Effects of UV light irradiation on colour stability of thermally modified, copper ethanolamine treated and non-modified wood: EPR and DRIFT spectroscopic studies

A series of experiments were carried out to investigate the colour stability of chemically treated and thermally modified wood compared to non-modified wood during long term artificial UV light irradiation. One set of wood samples was vacuum-pressure impregnated with alkaline (pH 9.8) copper (II) ethanolamine aqueous solution, while another set of samples from the same wood block was thermally modified at 210°C and −0.90 bar for 2 h. The treated and modified wood samples along with the non-modified ones were exposed to artificial UV light with the wave length in the region of UVA (315–400 nm) and UVB (280–315 nm) intermittently for 500 h. Colour measurements were carried out throughout the irradiation period at an interval of 100 h according to CIEL*a*b* system, where the results are presented in terms of ΔE, ΔL*, Δa* and Δb* values. Better photo-stability in terms of colour changes was recorded for both treated and modified woods compared to the non-modified one. By means of EPR and DRIFT spectroscopic study it was shown that some degree of colour stability of treated and modified woods, achieved during artificial UV light irradiation, resulted from lignin modifications and monomers of phenolic compounds.     

Copper-Catalyzed Oxidation of Alcohols to Aldehydes and Ketones: An Efficient, Aerobic Alternative

An efficient, copper-based catalyst has been discovered that oxidizes a wide range of alcohols into aldehydes and ketones under mild conditions. This catalytic system utilizes oxygen or air as the ultimate, stoichiometric oxidant, producing water as the only by-product.     

Harvesting European knowledge on soil functions and land management using multi‐criteria decision analysis

Soil and its ecosystem functions play a societal role in securing sustainable food production while safeguarding natural resources. A functional land management framework has been proposed to optimize the agro‐environmental outputs from the land and specifically the supply and demand of soil functions such as (a) primary productivity, (b) carbon sequestration, (c) water purification and regulation, (d) biodiversity and (e) nutrient cycling, for which soil knowledge is essential. From the outset, the LANDMARK multi‐actor research project integrates harvested knowledge from local, national and European stakeholders to develop such guidelines, creating a sense of ownership, trust and reciprocity of the outcomes. About 470 stakeholders from five European countries participated in 32 structured workshops covering multiple land uses in six climatic zones. The harmonized results include stakeholders’ priorities and concerns, perceptions on soil quality and functions, implementation of tools, management techniques, indicators and monitoring, activities and policies, knowledge gaps and ideas. Multi‐criteria decision analysis was used for data analysis. Two qualitative models were developed using Decision EXpert methodology to evaluate “knowledge” and “needs”. Soil quality perceptions differed across workshops, depending on the stakeholder level and regionally established terminologies. Stakeholders had good inherent knowledge about soil functioning, but several gaps were identified. In terms of critical requirements, stakeholders defined high technical, activity and policy needs in (a) financial incentives, (b) credible information on improving more sustainable management practices, (c) locally relevant advice, (d) farmers’ discussion groups, (e) training programmes, (f) funding for applied research and monitoring, and (g) strengthening soil science in education.     

Effects of antioxidants on rapeseed oil oxidation in an artificial digestion model analyzed by UHPLC-ESI-MS

A normal diet contains large quantities of oxidized fatty acids, glycerolipids, cholesterol, and their cytotoxic degradation products because many foods in the diet are fried, heated, or otherwise processed and consumed often after long periods of storage. There is also evidence that the acid medium of the stomach promotes lipid peroxidation and that the gastrointestinal tract is a major site of antioxidant action, as demonstrated by various colorimetric methods. The identity and yields of specific products of lipid transformation have seldom been determined. The present study describes the molecular species profiles of all major gastrointestinal lipids formed during digestion of autoxidized rapeseed oil in an artificial digestion model in the presence of L-ascorbic acid, 6-palmitoyl-O-L-ascorbic acid, 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene (BHT), DL-α-tocopherol, and DL-α-tocopheryl acetate. Differences in oxidized lipid profiles were detected in the samples digested in the presence of different antioxidants, but none of them could prevent the formation of oxidized lipids or promote their degradation in a gastric digestion model. The lack of effect is attributed to the inappropriate nature of the gastrointestinal medium for the antioxidant activity of these vitamins and BHT. A fast ultrahigh performance liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometric method was developed for the analysis of lipolysis products, including epoxy, hydroperoxy, and hydroxy fatty acids, and acylglycerols, utilizing lithium as ionization enhancer.     

