Biodegradability of Poly (lactic acid), Preparation and Characterization of PLA/Gum Arabic Blends

In this study, the biodegradation of PLA films using microorganisms from Lake Bogoria (Kenya) were investigated. The biodegradation tests done using certain strains of thermophilic bacteria showed faster biodegradation rates and demonstrated temperature dependency. The biodegradation of the PLA films was studied using Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) and light microscopy. The biodegradation of PLA was demonstrated by decrease in molecular weight. The preparation and characterization of PLA/Gum Arabic blends were also investigated using DSC, TGA, TMA and NMR. In summary, the results obtained in this research show that PLA films undergo fast biodegradation using thermophiles isolated from Lake Bogoria. The PLA/GA blends studies show it is possible to prepare films of varying hydrophobic–hydrophilic properties for various applications.     

Cadmium stress alters gene expression of DNA mismatch repair related genes in Arabidopsis seedlings

Cadmium (Cd) is a non essential element, and is a widespread environmental pollutant. Exposure to Cd can result in a variety of adverse health effects in plant and humans. In the current study, Arabidopsis seedlings were used as a bio-indicator of Cd pollution. Seedlings were grown on MS media containing 0-6.0 mg L(-1) Cd for 18 days, and the gene expression patterns were used to link increased Cd exposure with progressive biological effects. Reduction of total soluble protein content in shoots of the Arabidopsis seedlings occurred with increase in Cd concentrations. For the gene expression patterns, seven genes known to be involved in cell division and DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system were investigated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, and normalized using 18S rRNA gene expression. Expression of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen 2 (atPCNA 2), MutS 3 homolog (atMSH 3) and MutL1 homolog (atMLH1) genes in shoots of Arabidopsis was strongly induced by exposure to 0.75 mg L(-1) Cd, but were repressed by other Cd concentrations whereas exposure to 0.75-6 mg L(-1) of Cd resulted in a decreased expression of atPCNA1, atMSH 2, 6 and 7 genes independently of any observable biological effects, including survival, fresh weight and chlorophyll level of shoots. This work demonstrated that specific gene expression changes could serve as useful molecular biomarkers indicative of Cd exposure and related biological effects.     

轰燃后火焰的辐射热通量计算

轰燃后火焰的热辐射危害，是目前确定建筑物间安全距离的主要依据之一。该文提出了轰燃后火焰在室外一定距离处辐射热通量的计算方法；并在喷出火焰不受室外风影响的情况下，利用小规模试验的结果对这一方法进行了验证。     

Greenhouse gas emissions during co-composting of calf mortalities with manure

Composting may be a viable on-farm option for disposal of cattle carcasses. This study investigated greenhouse gas emissions during co-composting of calf mortalities with manure. Windrows were constructed that contained manure + straw (control compost [CK]) or manure + straw + calf mortalities (CM) using two technologies: a tractor-mounted front-end loader or a shredder bucket. Composting lasted 289 d. The windrows were turned twice (on Days 72 and 190), using the same technology used in their creation. Turning technology had no effect on greenhouse gas emissions or the properties of the final compost. The CO2 (75.2 g d(-1) m(-2)), CH4 (2.503 g d(-1) m(-2)), and N2O (0.370 g d(-1) m(-2)) emissions were higher (p < 0.05) in CM than in CK (25.7, 0.094, and 0.076 g d(-1) m(-2) for CO2, CH4, and N2O, respectively), which reflected differences in materials used to construct the compost windrows and therefore their total C and total N contents. The final CM compost had higher (p < 0.05) total N, total C, and mineral N content (NO3*+ NO2* + NH4+) than did CK compost and therefore has greater agronomic value as a fertilizer.     

Methane oxidation in freely and poorly drained grassland soils and effects of cattle urine application

A sink for atmospheric methane (CH4) is microbial oxidation in soils. We report CH4 oxidation rates in freely and poorly drained soils on an intensively managed dairy farm. Following cattle urine application to half the plots (650 kg of nitrogen [N] ha(-1)) 31 chamber measurements were made over 100 d during autumn and winter. In the control plots, the freely and poorly drained soils' integrated CH4 oxidation rates averaged 1.8+/-0.2 and 0.6+/-0.1 kg CH4 ha(-1) yr(-1), respectively. In the poorly drained soil, the highest CH4 oxidation rates occurred when water-filled pore space (WFPS)<56% and CH4 oxidation rate declined by ninefold to near zero as WFPS increased from 56 to 68%. Urine application induced the freely and poorly drained soils' CH4 oxidation rates to decline for up to 2 mo by 0.7+/-0.2 and 0.4+/-0.1 kg CH4 ha(-1) yr(-1), respectively. The two soils' responses were thus not significantly different. After urine application, soil pore space CH4 concentration profiles suggested a simultaneous inhibition of bacteria that were CH4 oxidizers and stimulation of CH4 producers.     

