Rate Of Products Research Articles

A Comparative Growth Trend Study of Tomato in Jaipur and Sirohi District of Rajasthan, India

Tomato (Licopersicon esculentum) is an important crop that contributes economically and significantly to horticulture production. T The study was conducted for the period of 12 year in Jaipur and Sirohi districts of Rajasthan to analyze the growth rate in area, production, and productivity from 2010-11 to 2021-22. (Department of Horticulture, Government of Rajasthan-2022-23). For analyzing the trend in area production and productivity of tomatoes in Jaipur and Sirohi district, and Rajasthan state the following linear, semi-log, and exponential functions were tested. The tested model were selected based on high R2 (Coefficient of determination) and the best-fit function was used for the result discussion. Semi-log function was best function for the area, production and productivity of Rajasthan. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for area of Rajasthan was found 1.76 percent, with 0.46 R2. The production and productivity show 9.91 and 8.15 percent growth rate. The semi-log function was also best fit the area and production of Tomato in Jaipur district with 4.58 and 15.94 percent annual growth respectively. The linear function was fitted for the productivity that shows 17.20 percent CAGR with 0.39 percent R2. The area of tomato in Sirohi district shows highest fluctuation due to this an exponential function was shows poor fits for calculate the growth rate this function shows 0.01 percent compound annual growth rate. The exponential function was best fit for the production and productivity with 0.41 and 0.31 R2 respectively. The exponential function show 11.24 percent growth rate, which was significant at 5 percent level. The productivity show 12.25 percent compound annual growth rate with 10 percent level of significance. Thus the productivity shows highest compound annual growth rate followed by Production and area in Jaipur and Sirohi district of Rajasthan, while in Rajasthan, production shows highest growth rate followed by productivity and area. According to the findings, the result suggest for the introduction of high yield varieties of tomato may increase the productivity in Rajasthan.

Comparison of Molecularly Identified Resistant and Susceptible Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense L.) Populations at ALS Gene, in the Absence and Presence of Field Crops

Background/Objectives: Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) is an erect tetraploid, perennial, C4 grass weed species categorized among the world’s most noxious weeds due to its high competitive ability against crops and the increased number of field-evolved herbicide-resistant populations. The aim of the present study was to assess the growth rate and performance of resistant (R) johnsongrass genotypes hosting Trp574Leu target-site cross-resistance at ALS gene, inhibiting various herbicides, compared to susceptible (S) conspecific weeds, in the absence and presence of corn or sunflower antagonism. Methods: The aboveground biomass, tiller, and rhizome production ability of one S and one R johnsongrass population with a Trp574-Leu substitution conferring cross-resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides were compared under non-competitive conditions. Furthermore, the competitive ability of these two johnsongrass populations against corn or sunflower was determined in a target-neighborhood design. Results: The S and R johnsongrass populations displayed similar growth rates concerning aboveground biomass and tiller number, whereas the R population displayed a slightly greater growth rate for rhizome production compared to the S population. Both populations grown with corn produced more aboveground biomass than the ones grown with sunflowers. The aboveground biomass of corn was reduced to a greater extent than sunflower by the presence of both johnsongrass populations, while both crops were affected more by the S than by the R population. Conclusions: Although the inheritance and the genetic background of plant materls were not addressed, the findings of this study indicate clearly that the growth rate and competitive ability of the ALS-resistant johnsongrass population are not associated with the resistance mechanism involved.

The Validity of Electricity Consumption as an Indicator for Economic Evaluation: Cross-Country Analysis

Abstract: This article aims to investigate the validity of using electricity consumption as an indicator to evaluate economic conditions and explore the relationship of this indicator across different countries. The study reveals a positive correlation between electricity consumption and the growth rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which becomes more significant in the post-21st century period for middle-income, high-income countries, and globally. The relationship between the growth rate of industrial value-added and electricity consumption exhibits dynamic variations. It weakens for lower-middle-income countries but strengthens for upper-middle-income and high-income countries in the post-21st century. Moreover, there is a strong positive correlation between the logarithm of GDP and the logarithm of electricity consumption, particularly pronounced for high-income countries, with a significant increase in correlation in the 21st century. Similarly, a strong positive correlation exists between the logarithm of industrial value-added and the logarithm of electricity consumption, especially notable for high-income countries where the correlation further intensifies in the post-21st century. In conclusion, electricity consumption can serve as an effective indicator for evaluating economic conditions, with its relationship to economic growth and industrialization influenced by the income level of countries.

