Kudzu Forage Quality Evaluation as an Animal Feed Source

The nutritional value of kudzu (Pueraria lobata) was evaluated as a potential animal feed. Randomly selected samples from natural habitats with Jacksonville area (Alabama, USA) were utilized in the study. Kudzu leaves showed significantly higher dry matter and crude protein content than the stems;whereas, ADF fiber was significantly lower in the leaves. However, NDF and total digestible nutrients (TDN) were similar in the leaves and the stems. The leaf part of kudzu was especially rich in CP (24.46%) and met the requirements and recommendations for most ruminants. The TDN value for kudzu stem is 55.99%, which falls below but within the recommended range. Macronutrients concentration between the stem and leaf of kudzu, nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium showed a significantly higher in the leaf than the stem. However, phosphorous was similar in concentration in the stem and the leaf, and potassium was higher in the stem. In regard to the micronutrients, the only significant difference between the leaf and the stem was iron. However, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper were all above the recommended concentrations by the National Research Council. In general, kudzu can be considered a good source for animal feed, especially the leaf, which shows a higher value in most of the determined criteria in comparison to what was recommended by the National Research Council. This should provide a new outlook to kudzu, which has been considered a noxious weed and help in the utilization of kudzu in a positive way in the southern region of the US.

Soluble Carbohydrates Repress the Cellulolytic Activity of Clostridium cellulovorans and Eubacterium cellulosolvens

Studies have provided indirect evidence that cellulolytic activity of some anaerobic bacteria is repressed by carbohydrates, such as glucose. This effect is known as carbon catabolite repression （CCR）. Previous work has found that cellulolytic activity of Clostridium cellulovorans and Eubacterium cellulosolvens are regulated. Many cellulolytic systems of these organisms are expressed only in the presence of cellulose or cellobiose （the disaccharide of cellulose）. Some of these cellulose-induced systems also appear subject to CCR when more soluble substrates, such as glucose, are also available. To determine if such repression directly effects cellulolytic activity of C. cellulovorans and E. cellulosolvens, these organisms were cultivated in media containing a glucose analog. We then measured the ability of low levels of analog to inhibit growth of the organisms when cellobiose or cellulose were the energy substrates. Our results found that growth of both C. cellulovorans and E. cellulosolvens in cellobiose-containing medium are strongly inhibited by glucose analogs. In addition, both organisms exhibited delayed and slower growth in cellulose-containing medium when a glucose analog was added. These results provide direct demonstration that these cellulolytic bacteria are subject to CCR. This repression of cellulolysis may affect both of these organisms＇ ability to serve as industrial platforms for biomass degradation, and may interfere with the contribution of E. cellulosolvens toward animal digestion of cellulose. These results were also in sharp contrast to what has been reported regarding CCR activity in Clostridium cellulolyticum, which actively expresses cellulases in the presence of low levels of glucose.

Influence of Symbiotic Interaction between Fungus, Virus, and Tomato Plant in Combating Drought Stress

The influence of the three-way interaction between the fungus (Curvularia protuberata), virus (CThTV), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in combating drought stress was evaluated in this study. The plants in this greenhouse experiment were grown under conditions of 400 ± 150 μmol·m-2·s-1 photon flux density, 45% to 50% relative humidity (RH), and 30°C ± 2°C. Tomato seeds were germinated and inoculated with the combination of the fungus and virus at the seedling stage. The plants were allowed to grow for two weeks and randomly selected individuals were utilized. The selected plants were grown in one gallon pots containing organic potting soil. The treatments included non-symbiotic (NS), virus-free (VF), and symbiotic (An) plants. Each treatment received twelve samples and each sample was allowed to grow for an additional two weeks under drought stress. At that time, plants were exhibiting drought stress symptoms including visible wilting. Six samples from each treatment were utilized in determining selected physiological responses of tomato at pre-anthesis stage. The remaining six samples from each treatment were re-watered once and allowed to grow until they reached the anthesis stage. When they showed visible signs of wilting, the same physiological responses measured during pre-anthesis were conducted. The samples of each treatment were utilized at the end of each stage in determining photosynthetic rate, stomata conductance, photosynthetic pigments, water potential, and soluble sugar content. Plant growth, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, photosynthetic rate, stomata conductance, water potential, and soluble sugar content were similarly affected by the various treatments. However, carotenoids were significantly higher at pre-anthesis in the symbiotic plants in comparison to other treatments. Additionally, photosynthesis appeared to be significantly higher at anthesis compared to pre-anthesis for all treatments.

清洁生产审核对电厂节能减排效率的影响分析

电力企业的节能减排对提高全社会的能源使用效率和保护环境具有重要的意义。清洁生产审核是对企业工业生产实行污染防治的分析和评估,是推动污染防治从末端治理向全过程控制转变,落实绿色发展方式的重要途径。通过以清洁生产审核为中心,在综合考虑环境效益、财务效益和社会效益的基础上,构建了火电企业清洁生产审核绩效评价指标体系,并以案例分析清洁生产审核对电厂节能减排效率的影响,为推进电力企业清洁生产审核、促进节能减排效率提供参考。

Predicting Hurricane Evacuation Decisions with Interpretable Machine Learning Methods

Facing the escalating effects of climate change,it is critical to improve the prediction and understanding of the hurricane evacuation decisions made by households in order to enhance emergency management.Current studies in this area often have relied on psychology-driven linear models,which frequently exhibited limitations in practice.The present study proposed a novel interpretable machine learning approach to predict household-level evacuation decisions by leveraging easily accessible demographic and resource-related predictors,compared to existing models that mainly rely on psychological factors.An enhanced logistic regression model(that is,an interpretable machine learning approach) was developed for accurate predictions by automatically accounting for nonlinearities and interactions(that is,univariate and bivariate threshold effects).Specifically,nonlinearity and interaction detection were enabled by low-depth decision trees,which offer transparent model structure and robustness.A survey dataset collected in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,two of the most intense tropical storms of the last two decades,was employed to test the new methodology.The findings show that,when predicting the households’ evacuation decisions,the enhanced logistic regression model outperformed previous linear models in terms of both model fit and predictive capability.This outcome suggests that our proposed methodology could provide a new tool and framework for emergency management authorities to improve the prediction of evacuation traffic demands in a timely and accurate manner.

A redescription of the ichnospecies Koreanaornis anhuiensis(Aves) from the Lower Cretaceous Qiuzhuang Formation at Mingguang city, Anhui Province, China

The Cretaceous bird trackway originally labeled Aquatilavipes anhuiensis, in 1994, had previously been examined, photographed and replicated, but never described or illustrated in detail. However, it has been part of a widening discussion about the distribution of Aquatilavipes and Koreanaornis in China(and Korea). Here we illustrate and formally describe the holotype in detail and assign it to Koreanaornis(Koreanaornis anhuiensis) as informally proposed by previous authors. We also demonstrate that most authenticated reports of Koreanaornis, including the Anhui occurrence, are from the Lower Cretaceous, not from the Upper Cretaceous as previously reported.