Sustainability Assessment of Banana (Musa spp.) Yield Gap Reduction through Value Chain Development Interventions in Smallholder Farming Systems in Manicaland, Zimbabwe

This study evaluated the effectiveness of donor supported agricultural value chain development projects in sustainably narrowing yield gaps for banana smallholder farmer producers in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The study used a mixed methods research design that relied on farmers records for the quantitative analysis and focus group discussion and in-depth interviews for key experts for the qualitative aspects. A mix of regression analysis, t-tests, Pearsons’s correlation and analysis of variance statistical methods were used for the quantitative analysis while thematic response analysis was used for the qualitative engagements. The findings showed that by the end of the activity, the project had successfully narrowed the banana yield gaps to 18.66 tons per hectare working with a potential yield base of 40 tons. However, 5 years after the project closure the yield gap had fallen to 24.7 tons indicating a lack of sustainability of yield gap reduction. However, the yield gap slump does not override the fact that farmers on average were still able to sell approximately 5 tons per every 6 months after 5 years from the project closure which is beyond any poverty threshold. This suggests genuine upward economic mobility. Additionally, in analyzing what factors had the greatest influence on yield gap reduction, the access to fertilizer ranked highest where genetics, irrigation and improved agronomy followed in that respective order. The study further showed that farmers who receive value chain development support whilst at an already commercialized state tend to maintain productivity thresholds higher in comparison to those who are at a pre commercial state. This is evidenced by the fact that the pre commercial farmers had a yield reduction of 30.83 percent after 5 years of the project closure whereas the former realized a productivity growth of 7.84%. In conclusion, whilst the intervention was successful in transitioning farmers out of poverty, more investment should be made towards transitioning smallholder farmers to integrated soil fertility management practices and improvement of agronomic efficiency through stronger on field collaboration between research institutions, the government and development institutions.

Assessment of Ecosystem Services Value in Hotan Oasis, Xingjiang

[Objective] The study aimed to assess the ecosystem services value in Hotan Oasis, Xingjiang. [Method] The visual interpretation method was adopted to process TM/ETM＋ images based on field investigation in Hotan Oasis. These inter- pretation data, along with two periods of land use data, were reclassified to farm- land, forest, grassland and so on. Then, the ecosystem services value was calculat- ed and analyzed. [Result] Analysis indicated that the ecosystem services value had been increased by 30.44x108 Yuan （16.51%） in the study area during 1980-2010, which can be explained by the increase of glacier and snowfield distributed in the south mountain with the increase of annual precipitation. At the same time, the con- tribution rate of grassland to ecosystem services value had been decreased as a result of degradation of grassland and occupation from farmland. For the whole basin, the increase of ecosystem services value came from the upper reaches, while the ecosystem services value had been reduced in the middle and lower reaches. In the middle reaches, the reduction came mainly from wetland （-1.83x10s Yuan）, waters （-1.68x10s Yuan）, forest （-0.86x108 Yuan） and grassland （-0.80x108 Yuan）. But in the lower reaches, the ecosystem services values of waters, grassland and forest were -0.61 x108 Yuan, -0.24x108 Yuan, and -0.07x10s Yuan, respectively. [Conclusion] If some effective policies, such as the implementation of returning farm- land to forest and ceasing from farming to grazing, would be taken, the ecosystem degradation can be constrained and reversed in the northwest arid region.

Assessment of Direct Eco-value of Liangzi Lake

[Obective] This study amied to evaluate the direct usage value of Liangzi Lake, like plants and animal resources and water storage value. [Method] It was measured through the market value method. The physical environment was introduced and the productivity of the lake was investigated both through the literature materials and the investigations. The market value method was clarified in this paper as well as its operation process and the application fields. [Result] Based on the introduction of the current situation in Liangzi Lake, the direct usage value was estimated as 1.32 billion Yuan/year. Plant resources value was 318 million Yuan/year; animal resources value was 675 million Yuan/year; and water storage value was 325 million Yuan/year for the three parts. [Conclusion] This paper will attract more attention to the emphasis of the reasonable development of nature sources.

