Characteristics of glyphosate inhibition of growth in soybean and tobacco callus cultures

Callus cultures or tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. While Gold and N. glauca-langsdorffii, a tumour-forming amphidiploid hybrid) and soybean Glycine max L., cv. Chippewa) were used lo study the effect of glyphosate [N-(phosphonnmethyl) glycine) un growth and interactions with growth hormones. Glyphosate inhibited growth both in the dark and light but showed a greater toxicity in the dark. This was contrary to its effect on chlorophyll degradation which was accelerated by light. The inhibition of growth was not reversed by simultaneous addition of aromatic amino acids to the medium. Thus the results suggest a multiple glyphosate action. The tobacco callus tissue was more sensitive to glyphosate than the soybean callus tissue, confirming a difference in tolerance between plant species. Despite the inhibitory effect of glyphosate. the treated tissue revived after being transferred to a glyphosate-free medium. The glyphosate-induced growth inhibition in soybean and tumour-forming tobacco callus cultures also was reversible by high levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), which itself was inhibitory Theglyphosate-IAA interaction in the tissues which were sensitive to IAA suggests that the inhibition of growth by glyphosate was related to auxin levels in these tissues.     

Fermentation of eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides [L.] L.) by mixed cultures of ruminal microorganisms with or without supplemental corn

Five dual-flow fermentors (700 mL) were used to determine the effects of eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides [L.] L.) diets on microbial metabolism by mixed rumen cultures. Fermentors were incubated with filtered ruminal contents and allowed to adapt for 4 d to diets followed by 3 d of sample collection. Five dietary treatments were tested: 1) gamagrass hay (GH) + no corn (GHNC), 2) gama grass silage (GS) + no corn (GSNC), 3) GS + low corn (GSLC), 4) GS + medium corn (GSMC); and 5) GS + high corn (GSHC). The experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design with five treatments and three replications. Total VFA concentrations were not affected by diets. Corn addition linearly decreased (P < 0.001) molar proportion of acetate. In contrast, molar proportion of propionate was reduced in GSLC (cubic effect, P < 0.001) but remained similar across other diets. Corn supplementation linearly increased molar proportion of butyrate (P < 0.001). The acetate + butyrate-to-propionate ratio was highest in cultures offered GSLC (cubic effect, P < 0.001) but similar across other diets. Feeding GSNC resulted in a higher ruminal pH compared with GHNC (P < 0.03). Increasing the level of corn supplementation in GS linearly decreased culture pH (P < 0.001). All diets resulted in similar methane production, with the exception of GSMC, which lowered methane output (quadratic effect, P < 0.004). Total substrate fermented to VFA and gas tended to be greater with GHNC than with GSNC (P < 0.06) and linearly increased with the addition of corn (P < 0.004). Neutral detergent fiber digestibility was similar between GH and GS and was not affected by supplemental corn. Microbial N flow increased in cultures offered GSHC (quadratic effect, P < 0.02). Corn supplementation at the medium and high level linearly decreased C 18:0 (P < 0.02) and increased trans-C18:1 (P < 0.004). Including corn at the high level with GS did not have a detrimental effect on fermentation in dual-flow fermentors.     

Injection molding of vertebral fixed cage implant

A vertebral cage is a hollow medical device which is used in spine surgery. By implanting the cage into the spine column, it is possible to restore disc and relieve pressure on the nerve roots. Most cages have been made of titanium alloys but they detract the biocompatibility. Currently PEEK (polyether ether ketone) is applied to various implants because it has good properties like heat resistance, chemical resistance, strength, and especially biocompatibility. A new shape of vertebral cage is designed and injection molding of PEEK is considered for production. Before injection molding of the cage, it is needed to evaluate process conditions and properties of the final product. Variables affecting the shrinkage of the cage are considered, e.g., injection time, packing pressure, mold temperature, and melt temperature. By using the numerical simulation program, MOLDFLOW, several cases are studied. Data files obtained by MOLDFLOW analysis are used for stress analysis with ABAQUS, and shrinkage and residual stress fields are predicted. With these results, optimum process conditions are determined.     

