A gravimetric system for lyophilized samples in the sub-microgram range

Summary A new quartz fiber balance is described which is evacuated and electrically shielded. This balance minimizes the problems of moisture uptake by the lyophilized sample, air convection inside the balance and static electricity. Besides it offers a wider useful weighing range and a higher handling comfort. It could be shown that in the regular (i.e. not evacuated) balance the moisture uptake varies considerably with the humidity of the air and with the kind of sample analyzed, and that it might be greater than previously reported.     

Relation of soil moisture and air conditioning irrigation to plant water balance,growth characteristics and nutrients uptake in rye and wheat

The results of experiments conducted with autumn rye and summer wheat on sandy loam soil at the Institute for Cereal Production of the Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg (G.D.R.) have revealed that an increase in soil moisture improved the plant water balance, width of stomata, shoot growth, tiller density, leaf area and growth rate. Net assimilation rate, however, decreased with the increase in soil moisture above 50 per cent water holding capacity. Increased soil moisture improved contents of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus only during early stages of growth, but their uptake was not reduoed at maturity. Air conditioning irrigation proved superior in respect to all above mentioned characteristics, except the uptake of potassium, which decreased with air conditioning irrigation at higher soil moisture relations.     

An examination of the moisture sorption characteristics of commercial magnesium stearate

The objective of this study was to characterize the moisture sorption of magnesium stearate and the morphological changes, if any, resulting from moisture sorption. Six samples of commercial magnesium stearate USP were examined. Moisture sorption isotherms were obtained at 25°C and 5% to 98% relative humidity (RH) using a moisture balance. Changes in crystal form resulting from moisture sorption were determined by x-ray diffraction. There were differences in the shape of the isotherm, reversibility of moisture uptake, and shape of the hysteresis loop in the isotherms of crystalline and amorphous magnesium stearates. The isotherm of crystalline magnesium stearate was almost parallel to the pressure axis until and RH of ∼80%. The isotherm of the amorphous sample was characterized by continuous uptake of water over the entire range of RH. Exposure of amorphous magnesium stearate to RH greater than 70% resulted in the formation of the trihydrate. The trihydrate was converted into the anhydrous form when heated to a temperature of 100°C to 105°C. The trihydrate could be generated by exposing the anhydrate to RH higher than 70%.     

Cultivation of a perennial grass for bioenergy on a boreal organic soil – carbon sink or source?

The area under the cultivation of perennial bioenergy crops on organic soils in the northern countries is fast increasing. To understand the impact of reed canary grass (RCG, Phalaris arundinaceae L.) cultivation on the carbon dioxide (CO₂) balance of an organic soil, net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) was measured for four years in a RCG cultivated cutover peatland in eastern Finland using the eddy covariance technique. There were striking differences among the years in the annual precipitation. The annual precipitation was higher during 2004 and 2007 and lower during 2005 and 2006 than the 1971–2000 regional mean. During wet growing seasons, moderate temperatures, high surface soil moisture and low evaporative demand favoured high CO₂ uptake. During dry seasons, owing to soil moisture and atmospheric stress, photosynthetic activity was severely restricted. The CO₂ uptake [gross primary productivity (GPP)] was positively correlated with soil moisture, air temperature and inversely with vapour pressure deficit. Total ecosystem respiration (TER) increased with increasing soil temperature but decreased with increasing soil moisture. The relative responses of GPP and TER to moisture stress were different. While changes in TER for a given change in soil moisture were moderate, variations in GPP were drastic. Also, the seasonal variations in TER were not as conspicuous as those in GPP implying that GPP is the primary regulator of the interannual variability in NEE in this ecosystem. The ecosystem accumulated a total of 398 g C m^?2 from the beginning of 2004 until the end of 2007. It retained some carbon during a wet year such as 2004 even after accounting for the loss of carbon in the form of harvested biomass. Based on this CO₂ balance analysis, RCG cultivation is found to be a promising after‐use option on an organic soil.     

