Effects of dietary forage to concentrate ratio and wildrye length on nutrient intake, digestibility, plasma metabolites, ruminal fermentation and fecal microflora of male Chinese Holstein calves

Twenty-eight male, weaned Chinese Holstein calves（（156.8±33.4） kg） were used to investigate the effects of dietary forage to concentrate ratio（F：C） and forage length on nutrient digestibility, plasma metabolites, ruminal fermentation, and fecal microflora. Animals were randomly allocated to four treatments in a 2×2 factorial arrangement： whole-length forage（WL） with low F：C（50：50）; WL with high F：C（65：35）; short-length forage（SL） with high F：C（65：35）; and SL with low F：C（50：50）. Chinese wildrye was used as the only forage source in this trial. The grass in the SL treatments was chopped using a chaff cutter to achieve small particle size（-50% particles 〉19 mm）. Dry matter intake（DMI） and organic matter（OM） intake was increased by increasing both F：C（P〈0.01） and forage length（FL）（P〈0.05）, while acid detergent fiber（ADF） and neutral detergent fiber（NDF） intakes were only increased by increasing the F：C（P〈0.01）. The digestibility of NDF was increased as the FL increased（P〈0.01）, and it was also affected by interaction between F：C and FL（P〈0.05）. Cholesterol（CHO）（P〈0.01）, leptin（LP）（P〈0.05）, and growth hormone（GH）（P〈0.01） concentrations in plasma were increased as dietary F：C increased. A significant increase in plasma triglyceride（TG）（P〈0.01）, insulin（INS）（P〈0.05）, and GH（P〈0.01） levels was observed with decreasing dietary FL. Ruminal p H values of calves fed with low F：C diets were significantly lower than those in high F：C treatment（P〈0.05）. Increasing the F：C enhanced ruminal acetic acid（P〈0.05） and acetic acid/propionic acid（P〈0.01）. Fecal Lactobacillus content was significantly higher, while Escherichia coli and Salmonella contents were significantly lower in WL and high F：C groups（P〈0.05）. Lower fecal scores（higher diarrhea rate） were observed in calves fed with SL hay compared to WL hay（P〈0.05）. Denatured gradient gel electrophoresis（DGGE） bands and richness index（S） were significantly affected by the interaction between F：C and FL（P〈0.05）, under high F：C, band numbers and richness index from WL group were higher than that from SL group（P〈0.05）, whereas there were no differences between WL andSL groups under low F：C（P〉0.05）. Microflora similarity was 50–73% among the different treatments. It is concluded that the WL with high F：C（65：35） diet is suitable for weaned calves.

Effects of Different Sowing Times on Plant Height, Leaf Stem Ratio and DW/FW Ratio of Forage Sorghum in Autumn Idle Land

The aim was to explore the linear regression prediction models between sowing time and plant height, leaf stem ratio and DW/FW ratio of forage sorghum in autumn idle land. [Method] The relationships between sowing time and plant height, leaf stem ratio and DW/FW ratio of forage sorghum were simulated and compared by employing field plot experiment and linear regression analysis. [Result] The sowing time had a great impact on plant height, leaf stem ratio and DW/FW ratio of forage sorghum in autumn idle land. With the delay of sowing time, the plant height and DW/FW ratio of forage sorghum decreased, while the leaf stem ratio increased. The regression models between sowing time and plant height, leaf stem ratio and DW/FW ratio of forage sorghum were established： plant height and sowing time, yheight = 234.725- 5.005X; leaf stem ratio and sowing time,ylcaf= 0.096 ＋ 0,019x; DW/FW ratio and sowing time, ydry= 0.305-0.002X. From July 23rd to August 30th, the plant height of forage sorghum was reduced by 5.005 cm, the leaf stem ratio was increased by 0.019 and the DW/FW ratio was reduced by 0.002 in average when hhe sowing time was delayed by one day. [Conclusion] This study provides a theoretical support for the production of forage sorghum in autumn idle land.

