Improving Production Conditions Research Articles

Agronomic performance of maize under nitrogen fertilization and inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense

Given the potential of Azospirillum brasilense as an alternative to improve availability and use of N by maize, it is critical to conduct research in different regions to assess the results of inoculation under several different conditions. The study aimed to analyse the influence of Azospirillum brasilense on the growth and maize yield, as well as its interaction with nitrogen (N) fertilization. The experiment was conducted in two trials (Palotina, PR – trial 1; Ariquemes, RO – trial 2) in Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a factorial 2x4 arrangement. First factor was application of N fertilization (with or without application), while the second factor consisted of A. brasilense inoculation such as: no inoculation (control), via seed treatment (ST), via leaf application (LA) and ST + LA. The N contents of leaf and the agronomic performance were assessed. Analysis of variance was conducted with the F test (p<0.01). The mean levels of the inoculation factor with A. brasilense were compared via Tukey’s test (p<0.01). The F-test was conclusive in comparing the means of the levels of N application factor. The analysis was conducted by means of orthogonal contrasts to compare the treatment of A. brasilense with those treated with N fertilization. In trial 1, the applying N fertilization associated to A. brasilense via ST and LA may contribute to increase yield. In trial 2, inoculation with A. brasilense seems to be a technology with good prospects for application, contributing to improve production conditions and increase maize yield. Inoculation with A. brasilense is important to supply N to plants, with an increase in agronomic performance of maize. However, inoculation with A. brasilense was not sufficient to meet the demand for N fertilization

Formation mechanism and sustainable productivity impacts of non‐grain croplands: Evidence from Sichuan Province, China

AbstractNon‐grain cropland is a typical phenomenon with some common characteristics globally. As the most populous country, China's non‐grain cropland threatens global food supply stability and affects food production sustainability under the current complex situation of international food security. This paper used Sichuan Province, China, to explore the formation mechanism of non‐grain cropland and its potential impact on sustainable productivity, given the regional environment complexity and socioeconomic representativeness. High‐precision land survey data were used to detect multiscale non‐grain influencing factors and discuss non‐grain impacts on soil state to fill the knowledge gap on microlevel development of non‐grain issues. Results show that rotation type is the region's most abundant and widely distributed cropland type, accounting for about 59.38% of the total cropland area; the second is abandonment type. Urbanization indicators are the common factors affecting the non‐grain spatial distribution on the global scale; environmental variables' impact on non‐grain shows significant differences in geographical locations on the local scale. Overall, cash type and intercrop type aim at improving production conditions. Rotation type and fallow type mostly occur in areas with low production capacity and are prominently driven by policies. Abandonment type is subject to terrain constraints, production conditions, and social economy. Additionally, non‐grain trends have not caused significant damage to soil sustainable productivity except for the positive promotion of field biodiversity. Non‐grain cropland can be divided into three clusters according to the corresponding average soil fertility state, rotation, intercrop, cash, abandonment, and fallow. Policymakers must implement specific policies for different cropland types and formulate more refined farming management plans.

Impact of AR and VR in Industrial Revolution

Abstract: Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are state-of-the-art technologies for superimposing information onto the real world, has recently started to have an effect on our everyday lives. There has been an increase in the maturity and versatility of applications based on AR and VR technologies in recent years. Consequently, this improves user productivity and accuracy and offers economic benefits to companies. A wide range of augmented reality applications are now possible thanks to recent advances in the internet of things, smart sensors, and sophisticated algorithms. Currently, many research pieces are being done to expand the application of augmented reality and enhance its effectiveness in industrial production processes. The purpose of this paper is to analyze some use cases and the prospects associated with industrial augmented reality in order to highlight its critical role. This article explores the main future directions for industrial augmented reality applications in industry 4.0 through a systematic analysis. Various applications of this technology and their impact on improving production conditions are discussed in the article. In conclusion, this technology's challenges and research opportunities are discussed.

