The effect of water immersion and fibre content on properties of corn husk fibres reinforced thermoset polyester composite

This work presents an experimental investigation into the effect of cornhusk fibre (CHF) content upon the mechanical properties, water absorption behaviour, and swellability of CHF/polyester (PE) composites used in water environments. The CHF/PE was prepared at different volume fractions using hot compression (~175 °C). To investigate the rate of water absorption and swellability behaviours, composites were immersed in water for varying durations. The mechanical properties of composites (i.e. tensile, bending and compression strengths) immersed in water were carefully evaluated. The results indicate that the composites with an increased CHF content and a longer immersion time are prone to lower mechanical properties. The large amount of water absorbed by the composite reduces the bonding interface between CHF and PE, which is responsible for the damage. Moreover, the amount of water absorbed and the swellability increase with a corresponding increase in the CHF content. The lowest water absorption (2.39%) was detected in 20% CHF and 80% PE composite immersed for 6 days. The findings gathered in this research endorse CHF/polyester thermoset composites as a viable alternative for construction applications.     

Carboxymethylation of corn starch and characterization using asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation coupled with multiangle light scattering

Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AsFlFFF) was coupled online with multiangle light scattering (MALS) to study the changes in the molecular weight and the size distribution of the corn starch during carboxymethylation. A corn starch was derivatized with sodium chloroacetate in alcoholic medium under alkaline condition to produce carboxymethyl starches (CMS) having various degrees of substitution (DS). The change in thermal characteristics and granule structure of the native corn starch and CMS were compared using Thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscope. The ionic strength of the carrier liquid (water with 0.02% NaN₃) was optimized by adding 50 mM NaNO₃ to minimize the interactions among the starch molecules and between the starch molecules and the AsFlFFF membrane. A field-programmed AsFlFFF allowed determination of the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of starches within about 25 min. It was found that carboxymethylation of starch results in reduction in the molecular weight due to molecular degradation by the alkaline treatment. The weight-average molecular weight (M_w) was reduced down to about 4.4 × 10⁵ from about 7.2 × 10⁶ when DS was 0.14. It seems AsFlFFF coupled with MALS (AsFlFFF/MALS) is a useful tool for monitoring the changes taking place in the molecular weight and the size of starch during derivatization.     

估测作物冠层生物量的新植被指数的研究

冠层鲜生物量是指示作物长势状况的重要指标,可用于诊断作物氮素营养状况。但常规测定生物量的方法需要破坏性取样,不利于帮助精准施肥管理决策。遥感技术作为快速分析手段可用于估测作物多种生理、生化参数,特别是借助植被指数。研究表明归一化差值植被指数(normalized difference vegetationindex,NDVI)、最优土壤调节指数(optimization of soil-adjusted vegetation index,OSAVI)等现已构建植被指数可用于准确估测中低生物量信息,但在较高冠层生物量条件下,它们的估测能力显著下降。文章旨在提出更通用的新植被指数用于估测冠层生物量,以提高遥感技术在较高生物量条件下的预测准确度。试验在加拿大魁北克省的St-Jean-sur-Richelieu地区进行,5年(2004~2008)试验中采集了玉米及小麦不同生育期的地面高光谱数据及对应生物量信息,并在2005年获取航空机载高光谱影像一景(compact airborne spectro-graphic imager,CASI)。研究提出了红边三角植被指数(red-edge triangular vegetation index,RTVI),并将其与一些常见植被指数进行比较分析。结果表明RTVI是最好的估测冠层生物量的指数,在较高生物量条件下仍保持其对生物量变化的高敏感性,其与生物量间的决定系数为0.96。基于CASI影像,RTVI预测生物量值与实际测定值间的决定系数(R2)为0.58,预测标准误差为0.44 kg.m-2,取得了较好的结果。     

Regioselective deprotection of the monosaccharide‐bearing thiocyanomethyl group at the anomeric position monitored by reversed‐phase HPLC method

