the dyeing method is one-bath-two-section. The Taguchi quality method is applied for parameter design. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) is applied to arrange the optimal condition, significant factors and the percentage contributions. In the experiment, according to the target value, a confirmation experiment is conducted to evaluate the reliability. Furthermore, the genetic algorithm (GA) is combined with the back propagation neural network (BPNN) in order to establish the forecasting system for searching the best connecting weights of BPNN. It can be shown that this combination not only enhances the efficiency of the learning algorithm, but also decreases the dependency of the initial condition during the network training. Most of all, the robustness of the learning algorithm will be increased and the quality characteristic of fabric will be precisely predicted.     

Impact of biodiversity-climate futures on primary production and metabolism in a model benthic estuarine system

Background

A territory as a prerequisite for breeding limits the maximum number of breeders in a given area, and thus lowers the proportion of breeders if population size increases. However, some territorially breeding animals can have dramatic density fluctuations and little is known about the change from density-dependent processes to density-independence of breeding during a population increase or an outbreak. We suggest that territoriality, breeding suppression and its break-down can be understood with an incomplete-control model, developed for social breeders and social suppression.

Results

We studied density dependence in an arvicoline species, the bank vole, known as a territorial breeder with cyclic and non-cyclic density fluctuations and periodically high densities in different parts of its range. Our long-term data base from 38 experimental populations in large enclosures in boreal grassland confirms that breeding rates are density-regulated at moderate densities, probably by social suppression of subordinate potential breeders. We conducted an experiment, were we doubled and tripled this moderate density under otherwise the same conditions and measured space use, mortality, reproduction and faecal stress hormone levels (FGM) of adult females. We found that mortality did not differ among the densities, but the regulation of the breeding rate broke down: at double and triple densities all females were breeding, while at the low density the breeding rate was regulated as observed before. Spatial overlap among females increased with density, while a minimum territory size was maintained. Mean stress hormone levels were higher in double and triple densities than at moderate density.

Conclusions

At low and moderate densities, breeding suppression by the dominant breeders, But above a density-threshold (similar to a competition point), the dominance of breeders could not be sustained (incomplete control). In our experiment, this point was reached after territories could not shrink any further, while the number of intruders continued to increase with increasing density. Probably suppression becomes too costly for the dominants, and increasing number of other breeders reduces the effectiveness of threats. In wild populations, crossing this threshold would allow for a rapid density increase or population outbreaks, enabling territorial species to escape density-dependency.     

辣根风味形成优化

对辣根硫代葡萄糖苷转化为风味成分异硫氰酸酯的最优条件及挥发成分的保留方法进行了研究。酶解产物的类型和浓度受pH值、酶解温度、时间、含水量及其它因子的影响。优化了酶解条件，探讨了金属离子、抗坏血酸及β-环糊精、变性淀粉、大豆蛋白对风味成分AIT（烯丙基异硫氰酸酯）和PEIT（苯乙基异硫氰酸酯）形成及保留的效果，比较了热风干燥和冷冻干燥对AIT和PEIT形成及保留的效果。研究结果表明：辣根风味形成的最适条件是：10 g辣根添加5 mL pH 6的缓冲液在温度30℃条件下酶解30 min。添加抗坏血酸、Mg²⁺、Zn²⁺或外源黑芥子硫苷酶能明显增加AIT和PEIT含量。加入β-环状糊精及采用冷冻干燥或流化床干燥有利于AIT和PEIT的保留。     

Effects of long-term phosphorus fertilization and winter cover cropping on soil phosphorus transformations in less weathered soil

Information concerning sources and sinks of available P in soil is needed to improve soil P management and protect water quality. This study, conducted from 1989 to 1998 on a Sultan silt loam soil (Aquantic Xerochrept), determined the annual P removal rate by corn (Zea mays L.) and P transformation as affected by P rate and winter cover cropping. Treatments included two P rates (0 and 44 kg P ha^–1) applied to corn at planting each year. All cover crops received 19.6 kg P ha^–1 at seeding each fall. Also included was a control without any cover crop and with no P addition. Corn yield and P uptake were affected by P fertilizer additions, but not by cover crops. A fairly constant amount of P was supplied from indigenous soil P when no external P was added. When the amount of P added exceeded that removed by corn, the excess P was converted mainly to NaOH-extractable inorganic P (NaOH-P_i). When the amount of P applied was below that removed by corn, indigenous soil NaOH-P_i acted as a source of available P for the plant. With no reduction of organic P (P_o) extractable by NaOH or NaHCO₃, the contribution from P_o to the available P pool appeared limited. The role of NaOH-P_i in P availability in the soil was substantiated by its significant correlation with labile NH₄Cl-extractable P (NH₄Cl-P; r² =0.60, P <0.001) or NaHCO₃-P_i (r² =0.81, P <0.001) pools. The NaOH-P_i for the soil reflected the changes in soil P resulting from past fertilizer P input and P removal by the crops.Scientific Paper Number 0005-34     

