ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS OF GRASSES AND LEGUMES GROWING ON SOIL COVERING COAL FLY ASH LANDFILL SITES

Forage grasses and legumes growing in the soil covering four coal fly ash landfill sites in Central New York were sampled and analyzed for 20 elements. Selenium, boron and molybdenum were most consistently higher in concentration in these crops than the corresponding control plants sampled from adjacent upwind locations. Legumes absorbed greater amounts of these elements than grasses probably owing to their deep-rooted penetration of the fly ash layer below. Factors affecting the extent of absorption of these elements by the crops and the agricultural significance as related to grazing farm animals are discussed.     

Ca2+ differentially regulates conventional protein kinase Cs' membrane interaction and activation

The regulation of conventional protein kinase Cs by Ca2+ was examined by determining how this cation affects the enzyme's 1) membrane binding and catalytic function and 2) conformation. In the first part, we show that significantly lower concentrations of Ca2+ are required to effect half-maximal membrane binding than to half-maximally activate the enzyme. The disparity between binding and activation kinetics is most striking for protein kinase C betaII, where the concentration of Ca2+ promoting half-maximal membrane binding is approximately 40-fold higher than the apparent Km for Ca2+ for activation. In addition, the Ca2+ requirement for activation of protein kinase C betaII is an order of magnitude greater than that for the alternatively spliced protein kinase C betaI; these isozymes differ only in 50 amino acids at the carboxyl terminus, revealing that residues in the carboxyl terminus influence the enzyme's Ca2+ regulation. In the second part, we use proteases as conformational probes to show that Ca2+dependent membrane binding and Ca2+-dependent activation involve two distinct sets of structural changes in protein kinase C betaII. Three separate domains spanning the entire protein participate in these conformational changes, suggesting significant interdomain interactions. A highly localized hinge motion between the regulatory and catalytic halves of the protein accompanies membrane binding; release of the carboxyl terminus accompanies the low affinity membrane binding mediated by concentrations of Ca2+ too low to promote catalysis; and exposure of the amino-terminal pseudosubstrate and masking of the carboxyl terminus accompany catalysis. In summary, these data reveal that structural determinants unique to each isozyme of protein kinase C dictate the enzyme's Ca2+-dependent affinity for acidic membranes and show that, surprisingly, some of these determinants are in the carboxyl terminus of the enzyme, distal from the Ca2+-binding site in the amino-terminal regulatory domain.     

Effect of Joint Thickness and Residual Stresses on the Properties of Ceramic Adhesive Joints: I, Finite Element Analysis of Stresses in Joints

The finite element method was used to determine the stress distributions in adhesive joints prepared using alumina adher-ends and silicate glass adhesives with varying thicknesses and thermal expansion coefficients. These analyses, together with the results of literature analyses for joints subjected to externally applied loads, aided in interpreting the experimental observations which are described in Part II of the paper.     

The Effect of Local Cooking Methods on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Contents in Beef,Goat Meat,and Pork as Potential Sources of Human Exposure in Kisumu City,Kenya

Roasted meat is known to be a major source of human exposure to PAHs. The contribution of direct-heat charcoal-roasted, electric- oven grilled, and shallow-pan fried meat to human exposure in Kisumu City was not known although the three modes of cooking meat are very prevalent. This study analyzed the concentrations of the PAHs in raw beef, goat meat, and pork, investigated the effect of direct-heat charcoal roasting, electric-oven grilling, and shallow-pan frying on these concentrations, and compared their concentration levels with international standards for foods in order to assess the potential risks to consumers. Samples were taken from three popular meat-roasting hotels within Kisumu City, Kenya. Extraction of PAHs was done using liquid-liquid partition after saponification with alcoholic potassium hydroxide followed by clean-up on a silica gel column and final analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Roasting and shallow-pan frying introduced new PAHs and significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased the concentrations of those existing in raw meat. Direct-heat charcoal roast beef had 5 new PAHs and a total mean PAH content of 17.88 μg/kg, compared with a mean of 1.39 μg/kg for raw beef, with the potent dibenz(a,h)anthracene also being detected. Direct-heat charcoal roasted goat meat had three new PAHs and a total mean PAH content of 4.77 μg/kg, compared with a mean of 2.13 μg/kg in raw meat, with the potent benzo(a)pyrene concentration being 8.84% of the total mean PAH. Fried pork had 7 new PAHs and a total mean PAH content of 3.47 μg/kg, compared with a mean total of 0.17 μg/kg, detected in the raw meat. Roast beef had the highest individual PAH concentration (5.03 μg/kg) and highest total PAHs concentration (17.88 μg/kg), both being higher than acceptable EU limits. The PAHs from local raw and cooked meat were characterized and quantified for the first time in Kisumu City and the study therefore provided the needed baseline data on PAHs in raw and cooked meat.     