Correction of Corporation Value Assessment Model Based on Corporate Social Responsibility

The performance of corporate social responsibility is conducive to the con- tinuous improvement of their profitability, and promotes the upgrading of corporation value. However, it is difficult to confirm, calculate and check the costs and benefits brought by the implementation of corporate social responsibility under the current ac- counting theory system, so it is difficult to estimate whether the fulfillment of corpo- rate social responsibility has any effects on the corporation value assessment. Therefore, based on corporate social responsibility, the correction mode of corpora- tion value assessment is put forward.

基于Valued ERGMs模型的核心技术网络成长机制研究——以量子计算领域为例

对核心技术网络及其成长机制的研究有助于梳理核心技术之间的依赖和促进关系,为研究核心技术演化提供新的理论视角和方法。以技术演化相关理论为基础,归纳核心技术网络成长的影响因素,基于量子计算领域专利数据,识别以技术概念和技术关系为基础的量子计算领域核心技术网络,并基于Valued ERGMs模型构建核心技术网络成长机制模型。结果表明,技术要素中心性、专利技术研发能力、与TRIZ进化法则匹配程度以及技术要素同配性对核心技术网络成长具有正向促进作用;在技术路径方面,核心技术网络成长受到技术要素路径依赖性和技术突破的双重影响。最后,根据量子计算领域核心技术网络成长机制的实证研究结果,从技术研发层面、企业层面、政府层面为相关领域技术发展提出策略建议。

弹性退休制度下谁更愿意延迟退休?——基于Option Value模型的微观模拟

人口老龄化背景下延迟退休年龄、建立弹性退休制度是大势所趋。养老金激励是弹性退休制度的重要内容。建立期权价值模型和养老金给付及奖惩因子模型,基于中国家庭收入调查项目(CHIP2018)的数据,对不同特征人群的养老金峰值、期权价值、内部报酬率进行模拟。研究发现:养老金总财富随退休年龄“先增后减”,男性的峰值年龄早于女性;引入养老金“奖惩”机制有助于提高最优退休年龄,激励劳动者延迟退休;考虑闲暇偏好的异质性,男性参保者更倾向于早退休,而女性参保者特别是女性较高收入群体更愿意延迟退休;厌恶风险的参保者更有可能选择早退休。建议尽早建立弹性退休年龄政策体系,增加劳动者的选择权和制度灵活性;引入精算调节因子构建养老金奖惩机制,完善养老保险待遇计发办法。

Assessments on Ecological Sensitivity and Ecosystem Service Value in Karst Area Based on GIS——Taking Bijie Prefecture in Guizhou for Example

Assessments on ecological sensitivity and ecosystem service value are two important basic works in eco-functional regionalization. According to the special ecological environment in Guizhou Province,GIS technology was used in the classification evaluations of soil erosion sensitivity,acid rain sensitivity and rocky desertification sensitivity in Bijie Prefecture,and then the comprehensive evaluation on eco-environmental sensitivity was carried out. Finally,the preliminary economic estimation of ecosystem service value in Bijie Prefecture was made by means of the appraisal approach for ecosystem service proposed by Costanza.

ASSESSMENT ON THE COMMONWEAL VALUES OF WETLANDS

Assessment on wetland values is being payed more and more attention by researchers, administrators and public. This question is related to human’s sustainable development in biosphere. This article analyses the commonweal values of wetlands and establishes an index system by Analytical Hierarchy Process, then assigns quantitatively the system through calculating matrix eigenvalue and characteristic vector, at last, sets up an integral way of commonweal value assessment .This paper takes Zhalong Wetland and Xianghai Wetland as study cases , the assessment results show that the both wetlands belong to the first grade importance protective wetland, which validates the method’s practicability , scientific nature and rationality.

