Production Value Research Articles

Upscaling ecological restoration by integrating with agriculture

Transformative change is needed to align common small‐scale ecological restoration approaches with expectations to restore millions of hectares of degraded lands globally. Currently, most restoration projects target small areas using costly manual methods that cannot be scaled up to meet global commitments. We propose that a judicious integration of agricultural practices into ecological restoration offers an opportunity to address this issue. This transformative process relies on three sequential and interconnected steps: (1) ensure that sufficient land is truly available for restoration; (2) compensate for the loss of agricultural production, income, or land value to encourage landholders to opt for restoration; and (3) develop scalable, affordable, and effective methods for restoring native ecosystems across the pledged hundreds of millions of hectares to deliver benefits to both nature and people. Large‐scale terrestrial restoration will require incorporating agronomic practices into the restoration toolbox to go beyond vague, ambitious promises and wishful thinking.

Highly porous carbon with rich inherent groups for ultrahigh adsorption of organic dyes from wastewater

Activated carbon from renewable biomass or its waste to purify various dyeing wastewater from textile industry is highly desired. In this work, porous activated carbon was prepared by using silk waste as precursor via a simple one-step carbonization process. The obtained SWC-1-800 had ultrahigh adsorption for anionic dye AR73 and cationic dye MB owing to its ultrahigh specific surface area (2774 m2 g−1) and rich functional groups. SWC-1-800 had an increased adsorption capacity reaching 1310 and 928 mg g−1 for AR73 and MB respectively as the initial concentration up to 1000 mg L−1. Moreover, the adsorption capacity was stable under a wide range of Na+ and SDS concentration. By adjusting the temperature and pH value, the maximum adsorption capacity reached 1337 and 1000 mg g−1 for AR73 and MB respectively, keeping the removal rate of AR73 and MB more than 80 % after 5 adsorption cycles. Besides, SWC-1-800 demonstrated quite good adsorption ability for many other kinds of dyes, which adsorption capacity as high as 1998 mg g−1 (Rh B). The adsorption mechanism was further proposed according to the structural characteristics, inherent functional groups and adsorption properties. Using silk waste-derived carbon to effectively absorb the harmful dyes in the wastewater shows dual value for cleaner production via a “waste-waste to clean products” model, which has great application potential in dyeing wastewater purification.

An Efficient and Low-Cost Deep Learning-Based Method for Counting and Sizing Soybean Nodules

Soybeans are an essential source of food, protein, and oil worldwide, and the nodules on their root systems play a critical role in nitrogen fixation and plant growth. In this study, we tackled the challenge of limited high-resolution image quantities and the constraints on model learning by innovatively employing image segmentation technology for an in-depth analysis of soybean nodule phenomics. Through a meticulously designed segmentation algorithm, we broke down large-resolution images into numerous smaller ones, effectively improving the model’s learning efficiency and significantly increasing the available data volume, thus laying a solid foundation for subsequent analysis. In terms of model selection and optimization, after several rounds of comparison and testing, YOLOX was identified as the optimal model, achieving an accuracy of 91.38% on the test set with an R2 of up to 86%, fully demonstrating its efficiency and reliability in nodule counting tasks. Subsequently, we utilized YOLOV5 for instance segmentation, achieving a precision of 93.8% in quickly and accurately extracting key phenotypic indicators such as the area, circumference, length, and width of the nodules, and calculated the statistical properties of these indicators. This provided a wealth of quantitative data for the morphological study of soybean nodules. The research not only enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of obtaining nodule phenotypic data and reduced costs but also provided important scientific evidence for the selection and breeding of soybean materials, highlighting its potential application value in agricultural research and practical production.

