Rainwater harvesting?provides an important alternative source of water in household buildings which?increases water security in urban areas. However, high energy cost consumption by the rainwater harvesting systems re...Rainwater harvesting?provides an important alternative source of water in household buildings which?increases water security in urban areas. However, high energy cost consumption by the rainwater harvesting systems results in higher management costs which may derail the investment viability of these systems in households. This prompted this study to establish ways through which the management cost of rainwater harvesting systems can be minimized in household buildings. A survey of 200 households from Greenspan, Komarock, Utawala, Kileleshwa and Runda in Nairobi?County was undertaken as?well?as?data?on?the?type?of?rainwater harvesting?systems, their operation and maintenance cost collected using observation checklists and questionnaires. The findings indicated that rainwater harvesting typologies 1, 2, 4 and 5 had their water pumped from first-level storage to the second-level storage then supplied to usage points by gravity. Whereas, typologies 3 and 6 had their water moved manually and by gravity respectively. On annual operation cost, 100% of households with typology 3 and 6 spent no money whereas, 100%, 75% and 70.6% with typology 4 and 5, 1 and 2 respectively spent Ksh. 1?-?5000. On annual maintenance cost, 100%, 93.7% and 77.8% of households with typology 5 and 6, 3 and 4 respectively spent Ksh. 1?-?5000 while 25% and 22.2% of households with typology 1 and 2 respectively spent Ksh. 5000?-?10,000. Advanced typology 6 with one-level storage point supplies rainwater to all parts of the household by gravity. This eliminates operation costs spent on energy consumption due to pumping of water,?thus minimizing overall management cost spent on rainwater harvesting systems in household buildings.展开更多
Reconstructing a robust species phylogeny and disentangling the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the gymnosperm genus Ephedra,which has a large genome and rich polyploids,remain a big challenge.Here we recons...Reconstructing a robust species phylogeny and disentangling the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the gymnosperm genus Ephedra,which has a large genome and rich polyploids,remain a big challenge.Here we reconstructed a transcriptome-based phylogeny of 19 diploid Ephedra species,and explored evolutionary reticulations in this genus represented by 50 diploid and polyploid species,using four low-copy nuclear and nine plastid genes.The diploid species phylogeny indicates that the Mediterranean species diverged first,and the remaining species split into three clades,including the American species(Clade A),E.rhytidosperma,and all other Asian species(Clade B).The single-gene trees placed E.rhytidosperma sister to Clade A,Clade B,or Clades A+B in similar proportions,suggesting that radiation and gene flow likely occurred in the early evolution of Ephedra.In addition,reticulate evolution occurred not only among the deep nodes,but also in the recently evolved South American species,which further caused difficulty in phylogenetic reconstruction.Moreover,we found that allopolyploid speciation was pervasive in Ephedra.Our study also suggests that Ephedra very likely originated in the Tethys coast during the late Cretaceous,and the South American Ephedra species have a single origin by dispersal from Mexico or North America.展开更多
Hybridization and introgression have long obscured relationships within Adenophora and its relatives,complicating generic delimitation.Leveraging deep genome skimming(DGS)data,we generated a large dataset,including th...Hybridization and introgression have long obscured relationships within Adenophora and its relatives,complicating generic delimitation.Leveraging deep genome skimming(DGS)data,we generated a large dataset,including thousands of single-copy nuclear(SCN)genes and plastomes,to untangle this reticulate history.Specifically,9.89 terabytes(TB)of DGS data from 165 samples—representing 48 species and 13 subspecies of Adenophora(out of ca.72 species)plus 24 outgroup species—yielded 1506 SCN genes and 77 plastid coding sequences.Tree-like phylogenies inferred with both coalescent-and concatenation-based methods revealed pronounced gene tree heterogeneity.Subsequent analysis showed that incomplete lineage sorting contributed minimally to this discordance;instead,hybridization and introgression were the primary drivers of early diversification.Integrating phylogenomic,morphological,and geographic evidence,we propose a revised generic framework for this group.Adenophora is expanded to include Campanula delavayi and the Korean Peninsula endemic genus Hanabusaya.We also recommend reinstating Hyssaria as a distinct Central Asian genus and introducing two new genera,Boreoasia and Rosomala.展开更多
