bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Short-Term Hip Fracture Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Walters Samuel , Raja Hassan , Ahmad Rachel , Tsitskaris Konstantinos
Published: January 2022

Introduction Despite many significant changes as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and reductions in overall trauma workload, patients with fragility hip fractures continued to present to hospital. As we plan for ongoing service provision during future waves of the pandemic, valuable lessons can be learned from patients that have been treated surgically during the “first wave.”

Methods All patients admitted to our center (a busy District General Hospital in London, United Kingdom) with a hip fracture during a 13-week period representing the initial rise (“United Kingdom first wave”) in COVID-19 cases, from February 17th to May 17th, 2020 (study group) were compared with hip fracture patients from the equivalent 13-week period in February to May 2019 (control group). The primary outcome was 30-day mortality, and additional information was collected in terms of length of stay (LOS), SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing, and cause of death.

Results During the COVID-19 study period, 69 patients were admitted with a hip fracture, compared with 70 patients in the control group (p = 0.949). There was no significant difference in 30-day mortality between the two groups (5.8 vs. 7.1%, p = 0.747). Mean LOS was shorter in the COVID-19 period compared with the control group (11.6 vs. 19.6 days, p <0.001, effect size 0.572).

Forty-six patients (66.7%) had a SARS-CoV-2 antigen swab test, as testing was not available in the early period, and 10 patients (14.5%) tested positive. None of the patients, who presented before the antigen testing was available, had clinical suspicion of COVID-19 retrospectively. Two “COVID-19 positive” patients (20%) died within 30 days of admission.

Conclusion We report reassuring short-term results demonstrating no statistically significant difference in the 30-day mortality rate of hip fracture patients admitted during the United Kingdom's first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the equivalent period in the previous year. Hip fracture incidence remained stable, and LOS was reduced, likely due to recent departmental changes as well as a drive to discharge patients quickly during the pandemic. We agree with existing reports that elderly hip fracture patients with COVID-19 have a higher risk of perioperative mortality, however, our results suggest that overall mortality for the whole hip fracture population was similar to the previous year, in which deaths were more commonly attributed to respiratory infections associated with other pathogens. Further work may be needed to evaluate the outcomes during subsequent waves of the pandemic as mutations in the virus and conditions may affect outcomes.
Endoscopic Ultrasonography-Specific Stents
Authors: Shah Rahul Haresh , Udawat Priyanka , Dhir Vinay
Published: January 2022

The evolution of the endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) technique has necessitated the development of EUS-specific accessories and stents. In the earlier period, EUS-guided interventions mostly relied on borrowed accessories and stents from therapeutic endoscopy in particular ERCP. Traditional stents do not serve the purpose of EUS-guided transluminal stenting in all cases due to the length of the stent, no anchoring mechanism, and chance of migration. From 2011 onward, several EUS-specific stents became available, bringing a paradigm shift in interventional EUS. This article reviews current EUS-specific stents, indications, strengths, and weaknesses.
Kimura's Disease—A Rare Cause of Postauricular Swelling: A Case Report from the Hilly Region
Authors: Guleria Trilok C. , Singh Mahender , Singh Vishal , Azad Ramesh K. , Mohindroo Narender K.
Published: January 2022

Kimura's disease (KD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the lymph node which is very rare in the Indian population. A 34-year-old female presented with left postauricular region swelling for the past 3 years at an outpatient department. On histopathological examination, it was diagnosed as KD. It should be kept in mind when treating a patient with lymphadenopathy and eosinophilia or a high immunoglobulin E level. This unique case report highlights this impressive clinical entity.
Building a corporate governance index (JCGI) for an emerging market: case of Jordan
Authors: Nsour Maen F. , Al-Rjoub Samer A. M.
Published: January 2022

A comprehensive corporate governance index (JCGI, 0–100) is constructed to measure the quality of corporate governance practices of the universe of publicly traded Jordanian firms during 2018–2019. We survey all firms' corporate governance practices and manually collect governance data for listed corporations in Amman Stock Exchange to construct the first JCGI, which comprises five sub-indices and 60 elements.The results show that Jordanian companies did not progress in the corporate governance reform during the study period. The overall JCGI mean value is 67.80%. Sub-index results show that governance is weakest in both board procedure and disclosure, with a mean value of 57.36% and 52.43%, respectively. The board procedure subindex shows that most listed firms practice poor governance. Within the board structure sub-index, only 18% of the study sample has the policy to specify the board's professional qualifications and training requirements. Results of shareholders' rights show a rigid and nontransparent environment in the enterprises' control structure.
The Malabo Declaration and agenda 2063: making climate smart agriculture real with conservation agriculture in Africa.
Authors: Mkomwa Saidi , Kassam Amir , Bwalya Martin , Shula Reynolds K.
Published: January 2022