Heirs and spares: caste conflict and excess queen production in Melipona bees

The caste conflict hypothesis states that there is potential conflict over the caste fate of totipotent immature females in social insects. In most species, an immature female has little control over her fate because workers control her nutrition. However, in Melipona bees, immature females should have considerable control over their own caste fate because they develop on a provision mass in a sealed cell, and because queens are not larger than workers. This may explain why, in Melipona, large numbers of queens are reared only to be executed. (Because Melipona colonies are founded by swarms very few reproductive opportunities for adult queens occur.) This study uses a one-locus genetic model to determine the optimum proportion of females that should develop into queens from the perspective of immature totipotent females who control their own caste fate. For a population in which all colonies are headed by a single, single-mated queen, which is the typical situation in Melipona, the optimum rises from 14-20% as male production by workers declines from 100% to zero. This agrees well with previous studies which, collectively, give an average of 22% of females developing into queens.     

Integration and implementation of sustainable ICT-based education in developing countries: low-cost,en masse methodology in Kenya

The quality of education in Kenya’s public elementary schools has continued to drop, which is an ironic outcome in the wake of the introduction of tuition-exempt primary education. This removal of tuition costs led to a surge in primary education enrollment that overwhelmed the existing educational infrastructure. Overcapacity in classrooms led to frustrated teachers and mediocre delivery of content amid the overstretched resources and limited education budget. To remedy this situation, the government has begun introducing various information and communication technologies (ICTs) in schools to supplement current resources. This comes with mixed results. This paper aims to demonstrate effective strategies for integrating low-cost ICT-based materials in schools in developing countries through a community of practice. Three schools were used to illustrate integration of sustainable ICT-based education in a style of classroom characteristic in developing schools. Development and use of prerecorded DVD-based content was proposed as an effective solution. A comparative study was undertaken to evaluate the differences in student comprehension and educator delivery of education involving a digital, ICT-integrated classroom and a traditional, analog-type teaching method classroom to underscore the empirical evidence of the effectiveness of introducing a low-cost ICT-based program. This study also shows that teachers are better positioned to lead the design and development of appropriate and innovative materials. Furthermore, to cope with the immense amount of materials that need developing to correspond with the curriculum, it shows that with the emergence of a community of practice of teachers, many suitable low-cost materials can be developed. This takes place through an iterative collaboration as opposed to traditional top-down approaches, which have a proven record of failure.     

Characterization of the Odor Properties of 101 Petrochemicals Using Sensory Methods

The absolute and recognition thresholds, odor index, quality, and hedonic tone of 101 petrochemical compounds have been determined using a trained panel and a laboratory method. The odor fountain method combines the features of accurate results, simplicity, reproducibility, and speed.     

The role of wax and resin in the nestmate recognition system of a stingless bee, Tetragonisca angustula

Recent research has shown that entrance guards of the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula make less errors in distinguishing nestmates from non-nestmates than all other bee species studied to date, but how they achieve this is unknown. We performed four experiments to investigate nestmate recognition by entrance guards in T. angustula. We first investigated the effect of colony odours on acceptance. Nestmates that acquired odour from non-nestmate workers were 63% more likely to be rejected while the acceptance rate of non-nestmates treated with nestmate odour increased by only 7%. We further hypothesised that guards standing on the wax entrance tube might use the tube as an odour referent. However, our findings showed that there was no difference in the acceptance of non-nestmates by guards standing on their own colony’s entrance tube versus the non-nestmate’s entrance tube. Moreover, treatment of bees with nestmate and non-nestmate resin or wax had a negative effect on acceptance rates of up to 65%, regardless of the origin of the wax or resin. The role of resin as a source of recognition cues was further investigated by unidirectionally transferring resin stores between colonies. Acceptance rates of nestmates declined by 37% for hives that donated resin, contrasting with resin donor hives where acceptance of non-nestmates increased by 21%. Overall, our results confirm the accuracy of nestmate recognition in T. angustula and reject the hypothesis that this high level of accuracy is due to the use of the wax entrance tubes as a referent for colony odour. Our findings also suggest that odours directly acquired from resin serve no primary function as nestmate recognition cues. The lack of consistency among colonies plus the complex results of the third and fourth experiments highlight the need for further research on the role of nest materials and cuticular profiles in understanding nestmate recognition in T. angustula.     

Comparison of Wind at 500 Feet Over Minneapolis and Louisville With Geostrophic Wind

Measurements of wind speed at 500 ft on a television tower in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area are compared with geostrophic wind speeds and lapse rates. The roughness length for the builtr-up area surrounding the tower is estimated using geostrophic boundary-layer models. Similar data for Louisville are also considered. The results are relevant to-the application of existing boundary-layer models to the estimation of wind speed and turbulent mixing over a city.