Correction to: Herd concentration areas create greenhouse gas hotspots

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems -     

Investigation of the temperature homogeneity of die melt flows in polymer extrusion

Polymer extrusion is fundamental to the processing of polymeric materials and melt flow temperature homogeneity is a major factor which influences product quality. Undesirable thermal conditions can cause problems such as melt degradation, dimensional instability, weaknesses in mechanical/optical/geometrical properties, and so forth. It has been revealed that melt temperature varies with time and with radial position across the die. However, the majority of polymer processes use only single‐point techniques whose thermal measurements are limited to the single point at which they are fixed. Therefore, it is impossible for such techniques to determine thermal homogeneity across the melt flow. In this work, an extensive investigation was carried out into melt flow thermal behavior of the output of a single extruder with different polymers and screw geometries over a wide range of processing conditions. Melt temperature profiles of the process output were observed using a thermocouple mesh placed in the flow and results confirmed that the melt flow thermal behavior is different at different radial positions. The uniformity of temperature across the melt flow deteriorated considerably with increase in screw rotational speed while it was also shown to be dependent on process settings, screw geometry, and material properties. Moreover, it appears that the effects of the material, machine, and process settings on the quantity and quality of the process output are heavily coupled with each other and this may cause the process to be difficult to predict and variable in nature. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:2430–2440, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The Effects of Omega‐3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Consumption on Mammary Carcinogenesis

The consumption of omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n‐3 PUFA) is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer. Studies in animals and in vitro have demonstrated mechanisms that could explain this apparent effect, but clinical and epidemiological studies have returned conflicting results on the practical benefits of dietary n‐3 PUFA for prevention of breast cancer. Effects are often only significant within a population when comparing the highest n‐3 PUFA consumption group to the lowest n‐3 group or highest n‐6 group. The beneficial effects of n‐3 PUFA eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic on the risk of breast cancer are dose dependent and are negatively affected by total n‐6 consumption. The majority of the world population, including the most highly developed regions, consumes insufficient n‐3 PUFA to significantly reduce breast cancer risk. This review discusses the physiological and dietary context in which reduction of breast cancer risk may occur, some proposed mechanisms of action and meaningful recommendations for consumption of n‐3 PUFA in the diet of developed regions.     

Controlled immobilisation of active enzymes on the cowpea mosaic virus capsid

Immobilisation of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and glucose oxidase (GOX) via covalent attachment of modified enzyme carbohydrate to the exterior of the cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) capsid gave high retention of enzymatic activity. The number of enzymes bound per virus was determined to be about eleven for HRP and 2-3 for GOX. This illustrates that relatively large biomacromolecules can be readily coupled to the virus surface using simple conjugation strategies. Virus-biomacromolecule hybrids have great potential for uses in catalysis, diagnostic assays or biosensors.     

第一批人凝血因子Ⅶ浓制剂国家标准品协作标定

目的 协作标定第一批人凝血因子Ⅶ浓制剂国家标准品。方法 以 WHO 97/592批人凝血因子Ⅶ浓制剂国际标准品为对照,采用一期法标定我国首批人凝血因子Ⅶ因家标准品,并将标准品分别置4℃、22℃、37℃保存5个月,用加速破坏试验进行稳定性考查。结果 该批标准品效价为16.0IU/支,稳定性良好。其他项目均达到国家标准品要求。结论 已成功研制第一批人凝血因子Ⅶ浓制剂国家标准品。     

Glandular Trichome Extracts from Medicago sativa Deter Settling by the Potato Leafhopper Empoasca fabae