The African Union (AU) has provided the vision and even a hint of the future through Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, to be achieved, in part, through accelerated agricultural growth and transformation, leading to shared prosperity and improved livelihoods. The promulgation is contained in the Malabo Declaration of the AU Summit held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in June 2014. Attaining the ambitious commitments of ending hunger, doubling productivity, halving post-harvest losses and poverty, enhancing resilience in livelihoods and production systems to climate variability and other shocks, and reducing child stunting to 10% and numbers of underweight children to 5% by 2025 requires a definition of the strategies and the operative paradigms. The Declaration also calls for African agriculture to become climate smart. This chapter presents the strategic positioning of Conservation Agriculture (CA) in making climate smart agriculture (CSA) real in Africa and harnessing partnerships, informed by science and analyses of lessons from past interventions. We conclude that investing US$50 per household, in a capacity development programme in CA for 25 million households, has the potential to increase land productivity, produce food surpluses and transform livelihoods, thus attaining the Malabo Declaration targets. The investment in and adoption of CA-based CSA to that magnitude will not only move Africa's agriculture to a new level, where a significant proportion of agricultural land is managed with CA systems, but also supply competitively priced raw materials for transformative industrial and economic growth in Africa.
Assessing the application and practice of conservation agriculture in Malawi.
Authors: Bunderson W. Trent , Thierfelder Christian L. , Jere Zwide D. , Museka R. G. K.
Published: January 2022

The Conservation Agriculture (CA) system promoted by Total LandCare (TLC) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is based on 14 years of experience grounded on the principles of minimum soil disturbance, good soil cover and crop associations. The platform to promote CA in Malawi was to build a strong base of knowledge about best practices through an innovative non-linear research-extension approach. Long-term on-farm trials were conducted in multiple sites across Malawi to compare yields and labour inputs of CA with conventional ridge tillage on the same footing. Results showed the superiority of CA in terms of maize and legume yields with significant savings in labour and resilience to climate change. The results provided the basis to upscale CA although adoption was lower than expected. Key challenges included: (i) lack of exposure and training; (ii) conflicting extension messages; (iii) misconceptions about inputs and tools for CA; (iv) resistance to change unless CA is clearly seen to be a better practice; (v) fears about controlling weeds, pests and diseases under CA; and (vi) perceptions that increased termites and earthworms are harmful to soils and crops.
Research and technology development needs for scaling up conservation agriculture systems, practices and innovations in Africa.
Authors: Mureithi Joseph , Mkomwa Saidi , Kassam Amir , Macharia Ngari
Published: January 2022

Although the net agricultural production across all regions of Africa has experienced a significant increase, African agriculture has performed below its potential over recent decades. Many aspects have been fronted to curb this situation, including sustainable intensification of farming systems and value-chain transformation through Conservation Agriculture (CA) across Africa. Based on the latest update, Africa has about 2.7 million ha under CA, an increase of 458% over the past 10 years with 2008/09 as baseline. However, this constitutes a mere 1.5% of the global area under CA, and less than 1.4% of the total cropland area in Africa. A combination of modern techniques and the optimization of agroecological processes in CA systems and practices requires that agricultural research plays a bigger role in its evolution and focus in the different regions of Africa. This targeted research should crucially contribute towards making agriculture in Africa more productive, competitive, sustainable and inclusive in terms of its functionality towards the farmer, society and nature. Scientific solutions for agricultural transformation need to be pursued without losing sight of the potentials and fragility of Africa's agricultural environments, the complexity of its agricultural production systems and the continent's rich biodiversity. The agricultural research and development agenda in Africa must build on the rich traditional farming culture, knowledge and practices, supported by coherent longer-vision for investments in science for agricultural development. Most of these investments are expected to come from national public and private sources, with governments also expected to invest in generation of 'public goods' such as the national or global environmental benefits typical of CA, and to also catalyse innovation and support market growth. The absolute imperative is that farmers must shift from outdated conventional tillage-based methods to modern, well-tested and knowledge-based methods of land use. Making this transition will be difficult without the creation of an enabling environment. This chapter discusses the various roles and advances required in CA-based research that will support the adoption of CA systems by millions of smallholder farmers in Africa with a view to enhancing sustainable and effective agricultural development and economic growth.
Conservation agriculture for climate smart agriculture in smallholder farming systems in Kenya.
Authors: Micheni Alfred , Gicheru Patrick , Kitonyo Onesmus
Published: January 2022

