An experimental simulation of moisture distribution and its uniformity within the soil profile under laboratory conditions

This research is a study on the relationship of irrigation water treatments and soil moisture distribution uniformity (DU). Soil moisture distribution was based on long-term data sets that were collected using a novel electromagnetic sensor-based platform moving inside sub-surface horizontal access-tubes. The research was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions in a soil tank. The irrigation treatments regarding two case studies under dry and wet soil conditions (from permanent wilting point to field capacity) were conducted for a period of 115 and 110 days respectively. In dry soil conditions, the irrigation water treatments strongly affect the DU of soil moisture that can be achieved constantly using non-uniform irrigation treatments. In contrast, the DU of soil moisture in wet soil conditions was maintained at a high percentage and was slightly affected by irrigation treatments. However, obtaining accurate soil moisture information at a large scale over a long period can be used to improve water use efficiency.     

Simulating Agricultural Conversion to Residential use in the Hudson River Valley: Scenario Analyses and Case Studies

Land use changes threaten agricultural land. If agricultural land is going to be preserved, the social and economic causes of conversion must be understood. However, analyzing the causes of agricultural conversion is complex because trends need to be documented before analyzing the causes. One of the leading uses of agricultural land is for residential purposes. This paper projects residential development in a Hudson River Valley watershed within Dutchess County in New York State using an integrated modeling framework consisting of an econometric model, a geographic information system (GIS), and Monte Carlo simulation. The econometric model is used to project residential development, providing parcel-specific probabilities of residential development. The GIS is employed to extract socio-economic and county-level tax parcel data to be used in conjunction with bio-geophysical attributes, such as slope, soil, and location, to calculate and project growth trends on a residential level for undeveloped land parcels. Monte Carlo simulation is used to distribute these projections into the GIS to display outcomes of scenario analyses to provide policy-makers a demonstration of how policies would likely affect the agricultural landscape of the watershed. John M. Polimeni is an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Albany College of Pharmacy in Albany, New York. Dr. Polimeni received a PhD in Ecological Economics and a BS in Mathematics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His professional interests include: quantitative economics, spatial and regional economics, land use change, economic development, and graduate education in Ecological Economics. He is currently working on linking ecological economics with the laws of thermodynamics and neuroeconomics into one unified model.     

Effect of Baking Process on Added Folic Acid and Endogenous Folates Stability in Wheat and Rye Breads

In Poland bread as a staple food both made from wheat and rye flour can be a potential product for future fortification with folic acid. The objective of the study was to examine the effect of fermentation and baking on added folic acid and some endogenous folates stability during breadmaking of rye and wheat breads. Breads were produced using the formulation containing enriched flour with 0.2 mg folic acid/100 g product, baker’s yeast and additionally ascorbic acid for wheat bread and lactic acid for rye bread. Folates were extracted with Hepes/Ches buffer (pH = 7.85) followed by destruction of matrix by amylase and protease and deconjugation with rat serum conjugase. Affinity chromatography (FBP bovine milk) was used to purify and concentrate samples. The folates were separated by HPLC with C18 column and with a combination of fluorescence and UV detection. For both rye and wheat breads there was a decrease of folic acid from flour to bread stage. The total losses depend on baking process and ranged from 12 to 21%. Some changes in the level of different native folate forms during the stage of baking process were also observed.     

Effects of Soybean Fortification on Protein Quality of Tortilla-Based Diets Produced from Regular and Quality Protein Maize

