Grassland responses to grazing disturbance: plant diversity changes with grazing intensity in a desert steppe

This study quantifies the impact of four different grazing regimes (heavy, moderate, light and ungrazed) on the vegetation dynamics of rangeland ecosystems along the southern boundary area of the Mu Us Desert, China. As the grazing intensities decreased, the soil quality, canopy cover, height, density, above‐ and below‐ground biomass, litter, root/shoot ratio and native plant (Aneurolepidium dasystachys) and grass abundances significantly increased; the above‐ground biomass of grasses increased, but the above‐ground biomass of forbs decreased. Ungrazed grassland has significantly improved from grasslands experiencing three other levels of grazing pressure, especially in the grassland biomass. Species richness increased as the grazing intensity decreased in the grazing grasslands, but peak species richness appeared under moderate and light grazing against lower productivity. Grazing exclusion causes desirable transitions in plant communities of desert steppe rangelands. Therefore, appropriate and efficient grazing exclusion is an available way to counteract local grassland degradation and promote rangeland sustainability.     

Analysis of series of variety trials with perennial crops

Field trials with perennial crops give rise to repeated measurements taken on the same plot on several occasions. It is important to account for serial correlation among repeated measurements in such trials. This study illustrates the use of mixed models for this purpose. We consider the analysis of trials conducted at several locations and the combination of trials with different starting years. A key issue in the analysis is the distinction between effects of calendar years, which are associated with external environmental variation, and harvest years, which represent internal yield formation processes of the perennial crop. Two methods of two‐stage analysis are compared with single‐stage analysis. It is shown that results of two‐stage analysis are very similar to those of single‐stage analysis, if serial correlation is properly taken into account. Program code for the MIXED procedure of the SAS system is given in an Appendix S1 for all considered cases.     

Functional characterization of extruded rice noodles with corn bran: Xanthophyll content and rheology

The rheological changes in rice noodles by the substitution of corn bran and the effect of temperature on the xanthophyll content (lutein and zeaxanthin) of the corn bran-rice flour noodles were evaluated. The use of corn bran increased the water holding capacity of rice flour at room temperature while the opposite results were observed after heating. The pasting parameters of rice flour-corn bran mixture were reduced with increasing levels of corn bran and the mixture paste exhibited more dominant liquid-like behavior. The noodles containing corn bran exhibited lower expansion ratio and softer textural properties. The levels of lutein and zeaxanthin in raw corn bran were 336.9 and 123.1 μg/100 g, respectively and were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) by heating. While lutein and zeaxanthin were not detected in the control noodles without corn bran, their levels in corn bran-incorporated noodles ranged from 56.2 to 137.3 μg/100 g and from 37.9 to 61.9 μg/100 g, respectively and were significantly reduced by 37.7–45.4% (P < 0.05) after cooking. Thus, the heat-labile characteristics of two xanthophylls were clearly observed. This study provides useful information on the processing performance and xanthophyll content of corn bran, possibly extending its use in a wider variety of foods.     

Farm-level land diversity of smallholders with limited input resources during urbanization in Taiwan

During urbanization in Taiwan, the input resources of farmland are always compressed by other land uses; the landscape diversity of small farms is emphasized in rural areas. To determine the extent to which diversity in farmland use corresponds with urbanization, a goal programming study was established. This was analysed by investigating several assumed options of diversification that are available to the smallholder. The results revealed that the existing pattern of land use among members of the Taoyuan Irrigation Association (TIA) is constrained mainly by the basic requirement for paddy fields. The value of the gross benefit of farmer could be reduced by 20 %, and that of landscape diversity could increase by 67 % in cases of which the paddy field is reduced for other land use through the optimal allocation of the studied land use was implemented. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the existing pattern of land use can survive the potential shortage of input resources to adapt urbanization through the diversified land use. Among the options for diversified land use, a varied landscape can be created that will both enrich the recreational space, and enhance the reasonable consumption of limited input resources in small farm.     

Thermal and mechanical properties of modified CaCO3 filled poly (ethylene terephthalate) nanocomposites

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/CaCO₃ and PET/modified-CaCO₃ (m-CaCO₃) nanocomposites were prepared by melt blending. The morphology indicated that m-CaCO₃ produced by reacting sodium oxalate and calcium chloride, was well dispersed in PET matrix and showed good interfacial interaction with PET compared to CaCO₃. No significant differences in the thermal properties such as, glass transition, melting and degradation temperatures, of the nanocomposites were observed. The thermal shrinkage of PET at 120 °C was 10.8 %, while those of PET/CaCO₃ and PET/m-CaCO₃ nanocomposites were 2.9–5.2 % and 1.2–2.8 %, respectively depending on filler content. The tensile strength of PET/CaCO₃ nanocomposite decreased with CaCO₃ loading, whereas that of PET/m-CaCO₃ nanocomposites at 0.5 wt% loading showed a 17 % improvement as compared to neat PET. The storage modulus at 120 °C increased from 1660 MPa for PET to 2350 MPa for PET/CaCO₃ nanocomposite at 3 wt% loading, and 3230 MPa for PET/m-CaCO₃ nanocomposite at 1 wt% loading.     

Estimating water footprint of paddy rice in Korea

The purpose of this article is to examine the issues of low grain self-sufficiency and the high portion of agricultural water use in South Korea, and to trace the water footprint (WF) of rice products. In this study, different types of water use were described as green, blue, and gray WFs and were analysed using suitable estimation methods to determine irrigation water requirements in South Korea. Virtual water (VW) import and export of rice product were calculated based on international trade statistics during 2004–2009, and the WF of the national consumption was estimated. The WF of rice was 844.5 m³/ton, and green, blue, and gray water accounted for 294.5, 501.6, and 48.4 m³/ton, respectively. The VW import and export were 404.17 and 2.03 Mm³/year, respectively, against an import 199.5 times that of the export. Three countries (China, USA, and Thailand) accounted for over 95 % of the total VW imports of rice products into South Korea. The total WF was 5,712.08 Mm³/year, thus the WF per capita for rice was estimated at 118.1 m³/year. The internal WF of rice consumption was 5,308.05 Mm³/year, and the external WF was 404.03 Mm³/year. The WF of total agricultural water use should be analyzed for sustainable agricultural production and water management, and these results should be applied in establishing long-term policies for agricultural water resources.     

Glycol Chitosan-Based Fluorescent Theranostic Nanoagents for Cancer Therapy

Theranostics is an integrated nanosystem that combines therapeutics with diagnostics in attempt to develop new personalized treatments with enhanced therapeutic efficacy and safety. As a promising therapeutic paradigm with cutting-edge technologies, theranostic agents are able to simultaneously deliver therapeutic drugs and diagnostic imaging agents and also monitor the response to therapy. Polymeric nanosystems have been intensively explored for biomedical applications to diagnose and treat various cancers. In recent years, glycol chitosan-based nanoagents have been developed as dual-purpose materials for simultaneous diagnosis and therapy. They have shown great potential in cancer therapies, such as chemotherapeutics and nucleic acid and photodynamic therapies. In this review, we summarize the recent progress and potential applications of glycol chitosan-based fluorescent theranostic nanoagents for cancer treatments and discuss their possible underlying mechanisms.