The Impact of Short-Term Drought on the Photosynthetic Characteristics and Yield of Peanuts Grown in Saline Alkali Soil

Peanuts grown in saline alkali soil are also subjected to drought stress caused by water scarcity. Therefore, we used HY25 (peanut variety) as an experimental material to investigate the effects of drought on the height of peanut main stems, length of the first lateral branch, leaf area per plant, SPAD value, net photosynthetic rate, and accumulation and distribution of photosynthetic products in saline alkali soil. The results showed that the combined stress of short-term drought and salt significantly reduced the main stem height, first lateral branch length, single plant leaf area, SPAD value, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), intercellular carbon dioxide concentration (Ci), and dry matter accumulation of peanuts, including a decrease in single plant pod yield, 100-pod weight, 100-kernel weight, and peanut yield. And the impact of drought stress on peanut yield varies at different growth stages. For example, under drought stress alone, the sensitive period is the 40th day after planting (40D) > 60th day after planting (60D) > 30th day after planting (30D). Short-term drought has the greatest impact on peanut yield at 40D, while in contrast, resuming watering after drought at 30D results in a slight but not significant increase in peanut yield in comparison with the control. Under the combined stress of drought and salt, the sensitive period of peanuts was 40D > 30D > 60D, and the single pod weight of peanuts was significantly reduced by 15.26% to 57.60% from the flowering stage to the pod stage under drought treatment compared to salt treatment, indicating a significant interaction between drought and salt stress, reducing the single leaf area and net photosynthetic rate of peanut leaves, ultimately leading to a decrease in peanut yield. Therefore, when planting peanuts in saline alkali soil, drought should be avoided, especially early drought, in order to prevent the combined effects of drought and salt stress from harming peanut yield.

Implementation of CPOE, ERBI, and ePPID in Critical Care Operating Rooms at a Tertiary Care Academic Center

Abstract Introduction/Objective Blood transfusion in operating rooms (ORs) is a critical and complex process, often complicated by issues such as paper-based orders, lack of guidelines, and delays in blood delivery. In response, a multidisciplinary task force developed a quality improvement plan. This study assesses the impact of implementing an electronic positive patient identification (ePPID) system, standardized computer provider order entry (CPOE), and electronic remote blood issue (ERBI) process in a critical care OR setting at our institution. Methods/Case Report The team initially implemented ePPID in cardiac surgery ORs before expanding hospital-wide. CPOE was developed in collaboration with the laboratory information systems (LIS) and hospital information technology (IT). ERBI required cross-departmental coordination to establish a bi-directional interface between LIS and ERBI software. Staff received training through a train-the-trainer approach, interactive sessions, videos, and surveys. CPOE focused on order set development and creating the Maximum Surgical Blood Order Schedule (MSBOS). ePPID began with a pilot program and expanded with training sessions. Data collection tracked blood ordering, ERBI workflow, and transfusion data for compliance and utilization rates. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) The implementation of ePPID saw a rise in compliance rates from 71% to 98%, with 60 completed cases and 233 blood products transfused by 24 clinicians. ePPID’s utilization for blood products increased from 60% to 98% within 90 days. ERBI lowered RBC return rates from 30% to 15% and plasma return rates from 45% to 35% over a 2.5 year span. ERBI utilization rates reached 81% at 24 months post-implementation. Conclusion The implementation of ePPID, CPOE, and ERBI in critical care ORs was well-received among clinicians. Significant improvements in compliance and utilization rates for blood products following ePPID implementation were evident. ERBI implementation also led to substantial reductions in return rates of blood products allocated to ORs. The steady increase in ERBI utilization indicates successful integration into OR workflows.

