Gas chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry method validation for target pesticides in soybeans

The production of certified reference materials requires the application of highly accurate methods for characterisation. A gas chromatography-isotope dilution mass spectrometry method, setting ambitious performance criteria, was developed for eight selected pesticides in soybeans. Pressurised liquid extraction was followed by automated gel-permeation chromatography and solid-phase extraction clean-up. Pesticides identification respected a Commission Decision and guidelines of the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE). Reliable quantification involved stable isotopically labelled analogues as internal standards. Validation, according to ISO/IEC 17,025 and DG SANTE guidelines, assessed linearity, LOD/LOQ, trueness, selectivity, precision, stability and robustness. Mean recoveries ranges (83–109%, relative standard deviations < 3%), repeatability (2.2–4.8%), day-to-day variation (0.6–4.2%) and combined uncertainty (1.2–4.2%) were fit for purpose. The method is highly accurate and suitable for certification of the selected pesticides in soybean matrix reference material.

Chemical compounds studied in this article: Diazinon (PubChem CID: 3017); malathion (PubChem CID: 4004); chlorpyrifos (PubChem CID: 2730); captan (PubChem CID: 8606); endosulfan (PubChem CID: 3224); tebuconazole (PubChem CID: 86,102); iprodione (PubChem CID: 37,517); cypermethrin (PubChem CID: 2912).     

Determinants of antimicrobial treatment for udder health in Danish dairy cattle herds

Societal pressure to limit the use of antibiotics in livestock production systems, including dairy cattle systems, is consistently increasing. To motivate farmers to reduce antibiotic usage, it is important to understand the factors that determine whether a cow will be treated with antibiotics or not. If farmers' usual practices regarding antibiotic treatments are taken into account, they may be motivated to adopt control measures that can facilitate prudent use of antibiotics and are at the same time cost-effective. In this study, we analyzed database recordings of milk yield and somatic cell count from the routine milk recording scheme, clinical registrations of mastitis and PCR results, and cow factors such as days in milk and parity in relation to antibiotic treatments for 518 dairy herds in Denmark. Farm-wise logistic regressions were used to predict antimicrobial treatment based on these factors. The resulting regression coefficients of 422 herds were further analyzed by principal component analysis and clustering to determine the driving predictors for treatment in different groups of farms. The results showed that determinants that were most important for predicting antibiotic treatments vary from one farm to another. Health indicators such as PCR or somatic cell count were most indicative for treatment on some farms, whereas other groups seemed to depend more on production factors (milk yield) or later culling of the cows. This shows that farmers behave differently and differences can be identified in register data. This information can be considered when developing cost-effective herd-specific control measures of mastitis to promote prudent use of antibiotics in Danish dairy cattle farms.     

Automated translation of VDM to JML-annotated Java

International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer - When a system specified using the Vienna Development Method (VDM) is realised using code-generation, no guarantees are currently...     

Project complexity and team-level absorptive capacity as drivers of project management performance

Many believe that project complexity reduces project management performance. However, so far research has failed to establish this causal relationship conclusively. We extend research on project complexity by introducing the concept of team-level absorptive capacity and by studying its role as mediator between project complexity and project management success. Applying structural equation modelling to a sample of 285 respondents, we find an unequivocal, direct and positive statistical association between project complexity and delays and overspending. Further, we show that team-level absorptive capacity is critical for successful project management, but also that absorptive capacity can only partially offset the harmful impact of project complexity. Beyond adding to project management theory, the paper contributes to the wider management literature. We establish complexity as an antecedent of absorptive capacity and demonstrate how each dimension of absorptive capacity has unique determinants and outcomes.     

