Rice husk and sawdust were selected as the raw materials for a study of biomass char yield in the range of 600 to 900 °C. It was found that temperature was the primary factor affecting the biomass char yield. The yield of the rice husk and sawdust chars decreased significantly with increasing temperature. As the residence time increased, the biomass char yield decreased. The smaller the size of...

In the study of mechanisms structuring fish communities, mixed competition–predation interactions where large predators feed on prey fish versus those in which small predators compete with prey fish for a shared prey have been the focus of substantial research. We used a long-term data set from a system inhabited by brown trout (Salmo trutta) (predator) and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) (pre...

Please cite this article in press as: Kuo, L Org. Geochem. (2008), doi:10.1016/j.org The heterogeneous nature of pyrogenic carbon, also known as black carbon (BC), still stands in the way of comprehensive determination of the total proportion of combustion derived carbon in environmental mixtures. Char and charcoal occur mostly in the low temperature region of the BC continuum and as such are c...

In order to enhance knowledge of the nutritive value of ostrich feeds, the in vitro gas production technique was used. Five feeds (corn silage, CS; alfalfa hay, AH; barley, BG; soybean meal, SM; beet pulp, BP) were weighed (~ 1g) in quadruplicate in 120 ml serum flasks and incubated at 39 °C with 75 ml of anaerobic medium and 4 ml of reducing solution. A pool of caecal contents obtained at slau...

Leather is one of the main products derived from ostrich farming. Current rearing practices lead to a high incidence of skin damage, which decreases the value of ostrich skins. In the emu and poultry industry, declawing is commonly practiced to reduce skin damage and injuries. We consequently investigated declawing of ostrich chicks as a potential management practice to minimize skin lesions th...

BACKGROUND Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is one of the most common forms of congenital heart disease. Mutations in transcription factor TFAP2B cause Char syndrome, a human disorder characterized by PDA, facial dysmorphysm and hand anomalies. Animal research data are needed to understand the mechanisms. The aim of our study was to elucidate the pathogenesis of Char syndrome at the molecular lev...

The existence of an anthropogenic and carbon (C) enriched dark soil in different parts of the world and especially in Amazonia (Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) or Terra Preta de Índio) proves that the predominant Ferralsols and Acrisols can be transformed into fertile soils. Charcoal formation and deposition in soils seems to be a promising option to transfer an easily decomposable biomass into ref...