Macroeconomic Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment Inflow in Laos

This study aims to study macroeconomic determinants of foreign direct investment inflow in Lao PDR, which includes macroeconomic variables such as gross domestic product growth rate (GDPGRO), government investment spending (GI), exchange rate (EXR), inflation rate (IFR), interest rate (IR), openness trade (OPTR) and money supply (MS) from 2001-2022. This results found that: The foreign direct investment inflow has 12,298.57 million US dollars on an average per year is equal to 559.03 million US dollars and has an average growth rate of 4.73% per year, for the public expenditure used to investment is increasing every year with an average growth rate of 10.96% per year. The exchange rate of kip per US dollar has an increasing trend but overall there is a growth rate equal to 1 digit only in 2022 there is a growth rate equal to 2 digits which is equal to 45.94%. For the inflation, the growth rate is 6.33% per year, which is the year with the lowest inflation rate is 2017 which is equal to 0.83% and the year with the highest inflation rate is 2022 which is equal to 22.96%, The decreasing trend in which the year with the highest interest rate on US currency loans is 2002 which is equal to 13.5% and the year with the lowest interest rate on US currency loans is 2011 which is equal to 8.15%, the open trade has an increasing trend. The year with the highest increase in 2021 is equal to 77.91% of GDP and the money supply is increasing every year. For the analysis of macroeconomic factors to foreign direct investment, it was found that the economic growth rate of gross domestic product (GDPGRO), public investment expenditure, the exchange rate of kip per US dollar and the money supply have a positive coefficient and reject the null hypothesis with a statistical significance level of 0.01 and 0.05 indicates that it is a doubtful factor for foreign direct investment to increase. Meanwhile, the inflation rate has a negative coefficient and rejects the null hypothesis at a statistical significance level of 0.05, which is a factor that reduces foreign direct investment transfers. For the interest rate in dollars and the open trade, there are accepted null hypothesis, it shows that there is no effect on the transfer of foreign direct investment.

Economic viability assessment of bioenergy production from agroindustrial wastes through fast pyrolysis

Spanish mainland crops, including olives, almonds, and pistachios, play a pivotal role in capital circulation and employment generation. This comprehensive study explores the economic feasibility on the utilization of diverse agro-industrial wastes from Spanish harvests as a promising feedstock for bioenergy production through fast pyrolysis. The fast pyrolysis process is simulated using Aspen Plus® software, employing techno-economic parameters such as Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Payback Period (PBP), break-even, and minimum product sales price to analyze economic viability of the project. Two different scenarios, based on experimental data from previous studies, are compared. The profitability of this proposal is closely linked to the harvest, which serves as a limiting factor. In all scenarios, the project requires two years to recover the initial investment, demonstrating significant profits once production begins. When considering the impact of scaling up, the NPV of Scenario 2 for PS reached €369.55 M€. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the profitability of pyrolysis depends on the bio-oil selling price and the total production volume. Overall, this study confirms the economic viability of producing bioenergy through fast pyrolysis using various biomass residues. It highlights the potential of harnessing bioenergy from Spanish agro-industrial waste, paving the way for sustainable and economically viable solutions, as indicated by the NPV and IRR metrics.

Influence of Reaction Conditions on the Yield of Supercritical Multicomponent Thermal Fluids