Climate change is any significant change in climatic conditions. Such changes may negatively affect productivity of the rain-fed agriculture practised by over 75% of the smallholder Kenyan farmers. The effect leads to failure to sustainably provide adequate food and revenue to famers. It is on this basis that an almost 8-year field study was conducted to evaluate and scale climate resilient agricultural technological options associated with Conservation Agriculture (CA) systems and practices (no-till; maintenance of permanent soil cover; and crop diversification - rotations and associations), complemented with good agricultural strategies. The activities involved were targeted to sustainably increase productivity of maize-legumes farming systems while reducing environmental risks. The results showed improved soil properties (physical, chemical and health) and consequently increased crop yields and human nutrition by over 30%. Such benefits were attributed to cost savings arising from NT and reduced labour requirement for weed control. This was further based on enhanced crop soil moisture and nutrients availability and use efficiency leading to over 25% yield increase advantage. Apart from the field trials, the study used the Agricultural Production Simulator (APSIM) computer model to simulate CA scenario with the aim of providing potential quick answers to adopting CA practices for farm system productivity. The results were inclusively shared, leading to over 21% increase in the number of farmers adopting the CA practices within and beyond the project sites. The study's overall recommendation affirmed the need to integrate the CA practices into Kenyan farming systems for sustainable agricultural livelihoods and economic opportunities.
Evaluation of the technical capacity of artisans to fabricate the animal-powered direct seeder super-eco in Sénégal.
Authors: Diakhaté Demba , Sarr Ibrahima , Soares Júnior Dimas , Havard Michel , Ralisch Ricardo , Fall Alioune
Published: January 2022

This study focused on the ability of local Senegalese artisans to fabricate the animal-powered no-till (NT) direct seeder Super-Eco to reduce the expensive import of seeders. Technical specifications and design of the animal-powered direct seeder Super-Eco were first given to 90 heads of artisanal workshops in three regions of the Southern Peanut Basin for them to reproduce the machine. Detailed information on their workshop equipment was collected in advance. A principal component analysis (PCA) was then used to classify artisan workshops. The results showed that Class 3 was very well equipped and was able to fabricate the direct seeder. It was followed by Class 2 which was fairly well equipped, but was only able to develop 90% of the seeder parts. Because of a low level of equipment, the third class of artisans was only capable of fabricating very few pieces of the seeder. Artisans from Class 3 were able to fully construct the animal-powered direct seeder. However, it was noted that the other classes of artisans were able to reproduce some parts of the animal-powered direct seeder Super-Eco but they could not make the seeder box with its nested seed metering device due to their low level of equipment. They instead buy it from the Sahelian Industrial Company of Mechanics, Agricultural Materials and Representations or from traders. The need to evaluate the performance of the seeders developed by local artisans is also noted.
Dynamically controlled asymmetric transmission of linearly polarized waves in VO2-integrated Dirac semimetal metamaterials
Authors: Xu Man , Yin Xiaona , Huang Jingjing , Liu Meng , Zhang Huiyun , Zhang Yuping
Published: January 2022

We numerically demonstrated a novel chiral metamaterial to achieve broadband asymmetric transmission (AT) of linearly polarized electromagnetic waves in terahertz (THz) band. The proposed metamaterial unit cell exhibits no rotational symmetry with vanadium dioxide (VO2) inclusion embedded between Dirac semimetals (DSMs) pattern. The resonant frequency of AT can be dynamically tunable by varying the Fermi energy (E
F) of the DSMs. The insulator-to-metal phase transition of VO2 enables the amplitude of the AT to be dynamically tailored. The transmission coefficient |Tyx
| can be adjusted from 0.756 to nearly 0 by modifying the conductivity of VO2. Meanwhile, the AT parameter intensity of linearly polarized incidence can be actively controlled from 0.55 to almost 0, leading to a switch for AT. When VO2 is in its insulator state, the proposed device achieves broadband AT parameter greater than 0.5 from 1.21 THz to 1.80 THz with a bandwidth of 0.59 THz. When the incident wave propagates along the backward (–z) direction, the cross-polarized transmission | Tyx
| reaches a peak value 0.756 at 1.32 THz, whereas the value of | Txy
| well below 0.157 in the concerned frequency. On the other hand, the co-polarized transmission |Txx
| and |Tyy
| remained equal in the whole frequency range. This work provides a novel approach in developing broadband, tunable, as well as switchable AT electromagnetic devices.
Final design of the Fiber-Optic Current Sensor bundle in the ITER buildings
Authors: Danisi A. , Barbero Soto J.L. , Gomez A. , Gray D. , Zubiaga I. , Vayakis G. , Walsh M.
Published: January 2022

