Multistep Structural and Chemical Evaluation of Sugarcane Baggase, Pretreated With Alkali for Enhancing the Enzymatic Saccharification by Cellulase and Xylanase of the Pseudomonas sp. CVB-10 (MK443365) and Bacillus paramycoides T4 (MN370035) Mix-Culture System

The enzymatic saccharification of sugarcane bagasse was significantly increased by alkali pretreatment under mild conditions. The effectiveness of different concentrations of alkali and acid pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse for improving the enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulose has been evaluated. The sugarcane bagasse was characterized to contain 39.52% celluloses, 25.63% hemicelluloses, and 30.36% lignin. After that, sugarcane bagasse was pretreated with 5 and 10% of H2SO4 and NaOH at 121°C for 60 min. FTIR, XRD, and SEM analyses also showed significant molecular and surface structure changes of the sugarcane bagasse with 10% NaOH. Maximum saccharification was 489.5 mg/g from 10% NaOH pretreatment followed by 322.75, 301.25, and 276.6 mg/g from 10% H2SO4, 5% NaOH, and 5% H2SO4, respectively, which were 55.1, 32.0, 27.1, and 20.6 times higher than the that of the control. Cellulase and xylanase produced by Pseudomonas sp. CVB-10 (MK443365) and Bacillus paramycoides T4 (MN370035) were used to hydrolyze the pretreated bagasse, and the optimal condition was determined to be 30 h of the enzymatic reaction with the 3:1 ratio of enzymes under the temperature of 55°C, pH 5.0, and substrate concentration of 3%, leading to celluloses and hemicelluloses conversion in the enzymatic hydrolysis/saccharification that is more proficient.

Prediction of Changeable Eddy Structures around Luzon Strait Using an Artificial Neural Network Model

Mesoscale eddies occur frequently in the Luzon Strait and its adjacent area, and accurate prediction of eddy structure changes is of great significance. In recent years, artificial neural network (ANN) has been widely applied in the study of physical oceanography with the continuous accumulation of satellite remote sensing data. This study adopted an ANN approach to predict the evolution of eddies around the Luzon Strait, based on 25 years of sea level anomaly (SLA) data, 85% of which are used for training and the remaining 15% are reserved for testing. The original SLA data were firstly decomposed into spatial modes (EOFs) and time-dependent principal components (PCs) by the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. In order to calculate faster and save costs, only the first 35 PCs were selected as predictors, whereas their variance contribution rate reached 96%. The results of predicted reconstruction indicated that the neural network-based model can reliably predict eddy structure evaluations for about 15 days. Importantly, the position and variation of four typical eddy events were reconstructed, and included a cyclone eddy event, an eddy shedding event, an anticyclone eddy event, and an abnormal anticyclone eddy event.

Proleptic PPs are arguments: consequences for the argument/adjunct distinction and for selectional switch

One of the most significant results in syntax has been a deep empirical and, to some degree, theoretical understanding of the argument/adjunct distinction, which underlies a range of superficially disparate phenomena. Therefore, any phenomenon that seems to challenge the argument/adjunct distinction merits careful examination. This paper investigates just such a phenomenon: proleptic PPs. Previous claims about the argument/adjunct status of proleptic PPs are contradictory and mostly unsubstantiated. The paper subjects proleptic PPs to argument/adjunct diagnostics and shows that they unambiguously pattern as arguments: they cannot iterate, survive do so–replacement, or be stranded under vP-pseudoclefting; reconstruct for Condition C under vP-preposing; and are L-selected. They also pattern as arguments on a novel argument/adjunct diagnostic developed here, selectional switch: if adding XP to a structure changes the selectional interactions between a head Y and some ZP ≠ XP, then XP is an argument. Finally, the paper considers counterarguments to the view it defends, showing that they are unsuccessful or irrelevant. Thus, even XPs whose argument/adjunct status initially seems murky can turn out on closer scrutiny to pattern unambiguously as one or the other, supporting the traditional but not uncontested view that the argument/adjunct distinction runs deep, and suggesting that it may be categorical.

