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Antiseptic paper soap is convenient because it is flexible, safe for the skin, easily foams, and relatively affordable. Measuring the ratio between the concentrations of NaOH, cooking oil, citronella oil, and aloe vera additives is needed to improve the quality of antiseptic paper soap. Testing the saponification rate, density, pH, water content, fatty acid (FA) level, and free alkali content is critical to determine the characteristics of antiseptic paper soap so that it meets the standards for solid bath soap according to SNI 3532-2021 which is closest to the characteristics of paper soap because SNI for paper soap is not yet available. The weight ratio of citronella oil to cooking oil used is 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3. The NaOH concentrations used were 30%, 40%, and 50% w/v. The natural additives used are 0%, 5%, and up to 10% of the total mass. The research results showed that saponification value of the antiseptic paper soap produced was 197.724 milligrams KOH/gram up to 206.138 milligrams KOH/gram, the pH of the antiseptic paper soap was 9.1-10.6, the water content value was 10.940%-23.863%, the alkali content value free is 0.044%-0.104%, total fatty acid (FA) content is 29.688%-45.734%. The best antiseptic paper soap is produced using 30% w/v NaOH with a weight ratio of citronella oil to cooking oil used of 1:1 and natural additives (aloe vera) 5% of the total mass.

Art paper made of betel nut husk fibre and paper waste is one example of an innovative product. Therefore, an analysis of the technical and financial feasibility of this innovation needed to be conducted. This research aimed to determine the technical and financial feasibility of the production business of art paper from betel nut husk fibre and paper waste. The technical aspect will focus on the technology utilized, primary raw material and additional raw material, production capacity, and any workforce involved in the business. Meanwhile, the financial aspect will emphasize the calculation of the Main Production Cost (MPC), Break Even Point (BEP), Business Efficiency (R/C Ratio), Payback Period (PP), Net Present Value (NPV), and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). The calculation result of the feasibility analysis shows that Production Cost (HPP) is IDR 12,786.00, BEPunit is 9,271 paper sheet, BEP (IDR) is IDR 148,326,906.00, R/C Ratio is 1.56, PP will be for 2.2 years, NPV is IDR 2,078,713,958.00, and IRR is 68.36%. Based on this result, this business on betel nut husk fibre and paper-based waste art paper is considered worth running.

Abstract Background Paper mulberry has been regarded as a potential protein resource for relieving the forage supply crisis, and ensiling has become the most important method for preserving it. An in-depth analysis of the fermentation characteristics of paper mulberry silage could provide a theoretical basis for producing high-quality silage. In this study, we aimed to investigate the dynamic fermentation quality and bacterial community of paper mulberry silages harvested from different regions in China. Results The results showed an increased trend in ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration, despite a decrease in pH with prolonged ensiling days. Furthermore, fermentation patterns varied among paper mulberry silages from three regions. Paper mulberry from Zhuozhou, Hebei (HZ) showed the highest dry matter (DM) content and a slight decrease in pH during ensiling. While the lowest DM content was observed in Hechi, Guangxi (GH), which exhibited abnormal fermentation in the silage. In particular, silage from Lankao, Henan (HL) exhibited the best fermentation quality, with lower pH and NH3-N concentration, and higher lactic acid concentration than others (P

First paragraph: Our spring-summer 2024 issue is devoted largely to a set of commentaries prepared by more than two dozen participants in the U.S. Agroecology Summit 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Their indivi­dual and collective voices challenge the hegemony of the dominant global industrial food system. However, they acknowledge that there are significant philosophical and pragmatic divisions between progressives in the agroecology “movement” that need to be openly addressed before significant progress can be made in build­ing a cohesive movement. . . .