The Fiber-Optic Current Sensor (FOCS) will be used in ITER to measure the total plasma current using Faraday effect. Sensing spun fibers will be placed around the Vacuum Vessel (VV) on a poloidal loop in two different VV sectors. To link the loop fibers with the reading instruments, placed several tens of meters away in electrical cabinets, a fiber bundle link is needed. This fiber bundle would start from the tokamak building port-cell, cross several rooms and end in the ITER diagnostics building. The design of such bundle needs to fulfil the unique requirements of ITER buildings, some of them related to safety, such as non-propagation of smoke and fire, as well as maximum allowable leak rate, between two separate rooms. To this regard, the FOCS fiber bundle is classified as a Safety-Relevant (SR) component. To fulfil these requirements, and at the same time achieve a good design using as many Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) components as possible, the fiber bundle design entailed a complete qualification procedure, aimed at benchmarking the use of the selected components against the required constraints. This paper presents the final design and qualification of the FOCS fiber bundle, from the applicable requirements to the final technical solution, benchmarked through careful qualification tests. Being the first work addressing qualification of safety-relevant fiber bundles in ITER buildings, this work is also considered to be relevant for current and future diagnostics in ITER using similar components.
Characterization of vacuum HV microdischarges at HVPTF through X-ray bremsstrahlung spectroscopy
Authors: Kushoro M.H. , Croci G. , Mario I. , Muraro A. , Rigamonti D. , Cancelli S. , De Lorenzi A. , Fincato M. , Fontana C. , Gobbo R. , Grosso G. , Lotto L. , Mc Cormack O. , Putignano O. , Pino F. , Spada E. , Spagnolo S. , Tardocchi M. , Pilan N.
Published: January 2022

The development of MITICA, the prototype for a neutral beam injector for ITER, drives the interest in investigating high HV insulation in vacuum. The High Voltage Padova Test Facility (HVPTF) is an experimental device with the aim of studying the fundamental processes leading to discharges, offering a framework to develop new diagnostics, models, and mode of operations for MITICA. For this purpose, HVPTF features a vacuum chamber containing two electrodes which can achieve an HV difference up to 800 kV. X-ray bremsstrahlung radiation produced by free charges accelerated by the HV was proven to be a promising monitoring mechanism in the past; as such, two scintillating crystals, a LYSO and a LaBr3, coupled with fast electronics were used to conduct hard X-ray spectroscopy. This work describes a newly custom-developed software tool to analyze the spectroscopy from scintillators and integrate it with the HVPTF analog data. The tool was employed to study two experimental sessions, reaching promising results in the characterization of microdischarges, especially in terms of time resolution. Detection limits imposed by pile-up and other processes were identified and addressed, finding the best range of operation of the two scintillators. The performed study opens the way for the analysis of data obtained in all 2020 and 2021 experimental campaigns, thus giving the possibility to implement future improvements in HVPTF X-ray spectroscopy.
High sensitivity Thomson spectrometry: analysis of measurements in high power picosecond laser experiments
Authors: Scisciò M. , Consoli F. , Salvadori M. , Rosmej O. N. , Zähter S. , Di Giorgio G. , Andreoli P.L. , Cipriani M. , Cristofari G. , De Angelis R. , Günther M. M. , Gyrdymov M. , Tavana P.
Published: January 2022

Thomson spectrometers (TS) are designed to detect and distinguish protons from heavier ions in experiments of intense laser-matter interaction. The combination of electric and magnetic field allows for deflecting ion species with different mass-to-charge ratio on different trajectories. However, even small distortions of the internal fields of the device can lead to a degradation of the measurement quality. Hence, TS are sensitive to both high electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) and fields due to static charge accumulation caused by the interaction. Here we report on the analysis of data obtained with a TS designed to have high sensitivity and robustness with, optimized shielding against EMPs, even when the device is placed at short distances from the interaction point, where the electromagnetic radiation is more intense. To test this, the spectrometer was thus placed ∼50 cm far from the target during an experiment at the PHELIX laser at GSI (∼180 J energy, >1020 W/cm2 intensity, sub-picosecond laser pulses on solid targets). Despite the presence of strong EMPs (beyond 100 kV/m at 1 m distance from the target), the tests were successful and the TS was able to retrieve a good-quality signal. Indeed, the close proximity to the interaction point caused a significant number of electrons, produced by the intense laser-target interaction, entering the TS and causing internal electrostatic fields up to tens of kV/m. These induced fields altered the trajectories of the detected ions, making the interpretation and characterization of the particle species not straightforward. This effect was analyzed with ad-hoc particle tracking simulations. This study is of high importance for the effective implementation of this type of high-sensitivity TSs in experiments with PW-power lasers.
A safety factor of old trees Pterocarpus indicus Willd. in Bogor Botanic Gardens
Authors: Helmanto H , Damayanti F , Rachmadiyanto A N
Published: January 2022

Trees have a vital role in human life, including as a part of the urban forest area. The tree health assessment is an important activity to support tree safety and stability in an urban forest. Bogor Botanic Garden is the most extensive botanic garden in Indonesia, with a large collection. The study aims to determine the health condition of old trees (Pterocarpus indicusWilld.) in the Bogor Botanic Gardens and measure the safety factor’s magnitude. The method used was an evaluation generated based on a sound velocity from Arborsonic’s tool. The measurement of appearance parameters was carried out to complete the information in determining the biomechanical strength of the tree. Four large and old trees, about 170 years old, were chosen in this study. The results showed that decay to hollowness in the trunk varied from 4% to 58%. The biomechanical analysis calculates the safety factor and t/R ratio, revealing that one tree had moderate risk and others possessed low risk. Further investigation to ensure the tree condition should be carried in terms of risk mitigation of tree management.
Disaster mitigation-based land suitability for settlements using Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) method in The Northern Part of South Barito Regency
Authors: Kristini W , Widiatmaka  , Mulya S P
Published: January 2022

