Effects of catch crops on silage maize (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Zea mays</Emphasis> L.): yield,nitrogen uptake efficiency and losses

Under the climatic conditions of north-western Europe, silage maize (Zea mays L.) production optimized with respect to nitrogen (N) fertilization and crop rotation is required to reduce N losses. Whether winter catch crops (CC) can serve as a beneficial biological tool in terms of N-loss abatement as well as maize yield also under optimized N management, is unclear. Therefore, a 2-year field experiment was conducted to study the short-term effects of a continuous maize-catch cropping system on maize yield performance, N₂O emission and N leaching, as affected by maize harvest/CC sowing date (10, 20, 30 September and 15 October, respectively, hd₁–hd₄) and CC species (rye, Secale cereale L. and Italian ryegrass, Lolium multiflorum Lam.). Treatments without CC served as control and N fertilization was applied as synthetic N to better adjust to maize N demand. The CC treatment (with or without) had no effect on maize dry matter and N yields, but the N uptake efficiency of maize responded significantly to the N accumulation (N_tot) of CC. Nitrate leaching mostly stayed below the critical load value for EU drinking water and rye significantly reduced nitrate leaching, given that environmental conditions allowed sufficiently high CC biomass accumulation. Annual nitrous oxide emission was unaffected by CC treatment. Restricted N fertilization of maize following CC led to N deficiency, since CC decomposition obviously was not synchronized with maize N demand. Under the given environmental conditions, rye may serve as beneficial CC in continuous maize cropping even in already optimized N management.     

Bestandsaufnahme Grundwasser nach der EU-Wasserrahmenrichtlinie im Koordinierungsraum Mulde-Elbe-Schwarze Elster

Die Wasserrahmenrichtlinie regelt den Schutz von Grund- und Oberflächengewässern und fordert eine nachhaltige Wassernutzung. Sie legt einen Zeitplan fest, um bis zum Jahr 2015 für alle Gewässer einen guten Zustand zu erreichen. Der erste Schritt ist eine Bestandsaufnahme der Gewässer. Für das Grundwasser besteht diese aus einer erstmaligen Beschreibung, einer weitergehenden Beschreibung und der Prüfung der Auswirkungen menschlicher Tätigkeit auf das Grundwasser. Die Wasserrahmenrichtlinie wird unabhängig von administrativen Grenzen innerhalb von hydrologischen Einzugsgebieten umgesetzt. Im deutschen Teil des Flusseinzugsgebietes der Elbe wurden 5 Koordinierungsräume gegründet. Der Koordinierungsraum Mulde-Elbe-Schwarze Elster (MES) wird vorgestellt. Beispielhaft für die angewandten Methoden wird die Beurteilung diffuser Stoffeinträge in das Grundwasser bei der erstmaligen Beschreibung erläutert. Die Ergebnisse der Bestandsaufnahme Grundwasser im Koordinierungsraum MES werden präsentiert. Von 54 Grundwasserkörpern ist für 25 Körper aufgrund der Belastungen durch Punktquellen und diffuse Quellen, wegen des mengenmäßigen Zustands oder sonstiger anthropogener Einwirkungen die Zielerreichung nach der Wasserrahmenrichtlinie unklar/unwahrscheinlich.     

景观设计展望:国际性和中国特色

中国的当代景观设计仍然在传统的范例和国际的范例之间探寻其自己的风格。北京土人景观规划设计研究院所做的项目展示了当代的、同时又是自己的设计语言,彰显了全球化背景下当代中国人的身份。     

Influence of electron irradiation on the crystallisation,molecular weight and mechanical properties of poly-(<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>)-3-hydroxybutyrate

Biosynthetic poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) undergoes a deleterious ageing process which has been attributed to progressive crystallisation. In this work an attempt has been made to arrest this crystallisation behaviour by an irradiation treatment which is known to induce cross-linking in many polymers. PHB films were irradiated with different doses of electrons and at different times after the initiation of crystallisation. The degree of crystallinity was subsequently determined as a function of time after irradiation using wide-angle X-ray scattering measurements. In addition, melting endotherms were obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and molecular weights by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Corresponding tensile stress–strain experiments were performed in order to obtain information on the mechanical properties of the sample films. The melting point and molecular weights were found to decrease linearly with radiation dose indicating that higher radiation doses cause degradation due to chain scission. However, lower doses applied to samples still in their amorphous state indicate a high degree of cross-linking, in which a network is formed and the ageing process can be prevented to some extent. The tensile modulus and breaking strain were influenced strongly by the point in time at which the material was irradiated during crystallisation.     

Official dosimetry with personal electronic dosemeters--the framework in Germany

In Germany, personal electronic dosemeters (AEPDs) are presently applied mainly for operational radiation protection monitoring particularly in nuclear power engineering companies, large hospitals and research centres. This is done in addition to the official dosimetry of record. Therefore, frequently, double monitoring occurs-officially and operationally. A crucial advantage of AEPDs compared with passive dosemeters is the ability to adapt the monitoring period to the working time in controlled areas and to allow an immediate readout of the dose after leaving the controlled area, e.g. a job-related monitoring is possible by correlating the readout dose with the job performed. Germany started a general research project, consisting of two parts, for an optimised implementation of personal electronic dosemeters into official dosimetry. The use of AEPDs as official dosemeters depends on an approval by Federal and Federal State ('L?nder') authorities as an official dosimetry system, which has to comply with special requirements ensuring that the legal requirements are fulfilled. The formulation of these special requirements is in the focus of part one of the research project, supervised by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) and performed by the Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH. As a result of part one, a framework was developed which is the basis for a future technical implementation project. Part one is described in the paper, while part two is still to be initiated and will deal with the implementation and testing phase of the introduction of personal electronic dosemeters as official dosemeters.     