The physiological development of laboratory rats fed with a typical indigenous tortilla diet was studied for two generations. The experiment compared casein control diet and five different types of diets: (1) a diet of tortillas obtained from fresh masa (FM); (2) regular tortillas produced from enriched dry masa flour containing vitamins B₁, B₂, niacin, folic acid, and the microminerals iron and zinc (REDMF); (3) tortillas produced from enriched dry masa flour fortified with 6% defatted soybean meal (FEDMF); (4) tortillas produced from enriched quality protein maize flour (EQPM); and (5) and, tortillas produced from enriched quality protein maize flour fortified with 3% defatted soybean meal (FEQPM). The growth of rats fed FEDMF and FEQPM diets was significantly higher (P<0.05) in both generations than their counterparts fed EQPM, REDMF, or FM diet. Animals fed quality protein maize (QPM) tortilla had the highest protein digestibility, but the FEQPM and FEDMF diets had the highest biological value (BV), net protein utilization (NPU), and protein-digestibility-corrected EAA scores (PDCEAAS). The difference among treatments was more evident in the second-generation rats. The pregnancy rate, number of newborns/litter, litter weight, and newborn survival rate was also higher for rats fed FEDMF, EQPM, and FEQPM diets than their counterparts fed REDMF and FM.     

Studies on composite filaments from nanoclay reinforced polypropylene

The development of high tenacity, high modulus monofilaments from Polypropylene/Clay nanocomposite has been investigated. Pure sodium montmorillonite nanoclay was modified using hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HTAB) via an ion exchange reaction. Pure and modified clay were characterized through X-ray diffraction, FTIR and TGA. The modified clay was melt blended with polypropylene (PP) in presence of a swelling agent. Composite filaments from PP/Clay nanocomposite were prepared at different weight percentages of nanoclay and the spinning and drawing conditions were optimized. The filaments were characterized for their mechanical, morphological and thermal properties. The composite PP filaments with modified clay showed improved tensile strength, modulus and reduced elongation at break. The composite filaments with unmodified clay did not show any improvement in tensile strength but the modulus improved. The sharp and narrow X-ray diffraction peaks of PP/nanoclay composite filaments indicate increase in crystallinity in presence of modified clay at small loadings (0.5%). The improved thermal stability was observed in filaments with modified as well as unmodified clays.     

Evaluation of VI-alpha and PIT-tagging of the seahorse <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hippocampus abdominalis</Emphasis>

The suitability of visible implant alphanumeric (VI-alpha) and passive integrated transponder (PIT)-tagging to individually identify seahorses (Hippocampus abdominalis) was assessed in two trials. For each trial, 24 seahorses were tagged and mortality, growth, tag retention and tag visibility/readability assessed, together with 24 control seahorses, over a period of 3 months. For VI-alpha tagging, a single tag was inserted under the skin between the first two anterior lateral tail rings of the seahorses. There was no difference in final seahorse length, wet weight, or mean SGR in tagged seahorses, compared with control seahorses, after 3 months. Tag retention was 100%, as was survival, in both treatments. Tag detection with the naked eye was generally poor but improved using LED blue light. However, readability of tag codes was highly variable and insufficiently reliable for VI-alpha to be suitable for identification of individual seahorses. In PIT-tagged seahorses, a single FDX-B transponder was inserted into the abdominal cavity of seahorses. There was also no difference in final seahorse length, wet weight, or mean SGR, compared with control seahorses, after 3 months. Tag retention was also 100%, as was survival in both treatments. Readability of transponders was reliable and quick using a compact reader. PIT-tagging is considered suitable for individual identification of large H. abdominalis.     

Comparison of 5′-inosine monophosphate and p-nitrophenyl phosphate degrading activities among red,pink, and white muscle fibers of cultured carp

ABSTRACT:   As part of a study to clarify the differences in the temporal change in K -value among fish species, the temporal change in K -value and the 5'-inosine monophosphate (5'-IMP) and p-nitrophenol phosphate (p-NPP) degrading activities in the red, pink, and white muscle fibers in the dorsal muscle of the carp were compared. The temporal change in K -value was fastest in red, followed by pink, and white muscle fibers, at both 0°C and 32°C. Moreover, the 5'-IMP and p-NPP degrading activities were highest in red, followed by pink, and white muscle fibers at near optimum pH concentrations. The 5'-IMP degrading activity at pH 7.0 had a positive correlation with the increasing rate of K -value at 32°C for all types of muscle fibers. These results suggest that differences in increasing rates of K -values between red, pink, and white muscle fibers corresponded to the 5'-IMP degrading activities.     