[Purpose/Significance] Interdisciplinary research can creatively solve complex problems in natural environment and human society through knowledge integration and penetration. With the increase of interdisciplinary research results, the evaluation of interdisciplinarity becomes increasingly necessary. How to establish an effective method for interdisciplinarity measurement and achieve a comprehensive measurement of scientific research papers is an urgent problem to be solved. [Method/Process] Based on the above background, this study takes the data of scientific research papers as the analysis source, deconstructs the interdisciplinarity of scientific research papers from multiple dimensions, constructs the feature set of interdisciplinarity of scientific research papers, and on this basis proposes the method for measuring interdisciplinarity based on the adaptive method of machine learning, and conducts a comprehensive measurement of interdisciplinarity. This study has certain positive significance for researchers to understand the interdisciplinary papers in the field. The work process is as follows: First of all, the basic concepts of interdisciplinarity are sorted out and related concepts are discriminated, and the index of interdisciplinarity of different dimensions is analyzed. Based on the connotation and characteristics of interdisciplinary research, the characteristic index of interdisciplinarity of scientific research papers is extracted from three dimensions: subject attribute, knowledge network topology and knowledge integration text content. Secondly, an interdisciplinarity measurement method based on machine learning is constructed. By analyzing information gain and feature similarity of input indexes and data in feature sets, a feature selection calculation method based on adaptive feature selection is proposed, and the accuracy of feature classification is maximized by machine learning classifier. At the same time, the feature subset that can best express the interdisciplinary is selected based on the adaptive selection of the minimum number of features, and the selected adaptive feature set is used in the calculation of the interdisciplinary of the paper, and the results of the calculation of the original feature set are analyzed comprehensively. Finally, an empirical study was carried out in the field of plant nanobiotechnology to verify the effectiveness of the index system and adaptive feature selection listed above, identify and screen papers with high interdisciplinarity in the field, measure the interdisciplinarity of papers and identify key influencing factors based on the calculation of subject attributes, knowledge network topology and knowledge integration text content features. [Results/Conclusions] The main empirical results show that, among the subject attributes, the balance degree and the difference degree have a greater effect on the interdisciplinary evaluation. The overall effect of knowledge network topology structure features is satisfactory, the distribution breadth of knowledge integration text content features has a greater effect on interdisciplinary evaluation, and the calculation effect is further improved by fitness weighted summation of each feature. The results demonstrate that the adaptive feature selection proposed in this paper can effectively screen the interdisciplinary related feature indexes, improve the reliability of the results, and achieve a comprehensive and in-depth measurement of the interdisciplinary of scientific research papers. This measure method avoids the subjective defects that may occur in qualitative evaluation and the problems that different measure indicators may produce contradictory results. It provides a new idea and direction for interdisciplinary measurement.

Barrier properties are very important in food packaging; the better the properties, the longer the product can stay fresh in the packaging, which prolongs the shelf life of the product. One way of improving barrier properties is to modifying the existing coatings with the addition of metal oxides, nanoparticles, or natural extracts. The aim of the study was to compare the barrier properties between paper coated with starch and paper coated with starch and black cherry extract mix. Prunus serotina extracts were prepared by ultrasonic extraction in 60°C water. The extracts were then filtrated and evaporated to obtain a constant mass. The reference coatings were prepared by dissolving starch in hot water to obtain a solution of 30%. The experimental coatings were prepared by substituting 10% starch for black cherry extract. Coatings were applied on the paper by laboratory coater in two thicknesses: c.a. 7 and 15 g/m2. The papers were characterised by grammage, coating weight, porosity, and roughness. Barrier properties were tested by following methods: Cobb-Unger, KIT, water vapour transmission rate, and heptane vapour transmission rate. Papers coated with formulations including extract had better barrier properties against oils and waxes, better results in KIT, Cobb-Unger, and heptane vapour transmission rate tests. The results of the water vapour transmission rate test as well as porosity and roughness were the same for papers coated with and without extract addition, they were influenced by the thickness of the coating, not the extract addition. The addition of black cherry extract influenced the barrier properties of the coated paper, and the extract improved the properties against oils and waxes.

Livestock dung, discarded crop straws, and residual plastic film are the primary agricultural non-point sources of pollution. For livestock dung and discarded crop straw, the general treatment focuses on compost, animal fodder, industrial raw material, and new energy. The development of degradable mulch film is the main way to solve pollution from residual plastic film. However, an effective way to solve the above three types of pollution simultaneously and use them for ecological circular agriculture has been less studied. In this study, using cow dung and flax straw wastes as raw materials, we prepared natural, fibre-based paper mulch using the rapid-Kothen method and analysed the film-forming mechanism. Based on the Van Soest method, the cow dung and flax straw waste contain abundant cellulose fibres: 36.75% and 54.69%, respectively. The tensile strength and tear strength of fibre paper mulch are 1.87 kN/m and 19.91 N/mm, respectively. To enhance the adaptability of the fibre paper mulch in humid environments, the surface of the mulch was treated with alkyl ketene dimer (AKD). The AKD-coated fibre paper mulch displays hydrophobic properties, indicated by a contact angle of 128° ± 2°. It has a wet tensile strength of 0.64 kN/m and a wet tear strength of 8.23 N/mm. Additionally, it exhibits a dry tensile strength and a tear strength of 2.13 kN/m and 16.43 N/mm, respectively. Notably, the dry tensile strength is increased by 16.31%. In this way, the livestock dung and discarded crop straw can be reused, reducing dung pollution and straw burning in livestock farms, and the final products can alleviate the residual film pollution simultaneously.