In the current work, the investigation and development of a chemo‐enzymatic approach for the synthesis of neo‐glycoproteins have been studied. This strategy is based on the regioselective enzymatic hydrolysis of peracetylated monosaccharide, functionalized at the anomeric position (C1) as 1‐thio‐(S‐cyanomethyl) group, a precursor of the 2‐ iminomethoxyethyl thioglycosides‐linker for protein glycosylation, catalyzed by immobilized enzymes to obtain selectively monodeprotected compounds. The use of this activation in C1 is the most frequently used strategy for glycoprotein preparation. The selected biocatalysts are the lipase from Candida rugosa and the acetyl xylan esterase from Bacillus pumilus. A reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid‐chromatographic (HPLC) method for monitoring the regioselective deprotection reaction has been developed. The developed HPLC method was used as a fingerprint to follow the hydrolysis of substrate 1 to substrate 1a and to determine its purity and yield. Moreover, the obtained compound was further purified by flash chromatography. The obtained compound 1a was further characterized using ¹H, ¹³C NMR, correlation spectroscopy (COSY) and heteronuclear multiple bond correlation. The resulting product can be used as an intermediate for the preparation of di‐ and more complex oligosaccharides aimed at protein conjugation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

尿素改性制备螯合剂的研究

以玉米淀粉为原料,分别制备交联淀粉、醚化淀粉、胺基淀粉和DTC改性淀粉,并对四种改性淀粉的最佳制备条件进行了研究。通过对各样品进行FTIR和SEM分析,并对DTC改性淀粉进行了CuSO4溶液螯合实验。FTIR和SEM分析均表明,淀粉改性成功,且通过螯合实验分析可知,在中性CuSO4溶液中,螯合性能随DTC改性淀粉硫含量的增加而增加;在不同pH的CuSO4溶液中对螯合性能进行比较,当pH=11,硫含量为1.54%(wt),DTC改性淀粉用量为0.10g时,螯合性能达到最高值500.9mg/g。     

木聚糖单体热解机理的理论研究

采用Gaussian 03程序中的密度泛函（DFT）理论B3LYP/6-31＋＋G（d,p）方法,对木聚糖一个循环单元的热解机理进行了理论研究.设计了八条热解路径,对每条路径中反应物、中间体、过渡态和产物进行能量梯度全优化,并对过渡态进行了IRC验证,在298～1098 K温度范围内计算了每个路径的热力学及动力学参数....     

Effects of tillage systems on compaction and crop yield of Albic Luvisol in Croatia

This four-year experiment was conducted in north-west Slavonia (agricultural area of Croatia) to evaluate the effects of different tillage systems on compaction of silty loam soil (Albic Luvisol). The compared tillage systems were: (1) conventional tillage (CT), (2) conservation tillage (CM), (3) no-tillage system (NT), and the crop rotation was corn (Zea mays L.) – winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) – corn – winter wheat. For detecting the soil compaction, bulk density and penetration resistance were measured during the growing seasons. In all seasons and tillage systems, the bulk density and penetration resistance increased with depth and the greatest increase from surface to the deepest layer in average was observed at CT system. The bulk density and penetration resistance increased at all tillage systems during the experiment, but the greatest increase was also observed at CT system. The greatest bulk density (1.66 Mg m⁻³) and the greatest increase of 6.4% were observed at CT system in the layer 30–35 cm. In the first season, the bulk density was the greatest at NT system, but during the experiment the lowest average increase of 1.9% was observed at this system. The greatest penetration resistance of all measurements (5.9 MPa) was observed in the last season at CT system in depth of 40 cm. The lowest average increase of penetration resistance 11.4% was also observed at NT system. The highest yield of corn in the first season was achieved with CT system while in other seasons the highest yield of winter wheat and corn was achieved with CM system.     