Characterization of the quantitatively major collagen in the mantle of oyster <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crassostrea gigas</Emphasis>

ABSTRACT:   A quantitatively major collagen was isolated from the pepsin-solubilized collagen preparation of the mantle by differential salt precipitation and phosphocellulose column chromatography, and its constituent α components (α1 and α2) were purified by phosphocellulose column chromatography. The subunits were demonstrated to be genetically distinct from each other by peptide mapping and amino acid analysis. The amino acid composition calculated from those of the α1 and α2 components in 2 : 1 ratio coincided well with that of the major collagen from the mantle. These results suggest that the major collagen in the mantle of the oyster may have a heterotrimer structure (α1)₂α2.     

Effect of a seaweed mixture on serum lipid level and platelet aggregation in rats

ABSTRACT:   To assess the effect of a seaweed mixture on lipid levels in serum as well as platelet aggregation in rats, Eisenia bicyclis ('Arame'), Hizikia fusiformis ('Hijiki') and Undaria pinnatifida sporophylls ('Mekabu'), all brown seaweeds, and Porphyra yezoensis ('Susabinori'), a red seaweed, were powdered and mixed in a ratio of 45:30:20:5 (w/w). When rats were fed a cholesterol-rich diet containing this mixture of seaweeds (9–10% w/w) for 28 days, serum total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, free cholesterol, and triglyceride levels declined significantly to 49.7%, 48.1%, 49.0% and 74.8%, respectively, of those of the control. Serum HDL-cholesterol, however, was unchanged. Though activated partial thromboplatin time, prothrombin time, antithrombin III activity, and fibrinogen levels in plasma were unchanged, the maximal ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation decreased significantly to 89.0% and 85.5% control levels, respectively. These results indicate that this mixture of E. bicyclis , H. fusiformis , U. pinnatifida sporophylls, and P. yezoensis , is useful for the prevention of hyperlipidemia and thrombosis in rats.     

基于多年MODIS NDVI 分级的河北平原农田生产力评价

根据中等分辨率航天成像光谱仪(MODIS)遥感数据计算的归一化植被指数(NDVI)被广泛用于作物长势监测和产量预报, 但由于NDVI 数值在不同年份的同一时期变化较大, 直接用于评价农田生产力会有较大误差。本文以河北平原所在的北纬37°~39°之间连续种植的冬小麦农田为研究区域, 通过对多年冬小麦MODISNDVI 数据进行比较和分级, 尝试用每季NDVI 在区域内的高低级别评估区域农田生产力。Landsat 卫星数据用于对不同时相MODIS 图像进行精确配准, 从而实现像素尺度上长时间序列数据的统计分析。首先, 对区域内2000~2008 年间每年作物返青期到成熟期的NDVI 平均值及各生育阶段NDVI 平均值分别进行高低分级, 以了解河北平原农田生产力的空间变异, 结果显示其中高水平农田分布在太行山山前平原, 指数等级水平并没有完全按南北走向趋势分布, 表明该研究方法受纬度差异的影响较小。不同年份分析结果显示, 2008 年东部地区也出现了较高等级的田块。其次, 利用NDVI 分级结果计算出9 年间NDVI 等级的变异系数, 对采用不同生育期NDVI 可能带来的误差进行了分析, 结果显示不同小麦生育期NDVI 等级的变异系数不同, 返青期和成熟期变异系数较大, 且具有一定的地理差异。最后, 利用GIS 空间分析方法以9 年NDVI 分级结果为基础制作了以县为单元的麦田生产力等级图, 结果显示河北平原农田生产力高低分区, 同时也表明中低水平区块有较大提升空间, 为河北县级土地管理和耕地质量管理提供理论依据。