Socioeconomic determinants of organic cotton adoption in Benin, West Africa

Organic cotton relies on ecological processes and the use of natural resources to sustain the production system, unlike conventional cotton, mainly characterized by massive utilization of synthesis chemicals. In West Africa, where rural livelihoods are particularly vulnerable, organic cotton is expected to contribute not only to poverty reduction but also to strengthen households’ resilience. The objective of this study was to assess institutional and socioeconomic factors determining farmers’ decisions to adopt organic cotton. For this purpose, we applied a probit model on empirical data collected from producers of the Centre and the Northern parts of Benin. Overall, we found that organic cotton adoption is mainly determined by farmers’ socioeconomic characteristics, the physical distance between farm and house, and contact with extension and advisory services. Organic farming is more attractive to women compared to conventional farming. This because such type of cotton farming enables women to hold a separate cotton farm and thus increase their economic independence, whereas with the conventional system they depend mainly on the farm of the (male) head of the household. Older, less educated and low-income farmers who express environmental concern are more likely to adopt organic cotton. Subsequently, organic cotton should be considered as a prospective policy option to reach the poor and strengthen their livelihoods conditions while contributing to preserve the environment and natural resources. Furthermore, farmers who have their farm near home are more likely to adopt organic farming than those who have the farm far from their home. It also came out that organic farmers have more contacts with advisory and extension services. Finally, the study noted that there is still a need to enhance the extension system by: (1) exploring, designing, and upgrading innovative pedagogic tools such as videos and mobile phone technology to foster learning; and (2) strengthening organic farmer’s organizations and the linkage with agricultural research organizations for technology development

The HBP1 tumor suppressor is a negative epigenetic regulator of MYCN driven neuroblastoma through interaction with the PRC2 complex

C

Design and implementation of a transistorized bi-controlled based utility-connected battery charger for underdeveloped nations

This paper presents a transistorized bi-controlled based utility-connected battery charger to address the problem of erratic public power supply in underdeveloped nations. In this study, a utility battery charger was built by the integration of grid power supply, line frequency transformer, power electronic switches, alternating current-direct current bridge converter, regulator, and resistor-inductor-capacitor. The excess-voltage protection and battery monitoring were obtained by the bi-controlled technique. In contrast to other charging systems in underdeveloped nations, the proposed system is very simple, rugged, reliable and cheap to maintain due to simplicity and un-programmed nature of the system. The results showed that the proposed system is craggy and robust to resist voltage stress, highly reliable and relatively free from leakage currents due to the presence of a double controlled scheme using a common point of action and a line frequency transformer. In addition, the system can be used to charge batteries ranging from 50μA and above. The system can be utilized in communication companies, electric vehicles, drilling machines

Understanding the structural and optical evolution of Eu3+ and Dy3+ co-doped YVO4 phosphors across concentration series for lighting applications

YVO4 nanoparticles co-doped with Eu3+ and Dy3+ ions were successfully synthesized using a conventional coprecipitation method. The resulting phosphors exhibited a single-phase trigonal YVO4 structure, with nanoparticles averaging approximately 60 nm in size, obtained by measurements carried out with scanning electron microscope images. UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analysis reveals that the direct band gaps of our samples fall within the range of 3.6–3.75 eV. After a thorough analysis, the optimal doping concentration was identified as 2 at% Eu3+ and 2 at% Dy3+ ions co-doping, exhibiting the strongest up-conversion emission intensity under 310 nm excitation. YVO4:x (Eu3+, Dy3+) phosphors exhibit distinct bands corresponding to transitions of Dy3+ and Eu3+ ions from their 4F9/2 and 5D0 excited states, respectively. The energy transfer from Dy3+ to Eu3+ is validated through electric dipole–dipole interaction, with a critical distance of 15.63 A. YVO4 nanoparticles codoped with Eu3+ and Dy3+ ions exhibit wide-range control over their photoluminescence color by regulating the concentration of both dopants. These findings suggest great potential for applications in current industrial settings.This work was supported by the European Structural and Investment Funds in the FEDER Component through the Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme (COMPETE 2020) under Advanced Decision Making in productive systems through Intelligent Networks (ADM.IN) Project 055087 (POCI-01–0247-FEDER-055087), and partially supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UIDB/04650/2020

End-user authentication control in cloud-based ERP systems

Cloud Security is the use of latest technology and security techniques to safeguard data, applications and infrastructure associated with Cloud Computing. The set of policies, procedures, technologies, and controls that function jointly to safeguard cloud-based systems, infrastructures and data are known as the Cloud Computing Security Model. This paper reviews several Cloud Computing Security Models with a close look at the model that addresses data security challenges in cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and proposes an End-User Authentication Control Model for Cloud-based ERP systems. This is a cloud computing security model that uses Enterprise Access Directory, Enterprise Data Fragmentation in cloud and End-user Access Queries, to ensure that End users share a greater security responsibility. The proposed model, when compared with other exiting models, will encourage more end-user participation in enterprise data security in the cloud. The proposed model also mitigates the impact that a malicious insider might have on the enterprise cloud data set, since no single user can gain access to the whole cloud-based enterprise database at the same time. The proposed model considers end-user role and responsibility within the enterprise to determine the level of access and to data in the cloud-based ERP system

