The gravimetric method for the determination of residual moisture in freeze-dried biological products

The gravimetric test for the determination of residual moisture in freeze-dried biological products performed in a humidity- and temperature-controlled room with the use of scrupulous gravimetric analytical technique can be used to accurately determine residual moisture in freeze-dried biological products such as antihemophilic factor (human) or honey bee venom allergenic extract. This method determines the first water of hydration of sodium tartrate dihydrate (7.93%) to within 1.3% of the calculated value with a relative standard deviation of 0.3% for 10 replicates. For this gravimetric procedure, freeze-dried samples containing from 1.12 to 4.4% residual moisture had relative standard deviations ranging from 3.6 to 9.1%. Samples containing less than 1.0% residual moisture by the gravimetric method such as intravenous immune globulin and antihemophilic factor (human) had relative standard deviations ranging from 16.7 to 47.0%. Relative standard deviations for residual moisture tests performed on comparable samples by the Karl Fischer and thermogravimetric methods showed similar variability.     

两种赤眼蜂对小菜蛾卵的寄生潜能分析

应用生命表技术分析了拟澳洲赤眼蜂Trichogramma confusum Viggiani(T.c)和卷蛾分索赤眼蜂Trichogramm-atoidea bactrae Nagaraja(T.b)在两种繁蜂条件组配下（分别用米蛾Corcyra cephalomica(Stainton)(RM)卵和小菜蛾Plutella xylostella(L.)(DBM)卵繁育）对小菜蛾卵的寄生潜能分析,结果表明：（1）在相同寄主繁蜂条件下,卷蛾分索赤眼蜂在小菜蛾卵上显示出较强的寄生潜能,米蛾卵上所繁的卷蛾分索赤眼蜂（T.b-RM)和小菜蛾卵上所繁的卷蛾分索赤眼蜂（T.b-DBM)的内禀增长率为0.3509和0.3450,而米蛾卵上所繁的澳洲赤眼蜂（T.c-RM)和小菜蛾卵上所繁的拟澳洲赤眼蜂（T.c-DBM)的仅为0.2391和0.1902,T.b-RM和T.b-DBM的每雌平均寄生卵数为70.75和46.13粒,而T.c-RM和T.c-DBM的仅为64.90和31.73粒,但拟澳洲赤眼蜂的雌蜂寿命较卷蛾分索赤眼蜂更长。（2）在不同寄主繁蜂条件下,同种赤眼蜂对小菜蛾卵的寄生潜能以米蛾卵所繁的仔蜂的各项寄生特性参数（内禀增长率,每雌寄生卵量,净生殖力,平均世代历期和雌蜂寿命）均优于用小菜蛾卵所繁之蜂,米蛾卵是其适宜的中间寄主。（3）长期用中间寄主繁蜂,赤眼蜂对目标寄主表现出一定的不适应性,中间寄主的驯化对赤眼蜂的寄生潜能有不容忽视的削弱作用。     

Comparison of Karl Fischer titrimetric and gravimetric methods for determination of moisture content in BCG vaccine

A model 447 Coulomatic K-F titrimeter was used to determine the water content of seventeen lots of freeze-dried Tice-substrain BCG vaccine. The results were compared with corresponding moisture contents determined by a standard gravimetric method at the time of manufacture. The advantages of the titrimetric method include simplicity, rapidity, convenience, sensitivity, reproducibility and specificity, whereas the gravimetric method is tedious and time-consuming. Although moisture content determined by the K-F titrimeter tended to be higher than that determined by the gravimetric method, the results correlated significantly (r = 0.882, P less than 10(-5]. Alteration of national and international regulations to permit use of the K-F titrimeter is recommended.     

冻干麻疹减毒活疫苗残余水分影响因素的探讨

影响冻干制品残余水分的因素很多,但西林瓶胶塞的含水量是其关键因素。使用经干烤工艺处理和未干烤处理的药用溴丁基胶塞进行麻疹减毒活疫苗冻干试验,结果显示,用未经干烤工艺处理及处理的药用溴丁基胶塞冻干的麻疹减毒活疫苗,存储18个月后,水分上升的平均值分别为2.03%和0.08%,经单一因素的方差分析,两者有统计学意义(P0.01)。证明经处理的药用溴丁基胶塞,对保持麻疹减毒活疫苗在存储期内的残余水分稳定作用效果明显。     