Carbon Dioxide and Global Change: Earth in Transition. - S.B.IDSO

The authors have proposed a generalisation of the J-CHART method [1] for a polyvalent modular drying system obtained by multiple simulation of thermal performance of two standard configurations: without recycling the air leaving the dryer, with 50% recycling of the air leaving the dryer and mixing with the air leaving the collectors.

This method, named as “GJ-CHART” is based on the use of charts or polynomial correlations which allows to determine the fraction of monthly average heating load supplied by solar energy and the fraction of monthly average economized energy as function of the two dimensionless parameters. These parameters are related to the standard collector parameters, the data of monthly average radiation, temperature and the estimates of drying loads, which by consequence, allows for a more general use.

The GJ-CHART method was developed for drying 27 kg of apple slices placed in single layers on the trays of the modular dryer. The temperature and the drying air flow rate are 60^°C and 0.09 kg s^-1 respectively. The drying time of a drying operation depends on the configurations of the system used, varying between 12 to 13 hours. According to the assumptions we used and the ways in which the calculations are done, this design method can be generalized to provide a mean for quick estimation of the long-term performance of the partially solar heated polyvalent modular drying system.

Les auteurs proposent, à l'aide de multiples simulations, une généralisation méthode J-CHART [I] de dimensionnement d'un système de séchage modulaire polyvalent valable pour les deux configurations suivantes: sans recyclage de l'air sortant du sèchoir; avec recyclage partiel (50%) et mélange avec l'air sortant des insolateurs.

Cette méthode, baptisée “GJ-ABAQUE”, est basée sur I'utilisation d'abaques ou des relations polynomials qui sen déduisent: ceux-ci permettent de déterminer la couverture solaire mensuelle et la fraction de chaleur de séchage économisée mensuelle à partir de deux couples de paramètres adimensionnels qui les caractérisent respectivement. Ces derniers font intervenir notamment les paramètres standard des insolateurs, les conditions climatiques du site, la surface de captation et la chaleur totale de I'opération de séchage, ce qui permet, par conséquent, une utilisation assez générale.

Les travaux ont porté sur le séchage de 27 kg de rondelles de pommes déposées en couche unique sur des claies, dans un module de séchage, lorsque la temperature de I'air asséchant est de 60^°C et son débit de 0,09 kg s^-1. La durée d'une opération de séchage varie, suivant la configuration retenue, de 12 à 13 heures.     

CALCOFLUOR AS A FLUORESCENT PROBE TO DETECT BIOFILMS OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS

Biofilms enable foodborne pathogens to resist removal from surfaces, survive disinfection and elude detection. This study evaluated the use of Calcofluor, which binds to polysaccharides containing β-D-glucans, to detect biofilms produced by Salmonella enterica serovar Berta and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium DT104 (St DT104), Escherichia coli, Aeromonas hydrophila, Vibrio cholerae O139 and Hyphomonas adhaerens. Biofilms produced by St DT104, S. berta and V. cholerae on five types of surfaces (glass, polypropylene, Teflon™, stainless steel and aluminum) were detected by Calcofluor. Results suggest the potential use of Calcofluor as probes of foodborne pathogens in biofilms.     

Storage Stability of Grapefruit Syrups

Ion exchange resins and polymeric adsorbents were used to remove bitterness (flavanones), color destabilizing compounds and microbial growth promoting compounds from clarified grapefruit juice. The syrups prepared from the treated grapefruit sera were stable against color and microbial deterioration in storage.