Fusarium infection level, DNA quantity of the Fusarium poae, F. sporotrichioides, F. langsethiae, F. culmorum, F. graminearum and F. equiseti as well as deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN ) and T-2 toxin (T-2) content were investigated in grain from cultivars of different cereal species grown on organic farming sites during 2005-2006. The Fusarium infection level was examined by agar platin...

The present invention provides a biodegradable thermoplastic composition made of a cereal grain that is treated with an organic solvent, and optionally a cross-linking agent such as an aldehyde, an acid anhydride or an epoxide, to link together the starch and protein of the cereal grain. The compositions may be used to make extruded or molded articles that are biodegradable, water-resistant, an...

The mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) is known to be heterogeneously distributed both intrinsically (from one individual food item to the next) as well as distributionally (throughout a sample of individual food items) in cereals and cereal-based foods. Therefore, proper sampling and sample comminution are special challenges, but are prerequisites for obtaining sound analytical data. This paper outl...

Plant parasitic nematodes remain a major challenge to crop production that has hitherto received minmum research attention in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper gives the diversity of nematode genera and species associated with cereal crops and indicates the possibility of nemadode population build up due to production intensification especially in soils with high sand content. Twenty-two nematode ...

Photoplethysmography (PPG) devices are widely used for monitoring cardiovascular function. However, these devices require skin contact, which restricts their use to at-rest short-term monitoring. Photoplethysmographic imaging (PPGI) has been recently proposed as a non-contact monitoring alternative by measuring blood pulse signals across a spatial region of interest. Existing systems operate in...