Integrative data from plastid and nuclear loci are increasingly utilized to resolve species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships within major angiosperm clades.Debregeasia(Urticaceae),an economically important ge...Integrative data from plastid and nuclear loci are increasingly utilized to resolve species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships within major angiosperm clades.Debregeasia(Urticaceae),an economically important genus,presents challenges in species delimitation due to its overlapping morphological traits and unstable taxonomic assignments.Here,we analyzed 14 morphological traits and generated 12 data matrices from the plastomes and nrDNA using genome skimming from the nine recognized morphospecies to clarify species boundaries and assess barcode performance in Debregeasia.We also used a universal set of 353 nuclear genes to explore reticulate evolution and biogeographic history of Debregeasia.Plastomes of Debregeasia exhibited the typical quadripartite structure with conserved gene content and marginal independent variations in the SC/IR boundary at inter-and intra-specific levels.Three Debregeasia species were non-monophyletic and could not be discerned by any barcode;however,ultra-barcodes identified the remaining six(67%),outperforming standard barcodes(56%).Our phylogenetic analyses placed Debregeasia wallichiana outside the genus and suggested six monophyletic clades in Debregeasia,although the placement between Debregeasia hekouensis and Debregeasia libera varied.There was extensive trait overlap in key morphologically diagnostic characters,with reticulation analysis showing potentially pervasive hybridization,likely influenced by speciation patterns and overlaps between species ranges.We inferred that Debregeasia crown diversification began at ca.12.82 Ma(95%HPD:11.54-14.63 Ma)in the mid-Miocene within Australia,followed by vicariance and later longdistance dispersal,mainly out of southern China.Our findings highlight the utility of genomic data with integrative lines of evidence to refine species delimitation and explore evolutionary relationships in complex plant lineages.展开更多
The series Variantia Ching et S. H. Wu mainly occur in China and its members are highly variable in morphology. The denomination on this group of Asplenium is very confused in the herbaria. We hop e by means of a bios...The series Variantia Ching et S. H. Wu mainly occur in China and its members are highly variable in morphology. The denomination on this group of Asplenium is very confused in the herbaria. We hop e by means of a biosystematic study to find out their genetic relationships in the reticulate evolution, and to raise a suggestion on their taxonomic treatment. Evidence from cytology, allozyme, morphology, and palynology shows that three ancestor diploids have formed Asplenium sarelii complex comprising 13 members. A. sarelii Hook. should be typified as a diploid. The so-called tetraploid 'A. sarelii' before is an allotetraploid that comes from the doubled hybrid between diploid A. sarelii and A. tenuicaule Hayata, which should be treated as a new species A. wudangense Z. R. Wang et X. Hou. A. pekinense Hance is an autotetraploid that comes from the doubled diploid ancestor A. sarelii. A. lushanense C. Chr., a diploid species and the only ancestor of A. yunnariense group, should not been sunk as a synonym of tetraploid A. yunnariense Franch. Most probably, A. varians Wall. ex Hook. et Grev. is an autotetraploid of A. tenuicaule Hayata. Three new natural tetraploid hybrids and their origins have been found out: they are A. x longmenense ( = A. pekinense x varians), A. x jingyunense ( = A. pekinense x yunnanense) and A. x kidoi ( = A. pekinense x wudangense). Three other new natural triploid hybrids have been found and their origins have been inferred: they are A. X huawuense ( = A. sarelii X wudangense), A. x luyunense ( = A. lushanense x yunnanense) and A. x teniuvaians ( = A. tenuicaule x varians). The method of allozyme comparion combined with cytological observation is employed to reveal the complicated relationships among the members of Asplenium sarelii complex in reticulate evolution and proved to be a highly effective tool to investigate the origin of polyploid and hybrid.展开更多
Industrial applications require enzymes highly stable and economically viable in terms of reusability. Enzyme immobilization is an exciting alternative to improve the stability of enzymatic processes. The immobilizati...Industrial applications require enzymes highly stable and economically viable in terms of reusability. Enzyme immobilization is an exciting alternative to improve the stability of enzymatic processes. The immobilization of two commercial enzymes is reported here (cellulase and xylanase) using three chemical methods (adsorption, reticulation, and crosslinking-adsorption) and two polymeric supports (alginate-chitin and chitosan-chitin). The optimal pH for binding was 4.5 for cellulase and 5.0 for xylanase, and the optimal enzyme concentrations were 170 μg/mL and 127.5 μg/mL respectively, being the chitosan and the ideal support. In some cases, a low concentration of crosslinking agent (glutaraldehyde) improved stability of the immobilization process. Biotechnological characterization showed that the reusability of enzymes was the most striking finding, particularly of immobilized cellulase using glutaraldehyde, which after 19 cycles retained 64% activity. These results confirm the economic and biotechnical advantages of enzyme immobilization for a range of industrial applications.展开更多