Mitigating Water Production from High Viscosity Oil Wells in Unconsolidated Sandstone Formations

Summary Large reserves of high-viscous oil in Kuwait call for improved oil recovery scenarios. In Kuwaiti unconsolidated sandstone formations, the sandstone intervals represent extensive reservoir intervals of sand separated by laterally extensive nonreservoir intervals that comprise finer-grained argillaceous sands, silts, and muds. The reservoir is shallow with high permeability (above 1,000 md) and under bottom aquifer pressure support. Due to strong viscosity contrast between oil and water, after breakthrough, the water cut rises quickly, resulting in strong loss of production efficiency. Mitigating water production is thus mandatory to improve production conditions. The candidate wells have two to three open intervals in different rock facies with comingle production. The total perforated length is between 38 and 48 ft. Production is through progressing cavity pumps (PCP) at a rate of around 300 B/D, and basic sediment and water is between 71 and 87%. The technology applied utilizes pregelled size-controlled product [small microgels (SMG Microgels)] having relative permeability modification (RPM) properties; that is, inducing a strong drop of relative permeability to water without affecting oil relative permeability. The size is chosen to selectively treat the high-permeability water producing zones while preserving the lower-permeability oil zones. The chemical can also withstand downhole harsh conditions such as salinity of around 170,000 ppm and presence of 2% H2S. The treatment consisted of bullhead injection of 300 bbl of pregelled chemical through-tubing. The first results seem very favorable, since for two wells, the water cut has dropped from 80 to 40% with almost same gross production rate. The incremental oil is more than 100 BOPD. The third well did not show marked change after water system operation (WSO) treatment. The wells are under continuous monitoring to assess long-term performance. Such result, if confirmed, may lead to high possibilities for the improvement of heavy oil reservoir production under aquifer support by mitigating water production with simple chemical bullhead injection.

What Drives Land Abandonment in Core Grain-Producing Areas? Evidence from China.

Food security remains a major issue for developing countries. Reducing arable land abandonment (ALA) is crucial to ensuring food security. In China, the ‘decline in both quantity and quality’ of arable land resources, especially in major grain-producing areas, has become increasingly serious. This study uses fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore the core conditions and combinations of paths leading to explicit and implicit abandonment using 30 typical cases in the main grain-producing areas of Hubei Province. The results show that (1) three combined pathways lead to explicit ALA (EALA) and that two pathways lead to implicit ALA (IALA); (2) laborer health (LH) is the core condition leading to EALA; and (3) LH, agricultural laborer (AL), per capita income (PCI) and social relationships (SRs) are the core conditions leading to IALA. To effectively alleviate ALA, the government should improve production conditions, pay attention to laborer health issues, improve agricultural returns and strengthen food security publicity and guidance, thereby promoting the rational use of arable land in these areas. The findings in this study link the changes in arable land use and provide a reference for other developing countries in ensuring food security.

Investigation of enzymes and solvents in the production process of 6-ammonium penicillanic acid (6-APA) in industry to reduce costs and improve production conditions.

In this study, the optimization of the amount of enzyme consumed in the enzymatic phase of substitution of butanol solvent instead of methanol in the powder washing phase after filtration was investigated. To perform this study, different amounts of the enzyme penicillin G amidase (PGA) were tested in reactions with the same conditions. The highest efficiency was observed in the reaction that the ratio of penicillin powder to the amount of enzyme was 2:1. In this reaction, for every 100g of penicillin consumed, 50g of the PGA was used. Replacement of butanol instead of methanol after filtration, the powder obtained from this step was washed with butanol instead of methanol and the powder obtained from this step was examined after drying. The resulting solvent powder was very small and the drying speed of the powder increased compared to the time of methanol usage. Optimizing the amount of enzyme in this process due to the high cost of the enzyme made this reaction more economically viable at the end of this study. In this study, for the first time, butanol was used as a suitable substitute for methanol and the ratio of enzyme use to penicillin powder was optimized. This research deals with the future perspective in the field of research in this regard.

Situation diagnosis of poultry traders at the rural producer fair in Boa Vista, Roraima

The production and trade of chicken meat have occupied a prominent position in the supply of animal protein in several countries, such as Brazil. This study aimed to make a situation diagnosis of chicken traders at the rural producer fair in the municipality of Boa Vista, Roraima, to obtain information on its health, management, slaughter processes, animal welfare, and impacts on public health. The eight poultry traders at the fair were interviewed using questionnaires. From the results, it was identified that the traders had different origins, 75% of them (6/8) were male and 87.5% (7/8) had no higher education, and poultry selling was their main source of household income. The poultry trade at the rural producer fair does not have adequate hygienic-sanitary conditions of production (handling, slaughtering process, and commercialization). There is therefore a need to improve production conditions, ensure the welfare of the slaughtered animals, and implement overall sanitary control to avoid a negative impact on public health.