Effects of Dietary Concentrate to Forage Ratios on Production Performance and Serum Biochemical Indicators in Post-fattening Hainan Yellow Cattle

[Objective]The paper was to investigate the effects of dietary concentrate to forage ratios on production performance and serum bio-chemical indicators of post-fattening Hainan Yellow Cattle.[Method]Sixteen Hainan Yellow Cattles with the same genetic backgrounds and similar initial weight of(242.22 ±0.71 kg) were randomly divided into four treatments.Cattles were fed with diets of different concentrate to forage ratios(20:80, group Ⅰ;30:70, Group Ⅱ;40:60, group Ⅲ;50:50, group Ⅳ).The trial lasted 62 d.[Result]The daily gain in experimental group Ⅳ was significantly higher than that in experimental group Ⅱ(P<0.05), but the feed gain ratio in experimental group Ⅳ was lower than those in other ex-perimental groups(P>0.05).The feed intake in experimental group Ⅳ was also markedly higher than those in experimental groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ(P<0.05).Compared with the experimental group Ⅱ, the gross profit of experimental group Ⅳ was significantly promoted(P<0.05).The alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities in experimental group Ⅱ were markedly higher than those in experimental groups Ⅰ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ.[Conclusion]When the dietary concentrate to forage ratios was 50∶50, the production performance of post-fattening Hainan Yellow Cattle was better.

Effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on alfalfa nutrient degradation characteristics and rumen microbial populations of steers fed diets with different concentrate-to-forage ratios

Live yeast（Saccharomyces cerevisiae） constitutes an effective additive for animal production;its probiotic effect may be related to the concentrate-to-forage ratio（CTFR）.The objective of this study was to assess the effects of S.cerevisiae（SC） on fiber degradation and rumen microbial populations in steers fed diets with different levels of dietary concentrate.Ten Simmental × Local crossbred steers（450 ± 50 kg BW） were assigned to a control group or an SC group.Both groups were fed the same basal diet but the SC group received SC supplementation（8 × 10^9 cfu/h/d through the ruminal fistula）following a two-period crossover design.Each period consisted of four phases,each of which lasted 17 d：10 d for dietary adaptation,6 d for degradation study,and 1 d for rumen sample collection.From the 1^（st） to the 4^（th） phase,steers were fed in a stepwise fashion with increasing CTFRs,i.e.,30：70,50：50,70：30,and 90：10.The kinetics of dry matter and fiber degradation of alfalfa pellets were evaluated;the rumen microbial populations were detected using real-time PCR.The results revealed no significant（P〉 0.05） interactions between dietary CTFR and SC for most parameters.Dietary CTFR had a significant effect（P〈 0.01） on degradation characteristics of alfalfa pellets and the copies of rumen microorganism;the increasing concentrate level resulted in linear,quadratic or cubic variation trend for these parameters.SC supplementation significantly（P〈 0.05） affected dry matter（DM） and neutral detergent fiber（NDF）degradation rates（c_（DM）,c_（NDF）） and NDF effective degradability（ED_（NDF））.Compared with the control group,there was an increasing trend of rumen fungi and protozoa in SC group（P 〈 0.1）;copies of total bacteria in SC group were significantly higher（P〈 0.05）.Additionally,percentage of Ruminobacter amylophilus was significantly lower（P〈 0.05）but percentage of Selenomonas ruminantium was significantly higher（P〈 0.05） in the SC group.In a word,dietary CTFR had a significant effect on degradation characteristics of forage and rumen microbial population.S.cerevisiae had positive effects on DM and NDF degradation rate or effective degradability of forage;S.cerevisiae increased rumen total bacteria,fungi,protozoa,and lactate-utilizing bacteria but reduced starch-degrading and lactate-producing bacteria.