秸秆覆盖旱作瓜田土壤水分的空间变化及对西瓜产量的影响

为了探明秸秆覆盖栽培对西瓜产量及土壤水分的影响,选用玉米秸秆在生育期设置地表全覆盖（WM）、行间覆盖（SM）和根域覆盖（RM）3个覆盖处理,以不覆盖为对照（CK）,研究不同秸秆覆盖方式对旱作西瓜不同生育时期土壤总贮水量、不同深度土壤含水量及产量的影响.结果表明：秸秆地表全覆盖和根域覆盖处理显著提高了西瓜全生育期根域和行间0～120 cm的土壤含水量和贮水量,且伸蔓后期以后的土壤贮水量根域高于行间;秸秆覆盖处理对西瓜伸蔓后期至膨大前期的土壤含水量影响最大,随着西瓜的生长发育,秸秆覆盖处理提高根域土壤含水量的幅度增加,深度下延.秸秆覆盖处理提高西瓜产量主要受根域土壤水分条件改善的影响;各覆盖处理均显著提高了西瓜的产量和水分利用效率,WM、SM和RM处理的增产幅度分别为24.8%、11.5%和15.1%,水分利用效率分别提高了42.7%、24.3%和294%.以地表全覆盖13500 kg·hm^-2秸秆量的处理蓄水保墒、提高西瓜产量和水分利用效率的效果最显著.     

Proceedings: Stability and residual moisture content of dried vaccinia virus

Dried products of unpurified vaccinia virus containing 5% sodium glutamate or 5% peptone as a protectant, and the product without any protectant were prepared from calf dermal pulp.In these products the relation between the stabilities and the residual moisture content were examined.The stability of all dried products remained unaffected when the residual moisture content was kept below about 4%.     

Comparison of gravimetric and chromic oxide methods for measuring percentage utilization and consumption of food by phytophagous insects

An indirect method using chromic oxide (Cr₂O₃) for measuring percentage utilization and consumption of dry matter in diets by two species of phytophagous insects is described and results are compared with those of the classical gravimetric method. Fifth-instar larvae of the two-striped grasshopper, Melanoplus bivittatus Say, and fifth-instar larvae of the pale western cutworm, Agrotis orthogonia Morr., were fed individually. Diets were prepared from lyophilized tissues of the wheat plant to which about 4 per cent of the inert index compound, chromic oxide, was added. Three diets varying widely in nutritive value were compared for both utilization and consumption. When residual food and excreta could be quantitatively recovered, measurements by the two methods generally agreed. However, the chromic oxide procedure for measuring utilization gives more reliable results than did the gravimetric method, is convenient, and can be used even when quantitative recovery of excreta is not possible.     

宇宙射线快中子法在华北平原典型农田土壤水分测量中的应用

宇宙射线快中子法是一种新兴的能够实现区域土壤水分观测的方法.以中国科学院山东禹城综合试验站的宇宙射线连续观测数据和无线网络土壤水分观测数据为基础,研究了该方法在华北平原典型农田生态系统的适用性,重点探讨了采用标定法获得的土壤完全干燥条件下中子数(N₀)的稳定性和降雨灌溉对土壤水分估算的影响.结果表明: N₀的变化受下垫面变化影响,变化周期与试验区冬小麦和夏玉米的种植和收割期较一致.宇宙射线法估算的土壤水分对降雨和灌溉有明显响应,但在灌溉或降雨发生时会高估土壤水分.在华北农田生态系统条件下,宇宙射线法能有效地估算区域土壤水分,估算结果与浅层土壤水分观测值(10 cm深度)最为接近.     

A new method to evaluate the residual activity in patients undergoing 131I thyroid therapy

The radioiodine administration is a standard therapeutic approach to both benign thyroid diseases, such as hyperthyroidism, and carcinomas. The high administered ¹³¹I activities are of radiation protection concern, due to relevant patient residual contamination. The aim of this work was to develop a new procedure based on external radiometric surveys and on a mathematical model in order to estimate the ¹³¹I activity in patients undergoing hyperthyroidism radioiodine therapy.In the first stage of this study, a suitable detector was chosen and its response vs. activity was characterized. The experimental verification was performed measuring the ambient dose equivalent rate from patients receiving radioiodine administration. The results confirm the reliability of the proposed method, as shown by the slight differences between the administered activities and the ones calculated from external measurements. Furthermore, the same procedure was applied to detect the percentage residual activity in patients at two preset time intervals: 4 hours and 4 days after the radioiodine administration. The obtained results clearly highlight that the method can ensure a level of reliability compatible with the radiation protection purposes.     

