bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Creative Industries as Part of a Sustainable Urban Development Strategy: Vilnius City Case
Authors: Černevičiūtė Jūratė , Strazdas Rolandas
Published: July 2023

The concept of a creative city is a post-industrial development strategy focused on urban economies. Based on this concept, many cities declared the importance of CI development as a sustainable urban development strategy. The long-term impact of CI development on the urban economy was not extensively studied. This study aims to explore the following research question: What are the critical factors that stimulate sustainable urban development through the development of creative industries (CI)? To answer this question, the case of the city of Vilnius was analyzed. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. For the quantitative analysis data, statistical data for the period 2009–2019 were analyzed. To gain a deeper understanding of the development factors of Vilnius’s CI, document analysis and interviews with Vilnius’s CI experts were conducted. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (FsQCA) was used to analyze the impact of factors on Vilnius’ CI growth.
Assessing the Extent to Which Players Can Build Sustainable Cities in the Digital City-Builder Game “Cities: Skylines”
Authors: Jolly Raphael , Budke Alexandra
Published: July 2023

This paper examines whether the commercial digital simulation game “Cities: Skylines” enables players to simulate sustainable city development. The analysis consists of an analytical framework founded on the literature regarding the UN Sustainable Development Goal “Sustainable Cities and Communities” (SDG 11, United Nations). The study applies the analytical framework to the city builder, observing that many aspects of sustainable city development can be employed when building a city in “Cities: Skylines”. While the analysis suggests that the in-game feedback is very neutral vis-à-vis sustainability, the game offers a vast digital space where players and pupils learning geography can practically experience and experiment with the complexity of urban geography. Thus, “Cities: Skylines” could offer the opportunity to familiarize learners with “Sustainable Cities and Communities”. The analysis helps to assess the extent to which the game can be of educational benefit for geography education despite its commercial character. The paper concludes with educational implications and emphasizes the opportunity to experience sustainable city development in the digital simulation game “Cities: Skylines”.
Exploring the Complex Nexus between Sustainable Development and Green Tourism through Advanced GMM Analysis
Authors: Sun Xiaomin , Qing Jing , Shah Syed Ahsan Ali , Solangi Yasir Ahmed
Published: July 2023

This research explores the complex nexus between sustainable development and green tourism across a representative set of 30 countries. To ensure robustness against potential endogeneity issues, the advanced Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator is utilized for the analysis. Concurrently, key macroeconomic variables such as the GDP per capita, the literacy rate, and the population growth rate, along with environmental performance as captured by the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), are introduced as control variables. The findings reveal a notable positive correlation between sustainable development and green tourism, highlighting the integral role of green tourism in advancing sustainable development. This study also identifies complex associations between sustainable development and the control variables. Positive correlations are observed with the GDP per capita, the literacy rate, and the EPI, while the population growth rate exhibits a negative correlation with sustainable development. The outcomes underline the necessity of integrating sustainable tourism and environmental strategies into the wider discourse on sustainable development. This study provides substantial empirical insights into the multifaceted interplay of economic, social, and environmental factors, offering important implications for policymakers and academics alike. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of sustainable development determinants and set a robust groundwork for the design of balanced, comprehensive development strategies.
Knowledge Sharing and the Moderating Role of Digital Innovation on Employees Innovative Work Behavior
Authors: Binsaeed Rima H. , Yousaf Zahid , Grigorescu Adriana , Trandafir Raluca Andreea , Nassani Abdelmohsen A.
Published: July 2023

This study aims to give an econometric analysis of the energy sector employee’s innovative work behavior (IWB) with the mediation function of knowledge sharing (KS) and is mainly focused on how Network Capability (NC) plays a significant role in promoting the performance of knowledge sharing in the energy sector, which guides toward IWB. Current research also investigates the role of digital innovation (DI) in moderating the linkage between NC and IWB. For data collection, the quantitative method and 578 questionnaires were used. To test the study hypothesis, a structural equation model and bootstrapping are used. The findings prove that NC has a positive impact on IWB. Furthermore, it has been established that KS acts as a mediator in establishing the connection between network capacity NC and IWB. The results of the moderation role confirm that Digital Innovation in the energy sector strengthens the relationship between NC and IWB. By examining the potential mediating function of the KS in the NC-IWB links, this project expands the body of previous data. Current research further contributes to the better perception of NC, KS, digital innovation, and innovative work behavior in the energy sector.
Simulating the Hydraulic and Volume Change Behavior of Compacted Highly Expansive Soil under Potential Field Stress and Seasonal Climatic Variation
Authors: Abbas Mohamed Farid
Published: July 2023

