Herbage production,nutritive value and animal productivity within hardwood silvopasture,open and mixed pasture systems in Appalachia,United States

Demand for livestock food products is projected to increase dramatically through to 2050. Increased livestock production capacity on marginal lands will be critical to meeting this demand. A 5‐year research effort was undertaken to evaluate lamb and sward productivity within open and hardwood silvopasture (SP) systems in Appalachia, USA. Grazing began in mid to late April each year, with the grazing season averaging 141 d. Grazing system treatments during 2002 and 2003 grazing seasons were as follows: 100% open pasture (OP), 67% OP and 33% SP, and 67% OP and 33% SP with delayed SP grazing initiation (OSD). In 2004, a 100% SP (SP) system was added. Animals were rotationally stocked through either 6 (2002–2004) or 7 (2005–2006) paddocks. Open pasture produced greater (P < 0·001) grazing season herbage yield, while all systems generated similar animal performance. Based on summer solstice, herbage production in spring was greater (P < 0·001) than summer, except in 2003. Total non‐structural carbohydrate (TNC) content was greater (P < 0·05) in spring than in summer, except in 2004. Animal performance was superior in spring versus summer (P < 0·001). Animal plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) was lower (P < 0·05) for OP in 2003. When PUN was correlated with nutritive value indicators, the ratio of TNC to crude protein (CP) had the strongest correlation. The strong correlation indicates the need for synchronized ruminal energy and CP availability. Development of silvopasture from existing woodlots has potential to improve whole farm productivity on marginal lands.     

心尖锚的力学分析

设计了一种六齿镍钛合金锚钩用于封堵器等二尖瓣、三尖瓣返流修复系统的心尖固定,并对其力学特性进行研究.通过分析心脏结构及解剖数据,确定锚钩形状和可控尺寸设计变量,利用Solidworks建立锚钩3D模型,运用Abaqus软件对23个不同尺寸锚钩模型的入鞘过程进行有限元计算,分析锚钩入鞘过程中的最大入鞘力、最大冯米塞斯应变和入鞘轨迹的影响因素.制作了一种规格锚钩实物,与计算结果进行对比分析.结果表明:鞘部长度、鞘部角度及齿宽对应力、应变的影响最大,可以通过减小鞘部长度、鞘部角度及齿宽,有效降低最大应力、应变值;厚度、曲率半径及齿宽对入鞘力起到决定性作用,而根长和角度对入鞘力的影响很小;轴向刺入深度主要通过控制鞘部长度及鞘部角度来定义,径向刺入深度则由曲率半径的大小所决定.研究可为需心尖固定的心脏介入产品设计提供一定的借鉴意义.     

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural exports

The COVID-19 outbreak has shocked the world's economies in the year of 2020. As this pandemic spreads around the globe, many experts feared that the global food supplies might start running short, especially if supply chains were disrupted. COVID-19 also added to the uncertainty of the business operation. Therefore, it is critical to understand how COVID-19 pandemic affected global food supply and market. In this study, we investigate the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural export companies in China using a unique firm-level survey data. We found that although on average agricultural businesses experienced declines in the exports, exports of some agricultural products especially grain and oil held strong and even increased, implying the essential demand for staple food during the pandemic. Not surprisingly, exports of medicinal herb also increased significantly during the pandemic. However, exports of goods such as edible fungus and horticultural products sharply decreased. Our results also showed that in general, impact of COVID-19 on smaller firms was more severe than that on larger firms. The results of this study can provide useful guidance and implications for agricultural businesses and policy makers on their COVID-19 mitigation efforts to navigate this global pandemic.     

The economic benefits and costs of trees in urban forest stewardship: A systematic review

Understanding the benefits provided by urban trees is important to justify investment and improve stewardship. Many studies have attempted to quantify the benefits of trees in monetary terms, though fewer have quantified the associated costs of planting and maintaining them. This systematic review examines the methods used to jointly analyse the costs and benefits of trees in the urban landscape, assesses the relative balance of benefits and costs, and attempts to understand the wide variation in economic values assigned in different studies. The benefits most frequently studied are those related to environmental regulation and property values, and the available data show that these usually outweigh the costs. Aesthetic, amenity, and shading benefits have also been shown to provide significant economic benefits, while benefits in terms of water regulation, carbon reduction and air quality are usually more modest. Variation in benefits and costs among studies is attributed largely to differences in the species composition and age structure of urban tree populations, though methodological differences also play a role. Comparison between studies is made difficult owing to differences in spatiotemporal scope, and in the way urban forest composition and demographic structure were reported. The overwhelming majority of studies concern deciduous trees in Northern America, and much less is known about urban forests in other regions, especially in the tropics. Future work should thus seek to fill these knowledge gaps, and standardise research protocols across cities. In light of ambitious goals in many cities to increase tree cover, ongoing advances in valuation methods need to provide a more comprehensive accounting of benefits and costs, and to better integrate economic assessment into the decision-making process.     