Study on the Relationship of Seedling Density and Line Spacing to Leaf-stem Ratio, DW/FW Ratio and Grass Yield of Forage Sweet Sorghum

[ Objectives ] The aim was to optimize the configuration of seedling density and line spacing of forage sweet sorghum （ Sorghum blcolor （ L. ） Moench） and explore its high-yield cultivation techniques. [ Methods] Effects of such two influencing factors as line spacing and seedling density on the leaf-stem ratio, DW/FW ratio and grass yield of forage sweet sorghum were analyzed by using split-plot experiment design experiment method and LSD method of IBM. SPSS. Statis- tics. v22 stati, stics software. [ Results ~ Seedling density and line spacing had no obvious effect on the leaf-stem ratio and DW/FW ratio of forage sweet sorghum but had obvious influences on the grass yield. Moreover, the optimal combination of seedling density and line spacing for high yield of forage sweet sorghum was A2 B4, that is, seedling density was 225 000 plants/hm2, and line spacing was 40 cm. [ Conclusions] The results provided a theoretical basis and technical support for high-yield cultivation techniques of forage sweet sorghum.

The Influence of Forage/Concentrate Ratio and Full Fat Soya By-Pass Supplementation on the Fatty Acids Profile from the Carcase of Fatting Lambs

There was organized a 2×2 factorial type experience in which it has been aimed the influence of forage/concentrates ratio and the effect of supplementing the ratio with full fat soya by-pass （FFS） on the production performance and carcass fatty acid profile of fattening lambs. 32 Tsigai lambs were divided into 4 groups and were fed with 2 different diets regarding the forage/concentrates ratio （35/65 and 65/35, on a DM basis）, containing or not 5% FFS （full fat soya treated with formaldehyde 12.5%）. Including FFS in diet and the ratios rich in concentrates determined a significant improvement in weight gain （P〈0.01）, in the degree of food recovery and in fatty acid profile from the carcass. It has been significantly increased （P〈0.01） the weight of polyunsaturated fatty acids （PUFA） from intramuscular fat （longissimus dorsi-LD and femoral biceps-FB） and the deposit fat （subcutaneous-SC and perirenal-PR） and decreased the proportion of saturated （SFA） and monounsaturated fatty acids （MUFA）. Most significant differences were recorded about PUFA from Omega-3 series （C18：3 n-3, EPA C22：3 n-3, DPA and DHA） and CLA isomers （conjugated linolenic acid： C 18：2 C9, tl I＋C 18：2 t10, C 12）. The best profile of fatty acids, considered in light of the influence on human health （high concentration of Omega 3 fatty acids and CLA and low in SFA） was established in LD, for lambs fed with diets high in concentrates and which contained FFS （HC/S）.

Effects of Temperature and Catalyst to Oil Weight Ratio on the Catalytic Conversion of Heavy Oil to Propylene Using ZSM-5 and USY Catalysts

It is useful for practical operation to study the rules of production of propylene by the catalytic conversion of heavy oil in FCC （fluid catalytic cracking）. The effects of temperature and C/O ratio （catalyst to oil weight ratio） on the distribution of the product and the yield of propylene were investigated on a micro reactor unit with two model catalysts, namely ZSM-5/Al2O3 and USY/Al2O3, and Fushun vacuum gas oil （VGO） was used as the feedstock. The conversion of heavy oil over ZSM-5 catalyst can be comparable to that of USY catalyst at high temperature and high C/O ratio. The rate of conversion of heavy oil using the ZSM-5 equilibrium catalyst is lower compared with the USY equilibrium catalyst under the general FCC conditions and this can be attributed to the poor steam ability of the ZSM-5 equilibrium catalyst. The difference in pore topologies of USY and ZSM-5 is the reason why the principal products for the above two catalysts is different, namely gasoline and liquid petroleum gas （LPG）, repspectively. So the LPG selectivity, especially the propylene selectivity, may decline if USY is added into the FCC catalyst for maximizing the production of propylene. Increasing the C/O ratio is the most economical method for the increase of LPG yield than the increase of the temperature of the two model catalysts, because the loss of light oil is less in the former case. There is an inverse correlation between HTC （hydrogen transfer coefficient） and the yield of propylene, and restricting the hydrogen transfer reaction is the more important measure in increasing the yield of propylene of the ZSM-5 catalyst. The ethylene yield of ZSM-5/A1203 is higher, but the gaseous side products with low value are not enhanced when ZSM-5 catalyst is used. Moreover, for LPG and the end products, dry gas and coke, their ranges of reaction conditions to which their yields are dependent are different, and that of end products is more severe than that of LPG. So it is clear that maximizing LPG and propylene and restricting dry gas and coke can be both achieved via increasing the severity of reaction conditions among the range of reaction conditions which LPG yield is sensitive to.