Mulch has been considered effective for saving water and promoting plant growth. However, little has been investigated about the effect of mulch from recycled shredded paper under different soil moisture conditions on spinach growth. A pot-grown Komatsuna spinach experiment with a factorial design was conducted under two main conditions, with and without shredded paper mulch. Each of these conditions was treated with three different soil moisture levels (SWC) 20%, 25%, and 30%. The smallest evapotranspiration amount was in the mulch-only, no-plant treatment with SWC 20% (92.88 mm), and the largest was in the plant-only, no-mulch treatment (226.19 mm). All biomass yield attributions were negatively influenced by increasing the frequency of irrigation and SWC levels. SWC 20% with shredded mulch resulted in the largest dry matter, although it was statistically non-significant. But it resulted in taller plant heights and a larger leaf area index (LAI) compared to soil with no shredded mulch (p < 0.05). For SWC 25% and 30% treatments, Komatsuna spinach with no shredded mulch resulted in slightly superior plant dry matter and plant height, compared to mulched plants. These results suggest that SWC 20% with shredded paper mulch has the highest potential for saving water among all treatments for growing spinach under limited water availability.

[Purpose/Significance] Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there has been a rapid increase in the number of studies related to COVID-19 at home and abroad. Review of relevant literature on COVID-19 provides data resources for related research on the emergence and transmission mechanism of SARS-CoV-2. However, the current COVID-19 related dataset is a collection of the literature, without classifying the data for each subfield, and the coarse-grained information such as the title and author fails to provide an in-depth understanding of the progress of COVID-19 research. Therefore, this paper created a dataset for the COVID-19 sub-domain and a fine-grained entity dataset. [Method/Process] Firstly, this paper proposed a literature screening method based on active learning model, which can obtain more valuable marker samples with less labor cost, so that the classifier has better generalization performance. We considered three base classifiers: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression (LR), and Random Forest (RF), while considering four query strategies: uncertainty sampling, expected error reduction, committee-based query, and random sampling. Taking the origin of SARS-CoV-2, one of the sub-fields related to SARS-CoV-2, as an example, articles related to the origin of SARS-CoV-2 were efficiently and accurately located from the literature. At the same time, this paper designed a labeling scheme covering 18 types of entities, including not only genes, proteins, compounds and other entities that are universal in the biological field, but also corona viruses and wild animals that are unique to the field of SARS-CoV-2. In this paper, visual annotation tool BRAT was used for entity annotation. The tagging team consisted of an administrator and six annotators, and the entity tagging consisted of two rounds. What's more, multi-k consistency index was used to calculate the consistency score of annotation results. [Results/Conclusions] The results of the active learning model show that the uncertain sampling query strategy has the best performance. SVM, LR and RF based on uncertain sampling can correctly screen 425, 465 and 489 articles, respectively. After the removal of overlapping articles, a dataset related to the origin of SARS-CoV-2 was constructed, containing a total of 885 articles. Secondly, based on the proposed entity labeling scheme, 6 annotators completed 99 papers. Based on the results of fine marking, this paper constructed an entity dataset containing 39,118 entities, which is the largest and most comprehensive entity corpus in the field of COVID-19.

European paper mills are currently facing the question of whether recovered paper, their main raw material, will be available in sufficient quantities and an acceptable quality in the future. An alternative to recovered paper or wood fiber is the use of agricultural residues such as wheat straw. Sodium carbonate-based straw pulping processes have the advantage of not requiring recausticizing for chemical recovery, which reduces investment and operating costs. With the addition of oxygen, delignification can be significantly improved to provide pulps suitable for bleaching. This study compares the pulping of wheat straw using sodium carbonate, sodium carbonate + oxygen, and sodium carbonate + sodium hydroxide + oxygen. Pulping parameters such as temperature, retention time, and chemical charge were varied, and their influence on pulp properties was studied. The use of sodium carbonate alone produced pulps with high yields of up to 72% and comparably high burst and compressive strength. The addition of oxygen and small amounts of sodium hydroxide produced pulps with a high initial brightness of 42 %ISO and a low kappa number (18), still at high pulp yields of 62%. These pulps were two-stage bleached to achieve brightness levels of up to 73 %ISO.

