Development of Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy to Estimate Oil Content in Safflower

The oil of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a valuable oil for human nutrition. It contains a high amount of unsaturated fatty acids, in particular linoleic acid (up to 90 %). There is a great demand for ecologically produced oil in Germany, though oil crops are cultivated on 2 % of the ecological acreage. In Germany, hardly any variety test exists, moreover there has been no breeding efforts so far, although genetic variation in safflower is large. The aim of this study was the development of a rapid and non-destructive method to determine oil content in safflower seed using NIRS (Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy). A total of 203 seed samples were scanned with NIRS to estimate the oil content. Intact seeds as well as milled seeds were tested. The reference values for calibration were obtained with the Soxhlet extraction technique. The oil content analysed by Soxhlet ranged from 10% to 29.6%. NIRS-scanning of milled seed showed better values of calibration compared to intact seed (milled seed: coefficient of determination of calibration: RSQ=0.96, coefficient of determination of cross validation: 1-VR=0.93; intact seed RSQ=0.90, 1-VR=0.82). These results show that NIRS appears to be a suitable, rapid method to estimate oil content in safflower

Boundary Element Solutions to Wave Scattering by Surface Irregularities on a Fluid-solid Interface

The boundary element method is used to solve fluid-solid half-space problems with fluid-filled dimples and air bubbles on the solid surface. The problems, formulated in the Fourier (frequency) domain, are described by the fullspace three-dimensional acoustic and elastodynamic boundary integral equations (BIE), with pressure and displacement serving as primary variables. The techniques developed are general and may be with any kind of incident wave, however, plane waves are used in all numerical experiments. The equations governing the acoustic region are first converted mathematically to equations like those of an elastic region. The two regions are coupled and solved for the displacements using the interface conditions. On obtaining the displacements, the tractions, pressures and pressure gradients are computed using the same interface conditions. The numerical results obtained are verified using reciprocity relations and by comparison with solutions available for the halfspace elastodynamic proble

Saflor als neue Ölpflanze im ökologischen Landbau - Zuchtmethodische Grundlagen und Schnellmethoden zur Qualitätsbestimmung

In Deutschland werden Ölpflanzen nur auf etwa 2% der ökologisch bewirtschafteten Fläche kultiviert, wobei eine große Nachfrage nach ökologisch erzeugtem Pflanzenöl existiert. Der Saflor (Färberdistel) könnte als neue Ölpflanze für den ökologischen Anbau geeignet sein, da Distelöl als wertvolles Speiseöl sehr geschätzt wird. Der Anbau von Saflor ist auch in Deutschland in sommerwarmen und -trockenen Regionen durchaus möglich. Es mangelt jedoch an Genotypen, die an das deutsche Klima angepasst sind. Besonders der niedrige Ölgehalt und die hohe Krankheitsanfälligkeit (vor allem Köpfchenfäule und Alternaria-Blattflecken) sind problematisch. Ziel des Vorhabens war es, methodische Grundlagen der Saflorzüchtung zu untersuchen und ein Konzept für die Züchtung vorzuschlagen. Um große Probenmengen auf Qualitätsparameter wie den Ölgehalt untersuchen zu können, sollte eine Schnellmethode entwickelt werden. Die Nah-Infrarot-Reflexions Spektroskopie (NIRS) bietet bei der Selektion auf höheren Ölgehalt eine gute Möglichkeit, eine große Anzahl Proben schnell und kostengünstig zu untersuchen. Es wurden Kalibrationen entwickelt, um den Ölgehalt anhand intakter Achänen schätzen zu können. Es wurden drei Züchtungsmethoden (Stammbaummethode, natürliche Selektion und Einkornramschmethode) verglichen. Linien mit geringerer Krankheitsanfälligkeit und höherem Ölgehalt wurden in der Stammbaummethode entwickelt. Die natürliche Selektion lieferte mit geringerem Arbeitsaufwand ebenfalls gute Ergebnisse. Die Anfälligkeit für Köpfchenfäule sank und der Ertrag stieg. Der Ölgehalt wurde durch die natürliche Selektion nicht beeinflusst. Bei der Züchtung von Saflor sollten die F2- und F3-Generationen zunächst der natürlichen Selektion ausgesetzt werden. Anschließend sollten die Nachkommen von Einzelpflanzen geprüft und selektiert werden. Hier sollte neben der geringeren Krankheitsanfälligkeit der Ölgehalt im Vordergrund stehen, da durch die natürliche Selektion keine Steigerung des Ölgehaltes erreicht wurde

Züchtung von Saflor für den ökologischen Landbau

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) yields valuable oil for human consumption be-cause of its high amount of linoleic acid. A large demand exists for this oil, but there is no organic production in Germany. The main objective of this research is to compare different methods of selection, to develop a simple non-destructive method for analyz-ing seed constituents such as oil content, and to develop lines with increased oil content and higher disease resistance

Effect of water vapor on the spallation of thermal barrier coating systems during laboratory cyclic oxidation testing.

