Impregnation of radiata pine wood by vacuum treatment II: effect of pre-steaming on wood structure and resin content

Radiata pine sapwood and heartwood were dried using high-temperature, conventional-temperature, and air drying schedules with and without pre-steaming. They were then impregnated by vacuum treatment with double-distilled water, toluidine blue, and fluorescein dye. For sapwood, there were only minor differences in uptake between drying methods and when pre-steaming was used. Using microscopy, the primary flow pathways in sapwood were found to be the resin canal network and ray parenchyma cells, which provided conduction without large resistance. In heartwood, uptake was strongly influenced by pre-steaming the green lumber. After pre-steaming heart-wood, there was an increase in uptake from all surfaces but especially from the radial surfaces. Lower extractive contents, disruption of epithelial and ray parenchyma cells, and alteration of the condition of bordered pits were also associated with pre-steaming. It was therefore possible to classify flow paths in radiata pine heartwood five ways, according to uptake values and wood anatomical features.This research was presented in part at the 48th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Shizuoka, April 1998.     

Combining Maltogenic Amylase with CMC or Wheat Gluten to Prevent Amylopectin Recrystallization and Delay Corn Tortilla Staling

Antistaling properties of a bacterial maltogenic amylase, sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and vital wheat gluten on quality of corn tortillas were evaluated during 14 days of storage. Amylopectin recrystallization was the driving force behind the staling of corn tortillas. Increasing levels of recrystallized amylopectin measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) correlated significantly with increased tortilla stiffness (r = 0.43) and reduction in tortilla pliability (r = ‐0.42) during storage. Maltogenic amylase (275–1,650 activity units) made tortillas less stiff but did not preserve pliability and extensibility as effectively as CMC (0.25–0.5%). The combination of 825 MANU of maltogenic amylase (to interfere with intragranular amylopectin recrystallization) and 0.25% CMC (to create a more flexible intergranular matrix than retrograded amylose and amylopectin) produced less stiff, equally flexible, and less chewy tortillas than did 0.5% CMC. Vital wheat gluten was not as effective as CMC in preserving tortilla flexibility or as good as the maltogenic amylase in reducing stiffness. Further research is required to optimize the addition of maltogenic amylases in continuous processing lines that use fresh masa instead of nixtamalized corn flour (NCF) and to determine how these amylases interfere with amylopectin recrystallization.     

Association of red‐mark syndrome with a Rickettsia‐like organism and its connection with strawberry disease in the USA

Red‐mark syndrome (RMS), a disease seen mostly in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, is of unknown aetiology. The research presented here indicates the presence of an intracellular bacterium in RMS‐affected fish. A positive reaction was observed using immunohistochemistry (IHC) with skin lesions, liver, kidney and spleen of affected fish sampled from several locations within the United Kingdom using two different polyclonal antisera raised against Piscirickettsia salmonis. The same reaction was also seen with a number of different anti‐P. salmonis monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). A disease with similar clinical signs to RMS, referred to as strawberry disease (SD), has been reported in the USA. A Rickettsia‐like organism (RLO) has recently been associated with SD based on analysis of 16S rDNA sequences. Using the same panel of anti‐P. salmonis antibodies used to screen the RMS samples, similar staining was obtained in tissue of SD‐affected fish by IHC. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using RLO‐specific primers was also performed on RMS‐affected fish from the United Kingdom, and the samples were positive for the RLO 16S rRNA sequence. These findings suggest that the same aetiological agent may be responsible for RMS in the United Kingdom and SD in the USA.     