黄土高寒区坡面土壤水分的时间稳定性

为揭示黄土高寒区人工林土壤水分的时空变化特征,基于2018年植被生长期一处典型人工植被恢复坡面0-200cm剖面土壤含水率连续动态数据,运用经典统计和时间稳定性分析,研究不同深度土壤含水率的时空变异性和时间稳定性。结果表明：在测定时段内,剖面各土层深度土壤含水率无显著差别,在空间上均表现为中等变异性,呈现随土层深度的增加而增大的趋势,在时间上表层表现为中等变异性,其余各层均表现为弱变异性,深层土壤水分的时间变异性小于浅层;随着测定时间变化,试验地0-200cm土壤含水率Spearman秩相关系数均达到0.8以上,且呈极显著相关,表现出一定的时间稳定性特征;土壤含水率的时间稳定性随土层深度的增加而增强,具有深度依赖性;基于相对差分分析可以选择代表性测点监测区域平均土壤含水率（决定系数R²为0.7138-0.8605）,以期为合理布设土壤水分监测点提供理论依据,对于植被恢复与生态重建模式的选择具有指导意义。     

A marginal model approach for analysis of multi-reader multi-test receiver operating characteristic (ROC) data

The receiver operating characteristic curve is a popular tool to characterize the capabilities of diagnostic tests with continuous or ordinal responses. One common design for assessing the accuracy of diagnostic tests involves multiple readers and multiple tests, in which all readers read all test results from the same patients. This design is most commonly used in a radiology setting, where the results of diagnostic tests depend on a radiologist's subjective interpretation. The most widely used approach for analyzing data from such a study is the Dorfman-Berbaum-Metz (DBM) method (Dorfman et al., 1992) which utilizes a standard analysis of variance (ANOVA) model for the jackknife pseudovalues of the area under the ROC curves (AUCs). Although the DBM method has performed well in published simulation studies, there is no clear theoretical basis for this approach. In this paper, focusing on continuous outcomes, we investigate its theoretical basis. Our result indicates that the DBM method does not satisfy the regular assumptions for standard ANOVA models, and thus might lead to erroneous inference. We then propose a marginal model approach based on the AUCs which can adjust for covariates as well. Consistent and asymptotically normal estimators are derived for regression coefficients. We compare our approach with the DBM method via simulation and by an application to data from a breast cancer study. The simulation results show that both our method and the DBM method perform well when the accuracy of tests under the study is the same and that our method outperforms the DBM method for inference on individual AUCs when the accuracy of tests is not the same. The marginal model approach can be easily extended to ordinal outcomes.     

北京山区侧柏林坡面土壤水分时空动态及其影响因素

研究基于自然坡面土壤水分高密度观测方法,明确北京山区侧柏林自然坡面土壤水分动态变化特征、时间稳定性及其影响因素,提升对北京山区坡面土壤水分时空动态及其影响因素的认识,为华北土石山区生态恢复对水文水资源影响评估提供依据。研究以北京鹫峰国家森林公园人工侧柏林地坡面（40 m×50 m）为研究对象,用Diviner 2000测量该自然坡面中30个测点,于2014年8月至2016年3月对坡面观测砾石层以上的土壤含水量（SWC）进行了观测。结果表明：观测期间土壤蓄水量（SWS）具有明显的季节变化特征且与降水量的变化趋势基本保持一致;不同土层SWC均处于中等变异,SWC较高时,SWC的变异性较低;研究区的土壤水分在整个观测期间都具有较高的时间稳定性,位于上坡水平阶的2号测点最能代表研究区的平均土壤水分;随着离树距离的增加SWS逐渐增加,春、夏、秋季离树距离0.5 m与1.5 m处SWS差异显著（P<0.05）;水平阶SWS显著大于陡坎（P<0.05）,夏、秋季下坡位土壤SWS显著低于上坡位（P<0.05）,水土保持工程措施对坡面SWC的分布格局有重要的影响。     