Effect of RNF4-SacII gene polymorphism on reproductive traits of Landrace × Large White crossbred sows

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether and to what extent the RNF4-SacII gene polymorphism influences reproduction performances in hyperprolific sow lines. The study involved 101 Landrace x Large White crossbred sows, with 461 records collected on the following reproductive traits: Total Number of piglets Born per litter (TNB), Number of piglets Born Alive per litter (NBA), Number of StillBorn piglets per litter (NSB), piglet Pre-Weaning Mortality (PWM) and Number of piglets at Weaning per litter (NW). The least square method with the GLM procedure in SAS with eight effects was used to pursue the data analysis. Study results revealed that TT homozygotes and TC heterozygotes had a significantly higher (p < .05) NW than CC homozygotes for the life-span performance in all parities and first parity analysed. In the fourth parity analysed, TNB and NBA in TC genotype were significantly higher (p < .05) as compared with TT genotype. Based on the life-span performance, significant effect (p < .05) was recorded for order of parity on TNB, NBA and NW, for farrowing season on TNB and NSB, and for lactation length on PWM. In the second parity, significant effect (p < .05) was recorded for sire of boar on NSB and for gestation length on TNB. Only in the fourth parity, significant effect (p < .05) of RNF4 gene was observed on NBA. There was significant additive effect (p < .05) of the RNF4 gene polymorphism identified on NW in all parities analysed, and significant additive and dominance effects (p < .05) on NSB in the third parity analysed. In conclusion, additional research on related production pig genotypes is necessary to elucidate the effect of RNF4 gene mutation on reproductive traits.     

Characterization of a common susceptibility locus for asthma-related traits

Susceptibility to asthma depends on variation at an unknown number of genetic loci. To identify susceptibility genes on chromosome 7p, we adopted a hierarchical genotyping design, leading to the identification of a 133-kilobase risk-conferring segment containing two genes. One of these coded for an orphan G protein-coupled receptor named GPRA (G protein-coupled receptor for asthma susceptibility), which showed distinct distribution of protein isoforms between bronchial biopsies from healthy and asthmatic individuals. In three cohorts from Finland and Canada, single nucleotide polymorphism-tagged haplotypes associated with high serum immunoglobulin E or asthma. The murine ortholog of GPRA was up-regulated in a mouse model of ovalbumin-induced inflammation. Together, these data implicate GPRA in the pathogenesis of atopy and asthma.     

Chironomid larvae destroy cultivated microbial mat in protected Adriatic salterns

1. The Sečovlje salterns on the Northern Adriatic coastline encompass both active and abandoned salt pans on the estuary of the Dragonja River. They are protected as a nature park by a governmental decree and by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.
2. In the Sečovlje salterns, salt is still gathered according to a traditional process originating from the 14^th century. The high quality of the traditionally produced salt is attributed to a cultivated microbial mat (called ‘petola’) that covers the floor of the crystallization basins and provides a barrier from the anoxic mud. Every spring, in a process called ‘fertilization’, the microbial mat is covered by a layer of mud, a practice that is supposedly crucial for the maintenance of the petola, but its exact role and underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood.
3. In early spring 2018 the microbial mat, primarily composed of the filamentous cyanobacterium Coleofasciculus chthonoplastes, was infested by dipteran larvae, which occurred at densities of up to 20,000 m⁻². Based on the morphological features of the larvae and imagos, and on DNA analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, the newly identified pest was determined to be a chironomid. Under laboratory conditions, larvae fed upon the cyanobacterial mat and destroyed its structure.
4. In the laboratory, the application of a thin layer of saltern mud in a manner typical for the salt production process prevented the development of chironomid larvae and maintained the structure of the microbial mat. In the salterns, omitting the fertilization step resulted in a considerable weakening of the petola layer.
5. The results reveal the possible biological background for the fertilization process and thus provides important knowledge for the conservation of the traditional man-made aquatic ecosystem of the Sečovlje salterns.

     

Soil carbon fractions in short rotation poplar and black locust coppices,Germany

Short rotation coppice (SRC) is seen as a successful management system, which in addition to energy wood production may enhance soil carbon sequestration. The objective of this study was to investigate total, labile and stable soil carbon fractions at SRCs composed of poplar clones Max 1 (Populus nigra x P. maximowiczii), Muhle Larsen (Populus Trichocarpa), and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.). Study was conducted at three SRC sites (Allendorf, Dornburg, and Forst) varying in age (1–4 years old), soil texture and climatic characteristics, in Germany. Composite soil samples collected at SRCs from 0 to 3; 0–10; 10–30; and 30–60 cm depth layers were compared with soils collected from adjacent crop strips. Samples were analysed for total organic carbon (TOC), hot-water extractable carbon (HWC), and organic carbon (OC) at 250–2,000; 53–250; and <53 µm soil-size aggregates. Total OC stocks in 0–60 cm soil layer were the highest at the site with the heaviest texture, Dornburg, followed by Forst and Allendorf, comprising 92–107; 59–74; and 53–64 Mg ha^?1, respectively. Although no significant differences in the total OC stocks between SRCs and adjacent crops were found for the 0–60 cm layer, a significantly (p < 0.05) higher TOC, HWC, OC at macro-aggregates (250–2,000 µm), and the amount of macro-aggregates were found in the top 0–3 cm layer in all SRC sites (except the youngest poplar SRC in Forst) compared to adjacent crop strips. A greater macro-aggregate formation in SRCs related to the lower soil disturbance compared to the tilled crops, revealed a potential of SRC for C sequestration, as C occluded within soil aggregates has a slower decomposition rates and longer residence time.