Settlements are indispensable to humans as a place of residence and for other activities. Moreover, there is an increase in land requirements for settlement construction due to the high population. The development of cities and settlements in the context of SDGs needs consideration to mitigate, adapt to climate change, and resist disasters. Therefore, this study aims to identify, analyze, and describe disaster mitigation-based land suitability and availability for settlements in the Northern Part of South Barito Regency. The method used was Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE), while the inclusion criteria are slope, soil type, rocks, drainage, soil texture, elevation, land use, and distance to the rivers. Each criterion was weighted using an AHP, while scoring and map overlaying were carried out using a GIS to determine the class of land suitability. The flood hazard map was used to obtain the area of free flooding. The results showed that actual land suitability for the most extensive settlements is in the S2 (Moderately Suitable) class. Meanwhile, the land that is used without flood hazards is approximately 18.9% of the Northern Part of South Barito Regency landmass. This analysis is used as consideration by policymakers to develop spatial planning in South Barito Regency.
Rice lines potentially as new varieties for acidic dry lands
Authors: Lestari A P , Hermanasari R , Yullianida  , Hairmansis A
Published: January 2022

Dry land has great potential to support programs to increase national rice production by increasing the planted area. The aim of the study was to evaluate the yield of upland rice lines to obtain several lines of upland rice which had high yield and had the potential to be released as new varieties for acid dry land. The experiment was carried out in Lampung on DS 2020. A total of 60 advanced upland rice lines and comparison varieties were used as material for this experiment. The variables observed were plant height, number of productive tillers, age of flowering plants (50%), harvestable age (80% yellowing of rice), number of filled and empty grains per panicle, weight of 1000 filled grains, yield. milled dry grain and its resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. From the preliminary yield test, ten lines showed comparable yields above the best comparison variety Inpago 12. The lines were B14986E-MR-26 (6.78 t/ha), B15151E-MR-23 (6.39 t/ha), B15151E-MR-21 (6.61 t/ha), B15151E-MR-18 (5.95 t/ha), B15340 -2B-TB-23 (5.87 t/ha), B15154E-MR-2 (6.33 t/ha), B15151E-MR-1 (5.78 t/ha), B13017B-RS*1-2-6-PN-11-2-1 (5.94 t/ha) and B15511D-KR-31 (6.32 t/ha). Those lines have long (L), medium (M) and medium chalkiness (M) sizes. The rice texture is between medium and soft.
An Analysis of Coal Post-Mining Land for Agricultivation Uses (A Case Study on PT ABK in Kutai Kartanegara District, East Kalimantan Province)
Authors: Ansahar  , Sitorus S R P , Hardjomidjojo H , Putri E I K
Published: January 2022

The characteristics of coal surface mining activity are vulnerable to environmental degradation due to soil excavation, although only causing a lower risk in worker’s incidence and economically beneficial as requiring a lower cost than the underground mining method. This study aimed to analyze the types of post-mining land use worth developing for the local community’s livelihood around the post-mining land on the concession of PT Anugerah Bara Kaltim (ABK) in Kutai Kertanegara District, Kalimantan Timur Province. The method used was a cost-benefit analysis (CBA). The analysis results indicate that the pepper plant cultivation on the post-mining land within six years produces Net Present Value (NPV) at Rp 49,484,637.00, Benefit/Cost (B/C) Ratio at 1.347, Net B/C Ratio at 2.56, and Internal Rate Return (IRR) at 39.20%. Meanwhile, rice plant cultivation stimulated within six years produces NPV at Rp 8,653,754.00, B/C Ratio at 1.035, Net B/C ratio at 1.3871, IRR at 8,50%. The economic analysis results based on all indicators: NPV, B/C, net B/C, and IRR, demonstrate that the pepper and rice plant cultivation activities are feasible in the coal post-mining land.
Distribution of heavy metals (Ag, Hg, Cd) concentration and the pollution status in the western part of Segara Anakan Lagoon, Indonesia
Authors: Pangastuti K , Effendi H , Sulistiono  , Prayoga G
Published: January 2022

