Genetic and QTL mapping in African bermudagrass.

Cynodon transvaalensis Burtt-Davy is frequently used to cross with C. dactylon Pers. in the creation of F hybrid cultivars that are some of the most widely used in the worldwide turf industry.

Effectiveness of Genomic Selection by Response to Selection for Winter Wheat Variety Improvement.

Prediction performance for winter wheat grain yield and end-use quality traits. Prediction accuracies evaluated by cross-validations are significantly overestimated. Nonparametric algorithms outperform the parametric alternatives in cross-year predictions.

Field studies of pollutant removal from nursery and greenhouse runoff by constructed wetlands.

Plant nursery runoff commonly contains pesticides and nutrients that often threaten aquatic ecosystems. Constructed wetlands could be a tool to remove pesticides and nutrients from nursery runoff but have not been extensively studied in this setting. Two field-scale constructed wetlands (one subsurface-flow constructed wetland [SFCW] and one free-surface constructed wetland [FSCW]) were implemented and monitored for water quality improvement.

Impact of Microclimate on Fatty Acids and Volatile Terpenes in "Kerman" and "Golden Hills" Pistachio (Pistacia vera) Kernels.

Pistachio is an economically important nut crop in California. Since temperature variations among geographical locations can influence biochemical processes during fruit development, it is of great relevance to understand the impact of growing area over the components that define the nutritional and sensory characteristics of pistachio nuts. Changes in moisture, fat content, fatty acid composition and volatile terpenes were studied during kernel development for "Kerman" and "Golden Hills" varieties in two different California Central Valley microclimates, Lost Hills and Parlier.

Mitochondrial Degeneration, Depletion of NADH, and Oxidative Stress Decrease Color Stability of Wet-Aged Beef Longissimus Steaks.

Interrelationship between mitochondria and myoglobin function influence beef color. NADH level in postmortem muscle is an important determinant of mitochondrial activity and metmyoglobin reduction. Increased aging time promotes discoloration of steaks; however, the mechanism of this effect is not clear.

Ants Do Not Traverse the Silk of Adult Female Nephila clavipes (Linnaeus) Webs.

Many organisms use chemicals to deter enemies. Some spiders can modify the composition of their silk to deter predators from climbing onto their webs. The Malaysian golden orb-weaver Nephila antipodiana (Walckenaer) produces silk containing an alkaloid (2-pyrrolidinone) that functions as a defense against ant invasion-ants avoid silk containing this chemical.

Muscle-Specific Mitochondrial Functionality and Its Influence on Fresh Beef Color Stability.

Unlabelled: Fresh beef color stability is a muscle-specific trait. Mitochondria remain biochemically active in postmortem beef muscles and influence meat color. Although several intrinsic factors governing muscle-specific beef color have been studied extensively, the role of mitochondrial functionality in muscle-dependent color stability is yet to be examined.

Hepatoprotective Effect of Albumin Peptides from Corn Germ Meal on Chronic Alcohol-Induced Liver Injury in Mice.

Unlabelled: Despite the fact that chronic and excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor for many chronic diseases, such as a fatty liver disease, the addictive power of alcohol is strong worldwide. Corn germ meal albumin peptides (CGMAPs), by-products in corn germ oil industry have often been considered as wastes disposal in food processing. The aim of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of CGMAPs on chronic alcohol-induced liver injury in a mouse model.

Nixtamalization Process Affects Resistant Starch Formation and Glycemic Index of Tamales.

Tamales were prepared with 3 nixtamalization processes (traditional, ecological, and classic) and evaluated for chemical composition, starch properties, and glycemic index. Resistant starch (RS) in tamales increased 1.6 to 3.

Effects of Metmyoglobin Reducing Activity and Thermal Stability of NADH-Dependent Reductase and Lactate Dehydrogenase on Premature Browning in Ground Beef.

Premature browning is a condition wherein ground beef exhibits a well-done appearance before reaching the USDA recommended internal cooked meat temperature of 71.1 °C; however, the mechanism is unclear. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the effects of packaging and temperature on metmyoglobin reducing activity (MRA) of cooked ground beef patties and (2) to assess the effects of temperature and pH on thermal stability of NADH-dependent reductase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and oxymyoglobin (OxyMb) in-vitro.

Trapping phosphorus in runoff with a phosphorus removal structure.

Reduction of phosphorus (P) inputs to surface waters may decrease eutrophication. Some researchers have proposed filtering dissolved P in runoff with P-sorptive byproducts in structures placed in hydrologically active areas with high soil P concentrations. The objectives of this study were to construct and monitor a P removal structure in a suburban watershed and test the ability of empirically developed flow-through equations to predict structure performance.

Phosphorus removal with by-products in a flow-through setting.

Phosphorus (P) losses to surface waters can result in eutrophication. Some industrial by-products have a strong affinity for dissolved P and may be useful in reducing nonpoint P pollution with landscape-scale runoff filters. Although appreciable research has been conducted on characterizing P sorption by industrial by-products via batch isotherms, less data are available on P sorption by these materials in a flow-through context integral to a landscape P filter.

Escherichia coli load reduction from runoff by vegetative filter strips: a laboratory-scale study.

