Circumpolar study of perfluoroalkyl contaminants in polar bears (Ursus maritimus)

Perfluoroalkyl substances were determined in liver tissues and blood of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from five locations in the North American Arctic and two locations in the European Arctic. Concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonate, heptadecafluorooctane sulfonamide, and perfluoroalkyl carboxylates with C(8)-C(15) perfluorinated carbon chains were determined using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. PFOS concentrations were significantly correlated with age at four of seven sampling locations, while gender was not correlated to concentration for any compound measured. Populations in South Hudson Bay (2000-2730 ng/g wet wt), East Greenland (911-2140 ng/g wet wt), and Svalbard (756-1290 ng/g wet wt) had significantly (P < 0.05) higher PFOS concentrations than western populations such as the Chukchi Sea (435-729 ng/g wet wt). Concentrations of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) with adjacent chain lengths (i.e., C9:C10 and C10:C11) were significantly correlated (P < 0.05), suggesting PFCAs have a common source within a location, but there were differences in proportions of PFCAs between eastern and western location sources. Concentrations of PFOS in liver tissue at five locations were correlated with concentrations of four polychlorinated biphenyl congeners (180, 153, 138, and 99) in adipose tissue of bears in the same populations, suggesting similar transport pathways and source regions of PFOS or precursors.     

Adapting maize production to climate change in sub-Saharan Africa

Given the accumulating evidence of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa, there is an urgent need to develop more climate resilient maize systems. Adaptation strategies to climate change in maize systems in sub-Saharan Africa are likely to include improved germplasm with tolerance to drought and heat stress and improved management practices. Adapting maize systems to future climates requires the ability to accurately predict future climate scenarios in order to determine agricultural responses to climate change and set priorities for adaptation strategies. Here we review the projected climate change scenarios for Africa’s maize growing regions using the outputs of 19 global climate models. By 2050, air temperatures are expected to increase throughout maize mega- environments within sub-Saharan Africa by an average of 2.1°C. Rainfall changes during the maize growing season varied with location. Given the time lag between the development of improved cultivars until the seed is in the hands of farmers and adoption of new management practices, there is an urgent need to prioritise research strategies on climate change resilient germplasm development to offset the predicted yield declines.     

Food-compatible method for the efficient extraction and stabilization of cranberry pomace polyphenols

Cranberry pomace is a byproduct of cranberry processing and is comprised of seeds, skins and stems of the cranberry fruit. While cranberry pomace contains beneficial polyphenols, including proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins, it is not a palatable source of these compounds and is typically discarded. In this study, we have developed and optimized a method to extract polyphenols from cranberry pomace using aqueous ethanol, a food grade solvent. Biochemical characterization of the pomace extract showed the presence of a broad range of polyphenols also present in cranberry juice concentrate. By co-drying cranberry pomace extract with a protein-rich food matrix, such as soy protein isolate (SPI), we have developed a method to produce a cranberry polyphenol–SPI complex (CBP-SPI) containing 10% cranberry polyphenols. Unlike dried cranberry pomace extract alone, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins and total polyphenols were found to be highly stable at 37 °C in the CBP-SPI powder. The extraction and stabilization of cranberry pomace polyphenols using SPI provides an innovative approach for utilizing pomace in the development of novel food ingredients.     

联合扫描--未来的弓纬与纬斜检测

当今纺织品市场的特征是:产品的生命周期愈加短暂,织物品种的多样化以及对纺织品制造商在质量与运输能力方面的要求越来越多.只有那些可以在最短的允许时间里生产最多种产品并且具有一流质量的生产者拥有竞争实力.这便需要有一些新的理念来帮助检测弓纬与纬斜以达到所需标准并同时监测样品重复性或织物纬密.新加坡举办的ITMA ASIA 2005中,Mahlo公司展出了一款用于弓纬与纬斜的检测的新设备--联合扫描仪.     

Full-field moisture induced deformation in Norway spruce: intra-ring variation of transverse swelling

The transverse hygro-expansion of Norway spruce wood is studied on the growth ring level using digital image correlation. This non-destructive technique offers the possibility for a contactless study of deformation fields of relatively large areas. The measured full-field strains are segmented into individual growth rings. Whereas radial strains closely follow the density progression with the maximum in the dense latewood (LW), tangential and shear strain remain constant except for positions around the edges of the sample. A simple FE three phase growth ring model is in good agreement with the experimental values. The selective activation of individual phases like earlywood (EW), transition wood and LW demonstrates that the radial hygro-expansion is dominated by the EW deformation, whereas tangential deformation is a complex interplay of expansion and compression that needs all tissues to fully develop.     

Development and Performance of Crystallization with Additives Applied on Different Milk Samples

Crystallization with additives is developed on milk samples from different processing treatments. Performance tests are carried out based on structure analysis of the crystallization patterns. Crystallization with milk as additive is applied following changes in milk after different processing treatments. When an aqueous cupric chloride dihydrate solution crystallizes in the presence of milk as additive, specific patterns emerge, which can be evaluated by image analysis. Milk samples were heated and homogenized in a pilot plant and characterized by various parameters. Furthermore, milk samples from the market were tested. Patterns from milk after heat treatment and homogenization are significantly different from those derived from untreated milk. The experiments could be reproduced for other milk samples, on different days and in another laboratory.     

Characterizing spatial distribution of trap captures of beetles in retail pet stores using SADIE software

The weevils, Sitophilus spp., drug store beetle, Stegobium paniceum (L.), and red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) in two retail pet stores in Kansas, USA, were sampled with pitfall traps on five separate occasions before and four separate occasions after a thorough sanitation in areas with high trap captures. Trap captures of Sitophilus spp. and S. paniceum in store 1 and those of T. castaneum and Sitophilus spp. in store 2, were analyzed using the Spatial Analysis of Distance IndicEs (SADIE^®) software. Captures of Sitophilus spp. in store 1 and T. castaneum in store 2 increased immediately after sanitation, but subsequently were similar to levels before sanitation, whereas captures of S. paniceum in store 1 and Sitophilus spp. in store 2 were unaffected by sanitation. In store 1, S. paniceum trap captures were randomly distributed on all sampling occasions, while Sitophilus spp. captures were spatially aggregated immediately before and after sanitation. During the 6 months of trapping, the Sitophilus spp. trap capture centroids gradually moved northwards, and those of S. paniceum moved southwards. In store 2, trap captures of T. castaneum and Sitophilus spp. were uniformly distributed before sanitation and were predominantly spatially aggregated after sanitation. During the 6 months of trapping, trap capture centroids of both T. castaneum and Sitophilus spp. gradually moved northwards. The impact of a thorough sanitation performed once on the spatial distribution patterns of insects in the two retail stores was not consistent. Sanitation was also ineffective in reducing captures of the insect species.