Restricted lateral gas movement in Pinus strobus branches

Argon gas was incorporated into the sap flowing through xylem of cut branches, or added to the air in a sealed cuvette surrounding a needle-free portion of the branch to investigate lateral movement of gases in Pinus strobus. Microdialysis was used to sample air in the xylem and evacuated vials were used to collect samples of air from cuvettes attached to branches. Argon concentrations of samples of air were measured by GC-MS. When argon was added through the sap, concentrations of argon in the xylem and in air of chambers enclosing needle stumps was greater than that of controls, but argon concentrations of air in cuvettes enclosing a needle-free portion of the branch were not greater than controls. When argon was added to cuvettes enclosing a needle-free portion of the branch, the argon did not enter the xylem and it was not emitted by needle stumps.     

Water sorption studies of hybrid biofiber-reinforced natural rubber biocomposites

Hybrid biofibers (sisal and oil palm) were incorporated into natural rubber matrix. The water absorption characteristics of the composites were evaluated with reference to fiber loading. The influence of temperature on water sorption of the composites is also analyzed. Moisture uptake was found to be dependent on the properties of the biofibers. The mechanism of diffusion in the gum sample was found to be Fickian in nature, while in the loaded composites, it was non-Fickian. Sisal and oil palm fibers were subjected to different treatments such as mercerization and silanation. The effect of chemical modification on moisture uptake was also analyzed. Chemical modification was seen to decrease the water uptake in the composites. The thermodynamic parameters of the sorption process were also evaluated. Activation energy was found to be maximum for the gum sample.     

Leaf water content and palisade cell size

The palisade cell sizes in leaves of Eucalyptus pauciflora were estimated in paradermal sections of cryo-fixed leaves imaged in the cryo-scanning electron microscope, as a quantity called the cell area fraction (CAF). Cell sizes were measured in detached leaves as a function of leaf water content, in intact leaves in the field during a day"s transpiration as a function of balance pressure of adjacent leaves, and on leaf disks equilibrated with air of relative humidities from 100 to 58%. Values of CAF ranged from 0.82 at saturation to approx. 0.3 in leaves dried to a relative water content (RWC) of 0.5, and in the field to approx. 0.58 at 15 bar (1.5 MPa) balance pressure. At a CAF of 0.58, the moisture content of the cell walls is in equilibrium with air at 90% relative humidity, which is the estimated relative humidity in the intercellular spaces. It is shown that at this moisture content, the cell walls could be exerting a pressure of approx. 50 bar on the cell contents.     

Water relations of the burrowing sandhill frog, Arenophryne rotunda (Myobatrachidae)

Arenophryne rotunda is a small (2–8 g) terrestrial frog that inhabits the coastal sand dunes of central Western Australia. While sand burrowing is a strategy employed by many frog species inhabiting Australia’s semi-arid and arid zones, A. rotunda is unique among burrowing species because it lives independently of free water and can be found nocturnally active on the dune surface for relatively extended periods. Consequently, we examined the physiological factors that enable this unique frog to maintain water balance. A. rotunda was not found to have any special adaptation to reduce EWL (being equivalent to a free water surface) or rehydrate from water (having the lowest rehydration rate measured for 15 Western Australian frog species), but it was able to maintain water balance in sand of very low moisture (1–2%). Frogs excavated in the field were in dune sand of 4.4% moisture content, as a consequence of recent rain, which was more than adequate for these frogs to maintain water balance as reflected by their low plasma and urine osmotic concentrations. We suggest that in dry periods of the year, A. rotunda can achieve positive water balance by cutaneous water uptake by burrowing deeper into the substrate to where the percent water content is greater than 1.5%.     