A Highly Sensitive Electrochemical Immunosensor for Fumonisin B1 Detection in Corn Using Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Chitosan

A sensitive electrochemical immunosensor was developed for detecting fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) in corn using the single‐walled carbon nanotubes/chitosan. The detection mechanism of immunosensor was based on an indirect competitive binding to a fixed amount of anti‐FB₁ between free FB₁ and FB₁‐bovine serum albumin, which was conjugated on covalently functionalized nanotubes/chitosan laid on the glass carbon electrode. The anti‐rabbit immunoglobulin G secondary antibody labeled with alkaline phosphatase was then bound to the electrode surface through reactisubstrate α‐naphthyl phosphate, which produced electrochemical signal. Under optimized conditions, this method could detect FB₁ from 0.01 to 1000 ng mL^?1 with a detection limit of 2 pg mL^?1. This is well below the detection limit required from European Union legislation, 2–4 mg L^?1. Moreover, good recoveries were obtained for the detection of spiked corn samples and actual corn samples. As the method has good sensitivity and recovery for detecting FB₁, it is a practical detection method.     

Optimization of Oxygen Parameters for Determination of Carbon and Nitrogen in Biochar Materials

Recently, there has been increased focus on biochar materials due to their ability to sequester carbon for long-term in soil. In the production of biochar or charcoal, plant biomass is heated in a low or no oxygen environment. This process results in a product with unique characteristics. But there is limited research on the standardization of methods for determining total carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in the biochar materials whose properties vary by feedstock type and pyrolytic conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the oxygen dosing time (OT) and dose (OD) for total organic carbon (TC) and nitrogen (TN) analysis in biochar materials by dry combustion method (using Vario Max CNS analyzer). Central composite rotatable design was used to determine the effect of five levels of oxygen dosing time (OT) and dosing level (OD) on measurement of total carbon and total nitrogen in four types of plant originated biochars. OT and OD level interaction had significant impact on the measurement of TC and TN in all types of biochar materials. Optimum levels of OT and OD were determined as 103 to 110 sec and 180 to 232 ml/min, respectively.     

IWD-Hankel-SVD模型下玉米叶片光谱铜污染信息预测

近年来在工业化和城镇化快速发展的地区,由重金属污染导致的环境问题尤为突出,特别是农业重金属污染更为社会所关注,因此,探索快速便捷的重金属污染甄别与监测方法极为重要。高光谱遥感作为新兴的重金属污染监测技术已有了深入研究。提出了固有波长尺度分解（IWD）概念和方法,并结合Hankel矩阵和奇异值分解（SVD）等建立了植被重金属污染程度预测的IWD-Hankel-SVD模型,该模型分为单变量模型和多变量模型。单变量模型主要是通过重金属污染的植被光谱IWD处理来获取光谱信息固有旋转分量（PRC）以提取最佳PRC的有效特征波段;在对各特征波段所构建的Hankel矩阵进行奇异值分解（SVD）基础上,依据获得该模型的奇异熵实现重金属污染信息预测。多变量模型是以植物叶绿素浓度相对值、单变量模型奇异熵作为参数实现重金属污染的信息预测。根据不同重金属Cu2+胁迫梯度下玉米植株污染的叶片光谱和叶绿素浓度以及叶片中Cu2+含量测定的数据,首先对不同浓度Cu2+胁迫下玉米叶片光谱进行IWD分析,获得能够较好保留原始输入光谱信息的最佳PRC,并从中提取到有效特征波段553~680,681~780,1 266~1 429,1 430~1 631,1 836~1 913和1 914~2 111 nm;然后对每一个特征波段构造其Hankel矩阵并进行SVD处理,以求取单变量的IWD-Hankel-SVD模型奇异熵;最后通过各特征波段所对应模型奇异熵与玉米叶片中Cu2+含量的相关分析,得到依据1 266~1 429和1 836~1 913 nm特征波段计算出奇异熵与玉米叶片中Cu2+含量的决定系数R2均高达0.9左右,说明这两个特征波段用于IWD-Hankel-SVD模型的Cu污染程度预测更具优越性和解释能力。同时,再把玉米叶片中叶绿素浓度相对值、1 266~1 429和1 836~1 913 nm特征波段相应模型奇异熵作为参数,采用偏最小二乘回归分析,得出多变量IWD-Hankel-SVD模型的玉米叶片Cu污染程度预测能力更强,决定系数R2达到0.9476,证明了多变量模型更具有鲁棒性和稳健性。