Corn bran (CB) has been used as an ingredient for pigs, but the underlying mechanisms that improve gut health is less clear. This study was conducted to investigate effects of dietary CB on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, plasma indices related to gut hormones and immunity, gut microbiota composition, and fermentation products in weaned pigs. A total of 60 weaned pigs were allocated to two dietary treatments, and piglets in each group received control (CON) diet or 5% CB diet for 28 days. Growth performance, nutrient digestibility, indices of gut hormones and immunity in plasma were evaluated. Microbiota composition in feces was determined using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and fermentation products were measured by high-performance ion chromatography. The results showed that dietary CB did not affect growth performance, nutrient digestibility, gut hormones, or fermentation products in the trial (P > 0.05). There was an increased response to CB inclusion on interleukin-10 production (P < 0.05). On day 28, piglets fed dietary CB had a higher shannon index (P < 0.05). The population of the Firmicutes in CB treatment were decreased (P < 0.05), while the percentage of the Bacteroidetes were increased (P < 0.05). In particular, the populations of Eubacterium corprostanoligenes, Pevotella, and Fibrobacter related to polysaccharide fermentation of cereal bran were increased (P < 0.05). In conclusion, a post-weaning diet containing 5% CB increased intestinal microbial diversity, especially higher richness of fibrolytic bacteria, and promoted anti-inflammatory response to some extent in piglets, these changes should facilitate the adaptation of the digestive system of piglets in the subsequent growing phases.

Multiple climate proxies indicate episodic changes in moisture levels within an ∼1 Ma duration (early−mid Pliocene) interval. Limestones within the Opache Formation, Calama Basin, Atacama Desert region, Chile, contain evidence for wetter and drier periods on short time scales. Proxies include carbonate lithological changes, paleontology (stromatolites, oncolites, gastropods, ostracods and diatoms), O and C stable isotopes, geochemistry, and mineralogical changes (aragonite, calcite, Mg-calcite, dolomite and gypsum) throughout a 30 m stratigraphic section. Stromatolite fossil cyanobacteria dark and light laminations and mesohaline to hypersaline diatom species suggest Pliocene annual seasonality. Short-term changes between wetter and drier conditions indicate that at least this part of the Atacama region was experiencing relatively rapid early−mid Pliocene climate instability. The predominance of limestone in the Opache Formation, in contrast to the 1500 m of Oligocene-Miocene siliciclastic conglomerates and sandstones, interpreted as arid climate alluvium, that underlie it, indicates a shift from arid or hyperarid climate to a semi-arid climate. Semi-arid conditions promoted limestone deposition in a shallow lacustrine-palustrine environment. In this setting, events such as storms with associated surface water flow, erosion, siliciclastic sand, gravel, and intraclast deposition, coupled with significant biological activity, represent sedimentation during more humid periods in a shallow lacustrine depositional environment. In contrast, limestone characterized by mudcracks, Navicula diatoms, and vadose syndepositional cementation, reflect periods of enhanced evaporation, water shallowing, and episodic desiccation, characteristic of a palustrine depositional system. These facies shifts, in conjunction with geochemical and isotopic proxy evidence, yield a sedimentary record of wetter and drier climate shifts.

and then full professor in 2000 in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering. He has received numerous awards including a scholarship award (Fulbright), teaching awards, best paper awards, community service awards, and admission as an Eminent Engineer into Tau Beta Pi. His research on passive radon-resistant new residential building construction was adapted in HB1647 building code of Florida Legislature. Najafi is a member of numerous professional societies and has served on many committees and programs, and continuously attends and presents refereed papers at international, national, and local professional meetings and conferences. Lastly, Najafi attends courses, seminars and workshops, and has developed courses, videos and software packages during his career. His areas of specialization include transportation planning and management, legal aspects, construction contract administration, and public works. AbstractHigh concentration photovoltaics (HCPV) have become popular new types of solar technology. Compared to traditional photovoltaic panels, HCPV systems are potentially more efficient and cost-effective. However, HCPV's operation will cause high temperature on the panel surface, which causes a heat waste and deficiency of HCPV. Meanwhile, the anaerobic production and desalination plant need a highly demand of heat resource. The paper uses TRNSYS software to design a hybridization system with 500 suns concentration's HCPV, multi-stage flash desalination and anaerobic tank. The 0.01 m2 size HCPV system achieves a max electricity output at 300 W. Meanwhile the hybridization can operate desalination plant with 0.5 distillation ratio and anaerobic digestion at 3.2 m3 per hour. The study of a graduate research of the hybridization of high concentrated solar panel and anaerobic production and desalination would fit the call in the graduate division and it is consistent with the division objectives. Furthermore, the study is relevant to the ASEE division's mission and the scope is interdisciplinary including design, development and research. The research paper is relevant to Chi Xu's Ph.D. dissertation. Furthermore, the information is also used in a graduate level public works engineering and management class that is offered each fall semester. This makes it relevant to the theme of the ASEE Graduate Studies Division. IntroductionThe solar energy is an ideal energy can gain from the sun, as a type of renewable energy, solar energy has its advantage: widespread, low contamination and flexibility. High concentrated photovoltaics is new solar technology which can produce electricity cost-effectively. By using a reflection system to concentrate solar radiation can decrease cost and increase the efficiency. HCPV uses cooling system to cool down the high level heat received from solar concentration. However, cooling system can't use the potential energy from the heat, thus the heat is 'waste'. In order to reuse the energy and demonstrate the concept of renewable energy, the paper will design the hybridization the ...

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