Phenological and physiological evaluation of first and second cropping periods of sorghum and maize crops

Environmental conditions influence phenology and physiological processes of plants. It is common for maize and sorghum to be sown at two different periods: the first cropping (spring/summer) and the second cropping (autumn/winter). The phenological cycle of these crops varies greatly according to the planting season, and it is necessary to characterize the growth and development to facilitate the selection of the species best adapted to the environment. The aim of this study was to characterize phenological phases and physiological parameters in sorghum and maize plants as a function of environmental conditions from the first cropping and second cropping periods. Two parallel experiments were conducted with both crops. The phenological characterization was based on growth analyses (plant height, leaf area and photoassimilate partitioning) and gas exchange evaluations (net assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration and water-use efficiency). It was found that the vegetative stage (VS) for sorghum and maize plants was 7 and 21 days, respectively, longer when cultivated during the second cropping. In the first cropping, the plants were taller than in the second cropping, regardless of the crop. The stomatal conductance of sorghum plants fluctuated in the second cropping during the development period, while maize plants showed decreasing linear behaviour. Water-use efficiency in sorghum plants was higher during the second cropping compared with the first cropping. In maize plants, in the second cropping, the water-use efficiency showed a slight variation in relation to the first cropping. It was concluded that the environmental conditions as degree-days, temperature, photoperiod and pluvial precipitation influence the phenology and physiology of both crops during the first and the second cropping periods, specifically cycle duration, plant height, leaf area, net assimilation rate, stomatal conductance and water-use efficiency, indicating that both crops respond differentially to environmental changes during the growing season.     

中国林产工业产业关联与波及效应分析——基于投入产出模型的国际比较

文中基于中国、美国、俄罗斯、印度、巴西、印度尼西亚6国2000—2014年投入产出数据，通过测算中间需求率、中间投入率、感应度系数和影响力系数，对林产工业产业关联与波及效应进行动态比较分析。研究结果表明:相较于其他国家，中国木材加工业、造纸业的中间产品型产业特征明显，对国民经济贡献程度较高，但同时也面临成为“瓶颈产业”的风险；中国家具制造业的最终需求型产业性质显著，受整体经济发展的拉动作用明显弱于其他国家。总体而言，中国林产工业对国民经济的推动作用整体上高于国民经济发展对其的拉动作用。需要重点提升木材加工业、家具制造业整体产业链竞争力，加大科研创新投入力度以提升产出效率，并进一步提高家具制造业整体产品的附加值。     

圣女果研究文献计量学分析

基于CiteSpace V信息可视化分析软件，以CNKI数据库248篇圣女果文献为研究对象，采用关键词共现网络及聚类分析生成圣女果研究知识图谱，为研究者深入开展圣女果保鲜和深加工研究提供参考。研究结果表明：圣女果研究文献呈逐年增多趋势，圣女果研究成果较多的研究机构是百色学院农业与食品工程学院、广东食品药品职业学院、海南工业研究所等，成果较多的作者是肖春玲、祝美云、李瑜等，圣女果研究热点主要集中在保鲜、万寿菊、壳聚糖、成品品质等几个方面。     

基于网络嵌入性的我国东北国有林区知识转移机理

文中从社会网络视角分析我国东北国有林区职工、家庭及林业企业知识转移的过程和影响因素，以期通过社会关系和网络结构促进林业企业转型。应用知识转移基本理论构建东北国有林区多层次知识转移理论模型，在此基础上从社会网络视角分析林区职工、家庭和林业企业3个层面的知识转移机理。研究表明:增强林区知识转移个体与利益相关者的联系程度、占据更多的结构洞位置以及提高个体网络中心度和凝聚程度有利于知识获取和内化；林区待岗职工与利益相关者的弱联系有利于其获得更多就业机会；国有森工企业由于过度嵌入社会网络，知识内化和创新动力不足。