Die moderne Furniererzeugung

Zusammenfassung Neuerungen an den Maschinen zur Herstellung von Edelfurnieren werden beschrieben. Die Entwicklung einer Furnierstra?e von der Messermaschine über den Trockner bis zur Scherenstra?e steht bevor. Eine Entwicklung zur Erzeugung dünner Furniere (rd. 0.2 mm) ist zu erkennen. Auf der anderen Seite sind Untersuchungen zur Herstellung dicker Furniere bis rd. 25 mm in den USA im Gange. Diese Entwicklung ist besonders für den Holzleimbau von Interesse.

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Modern manufacture of veneer Part 3: Eccentric peeling and slicing of veneers

Summary Developments of the maschinery for the manufacture of face veneers are reported. A veneer production line with a slicer, a veneer drier and a clipper is under design. It seems that there is an increasing demand for very thin veneers of about 0.2 mm. On the other hand, however, investigations on the manufacture of thick veneers up to about 25 mm are carried out in the USA. This development is of great interest for the manufacture of structural gluelams.

     

GRAIN QUALITY RESEARCH COMMITTEE

The results of collaborative research carried out in Denmark since 1963 have shown that the microflora of the stored material is of paramount importance in relation to grain quality, whether the grain is to be used for malting or for fodder. The composition of the fungal flora depends on the moisture activity of the stored product: whole barley at a moisture content of 14% has a moisture activity which just permits the survival of the fungi characteristic of sound newly-harvested grain. Feeding qualities are impaired when barley is stored at more than 17% moisture, with associated analytical changes in protein digestability and in biological value of the protein; gushing in beer is on occasion associated with the presence of Fusarlum in the stored barley. Although aflatoxin seems to be of no practical importance in Danish conditions, the mycotoxin citrinin (from Penicillium viridicatum) may be significant in fodder grain which has been allowed to deteriorate in damp storage.     

Dispersal of three species of grain beetles as a function of thermal acclimation, temperature, and larval size

Three species of stored-product insect pests, Tenebrio molitor, Tribolium confusum, and Trogoderma parabile, were acclimated at three temperatures, 15°, 23°, and 30° or 33°C, and then placed in chambers containing an appropriate culture medium held at testing temperatures ranging from 3°C to 14°C.

Cold-acclimated insects demonstrated greater dispersal at low temperatures than did warm-acclimated insects. Dispersal was greater at higher than at lower test temperatures. In a given species large larvae generally showed greater dispersal than did small larvae.     

Asymptotic estimates for the higher moments of the expected behavior of straight insertion sort

Perfect elimination (PE) bipartite graphs were introduced by Golumbic and Goss where they were shown to represent sparse matrices (non-symmetric) on which Gaussian elimination may be performed without fill-in. We propose an O(n³) recognition algorithm for PE bipartite graphs which improves on the O(n⁵) procedure suggested by Golumbic and Goss for this problem.     

Immunogenicity of the Envelope Surface Unit of Human Endogenous Retrovirus K18 in Mice

The triggers for the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) have not been fully understood to date. One hypothesis proposes a viral etiology. Interestingly, viral proteins from human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) may play a role in the pathogenesis of MS. Allelic variants of the HERV-K18 env gene represent a genetic risk factor for MS, and the envelope protein is considered to be an Epstein–Barr virus-trans-activated superantigen. To further specify a possible role for HERV-K18 in MS, the present study examined the immunogenicity of the purified surface unit (SU). HERV-K18(SU) induced envelope-specific plasma IgG in immunized mice and triggered proliferation of T cells isolated from these mice. It did not trigger phenotypic changes in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Further studies are needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of HERV-K18 interaction with immune system regulators in more detail.     

Genome-Wide Association Screening Determines Peripheral Players in Male Fertility Maintenance

Deciphering the functional relationships of genes resulting from genome-wide screens for polymorphisms that are associated with phenotypic variations can be challenging. However, given the common association with certain phenotypes, a functional link should exist. We have tested this prediction in newly sequenced exomes of altogether 100 men representing different states of fertility. Fertile subjects presented with normal semen parameters and had naturally fathered offspring. In contrast, infertile probands were involuntarily childless and had reduced sperm quantity and quality. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) linked twelve non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to fertility variation between both cohorts. The SNPs localized to nine genes for which previous evidence is in line with a role in male fertility maintenance: ANAPC1, CES1, FAM131C, HLA-DRB1, KMT2C, NOMO1, SAA1, SRGAP2, and SUSD2. Most of the SNPs residing in these genes imply amino acid exchanges that should only moderately affect protein functionality. In addition, proteins encoded by genes from present GWAS occupied peripheral positions in a protein–protein interaction network, the backbone of which consisted of genes listed in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database for their implication in male infertility. Suggestive of an indirect impact on male fertility, the genes focused were indeed linked to each other, albeit mediated by other interactants. Thus, the chances of identifying a central player in male infertility by GWAS could be limited in general. Furthermore, the SNPs determined and the genes containing these might prove to have potential as biomarkers in the diagnosis of male fertility.