Studies on the use of power ultrasound in solid–liquid myrobalan extraction process

Focus on eco-friendly processing techniques makes vegetable tanning a viable option in leather processing and establishes the subsequent need for the more efficient methods of extraction in tannin manufacture. Application of ultrasound has been tried in the extraction of tannins from myrobalan nuts in order to improve the extraction efficiency, to perform the extraction under milder process conditions and to reduce the process time. The influence of process parameters such as ultrasonic output power, time and temperature has been studied. Scale-up trials and the use of ultrasound in pulse mode have also been attempted. The results show that a three- to fivefold improvement is possible with ultrasonic output from 20 to 100 W. Extraction efficiency has been calculated from the maximum extractable materials from myrobalan nuts. Extraction efficiency is found to be 90% for ultrasound, 100 W without external heating as compared to 77% for control process at 70 °C for 4 h. Therefore, ultrasound could be employed even dispensing with provision for temperature controls. The use of ultrasound in pulse mode offered 70% extraction efficiency of continuous mode. Scale-up trials indicate that there exists an optimum ultrasonic output power depending on the amount of nuts used, to achieve better extraction efficiency. The effectiveness of ultrasonically extracted tannin solution has also been tested in the tanning process for its applicability. The degree of tanning efficacy has been assessed by shrinkage temperature measurement. The results indicate that ultrasonically extracted tannin solution is suitable for tanning process. Therefore, application of ultrasound in tannin extract manufacture is a viable option with added advantages.     

Persistence of Eclosion Rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster After 600 Generations in an Aperiodic Environment

 The ubiquity of circadian rhythms suggests that they have an intrinsic adaptive value (Ouyang et al. 1998; Ronneberg and Foster 1997). Some experiments have shown that organisms have enhanced longevity, development time or growth rates when maintained in environments whose periodicity closely matches their endogenous period (Aschoff et al. 1971; Highkin and Hanson 1954; Hillman 1956; Pittendrigh and Minis 1972; Went 1960). So far there has been no experimental evidence to show that circadian rhythms per se (i.e. periodicity itself, as opposed to phasing properties of a rhythm) confer a fitness advantage. We show that the circadian eclosion rhythm persists in a population of the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster maintained in constant conditions of light, temperature, and humidity for over 600 generations. The results suggest that even in the absence of any environmental cycle there exists some intrinsic fitness value of circadian rhythms. Received: 2 November 1998 / Accepted in revised form: 22 April 1999     

Can Forest-protection carbon projects improve rural livelihoods? Analysis of the Noel Kempff Mercado climate action project,Bolivia

We studied the Noel KempffMercado Climate Action Project (NKMCAP),Bolivia, to assess whether forestprotection carbon (C) projects cansignificantly benefit local people. Wehypothesized that forest protection canonly securely deliver C if significantstakeholders are meaningfully andtransparently involved, traditional orcustomary rights are recognized and theirloss compensated for, and there are directlinkages between conservation anddevelopment objective. Our researchfocused on 53 members of the communities ofFlorida, Porvenir and Piso Firme and 36secondary stakeholders. In each of thevillages we held half-day meetings withcommunity leaders, complemented bysemi-structured one-hour interviews with 5,10, and 7 families, representing 20%, 10%and 8% of each community. The long-termimpact of the NKMCAP on the localcommunities may well be positive. However,in the short run, certain sections of thelocal communities are financially poorer. Forest protection projects clearly have thepotential to sequester C, protectbiodiversity and simultaneously contributeto sustainable rural development, but ifthey really are to improve rurallivelihoods, they must be designed andimplemented carefully and participatively.     

Differential N uptake by maize cultivars and soil nitrate dynamics under N fertilization in West Africa

Nitrate is prone to leaching in the sandy soils of the West African moist savannas. Better management of nitrogen (N) resources and maize cultivars with enhanced genetic capacity to capture and utilize soil and fertilizer N are strategies that could improve N-use efficiency. In two field experiments conducted at Zaria, northern Nigeria, five maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars planted early in the season were assessed under various N levels for differences in N uptake, soil N dynamics, and related N losses. Cultivar TZB-SR accumulated more N in the aboveground plant parts in both years than the other cultivars. All, except the semi-prolific late (SPL) variety, met about 50–60% of their N demand by the time of silking (64–69 DAP). In both years, SPL had the greatest capacity to take up N during the grain filling period, and it had the highest grain-N concentration and the least apparent N loss through leaching in the second year. There were no significant differences in soil N dynamics among cultivars in both years. At harvest, the residual N in the upper 90 cm of the profile under all the cultivars ranged from 56 to 72 kg ha⁻¹ in the first year and from 73 to 83 kg ha⁻¹ in the second year. Apparent N loss from 0 to 90 cm soil profile through leaching ranged from 35 to 122 kg ha⁻¹ in both years. N application significantly increased N uptake by more than 30% at all sampling dates in the second year of the experiment, but had no effect on apparent N loss. Results indicate that the use of maize cultivars with high N uptake capacity during the grain filling period when maximum leaching losses occur could enhance N recovery and may be effective in reducing leaching losses of mineral N in the moist savanna soils.