Properties of dry film lubricants prepared by spray application of aqueous starch–oil composites

Aqueous dispersions of starch–soybean oil (SBO) and starch–jojoba oil (JO) composites, prepared by excess steam jet cooking, form effective dry film lubricants when applied as thick coatings to metal surfaces by a doctor blade. This application method necessitates long drying times, is wasteful, requires the addition of sucrose to promote composite adhesion to the metal surface, and restricts the substrate geometry to planar surfaces. These issues represent important barriers to the commercialization of this aqueous biobased dry film lubricant technology. We now report an air-assisted spray method that uses readily available spray equipment to apply aqueous starch–oil composite dispersions as thin coatings (0.15–2.0 mg/cm²) to metal surfaces quickly and efficiently. Aqueous dispersions of waxy maize starch–oil composites containing either SBO, JO or hexadecane (HD), having 0.020–31.7 wt% oil relative to starch, were applied by air-assisted spraying and could be dried to the touch in approximately 30 s. Additionally, sucrose was found unnecessary for adhesion of the sprayed coatings. Tribological ball-on-flat testing of metal specimens spray coated with starch–SBO, –JO, and –HD composites showed the thin films of starch–SBO and –JO performed better at reducing the coefficient of friction (COF) than the starch–hexadecane composites. A low COF ranging between 0.027 and 0.044 was obtained for the starch–SBO and –JO composites containing 4–5 wt% oil relative to starch. Above 4–5 wt% oil loadings, no further COF reductions were realized. Further results revealed that micrometer-sized oil droplets embedded within the dried starch matrix of the composite film are delivered “on demand”. It appears that when pressure is applied to the dry film lubricant, the starch matrix ruptures and releases the entrained oil to the friction surface.     

Potential errors in measurement of nonuniform sap flow using heat dissipation probes

The empirical calibration of Granier-type heat dissipation sap flow probes that relate temperature difference (DeltaT) to sap velocity (v) was reevaluated in stems of three tropical tree species. The original calibration was confirmed when the entire heated probe was in contact with conducting xylem, but mean v was underestimated when part of the probe was in contact with nonconducting xylem or bark. Analysis of the effects of nonuniform sap velocity profiles on heat dissipation estimates showed that errors increased as v and the proportion of the probe in nonconducting wood increased. If half of a 20-mm probe is in sapwood with a v of 0.15 mm s(-1) and the other half is in nonconducting wood, then mean v for the whole probe can be underestimated by as much as 50%. A correction was developed that can be used if the proportion of the probe in nonconducting wood is known. Even with the entire heated probe in contact with conducting xylem, v would be underestimated when radial velocity gradients are present. In this case, the error would be smaller except when velocity gradients are very steep, as can occur in species with ring-porous wood anatomy. Errors occur because the relationship between DeltaT and v is nonlinear. Mean DeltaT along the probe is therefore not a measure of mean v, and users of heat dissipation probes should not assume that v is integrated along the length of the probe. The same type of error can occur when DeltaT is averaged through time while v is changing, but the error is small unless there are sudden, step changes between zero and high sap velocity. It is recommended that relatively short probes (20 mm or less) be used and that probes longer than the depth of conducting sapwood be avoided. Multiple probes inserted to a range of depths should be used in situations where steep gradients in v are expected. If these conditions are met, heat dissipation probes remain useful and widely applicable for measuring sap flow in woody stems.     