Supercritical multicomponent thermal fluid (scMCTF) is a novel medium with great potential for heavy oil thermal recovery. The production rate of scMCTF will affect the injection efficiency of thermal fluid, and then affect the development effect of thermal recovery. However, at present, there are few reports on the production rate of each component of scMCTF, and their understanding is not clear. According to the existing production rate data of supercritical water (scH2O) gasification products, based on the generation mechanism of scMCTF, the production rate of thermal fluid generation products under different generation conditions was calculated, and its influencing factors were identified. The results show the following: (1) The factors affecting the production rate of scMCTF generation products can be divided into three categories: reaction raw material factors, reaction condition factors, and catalytic factors. (2) The hydrocarbon number of raw material, reaction temperature, reaction time, and catalyst concentration were positively correlated with the production rate of the product. (3) The concentration of the reaction raw material is negatively correlated with the production rate of the product. The higher the concentration of the raw material is, the lower the concentration of H2O is, and the steam reforming reaction is inhibited, which leads to the decrease in the production rate. (4) The effect of reaction pressure and catalyst load on the product is not significant. (5) The reaction product production rate increased first and then decreased with the ratio of H2O to oil in the raw material emulsion and the ratio of preheated H2O to raw material discharge. (6) The effect of metal salt catalysts is relatively stable, and the catalytic effect of simple metal catalysts is significantly different under the action of different types of accelerators, so it is necessary to study the degree of synergization of different accelerators on the catalytic effect. The results can lay a foundation for the subsequent experimental and theoretical research design.

Analysis of Growth and Instability of Rice Production in Madhya Pradesh, India: A District Level Study

Rice is one of the important food crops cultivated in Madhya Pradesh state covering 4.55% rice area and 3.72% rice production of the country. Its contribution is very vital in agricultural growth of the country. But, yield of the state is less than the national average yield. So, for further improvement of its contribution in the agriculture sector of the country, it is essential to study the growth pattern of rice production in the state. Therefore the present study has been undertaken to examine the growth rate and instability in area, production and yield of rice in Madhya Pradesh state. The district-wise data on rice of Madhya Pradesh state was collected from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India and from the online sources of the state departments for the period 1992-93 to 2019-20. The data was divided into four periods for analysis. Compound annual growth rate and Cuddy-Della Valle Instability index have been computed for the four periods. The districts have been classified into five classes based on the classification of instability. These classes are very low instability, low instability, medium instability, high instability and very high instability. For the state, growth rate for area ranges from -0.80 to 4.23; for production ranges from 0.90 to 12.82 and for yield ranges from 1.31 to 8.24. The highest growth rate for area and production was observed in Hosangabad and Raisen districts respectively in period III; and for yield Datia district in period I. For the state instability ranges from 3.77 to 9.00 for area, 5.93 to 30.70 for production and 6.29 to 22.57 for yield. None of the districts were classified as very low instability for production and yield. Most of the districts recorded medium instability in period I, II and III for yield. The information about growth rate and instability may help the policy makers of Madhya Pradesh state to select the appropriate districts for enhancing the rice yield of the state.

Prefer cheap or expensive products? Shopping stage matters.

E-commerce platforms generally provide consumers with the function of virtual shopping carts to help them store interested products. Although about 80% of online consumers intends to purchase after adding products to their shopping cart, the abandonment rate of cart products has been up to 70%. It is important to understand how to improve consumer attitude toward product both before and after cart use. Building on the relevant literature and the consumer shopping goal stages theory, this study aims to examine the effects of product price, as one of the most indispensable and important information in online shopping, on consumer attitudes toward product at different decision-making stages in online shopping (i.e., add-to-cart stage and place-an-order stage), and the mediating roles of perceived product quality and monetary sacrifice. The findings from behavioral experiment suggest that high price leads to a more positive attitude toward product at add-to-cart stage by strengthened perception of high product quality, while results in a less positive product attitude at place-an-order stage because of the enhanced perception of monetary sacrifice. Both theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.

Application of DPG/KH550 modified pyrolysis carbon black in oil and high temperature‐resistant NBR composites

AbstractIn this paper, pyrolysis carbon black (CBp) was introduced into nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), the effects of the ratio of CBp and carbon black (N326) on the properties of NBR composites were investigated, and the optimal ratio was determined. On this basis, the accelerator DPG, coupling agent KH550 and CBp were modified by ball milling and plasma. The results showed that when the ratio of CBp to N326 was 40:15, the overall properties of NBR composites was better. Compared with the unmodified CBp/NBR composites, the change rate of tensile product, resilience and DIN abrasion of ball milling‐plasma modified CBp/NBR composites in oil environment were reduced by 52.96%, 12.81%, and 27.19%, respectively, and the tear strength after double damage by high temperature and oil bath was increased by 15.63%, which resulted in better oil and high temperature‐resistance. In summary, the ball milling‐plasma combined with DPG/KH550 modified CBp can not only replace N326 carbon black, but also realize the preparation of NBR composites with better oil and high temperature‐resistance.

So Many Barcodes, So Little Time: A Quality Improvement Project to Improve Scanning of Blood Product Bags

Background Incorrect administration of blood products is a critical concern, occurring once in every 12,000 units transfused in the United States. Blood product documentation and scanning are vital for patient safety, yet difficulties in scanning multiple barcodes on blood transfusion bags often lead to delays and the need for manual overrides. Methods This quality improvement project utilized the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle of improvement to address blood product scanning in a 495-bed hospital in New York City. Results The scanning rate for blood products increased significantly from 69% in January 2021 to 96% in May 2021, representing a 39% improvement. Subsequently, increased compliance in 2022 demonstrated sustainment of best practices. Conclusions Implementation of the PDCA method led to increased compliance in scanning blood product bags following barcode scanner recalibration.

Effect of Counterfeits and Fake Reviews in Markets for Credence Goods

Counterfeits are a persistent problem in online marketplaces, in particular regarding credence goods (e.g., nutritional supplements), as their qualities are difficult or impossible to evaluate even after consumption. Concerned about product quality, customers frequently rely on external signals, such as product badges based on ratings. However, even product ratings are not foolproof as unethical sellers may acquire fake positive reviews to exploit product ratings and badge systems. To analyze the impact fake reviews have on credence goods, we consider a two-stage competition between an authentic seller and a deceptive counterfeiter. The market consists of two types of consumers: savvy customers, who understand that endorsement badges are product-dependent and not seller-dependent, and novice customers, who mistakenly believe product badges testify to a seller's authenticity. In the first stage, both sellers simultaneously decide on whether to acquire fake reviews, which partially influences if the product receives an endorsement badge. In the second stage, both sellers simultaneously set their prices and customers make purchasing decisions. Our results indicate that, in equilibrium, the authentic seller does not acquire fake reviews, while the counterfeiter may do so to mislead customers. Moreover, the amount of fake reviews is decreasing in the fraction of savvy consumers, suggesting that online platforms can combat fake reviews by, for instance, clearly highlighting that badges are product-dependent. We also find that having the option to acquire fake reviews may benefit both sellers but always hurts consumers, emphasizing the need for regulation to protect consumers.

Effects of Resistance Training on Selected Hemodynamic and Functional Factors in Older Men

Objectives Changes in hemodynamic factors such as blood pressure, rate of pressure product (RPP) and flow mediated dilation (FMD), are the most important cardiovascular changes in older age. This study aims to investigate the effect of resistance training on some hemodynamic and functional factors in older men. Methods & Materials In this quasi-experimental study, 24 older men were selected from among 100 older residents of Kahrizak Nursing Home in Alborz Province, Iran and were randomly divided into control and training groups. Before and after eight weeks of resistance training, mean blood pressure (MBP), RPP, FMD, hand grip strength and timed up & go (TUG) time were measured. The difference in the variables between the two groups was analyzed by independent and paired t-test using SPSS software version 25. The significance level was set at 0.05 Results The mean of age of participants was 67.75 years. Decreased MBP (P=0.027), increased FMD changes (P=0.022), decreased RPP (P=0.023), increased hand grip strength (P=0.019), and decreased TUG time (P=0.032) were reported in the training group. Conclusion Resistance training can reduce the load on the cardiovascular system by improving hemodynamic factors and possibly prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases related to older age. Therefore, resistance training with sufficient intensity can be considered as a supplement to aerobic training in old age.

Effect Of Animal And Plant Organic Fertilizers On Growth And Yield Of Rice In Tana Delta, Kenya

Rice is the 3rd most consumed cereal in Kenya while production is merely 20% of the demand making the country a net importer of the commodity. With increased global concern on healthy foods, producing more rice to contribute to achieving food secure nation while conforming to environmental sustainability remains a subject of concern in the country. In this case, good agricultural practices are needed to strike the balance. This study was carried out during rice growing season (February – June, 2024) to investigate the effect of basal organic fertilizers; Rich Farm (RF), Han Daebak (BK) and Han Yoobak (MK) on growth and yield of AT054 and Komboka rice varieties in Tana Delta Irrigation Project-Rice (TDIP-R) Scheme during the trial Phase undertaken by Agri All Africa (AAA) in preparation for a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project programme. The study was conducted in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Rich Farm (RF) at 200 Kg/Ha, Han Daebak (BK) at 200 Kg/Ha and Han Yoobak (MK) at 200 Kg/Ha were applied as basal fertilizers. Conventional fertilizers (200 Kg/Ha DAP + 120 Kg/Ha MOP) was applied as the positive standard check (CF). Data collected was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA). The basal application of Rich Farm, Han Daebak and Han Yoobak organic fertilizers had significant positive effects on grain yield. Among the tested basal fertilizers, Rich Farm performed better at 4.9 and 5.3 ton/ha, followed by Han Yoobak at 4.7 and 4.1 ton/ha and Han Daebak at 4.3 and 3.9 ton/ha in AT054 and Komboka variety, respectively. Therefore, Rich Farm and Han Yoobak can be recommended as basal organic fertilizers in both AT054 and Komboka varieties, while Han Daebak can be used in AT054 variety for rice production. Further studies are of need to investigate the effects on these organic fertilizers on the soil properties of the area, as well as evaluating the optimal rates for higher rice production

Decomposition and decoupling: A case study of Colombia's energy consumption and economic growth

Nowadays, nobody can deny the relationship between economic growth and sustainability; however, the tendency to un-match a linear relationship between those two has acquired the name of “decoupling” economy, which means that the consumption of energy not necessarily has to rise at the same rate of gross domestic product, in order to reduce carbon emissions in a country or certain area. Then this document aims to study the Colombian decoupling, analyzing the economic structure and energy consumption between 1975 and 2021, applying the TAPIO model and the logarithmic mean Divisa index (LMDI) using the KAYA identity as a conversion factor (TAPIO + KAYA + LMDI) to analyze the trends per economical sector. Finding that, the Colombian economy has a predominant status of weak decoupling with randomly switches to strong decoupling, positioning it as a sustainable economy; although this condition is environmentally favorable, under a comprehensive public policy, energy consumption by economic sector can be increased to improve economic productivity and achieve better production levels on the sectors of agriculture, mines, and commerce whose energy consumption according to the data is substantially low.

Economic evaluation of an outsourced fourth-party logistics under a flexible production system

Competition in the production business is getting harder day by day for the manufacturer and the corresponding retailer of the supply chain. When a supply chain deals with deteriorating products, an efficient production system, and a logistic provider are two important pillars to keep the business profitable. Logistics facility for deteriorating products requires additional attention, especially when deteriorating products require a refrigerate-storage facility. This study investigates the economic evaluation of flexible production and logistics outsourcing for deteriorating products with the help of logistics outsourcing. The retailer outsources logistics facilities through a fourth-party logistics provider. Fourth-party logistics uses reefer shipping to transport deteriorating products to prevent deterioration during transportation. The refrigerant of the shipping container has a random leakage during shipping. In the meantime, the manufacturer uses preservation facility to reduce the random deterioration rate of products. A classical optimization finds the global minimum total cost for a unique solution of decision variables. Results prove that flexible production is very sensitive to machinery systems and fresh products are more cost-effective for transportation than frozen products. The proposed system saves 38.38% of the total cost in comparison with a constant production rate. Sensitivity analysis finds transportation costs of 4PL are the most sensitive parameters of the system.