A sustainable design of some engineering applications, such as earth dam cores, landfill liners, clay barriers, and radioactive waste disposal systems, that utilize compacted expansive soils requires simulation for probable field conditions. This study investigated the hydraulic and volume change (H-VC) behaviors of highly expansive compacted soils in Al-Qatif city under different seasonal climatic variations for a wide range of stress conditions, aiming for more economical and rational design and practices. The extent of the effect of the start cycle condition of the cyclic wetting and drying (W/D) process on the examined properties is examined, as well. Two testing series of the cyclic W/D process, representing the probable seasonal climatic variations, were executed for varied axial stress conditions. The H-VC behaviors of expansive soils are affected by the simulated seasonal variation (i.e., cyclic W/D process), with the first cycle of W/D being the most effective cycle and an elastic state being attained by the third to fourth cycle. Swell fatigue is noted for both testing series, and this is attributed to the initial placement condition. Analysis of results recommends exposure of the compacted expansive soil layers in the field to drying after compaction to reduce their equilibrium wetting potential. As a consequence of the noted shrinkage accumulation, a reduction tendency of saturated hydraulic conductivity (ksat) with repeated W/D cycles is reported for both series under all the stress states applied. Finally, it is recommended for clay barrier projects to be submerged once compacted to obtain barriers with the lowest values of hydraulic conductivity.
Quantification of Agricultural Terrace Degradation in the Loess Plateau Using UAV-Based Digital Elevation Model and Imagery
Authors: Fang Xuan , Gu Zhujun , Zhu Ying
Published: July 2023

Agricultural terraces are important artificial landforms on the Loess Plateau of China and have many ecosystem services (e.g., agricultural production, soil and water conservation). Due to the loss of rural labor, a large number of agricultural terraces have been abandoned and then the degradation of terraces, caused by rainstorm and lack of management, threatens the sustainability of ecological services on terraces. Our previous study has found its geomorphological evidence (sinkhole and collapse). However, no quantitative indicators of terrace degradation are identified from the perspective of microtopography change. A framework for quantifying terrace degradation was established in this study based on unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry and digital topographic analysis. The Pujiawa terraces in the Loess Plateau were selected as study areas. Firstly, the terrace ridges were extracted by a Canny edge detector based on high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) data. The adaptive method was used to calculate the low and high thresholds automatically. This method ensures the low complexity and high-edge continuity and accuracy of the Canny edge detector, which is superior to the manual setting and maximum inter-class variance (Otsu) method. Secondly, the DEMs of the terrace slope before degradation were rebuilt through the terrain analysis method based on the extracted terrace ridges and current DEM data. Finally, the degradation of terraces was quantified by the index series in the line, surface and volume aspects, which are the damage degrees of the terrace ridges, terrace surface and whole terrace. The damage degrees of the terrace ridges were calculated according to the extracted and generalised terrace ridges. The damage degrees of the terrace surface and whole terrace were calculated based on the differences of DEMs before and after degradation. The proposed indices and quantitative methods for evaluating agricultural terrace degradation reflect the erosion status of the terraces in topography. This work provides data and references for loess terrace landscape protection and its sustainable management.
Remodeling of Abandoned Land: A Review of Landscape Regeneration and the Reconstruction of Urban Landfill Sites
Authors: Wen Yu , Zhao Yanfang , Guan Ze , Zhang Xinjia
Published: July 2023

The relationship between people and land is becoming increasingly strained, and the optimal allocation of land resources and the redevelopment of stock has become the main path for urban construction and development. In this context, how to stimulate the potential value of urban landfills through landscape regeneration has attracted much attention. Based on the CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) database and the Web of Science core collection database, the bibliometric method was used to analyze a total of 1436 Chinese and English studies on urban landfill landscape regeneration using the scientometric literature analysis software CiteSpace 6.2.R3. From this, metrological and visual mapping analyses were undertaken, and literature co-citations were taken to reveal current trends in the research for urban landfill landscape regeneration. The results show that most of the existing studies focus on landfill pollution control (779 articles) and landscape regeneration design (517 articles). Further analysis of the trends shown in publications and research disciplines shows that the future development direction of landfill landscape regeneration will be led by the ecological restoration of the site and the organic combination of site pollution control and landscape planning and design to achieve sustainable landscape reshaping of landfills. This informs recommendations for the regeneration of landfill landscapes.
Does Environmental Decentralization Promote Renewable Energy Development? A Local Government Competition Perspective
Authors: Wang Yinuo , Zhou Fengxiu , Wen Huwei
Published: July 2023