AUXIN TRANSPORT IN THE LONG SHOOTS OF PINE

Brown , C. L. (Forest Genetics Laboratory, College Station, Texas.), and Ralph H. Wetmore . Auxin transport in the long shoots of pine. Amer. Jour. Bot. 46(8): 586–590. 1959.—Data are presented which show that endogenous auxin in the stem segments of pine is actively transported under extremely low oxygen tension and in amounts equal to that in the normally aerated controls. In distinct contrast, stem segments, previously evacuated of endogenous auxin, which readily transport IAA applied in donor blocks at physiological concentrations in air, do not do so in an atmosphere of pure nitrogen. It is concluded that it is the initial phase, the uptake of IAA from the block into the tissue, which is limiting at low oxygen tension, while the second phase, the transport sensu stricto, is almost independent of oxygen.     

Differential responses of production and respiration to temperature and moisture drive the carbon balance across a climatic gradient in New Mexico

Southwestern North America faces an imminent transition to a warmer, more arid climate, and it is critical to understand how these changes will affect the carbon balance of southwest ecosystems. In order to test our hypothesis that differential responses of production and respiration to temperature and moisture shape the carbon balance across a range of spatio‐temporal scales, we quantified net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO₂ and carbon storage across the New Mexico Elevational Gradient, which consists of six eddy‐covariance sites representing biomes ranging from desert to subalpine conifer forest. Within sites, hotter and drier conditions were associated with an increasing advantage of respiration relative to production such that daily carbon uptake peaked at intermediate temperatures – with carbon release often occurring on the hottest days – and increased with soil moisture. Across sites, biotic adaptations modified but did not override the dominant effects of climate. Carbon uptake increased with decreasing temperature and increasing precipitation across the elevational gradient; NEE ranged from a source of ～30 g C m^?2 yr^?1 in the desert grassland to a sink of ～350 g C m^?2 yr^?1 in the subalpine conifer forest. Total aboveground carbon storage increased dramatically with elevation, ranging from 186 g C m^?2 in the desert grassland to 26 600 g C m^?2 in the subalpine conifer forest. These results make sense in the context of global patterns in NEE and biomass storage, and support that increasing temperature and decreasing moisture shift the carbon balance of ecosystems in favor of respiration, such that the potential for ecosystems to sequester and store carbon is reduced under hot and/or dry conditions. This implies that projected climate change will trigger a substantial net release of carbon in these New Mexico ecosystems (～3 Gt CO₂ statewide by the end of the century), thereby acting as a positive feedback to climate change.     

The Effect of Different Drying Methods on Bioactive and Nutrition Contents of Bee Bread and Mathematical Modeling of Drying Characteristics

In this study, the aim was to determine the effect of different drying methods (with microwave and hot air) on the color, nutrient and bioactive contents of fresh bee bread. Drying characteristics were also investigated. Microwave and hot air drying were applied at different microwave powers and temperatures, respectively. Lower moisture ratios and highest effective diffusion coefficients were obtained with microwave drying in a shorter time. The Midilli model was found to be the most suitable thin-layer drying model for both methods. Regardless of the drying conditions, moisture, ash, protein, carbohydrate, and lipid proportions were observed to vary in the ranges of 4.9–8.2 %, 1.61–2.67 %, 17.47–32.54 %, 39.92–60.84 %, and 7.10–8.89 %, respectively. The lowest color difference was obtained for the sample dried at 210 W. As a result, it was determined that microwave drying is more suitable for preserving the nutritional and bioactive content of bee bread during drying.     

Predicting the onset of net carbon uptake by deciduous forests with soil temperature and climate data: a synthesis of FLUXNET data

We tested the hypothesis that the date of the onset of net carbon uptake by temperate deciduous forest canopies corresponds with the time when the mean daily soil temperature equals the mean annual air temperature. The hypothesis was tested using over 30 site-years of data from 12 field sites where CO₂ exchange is being measured continuously with the eddy covariance method. The sites spanned the geographic range of Europe, North America and Asia and spanned a climate space of 16°C in mean annual temperature. The tested phenology rule was robust and worked well over a 75 day range of the initiation of carbon uptake, starting as early as day 88 near Ione, California to as late as day 147 near Takayama, Japan. Overall, we observed that 64% of variance in the timing when net carbon uptake started was explained by the date when soil temperature matched the mean annual air temperature. We also observed a strong correlation between mean annual air temperature and the day that a deciduous forest starts to be a carbon sink. Consequently we are able to provide a simple phenological rule that can be implemented in regional carbon balance models and be assessed with soil and temperature outputs produced by climate and weather models.     