Graft-to-recipient weight ratio lower to 0.7% is safe without portal pressure modulation in right-lobe living donor liver transplantation with favorable conditions

BACKGROUND: The low graft-to-recipient weight ratio(GRWR) in adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation(LDLT) is one of the major risk factors affecting graft survival. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether the lower limit of the GRWR can be safely reduced without portal pressure modulation in right-lobe LDLT. METHODS: From 2005 to 2011, 317 consecutive patients from a single institute underwent LDLT with right-lobe grafts without portal pressure modulation. Of these, 23 had a GRWR of less than 0.7%(group A), 27 had a GRWR of ≥0.7%, 【0.8%(group B), and 267 had a GRWR of more than and equal to 0.8%(group C). Medical records, including recipient, donor, operation factors, laboratory findings and complications were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The baseline demographics showed low model for end-stage liver disease score(mean 16.3±8.9) and high percentage of hepatocellular carcinoma(231 patients, 72.9%). Three groups by GRWR demonstrated similar characteristics except recipient body mass index and donor gender. For smallforsize syndrome, there were 3(13.0%) in group A, 1(3.7%) in group B, and 2 patients(0.7%) in group C(P【0.001). Hepatic artery thrombosis was more frequently observed in group A than in groups B and C(8.7% vs 3.7% vs 1.9%, P=0.047). However, among the three groups, graft survival rates at 1 year(100% vs 96.3% vs 93.6%) and 3 years(91.7% vs 73.2% vs 88.1%) were not different(P=0.539). In laboratory measurements,there was no group difference in total bilirubin and albumin. However, prothrombin time was longer in group A within postoperative 1 week and platelet count was lower in groups A and B within postoperative 1 month. CONCLUSION: A GRWR lower to 0.7% is safe and does not need to modulate portal pressure in adult-to-adult LDLT using the right-lobe in favorable conditions including low model for end-stage liver disease score.

Therapeutic effect of nerve growth factor on cerebral infarction in dogs using the hemisphere anomalous volume ratio of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

A model of focal cerebral ischemic infarction was established in dogs through middle cerebral artery occlusion of the right side.Thirty minutes after occlusion,models were injected with nerve growth factor adjacent to the infarct locus.The therapeutic effect of nerve growth factor against cerebral infarction was assessed using the hemisphere anomalous volume ratio,a quantitative index of diffusion-weighted MRI.At 6 hours,24 hours,7 days and 3 months after modeling,the hemisphere anomalous volume ratio was significantly reduced after treatment with nerve growth factor. Hematoxylin-eosin staining,immunohistochemistry,electron microscopy and neurological function scores showed that infarct defects were slightly reduced and neurological function significantly improved after nerve growth factor treatment.This result was consistent with diffusion-weighted MRI measurements.Experimental findings indicate that nerve growth factor can protect against cerebral infarction,and that the hemisphere anomalous volume ratio of diffusion-weighted MRI can be used to evaluate the therapeutic effect.

Feasibility study on buoyancy-weight ratios of a submerged floating tunnel prototype subjected to hydrodynamic loads

The research progress of a novel traffic solution,a submerged floating tunnel（SFT）,is reviewed in terms of a study approach and loading scenario.Among existing publications,the buoyancy-weight ratio（BWR） is usually predefined.However,BWR is a critical structural parameter that tremendously affects the dynamic behaviour of not only the tunnel tube itself but also the cable system.In the context of a SFT prototype（SFTP） project in Qiandao Lake（Zhejiang Province,China）,the importance of BWR is illustrated by finite element analysis and subsequently,an optimized BWR is proposed within a reasonable range in the present study.In the numerical model,structural damping is identified to be of importance.Rayleigh damping and the corresponding Rayleigh coefficients are attained through a sensitivity study,which shows that the adopted damping ratios are fairly suitable for SFTP.Lastly,the human sense of security is considered by quantifying the comfort index,which helps further optimize BWR in the SFTP structural parameter design.