不同水分含量桑叶对二化性家蚕的营养效应

研究了取食不同水分含量桑叶对二化性家蚕(CSR3×CSR6)5龄幼虫的影响。实验设嫩叶(水分含量80%～85%)、半成熟叶(水分含量65%～70%)和成熟叶(水分含量55%～60%)3个不同处理。采用标准重量分析法分析和计算各种生长、营养和营养效率指数。结果表明,在取食较高水分含量桑叶的处理中,营养指数(包括取食量、消化量和近似消化率等)和营养效率指数(包括食物利用率和转化率等)均显著较高,但不同处理中消化食物向茧壳的转化率及产生每克茧壳所需食物消化量差异不明显。结论是取食水分含量高的桑树嫩叶有助于提高家蚕的取食和营养。     

Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict biological parameters of maize silage: effects of particle comminution, oven drying temperature and the presence of residual moisture

Maize silage nutritive quality is routinely determined by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). However, little is known about the impact of sample preparation on the accuracy of the calibration to predict biological traits. A sample population of 48 maize silages representing a wide range of physiological maturities was used in a study to determine the impact of different sample preparation procedures (i.e., drying regimes; the presence or absence of residual moisture; the degree of particle comminution) on resultant NIR prediction statistics. All silages were scanned using a total of 12 combinations of sample pre-treatments. Each sample preparation combination was subjected to three multivariate regression techniques to give a total of 36 predictions per biological trait. Increased sample preparations procedure, relative to scanning the unprocessed whole plant (WP) material, always resulted in a numerical minimisation of model statistics. However, the ability of each of the treatments to significantly minimise the model statistics differed. Particle comminution was the most important factor, oven-drying regime was intermediate, and residual moisture presence was the least important. Models to predict various biological parameters of maize silage will be improved if material is subjected to a high degree of particle comminution (i.e., having been passed through a 1 mm screen) and developed on plant material previously dried at 60 °C. The extra effort in terms of time and cost required to remove sample residual moisture cannot be justified.     

A study of water diffusion into a high-amylose starch blend: the effect of moisture content and temperature

The effect of moisture content and temperature on water diffusion into a modified high amylose (< or = 90%) maize thermoplastic starch blend was investigated. Gravimetric and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies were conducted to elucidate the diffusion mechanism and diffusion coefficients for this system. The diffusion coefficient data demonstrated that the rate of water diffusion into this blend was significantly dependent upon temperature and moisture content. Water diffusion was faster at higher temperatures and generally for samples stored at higher relative humidity environments. It was revealed from the gravimetric data that water diffusion into this starch blend was Fickian; however, further analysis of the MRI images found that the water diffusion mechanism was exponentially dependent on the concentration. This result was determined by comparing experimental water concentration profiles to a theoretical model calculated using the implicit Crank-Nicolson finite difference method.     

A study on moisture isotherms of formulations: the Use of polynomial equations to predict the moisture isotherms of tablet products

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of manufacturing parameters on the moisture sorption isotherms of some tablet formulations and to predict the moisture isotherms of the final formulations using polynomial equations. Three tablet formulations including a placebo and 2 drug products were prepared through wet granulation, drying, compression, and coating processes. Equilibrium moisture content of excipients and granules at 25°C with different relative humidities were determined using a dynamic moisture sorption microbalance, while such data for tablets were determined using desiccators. Moisture sorption isotherms were expressed in polynomial equations. Excipient isotherms were used to predict the moisture sorption isotherms of the 3 tablet products. Results showed that different physical properties of granules and tablets, such as particle size distribution, density, and porosity resulting from different granulation and compression conditions did not have significant effect on the moisture isotherms of the materials. Changing coating materials from a powder mixture to a film also did not change the moisture sorption characteristics significantly. The predicted moisture sorption isotherms of the formulations agreed well with the experimental results. These results show that moisture isotherms of solid pharmaceutical products manufactured with conventional processes may be predicted using the isotherms of excipients, and polynomial equations may be used as a tool for the prediction of moisture isotherms.     