Mathematical modeling of an aqueous film coating process in a Bohle Lab-Coater, Part 1: Development of the model

The purpose of this study was to develop a model to predict (1) air and product temperatures, (2) product moisture, and (3) air humidity during an aqueous coating process using a Bohle Lab-Coater. Because of the geometrical properties and the airflow, the drum of the Bohle Lab-Coater can in principle be divided into 2 zones of equal size—the drying and the spraying zones. For each zone, 4 balance equations could be set up describing the change of the air humidity, the product moisture, the enthalpy of the air, and the enthalpy of the product in each zone. For this purpose, knowledge regarding heat and mass transfer and also the motion of the tablets in drums was used. Based on the considerations of the heat and mass transfer, a set of first-order coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs) was developed. This set of ODEs can be solved numerically. In this part, the development of the model is described in detail, whereas the application of the model can be found in part 2.     

Experiments on the water balance of individual attached twigs of Picea abies (L .) Karst. in pure and ozone-enriched air

 Rates of transpiration and xylem sap flow were continuously measured in individual twigs in the upper crown of an 18-year-old spruce. Two gas exchange chambers were run simultaneously under identical conditions. One of two equivalent twigs was exposed to pure air whereas the other received the ozone-enriched air of the site. A third gas exchange chamber in mid-crown ran independently with normal outside air and was used for basic experiments. At certain times needles were sampled for water potential measurements. Chamber humidity was reduced step by step and the transpiration and xylem sap flow rates were permanently compared. It turned out that sap flow keeps up with transpiration without lagging as long as chamber humidity is high and the twigs outside the chamber are not subject to substantial evaporative demand. However, in warm summer weather and with high flow rates sap flow is no longer sufficient. As the balance quotient (uptake/release) of 0.8 was reached the stomata began to close and water balance improved. The flux quotient increased far above 1.0 without water potential of the needles, which had decreased before, increasing significantly. The balance quotient of the twig in ozone-enriched air fell to relatively low values and only increased again correspondingly slowly due to lagging stomatal closure. Despite increased water uptake after the light phase, the ozone-treated twig ran into a water deficit in the daily balance during the course of an uninterrupted drought period. Water deficit increased from day to day and only disappeared with the next rainfall. For providing insight into the ozone effect shown in this study it was thought necessary to discuss comprehensively the controversial views of the stomatal control mechanism. The results show that the stomata react to small scale changes in water status as expected for an effective negative feedback system. The less sensitive reaction of the stomata under the influence of ozone confirms earlier results. Increased severity and duration of the daily drought stress loads were attributed to a lag in adjustment due to poor stomatal control. The demonstrated function mechanism shows that the detrimental effect of ozone is dependent on weather conditions. Received: 12 April 1996 / Accepted: 24 June 1996     