Segara Anakan lagoon has continuously gained pressures as a result of human activities. Unsustainable land use and forest destruction in the upper river areas have brought about erosion bringing also heavy metals into the lagoon. This study investigated the distribution of heavy metals (Ag, Hg, and Cd) concentration and determined the pollution status in the western part of Segara Anakan Lagoon, Cilacap, Central Java, Indonesia. The study was conducted for six months, from June to November 2016, with a sampling interval of once a month. The study was located in six stations spread over from the rivers to the estuary area. The distribution of Ag content tended to be stable at every station (except in August). Low Ag content was found in June, July, September, and October, while the highest was in November. The higher Ag content was found in the estuary area. The distribution of Hg varied and mostly increased toward the estuary area. Low Hg content was found in November, while the highest was in October. The distribution of Cd tended to be stable at every station (except in July). Low Cd content was found in June, while the highest was found in August-October. A higher concentration of Cd was obtained in the channel area up to the confluence area of several rivers. According to the pollution index, the western part of Segara Anakan Lagoon was moderately polluted.
Impact of Increasing Input and Output Prices on Chili Production and Farmer Income in Banten Province
Authors: Siagian V , Siregar H , Fariyanti A , Nainggolan K , Hidayah I
Published: January 2022

In 2019, chili production in Banten province amounted to 12,122.9 tons with a harvest area of 1,395 ha or productivity of 8.7 tons/ha. The objectives of this study are: 1) Analyzing the factors affecting the cultivated land area and chili production in Banten Province, 2) Analyzing the impact of increasing input and output prices on chili production in Banten Province. This study method used a survey method with 80 respondents. The analysis method uses the Simultaneous Equation Model. The results of the study were 1) The factors that significantly influence the cultivated land area of Rainy Season (RS) 2015/2016 were the number of: manure, solid organic fertilizers, other fertilizers, solid leaf fertilizers, and the total land area. The factors that significantly influence chili production in Banten Province are the number of: KCL fertilizer, liquid leaf fertilizer, and liquid growth stimulant. 2) From the policy simulation results, it is known that an increase in chili prices by 25%, Urea fertilizer by 25%, and NPK by 25% simultaneously will reduce production by 2.8% and chili farming income by 16.2%, but increase the area land 5.8% and farmer household income 0.06%. The government needs to stabilize the chili price and maintain the subsidized fertilizer price.
Increase in the Number of Active Smokers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia
Authors: Munandar Y
Published: January 2022

Tobacco doesn’t just negatively impact the health of individuals, it also endangers the health of the environment. Therefore, efforts to reduce the consumption of tobacco cigarettes must continue to be strengthened. This study tries to find out after the Covid-19 pandemic spread in Indonesia, has the number of Active Smokers decreased or increased? The purpose of this study is to explain the increase or decrease in the number of Active Smokers after the Covid-19 pandemic spread in Indonesia. This study used the descriptive qualitative method. The data used are Susenas March 2019 data and Susenas March 2020 data. This study concludes that after the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia, namely in March 2020, the number of Active Smokers increased by 0.28% or 162,656 people. The increase in the number of Active Smokers consisted of an increase in the number of Light Smokers by 0.62% or 147,380 people, an increase in the number of Medium Smokers by 1.50% or 434,937 people, and a decrease in the number of Heavy Smokers by -9.67% or -419,661 people. This study recommends that all stakeholders take the momentum of the Covid-19 pandemic to strengthen efforts to reduce the number of Active Smokers and/or reduce cigarette consumption in Indonesia.
Methodologies for mapping abandoned wetland in tropical region
Authors: Karolinoerita V , Sulaeman Y , Widyatmanti W , Cahyana D , Anwar K , Noor M
Published: January 2022

Wetland development for food crops relies upon the good management related to the condition of canals, ditches, and water-gate, which determine the crop productivity and prosperity. Abandoned wetlands will created shrubs and bush. Revitalizing abandoned land means rebuilding infrastructure and re-clear wetland and requires valid spatial data to provide its proper planning. This study proposes a method to map abandoned wetland to gain sufficient information in supporting inventory and revitalization program in various scale. The methods include (1) dataset preparation by collecting historical satellite imageries, historical land use map, the boundary of previous wetland usages; (2) preliminary map preparation covering digital image processing, satellite image interpretation, overlying analyses of previous maps with infrastructure map, base, and land tenure map; (3) ground sampling survey to evaluate preliminary map and collecting biophysical and socio-economic data; (4) validation using accuracy test and statistical analysis; and (5) geo-visualization and tabulation for improving preliminary map and calculating abandoned map distribution. The activity will produce the vegetation indices and landuse map by various methods and will be analysed using statistical analysis after ground sampling survey. The result showed that map of biophysical and socio-economic characteristic were prominent to provide basic spatial data for abandoned wetland revitalization
Quality control and safety of broiler chickens slaughter products amid hypotrophy
Authors: Dzhambulatova K D , Taiguzin R Sh , Torshkov A A , Zabolotnykh M V
Published: January 2022