The effect of water and water vapor on the lifetime of Ni-based superalloy samples coated with a typical thermal barrier coating system—b-(Ni,Pt)Al bond coat and yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) top coat deposited by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) was studied. Samples were thermally cycled to 1,150 C and subjected to a water-drop test in order to elucidate the effect of water vapor on thermal barrier coating (TBC) spallation. It was shown that the addition of water promotes spallation of TBC samples after a given number of cycles at 1,150 C. This threshold was found to be equal to 170 cycles for the present system. Systems based on b-NiAl bond coat or on Pt-rich c/c0 bond coat were also sensitive to the water-drop test. Moreover, it was shown that water vapor in ambient air after minutes or hours at room temperature, promotes also TBC spallation once the critical number of cycles has been reached. This desktop spalling (DTS) can be prevented by locking up the cycled samples in a dry atmosphere box. These results for TBC systems confirm and document Smialek’s theory about DTS and moisture induced delayed spalling (MIDS) being the same phenomenon. Finally, the mechanisms implying hydrogen embrittlement or surface tension modifications are discussed

Adaptive Radiation within Marine Anisakid Nematodes: A Zoogeographical Modeling of Cosmopolitan, Zoonotic Parasites

Parasites of the nematode genus Anisakis are associated with aquatic organisms. They can be found in a variety of marine hosts including whales, crustaceans, fish and cephalopods and are known to be the cause of the zoonotic disease anisakiasis, a painful inflammation of the gastro-intestinal tract caused by the accidental consumptions of infectious larvae raw or semi-raw fishery products. Since the demand on fish as dietary protein source and the export rates of seafood products in general is rapidly increasing worldwide, the knowledge about the distribution of potential foodborne human pathogens in seafood is of major significance for human health. Studies have provided evidence that a few Anisakis species can cause clinical symptoms in humans. The aim of our study was to interpolate the species range for every described Anisakis species on the basis of the existing occurrence data. We used sequence data of 373 Anisakis larvae from 30 different hosts worldwide and previously published molecular data (n = 584) from 53 field-specific publications to model the species range of Anisakis spp., using a interpolation method that combines aspects of the alpha hull interpolation algorithm as well as the conditional interpolation approach. The results of our approach strongly indicate the existence of species-specific distribution patterns of Anisakis spp. within different climate zones and oceans that are in principle congruent with those of their respective final hosts. Our results support preceding studies that propose anisakid nematodes as useful biological indicators for their final host distribution and abundance as they closely follow the trophic relationships among their successive hosts. The modeling might although be helpful for predicting the likelihood of infection in order to reduce the risk of anisakiasis cases in a given area

Surface Covering of Downed Logs: Drivers of a Neglected Process in Dead Wood Ecology

Many species use coarse woody debris (CWD) and are disadvantaged by the forestry-induced loss of this resource. A neglected process affecting CWD is the covering of the surfaces of downed logs caused by sinking into the ground (increasing soil contact, mostly covering the underside of the log), and dense overgrowth by ground vegetation. Such cover is likely to profoundly influence the quality and accessibility of CWD for wood-inhabiting organisms, but the factors affecting covering are largely unknown. In a five-year experiment we determined predictors of covering rate of fresh logs in boreal forests and clear-cuts. Logs with branches were little covered because they had low longitudinal ground contact. For branchless logs, longitudinal ground contact was most strongly related to estimated peat depth (positive relation). The strongest predictor for total cover of branchless logs was longitudinal ground contact. To evaluate the effect on cover of factors other than longitudinal ground contact, we separately analyzed data from only those log sections that were in contact with the ground. Four factors were prominent predictors of percentage cover of such log sections: estimated peat depth, canopy shade (both increasing cover), potential solar radiation calculated from slope and slope aspect, and diameter of the log (both reducing cover). Peat increased cover directly through its low resistance, which allowed logs to sink and soil contact to increase. High moisture and low temperatures in pole-ward facing slopes and under a canopy favor peat formation through lowered decomposition and enhanced growth of peat-forming mosses, which also proved to rapidly overgrow logs. We found that in some boreal forests, peat and fast-growing mosses can rapidly cover logs lying on the ground. When actively introducing CWD for conservation purposes, we recommend that such rapid covering is avoided, thereby most likely improving the CWD's longevity as habitat for many species

The role of ATP and adenosine in the brain under normoxic and ischemic conditions

By taking advantage of some recently synthesized compounds that are able to block ecto-ATPase activity, we demonstrated that adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the hippocampus exerts an inhibitory action independent of its degradation to adenosine. In addition, tonic activation of P2 receptors contributes to the normally recorded excitatory neurotransmission. The role of P2 receptors becomes critical during ischemia when extracellular ATP concentrations increase. Under such conditions, P2 antagonism is protective. Although ATP exerts a detrimental role under ischemia, it also exerts a trophic role in terms of cell division and differentiation. We recently reported that ATP is spontaneously released from human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in culture. Moreover, it decreases hMSC proliferation rate at early stages of culture. Increased hMSC differentiation could account for an ATP-induced decrease in cell proliferation. ATP as a homeostatic regulator might exert a different effect on cell trophism according to the rate of its efflux and receptor expression during the cell life cycle. During ischemia, adenosine formed by intracellular ATP escapes from cells through the equilibrative transporter. The protective role of adenosine A1 receptors during ischemia is well accepted. However, the use of selective A1 agonists is hampered by unwanted peripheral effects, thus attention has been focused on A2A and A3 receptors. The protective effects of A2A antagonists in brain ischemia may be largely due to reduced glutamate outflow from neurones and glial cells. Reduced activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases that are involved in neuronal death through transcriptional mechanisms may also contribute to protection by A2A antagonism. Evidence that A3 receptor antagonism may be protective after ischemia is also reported