[Purpose/Significance] This paper investigates the research on author name disambiguation published in recent years, and reviews the development context of relevant research from the perspective of the impact of data on author name disambiguation methods, so as to provide reference for further research. [Method/Process] The papers related to author name disambiguation were collected from English research databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, Google Academic, ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Springer Link, and Chinese research databases such as CNKI, CQVIP and WANFANG. The search results cover the relevant papers published from 1998 to 2021. On the premise of giving consideration to authority, influence and novelty, 46 publicationswere selected for review. There are many types and structures of author name disambiguation data. For example, literature feature information is generally presented in unstructured text, and the extracted features can be stored and represented in two-dimensional tables; Citation information and interpersonal relationship are network relational data, which can be stored and represented by graphs, key value pairs or two-dimensional tables. The fundamental reason for different data structures lies in their semantic differences, but the data structure itself determines its applicable algorithm. According to the structure of characteristic data used in the author name disambiguation task and the different corresponding data processing algorithms, the relevant research is divided into three categories: 1) disambiguation method based on literature characteristics, 2) disambiguation method based on social network and 3) disambiguation method by integrating external knowledge. The impact of data on the author name disambiguation method is examined from the data level. [Results/Conclusions] The analysis found that with the progress of technology, deep learning methods have been widely used. Compared with the improvement of the model, the feature learning and representation based on deep learning can significantly improve the effect of the author name disambiguation algorithm. In addition, in order to overcome the problem of insufficient data utilization by a single method and improve the utilization efficiency of data, the three methods show the trend of mutual combination and complementary gain. From the literature research results, there are few related studies on incremental author name disambiguation and multi-language author name disambiguation, which could be one of the directions for further research.

Landscapes can be seen as important socio-ecological systems [...]

Abstract Silage quality remains an important issue in farming, as do limitations in the range of products suitable for animal fodder. We therefore explored the microorganisms that are critical for the fermentation quality of paper mulberry silage. Low (unwilted) and high (wilted) dry matter (DM) paper mulberry were harvested at two cutting times. These were ensiled for 0, 3, 7, 14, and 56 days, respectively. Compared with unwilted silages, wilting significantly decreased (p

A positive effect of pulp and paper mill sludges as a rich source of organic substrates on soil properties was previously found for some types of sludge and soil. In this study, the effect of secondary pulp and paper sludge on water characteristics and thermal properties of Retisol, as well as the growth parameters of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), was tested on the basis of a pot experiment when watering plants with a 20 or 40% sludge solution. The sludge application enhanced plant growth with an increase in biomass accumulation of 21 and 53%, respectively, for 20 and 40% sludge treatments. When the sludge dose was increased from 0 to 40%, the number of leaves increased by 25%, and the leaf mass per area value increased by 42%. Due to the accumulation of more biomass in the shoots than in the roots, sludge causes a change in the allocation of plant biomass. A significant effect of the sludge application on soil particle and microaggregate sized compositions, as well as on the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, was not found in this study. However, fitted soil water retention curves showed an increased soil water content in sludge-treated soil at all water content values exceeding field capacity. Secondary sludge application led to an increase in the saturated water content from 0.50 to 0.56 cm3 cm−3. The 40% sludge solution increased soil thermal conductivity from 0.92 to 0.98 W m−1 K−1 under saturated water content and from 0.83 to 0.92 W m−1 K−1 under field capacity. The thermal conductivity was higher in the sludge-treated than untreated soil due to a more pronounced positive effect of increased saturated water content than the negative effect of the increased organic matter content on heat transfer. The positive impact of secondary sludge application on both plant growth parameters and physical properties of Retisol, such as increased soil water-holding capacity and thermal conductivity coefficient confirms the possibility of using it to improve soil characteristics and plant productivity.

The paper presents the research results on the properties of the pulp coniferous and deciduous wood composition in its original state and paper made from it, proposes a mechanism to increase the waterfast and waterproof food packaging paper by surface treatment with a composition based on polyamidepichlorohydrin with polyvinyl alcohol and urea. The study was conducted in order to ensure an increase in the consumer properties of packaging paper, since when packaging materials encounter food products, their structure can change under the influence of moisture, steam, and gas. Polyamidaminepichlorohydrin was used as the main component of the composition for paper processing, as functional additives: polyvinyl alcohol and urea. The above-mentioned starting materials are environmentally friendly, since foreign inclusions in food packaging materials would pose a serious danger to human health and life, as well as to the brand image of the product in which they would be detected. It was proved that high waterfastness and waterproofness, as well as the necessary level of barrier, protective and operational properties of packaging material for food products cannot always be obtained by introducing a significant amount of polyamidaminepichlorohydrin, so the paper investigated the mechanism of interacting cellulose fibers of paper with polyamidaminepichlorohydrin, and also proved the possibility of its use to obtain packaging paper with a given set of properties. It was found that the consumption of up to 4–6% polyamidaminepichlorohydrin provides the main increase in the mechanical strength of packaging paper, both in wet and dry conditions. The resulting waterfast and waterproof material can be used for food packaging.