Analysis of amino acids by gas chromatography as the N-trifluoroacetyl n-butyl esters

This presentation describes amino acid analysis with the gas chromatographic method and experimental conditions using the N-trifluoroacetyl n-butyl ester derivatives; the study we describe here was undertaken to compare gas chromatographic (GC) and ion-exchange chromatographic (IEC) analyses of amino acids in hydrolysates of 9 diverse sample types to gain insight into effects of these 2 chromatographic methods of analysis on variation in amino acid results. Our study showed that values for samples prepared by 2 separate laboratories using the same procedure were generally in good agreement when all of the hydrolysates were analyzed by a single laboratory using a single method of analysis. To compare results from gas chromatography with those from ion-exchange chromatography analyses were performed by 2 different laboratories on the same hydrolysates and on different hydrolysates prepared by the same method by both laboratories. The data demonstrate that GC and IEC can be expected to yield essentially identical results when applied to the same hydrolysate. Agreement is so close that interlaboratory differences in hydrolysate preparation of the same sample contribute as much to variation in amino acid results as does the method of analysis, a fact which should be noted in planning collaborative studies.     

Variability in the concentration of three heat stable proteinase inhibitor proteins in potato tubers

The variability of three well characterized proteinase inhibitors, Inhibitor I, molecular weight 39,000, Inhibitor II, molecular weight 21,000, and Carboxypeptidase Inhibitor, molecular weight 4,100, were determined in apical cortical tissues of individual potato tubers of the Russet Burbank variety. The three inhibitors varied within ± 20% among sixty-five tubers and cumulatively represented about 7% of the total soluble proteins. The inhibitors were highly variable among tubers of 106 clones from randomly chosen varieties. Inhibitor I varied about twelve-fold (60 to 745 μg/ml juice), and Inhibitor II varied about seven-fold (158 to 1,025 μg/ml juice). Carboxypeptidase Inhibitor varied from as low as zero (seven varieties) to over 850 μg/ml tuber juice. With 80 tubers from fourteen varieties of potatoes, a positivecorrelation was found between the concentrations of Inhibitor I and Inhibitor II and total soluble protein. Carboxypeptidase Inhibitor did not correlate well with total soluble protein. The positive correlations of Inhibitors I and II (a correlation coefficient of 0.70) with total soluble protein indicated that the proteinase inhibitors may be excellent markers for genetic studies for selecting high protein potato tuber varieties.     

施用黑炭和羊粪对库尔勒香梨园土壤理化性质与产量的影响

为了解黑炭和羊粪在库尔勒香梨生产中的应用效果,采用化肥配施黑炭和羊粪的田间调控试验,研究黑炭和羊粪对库尔勒香梨园土壤理化性质和产量的影响。结果表明:与不施黑炭和羊粪的CK处理相比,施用黑炭和羊粪能有效改变果园土壤颗粒组成,改善土壤物理性质,提高土壤有机质及速效养分含量,促进果园增产。施用黑炭、羊粪27 000 kg·hm^-2的处理效果较为显著,其中施用黑炭27 000 kg·hm^-2对提高土壤有机质含量和改善土壤物理性质效果更显著;施用羊粪27 000 kg·hm^-2对提高土壤碱解氮、有效磷和速效钾的含量以及香梨产量效果更显著。     