Renewable energy development is a long-term means of addressing the climate challenge and achieving environmental sustainability. This study examines the relationship between environmental decentralization, local government competition, and renewable energy production using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2000 to 2021. The empirical results show that environmental decentralization significantly inhibits renewable energy development, indicating a lack of foresight among local governments in environmental governance issues. In addition, local government competition amplifies the detrimental effects of environmental decentralization on renewable energy production. Although the decentralization of environmental administrative power hinders renewable energy production, the decentralization of environmental monitoring power promotes it. However, insufficient evidence is available to conclude that regional characteristics and threshold variables can alter the inhibitory effect of environmental decentralization on renewable energy production, even though the effects of environmental decentralization on the production of renewable energy exhibit geographical variation and non-linear characteristics. The findings of this study contribute to optimizing environmental policies to motivate local governments to pursue long-term environmental governance goals.
Identifying and Prioritizing Barriers to Climate Technology International Cooperation from the Perspective of Korea
Authors: Han Songhee , Park Jeonghee , Lee Heeseob , Lee Wona , Son JiHee
Published: July 2023

Climate technology development and transfer have gained significant attention as a means to combat climate change and promote sustainable development. However, there is a lack of studies that systematically identify, categorize, and prioritize the barriers to technology transfer, especially within international cooperation projects. This paper addresses this literature gap by conducting an in-depth analysis of closure reports from Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) technical assistance projects and incorporating the perspectives of Korea which has the largest number of CTCN members. The 204 barriers identified from the 77 reports were grouped into 10 categories, and the information and awareness category had the largest number of barriers, followed by the institutional and organizational capacity and the technical categories. When prioritizing the 32 survey responses, the top three difficulties were economic and financial, legal and regulatory; category-level difficulties included ‘technical barriers,’ and sub-category-level difficulties included ‘COVID-19 restrictions’, ‘challenges in gathering good data’, and ‘limited budget.’ These findings will enhance the understanding of policymakers and practitioners on the significance of resource allocation, capacity-building efforts, and risk management strategies to improve the effectiveness of climate technology international cooperation projects.
Analysis of Dynamic Changes and Main Obstacle Factors of Grain Supply and Demand Balance in Northwest China
Authors: Liu Xian , Xu Yueyue
Published: July 2023

It is of great significance to systematically analyze the characteristics of the regional grain supply and demand balance, reveal the influence mechanism of crop sustainable development, and put forward effective countermeasures to achieve the goal of food security. This paper aims at addressing the unique geographical characteristics of Northwest China and the current lack of research on its food security. This paper systematically analyzes the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of the regional grain production, consumption and food security level. The main factors affecting regional food security are examined, and we put forward effective suggestions to promote regional sustainable production. The results show that the average annual growth rate of grain production in Northwest China from 2000 to 2021 was 3.4%, and the years of increased grain production accounted for 77.3%. The main reason for the increase in grain production was the increase in yield per unit area (average annual growth of 2.8%), of which the rice yield was the largest, up to 7.3 t/ha. Maize and wheat accounted for 60.7% and 23.4% of the total grain production in the region, respectively. From the perspective of the regional structure, Inner Mongolia contributed the most to the grain production in the region, accounting for 33.5% of the total output. Xinjiang, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and Qinghai contributed 17.1%, 15.4%, 15.2%, 13.0%, 4.5% and 1.3%, respectively, to grain production. From the perspective of the dietary structure, the grain consumption pattern in Northwest China has gradually changed from raw grains to animal products, which has undoubtedly increased the regional demand for grain. At present, since the increase in output is greater than the demand for food, the food self-sufficiency rate in the region has increased from 0.81 to 1.28. Since the grain yield per unit area in Xinjiang and Ningxia has a relative advantage over other provinces, to achieve regional food security for a long time, moderately increasing the grain planting area in these two provinces will help to promote regional food security. In addition, as the grains produced in the region are mainly wheat and corn, the yield level of wheat and corn in Xinjiang and Qinghai has a comparative advantage within Northwest China. Therefore, moderately increasing the planting area of wheat and corn in Xinjiang and Qinghai is of great significance in ensuring regional food security. The research results can provide theoretical support for the realization of regional food security and provide a reference for other regions in the world, to better serve global food security.
Implications of Land Grabbing and Resource Curse for Sustainable Development Goal 2 in Africa: Can Globalization Be Blamed?
Authors: Agunyai Samuel Chukwudi , Amusan Lere
Published: July 2023