The article studies the effect of different probiotics on the concentration of heavy metals in the muscle tissue of broiler chickens amid hypotrophy and their correction with probiotics. The experiment was conducted on broiler chickens of Smena 7 cross at ZAO “Orenburg Broiler” of the Orenburg region. The feeding and maintenance of broiler chickens were the same. The feeding ration comprised complete compound feed. The difference was as follows: hypotrophic experimental groups additionally included probiotics Vetom 1.1 at a dose of 6 g/kg feed and Lactobifadol at a dose of 1.2 g/kg feed in the main diet starting from one day of age to 42 days of age. The results obtained enable to determine that the probiotics used have a significant effect on the chemical parameters of broiler chicken meat particularly amid hypotrophy. It has been established that probiotics reduce the concentration of toxic elements in muscle tissue. It has also been proven that these probiotics do not significantly affect the content of heavy metals in the muscle tissue of broiler chickens.
Organic dairy products made from organic raw materials
Authors: Ivkova I A , Zubareva E A , Dovgan N B , Yu Nadtochiy A
Published: January 2022

Healthy food will always be relevant, especially, when technologies are replacing the natural raw materials with synthetic analogues, increasing production volumes and significantly extending its shelf life. These products will certainly solve the problem of lack of food resources, but will not make up for the healthier of natural products. Therefore, food technologies should also develop along the path of obtaining natural and environmentally good products with the health formula, in the context of advanced production achievements and growing needs. In this article we described the technologies of production of organic dairy products by the method of sublimation of specialized purpose with functional properties for sports and general nutrition are considered. The presented dairy products are composed of essential fatty acids, vitamins, bifidobacteria, a balanced fatty and amino acid composition; and these products have a long shelf life. As a result of the product examinations of the developed technologies in the conditions of the dairy enterprise, as well as the results of comprehensive studies of the quality and safety of products, we had concluded that these products can be included in the diets of people who are in conditions of high mental and physical stress, as well as for the prevention of many diseases.
Experimental study of highly alkaline motor oils in express diagnostics by drop test method
Authors: Myalo O V , Myalo V V , Demchuk E V
Published: January 2022

In order to maintain the reliability and durability of the internal combustion engine during the operation of machines, systematic and operational monitoring of the state and level of technical fluids is necessary, where the most informative indicator is the change in the state of motor oils. The drop test method has been used for express diagnostics of motor oil for many years. Grades of oils with high base number, which are mainly used for high-speed internal combustion engines when diagnosing the state of these oils using the drop test on the surface of the filter used for analysis (Blue Tape filter paper), do not form zones in the form of rings, the change in diameter of which allows evaluating the operational properties of the operating motor oil. The study established that when analyzing the preservation of the properties of strongly alkaline motor oils (assessment of the contamination coefficient, dispersing properties), a spot of dirty oil is formed on the chromotogram of filter paper thus showing the filter structure. Theoretical studies revealed that the segregation into zones during the analysis of motor oils with strongly base number does not occur due to the action of electrical forces leading to the repulsion of contaminant particles. Electrical forces arise due to changes in molecules and alkali when a drop of oil flows through the surface of the filter, this interaction continues, and therefore, to analyze strongly alkaline motor oils, the base number must be neutralized, and a correction factor for the neutralizer must be introduced. The paper presents the results of experimental studies to determine the effective neutralizer of the alkalinity of a working motor oil in the process of diagnosing oil by the drop test, which made it possible to obtain concentric zones on the surface of filter paper to calculate the dispersing ability and other estimated oil indicators.
Development of a Russian pendant seeder-spreader for a multicopter in the conditions of import substitution
Authors: Olenin O A , Zudilin S N , Tsarkov A V
Published: January 2022

The purpose of the study was the laboratory testing of the pendant seeder-spreader “G-1” (production of China) as part of the universal unmanned aircraft system “OSA HEXA” based on UAV “OSA” (the developer and producer was Bozon LLC, Moscow). The tests were carried out on December 18-19, 2018 in a closed hangar with a total area of 9500 m2 and a height of 15 m, in accordance with the “Program and Test Methodology for Spreading Device Based on the UAV ”OSA””, developed by the AgroEcology laboratory in collaboration with Bozon LLC. In the testing process numerous design weaknesses of the seeder-spreader were identified, based on which it was concluded that the pendant agricultural equipment was unsuitable for fieldwork in the conditions of Russia. The R&D department of Boson LLC was recommended to carry out a deep modernization of the seeder-spreader in order to eliminate the identified design weaknesses. The results obtained are recorded in the following documents: “Act No.1 of testing the spreading device based on UAV “OSA”” and “Protocol No. 1 of laboratory testing of pendant equipment of UAS ”OSA“”. Bozon LLC took into account the identified design weaknesses and recommendations and developed and mastered in 2019 the production of the seeder-spreader “S-Γ, which could be installed on the hexacopter “OSA HEXA”, designed for automatic sowing of small seeds or spreading solids on arable fields, forest land and fishery basins.
Effect of resource-saving systems of basic tillage on the efficiency of crop rotation link and dynamics of organic matter in ordinary black soil
Authors: Polous V S , Osaulenko S N , Prokopova L O , Stepanov S P , Belyy A I
Published: January 2022