Abstract Accurate maps of subsurface tile drainage lines are needed for agronomic and environmental research studies and the maintenance of current tile drainage systems. In this study, tile lines at the Purdue University Agronomy Center for Research and Education near West Lafayette, Indiana were located using a combination of visual aerial photo interpretation, expert knowledge, and paper construction drawings. The mapping accuracy was assessed at 27 locations where tile lines were located physically using a tile probe. Tile lines were correctly predicted 89% of the time with an average spatial accuracy of ±1.23 m of the true tile locations. This approach was better than a previous tile line location map prepared using an automated remote sensing method, which had an average spatial accuracy of ±2.12 m.

ABSTRACT: The growing worldwide demand in the pulp market has fostered research that evaluates alternative fiber sources with specific characteristics that attend the needs of the consumer market, with a view to add value to the final product and reduce production costs. Acacia mearnsii De Wild wood is a by-product of the extraction of tannin from the trunk bark, used for firewood, charcoal and pellets. However, its wood is still poorly studied, especially its anatomical characteristics, which can provide important information about its industrial potential. This study evaluated the anatomical characteristics of Acacia mearnsii wood for the production of pulp and paper. Ten trees at approximately seven years old were cut down, five from the seed production area (SPA) and five from the clonal population area (CPA). From each tree, one trunk disc was sectioned at the diameter at breast height (DBH), resulting in 10 (ten) wood samples. From each disc, a sapwood specimen was made oriented in the tangential longitudinal, radial longitudinal and transversal planes, for later obtaining the anatomical cuts and the macerates. The anatomical description of the wood followed the recommendations of the International Association of Wood Anatomists-IAWA. From the dimensions of the fibers, their quality evaluation ratios for the production of pulp and paper were calculated. Results obtained from the anatomical characterization allowed to conclude that the Acacia mearnsii woods from SPA and CPA are indicated as a source of raw material for the pulp and paper production.

Target and off-target spray depositions determine the spray’s effectiveness and impact on the environment. A decisive stage in the measurement of spray deposition and drift is selecting an appropriate sampling approach under field conditions. There are various approaches available for sampling spray deposition and drift, during the evaluation of ground sprayers used for the UAV sprayer assessment, under field conditions. In this study, two sampling approaches (water-sensitive paper, and glass strip collectors) were compared to analyze spray deposition in target and off-target zones. The results showed a variation in the estimation of the spray deposits among the two applied sampling methods. The results showed that the water-sensitive paper recorded the droplet deposition in the target zone with a range from 0.049 to 4.866 µLcm−2, whereas the glass strip recorded from 0.11 to 0.793 µLcm−2. The results also showed the water sensitive paper recorded an 80.3% higher deposition than that of the glass strip at zero position during the driving flight height 2 m and flight speed 2 ms−1 (T1 treatment). It can be concluded that variation in recorded depositing is due to the sampling material. It is recommended that the confident deposition results, measurement methods and sampling approaches must be standardized for UAV sprayers according to the field conditions and controlled within artificial assessments.

The aim of this paper is to explore high school students' critical consciousness development in the context of youth participatory action research (YPAR) focused on food security at an alternative school in Alabama. The YPAR project took place in an elective agriscience class with 10 students (Seven Black, two white, one Latino) who were in the 10th to 12th grades. Utilizing data from researcher notes, classroom observations, and archival classroom documents, we present students' YPAR project outcomes to share their research-driven solutions to food insecurity in their community. Vignettes of classroom dialogue are also constructed to illustrate moments of reflection in the YPAR context about food security. We present three "critical moments," or instances of social analysis, to illustrate how students' individual-level attributions occurred alongside teacher dialogue and student-led investigation of structural inequities in the community. Findings illustrate how students' nonlinear critical consciousness development consisted of reliance on individual-level attributions in classroom dialogue co-occurring with systems-thinking activities and other YPAR project outcomes. This paper has implications for research on the imperfect and wavering nature of adolescent critical consciousness development in YPAR.