Study of the current state of accident insurance and occupational diseases in Ukraine

In Ukraine, on average, more than 60 workers are injured daily, three of them fatal, three out of four industrial injuries with disability, and every second causes disability by 50 %. Therefore, insurance against occupational injuries and occupational diseases is relevant. Purpose.Analysis of the current state of insurance against accidents and occupational diseases in Ukraine during 2015−2019.Methodology. Statistical methods of analysis of the current state of insurance against accidents and occupational diseases. Results:It is determined that the problem of industrial safety in Ukraine is solved by reducing the number of people employed in unfavorable working conditions, but unfortunately not by improving production conditions. It is shown that, despite the positive dynamics of insurance payments growth, the level of occupational injuries does not decrease. It complicates the reduction of accidents by reducing funding and logistics of occupational safety measures at all levels of government. It is established that the main reason for the decrease in the level of insurance against accidents and occupational diseases in Ukraine is the pricing policy for insurance services, the definition of the insured event.Scientific novelty.The indicators of insurance payments and the activity of the Insurance Fund against accidents and occupational diseases in Ukraine during 2015−2019, which occurred under the influence of dangerous and harmful production factors, are analyzed.Practical significance. Insurance against occupational injuries, occupational diseases and rehabilitation of victims, compensation for material and moral damage to the insured and their families.

Effect of water temperature on aggressiveness and physiological parameters of juvenile matrinxã, Brycon amazonicus (Spix and Agassiz, 1829)

The matrinxã (Brycon amazonicus) is one of the species with the greatest rates of commercialization in the Amazon region, however, it has a high frequency of aggressiveness and cannibalism, and these traits are considered a major obstacle to the aquaculture sector. Environmental factors (e.g., water temperature) are known to impact fish behavior and, thus could contribute to reducing fish aggressiveness and improve production conditions. Therefore, we tested the effect of water temperature on aggressive behavior and stress parameters in juvenile B. amazonicus. Aggressive behavior and stress indicators (haematological indices and glucose) were compared in 24 individuals that were isolated for eight days and submitted to one of three temperatures: low (24.33 ± 0.33 °C), intermediate (29.49 ± 0.43 °C) and high (34.48 ± 0.56 °C); eight fish were used per treatment. The experimental period was divided into three phases: A. Initial- the average temperature was equivalent to the acclimatization period (29.49 ± 0.70 °C) and lasted for 60 h; B. Transition- a gradual increase/decrease in temperature over a period of 36 h (∼2.55 °C/day) was implemented; and C. Final- temperatures corresponded to the respective experimental treatments, to which the fish were exposed for 96 h. Aggressive behavior was monitored from the 5th to 8th days of the experiment, and blood was collected for physiological analysis on the 1st and 8th days. At the end of the experiment, the fish submitted to the higher temperature showed less aggressive interactions compared to fish maintained at the lower temperature (Fisher LSD, P = 0.025). For all temperatures tested, a reduction in hematocrit, red blood cell counts, hemoglobin concentration and plasma glucose was observed at the end of the experiment, but the reductions in most of these parameters did not differ among the treatments (Kruskal-Wallis, X² = 1, P = 0.61, ANOVA, F = 0.84, P = 0.17). In conclusion, the higher temperature did indeed cause a reduction in the aggressiveness of the juvenile B. amazonicus, though it did not act as a stressor. These findings may contribute to the improvement of social conditions during the farming of this species and, consequently, to the development of new technologies for the productive sector.

黄土高原地区高标准农田建设研究—以浮山县为例

通过对黄土高原地区浮山县5000亩高标准农田建设项目的研究，结果表明：(1) 该项目可以显著改善农业生产条件，加快项目区传统农业向节水农业、设施农业、生态农业的转变，达到“田地平整、土壤肥沃、路渠配套、林网适宜”的要求。其中新增节水灌溉面积4497.39亩，增加农田防护林网面积50亩，新增粮食生产能力28.44万公斤，项目区农民纯收入总额增加68.73万元。(2) 项目建成后，对于改良土壤，美化环境，改变自然面貌也有重要作用，有利于自然生态系统良性循环与效益提升。(3) 项目建成后，玉米和经济作物可亩均增产150 kg，新增种植业总产值136.27万元。(4) 该项目在技术上可行，经济评价指标优越，具有较好的经济效益、明显的社会效益和深远的生态效益。 Based on the 5000 acres of high-standard farmland construction projects in Fushan County on the Loess Plateau region, the main results are obtained as follows: (1) The project can significantly im-prove production conditions and traditional agriculture to water-saving, facilities, ecological agri-culture. The project can obviously improve the conditions of the agricultural production and trans-fer the traditional agriculture of the project area to water-saving agriculture, agricultural facilities, and ecological agriculture rapidly, to reach the requirements of “flat land, fertile soil, road drainage facilities, suitable shelterbelt”. The new water-saving irrigation area increases by 4497.39 acres, the farm-shelter forest area increases by 50 acres, the new food production capacity increases by 284,400 kg, and the total pure income of farmers in the project area increases by 687,300 yuan. (2) The project plays an important role for soil improvement, landscaping, altering the natural land-scape, and is conducive to a virtuous cycle of natural ecosystems and efficiency. (3) After the project built, the per mu of the production of the corns and crops may increase 150 kg; the new planting of the total production is 136.27 million yuan. (4) The project is technically feasible and economically favorable evaluation, with good economic, social and profound obvious ecological benefits.