The two waves period of the COVID-19 pandemic saw the use of hydro- alcoholic gel and the consumption of capsules containing improved traditional remedies. At one point, there was a stock-out and a price increase...The two waves period of the COVID-19 pandemic saw the use of hydro- alcoholic gel and the consumption of capsules containing improved traditional remedies. At one point, there was a stock-out and a price increase forthese products. Furthermore, in the food industry, the catering industry adopts gelatin in its current practice. Pig gelatin dominates the international market. And for some religious practices, pork is forbidden and yet these people consume them without taking notice. The production of gelatin from broiler feet seems economically viable because broiler feet are considered slaughterhouse waste that is sold at very low prices. The poultry industry has seen an increase in broiler farming over the last twenty years. However, the latter has all the characteristics required for the production of gelatin. It will therefore comply with the standards of use described in the international codex oenological for gelatins. Physical and chemical analyses such as, ash content, moisture content, and pH measurements were done for the extracted gelatins. Sensible elements are checked with ED XRF spectroscopy. All the results were good and showed without any doubt that broiler gelatin is edible.展开更多
To investigate the effects of initial geometric imperfection and material nonlinearity on the stability analysis of the suspen-dome, the steel roof of Jiangsu Culture Sports Center Gymnasium was utilized as a numerica...To investigate the effects of initial geometric imperfection and material nonlinearity on the stability analysis of the suspen-dome, the steel roof of Jiangsu Culture Sports Center Gymnasium was utilized as a numerical model, and modal analyses were performed. Then, linear buckling analysis,geometric nonlinear stability analysis, geometric nonlinear stability analysis with initial imperfection, and double nonlinear analysis considering material nonlinearity and geometric nonlinearity were discussed in detail to compare the stability performance of the ellipse-like suspen-dome and the single-layer reticulated shell. The results showthat the cable-strut system increases the integrity of the suspen-dome, and moderates the sensibility of the single-layer reticulated shell to initial geometric imperfection. However, it has little influence on integral rigidity, fundamental vibration frequencies, linear ultimate live loads, and geometric nonlinear ultimate live loads without initial imperfection. When considering the material nonlinearity and initial imperfection, a significant reduction occurs in the ultimate stability capacities of these two structures. In this case, the suspen-dome with a lowrise-span ratio is sensitive to the initial imperfection and material nonlinearity. In addition, the distribution pattern of live loads significantly influences the instability modes of the structure, and the uniform live load with full span is not always the most dangerous case.展开更多
文摘Rainwater harvesting?provides an important alternative source of water in household buildings which?increases water security in urban areas. However, high energy cost consumption by the rainwater harvesting systems results in higher management costs which may derail the investment viability of these systems in households. This prompted this study to establish ways through which the management cost of rainwater harvesting systems can be minimized in household buildings. A survey of 200 households from Greenspan, Komarock, Utawala, Kileleshwa and Runda in Nairobi?County was undertaken as?well?as?data?on?the?type?of?rainwater harvesting?systems, their operation and maintenance cost collected using observation checklists and questionnaires. The findings indicated that rainwater harvesting typologies 1, 2, 4 and 5 had their water pumped from first-level storage to the second-level storage then supplied to usage points by gravity. Whereas, typologies 3 and 6 had their water moved manually and by gravity respectively. On annual operation cost, 100% of households with typology 3 and 6 spent no money whereas, 100%, 75% and 70.6% with typology 4 and 5, 1 and 2 respectively spent Ksh. 1?-?5000. On annual maintenance cost, 100%, 93.7% and 77.8% of households with typology 5 and 6, 3 and 4 respectively spent Ksh. 1?-?5000 while 25% and 22.2% of households with typology 1 and 2 respectively spent Ksh. 5000?-?10,000. Advanced typology 6 with one-level storage point supplies rainwater to all parts of the household by gravity. This eliminates operation costs spent on energy consumption due to pumping of water,?thus minimizing overall management cost spent on rainwater harvesting systems in household buildings.
基金This study was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program,CAS(XDA23080000)National Key R&D Program of China(2017YFA0605100)Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences,CAS(QYZDJ-SSW-SMC027).
