Combination of On-Line Solid-Phase Extraction with LC-MS for the Determination of Potentially Hazardous Glycoalkaloids in Potato Products

A simple and rapid method for the determination of naturally occurring, potentially hazardous glycoalkaloids (GAs) in potatoes and their products has been developed. The procedure is based on the on-line solid-phase extraction of the acetic acid extracts from potato products and combined with liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) in a fully automated system (Symbiosis™, Spark Holland Instruments, Emmen, The Netherlands). As sorbent material HySphere™ 18HD was used for alkaloid enrichment. GAs were eluted with the LC gradient and directly analysed by MS. Detection of the analytes was achieved in the sensitive multiple reaction monitoring mode using two characteristic ions (m/z 98 as a qualifier for GAs and m/z 868.3 as a quantifier for α-solanine or m/z 852.4 for α-chaconine). Typical validation data for method precision (v _k α-solanine = 5.3–6.5, v _k α-chaconine = 3.4–15.4), accuracy (average recovery of α-solanine = 84%, average recovery of α-chaconine = 87%) and linearity over the range from 1 to 1,000 ng ml⁻¹ (R ² = 0.9915 for α-solanine, R ² = 0.9939 for α-chaconine) with detection limits of 0.3 ng ml⁻¹ for α-chaconine and 0.5 ng ml⁻¹ for α-solanine were obtained. GA contents of commercial potato products were determined by the new on-line method and afterwards compared with those obtained with an established high-performance LC routine procedure. Better performance of the on-line procedure was obvious from the standard deviations of both methods. Other advantages included a strong reduction of overall analysis time, human intervention and solvent consumption as well as waste production. The time required for the on-line analysis was 5 min, which would allow processing of almost 100 samples in 8 h.     

Allocating the costs of multi-purpose water resource development: a case study of Chi-Chi Weir in Taiwan

Most multi-purpose water resources have been planned and constructed by governments in Taiwan to meet the water demands of different users. However, economic and solvency differences among parties using water create conflicts regarding the reasonable and equitable allocation of investment and operational costs. The Chi-Chi Weir in Nantou County, which was completed in 2002, meets the high water demand of residents and the needs of industrial growth in central Taiwan. Thus, multi-purpose water reservoirs are designed to serve agriculture, the public and industry. Three analytical methods, the quantity-based method, marginal cost method, and separable cost remaining benefit method (SCRB), are employed to compare the cost allocation for different parties using water. The quantity-based method indicates that proportional costs allocated to agriculture, the public, industry and new irrigated areas are 88.02, 3.63, 7.86, and 0.49%, respectively. Via the marginal cost method, the proportional costs allocated to agriculture, the public, hydropower, industry and new irrigated areas are 68.44, 2.51, 28.71, and 0.34%, respectively. The marginal cost price of water is NT$ 2.97 ton⁻¹; industrial use has the highest price. Based on the SCRB method, the proportional costs allocated to agriculture, the public, hydropower, and new irrigated areas are 18.2, 22.2, 51.8, 4.8, and 2.9%, respectively.     

Variation in the Carotenoid Composition of the Lycopene-Rich Brazilian Fruit <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eugenia uniflora</Emphasis> L.

The indigenous pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) is now marketed and commercially processed in Brazil. In the present work, the carotenoids of the pitanga fruit from two states and at two stages of ripening, as well as of processed pitanga products (frozen pulp and juice, the brands being designated as A, B and C) commercialized in Campinas, São Paulo, were determined by HPLC. As compared to ripe pitanga from Medianeira, Paraná, those from Campinas had significantly higher (all-E)-lycopene (14.0 vs. 71.1 μg/g), (13Z)-lycopene (1.1 vs. 5.0 μg/g) and (all-E)-γ-carotene (1.6 vs. 3.8 μg/g) levels. Significant increases in most of the carotenoids occurred from the partially ripe to the ripe fruits, with (all-E)-lycopene doubling its concentration in fruits from both states. Pitanga was found to be one of the richest fruit sources of carotenoids, particularly lycopene, but the processed products had much lower lycopene content. The mean (all-E)-lycopene concentration was 16.6 μg/g for frozen pulp brand A, 23.0 μg/g for bottled juice brand B and 25.6 μg/g for bottled juice brand C. Optimization of processing is therefore needed to guarantee better retention of this important carotenoid.     

Effect of glycerol cross-linking and PDI on the shape memory effect and mechanical properties of polyurethane

A series of shape memory polyurethane (PU) copolymers synthesized from 1,4-phenyldiisocyanate (PDI), poly(tetramethyleneglycol) (PTMG), 1,4-butanediol (BD) as a chain extender, and glycerol as a cross-linking agent were tested for the mechanical properties and the shape memory effect at the temperature 20 °C above melting temperature (T _m), and were compared with other PUs synthesized from 4,4′-methylene-bis-phenyldiisocyanate (MDI), PTMG, and BD. Mechanical properties and shape memory effect were improved substantially by adopting both PDI and glycerol. Interestingly, enthalpy of melting and T _m were not affected by the glycerol content. Vibration and shock absorption ability was investigated by measuring both loss tan δ and storage modulus with dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA).     

Photochromic fabrics with improved durability and photochromic performance

Previously, we have reported a method for producing photochromic wool fabric by applying a thin layer of hybrid silica-photochromic dye onto the wool surface. While the photochromic coating showed a very fast optical response and had little influence on the fabric handle, its durability was poor. In this study, the durability of the photochromic coating layer was improved by introducing epoxy groups into the silica matrix via co-hydrolysis and co-condensation of an alkyl trialkoxysilane compound (ATAS) and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS). The presence of epoxy groups in the silica enhanced both washing and abrasion durability or fastness. In addition, the optical response speed was slightly increased as well. Effects of the type of alkyl silane and the GPTMS/alkyl silane ratio on the coating durability, fabric handle and optical response were examined.     

