Instead of the cutter placing the three lines of cane in a conThis paper discusses how a marked improvement in cane tinuous windrow, the cane was placed in small bundles about 1 quality was achieved by modification of mechanised loading metre apart. (Interrupted windrow). procedures. The main change made was to cut into stacks instead of windrows thereby avoiding extraneous matter pick-up The 1...

The aim of the paper was the identification and the quantitative evaluation of the following inorganic anions: chloride, phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, sulphate and the following organic acids: lactic, acetic, formic, malic and citric in commercial "unrefined" brown cane sugars and in cane raw sugars. The determination was carried out by high performance anion exchange chromatography with conduct...

A FOSS InfraCana Near Infrared (NIR) spectrometer was installed at a Louisiana mill for the 2001/02 crushing season to assess its suitability for direct analysis of cane delivered to the mill. Analysis of cane by both wet disintegration and core press methods were used as the primary measurements. Calibration equations for pol, brix, fiber, moisture and ash in cane were produced. Values of stan...

This study examined how user characteristics affect drop-off detection with the long cane. A mixed-measures design with block randomization was used for the study, in which 32 visually impaired adults attempted to detect the drop-offs using different cane techniques. Younger cane users detected drop-offs significantly more reliably (mean +/- standard deviation = 74.2% +/- 11.2% of the time) tha...

BACKGROUND To determine the possible genotoxic effect of exposure to the smoke generated by biomass burning on workers involved in manual sugar cane harvesting. METHODS The frequency of micronuclei in exfoliated buccal cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes was determined in sugarcane workers in the Barretos region of Brazil, during the harvest season and compared to a control population, com...

The treatments consisted of chopping sugar cane stalk coarsely (10 to 20 mm particle size) or finely (less than 5 mm). The chopped cane stalk was mixed with chopped cane tops ( 40 to 50 mm particle size) in the ratio 75: 25. A solution of urea/molasses (200 g urea/kg solution) was added to the cane at the rate of 50 g/kg of fresh cane. The animals also received 600 g/d cotton seed meal and 100 ...

This paper reports on a study that helps visually-impaired people to walk more confidently. The study hypothesizes that a smart cane that alerts visually-impaired people over obstacles in front could help them in walking with less accident. The aim of the paper is to address the development work of a cane that could communicate with the users through voice alert and vibration, which is named Sm...

An investigation was carried out to test the suitability of near infra-red reflectance (NIR) for rapidly estimating cane quality components. A large number of mixed cane juice samples of known pol, brix, sucrose, fructose, and glucose content were used to calibrate a Technicon Model 450 InfraAlyzer. Regression analyses indicated that brix, pol, and sucrose values obtained were closely correlate...

Haptic cues are important for balance. Knowledge of the temporal features of their effect may be crucial for the design of neural prostheses. Touching a stable surface with a fingertip reduces body sway in standing subjects eyes closed (EC), and removal of haptic cue reinstates a large sway pattern. Changes in sway occur rapidly on changing haptic conditions. Here, we describe the effects and t...

Infectious diseases are contributing to the decline of endangered amphibians. We identified myxosporean parasites, Myxidium spp. (Myxosporea: Myxozoa), in the brain and liver of declining native frogs, the Green and Golden Bell frog (Litoria aurea) and the Southern Bell frog (Litoria raniformis). We unequivocally identified two Myxidium spp. (both generalist) affecting Australian native frogs a...