Hydraulic redistribution of soil water during summer drought in two contrasting Pacific Northwest coniferous forests

The magnitude of hydraulic redistribution of soil water by roots and its impact on soil water balance were estimated by monitoring time courses of soil water status at multiple depths and root sap flow under drought conditions in a dry ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws) ecosystem and in a moist Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) ecosystem. The fate of deuterated water applied to small plots to create a strong horizontal soil water potential gradient was also monitored to assess the potential for horizontal redistribution of water and utilization of redistributed water by co-occurring shallow-rooted plants. In a 20-year-old Douglas-fir stand, approximately 28% of the water removed daily from the upper 2 m of soil was replaced by nocturnal hydraulic redistribution during late August. In an old-growth ponderosa pine stand, approximately 35% of the total daily water utilization from the upper 2 m of soil appeared to be replaced by hydraulic redistribution during July and August. By late September, hydraulic redistribution in the ponderosa pine stand was no longer apparent, even though total water use from the upper 2 m of soil was nearly identical to that observed earlier. Based on these results, hydraulic redistribution would allow 21 and 16 additional days of stored water to remain in the upper soil horizons in the ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir stands, respectively, after a 60-day drought. At both sites, localized applications of deuterated water induced strong reversal of root sap flow and caused soil water content to cease declining or even temporarily increase at locations too distant from the site of water application to have been influenced by movement of water through the soil without facilitation by roots. Xylem water deuterium values of ponderosa pine seedlings suggested utilization of redistributed water. Therefore, hydraulic redistribution may enhance seedling survival and maintain overstory transpiration during summer drought. These first approximations of the extent of hydraulic redistribution in these ecosystems suggest that it is likely to be an important process in both wet and dry forests of the Pacific Northwest.     

Transpiration and forest structure in relation to soil waterlogging in a Hawaiian montane cloud forest

Transpiration, leaf characteristics and forest structure in Metrosideros polymorpha Gaud. stands growing in East Maui, Hawaii were investigated to assess physiological limitations associated with flooding as a mechanism of reduced canopy leaf area in waterlogged sites. Whole-tree sap flow, stomatal conductance, microclimate, soil oxidation-reduction potential, stand basal area and leaf area index (LAI) were measured on moderately sloped, drained sites with closed canopies (90%) and on level, waterlogged sites with open canopies (50-60%). The LAI was measured with a new technique based on enlarged photographs of individual tree crowns and allometric relationships. Sap flow was scaled to the stand level by multiplying basal area-normalized sap flow by stand basal area. Level sites had lower soil redox potentials, lower mean stand basal area, lower LAI, and a higher degree of soil avoidance by roots than sloped sites. Foliar nutrients and leaf mass per area (LMA) in M. polymorpha were similar between level and sloped sites. Stomatal conductance was similar for M. polymorpha saplings on both sites, but decreased with increasing tree height (r(2) = 0.72; P < 0.001). Stand transpiration estimates ranged from 79 to 89% of potential evapotranspiration (PET) for sloped sites and from 28 to 51% of PET for level sites. Stand transpiration estimates were strongly correlated with LAI (r(2) = 0.96; P < 0.001). Whole-tree transpiration was lower at level sites with waterlogged soils, but was similar or higher for trees on level sites when normalized by leaf area. Trees on level sites had a smaller leaf area per stem diameter than trees on sloped sites, suggesting that soil oxygen deficiency may reduce leaf area. However, transpiration per unit leaf area did not vary substantially, so leaf-level physiological behavior was conserved, regardless of differences in tree leaf area.     

Projecting global and regional outlooks for planted forests under the shared socio-economic pathways

New Forests - There is rising global interest in growing more trees in order to meet growing population, climate change, and wood energy needs. Using recently published data on planted forests by...     

Hormonal changes during meiotic maturation and ovulation in the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

The plasma levels of estradiol-17 (E2), 17, 20-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17,20-P) and gonadotropin (GTH) were measured in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) during the period from the end of vitellogenesis to postovulation. Blood samples were taken according to specific stages of maturation, including germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and ovulation. E2 levels were quite high (45 ng/ml) at the end of vitellogenesis (and prior to GVBD) and dropped precipitously by GVBD (2 ng/ml). They remained low through ovulation and postovulation. 17,20-P levels were low prior to GVBD (0.7 ng/ml) and increased dramatically at GVBD (148 ng/ml). The levels of 17,20-P remained high at ovulation (142 ng/ml) and then dropped significantly within 24 h to approximately half of the ovulatory values. They decreased even further by 7 days postovulation. GTH levels rose gradually through GVBD and ovulation from a postvitellogenic level of approximately 3 ng/ml to a 7 day postovulatory value of approximately 10 ng/ml. The overall results; 1) decrease in estradiol prior to GVBD, 2) increase in 17,20-P at GVBD and 3) gradual GTH rise through GVBD and ovulation, are similar to those reported for other salmonids.     