Biodegradable plastic mulch is potentially a suitable alternative to conventional polyethylene mulch because of the limited disposal options of the latter. However, biodegradable plastic mulch must perform better or comparably to polyethylene mulch to be widely adopted. Gas exchange and soil microclimate are important factors impacted by the use of plastic mulch, which in turn have implications on crop productivity. A controlled-environment study was established in a greenhouse to assess gas exchange and soil microclimate dynamics under biodegradable plastic, polyethylene, and paper mulches with and without planting holes, as well as the impact of the mulches on the growth of sweet corn (Zea mays). A no-mulch condition was included as control. In addition, we monitored CO2 concentrations in the vicinity of planting holes (chimney effect) in a greenhouse and agricultural field conditions under sweet corn production. The plastic mulches (both biodegradable plastic and polyethylene mulches) decreased the soil O2concentration to a minimum of 181–183 mmol mol-1, and when compared to the no-mulch, the plastic mulches reduced water loss within 50 days by 35–68 mm. The paper mulch inhibited light penetration more than did the plastic mulches. There was an increase in the CO2 concentration at 2.5 cm above the planting holes in the plastic mulches compared to that under the no-mulch. However, the differences were not discernible at 15 cm above the ground. Consequently, we did not observe significant impacts on the growth of sweet corn, possibly, because the canopy height of sweet corn was more than 15 cm within a few days after planting. Overall, the plastic mulches did not reduce O2 concentration below 100 mmol mol-1, the minimum level in which plant growth becomes impaired. Also, the often reported improved growth of sweet corn from plastic mulching could be attributable to other factors, such as weed control, reduced water loss, and early season soil warming, rather than elevated CO2 concentrations and fluxes in the vicinity of planting holes. Highlights - Gas exchange and soil microclimate dynamics under biodegradable plastic, polyethylene, and paper mulches were assessed - Elevated CO2 levels were observed near planting holes of plastic mulches (both biodegradable and polyethylene) - The plastic mulches inhibited O2 exchange, but not to a level that could impair plant growth - Polyethylene mulch conserved soil water better than biodegradable plastic and paper mulches - Paper mulch inhibited light penetration better than plastic mulches

The biennial Visual Resource Stewardship conferences of 2017, 2019, and 2021 were designed to catalyze new ideas and innovation between academia, practice, NGOs, and government agencies who work to address the analysis, planning, valuation, design, and management of visual resources [...]

Preamble of the Volume 10, Issue 1

Actinomycetes are a suitable microbial group for the synthesis of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes. Enzymes that may degrade organic material, including cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, are released by actinomycetes. The aim of this research was to isolate actinomycetes from Rajkot, Gujarat, India’s soil and evaluate the activity of their cellulase and Xylanase enzymes. Starch Casein Agar (SCA) was used to identify a total of 30 isolates of actinomycetes. A qualitative plate assay (CMC-Na, Congo red) revealed that the highest zone of catalysis for MMD1 was 36 mm. Five strains were discovered to be effective for quantitative quantification of endoglucanase utilising filter paper and CMC as substrates: MMD1, MMD2, MMD3, MMD4, and MMD8. Following MMD 1 (endoglucanase 5.4 IU; FPase 4.4 IU), MMD 2 (endoglucanase 4.5 IU; FPase 3.4 IU) has demonstrated considerable endoglucanase and FPase activity. Beechwood xylan was used to treat sugarcane bagasse in order to test Xylanase, and 45% of the xylan (hemicellulose) fraction was obtained. MMD1 and MMD2 measured the xylanase enzyme activity (4.8IU and 4.2IU) in quantitative and qualitative assays (34 mm and 22 mm for BWX and 32 mm and 14 mm for agro-waste xylan). The strain MMD1 was identified as Streptomyces chartreusis through morphological, biochemical, and finally molecular characterization by 16S rRNA sequencing. It was then submitted to NCBI GenBank with the accession number MT254830. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural and applied economists have maintained a public discourse at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) meetings and subsequently published papers discussing the mission of land‐grant institutions and the role of AAEA members in that mission. With a content analysis of 4001 Invited Papers and Presidential Speeches, we find agricultural and applied economists questioned their profession's purpose and role within the land‐grant system. The reflective questions still apply to land‐grant institutions and the agricultural and applied economics profession. We argue that AAEA members are crucial in addressing the food and agricultural challenges connected to society's deepest needs today and into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and purpose: In a context of land shortage with high rates of land degradation and soil erosion due to unsustainable agriculture practices in Burundi, vocational agriculture education needs to prioritize competencies that enable graduates to be effective change-agents in addressing sustainable agriculture challenges. This study aimed at identifying context-relevant competencies for change-agents to be able to foster sustainable agriculture. Methodology: The paper used the Delphi technique to collect data from 28 experts (comprising of 14 teachers and 14 practitioners). Findings: The findings identified 11 context-relevant competencies that are considered by experts to be most important for change-agents working on sustainable agriculture. The competence 'facilitator of change' was found to be most relevant and the recommendation is that it should be prioritized in vocational agriculture education curriculum design. Other competencies, such as innovation and creativity, planning, system thinking, domain expertise, continuous learning, interdisciplinarity, and leadership, were also indicated as highly relevant. The competencies stewardship, self-determination and engagement were considered to be comparatively less important, although still relevant. Practical implications: The findings of this study provide insight so that the curricula of vocational agriculture schools can be designed around forming a competence-based education model toward fostering sustainable agriculture. Theoretical implications: The paper contributes to sustainability competence theory by taking the debate to the domain of vocational agriculture education within the context of Burundi. Originality: The study utilized the Delphi process to capture the context-relevance of sustainable agriculture competencies that need to be prioritized in vocational agriculture education in Burundi.

