Perception of Asian carp as a possible food source among Missouri anglers

Silver and bighead carps were imported from China to the United States in the 1970s as a biological control mechanism for improving water quality. After escaping captivity, both species spread into the Mississippi River Basin and now threaten to enter the Great Lakes. Human consumption is one solution, but many Americans believe that carp is unsavory. A random sample of 2,000 licensed anglers in Missouri was asked to complete a mail-back questionnaire about Asian carp, yielding a 27% response rate (n = 465). Results indicated that knowledge and perception about carp were poor, and food neophobia (fear of new foods) scores were above average. Less than 15% of respondents had eaten carp, but nearly 53% were willing to try. Marketing should focus on the benefits of consumption while downplaying any possible concerns. Although education programs are worthwhile, taste might be more influential to change public attitudes toward Asian carp.     

Effects of illite supplementation on in vitro and in vivo rumen fermentation,microbial population and methane emission of Hanwoo steers fed high concentrate diets

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding supplemental illite to Hanwoo steers on methane (CH₄) emission and rumen fermentation parameters. An in vitro ruminal fermentation technique was conducted using a commercial concentrate as substrate and illite was added at different concentrations as treatments: 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0% illite. Total volatile fatty acids (VFA) were different (P < 0.05) at 24 h of incubation where the highest total VFA was observed at 1.0% of illite. Conversely, lowest CH₄ production (P < 0.01) was found at 1.0% of illite. In the in vivo experiment, two diets were provided, without illite and with addition of 1% illite. An automated head chamber (GreenFeed) system was used to measure enteric CH₄ production. Cattle received illite supplemented feed increased (P < 0.05) total VFA concentrations in the rumen compared with those fed control. Feeding illite numerically decreased CH₄ production (g/day) and yield (g/kg dry matter intake). Rumen microbial population analysis indicated that the population of total bacteria, protozoa and methanogens were lower (P < 0.05) for illite compared with the control. Accordingly, overall results suggested that feeding a diet supplemented with 1% illite can have positive effects on feed fermentation in the rumen and enteric CH₄ mitigation in beef cattle.     

Enhancing β‐Carotene Content in Asian Noodles by Adding Pumpkin Powder

The influence of ripened pumpkin powder on the characteristics and qualities of noodles was investigated. Varying amounts of pumpkin powder levels (0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10%) were added in making instant fried noodles. These four samples were then evaluated for β‐carotene content, physical dough properties, color, cooking properties, and sensory characteristics. Adding more pumpkin powder increased the level of β‐carotene in the noodles. Amylograph maximum viscosity and temperature and farinograph water absorption and stability decreased as the amount of pumpkin powder increased. Noodles made with more pumpkin powder had a more yellow color than those with less pumpkin powder. Cooked weight and volume were increased by 37 and 59%, respectively, when 5.0% pumpkin powder was added to the flour sample. Gumminess was lowest in the noodles with 5.0% pumpkin powder, while chewiness and hardness were lowest in the noodles with 10.0% pumpkin. Noodles with 5.0% pumpkin powder were the most favorable in appearance, taste, texture, and acceptability among the four samples.     

Comparative stomach contents and growth of the juvenile black seabream, Acanthopagrus schlegeli, reared in illuminated and unilluminated cages

The present study was designed to determine the positive effects of artificial illumination on the juvenile black seabream, Acanthopagrus schlegeli , by comparing stomach contents and growth between juveniles exposed to light and those maintained in the absence of light. The major prey items for juvenile black seabream reared in illuminated cages were amphipods (IRI%=50.5), copepods (IRI%=44.7) and polychaetes (IRI%=3.0), whereas those for the juveniles maintained in unilluminated cages were copepods (IRI%=96.0), amphipods (IRI%=3.4) and polychaetes (IRI%=0.6). The specific growth rates (SGR) of the juveniles reared in illuminated cages (0.99%) were significantly higher than those of the juveniles maintained in unilluminated cages (0.78%).     

Preparation of Epoxy Shape Memory Polymers for Deployable Space Structures Using Flexible Diamines

In order to develop epoxy shape memory polymers (ESMPs) with high switching temperature and excellent toughness for deployable space structures, the crosslink density and chain flexibility of candidate ESMP samples were tunned by adding two flexible poly(oxypropylene) diamines, Jeffamine D-230 (D230) and Jeffamine D-400 (D400), as a secondary curing agent. The desired switching temperature of ESMPs for deployable space structures was set within the range of 120-135°C. By adding D230 and D400, the switching temperature of the ESMPs could be adjusted to within this range by increasing their crosslink density, and their impact strength could be significantly increased due to the stress relaxation properties of the diamines’ flexible molecular chains. The modulus and tensile strength of the ESMPs increased, but elongation at break decreased, in proportion to the diamine content. The ESMPs with a suitable switching temperature for deployable space structures had a high elongation at break greater than 22 % and good shape recovery and shape fixity ratios. The larger the value of shape recovery ratio, the faster the shape recovery speed.     

Assessing the acceptance of the system of rice intensification among farmers in rainfed lowland rice region of Cambodia

We conducted interview survey with rainfed rice farmers at a commune in southern Cambodia to identify the determinants of their adoption or rejection of the system of rice intensification (SRI) for the wet season of 2014. SRI was first introduced to the commune in 2003 and spread among the farmers, but the number of farmers discontinuing the practice has increased since 2011. We classified the farmers into four categories: those who practice SRI in all their fields (OA), farmers who practice SRI in some of their fields (PA), farmers who had practiced SRI but discontinued it (DA), and farmers who have never practiced SRI (CR). Farmers in different categories of SRI adoption differed in their access to water sources. The majority of OA and PA farmers had supplementary water sources, which was, however, available to less than 50% of DA farmers and only 15% of CR farmers. Both PA and DA farmers mentioned water shortage as the reason for not practicing SRI in some (PA) or any (DA) of their fields, but they differed in the number of rice fields. All the PA farmers had more than one field, whereas a majority of DA farmers had only one field. Labor shortage and difficulty of planting in a regular grid pattern were also mentioned as the reason for not practicing SRI by the farmers, particularly by DA farmers. Water constraint and difficulties in transplanting were thus identified as two major determinants of SRI adoption/rejection at the study site.     

Liquid handling properties of hollow viscose rayon/super absorbent fibers nonwovens for reusable incontinence products

To develop reusable incontinence products, blend nonwovens of hollow viscose rayon (HVR) and super absorbent fibers (SAFs) were prepared using a needle-punching process and their liquid handling properties, such as the fluid absorption capacity, fluid retention capacity, fluid absorption under load, moisture evaporation rate, and repeated water absorption were investigated. As the SAF content in the HVR/SAF blend nonwovens was increased, the fluid absorption capacity, fluid retention capacity, and fluid absorption under load increased, whereas the moisture evaporation rate decreased. SAF had a more significant effect on fluid retention than fluid absorption. In the case of HVR/SAF(8/2) and HVR/SAF(7/3), more than 100 % of the fluid absorption capacity was retained even after 5 cycles of repeated water absorption tests. Overall, the HVR/SAF blend nonwovens are good candidates for reusable incontinence products.