Influence of pre-compression on the ductility of AA6xxx aluminium alloys

Reversed loading experiments were conducted to study the influence of pre-compression on the ductility of three aluminium alloys. Diabolo-shaped specimens were machined from extruded profiles along the transverse direction, and heat treated to peak strength (T6 temper). The specimens were subjected to five different levels of pre-compression (0, 10, 20, 30, 40%), i.e., the specimens were first compressed to a prescribed strain and then pulled to fracture in tension. Using a laser-based measuring system, the minimum diameter in the extrusion direction and thickness direction were continuously measured during the tests until fracture. The three aluminium alloys AA6060, AA6082.25 and AA6082.50 had different grain structure and texture. The AA6060 and AA6082.50 alloys had recrystallized grain structure with equi-axed grains and large elongated grains, respectively. The AA6082.25 alloy had a non-recrystallized, fibrous grain structure. It was found that pre-compression has a marked influence on the ductility of the aluminium alloys, which depends on the microstructure and strength of the alloy. Using the compressed configuration as the reference configuration, the relative failure strain could be calculated. For the AA6060 alloy, the relative failure strain increased for increasing pre-compression, and was approximately doubled for 40% pre-compression compared to pure tension. For the AA6082.25 alloy, a slight increase in the relative failure strain was observed for increasing pre-compression, while for the AA6082.50 alloy the relative failure strain was low and approximately constant for different levels of pre-compression.     

Control of Salmonella in food related environments by chemical disinfection

Salmonella may be transferred to food through cross-contamination during processing and preparation. To minimise the risk of cross-contamination, proper cleaning and disinfection is essential for the food industry. Recently, disinfection of areas for preparation and storage of food has also gained increased popularity in households. There is a range of disinfectants available with different properties and usage areas, and care must be taken to choose the proper disinfectant for the specific application.There are many methods for testing the antimicrobial effect of disinfectants. To evaluate whether a disinfectant will be effective in practical settings, the test method should model real-life situations. Most disinfectants are effective against Salmonella at recommended user concentration in suspension tests. However, a number of factors may reduce the biocidal effect of disinfectants under practical conditions. This include properties of the surface to be disinfected, presence of soiling on the surface, the physiological state of the bacteria exposed to disinfection, including bacteria embedded in biofilms, and the effects of other stresses (e.g. desiccation, starvation and temperature).Here we review the effects of disinfectants used in food related areas in industries and in households against Salmonella. A general overview is given for disinfectants in use and methods used to evaluate effects. Effects of disinfectants against Salmonella in suspension and on surfaces, including biofilms, are presented and compared. Novel control strategies such as use of electrolysed water, antimicrobial surfaces, and anti-biofilm compounds are also covered. Finally, we review the ability of Salmonella to gain reduced susceptibility to disinfectants through adaptation and other physiological responses like biofilm formation.     

Time‐Resolved in‐Situ Observation of Starch Polysaccharide Degradation Pathways

Analytical challenges in the direct time‐resolved observation of starch metabolism have been addressed by using optimized multidimensional NMR experiments. Starch provides the main source of human dietary energy intake and is a raw material for beverage and renewable fuel production. Use of direct in situ observations of starch remodeling pathways could facilitate our understanding and control of processes of biotechnological, medical, and environmental relevance. Processes involving starch synthesis or degradation are difficult to monitor directly in aqueous solution, however, because starch consists of glucopyranosyl homopolymers that are built up from and degraded into structurally similar fragments that yield only small signal dispersion in optical and NMR spectroscopy. By focusing on acetal groups only, ¹H,¹³C HSQC experiments sampling narrow spectral windows in the highly resolved ¹³C dimension have been employed in order to observe the amylopectin cleavage pathway in real time with a temporal resolution of 150 s. Quantifiable signals for more than 15 molecular species emerging during starch fragmentation by human saliva have been resolved and tracked over time in this manner. Altered accumulation of intermediates in the digestion of amylopectin in the presence of black tea acting as an effector have been monitored.     

Prediction of knot diameter in Picea abies (L.) Karst

Picea abies (L.) Karst. from three different site indexes in south-eastern Norway. Ten branch whorls were sampled from each tree, and diameters of all the knots were measured at the radial stem plane. Knot diameter was evaluated as mean diameter of the two thickest knots in each sample whorl. The whorl with the maximum value in each tree was on average located at 30% of tree height at G11, 40% at G17 and 60% at G23. The vertical location was related to the position of the crown base, and single tree models for predicting the position and the value were constructed. Knot diameter in the butt log, i.e. in the lower 30% of tree height, was related to annual ring width and site index, and to diameter at breast height and site index.

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