Growth,phenology, and biomass allocation of alien Solidago species in central Europe

Plant invasion is a major threat to the integrity of an ecosystem. Exceptionally successful invaders in Europe are the American species of Solidago genus. In this study we examined growth, reproduction, and phenology of Solidago species, of American origin, growing in central Europe (S. altissima, S. canadensis, S. gigantea, S. graminifolia). These taxa were compared with two native species: Solidago virgaurea and Tanacetum vulgare. We observed high differentiation in height, number of shoots, and biomass production between individuals within taxa. Generally, the invasive species produced substantially (two to five times) more biomass than the native ones, being statistically significant in the comparison of alien Solidago graminifolia and S. gigantea versus native S. virgaurea and T. vulgare. The ratio of biomass of reproductive parts to overall biomass varied considerably among years, but generally the lowest one was for Solidago altissima, and the highest for S. graminifolia. It shows a lack of a clear pattern of differentiation between alien and native species in terms of biomass investment in reproduction. We observed a general tendency of allocation of a major part of biomass in rhizomes by phalanx species (S. graminifolia and S. gigantea), while species with guerrilla strategy (S. altissima and S. canadensis) invested more biomass in stems and leaves. However, because of the high variability there was no clear, stable pattern of statistically significant differences between these two groups. The results suggest that S. graminifolia reveals a strong potential of invasion, in spite of its, so far limited, distribution in Europe.     

Impacts of regular and random noise on the behaviour,growth and development of larval Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

Anthropogenic noise impacts behaviour and physiology in many species, but responses could change with repeat exposures. As repeat exposures can vary in regularity, identifying regimes with less impact is important for regulation. We use a 16-day split-brood experiment to compare effects of regular and random acoustic noise (playbacks of recordings of ships), relative to ambient-noise controls, on behaviour, growth and development of larval Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Short-term noise caused startle responses in newly hatched fish, irrespective of rearing noise. Two days of both regular and random noise regimes reduced growth, while regular noise led to faster yolk sac use. After 16 days, growth in all three sound treatments converged, although fish exposed to regular noise had lower body width–length ratios. Larvae with lower body width–length ratios were easier to catch in a predator-avoidance experiment. Our results demonstrate that the timing of acoustic disturbances can impact survival-related measures during development. Much current work focuses on sound levels, but future studies should consider the role of noise regularity and its importance for noise management and mitigation measures.     

Model-based predictions of anaerobic digestion of agricultural substrates for biogas production

A modified Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1), calibrated on a laboratory digester with a feeding mix of 30% weight of cow manure and 70% weight of corn silage, was implemented, showing its performances of simulation as a decision-making and planning-supporting tool for the anaerobic digestion of agricultural substrates. The virtual fermenter obtained was used to conduct simulations with different feeding compositions and loading rates of cow manure, corn silage, grass silage and rape oil. All simulations were started at the same initial state which was represented by a steady state with an organic loading rate of 2.5 kg ODM/(). The effects of the different feeding combinations on biogas composition and biogas yield were predicted reasonably, and partly verified with the available literature data. Results demonstrated that the simulations could be helpful for taking decisions on agricultural biogas plant operation or experimental set-ups, if used advisedly.     

Estimating biogeochemical and biotic interactions between a stream channel and a created riparian wetland: A medium-scale physical model

Straightened channels and altered and drained adjacent riparian wetlands have adversely impacted streams and rivers throughout the US Midwest. This research investigated the biological connection and water quality of a 0.07 ha diversion wetland and adjacent stream at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park in central Ohio. Before the flowthrough conditions were established, we demonstrated with mark and recapture techniques that the wetland already was a biorefuge for fish under extreme conditions; two species (Centrarchidae) captured in the stream before a total drawdown of the stream were found in the wetland a year later. In addition, water at the bottom remained at around 4 °C over the winter likely due to groundwater input, which possibly provided a warmer shelter for fish. Stream water quality of the lower section, downstream of the wetland outlet, generally improved with hydrologic pulsing in spring after flow-through reconnection due to the trapping of nutrients in the wetland. Mean removal per flood pulse for nitrate-nitrite, total nitrogen (TN), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), total phosphorus (TP) were 1.81 g-N m⁻² per pulse, 1.02 g-N m⁻² per pulse, 0.014 g-P m⁻² per pulse, and 0.004 g-P m⁻² per pulse, respectively. The wetland exported 2.8 g-C m⁻² per pulse of organic carbon. A greater attenuation of NO₃⁻ and TP occurred in the marshy outlet channel section of the wetland than the open water section. The diversion wetland successfully removed nitrate and phosphorus during storm pulses in spring. Similar designs should be applied to other locations to examine their function under different climatic and hydrological conditions.     

Techno-economical study of ethanol and biogas from spruce wood by NMMO-pretreatment and rapid fermentation and digestion

Given that N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) is a promising alternative for the pretreatment of lignocelluloses, a novel process for ethanol and biogas production from wood was developed. The solvent, NMMO, is concentrated by multistage evaporation, and the wood is pretreated with the concentrated NMMO. Thereafter, ethanol is produced by the non-isothermal simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (NSSF) method, which is a rapid and efficient process. The wastewater is treated by upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) digester for rapid production of biogas. The process was simulated by Aspen plus®. Using mechanical vapor recompression for evaporators in the pretreatment and multi-pressure distillation columns, the energy requirements for the process were minimized. The economical feasibility of the developed biorefinery for five different plant capacities was studied by Aspen Icarus Process Evaluator. The base case was designed to utilize 200,000 tons of spruce wood per year and required M€ 58.3 as the total capital investment, while the production cost of ethanol is calculated to be €/l 0.44.     

Contrasting effects of insect and molluscan herbivores on plant diversity in a long-term field experiment

The importance of invertebrate herbivores in regulating plant communities remains unclear, due to the absence of long-term exclusion experiments. An experiment in an English grassland involving long-term exclusions of insect and mollusc herbivores, along with rabbit fencing, showed strong, but opposing, effects of the invertebrate herbivores. Plant species richness declined and biomass increased following insect exclusion, due to increased dominance by a grass species, whereas mollusc exclusion led to increased herbs abundance. The two herbivores had a compensatory interaction: molluscs had no effects in the absence of insects and large insect effects depended on the absence of molluscs. The effects of invertebrate exclusion became apparent only after 8 years, and would have been seriously underestimated in shorter studies. Our results suggest that theorists and conservation managers need to shift from their historic focus on vertebrate herbivory, to a recognition that invertebrates can be equally important drivers of plant community structure.     

后磨牙模拟根管模型制备与研究

目的：制备后磨牙模拟根管模型。方法：依照预实验中测试的牙本质和树脂根管模型材料的布氏硬度值（牙本质HB72,树脂块HB54）选取纯铜质铜管为材料（纯铜HB58）同时利用预实验中确认的后磨牙模拟根管模型弯曲角度的范围（70°-60°）并参照树脂根管模型相关数据,设计不同弯曲角度（70°,64°,60°）的纯铜质根管模型,将20套镍钛根管锉随机分为4组,其中3组根管锉分别预备相应角度的10个纯铜质后磨牙根管模型,另一组在临床预备10个后磨牙根管作为对照组。所有镍钛根管锉均在疲劳寿命测试装置中测试疲劳寿命。结果：选用根管长度为16mm±1mm,弯曲半径为5mm,内径为0.70mm的纯铜质铜管制作后磨牙根管模型。其中在弯曲角度为70°的后磨牙根管模型中有33%（2/6）近似临床;在弯曲角度为64°的后磨牙根管模型中有67%（4/6）近似临床;在弯曲角度为60°的后磨牙根管模型中有33%（2/6）近似临床。结论：弯曲角度为64°的纯铜制后磨牙模拟根管模型更接近于临床实际,可为体外研究镍钛根管锉各项指标提供一个较为理想的模型。     

基于重采样技术的肌电信号动作电位传导速度估计研究

目的:本文针对表面肌电(sEMG)信号探讨动作电位传导速度(APCV)估计问题。方法:以生理学仿真sEMG信号为基础,采用基于互相关分析的时延估计技术来获取相应的APCV估计值,并利用重采样技术来提高估计的精度。结果:实验表明,针对重采样后的仿真信号,其APCV的估计误差得到了明显降低。结论:所采用方法能够有效获取满意的APCV估计效果。     

薏米黄酒的急性毒性研究

目的:研究薏米黄酒的急性毒性,评价该酒的食用安全性。方法:以ICR小鼠为受试对象,一次性给予最大剂量,观察薏米黄酒对小鼠的急性毒性反应,测定薏米黄酒的LD50和最大耐受剂量。结果:小鼠无一只死亡,无法测出LD50,最大耐受量大于20400 mg/kg。结论:实验检测表明,该黄酒无毒,为薏米黄酒的应用提供了毒理学依据。     

More Powerful Likelihood Ratio Tests for Isotonic Binomial Proportions

Binomial group testing involves pooling individuals into groups and observing a binary response on each group. Results from the group tests can then be used to draw inference about population proportions. Its use as an experimental design has received much attention in recent years, especially in public‐health screening experiments and vector‐transfer designs in plant pathology. We investigate the benefits of group testing in situations wherein one desires to test whether or not probabilities are increasingly ordered across the levels of an observed qualitative covariate, i.e., across strata of a population or among treatment levels. We use a known likelihood ratio test for individual testing, but extend its use to group‐testing situations to show the increases in power conferred by using group testing when operating in this constrained parameter space. We apply our methods to data from an HIV study involving male subjects classified as intraveneous drug users.