Preventive Efficacy of Pneumococcal Conjugated Vaccine (Population Aspects)

Relevance. Pneumococcal disease remains an urgent public health problem, despite mass immunization of infants and young children. The impact of children’s universal vaccination on the morbidity and etiological structure in various clinical forms of infection remains unclear in children and adults. Аim. Тo evaluate the herd effect of children’s mass immunization with a 13-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine. Materials and Methods. The prophylactic efficacy of mass vaccination is studied within comparative retrospective epidemiological analysis of incidence rates and etiological structure of bacterial meningitis, ear diseases and mastoiditis, and community-acquired pneumonia in children and adults of Krasnoyarsk region in the pre- and post-vaccination periods, according to the official statistics and microbiological monitoring. Results. The changes in decrease of incidence rates with all clinical forms of pneumococcal infection except community-acquired pneumonia are revealed both in children and adults during mass immunization. Etiological structure changes and also changes of S. pneumoniae serotype distribution are detected in major clinical forms of infection. Conclusion. Reducing the incidence rates in children is determined predominantly by vaccinal prevention. The observed decrease of incidence rates in adults is the result of reducing the number of pneumococcal infection sources among children (herd immunity).

Butterfly Community Diversity in the Qinling Mountains

The Qinling Mountains are one of the oldest mountain ranges in China and a global biodiversity research and conservation hotspot. However, there is a lack of systematic research and survey of butterfly diversity in this region. Based on the butterfly taxa, combined with the changes in natural climate, altitude gradient and season in the Qinling Mountains, the butterfly diversity and community structure changes in 12 counties in the middle Qinling Mountains were analyzed by transect surveys and platform data analyses. A total of 9626 butterflies were observed, belonging to 427 species across 175 genera and 5 families. The species richness on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains was higher than on the northern slope. We also studied the variation in alpha and beta diversity of butterflies. The results show that butterfly species were abundant and the highest diversity was found at the middle altitudes (1000–2000 m). Moreover, there were obvious seasonal differences in both species and number of butterflies. The community similarity in spring, summer and autumn was low, with limited species co-existing. The butterflies in the Qinling Mountains reserve area were the most abundant, exhibiting no significant difference with those in the ecotone and the farm area. Finally, we did an assessment of butterflies as endangered and protected species. In conclusion, our long-term butterfly survey data show that human disturbance and climate and environmental changes jointly shape the butterfly diversity in the middle of the Qinling Mountains.

Tissue Structure Changes of Aquilaria sinensis Xylem after Fungus Induction

In this study, we analyzed the mechanism and the process of fungal-induced agarwood formation in Aquilaria sinensis and studied the functional changes in the xylem structure after the process. The microscopic structure of the white zone, transition zone, agarwood zone, and decay zone of 12-and 18-months of inoculation A. sinensis xylem was studied. The distribution of nuclei, starch grains, soluble sugars, sesquiterpenes, fungal propagules, and mycelium in xylem tissues was investigated by histochemical analysis. The results show that the process of agarwood formation was accompanied by apoptosis of parenchyma cells such as interxylary phloem, xylem rays, and axial parenchyma. Regular changes in the conversion of starch grains to soluble sugars, the production of sesquiterpenoids, and other characteristic components of agarwood in various types of parenchyma cells were also observed. The material transformation was concentrated in the interxylary phloem, providing a structural and material basis for the formation of agarwood. It is the core part of the production of sesquiterpenoids and other characteristic products of agarwood. Compared with the A. sinensis inoculated for 12 months, the xylem of the A. sinensis inoculated for 18 months was more vigorous. There were no significant differences between the 12 and 18 months of inoculation in terms of sugars and agarwood characteristic products. In production, harvesting after 12 months of inoculation can improve harvesting efficiency.

Spatial Spillover Effects of Agricultural Transport Costs in Peru

The role of agricultural transport costs in core-periphery structures has habitually been ignored in New Economic Geography (NEG) models. This is due to the convention of treating the agricultural good as the numéraire, thus implying that agricultural transportation costs are assumed to be zero in these models. For more than three decades, this has been the standard setting in spatial equilibrium analysis. This paper examines the effects of agricultural transport costs on the spatial organisation of regional structures in Peru. In doing so, Krugman’s formulation of iceberg transport costs is modified to introduce agricultural transport costs into the dynamic of the NEG models. We use exploratory spatial flow data analysis methods and non-spatial and spatial origin-destination flow models to explore how the regional spatial structure changes when real transportation data for agricultural goods are included into the iceberg transport costs formulation. We show that agricultural transport costs generate flows that are systematically associated with flows to or from nearby regions generating thus the emergence of spatial spillovers across Peruvian regions. The results of the paper support the contention that NEG models have overshadowed the role of agricultural transport costs in determining the spatial configuration of economic activities.