Interannual variability in net CO2 exchange of a native tallgrass prairie

Year‐round eddy covariance flux measurements were made in a native tallgrass prairie in north‐central Oklahoma, USA during 1997–2000 to quantify carbon exchange and its interannual variability. This prairie is dominated by warm season C₄ grasses. The soil is a relatively shallow silty clay loam underlined with a heavy clay layer and a limestone bedrock. During the study period, the prairie was burned in the spring of each year, and was not grazed. In 1997 there was adequate soil moisture through the growing season, but 1998 had two extended periods of substantially low soil moisture (with concurrent high air temperatures and vapor pressure deficits), one early and one later in the growing season. There was also moisture stress in 1999, but it was less severe and occurred later in the season. The annual net ecosystem CO₂ exchange, NEE (before including carbon loss during the burn) was 274, 46 and 124 g C m ^{? 2} yr ^{? 1} in 1997, 1998, and 1999, respectively (flux toward the surface is positive), and the associated variation seemed to mirror the severity of moisture stress. We also examined integrated values of NEE during different periods (e.g. day/night; growing season/senescence). Annually integrated carbon dioxide uptake during the daytime showed the greatest variability from year to year, and was primarily linked to the severity of moisture stress. Carbon loss during nighttime was a significant part of the annual daytime NEE, and was fairly stable from year to year. When carbon loss during the burn (estimated from pre‐ and post‐burn biomass samples) was incorporated in the annual NEE, the prairie was found to be approximately carbon neutral (i.e. net carbon uptake/release was near zero) in years with no moisture stress (1997) or with some stress late in the season (1999). During a year with severe moisture stress early in the season (1998), the prairie was a net source of carbon. It appears that moisture stress (severity as well as timing of occurrence) was a dominating factor regulating the annual carbon exchange of the prairie.     

Evidence of a maternal effect that protects against water stress in larvae of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae)

We report that the ability to absorb water vapor from the air in larvae of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, changes depending upon moisture conditions where the eggs develop. When development occurs at lower relative humidities, resultant larvae can replenish water stores, maintain water balance, and survive at relative humidities as low as 75-85% RH, a range that agrees with previously published values for the critical equilibrium humidity or CEH. In contrast, exposure to high relative humidity conditions during development elevates the CEH to 93-97% RH. These larvae can survive only at relative humidities that are close to saturation, as 93% RH is a dehydrating atmosphere. For these larvae, absorption at 97% RH can be prevented by blocking the mouthparts with wax, indicating that an upward shift has occurred in the moisture threshold where the active mechanism for water vapor absorption operates. Based on transfer experiments between low and high relative humidities, the CEH of larvae is determined by the relative humidity experienced by the mother rather than the moisture conditions encountered by eggs after they are laid. The fact that no changes in body water content, dehydration tolerance limit and water loss rate were observed implies that adjustments to the CEH conferred by the mother have the adaptive significance of enabling larvae to maintain water balance by limiting the range of hydrating atmospheres.     

Changes in developing pea (Pisum sativum) seeds in relation to their ability to withstand desiccation

In two separate experiments in 1970 and 1971 the germination ability of seeds that had been rapidly desiccated following harvesting from glasshouse-grown pea plants improved with time after fertilization. In 1970 the germination of seeds directly after harvesting also improved with time. In both years the readiness with which electrolytes were leached from dried seeds decreased with seed age, measured as time after fertilization. The germination ability of desiccated seeds, and of undried seeds in 1970, improved after the cessation of seed moisture increase on the parent plant. This improvement coincided, in 1970, with a fall in the readiness with which electrolytes could be leached from seeds and with a decline in the rate of oxygen uptake of seeds directly after harvest. Vital staining of dried seeds from harvest samples indicated the viability of the samples as determined by germination tests. In both years, when the cotyledons first showed complete staining, the staining was very intense; in 1970 this occurred in a harvest sample with a greater than 50% germination level, but in 1971 it occurred in a sample that showed incomplete staining in the embryo axis and less than 5 % germination. In 1971 the comparative rates of moisture loss from seeds, measured with a sensor element diffusion porometer, were very low at 25 days after fertilization, increased up to a peak at 35 days and fell to a rate at the final harvest (44 days) which was nearly three times faster than the initial rate. Thus, during the period of dehydration, after 37 days, the seeds were able to lose moisture. When seeds were allowed to lose moisture slowly after harvest, before being desiccated rapidly, their eventual condition as measured by leaching improved. Also, the faster the initial water loss preceding rapid desiccation the more readily were the dried seeds leached. It is suggested that seeds can only withstand rapid desiccation after the cessation of moisture increase and after some slow dehydration, which is accompanied by a slowing down in physiological activity.     