Soil moisture and sex ratio in a plant with nuclear-cytoplasmic sex inheritance

I investigated whether soil moisture affects relative fitness of females and hermaphrodites and sex ratio in a gynodioecious plant with nuclear-cytoplasmic sex inheritance. I contrast these results with those from species with strictly nuclear sex inheritance. I performed a manipulative watering experiment on seed fitness of the two sexes, and field studies measuring seed fitness and sex ratio as a function of soil moisture. In the dry site, watered hermaphrodites produced approximately twice as many seeds as unwatered hermaphrodites, with little treatment effect on female seed production. Over a natural soil moisture gradient, the ratio of female to hermaphrodite seed production was higher in dry than in wet sites. These data show that the seed fitness advantage of females is a function of soil moisture. Despite this, regression of soil moisture on the sex ratio of 23 populations was not significant. These results indicate a sex-dependent effect of soil moisture on resource allocation to seeds that does not translate into a strong effect on sex ratio. This is consistent with theory based on genomic conflict in which sex ratios are predicted to be only partly determined by fitness differences of the sexes.     

The in vitro elution of BMP-7 from demineralized bone matrix

Demineralized bone matrix (DBM) grafts induce new bone formation by locally releasing matrix-associated growth factors, such as bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), to the surrounding tissue after implantation. However, the release kinetics of BMPs from DBM lack characterization. Such information can potentially help to improve processing techniques to maximize graft osteoinductive potential, as well as increase understanding of the osteoinductive process itself. We produced DBM with three particle size ranges from bovine cortical bone, i.e., <106, 106–300, and 300–710?μm and extracted 1.5?g of each size range in 40?ml of Sorensen’s buffer at room temperature for up to 168?h. The BMP-7 concentration of the DBM and the buffer were measured at each time point using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. Based on measurement of the concentration of BMP-7 in the buffer, the 0–8?h elution rate was high, i.e., 3.3, 2.9, and 2.2?ng BMP-7/g DBM?h, and for the 8–168?h interval was much lower, at 0.039, 0.15, and 0.11?ng BMP-7/g DBM?h for the three size ranges, respectively. By 168?h, there was no indication that elution was nearing completion. Measurement of the residual BMP-7 remaining in the DBM as a function of time yielded unexpected results, i.e., after the BMP-7 content of the DBM declined for the first 4–6?h, it paradoxically increased for the remaining interval. We propose a two-compartment model to help explain these results in terms of the possible distribution of BMP-7 in bone matrix.     

喀斯特典型坡地旱季表层土壤水分时空变异性

基于网格(10 m×10 m)取样,用地统计学方法研究了桂西北喀斯特地区典型灌丛与草灌两种植被类型坡地(90 m×120 m)旱季(2011年10月至2012年3月)表层(0—16 cm)土壤水分含量的空间变异特征。结果表明:整个采样期灌丛坡地的土壤水分含量明显要高于草灌坡地,两种类型坡地的表层土壤水分含量均属于中等程度的变异(10%Cv100%),且灌丛坡地的变异系数大于草灌坡地。两种植被类型坡地的土壤水分含量与降雨量的波动变化趋势相同,而与土壤水分变异系数的变化趋势整体相反。土壤水分含量均具有明显的空间依赖性和空间结构。两种类型坡地土壤水分的变程与块基比的变化趋势都大致相反,灌丛坡地土壤水分的变程与土壤水分含量均值的变化趋势在采样前期和中期趋势相反,在采样后期趋势相同,而草灌坡地土壤水分的变程与土壤水分含量均值的变化趋势大致相同。两块样地土壤水分的变异系数、变程与块基比均随土壤水分含量的变化有一定的季节变化规律,说明平均土壤水分含量对土壤水分空间格局的主导作用是持续存在的,结合研究目标可以有效指导后续的土壤采样。虽然两块样地表层土壤水分含量整体沿坡面自上而下呈递增趋势,但土壤水分含量最大值均分布在样地下坡位右侧地段,这主要与该地段坡度较缓、土壤厚度较大且碎石含量较低有关。     

CYGNSS-derived soil moisture: Status,challenges and future

In the last few years, Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) technology has provided an exciting solution to retrieve fine-scale spatiotemporal soil moisture predictions. The most promising data source for this task has been Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Several methodologies have been proposed in the literature to repurpose CYGNSS data for soil moisture estimation. In this work, we first describe the theoretical background of GNSS-R based soil moisture retrieval. We discuss the challenges associated with using GNSS-R (in particular CYGNSS) data, and present the current issues in the CYGNSS-based methodologies for estimating soil moisture. Some of the key limitations identified are in the areas of observation geometry, improper consideration of coherent and incoherent reflections, effect of vegetation on CYGNSS recording and consideration of ancillary data sources. We finally discuss potential Machine Learning based solutions for soil moisture estimation, which may provide researchers a path forward to achieve low error estimates.