Non-industrial Products Research Articles

Rubber Tree Recognition Based on UAV RGB Multi-Angle Imagery and Deep Learning

The rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is an important tree species for the production of natural latex, which is an essential raw material for varieties of industrial and non-industrial products. Rapid and accurate identification of the number of rubber trees not only plays an important role in predicting biomass and yield but also is beneficial to estimating carbon sinks and promoting the sustainable development of rubber plantations. However, the existing recognition methods based on canopy characteristic segmentation are not suitable for detecting individual rubber trees due to their high canopy coverage and similar crown structure. Fortunately, rubber trees have a defoliation period of about 40 days, which makes their trunks clearly visible in high-resolution RGB images. Therefore, this study employed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with an RGB camera to acquire high-resolution images of rubber plantations from three observation angles (−90°, −60°, 45°) and two flight directions (SN: perpendicular to the rubber planting row, and WE: parallel to rubber planting rows) during the deciduous period. Four convolutional neural networks (multi-scale attention network, MAnet; Unet++; Unet; pyramid scene parsing network, PSPnet) were utilized to explore observation angles and directions beneficial for rubber tree trunk identification and counting. The results indicate that Unet++ achieved the best recognition accuracy (precision = 0.979, recall = 0.919, F-measure = 94.7%) with an observation angle of −60° and flight mode of SN among the four deep learning algorithms. This research provides a new idea for tree trunk identification by multi-angle observation of forests in specific phenological periods.

Estimation of Rubber Yield Using Sentinel-2 Satellite Data

Rubber is a perennial plant grown to produce natural rubber. It is a raw material for industrial and non-industrial products important to the world economy. The sustainability of natural rubber production is, therefore, critical for smallholder livelihoods and economic development. To maintain price stability, it is important to estimate the yields in advance. Remote sensing technology can effectively provide large-scale spatial data; however, productivity estimates need to be processed from high spatial resolution data generated from satellites with high accuracy and reliability, especially for smallholder livelihood areas where smaller plots contrast with large farms. This study used reflectance data from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery acquired for the 12 months between December 2020 and November 2021. The imagery included 213 plots where data on rubber production in smallholder agriculture were collected. Six vegetation indices (Vis), namely Green Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (GSAVI), Modified Simple Ratio (MSR), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Green (NR), and Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI) were used to estimate the rubber yield. The study found that the red edge spectral band (band 5) provided the best prediction with R2 = 0.79 and RMSE = 29.63 kg/ha, outperforming all other spectral bands and VIs. The MSR index provided the highest coefficient of determination, with R2 = 0.62 and RMSE = 39.25 kg/ha. When the red edge reflectance was combined with the best VI, MSR, the prediction model only slightly improved, with a coefficient determination of (R2) of 0.80 and an RMSE of 29.42 kg/ha. The results demonstrated that the Sentinel-2 data are suitable for rubber yield prediction for smallholder farmers. The findings of this study can be used as a guideline to apply in other countries or areas. Future studies will require the use of reflectance and vegetation indices derived from satellite data in combination with meteorological data, as well as the application of complex models, such as machine learning and deep learning.

Salt content of processed foods in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and compliance with salt standards.

The World Health Organization recommends a maximum daily salt intake of 5 g for adults; the Islamic Republic of Iran has national standards for salt content of foods. This study aimed to determine the salt content of industrial (made in large-scale food companies) and non-industrial (made in local stores using traditional methods) foods in Tehran province and compare it with the Iranian national standards. We determined the salt content of 555 industrial and non-industrial products from parts of Tehran province in 2016 and 2018. The types of foods examined were: canned vegetables, industrial and non-industrial pickled vegetables, industrial and non-industrial tomato paste/tomato sauce, industrial and non-industrial nuts, and non-industrial barberry juice. The salt content of each product and its compliance with Iranian national standards was evaluated. The salt content of industrial tomato paste/sauce in 2016 (2.05 g/100 g) and non-industrial tomato paste/sauce in 2018 (2.37 g/100 g) was higher than the Iranian standard (1.5/2.0 g/100 g). The mean salt content of both industrial (1.97 g/100 g) and non-industrial (2.16 g/100 g) nuts was higher than the Iranian standard (1.88 g/100 g), as was the mean salt content of non-industrial juice (0.79 g/100 mL versus 0.25 g/100 mL). In 2018, only 48% and 40% of industrial and non-industrial tomato pastes/sauces met the Iranian standard. Overall, industrial products conformed better with the national standard than non-industrial products. Efforts are needed to reduce the salt content of processed food in the Islamic Republic of Iran and ensure they meet the Iranian standards.