Hydrocyclone combines with alkali-thermal pretreatment to enhance short-chain fatty acids production from anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge

The production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) through anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge (WAS) is commonly constrained by limited substrate availability, particularly for WAS with low organic content. Combining the hydrocyclone (HC) selection with alkali-thermal (AT) pretreatment is a promising solution to address this limitation. The results indicated that HC selection modified the sludge properties by enhancing the ratio of mixed liquid volatile suspended solids (MLVSS)/mixed liquid suspended solids (MLSS) by 19.0% and decreasing the mean particle size by 17.4%, which were beneficial for the subsequent anaerobic fermentation process. Under the optimal HC + AT condition, the peak value of SCFAs production reached 4951.9 mg COD/L, representing a 23.2% increase compared to the raw sludge with only AT pretreatment. Mechanism investigations revealed such enhancement beyond mechanical separation. It involved an increase in bound extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) through HC selection and the disruption of sludge spatial structure by AT pretreatment. Consequently, this combination pretreatment accelerated the transfer of particulate organics (i.e., bound EPS and intracellular components) to the supernatant, thus increasing the accessibility of WAS substrate to hydrolytic and acidifying bacteria. Furthermore, the microbial structure was altered with the enrichment of key functional microorganisms, probably due to the facilitation of substrate biotransformation and product output. Meanwhile, the activity of hydrolases and SCFAs-forming enzymes increased, while that of methanogenic enzymes decreased. Overall, this strategy successfully enhanced SCFAs production from WAS while reducing the environmental risks of WAS disposal.

Livestock Sector's Economic Significance and Livelihood Support in Afghanistan: A Focus on Small Ruminants

Afghanistan predominantly an agrarian nation with a significant rural population, relies heavily on livestock for various purposes. Despite its pivotal role in the country's economy and the sustenance of rural communities, the livestock sector, particularly small ruminants like sheep and goats, often lacks the attention it deserves. This review seeks to evaluate the economic importance of small ruminants and address the challenges faced by livestock farmers, including insufficient pastures, imbalanced nutrition, and limited access to clean water. The analysis encompasses the contribution of small ruminants to the national economy, their impact on rural livelihoods, and the impediments encountered by small-scale farmers. Additionally, the study delves into the intricacies of production systems, market dynamics, and value chains associated with small ruminants, highlighting their role in income generation, employment, and food security. Exploring socio-cultural dimensions, the paper acknowledges the significance of small ruminants in traditional practices and social norms. However, it also underscores challenges in animal health, breeding, feeding, marketing, and infrastructure that hinder the sector's growth. The review underscores the necessity for targeted interventions, including improved veterinary services, enhanced extension support, better market linkages, and policy reforms, to fortify the small ruminant sector. By offering recommendations, the paper aims to guide policymakers, researchers, and practitioners toward fostering sustainable development and inclusive expansion of the small ruminant sector, ultimately uplifting the livelihoods of Afghanistan's small-scale livestock farmers.

Utilization of papermaking black liquor as liquid phase for hydrothermal carbonization of corn stalks: The unique role of alkali for production of hydrochar

Papermaking black liquor (BL) contains a large amount of organic matter, alkali, and salt, which has high value in industrial and agricultural production. In the present paper, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) technology has been employed to deal with BL and corn stalk (CS) under various conditions. A variety of analytical technologies, including Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer, X-Ray Diffraction, element analyzer, comprehensive thermal analyzer, scanning electron microscope, chromatography/mass spectrometry, TOC analyzer, and density functional theory (DFT), were used to characterize the physicochemical properties of hydrochar and aqueous phase product. The effects of experimental parameters (temperature, solid-liquid ratio, and time) on the HTC of BL and CS were systematically investigated. The higher energy yield and densification of hydrochar prepared by our HTC technology were obtained at 260 ℃ in 30 min with a solid-liquid ratio of 1:3. Mechanism study indicates that NaOH, which comes from the original BL, could effectively facilitate the cleavage of β–O–4 bond in lignin and β–1–4 glycosidic bond in cellulose and hemicellulose molecules. Hemicellulose and cellulose are more susceptible to degradation relevant to the lignin in the presence of NaOH. Elementary analysis shows that the dosage of BL is important for improving energy densification of hydrochar. The combustion characteristics show that hydrochar presents a thermochemical behavior, which is close to bituminous coal. Owing to hydroxyl ion in NaOH ion pair was consumed in the series of dehydrogenation reactions, pH of HTC aqueous phase product significantly decreases from 11 to 13 in original BL to 4.8–5. Such results indicate that a completely change for the components of BL could be obtained by our HTC technology, which provide a novel idea for the treatment of Papermaking BL without concentration.