Fermented Sorghum as a Functional Ingredient in Composite Breads

Whole sorghum flour was fermented (a five‐day natural lactic acid fermentation) and dried under forced draught at 60°C, and evaluated for its effect on sorghum and wheat composite bread quality. In comparison with unfermented sorghum flour, fermentation decreased the flour pH from 6.2 to 3.4, decreased total starch and water‐soluble proteins, and increased enzyme‐susceptible starch, total protein, and the in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD). Fermentation and drying did not decrease the pasting temperature of sorghum flour, but slightly increased its peak and final viscosity. In comparison with composite bread dough containing unfermented sorghum flour, fermented and dried sorghum flour decreased the pH of the dough from 5.8 to 4.9, increased bread volume by ≈4%, improved crumb structure, and slightly decreased crumb firmness. IVPD of the composite bread was also improved. Mixing wet fermented sorghum flour directly with wheat flour (sourdough‐type process) further increased loaf volume and weight and reduced crumb firmness, and simplified the breadmaking process. It appears that the low pH of fermented sorghum flour inactivated amylases and increased the viscosity of sorghum flour, thus improving the gas‐holding capacity of sorghum and wheat composite dough. Fermentation of sorghum flour, particularly in a sourdough breadmaking process, appears to have considerable potential for increasing sorghum utilization in bread.     

Effectiveness of a non-surgical alternative to the Mules operation in sheep

Objective To measure changes to the perineal bare area, local tissue reaction and healing responses of young sheep, following intradermal administration of cetrimide and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), with and without ethanol, to the breech and tail. Method A needle‐less injector was used to deposit formulations containing 40 g/L cetrimide and 30 g/L PVP (group 2) or 20 g/L cetrimide, 30 g/L PVP and 15 g/L ethanol (group 3), within the dermis of the tail and the region surrounding the perineal bare breech area of groups (N = 8) of Merino weaner sheep. The dimensions of the perineal bare area (length, width and diagonal distances left and right) and tail width were recorded before and at intervals after treatment for 60 days. Observations of swelling and bruising and scab formation at the treatment sites were recorded for up to 35 days after treatment. Rectal temperatures were monitored for up to 35 days after treatment and bodyweight for up to 60 days after treatment. An untreated control group (group 1) was included. Results Comparison of day ‐3 and day 35 measurement data showed that both treated groups had significantly (P < 0.05) wider breech bare areas compared to the untreated controls and that group 2 sheep had significantly (P < 0.05) longer breech bare areas compared to group 3 sheep or to the untreated controls, which were not significantly different. At this time scabs were still firmly in place on many treated sheep. At day 35 there was no increase in tail bare area caused by either treatment. By day 60 there was no significant difference between the treated and control groups in either the breech or tail regions indicating that the changes present at day 35, were not permanent. Mean weight gain in the groups throughout the 60‐day interval was unaffected by treatment. Intradermal treatment was associated with a significant elevation in body temperature. This effect lasted for 3 days and was associated with signs of discomfort and depressed appearance in at least some of the treated sheep. Bruising was mild to severe in all treated sheep within two days of treatment but was not evident in any sheep by day 21. Mild to moderate swelling was also associated with treatment but was not uniform across sheep in the groups. The tail of one sheep was severely swollen for several days. Swelling remained obvious in most treated sheep until day 14 but was not present at day 21. Conclusion Under the conditions of this study intradermal injection of cetrimide had no permanent effect on bare area measurements on the breech or the amount of wool‐bearing skin on the tail. It also caused signs of discomfort and pain that raise welfare concerns.     

A colorimetric quantification of softened polylactic acid and polyester filament knitted fabrics to ‘Water-spotting’

Water droplets falling onto finished fabrics can create spots which can spoil the appearance of the fabric. This study compares the propensity of softened filament polylactic acid and polyester fabrics to exhibit the adverse affects of ‘water-spotting’, and to identify suitable softeners and methods for their application to minimise and eliminate the problem. The degree of water spotting was greater on softened polylactic acid fabrics than on softened polyester fabrics. Polylactic acid and polyester fabrics with hydrophobic properties did not exhibit any water spotting. Softeners applied by an exhaustion process resulted in a finished fabric which exhibited no water spotting for either dyed polylactic acid or dyed polyester fabrics. The softening active agent was not responsible for the water spotting. The other components in the softener formulation (such as emulsifier, wetting agent), which carries the unfixed dyes with water, were found to be responsible. The water spot halo disappeared after a single machine laundering process.     