文摘Reconstructing a robust species phylogeny and disentangling the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the gymnosperm genus Ephedra,which has a large genome and rich polyploids,remain a big challenge.Here we reconstructed a transcriptome-based phylogeny of 19 diploid Ephedra species,and explored evolutionary reticulations in this genus represented by 50 diploid and polyploid species,using four low-copy nuclear and nine plastid genes.The diploid species phylogeny indicates that the Mediterranean species diverged first,and the remaining species split into three clades,including the American species(Clade A),E.rhytidosperma,and all other Asian species(Clade B).The single-gene trees placed E.rhytidosperma sister to Clade A,Clade B,or Clades A+B in similar proportions,suggesting that radiation and gene flow likely occurred in the early evolution of Ephedra.In addition,reticulate evolution occurred not only among the deep nodes,but also in the recently evolved South American species,which further caused difficulty in phylogenetic reconstruction.Moreover,we found that allopolyploid speciation was pervasive in Ephedra.Our study also suggests that Ephedra very likely originated in the Tethys coast during the late Cretaceous,and the South American Ephedra species have a single origin by dispersal from Mexico or North America.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant numbers 32270216 and 32000163 to B.B.L.)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS(2023086 to B.B.L.)the Biological Resources Programme,Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS-TAX-24-013 to B.B.L.).
文摘Hybridization and introgression have long obscured relationships within Adenophora and its relatives,complicating generic delimitation.Leveraging deep genome skimming(DGS)data,we generated a large dataset,including thousands of single-copy nuclear(SCN)genes and plastomes,to untangle this reticulate history.Specifically,9.89 terabytes(TB)of DGS data from 165 samples—representing 48 species and 13 subspecies of Adenophora(out of ca.72 species)plus 24 outgroup species—yielded 1506 SCN genes and 77 plastid coding sequences.Tree-like phylogenies inferred with both coalescent-and concatenation-based methods revealed pronounced gene tree heterogeneity.Subsequent analysis showed that incomplete lineage sorting contributed minimally to this discordance;instead,hybridization and introgression were the primary drivers of early diversification.Integrating phylogenomic,morphological,and geographic evidence,we propose a revised generic framework for this group.Adenophora is expanded to include Campanula delavayi and the Korean Peninsula endemic genus Hanabusaya.We also recommend reinstating Hyssaria as a distinct Central Asian genus and introducing two new genera,Boreoasia and Rosomala.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(42171071,42211540718)Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences,CAS(ZDBS-LY-7001)+3 种基金Yunnan Fundamental Research Projects(202401AT070190,202201BC070001)Top-notch Young Talents Project of Yunnan Provincial“Ten Thousand Talents Program”(YNWR-QNBJ-2018-146,YNWR-QNBJ-2020-293)CAS“Light of West China”Programsupported by the China Scholarship Council(202304910135 and 202304910138)for a one-year study at the University of Toronto.
文摘Integrative data from plastid and nuclear loci are increasingly utilized to resolve species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships within major angiosperm clades.Debregeasia(Urticaceae),an economically important genus,presents challenges in species delimitation due to its overlapping morphological traits and unstable taxonomic assignments.Here,we analyzed 14 morphological traits and generated 12 data matrices from the plastomes and nrDNA using genome skimming from the nine recognized morphospecies to clarify species boundaries and assess barcode performance in Debregeasia.We also used a universal set of 353 nuclear genes to explore reticulate evolution and biogeographic history of Debregeasia.Plastomes of Debregeasia exhibited the typical quadripartite structure with conserved gene content and marginal independent variations in the SC/IR boundary at inter-and intra-specific levels.Three Debregeasia species were non-monophyletic and could not be discerned by any barcode;however,ultra-barcodes identified the remaining six(67%),outperforming standard barcodes(56%).Our phylogenetic analyses placed Debregeasia wallichiana outside the genus and suggested six monophyletic clades in Debregeasia,although the placement between Debregeasia hekouensis and Debregeasia libera varied.There was extensive trait overlap in key morphologically diagnostic characters,with reticulation analysis showing potentially pervasive hybridization,likely influenced by speciation patterns and overlaps between species ranges.We inferred that Debregeasia crown diversification began at ca.12.82 Ma(95%HPD:11.54-14.63 Ma)in the mid-Miocene within Australia,followed by vicariance and later longdistance dispersal,mainly out of southern China.Our findings highlight the utility of genomic data with integrative lines of evidence to refine species delimitation and explore evolutionary relationships in complex plant lineages.