干湿交替格局下黄土高原小麦田土壤呼吸的温湿度模型

全球气候变化的直接后果是气温升高,同时还可能引起强降雨增多和干旱频发,形成干湿交替的格局.土壤呼吸在全球变化过程中发挥着重要作用.以黄土高原沟壑区小麦田土壤为研究对象,采用3个全自动多通量箱以及相应的气象监测系统,对土壤呼吸和环境因子全天候连续测定,利用已有的单因子模型、双因子模型对测定的土壤呼吸与气温和湿度的关系进行了拟合,通过优化,根据实际情况提出E-Q(exponential-quadratic)模型.结果表明:(1)干湿交替格局下,基于气温的单因子模型(指数模型,幂函数模型和线性模型)不适合模拟土壤呼吸;(2)基于土壤湿度的单因子模型中,二次曲线模型最适合模拟干湿交替格局下土壤呼吸的响应情况;(3)基于气温和土壤湿度的双因子模型中,E-Q模型SR=aebT(c+dW+fW2)g,既能反映土壤呼吸随气温的正向指数变化,又能表现土壤湿度对土壤呼吸的双向调节作用,解释了土壤呼吸73.05%的变化情况,比其他双因子模型和单因子模型更能有效描述干湿交替情况下土壤呼吸对气温和土壤湿度协同变化的响应特征.     

Feeling the ovaries prior to insemination. Clinical implications for improving the fertility of the dairy cow

During the periovulatory period in dairy cattle, the largest ovarian follicle can be felt by palpation per rectum as a firm/soft follicle (young preovulatory follicle), a very soft follicle separating it from the remainder of the ovary (mature preovulatory follicle), or an evacuated follicle (follicle associated with ovulation). Because any one of these three follicle types may be present at the time of artificial insemination, the objective of this study was to identify possible differences between the effects of a firm/soft, very soft, or evacuated ovarian follicle on fertility. Out of a study sample of 2365 inseminations, very soft, firm/soft, and evacuated follicles were recorded in 1689 (71%), 593 (25%), and 83 (3.5%) inseminations, respectively. Logistic regression analysis indicated no significant effects of largest follicle type, vaginal discharge, season, days in milk, parity, synchronized or natural estrus, and semen-providing bull on the pregnancy rate. The only variable included in the final logistic regression model was the interaction season-follicle type. This interaction determined that the likelihood of pregnancy decreased significantly by factors of 0.86 or 0.82 in cows with a firm/soft follicle inseminated during the cool or warm period, respectively, and by a factor of 0.09 in cows with evacuated follicles inseminated during the warm period, using as reference cows with a very soft follicle inseminated during the cool period (yielding the highest pregnancy rate). As an overall conclusion, the state of the periovulatory follicle at insemination was clearly related to fertility and masked the effects of factors commonly affecting fertility such as parity, days in milk at AI and inseminating bull. More importantly they suggest that by including ovarian follicle checks in artificial insemination routines, the success of this procedure could be improved.     

The influence of gas permeability of the culture lid on calcium uptake and stomatal function in Dianthus microplants

The establishment of microplants has been shown to be related to the moisture vapour transmission rate of the culture vessel lid. Lids allowing high moisture vapour loss from the container give increased microplant establishment rates. Further, it has been shown that calcium accumulation in the leaves of microplants is correlated with the moisture vapour transmission rate of the vessel lid and this is related to stomatal function in vitro and ex vitrum and to decreased desiccation in the microplants. It is hypothesized that the increased moisture vapour transmission rate of the lid results in increased transpiration in vitro, which in turn causes increased calcium uptake into the leaves of the microplants with consequential increased stomatal function and reduced losses due to desiccation ex vitrum.Abbreviations MVTR moisture vapour transmission rate