Purpose: To advance understanding about the way endogenous knowledge on mangrove swamp rice (MSR) farming is transmitted, reinvented and negotiated between generations and highlight the implications this has for R4D. Design/Methodology/Approach: Long-term qualitative research using an ethnographic approach, technography and biographies of farmers. Findings: The endogenous Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) is dynamic but faces shortcomings owing to socio-environmental changes. This highlights the relevance of knowledge exchanges from multiple sources, eroding the divide between endogenous and exogenous from the farmers' point of view. For positive exogenously induced socio-technical change to occur, external actors must fully understand the conditions under which (a) endogenous knowledge is produced and reinvented and (b) endogenous innovations flow among farmers. This will then allow the co-production of innovations adapted to each specific agro-ecological, cultural and socio-economic context, leaving them to be further transformed and refashioned by smallholders to meet their individual 'dispositions' and generate the roots necessary for a strong AKIS. Practical implications: This paper highlights the importance of locally embedded processes of learning and innovation, the better understanding of which can provide a more solid basis for the co-production of technologies and the establishment of an AKIS. Theoretical implications: This paper improves understanding of socio-technological change in smallholder agriculture by focusing on endogenous processes of learning and innovation. Originality: This paper advances the knowledge on endogenous processes of learning and socio-technical change in smallholder agriculture.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been transformed into a useful analytical technique with significant advantages in relation to sensitive and low-concentration chemical analyses. However, SERS substrates are expensive and the analyte sample preparation is complicated; hence, it is only used in limited areas. We have fabricated a tattoo paper-based SERS substrate by using non-complicated inkjet printing. The sensitivity of the SERS substrate was increased by removing the carbon residues via exposure to ultraviolet light without damaging the substrate. Thus, low concentrations of pesticides (up to 1 μM thiram) were measured. The SERS substrate was attached to the curved surface of an apple to demonstrate its advantages, such as the flexibility and easy attachability of tattoo paper, and its feasibility was verified by measuring 1 μM thiram on the apple's surface. Due to its economic cost, simple usage, and rapid measurement, it will be helpful for the identification of both agricultural adulterants and food adulterants and for water-based pollutant detection. It will also possibly be helpful for medical purposes related to human body surfaces in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo leaves are a resource of cellulose fibers that can be further developed into value-added products. In this research, cellulose nanofibers were obtained from Tinwa bamboo leaves, and then chemically modified with (i) hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS) and (ii) perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS). The modified nanofibers were then used as a hydrophobic biopolymer coating on paper, as an alternative to commonly used fossil-based coatings. Hydrophobicity in terms of surface and bulk properties of the coated paperboards was investigated. The results showed that the hydrophobic coatings obtained provided a high contact angle up to 141° and a decrease of water penetration speed during immersion up to 94% when using ultrasonic technique. The coated paperboards exhibited color difference values compared with an uncoated paperboard in the range of 0.4 to <2 which is hardly distinguishable from the human eye. These results suggest that a biopolymer obtained from modified bamboo leaves does in fact provide a suitable replacement for hydrophobic coating on paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant biomass in the form of waste materials and by-products from various industries can be a valuable material for the production of composts and growing media for urban gardening. In this study, pulp and paper mill sludge, fruit-vegetable waste, mushroom spent substrate and rye straw were used to produce compost that was further used as a medium component in container cultivation of tomato. The plants were grown in containers with a capacity of 3 dm3 filled with three types of compost-based growing media supplemented with high peat, fen peat, pine bark and wood fiber. The tomato plants grown in 100% peat substrate served as controls. The plants grown in the compost-enriched media had a higher leaf greening index and percentage of ripe fruit, and exhibited an increased content of total polyphenols and flavonoids, potassium, calcium, magnesium and copper in fruit as compared with the control. The tomatoes grown in a medium consisting of 25% compost, 30% high peat, 15% low peat, 20% pine bark and 10% wood fiber reached the highest fresh fruit weight, total polyphenol content and L-ascorbic acid levels. This study demonstrated that the compost produced from natural materials from various sources was a valuable potting medium supplement with positive effects on tomato yield and nutritional value.