To Become an Object Among Objects: Generative Artificial “Intelligence,” Writing, and Linguistic White Supremacy

AbstractThis paper critically explores the implications of generative artificial “intelligence” (GAI) technologies for literacy theory and practice through a case study of the author's use of OpenAI's ChatGPT. The study opens with an overview of recent literature surrounding the pedagogical implications of using GAI with a focus on issues of racial justice, outlining an abolitionist political ecology approach to literacy that extends relational theories of mediation to machine‐aided writing. The framework is then applied to data from a cognitive autoethnography of GAI use over a 6‐month period, which included a digital ethnography of ChatGPT and an extended semistructured “interview” with the GAI chatbot. Racial justice issues were found, especially linguistic and other biases. As such, soon‐to‐be ubiquitous artificial intelligence (AI) technologies require profound reconsideration of the productive value of literacy exploited by GAI, which will inevitably be pursued through an acquiescence or fundamental rupture with the dystopian visions of the technology's creators.

Exploring uncertainty of small-scale blue swimming crab fishery (Portunus pelagicus) toward local blue economy: The case of Pati Coastal Waters, Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract Blue swimming crab (BSC) fisheries are characterized as small-scale, with limited biological and socio-economic data. Information limitations, such as those related to administrative inputs, have become a pressing issue in understanding the sustainability of BSC fisheries in coastal Pati Regency. This study aimed to analyze fishery uncertainty. The research was conducted from December 2020 to March 2021 in Alasdowo Village, Dukuhseti District, Pati Regency. Biological data was collected from the daily logbooks of BSC middlemen, encompassing the catch of 368 fishermen from January 2019 to March 2021. Socio-economic data was obtained through structured interviews and focus group discussions. The production value of BSC in zone 2 was approximately 724.6 ± 889.7 kg/day, with a coefficient of variability of 1.23. The number of fishing trips was 188 ± 137, with a coefficient of variability of 0.73. The productivity value was approximately 3.2 ± 3.7 kg/trip, with a coefficient of variability of 1.16. The BSC fishery using trap-net gear in zone 2 exhibits high uncertainty, as evidenced by the high coefficients of variability. Exploring fishery uncertainty can be a valuable component of fisheries management through a social-ecological systems approach.

Study of Life Feed in Cantang Grouper Hatcheries (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus x Epinephelus lanceolatus)

Abstract Cantang grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus x Epinephelus lanceolatus) is a cross between female tiger grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) and male tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus), according to statistical data from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) it has a production value of 4,406 tons in 2022 and experienced an increase in growth of 33.92%. Fulfilling this need can be done by maximizing the hatchery process, the key to which is natural food, namely for broodstock (flying fish, tuna and squid) and larvae (chlorella, artemia, rotifers, rebon shrimp). The aim of this article is to study natural feed in the hatchery of cantang grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus x Epinephelus lanceolatus). This study was conducted at the Pecaron Brackish Water Aquaculture Fisheries Center (BPBAP), Situbondo, East Java on 19 June - 19 August 2023. The work method used was a descriptive method with primary and secondary data collection. The study results showed that the Hatching Rate (HR) was 73.25%, the Survival Rate (SR) was 15.98%, the Specific Grow Rate (SGR) was 0.24 g/day. Water quality measured is temperature ranging from 28-30°C, pH between 7.78-8.44, salinity between 31-32 ppt, dissolved oxygen (DO) between 5.72-6.20 mg/L, ammonia between 0.001-0.031 mg/L, nitrite is 0.001 mg/L. Natural feed has complete amino acids, fatty acids, enzymes and minerals which function in the maturation of the parent gonads and larval growth.

A multiscale and multiperspective quantifying framework for spatial patterns and influencing mechanisms of geographical indications

Geographical indications (GIs) embody distinctive regional elements characterized by widespread spatial distribution, serving as vital agricultural intellectual properties and significant tourism assets. This case study introduces a multiscale and multi-perspective quantification framework for Shandong Province, focusing on spatial agglomeration, association, and heterogeneity. This approach quantitatively explores GIs’ spatial patterns and influencing mechanisms, analyzing both at the monomer and regional scales, considering static and dynamic perspectives. Leveraging methods such as kernel density analysis, Moran’s I index, Geary’s C index, Internet hot word analysis, and Geodetector, the coastal municipalities, prosperous urban areas, and zones with high-quality arable soils were identified as spatial agglomeration areas for GIs. The study revealed a strong correlation between the spatial distribution pattern of socioeconomic factors and GIs’ spatial density from a static perspective. However, diminished spatial autocorrelation was observed for GIs’ public perception from a dynamic standpoint, indicating a reduced influence of Internet connectivity. The spatial heterogeneity in GIs is determined by multiple interconnected factors, displaying an enhancement effect between any two influencing factors. Among the 15 influencing factors analyzed, urbanization rate; gross value of agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery production; and per capita gross domestic product significantly contribute to spatial heterogeneity effects at both urbanization rate, gross value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery production, and per capita gross domestic product significantly contributed to spatial heterogeneity effects at regional and monomer scales. The results suggest that GIs are likely to flourish with regional economic growth. The analytical framework and quantification methods support exploring and sustainably utilizing GIs, improving output quality, and modernizing GIs’ production, ultimately contributing to regional agriculture’s high-quality and sustainable development.

글로벌 가치사슬에서의 위치가 임금에 미치는 영향

This study analyses the impact of Korean manufacturing's position in the global value chain on wages, i.e., estimates the impact of the relative position of Korean manufacturing on the smile curve, which represents the relationship between production stage and value added in the global value chain. The main findings of the analysis are as follows. First, we find that wages are higher at the top and bottom of the value chain in Korean manufacturing. Second, we estimate an interaction between occupational category and the smile curve and find that the wage effect of the smile curve is pronounced for production workers, but not for white collar workers. For production workers, wages are relatively higher at the top and bottom of the value chain, meaning that even within the same production occupation, there are differences in wages depending on the position in the manufacturing value chain. This suggests that productivity and wages need to improve in the middle of the value chain to mitigate the wage polarisation within the same occupation in manufacturing.

Smoke-free legislation impact on the hospitality sector in the Republic of Georgia

IntroductionComprehensive smoke-free (SF) policies reduce secondhand smoke exposure and improve population-level health outcomes. However, some decision-makers heed the tobacco industry’s argument that SF policies negatively impact the hospitality sector. This...

Pork cuts, hams, and sausages have digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAAS) close to or over 100

AbstractBackgroundThe “Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score” (DIAAS) method measures protein quality in human foods. Animal‐based products generally have high protein quality, but DIAAS values for some pork products are not available. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to determine standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) and DIAAS values for pork products, including three types of pork cuts, Italian hams, and sausages, and to test the hypothesis that all pork products have DIAAS equal to or greater than 100.ResultsThe mean SID of the indispensable AA in all pork products was above 90% and indicated excellent digestibility. For children from 6 months to 3 years old and individuals older than 3 years, prosciutto had greater (p < 0.05) DIAAS than all other pork products. Tenderloin and Coppa had greater (p < 0.05) DIAAS than back ribs, shoulder butt, chorizo, and bratwurst. There were no limiting AA in any of the pork products (DIAAS >100) with the exception that sulfur AA (SAA: methionine + cysteine) were limiting in chorizo for children from 6 months to 3 years old (DIAAS = 99).ConclusionWith the exception of chorizo for children less than 3 years old, all pork products have “excellent” protein quality for individuals older than 6 months of age, with DIAAS greater than 100. Pork proteins can, therefore, complement proteins with low quality to produce a meal that is adequate in all AA.

Exploring the role of emotional and social values in product purchases decision

Exploring the role of emotional and social values in product purchases decision

Bioprospecting a mountain-derived phosphorus-solubilizing bacterium: Bacillus thuringiensis B3 as a plant-growth promoter in lettuce and tomato horticultural crops

The biogeographic and climatic conditions of islands like Cuba generate distinctive ecosystems as reservoirs of microbial biodiversity. This study explores the potential of the B3 strain, isolated from the Guamuhaya Mountain in Cuba, in Cuban urban horticulture, where the soil phosphorus availability poses a significant challenge to crop productivity. The B3 strain demonstrates remarkable phosphorus solubilization capabilities, along with nitrogen fixation and nutrient mobilization, production of growth regulators, siderophores, lipases, and both volatile and diffusible antimicrobial compounds. The strain's multifaceted functionalities indicate its potential to limit phytopathogen proliferation, contributing to plant health. The strain showed Bacilli morphological characteristics, confirmed through MALDI-ToF MS and MLSA, classify it as Bacillus thuringiensis. The strain's safety profile, demonstrated by negative results in hemolysis and DNA degradation tests, underscores its suitability for agricultural applications. The Bacillus thuringiensis B3 significantly enhanced germination of lettuce and tomato seeds, root structure and early plant growth, confirming its value in horticultural production. The integration of this strain into Cuban urban horticulture represents a step forward in sustainable agriculture with low environmental impact.

The Influence of Climate Perception and Low-Carbon Awareness on the Emission Reduction Willingness of Decision Makers in Large-Scale Dairy Farming: Evidence from the Midwest of Inner Mongolia, China

In recent years, global climate change has profoundly influenced natural ecosystems and human societies, making climate mitigation and carbon emission reduction a point of consensus among the international community. The issue of carbon emissions in agriculture, particularly in the livestock sector, is garnering increasing attention. This study focuses on large-scale dairy farms in the central and western regions of Inner Mongolia, exploring their low-carbon production behavioral intentions and influencing factors. By constructing a structural equation model (PLS-SEM), we systematically analyze the relationships between variables such as climate perception, value judgment, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived control and their combined effects on low-carbon production behavioral intentions. The findings suggest that the influence of climate perception and low-carbon awareness is mediated. Thus, the stronger the farm owners’ perception of climate change, the more they recognize the value of low-carbon production and the greater the social pressure they experience and their sense of self-efficacy. The farm owners’ attitudes, perceptions of social norms, and evaluations of their own capabilities collectively determine their intentions regarding low-carbon production. Furthermore, multi-group analysis showed significant heterogeneity in behavioral intentions between different scales of dairy farms. Small-scale farms, due to their weaker economic capacity, tend to harbor negative attitudes towards low-carbon production, while large-scale farms, with greater economic power and sensitivity to policy and market demands, are more likely to take low-carbon actions. This study provides theoretical support for formulating effective low-carbon policies, contributing to the sustainable development of the livestock sector and agriculture as a whole.

Carbon pricing under electricity market constraints: analyzing rent management dynamics in the Republic of Korea

ABSTRACT How do policymakers manage the tension between enforcing a carbon price and ensuring low-cost electricity provision? This paper answers this question in two steps. First, it combines literature on electricity market design and rent management to arrive at a novel analytical framework. Carbon pricing can disrupt longstanding rent transfers between the state and electricity consumers by making it more expensive to produce and/or consume fossil fuel-based electricity. We theorize that policymakers respond to this dilemma by making incremental policy design adjustments to gradually enforce rent losses across the electricity production value chain. We apply this framework to study the implementation of the Korean emissions trading scheme (ETS) policy 2015–2022. Drawing on 20 expert interviews and policy documents we identify an initial sequence of policy design adjustments which enable, but also delay, the enforcement of the carbon price signal in the electricity system. This incremental and politically contentious process reduces the ETS policy’s ability to abate greenhouse gas emissions from the Korean electricity sector in the short term. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of carbon pricing in the electricity sector hinge on the parallel construction of supportive institutions to permit meaningful carbon cost pass-through.