A comparison of anesthetic risk factors and outcomes in light and draft horses

As a result of anatomic and physiologic differences, draft breeds may be at greater risk of developing anesthetic complications. The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare anesthetic management of draft (DR) and light (LT) horses. A case‐matched retrospective study of 371 clinical case records of DR (124 cases) and LT (247 cases) horses presented for general anesthesia between 1991 and 1998 was performed. Data were tabulated and comparisons were made using Student's t‐test (significance p < 0.05). Prior to induction, there were significant differences in mean body weight, rectal temperature, PCV, RBC, and serum TP concentration between DR and LT breeds. There were differences in mean doses of pre‐operative butorphanol (LT 21 µg kg^?1; DR 17 µg kg^?1), induction guaifenesin (LT 99 mg kg^?1; DR 88 mg kg^?1), and intraoperative ketamine (LT 0.35 mg kg^?1; DR 0.56 mg kg^?1) required. There were no significant differences in the mean doses of pre‐operative xylazine, detomidine, or induction barbiturate administered. The mean, average, and maximum concentrations of inspired halothane were significantly higher for DR than for LT horses. Draft horses received 33% less intraoperative IV fluids (8.2 mL kg^?1 hour^?1) than LT horses. Mean anesthetic duration, time to extubation, and standing recovery were not significantly different. Induction complications were not reported for either group. Rates of occurrence of intraoperative bradycardia, hypercarbia, hypoxemia, and metabolic acidosis (SBE, TCO₂, and bicarbonate concentration) did not differ significantly. Average MAP was greater in DR horses, but neither the degree nor the mean duration of hypotension differed between DR and LT horses. Mean PaO₂ was significantly lower in DR (246 mm Hg, 32.8 kPa) than in LT (305 mm Hg, 40.7 kPa) breeds. Draft horses were at greater relative risk of hypoventilation than LT horses. The greater MAP and requirement for halothane and intraoperative ketamine may indicate problems in achieving and maintaining a surgical plane of anesthesia. Draft horses may be at a greater risk of ventilation–perfusion mismatching.     

Inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 participate in anti-inflammatory activity of imperatorin from Glehnia littoralis

In this study, we have investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of imperatorin, a compound isolated from the roots of Glehnia littoralis, using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse macrophage (RAW264.7) in vitro and a carrageenan (Carr)-induced mouse paw edema model in vivo. When RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with imperatorin together with LPS, a significant concentration-dependent inhibition of NO production was detected. Western blotting revealed that imperatorin blocked the protein expression of iNOS and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages significantly. In the anti-inflammatory test, imperatorin decreased the paw edema at 4 and 5 h after Carr administration and increased the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase in paw edema. We also demonstrated that imperatorin significantly attenuated the malondialdehyde level in the edema paw at the fifth hour after Carr injection. Imperatorin decreased the NO and tumor necrosis factor and prostaglandin E2 levels on serum at 5 h after Carr injection. Western blotting revealed that imperatorin decreased Carr-induced iNOS and COX-2 expressions at 5 h in edema paw. An intraperitoneal injection treatment with imperatorin also diminished neutrophil infiltration into sites of inflammation as did indomethacin. The results suggested that imperatorin had anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and Carr-injected mice, respectively. In addition, inhibition of elevated iNOS and COX-2 protein expression as well as neutrophil infiltration of Carr-injected paws may be involved in the beneficial effects of imperatorin.     

Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Gelatin and Gelatin Hydrolysates Obtained from Extrusion-Pretreated Fish (Oreochromis sp.) Scales

Fish gelatin and its hydrolysates exhibit a variety of biological characteristics, which include antihypertensive and antioxidant properties. In this study, fish gelatins were extracted from extrusion-pretreated tilapia scales, and then subjected to analyses to determine the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity of the extracted gelatins. Our findings indicate that TSG2 (preconditioned with 1.26% citric acid) possessed the greatest extraction yield, as well as higher antioxidant activities compared with the other extracted gelatins. Hence, TSG2 was subjected to further hydrolyzation using different proteases and ultrafiltration conditions, which yielded four gelatin hydrolysates: TSGH1, TSGH2, TSGH3, and TSGH4. The results showed that TSGH4 (Pepsin + Pancreatin and ultrafiltration < 3000 Da) had a higher yield and greater antioxidant activity in comparison with the other gelatin hydrolysates. As such, TSGH4 was subjected to further fractionation using a Superdex peptide column and two-stage reverse-phase column HPLC chromatography, yielding a subfraction TSGH4-6-2-b, which possessed the highest 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity compared with the other fractions. Further LC-ESI/MS/MS analysis of TSGH4-6-2-b suggested two novel peptides (GYDEY and EPGKSGEQGAPGEAGAP), which could have potential as naturally-occurring peptides with antioxidant properties. These promising results suggest that these antioxidant peptides could have applications in food products, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics.