A Dynamic Tool to Describe Lamb Growth and Its Use as a Decision Support System.

A dynamic model has been developed to simulate aspects of feedlot lamb growth and body composition, including energy and protein requirements, growth rate, composition of gain, and body mass. Model inputs include initial body mass (kg), standard final mass (kg), age (days), and dietary energy concentration (Mcal·kg). The model was assessed as a decision support tool using a dataset of 564 individual measures of final body mass and diet energy.

A Novel Approach to Pod Count Estimation Using a Depth Camera in Support of Soybean Breeding Applications.

Improving soybean ( L. (Merr.)) yield is crucial for strengthening national food security.

Lignocellulosic biomass-based glycoconjugates for diverse biotechnological applications.

Glycoconjugates are the ubiquitous components of mammalian cells, mainly synthesized by covalent bonds of carbohydrates to other biomolecules such as proteins and lipids, with a wide range of potential applications in novel vaccines, therapeutic peptides and antibodies (Ab). Considering the emerging developments in glycoscience, renewable production of glycoconjugates is of importance and lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is a potential source of carbohydrates to produce synthetic glycoconjugates in a sustainable pathway. In this review, recent advances in glycobiology aiming on glycoconjugates production is presented together with the recent and cutting-edge advances in the therapeutic properties and application of glycoconjugates, including therapeutic glycoproteins, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and nutraceuticals, emphasizing the integral role of glycosylation in their function and efficacy.

Agricultural Residues as Raw Materials for Pulp and Paper Production: Overview and Applications on Membrane Fabrication.

The need for pulp and paper has risen significantly due to exponential population growth, industrialization, and urbanization. Most paper manufacturing industries use wood fibers to meet pulp and paper requirements. The shortage of fibrous wood resources and increased deforestation are linked to the excessive dependence on wood for pulp and paper production.

Thermal Inactivation of and in Quesillo Manufactured from Raw Milk.

Quesillo is an artisanal Honduran cheese made from raw milk. During fabrication, curd melting is considered a killing step for pathogenic bacteria. This work was aimed at determining the survival of and on inoculated curd packaged in plastic bags and immersed in a water bath at 48, 54, 60, 65, and 70°C for predetermined times.

Volumetric Scale-Up of a Packed-Bed Ion-Exchange System to Extract Phytate from Thin Stillage.

Phytate is the main form of phosphorus in corn ethanol coproducts and poses digestion issues in monogastric-animal feed. Extracting phytate as a commodity chemical will bring extra revenue to the corn ethanol industry and reduces potential phosphorus pollution from livestock waste management. We assessed a simplified scale-up approach of an ion-exchange separation system applied to extract phytate from thin stillage using volumetric parameters and simplifications of the van Deemter model.

Lowering the Toxicity of Cd to Using Soil Amendments Based on Commercial Charcoal and Lime.

Carbonaceous and calcareous materials are commonly used as amendments to decrease the Cd mobility in contaminated soils. This study evaluated the effect of amendments applied to cocoa seedlings in the greenhouse, considering the mobilization of soil cadmium toward the seedlings as the main response. The experimental conditions considered soil artificially contaminated with Cd at a concentration of 50 mg Cd kg and applications of amendments in different treatments with the presence of charcoal dust and calcium carbonate.

Short-term warming does not affect intrinsic thermotolerance but induces strong sustaining photoprotection in tropical evergreen citrus genotypes.

Consequences of warming and postwarming events on photosynthetic thermotolerance (P ) and photoprotective responses in tropical evergreen species remain elusive. We chose Citrus to answer some of the emerging questions related to tropical evergreen species' P behaviour including (i) how wide is the genotypic variation in P ? (ii) how does P respond to short-term warming and (iii) how do photosynthesis and photoprotective functions respond over short-term warming and postwarming events? A study on 21 genotypes revealed significant genotypic differences in P , though these were not large. We selected five genotypes with divergent P and simulated warming events: T 26/20°C (day-time highest maximum/night-time lowest maximum) (Week 1) < T 33/30°C (Week 2) < T 36/32°C (Week 3) followed by T 26/16°C (Week 4, recovery).

Urban soils as a spatial indicator of quality for urban socio-ecological systems.

The development of criteria and indicators to quantify the transition to sustainability of the urban socio-ecological systems quality is determinant for planning policies and the 21st century urban agenda. This study models the spatial variation in the concentration and distribution of some macronutrients, micronutrients, and trace nutrients in the soil of a high-altitude city in the Andes. Meanwhile, machine learning methods were employed to study some interactions between the different dimensions that constitute an urban socio-ecosystem that caused these variations.

Effects of Warming and N Deposition on the Physiological Performances of in Alpine Meadow of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Warming and Nitrogen (N) deposition are key global changes that may affect eco-physiological process of territorial plants. In this paper, we examined the effects of warming, N deposition, and their combination effect on the physiological performances of . Four treatments were established in an alpine meadow of Qinghai-Tibetan plateau: control (CK), warming (W), N deposition (N), and warming plus N deposition (NW).

Interpretable machine learning for predicting biomethane production in industrial-scale anaerobic co-digestion.

The objective of this study is to apply machine learning models to accurately predict daily biomethane production in an industrial-scale co-digestion facility. The methodology involved applying elasticnet, random forest, and extreme gradient boosting to input-output data from an industrial-scale anaerobic co-digestion (ACoD) facility. The models were used to predict biomethane for 1-day, 3-day, 5-day, 10-day, 20-day, 30-day, and 40-day time horizons.

Different responses of multifaceted plant diversities of alpine meadow and alpine steppe to nitrogen addition gradients on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), >4000 m known as the "third pole of the earth" and is highly sensitive to nitrogen (N) deposition, understanding the effects of N deposition on multifaceted plant diversity (taxonomy diversity, functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity) in the alpine grasslands of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are vital for the conservation of alpine plant diversity and the sustainability of alpine grasslands ecosystem services. We added N of different gradients to test the effects of soil acidification, soil eutrophication, and phosphorus limitation independently, and interactively on the multifaceted plant richness and evenness in both an alpine meadow and an alpine steppe of the QTP. We found that all the p-value of taxonomy diversity, functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity were >0.

Effects of simulated N deposition on photosynthesis and productivity of key plants from different functional groups of alpine meadow on Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.

Nitrogen (N) deposition may alter physiological process of plants in grassland ecosystem. However, little is known about the response mechanism of individual plants in alpine regions to N deposition. We conducted a field experiment, and three treatments including 0 kg Nhayear (CK), 8 kgNhayear (Low N), and 72 kg N ha year (High N) were established to simulate N deposition in alpine meadow of Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.

Assessing regional drought impacts on vegetation and evapotranspiration: a case study in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

This research investigates ecological responses to drought by developing a conceptual framework of vegetation response and investigating how multiple measures of drought can improve regional drought monitoring. We apply this approach to a case study of a recent drought in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. First, we assess drought severity with the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) based on a 64-yr precipitation record derived from a combination of Global Precipitation Climatology Center data and satellite observations from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and Global Precipitation Measurement.

Suitability of existing morphological descriptors to characterize East African highland 'matooke' bananas.

Morphological traits are commonly used for characterizing plant genetic resources. Germplasm characterization should be based on distinctly identifiable, stable and heritable traits that are expressed consistently and are easy to distinguish by the human eye. Characterization and documentation of a representative sample of East African highland bananas (Lujugira-Mutika subgroup) was carried out following an internationally accepted standard protocol for bananas.

Using the protein leverage hypothesis to understand socioeconomic variation in obesity.

Objectives: The protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) predicts that protein appetite will stimulate excess energy intake, and consequently obesity, when the proportion of protein in the diet is low. Experimental studies support the PLH, but whether protein leverage can be used to understand socioeconomic (SES) variation in obesity is unknown. The objective of this study was to test two hypotheses from the PLH under non-experimental conditions.

Freshman College Students' Reasons for Enrolling in and Anticipated Benefits from a Basic College Physical Education Activity Course.

Background: Given the rise in US obesity rates in adulthood, efforts are needed to assess physical activity engagement during the college years as a strategy to promote a lifetime of being physically active. This study identifies the reasons incoming college freshman enrolled in basic physical education activity courses (BPEAC) and the perceived benefits they anticipated receiving as a result of course participation.

Methods: Data collected from 302 college freshmen in September 2013 were analyzed.

Banana leaf and glucose mineralization and soil organic matter in microhabitats of banana plantations under long-term pesticide use.

Soil organic matter (SOM) and microbial activity are key components of soil quality and sustainability. In the humid tropics of Costa Rica 3 pesticide regimes were studied-fungicide (low input); fungicide and herbicide (medium input); and fungicide, herbicide, and nematicide (high input)-under continuous banana cultivation for 5 yr (young) or 20 yr (old) in 3 microhabitats-nematicide ring around plants, litter pile of harvested banana, and bare area between litter pile and nematicide ring. Soil samples were incubated sequentially in the laboratory: unamended, amended with glucose, and amended with ground banana leaves.

Dinitrogen fixation by legume shade trees and direct transfer of fixed N to associated cacao in a tropical agroforestry system.

Natural abundance of (15)N (δ (15)N) was determined in bulk soil, rhizospheric soil and vegetation in an organically managed cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) plantation with Inga edulis Mart. legume trees (inga) as the principal shade for studying the nitrogen (N) cycle in the system.