Dynamic genetic analysis for body weight and main length ratio in turbot Scophthalmus maximus

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters of body width(BW)to body length(BL)ratio(BW/BL)and of body weight traits(BWT)in turbot,and to elucidate the genetic mechanism of the two traits during ontogeny by dynamic genetic analysis.From 3 to 27 months,BW,BL and BWT of each communally stocked fish were measured every 3 months.The BW/BL ratio was measured at different sampling ages.A twotrait animal model was used for genetic evaluation of traits.The results showed that the heritability values of BW/BL ratio ranged from 0.2168 to 0.3148,corresponding to moderate heritability.The BWT heritability values ranged from 0.2702 to 0.3479 corresponding to moderate heritability.The heritability of BW/BL ratio was lower than that of BWT,except at 3 months of age.Genetic correlation between BW/BL ratio and BWT decreased throughout the measurement period.Genetic correlations were higher than the phenotypic correlations.The current results for estimating genetic parameters demonstrate that the BW/BL ratio could be used as a phenotypic marker of fast-growing turbot,and the BW/BL ratio and BWT could be improved simultaneously through selective breeding.

Intoxication Induced by Urea Containing Diets in Broiler Chickens: Effect on Weight Gain, Feed Conversion Ratio, Hematological and Biochemical Profiles

Urea as a source of cheap non-protein nitrogen is used to adulterate fish and meat meals which are basic components of broiler diets. The present study was carried out to elucidate the effects of urea on weight gain, and hematological and biochemical profiles. A total of 48 broiler chicks were randomly allotted into 4 groups, designated Groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 of 12 birds each. Birds in Groups 2, 3 and 4 were fed on diets containing urea at the levels of 1%, 2.5% and 4%, respectively. Birds in Group 1 served as control and were not exposed to urea. Experimentation period was for 3 weeks and experiment was terminated when birds were 42 days of age. Body weight of all intoxicated birds at the various intervals was significantly decreased in comparison with that of the untreated control. Compared with control, all intoxicated broilers manifested significant (P ≤ 0.05) decrease in all hematological parameters involving erythrocytic and total leucocytic counts, Hemoglobin (Hb) and Packed Cell Volume (PCV) on a dose- and time-pattern. In comparison with the control levels, biochemical profile of the intoxicated birds disclosed significant decrease in blood glucose level and significant increase in serum uric acid, urea, Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. Based upon the present data, it was concluded that the addition of urea to broiler diets bears serious sequences concerning the general health condition, performance, weight gain, and hematological and biochemical profiles.

Successful living donor liver transplantation with a graft-to-recipient weight ratio of 0.41 without portal flow modulation:A case report

BACKGROUND There have been numerous efforts to lower the limit of minimum graft size to meet the metabolic demand of recipients in adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation(LDLT).We experienced a successful case of LDLT using a verysmall-for-size graft without portal flow modulation such as splenectomy or portocaval shunt.CASE SUMMARY A 49-year-old man(weighing 91 kg)suffering hepatocellular carcinoma accompanied with hepatitis B virus related cirrhosis underwent LDLT.The one and only voluntary donor was his 17-year-old daughter whose body weight was 50 kg with a body mass index(BMI)of 18.3.The procured right liver graft was 411 g with a real graft-to-recipient weight ratio(GRWR)of 0.41%,the smallest to be reported in the literature.Both the recipient and donor had an uneventful recovery and were discharged on days 15 and 8,respectively,with normal liver function.The father and daughter have had no complication so far and are still in good health with normal liver function 81 mo after LDLT.CONCLUSION Satisfactory outcomes can be achieved in LDLT with a GRWR as low as 0.41%even without using portal flow modulation in highly selected patients.

