Egg removal device for the management of three stored product pests

Investigations were carried out to assess the efficiency of pulse beetle egg removal device in the removal of eggs of Tribolium castaneum and Rhyzopertha dominica from infested sorghum, wheat, maize and paddy grains and the eggs of Lasioderma serricorne from infested coriander. The efficiency of the device or the impact of rotation was assessed based on the number of offspring adults emerged and percentage reduction in adult emergence compared to untreated controls. Rotation of the grains for three consecutive days for 15 min/day gave the highest reduction in the emergence of offspring adults. Reductions in emergence of T. castaneum and R. dominica were found to be 54 and 57% in sorghum; 69 and 69% in wheat; and 71 and 76% in maize, respectively. There was a 77% reduction in L. serricorne on coriander seed, and a similar level for R. dominica on paddy. Keywords: Pulse beetle egg removal device, Tribolium castaneum, Rhyzopertha dominica, Lasioderma serricorn

人の集団に関する新たな評価方法の考察

九州大学応用力学研究所研究集会報告 No.20ME-S7 「非線形波動の数理と物理」RIAM Symposium No.20ME-S7 Mathematics and Physics in Nonlinear waves本研究では、金融工学の手法を用いて人の混雑を評価する理論の構築を試みた。我々は、人の混雑を表すダイナミクスは確率項を含むLogistic 方程式に従うと仮定し、この動きを正味現在価値やリアルオプション法によって評価した。また、金融工学では、割引率を用いることによってタイミングによる価値の違いが表現されるが今回のモデルでは、割引率を人の効用を割り引くために導入し、実データに基づく推定・考察もあわせて行った

LONG-TERM EFFICACY OF PROTEIN-ENRICHED PEA FLOUR AGAINST TRIBOLIUM CASTANEUM (COLEOPTERA: TENEBRIONIDAE) IN WHEAT FLOUR

Long-term efficacy of the protein-enriched flour of pea (Pisum sativum L. var. Bonneville) in its toxicity, progeny reduction and organoleptic properties was evaluated by combining it with wheat flour and testing the admixture against the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). The toxicity and progeny-reducing effects of the wheat flour treated with protein-enriched pea flour were stable for a period of 5 months when stored at 28°C with 75% r.h. Heat treatment destroyed the biological activity of the protein-enriched pea flour containing the active ingredient due to the denaturation of proteins. The organoleptic properties of stored wheat flour were not affected by the treatment with protein-enriched pea flour

SELECTIVE CECAL BACTERIAL CHANGES MEDIATE THE ADVERSE EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH PALMOLEIN OR HIGH STARCH DIETS: PROPHYLACTIC ROLE OF FLAX OIL

Objective: Studies on the dynamics of gut bacteria in relation to metabolic adverse effects induced by high palmolein or high starch diets and in relation to health benefits of uncommon foods are lacking. Our aim was to assess under controlled conditions, the impact of vegetable based palmitic acid rich, high fat diet or a high starch diet on various metabolic parameters in relation to selective gut bacterial alterations in rats and also to see the effect of flaxseed oil supplementation on these parameters.Methods: Wistar Rats were fed for 4 mo either a control diet(CT) or a 30% high fat diet (HF) or HF diet with flax oil supplemented at two different doses (HFF1 and HFF2) or a 78% high starch diet (HC) after which they were sacrificed and analyzed for selective cecal bacteria, hematology, immune function and body composition.Results: High palmolein diet fed rats showed a decrease in colony forming units of lactobacillus, enterococci, streptococci bacteria and an increase in enterobacteriaceae in the cecum unlike HC fed rats. While high palmolein diet was found to impair immunity and increase inflammation, high starch diet affected body composition and lipid profile. Supplementing the flax seed oil ameliorated most of the adverse effects of high palmolein diet.Conclusions: Independent of energy intakes both high palmolein and high starch intakes have differential adverse effects. It can be envisaged that the adverse effects of feeding palmolein are mediated through immune impairment and inflammatory response, which in turn are associated with altered gut bacteria profile; and flax oil was found to have a prophylactic role in controlling these adverse effects. This study emphasizes the need to evaluate immunological as well as bacterial profile while assessing the safety of dietary fats in addition to traditional methods.Â

Economics and loss of by-products of coconut due to eriophyid mite, Aceria guerreronis (Keifer) damage

Coconut fiber is obtained from the fibrous husk (mesocarp) of the coconut (Cocos nucifera) and the coir industry depends on this versatile natural fiber. Efforts were  made in this study to evaluate the effect of eriophyid mite,  Aceria guerreronis (Keifer) damage on the out-turn and quality of coconut fiber. An out-turn of 100.5, 89.7, 81.0, 68.6 and 60.1 kg of white fiber was obtained from 1,000 nuts infested by eriophyid mite belonging to grade 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. A reduction in the out-turn of fiber could be a consequence of nut malformation or cracks formed on the husk surface due to desapping by  A. guerreronis  at the young button stage of the nuts. A significant negative correlation was observed between the quantity of rope made out of the extracted fibers and the nut damage grade. A quantity of 90.8 and 49.7 kg of rope were obtained by using white fibers extracted from 1,000 nuts of grade 1 and 5, respectively. Fibers extracted from nuts belonging to grade 1 and 5 had a tensile strength of 52.1 and 15.7 kg, respectively. A fiber length of 10.8 cm and a fiber diameter of 0.4 mm were noticed in the fibers extracted from severely infested nuts (grade 5). Key words: Coconut, Eriophyid mite,  Aceria guerreronis,  fiber out-turn, tensile strengt

Assessment of water and soil quality along the coastal region of Mangaluru

Majority of the industries located in the Mangaluru Coastal region, discharge their waste directly or indirectly into the Arabian Sea through the west flowing rivers of the region and also, due to the addition of municipal and sewage wastes, the surface water quality and soil quality were affected and causing the Physicochemical characteristics to alter. 10 Surface water samples and six soil samples were collected from selected locations of the study area and analyzed for various parameters by adopting standard methods. High values of Hardness, BOD and COD were found in the surface waters near Baikampady industrial area. With respect to soil samples, high values of physico chemical parameters were found for the sample 2 compared to other samples and also most of samples were acidic in nature

Effect of Welding Speed on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties due to The Deposition of Reinforcements on Friction Stir Welded Dissimilar Aluminium Alloys

The strength of the welded joint obtained by solid state stir welding process was found to be improved as compared to fusion welding process. The deposition of reinforcements during friction stir welding process can further enhance the strength of the welded joint by locking the movement of grain boundaries. In the present study, the aluminium alloys AA2024 and AA7075 were welded effectively by depositing the multi-walled carbon nanotubes in to the stir zone. The mechanical properties and microstructures were studied by varying the traverse speed at constant rotational speed. The results show that rotating tool pin stirring action and heat input play an important role in controlling the grain size. The carbon nanotubes were found to be distributed uniformly at a welding speed (traverse speed) of 80mm/min. This enhanced the mechanical properties of the welded joint. The microstructure and Electron dispersive X-ray analysis(EDX) studies indicate that the deposition of carbon nanotubes in the stir zone was influenced by the traverse speed