“Art Is the Armchair in Which the State Sits for Its Own Pleasure”

Abstract In mid-January 1925, André Breton published an editorial, “La dernière grève” (The Last Strike) in the opening pages of the second issue of the new Parisian journal he helped produce, La Révolution surréaliste (Surrealist revolution). Breton’s essay discusses the tentative economic value of cultural and intellectual production in the capitalist economy and calls for artists, philosophers, and scholars to undertake a general strike for a period lasting between several nights to one year. Breton’s “Last Strike” essay influenced another and much more well-known call for an art strike by a French writer who was closely aligned with surrealism, Alain Jouffroy. The purpose of this essay is to analyze Breton’s 1925 “Last Strike” essay in relation to Jouffroy’s late 1960s statements on the art strike and the revolutionary abolition of art, in order to determine the differences and similarities between their approaches, and to demonstrate how surrealism is essential to Jouffroy’s theories about the abolition of art as a key aspect of anticapitalist culture.

Water use efficiency and canopy temperature response of soybean subjected to deficit irrigation

Deficit irrigation is a key strategy for improving water use efficiency (WUE) under irrigated conditions. However, there is a lack of information regarding the optimal water replacement that have minimal negative effects on soybean productivity. The objective of this study was to determine the water replacement levels associated with insignificant grain yield (GY) losses in soybean crops. A rain shelter experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with six replicates. Eight irrigation replacement levels, L120, L100, L90, L80, L70, L60, L50, and L40, were applied, where L100 was the reference treatment that kept soil moisture content along the soil profile under field capacity conditions and all other replacement levels were a fraction of this reference level. Grain yield ranged from 2.2 Mg ha-1 in L40 to 4.4 Mg ha-1 in L100, with a significant GY reduction in irrigation levels below 70%. The average crop water stress index (CWSI) ranged between 0.26 at L120 and 0.66 at L40 irrigation levels. WUE varied significantly only for the extreme irrigation levels studied, with the greatest value at the L40 irrigation level (1.2 kg m-3) and the lowest value at the L120 irrigation level (0.65 kg m-3), whereas for the intermediate irrigation levels from 50 to 100%, the WUE was equal to approximately 1.1 kg m-3. The relationship between CWSI and GY (R2 = 0.85) suggested that the maximum GY occurred at a CWSI of 0.34. In addition, the relationship between CWSI and WUE (R2 = 0.73) showed that as evapotranspiration decreased, crop temperature increased. In conclusion, the implementation of a continuous water deficit in soybeans is feasible for farmers in water-scarce areas, but the minimum value of area productivity must be considered, even though WUE increases under more intensive values of water deficit.

Design, fabrication, and performance assessment for green hydrogen production unit

Creating and building an integrated system that consists of a storage tank, an electrolysis cell with many electrolyzer types, and a green hydrogen generator that produces clean, sustainable gas using solar photovoltaic (PV) energy and renewable energy sources. Three different electrolyzer modules with six, eleven, and twenty-one plates each were created locally and meant to be utilized in the production of green hydrogen. The hydrogen storage system's design was also created. It is clear that the maximum value of hydrogen production is recorded in the following ordered: KOH (5.5 L/min) > NaOH (1.2 L/min) > NaCl (0.7 L/min) > MgSO4 (0.4 L/min). Also, sea water was used as electrolyte solution with different dilution 5, 10, 15, and 20% using a natural sea water sample collected from the Mediterranean Sea. It is found that 15% sea water dilution reaches the maximum value of H2 production (3.4 L/min). Using distilled water and tap water, respectively, the volume of generated H2 gas reached its maximum value of 8 L/min and 6.5 L/min at 0.4 mols of KOH. It was observed that with increased time durations (0–90 min), enhance the rate of hydrogen production to be reaches 8.2 and 11.5 L/min when using 0.05 and 0.1 mols KOH, respectively. This approach reduces environmental effect and operational costs, providing a sustainable solution to the water and energy problems.