Field Surveillance: Enhanced Monitoring and Smart Alarms Produce More Oil

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 102091, "A New Approach for Field Surveillance: Enhanced Monitoring Associating Smart Alarms To Produce More Oil," by A. Lentini and G. Fumia, Eni E&P; H. Malonga and F. Okassa, Eni Congo; and J.P. Le Cann and J. Lessi, SPE, Geoservices, prepared for the 2006 SPE Russian Oil and Gas Technical Conference and Exhibition, Moscow, 3–6 October. Managing wells produced with electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) must take into account limited pump-run life and production losses from ESP failures and shut in wells. Monitoring production and pump parameters is common, but real-time monitoring systems enable improving production conditions with rapid access to data that allows engineers to plan effective and timely remedial work. A system was field tested at an unmanned platform of a brown field with producing wells that use ESPs. The advanced information provided to the decision makers resulted in early production recovery and improved well inflow and outflow performance knowledge. Introduction The evolution of information technology has provided various new tools and opportunities to help maximize oil recovery while optimizing operational costs. Real-time data can increase the asset value only if the associated information can be analyzed fully in a timely and effective manner. The technology described here uses automated "smart alarms." It is intended to exploit the potential in the huge amount of information available from real-time monitoring of wells having ESPs. This surveillance system was implemented on an offshore satellite platform in Congo. The existing instrumentation was used and the data made available in real time to every location within the company's Congo network by use of terminal-server technology. During a first monitoring and optimization phase, an optimal setting was found for each well. Then, in a second surveillance phase, smart alarms were built to detect deviation from the optimal behavior by comparing current data with a signature specific for each well and based only on wellhead parameters. Background Data-collection systems can provide very large amounts of data from different sources. The drawback of such a situation is the risk of losing the relevant information because of data overload and the lack of appropriate, coherent, and consistent processing of these data. It is important to focus on parameters that are key to optimizing well production and avoiding production losses. If correctly processed, these parameters can be used efficiently to trigger alarms that can draw the operator's attention, enabling immediate appropriate action. The first step is to define processing that, when applied to specific data, will detect abnormal well behavior. The second step is to implement software that uses the data to trigger alarms. This software relies on "smart logic" to avoid any false alarm caused by a non-relevant situation, such as a planned shut-in of the well.

Regression and Cluster Analysis of Environmental Responses of Hybrid and Pureline Winter Wheat Cultivars1

The commercial development and release of F1 hybrid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars should enable wheat producers to achieve higher levels of grain production. Despite increased interest in hybrid wheat, planting of hybrid cultivars at the presentime is limited to areas traditionally having high yield potential or receiving intensive management. This study was conducted to compare yield responses of hybrid and pureline cultivars across a wide range of environments. Regression and cluster analyses were applied to data obtained from four winter wheat performance trials from 1982 to 1985. A different set of either 30 or 40 genotypes, approximately half of which were hybrids, was evaluated each year in Oklahoma. Because the environmental responses of all genotypes were highly correlated in each year, environment means were employed as the index in the regression analysis. In 1982, the average regression coefficient (b) for hybrids (1.12) was significantly greater than that for either semidwarf purelines (0.99) or tall pnrelines (0.79), indicatingreater responsiveness of hybrids to improving production conditions. For the remaining years (1983–1985), similar linear responses of hybrids and semidwarf pnrelines indicated that the hybrid yield advantage did not increase in environments with higher index values. In addition, classification of genotypes into homogeneous‐response clusters according to actual responses indicated high similarity between environmental responses of hybrids and semidwarf pnrelines. Responses of hybrids and tall purelines, however, were dissimilar. The similar environmental response patterns of the most recently developed hybrid and semidwarf pureline winter wheat cultivars does not support the recommendation of either cultivar type when considering overall production potential of the environment.