Vegetative filter strips (VFS) are commonly used best management practices for removing contaminants from runoff. Additional research is warranted to determine their efficiency and the most appropriate metrics for predicting fecal bacteria reductions. The objective of this research was to determine VFS effectiveness in removing from runoff relative to inflow rate, infiltration capacity, and flow concentration.

Retail display evaluation of steaks from select beef strip loins injected with a brine containing 1% ammonium hydroxide. Part 2: Cook yield, tenderness, and sensory attributes.

The impact of 2 different brines on the palatability and tenderness of select beef strip loin steaks was evaluated. Brines were differentiated by the type of alkaline agent, 4.5% sodium-based phosphate (control brine; CON) or 1% ammonium hydroxide (ammonium hydroxide treatment; AHT), incorporated into the formula.

Retail display evaluation of steaks from select beef strip loins injected with a brine containing 1% ammonium hydroxide. Part 1: Fluid loss, oxidation, color, and microbial plate counts.

Select beef loin pairs (n = 10) were injected (10% pump) with brine containing either 4.5% sodium-based phosphates, (CON), or 1% ammonium hydroxide treatment (AHT). Both brines also contained 3.

Alternative poultry litter storage for improved transportation and use as a soil amendment.

Transportation of poultry litter out of nutrient limited watersheds such as the Illinois River basin (eastern Oklahoma) is a logical solution for minimizing phosphorus (P) losses from soils to surface waters. Transportation costs are basedon mass of load and distance transported. This study investigated an alternative litter storage technique designed to promote carbon (C) degradation, thereby concentrating nutrients for the purpose of decreasing transportation costs through decreased mass.

Maximizing ammonium nitrogen removal from solution using different zeolites.

Zeolite minerals are ideal for removing ammonium nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) from animal wastes, leachates, and industrial effluents. The objectives of this study were to compare NH4+ removal and kinetics among several commercially available zeolites under various conditions and determine if calorimetry could provide information regarding kinetics of NH4+ removal. Ammonium sorption onto potassium (K) saturated zeolites was compared using synthetic vs.

Effect of spray nozzle design on fish oil-whey protein microcapsule properties.

Microencapsulation improves oxidative stability and shelf life of fish oil. Spray and freeze drying are widely used to produce microcapsules. Newer spray-nozzles utilize multiple fluid channels allowing for mixing of wall and core materials at the point of atomization.

Evaluation of 0.1% ammonium hydroxide to replace sodium tripolyphosphate in fresh meat injection brines.

Paired USDA Select beef strip loins (n = 10), aged 2 d, were injected with either an alkaline-based (3.6% sodium chloride, 1% Herbalox seasoning, adjusted to pH 10 with ammonium hydroxide [approximately 0.1%, FFC grade]) or a phosphate-based (3.

Updraft gasification of salmon processing waste.

The purpose of this study was to judge the feasibility of gasification for the disposal of waste streams generated through salmon harvesting. Gasification is the process of converting carbonaceous materials into combustible "syngas" in a high temperature (above 700 degrees C), oxygen deficient environment. Syngas can be combusted to generate power, which recycles energy from waste products.

Validation of an improved method for detection of Campylobacter jejuni in foods.

Campylobacter jejuni ATCC 29428 and 33560 were inoculated separately into beef muscle, ground beef, and chicken skin to yield approximately 10 to 100 CFU/g of food sample. The samples were stored at 4 degrees C for 10 d. On days 0, 3, 7, and 10, enrichment cultures in Bolton broth supplemented with antibiotics, with and without blood supplementation were made for each sample, for 24 and 48 h following the Food and Agricultural Products Center (FAPC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) protocols.

Subsurface transport of phosphorus in riparian floodplains: influence of preferential flow paths.

For phosphorus (P) transport from upland areas to surface water systems, the primary transport mechanism is typically considered to be surface runoff with subsurface transport assumed negligible. However, certain local conditions can lead to an environment where subsurface transport may be significant. The objective of this research was to determine the potential of subsurface transport of P along streams characterized by cherty or gravel subsoils, especially the impact of preferential flow paths on P transport.

Nonlinear image estimation using piecewise and local image models.

We introduce a new approach to image estimation based on a flexible constraint framework that encapsulates meaningful structural image assumptions. Piecewise image models (PIMs) and local image models (LIMs) are defined and utilized to estimate noise-corrupted images, PIMs and LIMs are defined by image sets obeying certain piecewise or local image properties, such as piecewise linearity, or local monotonicity. By optimizing local image characteristics imposed by the models, image estimates are produced with respect to the characteristic sets defined by the models.

Multigrid anisotropic diffusion.

A multigrid anisotropic diffusion algorithm for image processing is presented. The multigrid implementation provides an efficient hierarchical relaxation method that facilitates the application of anisotropic diffusion to time-critical processes. Through a multigrid V-cycle, the anisotropic diffusion equations are successively transferred to coarser grids and used in a coarse-to-fine error correction scheme.

Scale space classification using area morphology.

We explore the application of area morphology to image classification. From the input image, a scale space is created by successive application of an area morphology operator. The pixels within the scale space corresponding to the same image location form a scale space vector.