Globalization, as described by Joseph Stiglitz in his books Globalization and its Discontents and Making Globalization Work, draws on both pains and gains. These two seemingly incompatible positions, where globalization is used as a platform to partner or collaborate with other countries by grabbing lands for sustainable developmental initiatives such as the attainment of SDG 2, but ends up dispossessing the host communities of their lands, form the crux of this paper. Although not all land grabbing is illegal, especially if lands are leased within the confines of a country’s land tenure laws, the reality in some African countries shows that lands are grabbed without following land tenure laws. This partly limits the capacity of African countries to effectively control and monitor the activities of foreign land grabbers or investors on leased lands. This loophole in the governance of arable lands in Africa has made many foreign partners use Africa’s arable lands for their own benefit at the expense of Africa’s food sovereignty initiative. It has partly made Africa appear to be a resource-cursed region, where it can hardly feed its population despite its global partnerships and huge land resources. Drawing on systematic desktop reviews of the literature, this study asks if globalization is contributing to Africa’s hunger index and resource curse. The findings expand the discussion on how Africa is still not able to feed its population and end hunger, despite the potential offered by globalization. It suggests approaches through which Africa can optimize globalization in ways that support determined efforts at ending hunger in Africa.
Existence for Two-Point nth Order Boundary Value Problems under Barrier Strips
Authors: Agarwal Ravi P. , Todorov Todor Z. , Kelevedjiev Petio S.
Published: July 2023

Using barrier strip conditions, we study the solvability of two-point boundary value problems for the equation x(n)=f(t,x,x′,…,x(n−1)). In the case n=4, we apply the used approach to obtain results guaranteeing positive or non-negative, monotone, convex solutions to boundary value problems with various boundary conditions.
Automatically Detecting Incoherent Written Math Answers of Fourth-Graders
Authors: Urrutia Felipe , Araya Roberto
Published: July 2023

Arguing and communicating are basic skills in the mathematics curriculum. Making arguments in written form facilitates rigorous reasoning. It allows peers to review arguments, and to receive feedback about them. Even though it requires additional cognitive effort in the calculation process, it enhances long-term retention and facilitates deeper understanding. However, developing these competencies in elementary school classrooms is a great challenge. It requires at least two conditions: all students write and all receive immediate feedback. One solution is to use online platforms. However, this is very demanding for the teacher. The teacher must review 30 answers in real time. To facilitate the revision, it is necessary to automatize the detection of incoherent responses. Thus, the teacher can immediately seek to correct them. In this work, we analyzed 14,457 responses to open-ended questions written by 974 fourth graders on the ConectaIdeas online platform. A total of 13% of the answers were incoherent. Using natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, we built an automatic classifier. Then, we tested the classifier on an independent set of written responses to different open-ended questions. We found that the classifier achieved an F1-score = 79.15% for incoherent detection, which is better than baselines using different heuristics.
Hepatitis Delta Virus–Host Protein Interactions: From Entry to Egress
Authors: Stephenson-Tsoris Susannah , Liang T. Jake
Published: July 2023

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is the smallest known human virus and causes the most severe form of human viral hepatitis, yet it is still not fully understood how the virus replicates and how it interacts with many host proteins during replication. This review aims to provide a systematic review of all the host factors currently known to interact with HDV and their mechanistic involvement in all steps of the HDV replication cycle. Finally, we discuss implications for therapeutic development based on our current knowledge of HDV–host protein interactions.
Analysis of Functional Promoter of Camel FGF21 Gene and Identification of Small Compounds Targeting FGF21 Protein
Authors: Yong Fang , Yan Meilin , Zhang Lili , Ji Wangye , Zhao Shuqin , Gao Yuan
Published: July 2023

The fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) gene plays an important role in the mechanism of glucose and lipid metabolism and is a promising therapeutic target for metabolic disease. Camels display a unique regulation characteristic of glucose and lipid metabolism, endowing them with the ability to adapt to survive drought and chronic hunger. However, the knowledge about the camel FGF21 gene regulation and its differences between humans and mice is still limited. In this study, camel FGF21 gene promoter was obtained for ~2000 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site (TSS). Bioinformatics analysis showed that the proximal promoter region sequences near the TSS between humans and camels have high similarity. Two potential core active regions are located in the −445–612 bp region. In addition, camel FGF21 promoter contains three CpG islands (CGIs), located in the −435~−1168 bp regions, significantly more and longer than in humans and mice. The transcription factor binding prediction showed that most transcription factors, including major functional transcription factors, are the same in different species although the binding site positions in the promoter are different. These results indicated that the signaling pathways involved in FGF21 gene transcription regulation are conservative in mammals. Truncated fragments recombinant vectors and luciferase reporter assay determined that camel FGF21 core promoter is located within the 800 bp region upstream of the TSS and an enhancer may exist between the −1000 and −2000 bp region. Combining molecular docking and in silico ADMET druggability prediction, two compounds were screened as the most promising candidate drugs specifically targeting FGF21. This study expanded the functions of these small molecules and provided a foundation for drug development targeting FGF21.
Integrated Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS Model for Assessing Managed Aquifer Recharge Potential in a Hot Dry Region: A Case Study of Djibouti at a Country Scale
Authors: Mouhoumed Rachid Mohamed , Ekmekcioğlu Ömer , Başakın Eyyup Ensar , Özger Mehmet
Published: July 2023