A two-phase hybrid product design algorithm using learning vector quantization, design of experiments, and adaptive neuro-fuzzy interface systems to optimize geometric form in view of customers’ opinions

One of the most important characteristics of a modern product is the extent to which it meets the needs of customers to gain market share. The conceptual design methods of products based on customer requirements are often feature-based, in which several features are identified between different types of a product. According to customer demands, these features are tuned and the closest is selected as the optimum. The great variety of features of a present-day product can often make this difficult because finding these common features is very complicated or even impossible. To solve this problem, choosing the optimal design is divided into two phases: In the first phase, the main product is divided into some basic categories and according to the customers' opinion, one is selected as the category. In the second phase, the selection of common geometrical features between the members of the winning category is made. Then, the optimization process is done based on customer rating and the closest design to the mentioned rating is selected. The house light switch is used as a case study and the proposed algorithm is implemented on it. High customer satisfaction with the optimized final design, high response rate to survey forms, and the low number of incompatible data, all, indicate the suitability of the proposed algorithm with human interface characteristics, simplicity and efficiency in adapting the product to the customers' view. This method can be used for other industrial products and even for non-industrial products or services.

Development of muffins as dialysis snacks for patients undergoing hemodialysis: results of chemical composition and sensory analysis

ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop two non-industrial food products as financially accessible options to prevent and treat malnutrition in hemodialysis (HD) patients. These food products were developed and intended for use as dialysis snacks.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional and multi-step study. First, 183 adult HD patients (55 ± 14 years; 50.8% males), replied to a questionnaire with their food preferences regarding taste (salty, sweet, bitter, sour) and consistency (liquid, solid, pasty) for a dialysis snack. Most patients preferred a food product with a solid consistency (90%) and a salty flavor (81.4%). Second, three muffin formulations of fine herbs were developed; one enriched with whey protein concentrate (WPC), a second with textured soy protein (TSP) and a third standard formulation without protein for comparison with the protein-enriched muffins, for which the chemical and nutritional compositions were analyzed. In the third step, 60 patients on HD (61 ± 15 years; 53% males) were enrolled in a sensory analysis by applying a 9-point structured hedonic scale, ranging from “extremely liked” (score 9) to “extremely disliked” (score 1).ResultsWhen compared with the standard formulation, the formulations enriched with WPC and TSP protein had a significantly higher amount of protein/serving (Standard: 5.9 ± 0.3 g vs WPC: 14.5 ± 0.9 g and TSP 10.8 ± 0.7 g; P < 0.05) but a lower amount of carbohydrate (Standard: 13.1 ± 2.2 g vs WPC: 5.6 ± 0.8 g and TSP 6.0 ± 1.2 g vs; P < 0.05). The mineral content/serving of the protein-enriched muffins was low in phosphorus (50 mg) and sodium (180 mg). The potassium content/serving was moderate for the WPC muffin (225.2 mg) and low for the TSP muffin (107.9 mg). The acceptability index (AI) for the enriched protein muffins was higher than 70% and similar to the standard formulation.ConclusionThe muffins with fine herbs and enriched with protein were well-accepted by all patients and appropriate to serve as dialysis snacks for HD patients.

The adoption of the АСАА in the interests of Ukrainian producers and public safety

Relevance of the research topic. Identification of the features of negative influence on the further development of Ukrainian production of cable and wire products, namely, the growth of imports of low-quality products and saturation of the market with counterfeit products, which leads to a decrease in production volumes, a reduction in productioncapacities, and profit losses for most Ukrainian manufacturers. In addition, the inefficiency of technical regulation programs leads to threats the security of the society: the use of counterfeit products is one of the causes of fires, which leads to loss of life, as well as economic losses. All this strengthens the importance of creating an effective system of state control in the domestic market of cable and wire products. One of the most effective ways is to improve technical regulation is through adopting the Agreement on Conformity and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA). Formulation of the problem. Dangerous threats associated with the rapid growth of imports of counterfeit products in an increasingly open and competitive economy require increased state control in the domestic market, to ensure compliance with product quality and safety standards. Creating favorable conditions for the adaptation of Ukrainian manufacturers to the introduction ofhigh quality standards in accordance with EU requirements will help bridge technological gaps and ensure security in the domestic market. Selection of unexplored parts of the general problem. Faced with the increasing impact of threatening challenges on the development of cable and wire products, the problem of substantiating the directions of improving state control over the quality and safety of industrial products in the domestic market and promoting the adaptation of Ukrainian manufacturers to standards remains insufficiently studied. Setting the task, the purpose of the study. The purpose of the paper is to develop tools aimed at accelerating the adaptation of Ukrainian manufacturers to new high standards of quality and safety of cable and wire products, namely the development of recommendations for improving market surveillance, compliance with horizontal (frame) and vertical (industry) legislation in industrial sectors (cable production -conductor products), which allows to accelerate the process of concluding an ACAA agreement and will provide favorable conditions for the development of Ukraine industry. Method or methodology for conducting research. The authors used the following special research methods: statistical comparisons, groupings, samples (to identify trends in the cable-conductor market); structural and functional analysis (to identify problems impeding the successful integration of Ukrainian producers into the world trading space), expert assessments. The recommendations on directions and instruments of industrial policy are developed using the generalization of domestic and international experience according to new challenges of industrial development of Ukraine. The field of application of results. The results of this study can be applied to industrial policy-making for effective industrial stimulus measures of Ukrainian industry. Conclusions. It has been proved that in order to create favorable conditions for satisfying the needs of the domestic market for cable products and ensuring public safety, the implementation of such measures is paramount: the development of rules for the safe functioning of energy non-industrial products; the introduction of reliable control in the electrical market using the appropriate registers of manufacturers, suppliers and sellers of dangerous checkpoints and the improvement of the technical regulation system, including the introduction of a reliable control system and measures to prevent the entry of poor-quality cable and wire products across the Ukrainian border.