The use of biodegradable paper pulp pots has been gaining traction, especially among environmentally conscious consumers and horticultural practitioners who prioritize sustainability. The choice between paper pulp and polyethylene nursery pots in horticultural practices is a complex decision, involving considerations such as environmental impact, cost-effectiveness, durability, and overall sustainability. This study aims to provide practical insights into the comparative performance of paper pulp and polyethylene pots, specifically in terms of plant health, degradation, and techno-economic considerations. The study involved the growth performance assessment of four plant species, Cannonball Tomato, Celebrity Tomato, Parris Island Lettuce, and French Marigold, in a greenhouse experiment setup. Additionally, a degradation analysis was conducted to determine the average degradation rate and pattern. Finally, a techno-economic analysis compared the value of plant health and degradation with the market price. By evaluating the quality performance aspects of paper pulp pots, this study not only provides valuable insights but also identifies potential areas of improvement for other biodegradable pots, thereby contributing to the ongoing efforts to promote sustainable horticultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beras rendang is a traditional food from Payakumbuh, West Sumatra. Beras rendang is made from white glutinous rice flour, which is roasted until dried and then mixed with liquid sugar and coconut milk, then cooked in a big pan. Since it is rich in fat from coconut milk, it can easily turn rancid during storage. Beras rendang is usually packed with oil-paper, but the nature of its glutinous rice ingredient makes it sticky enough to the paper and hard to peel off later. Therefore, this study is performed to use tapioca edible film as an alternative packing to the paper. The shelf life of beras rendang, which is packed with the paper compared to tapioca edible film, was estimated in this research. Then, the acceleration method was conducted by storing beras rendang for 30 days at three different temperatures, i.e., 30, 35, and 40°C, to estimate the shelf life of beras rendang. The parameters observed were sensory assessments of rancidity and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values of beras rendang during storage. Data were analyzed using linear regression, then the equations obtained were used to calculate the shelf life of beras rendang at normal temperature (27°C). Based on rancidity sensory, the beras rendang shelf life packed with edible tapioca film was 59.26 days on the zero-order reaction with the regression equation of y = -4542.9x + 11.545, activation energy of 9,022.19 cal.mol-1, and quality degradation rate of 0.027 quality unit per day. Meanwhile, based on the TBA value, the beras rendang shelf life packed with the paper was 45.15 days on the zero-order reaction with the regression equation of y = -1991.7x – 2.3267, with an activation energy of 3,955.51 kal.mol-1, and quality degradation rate of 0.013 quality unit per day. It is found that beras rendang stored using edible tapioca film had a longer shelf life than paper packing. Therefore, the edible tapioca film as a packing alternative shows more advantages than paper packing in terms of its ability to prolong the shelf life, and its convenience to consume the beras rendang without needing to peel it off, because the film is edible.

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Soil is an important reservoir of innumerable natural and biological resources fundamental to the sustainability of life and the earth's functionality. The soil is complex due to changing biodiversity, physicochemical characteristics, disturbances, and pedogenesis, which are constituent indices required for the measurement of its healthiness. Hence, there is a need to concertedly protect the soil by consciously promoting practices and behaviors that optimize its priority functions in delivering ecosystem services. It is further significant for crop yield, hence the need to pay more attention to its health. Soil healthiness is also a reflection of its capacity to support biogeochemical processes, abiotic communities, and plant and animal productions. However, agronomic studies, until recently, focused more on the use of chemical indicators in determining soil health, despite the versatile ecophysiological role of microorganisms in soil formation, resource cycling, and management. These biological phenomena expressed by soil microbial communities form the basis for the conversion of diverse organic matters into bioutilizable resources for plants' healthy development. This review, therefore, explored the underlining mechanisms, particularly climate change-related, that caused divergent soil properties and how this impacted the microbial composition of healthy soil. Likewise, several pieces of agronomic literature on the physical characteristics, ecological services, and functions of a healthy soil were compared toward innovative best management practices for improving soil health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development trends and research layout of agricultural resources and the environment (ARE) are the focus of global attention. In this study, we compiled a data set of SCI papers published in the ARE field since the 13th Five-Year Plan. Thereafter, the topic extraction model of Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) was used to mine the text content so as to explore the research layout of global ARE. The results show that, between 2016 and the time of this study, 31,559 articles were published in the ARE field, exhibiting an overall upward trend. During this time, China and the United States were the main forces in paper publishing. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, and the US Department of Agriculture were the top three publishing institutions. Research institutes in China, the United States, Russia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Australia cooperated closely, and the CAS was at the center of the cooperation network. The clustering results of text topics based on the LDA model show that three topics—namely, the interaction mechanisms of plants, the rhizosphere, and microorganisms; the mechanisms and predictive evaluation of soil landslides or erosion; and the decomposition and interaction response of organic matter in agroforestry ecosystems—have been the hot research areas in this field since 2016. The management and efficient utilization of farmland nutrients, and the technology and mechanisms of agricultural waste resource utilization have become key research directions since 2019. The research layouts of China and the United States in this field were analyzed, and the similarities and differences were compared. In addition, suggestions for the future development of ARE are proposed. This study is of great significance for the overall development trend of ARE, the timely tracking of scientific research hotspots, outlining key research and development directions, and promoting scientific and technological innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]