Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores for bean and bean-rice infant weaning food products

Vegetable proteins are an integral part of infant weaning diets in Latin America. Protein quality in plant-based products, however, is constrained by amino acid composition and intrinsically present antinutritional factors. The goal of this study was to improve bean protein quality by utilizing fermentation and germination processing. The objectives were to determine if protein quality, as measured by Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) approved True Protein Digestibility (TPD) and Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Scores (PDCAAS), of formulated bean-based weaning products could be improved upon fermentation and germination and if protein quality could be further improved when processed beans were combined with cooked rice. Results showed that the highest TPD and PDCAAS values were obtained for cooked germinated beans combined with rice. The TPD values for products ranged from 80 to 91%, and the PDCAAS values were 0.38-0.51. There was no significant increase (P < 0.05) of either TPD or PDCAAS values upon fermentation. Germination increased TPD of cooked bean products; this increase was not, however, accompanied by an increase in PDCAAS. When combined with rice, the PDCAAS values for all bean products improved significantly, thus supporting the concept of cereal-legume complementation. In conclusion, this study showed the range of PDCAAS in processed black bean and bean-rice infant weaning food products. The potential for incorporation of these products into the diets of weaning age Latin American children would, however, be confirmed only after validation with growth or metabolic balance studies in human infants.     

Mercury speciation in open ocean waters

Vital to our understanding of the biogeochemical cycling of Hg and the origin of the enhanced monomethylmercury (MMHg) concentrations in biota is knowledge of the sources, behavior and fate of methylated Hg species in natural waters. Methylated Hg species, dissolved gaseous and reactive mercury were measured in the equatorial Pacific Ocean in early 1990. Both dimethylmercury (DMHg) and MMHg were found in the subthermocline waters of the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Maxima in alkylmercury species in the O₂ minimum region coincided with a decrease in reactive mercury. A significant inverse correlation between DMHg, and MMHg, concentration and O₂ content was observed. A maximum in reactive mercury was observed in the region of the thermocline, with similar concentrations in the surface and deeper waters. Atmospheric deposition is not a significant source of MMHg to this region. The data suggest formation of alkylmercury species in the low oxygen zone, with Hg(II) being the most likely substrate. A model for the cycling of Hg species in the equatorial Pacific Ocean is presented. These results are the first direct evidence of a significant open ocean source of methylated Hg species and suggest a pathway for mercury accumulation in pelagic fish.     

Deriving river networks and catchments at the European scale from medium resolution digital elevation data

The extraction of drainage networks and catchment boundaries from digital elevation models (DEMs) has received considerable attention in recent years and is recognized as a viable alternative to traditional surveys and the manual evaluation of topographic maps. However, most studies have covered limited areas due to the lack of detailed information and/or the lack of highly efficient algorithms. In this paper we present an application that delineates river networks and catchment boundaries across the European continent from a medium resolution (250 m) DEM. We exploit novel algorithms based on the concepts of mathematical morphology and implement a landscape stratification for drainage density.A flow direction grid is computed using an efficient algorithm for the removal of spurious pits. River networks are then derived by imposing a variable threshold for the minimum contributing area needed to form and maintain a channel. This is achieved through a landscape stratification that reflects the ability of the terrain to develop different drainage densities. It is shown that the analysis of environmental characteristics coupled with the analysis of local slope versus contributing area enables river network mapping with a spatially varying drainage density. The result has been validated by comparing the derived data to digital river and catchment data from other sources and with varying scales of observation.     

Sedimentary aggregates in the Peoria Loess of Nebraska, USA

Loess grain size data used to infer transport direction or wind strength are generally derived from vigorously disaggregated samples. However, these data may not adequately represent the effective particle size distribution during loess transport, if the transported dust contained aggregates of fine-grained material. Thin sections of minimally altered C and BC horizons in the late Pleistocene Peoria Loess of Nebraska, USA, indicate the presence of aggregates with diameters of 30–1000 μm. The larger aggregates (>250 μm) are unlikely to have been transported, and are interpreted as the result of soil faunal activity and other pedogenic processes after deposition. Aggregates smaller than 250 μm could have a similar origin, but laser diffraction particle size analysis suggests that many are sedimentary particles. Comparison of minimally and fully dispersed particle size distributions from each sampling site was used to estimate the modal diameter of aggregates. The aggregate modal diameter becomes finer with decreasing loess thickness, representing increasing distance from the source. A similar trend was observed in the modal diameter of fully dispersed particle size distributions, which represents the mode of sand and silt transported as individual grains. We interpret both trends as the result of sorting during transport, supporting the interpretation that many of the aggregates were transported rather than formed in place. Aggregate content appears to increase with distance from the source, explaining a much more rapid downwind increase in clay content than would be expected if clay were transported as particles smaller than 2 μm diameter. Although the Peoria Loess of Nebraska contains sedimentary aggregates, many of the coarse silt and sand grains in this loess were transported as primary particles, were thoroughly exposed to sunlight and are potentially well suited for luminescence dating.     