Given the prevailing arid climate and rapid population growth, groundwater resources face unprecedented challenges globally, including depletion, seawater intrusion, and contamination. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) technologies have emerged as valuable solutions to address these pressing issues. However, identifying suitable regions for MAR activities is a complex task, particularly at the country level. Therefore, in this study, we propose a robust approach that combines the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to delineate suitable sites for MAR structures. The proposed model was applied to Djibouti, a hot, dry, and water-stressed country. We identified a set of nine decision criteria and conducted a pairwise comparison survey to determine their relative importance. Additionally, the TOPSIS method was employed to integrate the decision layers and prioritize the study area. The results highlight the significance of rainfall, the slope, and the NDVI as the most influential decision parameters, while the drainage density has the least impact. A suitability analysis reveals that 16.38%, 17.96%, and 30.41% of the country have a very high, high, and moderate potential for MAR activities, respectively. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis demonstrates the stability of the proposed model, affirming the usefulness of the generated suitability map.
Infl uence of complex functional additives on the growth and development of calves
Authors:   Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Chuvash State Agrarian University”, Russia, Chuvash Republic, Cheboksary, Upinin M. S. , Lavrentev A. Yu. ,   Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Chuvash State Agrarian University”, Russia, Chuvash Republic, Cheboksary, Kostomakhin N. M. ,   Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy”, Russia, Moscow
Published: July 2023

The key to the production efficiency of enterprises engaged in the production of milk is properly reared replacement young animals, which allows systematically introducing more productive dairy cattle into the herd. The trends of recent years in the sector of rearing young Holstein cattle are obtaining average daily live weight gains of at least 850 g per day, insemination of heifers no later than 14 months, and consequently the introduction of fi rst-calf heifers into the herd at the age of 23-24 months. In order to achieve these purposes farms use various biological additives in the feeding program for heifers up to 6 months of age. The purpose of the research was to study the eff ect of complex functional additives Rumenfi t 50 and Rumenfi t 100 on the growth and development of heifers of Holstein breed. In order to conduct the experiment, 3 groups of heifers of Holstein breed were formed at the age of 2 months, selected according to the method of analog groups: control and two experimental. The heifers of the control group were fed the basic diet adopted on the farm. Animals of the 1st experimental group were added Rumenfi t 100 at the dose of 10 g/head/day to the starter compound feed, and Rumenfi t 50 at the dose of 5 g/head/day to the 2nd experimental group. On the base of the experimental data of the monthly accounting of live weight of animals, it was found that its dynamics and average daily gain were higher in the experimental groups, compared with the herdmates of the control group after the fi rst month of feeding complex functional additives Rumenfi t 50 and 100. At the same time, it is recommended to give preference to the addition of Rumenfi t 100 in the composition of compound feeds for calves during the rearing period up to 6 months of age, with the use of which higher results were obtained.
The Voice of Low-Income Adolescent Mothers on Infant Feeding
Authors: Horodynski Mildred , Mills Kristen
Published: July 2023

Adolescent mothers' feeding practices impact infant weight gain. Infant obesity, especially in low-income families, is rapidly increasing. The aim of the exploratory study reported here was to identify factors affecting low-income African American and non-Hispanic White adolescent mothers' infant feeding practices and useful learning modalities. Two focus groups were conducted by a trained facilitator using a semi-structured topic guide. Three themes emerged: (1) feeding decisions related to introduction of solid foods; (2) feeding information/advice provided by others; and (3) useful learning strategies. These themes can be used by Extension professionals in designing nutrition education programs for adolescent mothers.
Using Survey Responses to Determine the Value-Added Features of a Webinar Portal System for Adoption by Natural Resource Professionals
Authors: Gharis Laurie , Bardon Robert , Hubbard William , Taylor Eric , Jeuck Grizel
Published: July 2023

This article presents the findings of a recent survey of natural resource webinar providers. Respondents were asked a range of questions regarding their webinar services. Findings showed that respondents most commonly marketed their webinars through email or websites and targeted an audience of professionals. Respondents noted that the greatest challenge in offering webinars was the time commitment, whereas access to high-quality speakers added the most value to a webinar portal. Although the majority of responding webinar providers do not currently charge for their webinars, over one third noted that they would be willing to pay a fee per participant.
Feed Efficiency: An Assessment of Current Knowledge from a Voluntary Subsample of the Swine Industry
Authors: Flohr Josh , Tokach Mike , DeRouchey Joel , Goodband Robert , Dritz Steve , Nelssen Jim , Patience John
Published: July 2023