Immobilization antigen-independent protection of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) against Philasterides dicentrarchi (Ciliophora: Scuticociliatia) infection

To determine whether olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) immunized with lysate of Philasterides dicentrarchi could be protected immobilization antigen (i-antigen) type independently, fish were immunized with lysate of ciliates obtained from in vitro cultures or ciliates obtained from infected fish. Fish immunized with ciliates obtained from infected fish were completely protected against artificial infection with in vitro cultured P. dicentrarchi, in spite of a weak or no serum agglutination activity against in vitro cultured ciliates. The present results indicate that i-antigen-independent protection was elicited by immunization of fish with the ciliates lysate, and the cultured ciliates would provide a good source for preparation of vaccines, which are cross-protective against various i-antigen types of P. dicentrarchi.     

Film preparation by melt- or compression-process using poly(vinyl chloride) powder swollen with dimethylformamide

A melt-process was used to prepare high molecular weight Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) films without the use of a conventional plasticizer and heat stabilizer. Rigid PVC powder was swollen with dimethylformamide containing 4∼10 vol% water to reduce its melting temperature. The swollen powder was pressed at a relatively low temperature of 75∼125 °C to form a film shape, and then washed and dried. The visible light transmittance, X-ray diffraction, density and the tensile properties of the resulting films were examined to estimate the success or failure of film formation. The films could be produced by not only the melt-process but also a compression-process using the rigid, highly swollen PVC powder. The resulting films had no voids, which are generally observed in PVC products formed by a solution process. The minimum temperature for these processes decreased with decreasing water content in the mixture: The minimum temperatures according to the water content in the mixture to produce faultless films through the melt-process were 4 %–105 °C, 6 %–115 °C, 8 and 10 %–125 °C, while those through the compression process were 4 %–95 °C, 6 and 8 %–105 °C, 10 %–115 °C.     

Relation between chemical structure of yellow disperse dyes and their lightfastness

Five yellow disperse dyes were synthesized and their dyeing, fastness and photodegradation behaviors were investigated. It was found that dyes derived from phenylindole and N-alkylaminobenzene showed dye uptake directly proportional to the dye concentration, but the build-up of dyes derived from carbazole and pyridone were not good. The wavelength at maximum absorption, molar extinction coefficient, and the tendency to the photodegradation were strongly dependent on the electron donating ability of the coupling component. The dye, whose coupling component was phenylindole, possessed the excellent dyeing properties and the high degree of lightfastness. UVA had an effect on the inhibition of the photodegradation especially for the easily photodegradable dyes.     

降雨特性的模糊理论分析

台湾雨量站的密度高居全世界前3名,然而雨量站往往由于设站时间不一致,或因天灾人祸而导致数据遗失;因此各水文观测站之降雨数据具模糊特性。降雨事件的特性,大致可区分为3个重要因子;降雨量、降雨时间及形状因子。常用之统计值为总降雨量、平均降雨量、最大降雨量、最小降雨量、中值降雨量、降雨延时、尖峰达到时间、偏态指标及峰态指标等9个物理量。研究以统计量及模糊理论为基础,分析屏东县气象局1992-2007年31个雨量站之总降雨量大于100mm,降雨延时3h以上之降雨事件(1177场)。研究结果显示:屏东县大于100mm之降雨,具长延时、高狭峰之特性;就气象站而言,气象站C0R38之暴雨事件,最接近整体降雨特性。     

近红外高光谱成像结合特征波长筛选识别小麦赤霉病瘪粒

为实现小麦赤霉病瘪粒快速识别,本研究使用主成分分析(Principal component analysis,PCA)结合最大类间方差法(Otsu)对小麦高光谱图像进行背景分割,以赤霉病瘪粒识别正确率为评价指标,探究判别分析方法与竞争性自适应权重取样法(Competitive adaptive reweighted sampling,CARS)的最佳组合方式.结果显示,基于全谱段构建的偏最小二乘判别分析(Partial least squares discrimination analysis,PLS-DA)和支持向量机判别分析(Sup-port vector machine discriminant analysis,SVM-DA)模型预测精度相同,外部验证集健康籽粒和赤霉病瘪粒识别正确率分别为95.2％和100.0％;基于CARS筛选的8个特征波长构建的CARS-PLS-DA模型外部验证集健康籽粒和赤霉病瘪粒识别正确率均为100.0％,预测精度高于CARS-SVM-DA模型,可有效实现赤霉病瘪粒的快速识别.研究结果将为谷物仓储和加工过程中赤霉病瘪粒高通量快速识别提供理论依据和技术支撑.