Quantifying the economic impacts of invasive species is an essential step in developing and prioritizing invasive species management. In particular, kudzu, Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr. is an aggressive and non-native vine that not only causes ecological damage and reduces biodiversity, but can have multiple economic consequences such as loss of timber value and volume. Using current infestation locations in Oklahoma, southcentral USA, a Monte Carlo simulation was run to estimate the natural as well as anthropogenic spread rate of kudzu in the next five years. Simulations were supplemented with an economic impact analysis within the Impact Analysis for PLANing (IMPLAN) platform. To account for economic loss in the forest product industry, a replacement cost approach with a sensitivity analysis was conducted. Occurrence data collections revealed that current kudzu populations are already established in Oklahoma forests. The results demonstrate that by year five, total industry output could be reduced by $167.9 million, which will influence 780 jobs in the most extreme case scenario. The predicted economic loss due to kudzu expansion could act as an incentive for appropriate management practices and plans to be implemented.

In this study, an efficient strategy based on bioassay-guided fractionation, high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-Q/TOF-MS) and high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was established to screen and purify bioactive compounds from Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs). This screening system was efficient and successfully applied to reveal anti-prostate cancer candidates from Puerariae thomsonii Flos. As a result, an active fraction with strong in vitro anti-prostate cancer activity was obtained, and the main compounds in the fraction were purified by HSCCC, giving 82 mg of tectoridin, 36 mg of tectorigenin-7-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside and 64 mg of tectorigenin. Among them, tectorigenin, possessing the highest anti-prostate cancer activity with IC₅₀ value of 0.08 μM, has priority to be lead compound. The results of this work demonstrated that the developed method was efficient and could be employed for the rapid screening, identification and purification of active components from CHMs.