Integrated effect of population and weed management regimes on weed dynamics,performance, and productivity of basmati rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.)

Weeds caused serious problem on yield reduction of basmati rice worldwide. Losses caused by weeds varied from one country to another, depending on the presence of dominant weeds and the control methods practiced by farmers; therefore, suitable plant population and weed management practices should be adopted. Keeping these in mind, a field experiment was carried out during kharif seasons of 2009 and 2010 at crop Research Centre of SVPUA&T, Meerut, India comprising 4 planting geometries, viz. 20, 30, 40, and 50 hills m^?2 as main plot factor, and 5 weed management practices (Butachlor @ 1.0 kg ha^?1, Butachlor @ 1.0 kg ha^?1 fb (followed by) one hand weeding, Butachlor @ 1.0 kg ha^?1 fb Almix @ 4 g ha^?1, two hand weedings and weedy check) in a split plot design with 3 replications. Experimental results revealed that plant population of 50 hills m^?2 proved superior over that of 20 hills m^?2 in respect of weed density, weed dry weight, number of tillers m^?2, yield attributes, grain, straw, and biological yields. The maximum grain yield (29.00 and 31.00 q ha^?1) and straw yield (51.30 and 52.50 q ha^?1) were recorded in 50 hills m^?2 followed by 40 hills m^?2 during 2009 and 2010, respectively. In respect of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium removal, a reverse trend was observed: the highest in 20 hills m^?2 followed by 30, 40, and 50 hills m^?2. As far as the weed management practices are concerned, both chemical and mechanical methods of weed control were found superior over weedy check. The lowest weed density, dry weight, and highest weed control efficiency, maximum length of panicle^?1, number of panicle (m²), and 1000-grain weight and grain yield of 30.40 and 32.60 q ha^?1 were recorded with two hand weedings which was at par with Butachlor @ 1.0 kg ha^?1 fb one hand weeding over rest of the weed management practices.     

Extraction of rice-planting area and identification of chilling damage by remote sensing technology: a case study of the emerging rice production region in high latitude

Rice is the second largest staple crop in the world and therefore plays an important role in food security. As a thermophilic crop, rice is sensitive to temperature changes. Thus, research on the chilling damage of rice is essential. The Sanjiang Plain is an emerging rice production area and is located at high latitudes in China, the world’s largest rice-producing country. Landsat data were used to extract rice-planting area from 1985 to 2015. MODIS 13Q1, which was uniformly distributed during the growing period of rice, was used to obtain NDVI values of paddies during 2002–2015. Dynamic Identification Index of sterile-type chilling damage and monitoring standard of delayed-type chilling damage were the proposed methods used in this paper, which were used to judge the chilling damage of rice. The results show that in the study region, the rice-planting area in 2015 is nearly 12 times larger than that in 1985. Delayed-type chilling damage occurred in 2002 and 2009, while sterile-type chilling damage occurred in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2015. Comparing with the prevalent meteorological standards, the results indicate that the index and standards proposed in this paper are precise, applicable, and more sensitive than them. The method is a macroscopic and accurate method to identify chilling damage in rice and can also provide a scientific basis to ensuring the stability of rice yield.     

Investigating the reduction of sodium adsorption ratio from agricultural waste by rice husk in batch scale and physical model of drain envelop

Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) is one of the water quality indexes that whose is important due to reuse or depletion to environment. Solutes in drain water can be controlled by adsorption, chemical or biological reaction, organic envelope of drainage. Rice husk is the common option of drainage envelops in paddy fields. In this study, the ability of reduction of SAR by rice husk was evaluated in batch scale and physical model of drain envelops. In the batch experiments, the adsorption of SAR parameters was investigated by adding 2 g of rice husk into a 100 ml of sodium chloride solution. The results indicated that rice husk absorbed calcium, magnesium and sodium, respectively. By increasing the temperature, contact time and pH, adsorption of calcium, magnesium and sodium was increased; however, the higher concentration of sodium in soil solution reduced the percentage of adsorption. In a more realistic state, physical models of subsurface drainage in the paddy fields were made. Drainage envelope treatments included of rice husk (H), combination of 20 and 60 % of husk with gravel (H₂₀G₈₀ and H₆₀G₄₀) and a pipe without envelope (NE). Due to higher drain discharge and more sodium removal (lower SAR in drain water), treatment H with the discharge of 16.2 ml/min and SAR of 1.27 (meq/l)^0.5 was better in comparison with other treatments.     

Crop water stress mapping for site-specific irrigation by thermal imagery and artificial reference surfaces

Variable-rate irrigation by machines or solid set systems has become technically feasible, however mapping crop water status is necessary to match irrigation quantities to site-specific crop water demands. Remote thermal sensing can provide such maps in sufficient detail and in a timely way. In a set of aerial and ground scans at the Hula Valley, Israel, digital crop water stress maps were generated using geo-referenced high-resolution thermal imagery and artificial reference surfaces. Canopy-related pixels were separated from those of the soil by upper and lower thresholds related to air temperature, and canopy temperatures were calculated from the coldest 33% of the pixel histogram. Artificial surfaces that had been wetted provided reference temperatures for the crop water stress index (CWSI) normalized to ambient conditions. Leaf water potentials of cotton were related linearly to CWSI values with R ² = 0.816. Maps of crop stress level generated from aerial scans of cotton, process tomatoes and peanut fields corresponded well with both ground-based observations by the farm operators and irrigation history. Numeric quantification of stress levels was provided to support decisions to divide fields into sections for spatially variable irrigation scheduling.