Effects of Fiber Weight Ratio, Structure and Fiber Modification onto Flexural Properties of Luffa-Polyester Composites

The effect of chemical modification, reinforcement structure and fiber weight ratio on the flexural proprieties of Luffa-polyester composites was studied. A unsaturated polyester matrix reinforced with a mat of Luffa external wall fibers (ComLEMat), a short Luffa external wall fibers(ComLEBC) and a short Luffa core fi-bers (ComLCBC) was fabricated under various conditions of fibers treatments (combined process, acetylat-ing and cyanoethylating) and fiber weight ratio. It resorts that acetylating and cyanoethylating enhance the flexural strength and the flexural modulus. The fiber weight ratio influenced the flexural properties of com-posites. Indeed, a maximum value of strength and strain is observed over a 10% fiber weight ratio. The uses of various reinforcement structures were investigated. The enhancement of elongation at break and the strain values of the composite reinforced by natural mat was proved.

Minimum MSE Weighted Estimator to Make Inferences for a Common Risk Ratio across Sparse Meta-Analysis Data

The paper aims to discuss three interesting issues of statistical inferences for a common risk ratio (RR) in sparse meta-analysis data. Firstly, the conventional log-risk ratio estimator encounters a number of problems when the number of events in the experimental or control group is zero in sparse data of a 2 × 2 table. The adjusted log-risk ratio estimator with the continuity correction points based upon the minimum Bayes risk with respect to the uniform prior density over (0, 1) and the Euclidean loss function is proposed. Secondly, the interest is to find the optimal weights of the pooled estimate that minimize the mean square error (MSE) of subject to the constraint on where , , . Finally, the performance of this minimum MSE weighted estimator adjusted with various values of points is investigated to compare with other popular estimators, such as the Mantel-Haenszel (MH) estimator and the weighted least squares (WLS) estimator (also equivalently known as the inverse-variance weighted estimator) in senses of point estimation and hypothesis testing via simulation studies. The results of estimation illustrate that regardless of the true values of RR, the MH estimator achieves the best performance with the smallest MSE when the study size is rather large and the sample sizes within each study are small. The MSE of WLS estimator and the proposed-weight estimator adjusted by , or , or are close together and they are the best when the sample sizes are moderate to large (and) while the study size is rather small.

Effect of Fiber Weight Ratio and Fiber Modification on Flexural Properties of Posidonia-Polyester Composites

The main objective of this research is to study the effect of fiber weight ratio and chemical fiber modification on flexural properties of composites reinforced with Posidonia fiber. An unsaturated polyester matrix reinforced with untreated and treated Posidonia fibers was fabricated under various fiber weight ratios. Results showed that the combined chemical treatment provided better mechanical properties of composites in comparison with untreated fiber. The fiber weight ratio influenced the flexural properties of composites. Indeed, a maximum value of flexural modulus was observed for 10% fiber weight ratio for composites reinforced with treated fibers. SEM photographs revealed a different fracture surface between Posidonia fibers reinforced polyester composites.

Spatial search weighting information contained in cell velocity distribution

Cell migration plays a significant role in physiological and pathological processes.Understanding the characteristics of cell movement is crucial for comprehending biological processes such as cell functionality,cell migration,and cell–cell interactions.One of the fundamental characteristics of cell movement is the specific distribution of cell speed,containing valuable information that still requires comprehensive understanding.This article investigates the distribution of mean velocities along cell trajectories,with a focus on optimizing the efficiency of cell food search in the context of the entire colony.We confirm that the specific velocity distribution in the experiments corresponds to an optimal search efficiency when spatial weighting is considered.The simulation results indicate that the distribution of average velocity does not align with the optimal search efficiency when employing average spatial weighting.However,when considering the distribution of central spatial weighting,the specific velocity distribution in the experiment is shown to correspond to the optimal search efficiency.Our simulations reveal that for any given distribution of average velocity,a specific central spatial weighting can be identified among the possible central spatial weighting that aligns with the optimal search strategy.Additionally,our work presents a method for determining the spatial weights embedded in the velocity distribution of cell movement.Our results have provided new avenues for further investigation of significant topics,such as relationship between cell behavior and environmental conditions throughout their evolutionary history,and how cells achieve collective cooperation through cell-cell communication.

