Effect of Steeping Conditions on Wet-Milling Characteristics of Hard Red Winter Wheat

A batch-wise small-scale wet-processing laboratory for whole wheat kernel has been designed and constructed to produce wheat starch and gluten from wheat grains. Hard red winter wheat kernels were steeped in three steeping media: SO₂ solution, lactic acid, and hydrochloric acid. Acid concentrations of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5%, were used for SO₂ solutions and hydrochloric acid, and 0.1, 0.6, and 3.0% for lactic acid. After 16, 20, and 24 hr of steeping, the wheat was wet-milled. Yields and protein contents of wet-milling fractions were compared. Both high concentration of steeping media and long steeping time increased the starch yield and decreased the protein contents of the starch. However, the steeping time and acid concentration could be reduced from 24 to 20 hr and from 0.5 to 0.3%, respectively, without any statistically significant difference in starch yields or protein contents of the starch. Consistency and color of the starch were affected by both steeping time and acid concentrations of steeping media.     

Short term soil priming effects and the mineralisation of biochar following its incorporation to soils of different pH

The aim of this work was to determine the magnitude of the priming effect, i.e. short-term changes in the rate (negative or positive) of mineralisation of native soil organic carbon (C), following addition of biochars. The biochars were made from Miscanthus giganteus, a C4 plant, naturally enriched with ¹³C. The biochars were produced at 350 °C (biochar350) and 700 °C (biochar700) and applied with and without ryegrass as a substrate to a clay-loam soil at pH 3.7 and 7.6. A secondary aim was to determine the effect of ryegrass addition on the mineralisation of the two biochars.After 87 days, biochar350 addition caused priming effects equivalent to 250 and 319 μg CO₂-C g⁻¹ soil, in the low and high pH soil, respectively. The largest priming effects occurred at the start of the incubations. The size of the priming effect was decreased at higher biochar pyrolysis temperatures, which may be a way of controlling priming effects following biochar incorporation to soil, if desired. The priming effect was probably induced by the water soluble components of the biochar. At 87 days of incubation, 0.14% and 0.18% of biochar700 and 0.61% and 0.84% of biochar350 were mineralized in the low and high pH soil, respectively. Ryegrass addition gave an increased biochar350 mineralisation of 33% and 40%, and increased biochar700 at 137% and 70%, in the low and high pH soils, respectively. Certainly, on the basis of our results, if biochar is used to sequester carbon a priming effect may occur, increasing CO₂-C evolved from soil and decreasing soil organic C. However, this will be more than compensated for by the increased soil C caused by biochar incorporation. A similar conclusion holds for accelerated mineralisation of biochar due to incorporation of fresh labile substrates. We consider that our results are the first to unequivocally demonstrate the initiation, progress and termination of a true positive priming effect by biochar on native soil organic C.     

Molecular characterization and marker based chemotaxonomic studies of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle

Detailed chemical studies and RAPD analysis were done in different populations of Podophyllum hexandrum collected from high altitude regions of North Western Himalayas. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis revealed a high degree of genetic diversity among the 12 collected accessions, attributed to their geographical and climatic conditions. HPLC analysis also revealed variation in the concentration of two major marker compounds which lead to the identification of a chemotype. The study demonstrated that RAPD and chemical markers are very useful tools to compare the genetic relationship and pattern of variation among such prioritized and endangered medicinal plants.     

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Histological observations of bovine tuberculosis in lung and lymph node tissues from British deer

Deer are recognized as hosts of Mycobacterium bovis and assessing the role of wild cervids in perpetuating tuberculosis among cattle has motivated extensive research on several continents. In this paper, the histopathology of lymph node and lung tuberculous granulomas in M. bovis positive British deer is presented. The overall aim was to seek further insights into the potential for onward transmission from infected deer to other species, including cattle. Samples were obtained from an extensive survey of wild mammals in South-West England and from statutory tuberculosis surveillance. M. bovis culture-positive samples were characterised microscopically as to their stage of lesion advancement, number of acid-fast bacilli and granuloma encapsulation. Seventy percent of the deer developed granulomas containing far greater numbers of M. bovis bacilli than typically reported in cattle. Red and fallow deer had the largest number of poorly encapsulated granulomas often containing many hundreds of bacilli. The results are consistent with infected wild British deer being a potential source of environmental contamination and onward transmission to other species. However, further work on levels of bacillary shedding is required before this can be confirmed.     