Floral attractants for the female soybean looper, Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

BACKGROUND: The soybean looper, Thysanoplusia orichalcea (F.), is a polyphagous insect pest of vegetable crops. Indonesian in origin, it has spread to Europe, India, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The identification of an attractant for female T. orichalcea could enable the development of alternative pest management strategies to those provided by insecticides or sex pheromones, which are often only attractive to males. RESULTS: Traps baited with synthetic lures derived from Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., floral volatiles attracted female T. orichalcea. Phenylacetaldehyde, a floral compound attractive to many Lepidoptera and present in C. arvense, was tested alone as an attractant for the soybean looper and caught significantly more female than male T. orichalcea. Trap catch was greatest when phenylacetaldehyde was combined with five prevalent volatiles present in C. arvense headspace collections: 2‐phenylethyl alcohol, methyl salicylate, dimethyl salicylate, benzaldehyde and benzyl alcohol. Twice as many female moths as males were collected. CONCLUSION: Successful trapping of female T. orichalcea in either a lure‐and‐kill or a mass trapping system may offer an effective way to manage its population size. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Health of farmed fish: its relation to fish welfare and its utility as welfare indicator

This brief review focuses on health and biological function as cornerstones of fish welfare. From the function-based point of view, good welfare is reflected in the ability of the animal to cope with infectious and non-infectious stressors, thereby maintaining homeostasis and good health, whereas stressful husbandry conditions and protracted suffering will lead to the loss of the coping ability and, thus, to impaired health. In the first part of the review, the physiological processes through which stressful husbandry conditions modulate health of farmed fish are examined. If fish are subjected to unfavourable husbandry conditions, the resulting disruption of internal homeostasis necessitates energy-demanding physiological adjustments (allostasis/acclimation). The ensuing energy drain leads to trade-offs with other energy-demanding processes such as the functioning of the primary epithelial barriers (gut, skin, gills) and the immune system. Understanding of the relation between husbandry conditions, allostatic responses and fish health provides the basis for the second theme developed in this review, the potential use of biological function and health parameters as operational welfare indicators (OWIs). Advantages of function- and health-related parameters are that they are relatively straightforward to recognize and to measure and are routinely monitored in most aquaculture units, thereby providing feasible tools to assess fish welfare under practical farming conditions. As the efforts to improve fish welfare and environmental sustainability lead to increasingly diverse solutions, in particular integrated production, it is imperative that we have objective OWIs to compare with other production forms, such as high-density aquaculture. However, to receive the necessary acceptance for legislation, more robust scientific backing of the health- and function-related OWIs is urgently needed.     

Assessing sustainability for global forests: a proposed pathway to fill critical data gaps

The UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other regional and national policy commitments have motivated an upsurge of interest in concepts and practical methods for monitoring forest conditions and trends at very wide geographic scales. Two approaches to sustainability assessment at a global level are reviewed here. One consists of monitoring change in forest conditions over time—the so-called Criteria and Indicators (C&I) approach. Another approach compares nations at a given point in time. An example is the Yale Environmental Performance Index (EPI). Both approaches yield insights. It is widely recognized, though, that severe data weaknesses afflict forest information over much of the world. These weaknesses include weak or absent information on wood consumption in many regions, poor area estimates, and weak or absent information on key ecological conditions in forests. The purpose of this essay is to introduce these efforts at global assessment, and to argue that an entirely new discipline is needed to supply the information needed. The focus of this new discipline would be to design an ecologically based set of definitions for forest and related ecosystems, and then to build and implement the optimum combination of satellite measurements, air photo interpretation, and field plot measurements needed to measure world forest resource conditions and trends. Examples of this new approach are already appearing. This argument is addressed to members of the global forest policy community concerned with assessment, and to scientists, technologists, and managers in the many technical fields already engaged on one or another aspect of measuring and monitoring forest conditions at a national and regional scale.