Indian marine products exports: Growth, instability and geographical diversification

The export of marine products is a significant source of foreign exchange and plays a crucial role in the Indian economy by generating income and employment opportunities. The marine sector contributed 25% (4.13 million t) to the overall fish production in India during the fiscal year 2022-23. The primary objective of this study is to analyse the growth rate, instability, and geographical diversification of marine product exports in terms of both quantity and value. Secondary data related to the major export destinations (Japan, USA, European Union, China, South-East Asia, Middle East and others) and item-wise export (shrimp, finfish, cuttlefish, squid, dried, live, chilled and others) of marine products from India during the period 2000-01 to 2019-20 were collected from the Marine Product Export Development Authority (MPEDA). The growth rate, instability and geographical diversification of exports were estimated using the semi-log regression model, instability index (Ray’s method) and Simpson’s diversity index, respectively. The findings reveal that the overall growth rate of marine product exports over the last two decades was 7.13%. Dry fish exhibited the highest growth rate (15.34%) among all products, and South-East Asia showed the highest growth rate (16.05%) among destinations. However, a significant decline in growth rates of export quantity and value was observed between the two decades for all items, except for frozen shrimp, accompanied by an increase in export instability. The Simpson’s diversity index indicated a significant diversification of 70%, reflecting wide variety of marine products exported as well as the broad range of destination countries. Keywords: Ray’s instability index, Seafood exports, Simpson diversity index, Growth rate

Chloride doping of Co4S3 via methanol solvothermal synthesis for enhanced electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia

The electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate offers an environmentally friendly means of eliminating hazardous nitrate from wastewater while simultaneously yielding ammonia, a vital fertilizer precursor. Given the importance of nitrate reduction for environmental remediation and the potential of electrochemical methods, the development of a highly efficient and selective electrocatalyst specifically for nitrate reduction to ammonia (NO3ER) is crucial. The Cl-doped Co4S3 (Cl-Co4S3) catalyst was successfully synthesized via a solvothermal method in methanol, aiming to enhance nitrate electroreduction. The incorporation of chlorine was found to modulate the local electronic environment around cobalt atoms, enhancing their reactivity and leading to exceptional catalytic performance for nitrate reduction, leading to exceptional catalytic performance. At an operating potential of −0.61 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode, Cl-Co4S3 exhibited remarkable Faradaic efficiency (97.64 ± 2.03 %) and yield rate (0.652 ± 0.012 mmol h−1 cm−2) for ammonia production, surpassing the majority of reported electrocatalysts for NO3ER.

Trend in agricultural growth and cassava productivity in Nigeria (1961 – 2020)

This study analyzed the trend in agricultural growth and cassava productivity in Nigeria (1961 – 2020). Time series on variables of interest were sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and FAOSTAT. The secondary data obtained were analysed using trend analysis, instability index, compound growth rate model, and the Granger causality test. The results showed that Nigeria’s agricultural output generally experienced an upward trend from 1960-2020. The findings also revealed a general increase in the output of cassava produced in an area in the country within the study period. The yield however experienced some relatively stable trend with mild fluctuations and a noticeable decline in 2013. Across the major policy line considered in this study, the pre-SAP era (1961 – 1985) had the lowest mean output, while the SAP and post-SAP era had the highest mean output of 24772.15 and 45181.94 respectively. The values of instability of production and land put under cassava cultivation are more pronounced in Period II [1986–1998] and Period III [1999–2020]. During period I, (Pre – SAP; 1961 – 1985), the compound growth rate (CGR) for production accelerated while yield stagnated with a CGR of 0.2%. In period II, (CGR for production (6.2%) and area (6.3%) for cassava accelerated; both CGR and instantaneous growth rate for yield experienced stagnation. For period III, there was an acceleration in output and area. There was unidirectional causality between production (output) and area under cultivation, agricultural growth and cassava production, agricultural growth and area under cassava cultivation at a 5% level of significance; while area under cassava cultivation and cassava productivity, productivity and area under cultivation exhibited a bi-directional causality at 5% significant level. The findings are compelling reasons for encouraging cassava production for sustainable food production in Nigeria as it is a versatile staple to address food security.