A voluntary sample of pork producers and advisers to the swine industry were surveyed about feed efficiency. The questionnaire was designed to accomplish three objectives: (a) determine the level of knowledge related to feed efficiency topics, (b) identify production practices used that influence feed efficiency, and (c) identify information gaps requiring additional knowledge to further improve feed efficiency. Results suggest that many practices that improve feed efficiency are used in production, but gaps in information and knowledge exist across demographics of respondents. Extension education should be expanded to provide more information in an easy-to-access format for the swine industry.
The North Dakota Beef Industry Survey: Implications for Extension
Authors: Dahlen Carl , Hadrich Joleen , Lardy Gregory
Published: July 2023

A portion of the North Dakota Beef Industry Survey was developed to determine how educational programs can evolve to meet future needs of North Dakota beef producers. Of the 2,500 surveys mailed out to beef producers, 527 responses were completed and returned. Results highlight the level of education of North Dakota beef producers, anticipated use of technology in the next 1 to 5 years, educational meeting attendance, and preferred methods of receiving educational programming. Future programming efforts should be developed and delivered using a multi-faceted approach to ensure acceptance and utilization by producers with varying degrees of technology reliance.
Face Time Is Still Critical to Effective Extension in Commercial Agriculture
Authors: Waggoner Justin , Reinhardt Chris
Published: July 2023

Even in the digital era, face-to-face meetings still have impact. Employees and managers must have a similar understanding of the challenges facing their industry. The meeting series described here was designed to allow workers and managers to learn side-by-side. A total of 622 workers and managers representing 75 companies (which have the combined annual capacity to feed approximately 1.8 million cattle, or 9% of the entire U.S. cattle feeding industry) attended seven meetings across western Kansas in which both overarching industry challenges and specific best management practices were communicated. Meeting face-to-face remains an effective way to communicate with commercial agricultural workers
Google Earth for Landowners: Insights from Hands-On Workshops
Authors: Huff Tristan
Published: July 2023

Google Earth is an accessible, user-friendly GIS that can help landowners in their management planning. I offered hands-on Google Earth workshops to landowners to teach skills, including mapmaking, length and area measurement, and database management. Workshop participants were surveyed at least 6 months following workshop completion, and learning outcomes as well as landowner application of Google Earth were assessed. Participants made significant gains in Google Earth skill level immediately following workshop completion, but longer-term skill retention was variable. Most participants found Google Earth to be a valuable tool for a variety of land management purposes.
Cooking Up Innovation: A Guide to Creating a Shared Commercial Kitchen Facility
Authors: Sandkamp Laurelyn
Published: July 2023

Interest in locally grown food has skyrocketed in recent years. Those planning to enter this growing industry must comply with strict health and safety codes at the federal, state, and county level. One promising innovation for start-up food businesses is the creation of local shared commercial kitchen facilities, licensed spaces dedicated to the processing and production of food for retail sale. In 2014 University of Wisconsin-Extension - Eau Claire County opened a shared commercial kitchen facility at the Eau Claire County Exposition Center. This guide summarizes important lessons learned in order to facilitate replication by Extension professionals around the country.
Urban Agriculture in the United States: Characteristics, Challenges, and Technical Assistance Needs
Authors: Oberholtzer Lydia , Dimitri Carolyn , Pressman Andrew
Published: July 2023

Urban agriculture offers potential benefits to urban areas and has captured the attention of residents and policymakers. Some challenges of urban agriculture are unique to the urban setting, and many farmers do not receive adequate technical assistance. Based on a national survey of urban farmers and interviews, this article explores the challenges and technical assistance needs of these farms. The urban agriculture sector is one of young, recently established farms and farmers. Profitability, financing, and production costs were rated the highest challenges. Farmers also reported moderate to high technical assistance needs in many other areas that Extension staff can address.
Campus Partnerships Improve Impact Documentation of Nutrition Programs
Authors: Brinkman Patricia
Published: July 2023

Partnerships with other campus college units can provide ways of improving Extension's impact documentation. Nutrition programs have relied upon knowledge gained and people's self report of behavior change. Partnering with the College of Nursing, student nurses provided blood screenings during the pre and 6 month follow-up of a pilot heart risk reduction program. Using blood screenings for diabetes, heart disease, and other nutrition programming would provide reliable documented behavior change when it occurred. Screenings could strengthen Extension's value to the community and assist in improving programming.
Facebook Groups Improve Volunteer Communications
Authors: Ferree Rhonda
Published: July 2023

Many Extension educators are still learning how to effectively integrate social media into their programs. By using the right social media platforms and mobile applications to create engaged, online communities, Extension educators can collaborate with clients to produce and to share information expanding and enhancing their social media and mobile efforts, while meeting their outreach goals more efficiently. This article demonstrates techniques Extension educators can employ to allow clients to become producers of information using social media and mobile tools.
Collaborating with Your Clients Using Social Media & Mobile Communications
Authors: Typhina Eli , Bardon Robert , Gharis Laurie
Published: July 2023