The spike weight contribution of the photosynthetic area above the upper internode in a winter wheat under different nitrogen and mulching regimes

Besides leaves, non-foliar green organs such as stem and spike are also considered photosynthetic organs. To assess the photosynthetic contributions of these organs, the correlations between these photosynthetic areas and single-spike weight were investigated in a winter wheat(Triticum aestivum L.) under four nitrogen and mulching treatments: N120,N150, N195, and N195 + M. Two-year repeated field experiments were conducted on the Loess Plateau of China. Non-foliar photosynthetic area, grain-filling ratio and duration,grain yield, and in particular, single-spike weight, were measured, recorded and analyzed.Under the N195 + M treatment, plants showed the largest area of photosynthetic organs(flag leaf and non-foliar organs) and the highest grain yield and single spike weight. Singlespike weight was positively correlated with the areas of all examined non-foliar photosynthetic organs, in particular with the area above the flag leaf node(R^2= 0.761*)and the area above the exposed part of the peduncle(EXP)(R^2= 0.800**). In addition, singlespike weight was highly correlated with average grain-filling ratio(R^2= 0.993**), whereas it was less highly correlated with grain-filling duration(R^2= 0.533). The morphological traits of non-foliar photosynthetic organs were also more highly correlated with average grainfilling ratio than with average grain-filling duration. The significant correlation between each of the morphological traits(area, length and width) of EXP and single-spike weight indicates that morphological traits of EXP are important in determining spike weight in the Loess Plateau environment.

RANGE AMBIGUITY DISTRIBUTION CHARACTERISTIC OF SPACEBORNE SAR AND ITS DESIGN CONSIDERATION

A new approach is proposed which can satisfy the range ambiguity requirement while keep the antenna width not to be enlarged and get the high quality image also. Here the chirp slope of the transmitted linear frequency modulated pulses is reversed alternately. Therefore, during the range compression significant portion of the ambiguous return which is due to the mismatching with the signal reference function is suppressed. The suggested method provides significant improvement in range ambiguity ratio and can be utilized in attaining wider swath.

Development of a mass model in estimating weight-wise particle size distribution using digital image processing

Particle size distribution of coarse aggregates through mechanical sieving gives results in terms of cumu- lative mass percent. But digital image processing generated size distribution of particles, while being fast and accurate, is often expressed in terms of area function or number of particles. In this paper, a mass model is developed which converts the image obtained size distribution to mass-wise distribution, mak- ing it readily comparable to mechanical sieving data. The concept of weight/particle ratio is introduced for mass reconstruction from 2D images of particle aggregates. Using this mass model, the effects of several particle shape parameters （such as major axis, minor axis, and equivalent diameter） on sieve-size of the particles is studied. It is shown that the sieve-size of a particle strongly depend upon the shape param- eters, 91% of its variation being explained by major axis, minor axis, bounding box length and equivalent diameter. Furthermore, minor axis gives an overall accurate estimate of particle sieve-size, error in mean size （D-50） being just 0.4%. However, sieve-size of smaller particles （〈20 ram） strongly depends upon the length of the smaller arm of the bounding box enclosing them and sieve-sizes of larger particles （〉20 mm） are highly correlated to their equivalent diameters. Multiple linear regression analysis has been used to generate overall mass-wise particle size distribution, considering the influences of all these shape parameters on particle sieve-size. Multiple linear regression generated overall mass-wise particle size distribution shows a strong correlation with sieve generated data. The adjusted R-square value of the regression analysis is found to be 99 percent （w.r,t cumulative frequency）. The method proposed in this paper provides a time-efficient way of producing accurate （up to 99%） mass-wise PSD using digital image processing and it can be used effectively to renlace the mechanical sieving.