Extracts of glandular trichomes from Medicago sativa were tested for their ability to disrupt the settling behavior of the potato leafhopper, Empoasca fabae. Erect and procumbent glandular trichomes were mechanically isolated from stem sections of resistant genotype "G98A," and nonglandular trichomes were collected from susceptible cultivar "Ranger." Isolated trichomes were extracted with chloroform, acetone, and ethanol, and the resulting crude extracts were applied to the surface of a sachet containing an artificial diet. Leafhoppers were offered a two-way choice between crude trichome extracts from G98A and Ranger. All three of G98A solvent extracts caused various degrees of diet rejection, resulting in the crude Ranger trichome extracts being preferred over G98A extracts. Overall, the fewest leafhoppers settled on the ethanolic extracts. Additional bioassays documented a dose response associated with G98A ethanolic extracts when compared with Ranger trichome extracts and a solvent control. No difference in preference behavior was detected between Ranger trichome extracts and a solvent control. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed a homologous series of nonvolatile fatty acid amides C(n)H(2n+1)NO (n = 19-23) unique to G98A glandular trichome extracts.     

Evaluation of intermodel agreement using ISO 13655 M0, M1, and M2 measurement modes in commercial spectrophotometers

Spectrophotometers are routinely used for color measurement and color management in many commercial printing and proofing workflows. In the case of media containing optical brightening agents, ultraviolet (UV)‐induced fluorescence has led to poor levels of agreement between models from different manufacturers, and different models from the same manufacturer. A relevant standard, ISO 13655, has been revised and now clearly defines measurement modes and conditions for the UV component in spectrophotometers. ISO 13655:2009—Graphic Technology—Spectral Measurement and Colorimetric Computation for Graphic Arts Images now defines four measurement modes: M0, M1, M2, and M3. The intermodel difference between 10 commercially available spectrophotometers is evaluated for different substrate types in measurement modes (M0, M1, and M2) as allowed by each instrument. In particular, the authors compare devices using M0 legacy mode versus newer instruments that are compliant with the new M1 and M2 (UV‐included and UV‐excluded) measurement modes. A finding with significant practical applications is that there is greatly improved intermodel agreement between the new generation of ISO 13655‐compliant instruments in M1 (D50) mode when compared with the previous generation of hand‐held spectrophotometers. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 42, 27–37, 2017     

Ecofriendly modification of acetosolv lignin from oil palm biomass for improvement of PMMA thermo‐oxidative properties

The environmentally friendly esterification of acetosolv lignin (AL), obtained from pressed oil palm mesocarp fibers, is described, for the improvement of thermo‐oxidative properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films. Acetylation of AL was performed in ecofriendly conditions using acetic anhydride in the absence of catalysts. Acetylated acetosolv lignin (AAL) was successfully obtained in only 12 min with a solvent‐free and catalyst‐free microwave‐assisted procedure. Lignins were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), confirming the efficacy of the methodology employed. AL and AAL as fillers in different concentrations (1% and 5%) were added to PMMA films. The thermal and mechanical properties of the lignin‐incorporated films were analyzed by TGA, DSC, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The films incorporated with lignin and acetylated lignin presented initial degradation temperature (T_onset) and onset oxidative temperature (OOT) values higher than pure PMMA films, contributing thus to an enhancement of thermo‐oxidative stability of PMMA. The DMA analyses showed that incorporation of AL or AAL increased the storage modulus (E′) of PMMA films, but did not affect their glass‐transition temperatures (T_g). The results indicate the potential use of oil palm mesocarp lignin to enhance the thermo‐oxidative properties of PMMA without compromising its mechanical response. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45498.     

Optimized Growth of Heteroepitaxial (111) NiFe2O4 Thin Films on (0001) Sapphire with Two In‐Plane Variants via Chemical Solution Deposition

(111)‐oriented epitaxial thin films of nickel ferrite (NFO) are grown on c‐plane sapphire [α‐Al₂O₃(0001)] substrates using a chemical solution deposition technique. The processing conditions, including pyrolysis and annealing temperatures, are varied to achieve a film that shows maximum texture and epitaxy. It is shown that increasing the pyrolysis temperature to 400°C and decreasing the annealing temperature to 750°C for 10 min result in the highest degree of texture in the films. Lower film thickness also leads to a higher degree of texture. Microstructural studies confirm an in‐plane epitaxial relationship between the (111) NFO film and the (0001) Al₂O₃ substrate in two variants, [110]_NFO || or .