An activity, stability and selectivity comparison of propioin synthesis by thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzymes in a solid/gas bioreactor

Enzymatic carboligation in a solid/gas bioreactor represents a new challenge in biotechnology. In this paper, the continuous gas-phase production of propioin from two propanal molecules by using thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzymes was studied. Two enzymes were used, namely benzaldehyde lyase (BAL) from Pseudomonas fluorescens and benzoylformate decarboxylase (BFD) from Pseudomonas putida. The enzymes are homologous and catalyze carboligase and carbolyase reactions in which no external cofactor regeneration is needed. The influence of water and substrate activity on the initial reaction rate and biocatalyst stability was investigated. An increase in water activity raised the initial reaction rates to the maximal values of 250 and 80 U g(-1) for BAL and BFD, respectively. The half-life showed the same trend with maximal values of 50 and 78 min for BAL and BFD, respectively. The increase in the half-life by increasing water activity was unexpected. It was also observed that BFD is more stable than BAL in the presence of the substrate propanal. Both enzymes showed substrate inhibition in the kinetic studies, and BAL was also deactivated during the reaction. Unexpectedly, the stereoselectivity of both enzymes (ee of 19 % for BAL and racemic mixture for BFD) was significantly impaired in the gas phase compared to the liquid phase.     

Steroid conjugates of dichloro(6-aminomethylnicotinate)platinum(II): effects on DNA, sex hormone binding globulin, the estrogen receptor, and various breast cancer cell lines

Esters of 6-aminomethylnicotinic acid with various steroidal alcohols were treated with K(2)PtCl(4) to give the N,N-chelated dichloroplatinum(II) complex conjugates 4. Their interaction with plasmid DNA was monitored by electrophoretic mobility measurements. Their affinities towards sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and towards the nuclear estrogen receptor ER(alpha) were assessed by competitive displacement radioassays. The inhibitory effect of 4 on breast tumour cells MCF-7 ER(+)/ER(-) and MDA-MB-231 was investigated in vitro. Conjugates with 3-O-linked estrogens 4 a,b or 17-O-linked androgens 4 g bound strongly to SHBG. The conjugate complex 4 b, featuring a 3-O-linked estradiol, also bound strongly and agonistically to the estrogen receptor. It also elicited distinct growth retardation of MCF-7 (ER(+)) cells, presumably by a mechanism different from that of cisplatin.     

Gelatinization of Starch/Gum/Sugar Systems Studied by using DSC,NMR, and CSLM

Gelatinization of starch was studied by using modulated differential scanning calorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The effects of sugar or gum addition were analyzed in terms of changes in the gelatinization temperature and the effects on molecular mobility changes. Two states of water were found in both relaxation mechanisms (spin‐spin and spin‐lattice) and the extent of mobility depended on the concentration of the mixtures and the nature of the ingredients. With xanthan, dramatic changes of mobility were observed prior to gelatinization, indicating adsorption of xanthan on the starch granule surface. This result was confirmed by confocal scanning laser microscopy. The studies are contributing to the understanding of starch gelatinization in the presence of other substances. Potential industrial application is seen for the food industry (NMR as online method for gelatinization monitoring, synergistic thickening effects).     

Effect of the Extent of Conversion and Retrogradation on the Digestibility of Potato Starch

The effect of starch conversion on the susceptibility of potato granules to α‐amylase was studied by direct sampling at different pasting times corresponding to different points on the RVA profile of a 6.4% (w/w) suspension of starch in distilled water. Native granules showed high resistance to α‐amylase with 8.6 ± 0.4% digestibility for a 6 h incubation period with the enzyme. When the suspension was heated to 60 °C, the digestibility increased to 53.5 ± 0.7% although, at this temperature, there was still no noticeable increase in the measured viscosity (≤0.040 Pa · s). The material sampled after a pasting time corresponding to the RVA peak viscosity showed a digestibility of 88.4 ± 0.5%. This suggested, owing to the expected retrogradation of amylose on cooling, the quasi‐total susceptibility of amylopectin to enzymatic digestion at this pasting stage. The effect of ions on the swelling of potato starch was used to assess whether the decrease of the swelling of the granules in the presence of NaCl was paralleled by an increase in resistance to α‐amylase. A small (∼6.1%) but significant decrease in the digestibility of pasted starch was observed in the presence of salt. Finally, the effect of the retrogradation of the amylopectin fraction on its digestibility was assessed in extruded potato starch ribbons containing 35% (w/w) water and stored at different temperatures. After 14 days of storage, the digestibility decreased from 77.0 ± 0.9% in the freshly extruded samples to between 28.0 ± 1.7% and 42.1 ± 0.3%, depending on the storage temperature. This suggested a measurable difference in the α‐amylase susceptibility between the A and B polymorphs of retrograded amylopectin.