Heterocyclic aromatic amine concentrations and quality characteristics of traditional smoked and roasted poultry products on the northern Chinese market

This study evaluated the heterocyclic aromatic amine (HAA) contents and quality characteristics of seven kinds of traditional smoked and roasted poultry products on the northern Chinese market. Harbin smoked chicken had the most abundant total HAAs, followed by Haroulian roasted chicken and Yishou smoked chicken. The contents of Norharman and Harman were much higher than those of other kinds of HAAs (P < 0.05). The water content of samples varied from 59.01% to 69.98% and the water activity varied from 0.953 to 0.976. The carbonyl content and TBARS values of the Beijing roasted duck and the Duiqing roasted goose were much higher than those of the other samples (P < 0.05). The sensory evaluation result of the Beijing roasted chicken was higher than that of the other samples (P < 0.05). Overall, the levels of HAAs in the industrial smoked and roasted products were lower than those in non-industrial products, which may provide a theoretical basis for the industrial production of smoked and roasted poultry products.

The effect of technological intensity of exports on the economic growth of Brazilian microregions: A spatial analysis with panel data

Abstract The objective of this study was to analyze empirically the effects of exports segmented into technological levels on the economic growth of Brazilian microregions during the period 2000–2010 in light of the Crespo-Cuaresma and Worz’s (2005) model. The hypothesis is that exports increase economic growth due to the productivity differential existing between the exporting and non exporting sectors and the positive externality generated by the exporting in the non exporting sector. Theoretically, the higher technology the exported goods have, the stronger these effects are. By classifying the exports into technological levels and estimating the empirical model using the spatial data panel technique, with fixed effect, the two central hypotheses in the Crespo-Cuaresma and Worz’s (2005) model were validated, with a productivity differential in all exporting segments, and also with a subsequent effect of externalities on the economic dynamism. This effect might go beyond territorial limits mainly when the goods exported belong to the low and mid-low technology industry. Also, a differentiated effect was observed regarding the external insertion in the economic growth of the regions with high exports vs. those with low participation in the international trade. In the former, the most intense indirect effect is mainly related to products with higher aggregated value, while in the latter more effects are seen mainly linked to the exportation of non-industrial products.

A taxa de câmbio como instrumento do desenvolvimento econômico

RESUMO O artigo discute a importância da taxa de câmbio no processo de desenvolvimento econômico. Depoios de fazer uma breve discussão do tema, apresenta-se um histórico sobre a política cambial brasileira após 1995 no âmbito do programa de estabilização macroeconômica. Neste caso, discutem-se os efeitos da política cambial sobre a indústria do país realçando-se o fato de que existem evidências empíricas que apontam para a desindustrialização. Este aspecto, em grande medida, é explicado pelo comportamento dos dados sobre a intensidade tecnológica dos produtos exportados e importados. Recentemente, observou-se uma expansão bastante expressiva dos produtos não industriais na pauta do comércio externo do país, indicador que pode estar sinalizando a existência de um processo de desindustrialização em curso.

Damage by Homalinotus depressus in commercial coconut palm crops in the Amazonian region of Brazil

The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L., Arecaceae) has great economic and social importance for many industrial and non-industrial products. Pests can reduce its productivity and cause its death. In 2005, larvae and adults of a Curculionidae were observed damaging the floral stalk of coconut palms in commercial plantations in the municipality of Moju, Para State, in the Brazilian Amazon. Insects were identified as the black coconut bunch weevil, Homalinotus depressus (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cholini). This is the first report of this pest damaging coconut palms in Brazil.

Prevalence of Some Bacteria Yeasts and Molds in Meat Foods in San Luis, Argentina

In this work we evaluate the microbiological quality and the hygiene degree of meat foods consumed in the city of San Luis. A total of 515 meat food samples (315 from fresh sausages, 100 from hamburgers and 100 from ground beef) were processed, being the most of them non-industrial products. The microbiological quality was determined by counts of total mesophilic bacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli, molds and yeasts, and Clostridium perfringens. The number of total mesophilic aerobes was within the 10(6) cfu/g limit set by the Argentinaan Alimentary Code (AAC). Two hundred seventy six samples exhibited E. coli levels between 10(1) and 10(3) cfu/g. The 58.26% of the samples with E. coli counts above > 10(1) cfu/g came from hamburgers and fresh sausages exceeding the AAC limits. Counts of molds and yeasts ranged between 10(3) and 10(6) cfu/g. From a total of 515 samples, 126 exhibited C. perfringens, out of which 80 (64.08%) gave counts > 10(2)/g, exceeding the limits set by the AAC. Out of these 80 samples, C. perfringens counts were above 10(5) cfu/g in 12 of them, and E. coli was also detected in 48 samples (38.10%). The samples with counts > 10(5) C. perfringens/g are potentially responsible for alimentary intoxication. The results obtained indicate the need to improve the processing and handling conditions of these products.