In recent years, periodic droughts in various regions set limits to the production of field crops, negatively affect the economy of land users and the condition of soil. In this regard, the relevance of research on the development of options for energy-saving technologies that contribute to the preservation of productive moisture, yield of field crops and the return on production costs and maintaining soil fertility is increasing. The research on this issue had been carried out in the central zone of the Krasnodar Territory in 2013-2018. The researchers studied the effect of 22-24cm plowing (the control); surface 6-8 cm and zero direct sowing technology for oil flax, winter wheat, stubble sowing without irrigation and sowing peas, as well as their combined effect on the economic efficiency of production and the dynamics of organic matter in ordinary black soil. It was found that the cultivation of 4 crops for 3 agricultural years for basic surface tillage exceeded the control for the conditional net income and the formation of organic matter - humus over its consumption. The technology of direct sowing of crops provides a conditional net profit and dominates over moldboard plowing and even surface tillage in terms of the accumulation of organic matter in the soil. The studied combination of crops, with different biological characteristics, and energy-saving technologies for their cultivation allows maintaining profitable agricultural production and soil organic matter in the present period and in the future.
Current engineering support of corn cultivation
Authors: Kondratieva O V , Fedorov A D , Slinko O V , Voytyuk V A
Published: January 2022

The paper deals with the issues of corn production and agricultural machinery used for this. It is noted that the ridge technology has the best environmental properties among the corn cultivation processes. The paper provides information about the main agro-engineering requirements when using this technology, its advantages and machines used for soil cultivation and sowing corn seeds. Particular attention is paid to the technological issues of harvesting corn for grain and engineering support of production processes, such as use of both dedicated corn harvesters and combine harvesters fitted with the necessary equipment including special corn attachments and reapers. Depending on the availability of technical equipment in agricultural enterprises, the ripeness and moisture content of the grain and other factors, a certain corn harvesting process is selected to obtain peeled cobs, unpeeled cobs or a grain and corncob mixture. The use of dedicated corn harvesters ensures obtaining peeled cobs. Harvesting when obtaining unpeeled cobs allows reducing grain losses, as well as labor and cost, and increasing the amount of corn leaf and stalk mass harvested. Both domestic harvesters and reapers, and those produced by foreign companies are used. This takes into account the manufacturability of the equipment, the possibility of maintenance, and economic factors.
Value of grain-growing sector within agro-industrial production: Structural changes and development trends
Authors: Shirokov S N , Trushkina I R
Published: January 2022

During the 20th and first quarter of the 21st century, there have been not only significant quantitative, but also structural changes in grain production close to some central applications of grain: food consumption, fodder consumption, industrial consumption, provision of seed production, foreign trade. Strategic planning of grain production in the country depends on many factors, including changes in grain production and processing technologies, widespread and accelerated integration of selective breeding results, multifactorial modeling of animal diets. The volume of consumption and the structure of cereals in the total volume of production is impacted by such processes as population growth, urbanization and changes in dietary preferences of modern people. One of the most important tasks in the development of the farming industry is to assess some possible prospects for the development of grain growing, with due account for new priorities to come up in the use of the entire biodiversity of cereals. Benchmark analysis of the ratio between the volumes of production, consumption and export-import of grain, rationale for the optimal characteristics of the grain-growing sector of the national economy, as an essential element of strategic potential, represent one of the fundamental interdisciplinary challenges facing modern science.
An assessment of groundwater quality for drinking and agricultural purposes in Ca Mau peninsula, Vietnamese Mekong Delta
Authors: Ha Quang Khai , Le Thi Mai Van , Vo Phu Le , Nguyen Hong Quan , Mukherjee Abhijit
Published: January 2022

Groundwater serves as the major source for drinking water and the only fresh water source in the dry season in Ca Mau province, the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. The study is performed to assess groundwater quality in the area. Groundwater Quality Index (GWQI), magnesium hazard (MH), sodium percentage (Na%), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), permeability index (PI) combined with geostatistical tools were conducted by using groundwater quality data from 400 samples collected from private wells. GWQI values suggest that 7%, 63%, 28%, 2%, 1% of total samples are classified into excellent, good, poor, very poor and unsuitable for drinking water. High Cl and TDS are the main cause of high GWQI values suggesting that saltwater intrusion deteriorates groundwater quality. For irrigation purposes, 4%, 17%, 36%, 43% of total samples classify into Good, Permissible, Doubtful, Unsuitable respectively by Na% indicator; 55.0%, 30.9%, 11.9%, 2.2% of total samples is Excellent, Good, Doubtful and Unsuitable according to SAR, 54% samples are unsuitable by MH index, and all samples are good by PI. This study provides useful information on groundwater quality for various purposes in Ca Mau province, that could help water management and water users to identify the necessary approach for groundwater protection and water-treatment methods before utilising the groundwater source for specific purposes in the study area.