Compositional changes of Australia-grown Western Schley pecans [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] during maturation

Changes in composition during the maturation of Western Schley pecans [Carya illinoinensis(Wangenh.) K. Koch] grown in Australia were investigated. Pecans of different maturity levels were collected at monthly intervals between March and June in 1999 and 2000 and analyzed for the concentrations of moisture, total lipid, sucrose, raffinose, protein, and the minerals aluminum, boron, calcium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, phosphorus, sulfur, and zinc. Moisture, total lipid, and calcium contents changed significantly (p < 0.05) with harvest time and maturity, whereas the other components did not. Western Schley pecans grown in Australia should be harvested after the shuck has opened and it is either green or brown in color to maximize total lipid content and quality. This occurred after May 11 in 1999 and after May 17 in 2000.     

Acidification and other (Lutra lutra) distribution in Scotland

The influence of acidification on otters (Lutra lutra) was assessed in three regions of Scotland. A total of 72 stretches of 1000 m of riverbank were searched for all signs of otters on three occasions. Water chemistry was determined and habitat was assessed for its suitability to otters. A further series of water samples were collected after a period of very heavy rain in midwinter; conductivity and pH were measured and total Al was determined on a filtered, acidified sample. Otters were recorded at all sites. There were highly significant correlations between use by otters of stretches (measured in terms of marking intensity) and both pH and conductivity, with pH accounting for the greatest proportion of variation in otter signs in a stepwise multiple regression. The relation between otter signs and water quality was greatest in Galloway, the region with significantly more acid waters. There were significantly fewer signs of otters in stretches with minimum pH thought to be detrimental to fish populations for two regions, Galloway and Sutherland.     

Radioactivity in otter scats in Britain following the chernobyl reactor accident

Radioactivity was determined in samples of otter (Lutra lutra) faeces (scats) collected from various regions of Great Britain in 1986 and 1987, following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident, and compared with a sample of scats collected in 1985 from central Wales. Samples of scats were also collected from the seashore adjacent to the Dounreay nuclear power station, northern Scotland, and compared with a control site, 40 to 60 km distant. Samples collected in 1986 from central Wales, Galloway and northern Scotland all contained significantly higher amounts of radioactivity than the 1985 sample from central Wales, with Galloway (mean 13 000 Bq kg^?1 dry weight) having significantly more radioactivity than other regions. A sample collected in central Wales in January 1987 had returned to the 1985 level of radioactivity, but a sample from Galloway in January 1987 remained high; this difference in response may be related to the acidic nature of Galloway rivers. No significant differences were found between samples collected from near Dounreay and the control site, though fallout from Chernobyl may have masked the effects of local discharges of radioactivity. The significance of the results to otter populations is discussed.     

Variability in concentrations of zinc in serum and feed when using zinc oxide as a supplement for the prevention of facial eczema

AIMS: To determine the variability of concentrations of Zn in feed, when used as a supplement to prevent facial eczema, and to determine the variability in concentrations of Zn in serum between cows and herds that are being supplemented with ZnO in feed, using in-shed feeders or on a feed pad.

METHODS: Sixteen commercial dairy farms in the Waikato region of New Zealand were enrolled, that were supplementing cows with ZnO in the feed using either an automatic in-shed feeder (ASF) or a feed pad (FP) using a feed-out or mixer wagon. On each farm 10 cows were selected by the farmer, that were assumed to be representative of the age and liveweight of the herd. Four hours after supplement feeding, each cow was weighed and a blood sample collected for measurement of concentrations of Zn in serum. Three samples of feed were collected from each farm for Zn analysis, from the beginning, middle and end of the feed being distributed. Levene’s test for homoscedasticity was used to analyse whether there were differences in variation of individual concentrations of Zn in serum, and in the feed, between the two feeding systems. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine associations between age, feeding method or liveweight and concentrations of Zn in serum, after accounting for the variability between farms.

RESULTS: Of the 163 cows sampled, concentrations of Zn in serum were between 20–35?µmol/L in 75/163 (46 (95% CI=38–54)%) cows; were <20?µmol/L in 71/163 (44 (95% CI=36–52)%) cows, and >35?µmol/L in 17/163 (10 (95% CI=6–16)%) cows. The variation in concentrations of Zn in serum in individual cows differed between farms (p<0.001), and the variability was greater for cows fed using a FP than ASF (p<0.001). There was no difference in the variation of concentrations of Zn in feed between the two feeding methods (p=0.54), but concentrations of Zn in serum were associated with the amount of Zn offered in feed (p=0.008).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICIAL RELEVENCE: There was significant variability between farms in the concentrations of Zn in the serum of cows being supplemented with ZnO in feed. Only 46% of cows sampled had concentrations of Zn between 20–35?µmol/L. Effective management of facial eczema should include monitoring Zn in the feed and in serum to ensure cows are receiving the correct dose they require.