文摘The series Variantia Ching et S. H. Wu mainly occur in China and its members are highly variable in morphology. The denomination on this group of Asplenium is very confused in the herbaria. We hop e by means of a biosystematic study to find out their genetic relationships in the reticulate evolution, and to raise a suggestion on their taxonomic treatment. Evidence from cytology, allozyme, morphology, and palynology shows that three ancestor diploids have formed Asplenium sarelii complex comprising 13 members. A. sarelii Hook. should be typified as a diploid. The so-called tetraploid 'A. sarelii' before is an allotetraploid that comes from the doubled hybrid between diploid A. sarelii and A. tenuicaule Hayata, which should be treated as a new species A. wudangense Z. R. Wang et X. Hou. A. pekinense Hance is an autotetraploid that comes from the doubled diploid ancestor A. sarelii. A. lushanense C. Chr., a diploid species and the only ancestor of A. yunnariense group, should not been sunk as a synonym of tetraploid A. yunnariense Franch. Most probably, A. varians Wall. ex Hook. et Grev. is an autotetraploid of A. tenuicaule Hayata. Three new natural tetraploid hybrids and their origins have been found out: they are A. x longmenense ( = A. pekinense x varians), A. x jingyunense ( = A. pekinense x yunnanense) and A. x kidoi ( = A. pekinense x wudangense). Three other new natural triploid hybrids have been found and their origins have been inferred: they are A. X huawuense ( = A. sarelii X wudangense), A. x luyunense ( = A. lushanense x yunnanense) and A. x teniuvaians ( = A. tenuicaule x varians). The method of allozyme comparion combined with cytological observation is employed to reveal the complicated relationships among the members of Asplenium sarelii complex in reticulate evolution and proved to be a highly effective tool to investigate the origin of polyploid and hybrid.
文摘Industrial applications require enzymes highly stable and economically viable in terms of reusability. Enzyme immobilization is an exciting alternative to improve the stability of enzymatic processes. The immobilization of two commercial enzymes is reported here (cellulase and xylanase) using three chemical methods (adsorption, reticulation, and crosslinking-adsorption) and two polymeric supports (alginate-chitin and chitosan-chitin). The optimal pH for binding was 4.5 for cellulase and 5.0 for xylanase, and the optimal enzyme concentrations were 170 μg/mL and 127.5 μg/mL respectively, being the chitosan and the ideal support. In some cases, a low concentration of crosslinking agent (glutaraldehyde) improved stability of the immobilization process. Biotechnological characterization showed that the reusability of enzymes was the most striking finding, particularly of immobilized cellulase using glutaraldehyde, which after 19 cycles retained 64% activity. These results confirm the economic and biotechnical advantages of enzyme immobilization for a range of industrial applications.
文摘The two waves period of the COVID-19 pandemic saw the use of hydro- alcoholic gel and the consumption of capsules containing improved traditional remedies. At one point, there was a stock-out and a price increase forthese products. Furthermore, in the food industry, the catering industry adopts gelatin in its current practice. Pig gelatin dominates the international market. And for some religious practices, pork is forbidden and yet these people consume them without taking notice. The production of gelatin from broiler feet seems economically viable because broiler feet are considered slaughterhouse waste that is sold at very low prices. The poultry industry has seen an increase in broiler farming over the last twenty years. However, the latter has all the characteristics required for the production of gelatin. It will therefore comply with the standards of use described in the international codex oenological for gelatins. Physical and chemical analyses such as, ash content, moisture content, and pH measurements were done for the extracted gelatins. Sensible elements are checked with ED XRF spectroscopy. All the results were good and showed without any doubt that broiler gelatin is edible.
基金The National Key Technology R&D Program of China(No.2012BAJ03B06)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51308105)+1 种基金the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(PAPD)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Southeast University(No.KYLX_0152,SJLX_0084,KYLX_0149)
文摘To investigate the effects of initial geometric imperfection and material nonlinearity on the stability analysis of the suspen-dome, the steel roof of Jiangsu Culture Sports Center Gymnasium was utilized as a numerical model, and modal analyses were performed. Then, linear buckling analysis,geometric nonlinear stability analysis, geometric nonlinear stability analysis with initial imperfection, and double nonlinear analysis considering material nonlinearity and geometric nonlinearity were discussed in detail to compare the stability performance of the ellipse-like suspen-dome and the single-layer reticulated shell. The results showthat the cable-strut system increases the integrity of the suspen-dome, and moderates the sensibility of the single-layer reticulated shell to initial geometric imperfection. However, it has little influence on integral rigidity, fundamental vibration frequencies, linear ultimate live loads, and geometric nonlinear ultimate live loads without initial imperfection. When considering the material nonlinearity and initial imperfection, a significant reduction occurs in the ultimate stability capacities of these two structures. In this case, the suspen-dome with a lowrise-span ratio is sensitive to the initial imperfection and material nonlinearity. In addition, the distribution pattern of live loads significantly influences the instability modes of the structure, and the uniform live load with full span is not always the most dangerous case.