Many Extension educators are still learning how to effectively integrate social media into their programs. By using the right social media platforms and mobile applications to create engaged, online communities, Extension educators can collaborate with clients to produce and to share information expanding and enhancing their social media and mobile efforts, while meeting their outreach goals more efficiently. This article demonstrates techniques Extension educators can employ to allow clients to become producers of information using social media and mobile tools.
Energy Education Incentives: Evaluating the Impact of Consumer Energy Kits
Authors: Kirby Sarah , Guin Autumn , Langham Laura
Published: July 2023

Measuring the energy and environmental impact of residential energy education efforts is difficult. The E-Conservation residential energy management program uses consumer energy kits to document the impact of energy-efficient improvements. The consumer energy kit provides an incentive for individuals attending energy education workshop, helps consumers identify simple energy-saving technologies, and provides consumers with accessible energy-saving actions. As a result of consumers installing the compact fluorescent light bulbs and low flow showerheads in the energy kits, measureable savings in terms of annual energy savings, kilowatt hours, gallons of water used, and CO2 reduction are achieved.
Effects of Colony Creation Method and Beekeeper Education on Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Mortality
Authors: Moore Dale , Wenz John , Coles Claudia , Kohrs Paul
Published: July 2023

Responding to current issues requires Extension educators to quickly react and collaborate. The Washington Department of Agriculture requested help developing and conducting outreach programs on dairy cattle drug residue prevention as a result of a new program announced by the US FDA. Curriculum focused on causes of residues and improving treatment records. Five face-to-face sessions with over 180 farmers and veterinarians and 360 views of an online program indicated interest. Over 65% of attendees intended to review their treatment protocols. A concomitant reduction in residue violations from dairy animals in the state was seen after the programs.
The Carbon Cycle: Teaching Youth About Natural Resource Sustainability
Authors: Warren William
Published: July 2023

The carbon cycle was used as a conceptual construct for organizing the curriculum for a youth summer camp on natural resource use and sustainability. Several studies have indicated the importance of non-traditional youth education settings for science education and understanding responsible natural resource use. The Sixth Grade Forestry Tour, a long-standing youth natural resource education summer camp in Idaho conducted by Extension, was used to test the efficacy of this approach in 2013, with positive results that suggest continued development of this concept for future years and in other settings.
Effects of Colony Creation Method and Beekeeper Education on Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Mortality
Authors: Findlay Reed , Eborn Benjamin , Jones Wayne
Published: July 2023

The two-part study reported here analyzed the effects of beekeeper education and colony creation methods on colony mortality. The first study examined the difference in hive mortality between hives managed by beekeepers who had received formal training in beekeeping with beekeepers who had not. The second study examined the effect on hive mortality between hives that were initiated as nucleus or package colonies. Colonies created from package bees were more likely to survive for 1 year than nucleus colonies. Colonies managed by beekeepers who had received formal education also exhibited better survival rates than those managed by non-educated beekeepers.
An Assessment of Estate Planning Among Older Adults in Alabama
Authors: Brandon Dorothy , Crenshaw Kevin
Published: July 2023

Doubling of the older adult population and the lack of estate plans throughout the United States have prompted Extension to focus on increasing Americans' awareness of the importance of estate planning. A descriptive research study was conducted throughout Alabama to determine the status of and barriers to estate planning among older adults. Results indicated a significant difference in estate planning and being exposed to information on estate plans relative to ethnicity. African Americans were far less likely to have received information on estate planning than Caucasian Americans. Barriers to estate planning indicated several misconceptions in both groups.
New Atlas Features Corn Belt Farmers' Perspectives on Agriculture and Climate
Authors: Tyndall John , Arbuckle Gordon , Haigh Tonya , Knutson Cody
Published: July 2023

The Farmer Perspectives on Agriculture and Weather Variability in the Corn Belt: A Statistical Atlas is a new publication available online at . The atlas includes maps and tables that make it easy for readers to gauge farmer perspectives within the US Corn Belt. Topics covered include farmer beliefs about climate change, attitudes toward actions in response to increased weather variability, risk perceptions, and experiences with weather extremes. This region-specific information on farmers' climate change and risk beliefs is designed to help Extension personnel tailor the climate adaptation and education programming they offer in their region.
A Study of Factors Amplifying Non-Performing Assets in Public and Private Banks in the Indian Economy
Authors: Farhat Uddin Mohammad , Deshwal Vivek , Ashraf Syed Husain
Published: July 2023