Ocular distribution and toxicity of intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide in normal equine eyes

Objective  To determine ocular distribution and toxicity of a single injection of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in normal horses.
Animals studied  Six adult horses, donated to North Carolina State University.
Procedures  Six horses were injected intravitreally with either 10, 20, or 40 mg ( n  = 2 each) of TA. The opposite eye of each horse was injected with balanced salt solution (BSS). Ocular toxicity was assessed by biomicroscopy, tonometry, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and electroretinogram. Aqueous humor (AH), vitreous humor (VH), and plasma samples were collected. Horses were euthanized 7 or 21 days after injection and eyes enucleated for histopathology. TA concentrations in AH, VH, and plasma were measured by HPLC.
Results  Three control eyes and one TA eye developed inflammation after injection or collection of AH. Positive bacterial cultures ( Corynebacterium spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp.) were obtained from three of these eyes. Other than transient corneal edema in TA injected eyes, which resolved by 7 days after injection, no other changes were observed. TA crystals were visible within the vitreous body. No evidence of TA toxic effect was noted on histopathology. TA was detected in all AH and VH samples from treated eyes following injection. Drug was not detected in the plasma.
Conclusions  There was no evidence of overt toxicity from intravitreal TA in normal horses and a single intravitreal injection resulted in TA ocular levels for 21 days. However, the risk for bacterial infections with intravitreal injection or anterior chamber aspirations in horses is high. Use of topical and systemic antibiotics after injection is recommended.     

Pecking behaviour of laying hens in single-tiered aviaries with and without outdoor area

1. The objective of the present study was to examine the behaviour of laying hens in single-tiered aviaries with and without outdoor areas with particular reference to the proportion of each behaviour and the ways it changed. 2. In all, 144 interbred cross layers (WL/RIR cross-breed) were used. At the age of 16 weeks, the hens were divided at random into two groups and moved to single-tiered aviary (SA) and free-range systems (FR, SA with in addition an outdoor range area covered with clover) with 18 hens per pen. Behavioural observations were conducted before, during and after access to the range. 3. All behaviours using the beak (eating, grazing, drinking, preening, aggressive pecking, feather pecking, litter pecking, object pecking and mate pecking) were recorded as pecking behaviour. 4. While most of the FR hens spent their time outside foraging, the proportion of hens eating, preening, litter pecking, object pecking, aggressive pecking and feather pecking was higher in SA than in FR hens. 5. The proportion of hens performing pecking behaviour of all types was very similar in SA (61.7 +/- 2.0%) and in FR (64.0 +/- 0.8%). The proportion of hens performing overall pecking behaviour increased as pre-laying sitting decreased. 6. The proportion of hens feather pecking decreased in FR during access to range and a similar tendency was found for aggressive pecking. 7. In conclusion, the total proportion of hens pecking was almost the same regardless of whether an outdoor area was provided or not, but the incidence of different types of pecking behaviour differed between SA and FR. The risk of feather pecking in FR may be lower when an outdoor grazing area is provided, although further testing on a larger scale would be essential.     

Genetic evolution of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae strains and molecular epidemiology of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia by sequencing of locus H2

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a major threat to goat farming in developing countries. Its exact distribution is not well known, despite the fact that new diagnostic tools such as PCR and competitive ELISA are now available. The authors developed a study of the molecular epidemiology of the disease, based on the amplification of a 2400 bp long fragment containing two duplicated gene coding for a putative membrane protein. The sequence of this fragment, obtained on 19 Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp) strains from various geographical locations, gave 11 polymorphic positions. The three mutations found on gene H2prim were silent and did not appear to induce any amino acid modifications in the putative translated protein. The second gene may be a pseudogene not translated in vivo, as it bore a deletion of the ATG codon found in the other members of the "Mycoplasma mycoides cluster" and as the six mutations evidenced in the Mccp strains would induce modifications in the translated amino acids. In addition, an Mccp strain isolated in the United Arab Emirates showed a deletion of the whole pseudogene, a further indication that this gene is not compulsory for mycoplasma growth. Four lineages were defined, based on the nucleotide sequence. These correlated relatively well with the geographical origin of the strains: North, Central or East Africa. The strain of Turkish origin had a sequence similar to that found in North African strains, while strains isolated in Oman had sequences similar to those of North or East African strains. The latter is possibly due to the regular import of goats of various origins. Similar molecular epidemiology tools have been developed by sequencing the two operons of the 16S rRNA gene or by AFLP. All these various techniques give complementary results. One (16S rRNA) offers the likelihood of a finer identification of strains circulating in a region, another (H2) of determining the geographical origin of the strains. These tools can make a very useful contribution to understanding the epidemiology of CCPP.     

Combined effects of clenbuterol and various concentrations of protein on performance of broiler chickens

1. The effects of the beta-adrenergic agonist, clenbuterol (1 mg/kg diet) on the growth and muscle composition in female broiler chickens (14 to 32 d of age) fed on diets containing various concentrations of protein (220, 240 or 260 g protein/kg) were examined. 2. Body weight gain over the 18 d period increased linearly with increasing protein intake. The rate of gain was significantly higher in clenbuterol-treated chickens than in control birds. 3. Dietary clenbuterol increased thigh muscle weight and protein concentration of breast and thigh muscle, regardless of dietary protein content. Protein/DNA ratio in thigh muscle was enhanced by clenbuterol feeding, and the magnitude of difference of the ratio was higher in chickens fed on the 240 and 260 g CP/kg diets than in those fed the 220 g CP/kg diet. 4. It was concluded that clenbuterol-treated chickens require increased dietary protein to maintain maximal growth, and that increased protein consumption is an important factor in improving growth in clenbuterolfed broilers.