Angiotensins stimulate in vitro ovulation and contraction of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) follicles

The effects of salmon angiotensin I (sAI) and human angiotensin II (hAII) on in vitro ovulation of preovulatory (preOV) brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) follicles were investigated. Both angiotensins increased levels of ovulation above that in controls after 12 hours of incubation. The increase was statistically significant in incubates with greater than 1 M hAII. The effects of the angiotensins on follicle contraction were also studied indirectly by measuring the decrease in weight of punctured follicles taken prior to germinal vesicle breakdown. At 1 M, both angiotensins significantly decreased the weight of punctured follicles after 16 hours of incubation. The angiotensin-stimulated decrease in weight was not blocked by indomethacin (10 g/ml), indicating that follicle contraction was not prostaglandin-dependent. The data indicate that angiotensins might be directly involved in brook trout ovulation and the stimulatory effects of angiotensins on ovulation may be attributed to their effects on follicle contraction.This work was supported by NIH grant #HD25924-02.     

Changes in fetal mannose and other carbohydrates induced by a maternal insulin infusion in pregnant sheep

Background

The importance of non-glucose carbohydrates, especially mannose and inositol, for normal development is increasingly recognized. Whether pregnancies complicated by abnormal glucose transfer to the fetus also affect the regulation of non-glucose carbohydrates is unknown. In pregnant sheep, maternal insulin infusions were used to reduce glucose supply to the fetus for both short (2-wk) and long (8-wk) durations to test the hypothesis that a maternal insulin infusion would suppress fetal mannose and inositol concentrations. We also used direct fetal insulin infusions (1-wk hyperinsulinemic-isoglycemic clamp) to determine the relative importance of fetal glucose and insulin for regulating non-glucose carbohydrates.

Results

A maternal insulin infusion resulted in lower maternal (50%, P < 0.01) and fetal (35-45%, P < 0.01) mannose concentrations, which were highly correlated (r² = 0.69, P < 0.01). A fetal insulin infusion resulted in a 50% reduction of fetal mannose (P < 0.05). Neither maternal nor fetal plasma inositol changed with exogenous insulin infusions. Additionally, maternal insulin infusion resulted in lower fetal sorbitol and fructose (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

Chronically decreased glucose supply to the fetus as well as fetal hyperinsulinemia both reduce fetal non-glucose carbohydrates. Given the role of these carbohydrates in protein glycosylation and lipid production, more research on their metabolism in pregnancies complicated by abnormal glucose metabolism is clearly warranted.     

An investigation of avoidance by Antarctic krill of RRS James Clark Ross using the Autosub-2 autonomous underwater vehicle

The autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Autosub-2 was deployed on eight missions ahead of RRS James Clark Ross in the northern Weddell Sea and in the Bransfield Strait, Southern Ocean, to assess avoidance of the research vessel by Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. The AUV was equipped with the same type of scientific echosounder as the research vessel (Simrad EK500 operating at 38 and 120 kHz) and measured the density of krill along transect acoustically (g m⁻² wet mass) prior to the ship’s arrival. We hypothesised that if krill avoided the ship, perhaps in response to radiated noise, then the ship should detect less krill than the AUV which is known to have much lower noise levels than the ship. We were unable to detect any significant difference between the density of krill detected by the ship or the AUV, either at the transect level or at finer scales within transects. We conclude, therefore, that avoidance by krill of RRS James Clark Ross will not significantly bias acoustic estimates of krill abundance by this vessel.