Banking system is the foundational stone of Indian economy. In recent time, both public and private sector banks were marred by an growing number of NPAs, which is a matter of grave concern for Indian economic stability. This study aims to analyse the significance of growing NPAs on banking industry, identify the factors that contribute to the growth in the number of NPAs in Public and Private Banks in India, analyse them in Indian context and suggests various remedial measures for reducing the growing amount of NPAs with banking industry. The study also endeavours to formulate NPAs amount recovery techniques with explanation of their efficacy in Indian Banking Sector. It tries to provide various suggestions to stakeholders, analyisng both the adavantages and disadvantages of each such measure for the arrest in the growth of NPAs and their remediation.
Financial Literacy In India – A New Way Forward
Authors: Rath Jyoti Prakash , Patra Samira
Published: July 2023

The concept of Financial Literacy can be presented as a combination of financial awareness, knowledge, skills, attitude and behaviour necessary to make sound financial decisions and ultimately achieve individual financial well-being. The study is made to put light on financial literacy, its need and importance in the current economic situation in India. It will certainly help in understanding the basic need for being financially literate or educated to sustain, survive and compete in this changing dynamic socio-economic environment. It may prove useful for financial institutions involved in providing financial services, investors, Government at center and states, academicians, general people and most importantly to the research scholars undergoing their research on Financial Education, Literacy and Inclusion related areas. The primary objective of the study is to explore the need and importance of financial literacy and to put light on different types of financial services available at present time from different financial institutions with special reference to banks and insurance companies in India. It is purely a descriptive study. Data are collected from secondary sources especially from Internet Sources, Research Papers, Journals, Periodicals; Conference Proceedings and from different books. Concepts are presented in a lucid manner to satisfy the primary objective of the study. Financial literacy can be considered as the need of the hour. Financial Inclusion can be fruitful in true sense if people can understand the benefits of financial services provided by Government and Financial Institutions from time to time. It’s not enough to only be literate, one is to be “Financially Literate”.
Trends of India’s Agricultural Import During the Pre-reform and Post-reform Periods
Authors: Loganathan V
Published: July 2023

Agriculture has been the largest sector of the Indian economy. It plays a vital role in providing food for the nation, raw materials to the industry providing employment. Past two and a half decades, India has implemented comprehensive trade policy reforms in the agriculture sector due to internal and external factors. This study has investigated patterns of India’s foreign trade in agriculture during pre-reform and reform periods. The effect of liberalization of India’s foreign trade has greatly influenced the structure of trade in goods and services. For this study, the agriculture communities have been classified into Food Crops and food items, Pulses, Oil and oilseeds, Commercial crops, Plantation crops, Animal products, and Oilseed cake meals. Data for this study have been collected from Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) official website (www.faostat.fao.org), from 1970 to 2013. In 1970, the highest value of percentage share is observed for the food and food crops import at 55.56 per cent followed by commercial crops at 29.15 per cent, animal products at 6.83 per cent, pulses at 5.73 per cent, and oilseeds and oil at 1.29 per cent. In 2017, the highest value of percentage share is observed for oilseeds and oil import at 40.45 per cent followed by commercial crops at 27.87 per cent, pulses at 14.03 and food crops and food items at 10.59 per cent. Overall, there is a significant increase is noted for the percentage share of oilseeds and oil in total agricultural imports in the study period. In the case of pulses, the percentage share of imports in total agricultural export has been increasing during the study period among the other major group of products. There is downward movement is observed for the import of food crops and food items during the study period.
Environmental Policy: An Overview
Authors: Varadarajan Dhulasi Birundha , Chitra M
Published: July 2023

On the eve of India finishing seventy-five years of independence, it is necessary that we've to recapture the evolution of the country's environmental policy In recent years, notably since the first 1970’s, the earth planet has become more susceptible to environmental problems and there’s significant concern on whether the earth’s life network itself is being vulnerable. India is a giant country with a high population density and potential labour force. It’s a developing country marching towards 5 trillion economy, a strong, vibrant, multi-party democracy has high degree freelance judiciary and open media. Environmental policies are influenced by a multitude of factors and determine how environmental resources are accessed, apportioned, consumed, conserved, and governed. There exists a Paradigm shift in Environmental policies of India. This paper analyses the nature and magnitude and ideological change of 75 years of Environmental polices of India in 7different periods such as I: Period from 1947-1970:Post-independence Period, I: Period of 1970-1980: Decade of Environmental Obligations, III: Period of 1981-1990: Decade of Environmental Activism,, IV: Period of 1991-2000 :Decade of cooperative Environmental governance , Period of 2001-2010: Decade of Decentralised Environmental Governance, VI: Period from: 2011-2020:Decade of Centralisation of Natural Resources and VII: Period of 2020-2030 : Decade of International obligations.