Mississippi State University

About: Mississippi State University is a education organization based out in Starkville, Mississippi, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Catfish. The organization has 14115 authors who have published 28594 publications receiving 700030 citations. The organization is also known as: The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science & Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science.

Tasco: Influence of a brown seaweed on antioxidants in forages and livestock—A review

Abstract: Tasco-Forage, an extract from the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum, has increased antioxidant activity in both plants and animals. Turf and forage grasses exhibited increased amounts of αtocopherol, ascorbic acid, β-carotene, and increased activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, and ascorbate peroxidase in response to exogenous application of Tasco. Endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum [(Morgan-Jones and Gams) Glenn, Bacon, and Hanlin]-infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) can increase oxidative stress. Both high environmental temperatures and increased body temperatures increase respiratory rates, which increase free radical production. Steers that grazed infected fescue had diminished immune function and vitamin E, Cu, and Se status, indicating less ability to deal with oxidative stress. Two applications of Tasco-Forage (3.4 kg/ha in water solution) to infected fescue during the growing season improved steers’ immune function, and the effect lasted through cross-country transportation and a 160-d feedlot finishing period. Grazing infected fescue reduced serum cholesterol, but the effect was reversed

Biochar production and applications in soil fertility and carbon sequestration – a sustainable solution to crop-residue burning in India

Abstract: A sustainable solution to biomass burning by converting agricultural residues into biochar was provided. Biochar application was investigated to improve soil fertility, sequester carbon, and increase crop production. Rice husk (RHBC) and corn stover (CSBC) biochars were obtained by slow pyrolysis at 650° and 550 °C, respectively. RHBC and CSBC were characterized (SEM, SEM-EDX, TEM, FTIR, XRD, elemental analyses, and SBET). Unpyrolyzed husks and stover were also used for soil amendments and compared to biochars in different proportions under a controlled incubation environment over 107 days. Fertilizers were not applied. An increase in water holding capacity, total organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, and a decrease in soil CO2 emission were observed after biochar application to soil versus the application of the parent husks or stover. These biochars improved soil fertility and enhanced eggplant crop growth (height, leaf number, fresh and dry weight). In addition, carbon mitigation was achieved because the biochar remained stable in the soil achieving longer term carbon sequestration. Both chars can be used for carbon sequestration and soil amendments.

Mechanical Properties and Microstructural Features of Direct Laser-Deposited Ti-6Al-4V

Abstract: Direct laser deposition (DLD) is a means to additively manufacture metallic, functional parts via blown powder (or wire) and in situ laser delivery. Despite the various research efforts in characterization of post-manufactured DLD parts and in optimizing the DLD process, there are still areas that need to be further explored to promote the widespread adaption and utilization of DLD parts for engineering application. This article aims to review the mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V parts manufactured via DLD, including tensile and fatigue characteristics and microstructural features. These mechanical properties will be related with DLD process parameters (e.g., laser power, traverse speed, etc.) and resultant phenomena such as melt pool dynamics and part thermal history. Because fatigue is a main failure mode of parts in many engineering applications, the fatigue behavior of Ti-6Al-4V parts fabricated via DLD is highlighted and discussed in detail.

Multi-Objective Optimal Energy Consumption Scheduling in Smart Grids

Abstract: A major source of inefficiency in power grids is the underutilization of generation capacity. This is mainly because load demand during peak hours is much larger than that during off-peak hours. Moreover, extra generation capacity is needed to maintain a security margin above peak load demand. As load demand keeps increasing and two-way communications are enabled by smart meters (SMs), demand response (DR) has been proposed as an alternative to installing new power plants in smart grids. DR makes use of real-time schemes to allow users to modify their load demand patterns according to their energy consumption costs. In particular, when load demand is high, energy consumption cost will be high and users may decide to postpone certain amount of their consumption needs. This strategy may effectively reduce the peak load demand and increases the off-peak demand, and hence could increase existing generation capacity utilization and reduce the need to install extra generation plants. In this paper, we consider a third-party managing the energy consumption of a group of users, and formulate the load scheduling problem as a constrained multi-objective optimization problem (CMOP). The optimization objectives are to minimize energy consumption cost and to maximize a certain utility, which can be conflicting and non-commensurable. We then develop two evolutionary algorithms (EAs) to obtain the Pareto-front solutions and the e-Pareto front solutions to the CMOP, respectively, which are validated by extensive simulation results.