Polyhydric alcohol liquefaction of some lignocellulosic agricultural residues

Liquefaction of bagasse and cotton stalks was conducted by using polyhydric alcohols (polyethylene glycol PEG#400 and glycerin) in the presence of sulfuric acid (SA) as a catalyst. The effects of different liquefaction conditions, such as ratio raw material/liquefying solvent, effect of PEG#400/glycerin, acid concentration, liquefaction temperature and time on the liquefaction yield have been investigated. The hydroxyl and acid numbers for some liquefied samples were also determined. The results showed that the minimum residue content was obtained at 1/5 raw material to liquefying solvent. PEG#400 alone is not favoured as liquefying solvent as it gives ∼19% residual content for bagasse and ∼22% for cotton stalks at the optimum studied reaction conditions. Replacing 10% of PEG#400 with glycerin as well as increasing the SA concentration, liquefaction temperature or time, decreased the amount of residue for both bagasse and cotton stalks to less than 10%. The hydroxyl number of the produced polyols slowly decreased from 253 to 223 mg KOH/g on extending the reaction time till 120 min and the residual polyols prevented re-condensation of the liquefied components. It seems that this system can be applied on various types of lignocellulosic agricultural residues.     

Bacterial discospondylitis in a cat

A cat with hindlimb ataxia which progressed to paraplegia was found to have bacterial discospondylitis and a paravertebral abscess at necropsy. The infection had penetrated the vertebral canal. It is postulated that the vertebral infection occurred following haematogenous spread from a pneumonic focus.     

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Mycological studies on the wood-borerstromatium fulvum vill. (Col., cerambycidae) infestingcasuarina glauca (casuarinaceae) III. Effect of inoculation with the fungal isolates on lignin and extractive content of wood

Wood specimens of Casuarina glauca were inoculated withChaetomium spp. andTrichoderma spp., alone or in combination in the presence or abscence of larvae ofStromatium fulvum. All fungal inoculates caused deterioration to the lignin of the wood specimens. The infestation with larvae alone caused the same. The extractive content decreased to a little extent.

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Zusammenfassung Bäume von Casuarina glauca wurden mitChaetomium spp. undTrichoderma spp. inokuliert, allein oder in Kombination sowie in Abwesenheit oder Gegenwart der Larven vonStromatium fulvum. Alle Pilz-Inokulate verusachten einen Abbau von Lignin in den Bäumen. Denselben Effekt hatte die Tätigkeit vonStromatium-Larven ohne Pilz-Inokulation. Der extraktive Anteil verminderte sich nur wenig.

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With 2 tables     

Toxicological and analytical investigations of noni (Morinda citrifolia) fruit juice

Morinda citrifolia (noni) is known to contain genotoxic anthraquinones in the roots. Because of the widespread use of noni juice, the possible genotoxic risk was examined through a battery of short-term tests. Noni juice was also chemically analyzed for the possible presence of anthraquinones. Noni juice extract in the Salmonella microsome assay showed a slight mutagenic effect in strain TA1537, due to the presence of flavonoids. No mutagenicity was observed in the mammalian mutagenicity test with V79 Chinese hamster fibroblasts. Rats treated with a noni juice concentrate did not show DNA repair synthesis (UDS) in primary rat hepatocytes, nor could DNA adducts or DNA strand breaks be observed. HPLC analysis of noni juice for anthraquinones was negative, with a sensitivity of <1 ppm. In summary, chemical analysis and genotoxicity tests reveal that noni juice does not have a genotoxic potential and that genotoxic anthraquinones do not exist in noni juice.     

Influence of overplanting paddy rice on irrigation water delivery performance: a case study in the Dakalt branch canal,Nile Delta of Egypt

In the North Nile Delta of Egypt, the impacts of overplanting paddy rice on water delivery performance have not been discussed quantitatively. Further, the amount of water that could have been saved if farmers would follow the planned area is unknown. In this study, water delivery performance was assessed by comparison of actual paddy rice planting and the government’s planned conditions. For both conditions, performance indicators relating to adequacy, equity, and dependability were analyzed across six locations in conjunction with the branch canal water level in 2013 and 2014. Based on the difference between the actual water supply and planned water demand, the amount of water that could have been saved for downstream uses was calculated. The average adequacy for the investigation period was good at one location, fair at 2 locations, and poor at 3 locations in both years. Further, adequacy under both actual and planned conditions was poor in late July at all locations. The planned adequacy and dependability downstream and equity among locations improved compared to the actual condition in both years. Under the condition that paddy rice area is the upper limit planned by the government, about 12.3% and 9.6% of water could be potentially saved in each year. The difference between actual and planned water delivery performance is caused by the branch canal’s low water level. Control of overplanting paddy rice and coordination of water distribution among water user associations would improve stable water level in the canal and, eventually, water delivery performance.

     

Characterization of a Probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum Isolated from Snakehead,Channa striatus,Stomach

This study sought to isolate and characterize lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from stomach of adult snakehead fish, Channa striatus, to be used as probiotics for freshwater fish. A total of 13 strains were isolated from the stomach of 10 fish, and 4 of these belonged to LAB. Strain LAB‐3 showing highest in vitro growth inhibition of Aeromonas hydrophila in a disk diffusion test was identified as Lactobacillus fermentum by conventional and molecular techniques and evaluated in vitro through various tests. The bacterium could grow at pH 3–8; but the optimum growth was observed at pH 6. Moreover, LAB‐3 grew at 0.15 and 0.3% bile salt concentrations, from 15 to 45 C, and at 4% NaCl. L. fermentum showed in vitro inhibitory activity against three fish pathogens, A. hydrophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Shewanella putrefaciens, tested by disk diffusion and well diffusion methods. Antibiotic sensitivity tests indicated that L. fermentum was resistant to streptomycin, gentamycin, and kanamycin, intermediate to tetracycline, but sensitive to chloramphenicol, amoxicillin, and ampicillin. Challenge test by using A. hydrophila showed that survival of snakehead was significantly (P < 0.05) improved when 2 × 10⁶ LAB‐3/g was supplemented to the diet. Therefore, this study suggests that L. fermentum might be a promising probiotic in snakehead aquaculture .