Wind Energy Dynamics of the Separately Excited Induction Generator

This paper covers the analysis, dynamic modelling and control of an isolated self-excited induction generator (SEIG) driven by a wind turbine. The proposed dynamic model consists of induction generator, self-excitation capacitance and load model which are expressed in stationary d-q reference frame. The dynamic performance of SEIG is investigated under no load and on load. To predict the performance of the system, a MATLAB based simulation study using matlab embedded function block was carried out. Simulations from the variations of the speed and load display the dynamic behavior of the generator. A constant capacitor value of 100 micro-farads was used in this work. The simulation results obtained illustrate the changes in the voltage, currents, torque and magnetizing inductance of the generator. The wind velocity increase led to the increase in mechanical input from the wind turbine. This results in the increased rotor speed leading also to increased stator phase voltage. The obtained simulations also show that the output voltage of the induction generator depends greatly on its shaft speed and load; this poses a potential threat as it is capable of causing a significant variation in the power consumption in the load of the machine

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112

Biochar: pyrogenic carbon for agricultural use: a critical review.

O biocarvão (biomassa carbonizada para uso agrícola) tem sido usado como condicionador do solo em todo o mundo, e essa tecnologia é de especial interesse para o Brasil, uma vez que tanto a ?inspiração?, que veio das Terras Pretas de Índios da Amazônia, como o fato de o Brasil ser o maior produtor mundial de carvão vegetal, com a geração de importante quantidade de resíduos na forma de finos de carvão e diversas biomassas residuais, principalmente da agroindústria, como bagaço de cana, resíduos das indústrias de madeira, papel e celulose, biocombustíveis, lodo de esgoto etc. Na última década, diversos estudos com biocarvão têm sido realizados e atualmente uma vasta literatura e excelentes revisões estão disponíveis. Objetivou-se aqui não fazer uma revisão bibliográfica exaustiva, mas sim uma revisão crítica para apontar alguns destaques na pesquisa sobre biochar. Para isso, foram selecionados alguns temaschave considerados críticos e relevantes e fez-se um ?condensado? da literatura pertinente, mais para orientar as pesquisas e tendências do que um mero olhar para o passad

RNA-Seq Identifies SNP Markers for Growth Traits in Rainbow Trout

Fast growth is an important and highly desired trait, which affects the profitability of food animal production, with feed costs accounting for the largest proportion of production costs. Traditional phenotype-based selection is typically used to select for growth traits; however, genetic improvement is slow over generations. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) explain 90% of the genetic differences between individuals; therefore, they are most suitable for genetic evaluation and strategies that employ molecular genetics for selective breeding. SNPs found within or near a coding sequence are of particular interest because they are more likely to alter the biological function of a protein. We aimed to use SNPs to identify markers and genes associated with genetic variation in growth. RNA-Seq whole-transcriptome analysis of pooled cDNA samples from a population of rainbow trout selected for improved growth versus unselected genetic cohorts (10 fish from 1 full-sib family each) identified SNP markers associated with growth-rate. The allelic imbalances (the ratio between the allele frequencies of the fast growing sample and that of the slow growing sample) were considered at scores >5.0 as an amplification and <0.2 as loss of heterozygosity. A subset of SNPs (n = 54) were validated and evaluated for association with growth traits in 778 individuals of a three-generation parent/offspring panel representing 40 families. Twenty-two SNP markers and one mitochondrial haplotype were significantly associated with growth traits. Polymorphism of 48 of the markers was confirmed in other commercially important aquaculture stocks. Many markers were clustered into genes of metabolic energy production pathways and are suitable candidates for genetic selection. The study demonstrates that RNA-Seq at low sequence coverage of divergent populations is a fast and effective means of identifying SNPs, with allelic imbalances between phenotypes. This technique is suitable for marker development in non-model species lacking complete and well-annotated genome reference sequences

Soil warming accelerates decomposition of fine woody debris

© The Author(s), 2012. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Plant and Soil 356 (2012): 405-417, doi:10.1007/s11104-012-1130-x.Soil warming from global climate change could increase decomposition of fine woody debris (FWD), but debris size and quality may mitigate this effect. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of soil warming on decomposition of fine woody debris of differing size and quality. We placed FWD of two size classes (2 × 20 cm and 4 × 40 cm) and four species (Acer saccharum, Betula lenta, Quercus rubra and Tsuga canadensis) in a soil warming and ambient area at Harvard Forest in central Massachusetts. We collected the debris from each area over two years and measured mass loss and lignin concentration. Warming increased mass loss for all species and size classes (by as much as 30%), but larger debris and debris with higher initial lignin content decomposed slower than smaller debris and debris with lower initial lignin content. Lignin degradation did not follow the same trends as mass loss. Lignin loss from the most lignin-rich species, T. canadensis, was the highest despite the fact that it lost mass the slowest. Our results suggest that soil warming will increase decomposition of FWD in temperate forests. It is imperative that future models and policy efforts account for this potential shift in the carbon storage pool