Research on Value Assessment-Based Accurate Identification of Government and Corporate Customers of Telecom Operators

Aiming at discovering target customers,this article establishes the value assessment system for government& corporate customers according to the level,stability and accessibility of customer value.With 137 customers as samples,it builds the government & corporate customer value assessment system through analytic hierarchy process(AHP) and identifies target government &corpora te customers by indicator optimization,model fitting and cluster analysis.All these achievements help accurate identification of high-value government and corporate customers and optimization of resource allocation for customer service.

Value Assessment of Ecosystem Service Function of Ecological Public Welfare Forests in Wenchang City

Based on the measurement parameters and index in the Specifications for Assessment of Forest Ecosystem Services in China(LY/T 1721-2008),the value of ecological service functions of ecological public welfare forest in Wenchang City was evaluated and analyzed.The results show that the total value of ecosystem service function of ecological public welfare forests in Wenchang City is about 4.020 billion yuan,of which storage capacity,water purification,soil fixation,fertilizer(N,P and K fertilizer) conservation,carbon sequestration,oxygen release,forest nutrient accumulation,providing anion,absorbing SO_2,absorbing fluoride,absorbing NxO,absorbing soil heavy metals,dust retention,noise reduction,sterilization,forest protection,forest biodiversity protection,and forest recreation(ecological tourism) are about 1.510 billion,582.256 million,3.769 million,268.220 million,116.360 million,2.747 million,22.682 million,42.817 million,1.722 million,74,600,131,900,187.918 million,77.409 million,28.721 million,43.090 million,180.696 million,571.036 million,and 108.677 million yuan

Empirical Analysis of Forest Landscape Value Assessment:A Case Study of Huangshui Forest Park in Xining,Qinghai Province

Questionnaire survey and CVM were adopted to evaluate economic value of Huangshui Forest Park in Xining,Qinghai.Value of its forest landscapes was assessed,multiple linear regression was established to analyze correlation between factors related to willingness-to-pay(WTP).

Hazard Assessment of Co-seismic Landslides Based on Information Value Method:A Case in 2018 MW6.6 Hokkaido Earthquake,Japan

An MW6.6 earthquake occurred in eastern Hokkaido,Japan on September 6th,2018.Based on the pre-earthquake image from Google Earth and the post-earthquake image from high resolution(3 m)planet satellite,we manually interpret 9293 coseismic landslides and select 7 influencing factors of seismic landslide,such as elevation,slope,slope direction,road distance,flow distance,peak ground acceleration(PGA)and lithology.Then,9293 landslide points are randomly divided into training samples and validation samples with a proportion of 7:3.In detail,the training sample has 6505 landslide points and the validation sample has 2788 landslide points.The hazard risk assessment of seismic landslide is conducted by using the information value method and the study area is further divided into five risk grades,including very low risk area,low risk area,moderate risk area high risk area and very high risk area.The results show that there are 7576 landslides in high risk area and very high risk area,accounting for81.52%of the total landslide number,and the landslide area is 22.93 km^2,accounting for 74.35%of the total area.The hazard zoning is in high accordance with the actual situation.The evaluation results are tested by using the curve of cumulative percentage of hazardous area and cumulative percentage of landslides number.The results show that the success rate of the information value method is 78.50%and the prediction rate is 78.43%.The evaluation results are satisfactory,indicating that the hazard risk assessment results based on information value method may provide scientific reference for landslide hazard risk assessment as well as the disaster prevention and mitigation in the study area.

Assessment on Evaluating Parameters of Rice Core Collections Constructed by Genotypic Values and Molecular Marker Information

Eleven evaluating parameters for rice core collection were assessed based on genotypic values and molecular marke＇ information. Monte Carlo simulation combined with mixed linear model was used to eliminate the interference from environment in order to draw more reliable results. The coincidence rate of range （CR） was the optimal parameter. Mean Simpson index （MD）, mean Shannon-Weaver index of genetic diversity （M1） and mean polymorphism information content （MPIC） were important evaluating parameters. The variable rate of coefficient of variation （VR） could act as an important reference parameter for evaluating the variation degree of core collection. Percentage of polymorphic loci （p） could be used as a determination parameter for the size of core collection. Mean difference percentage （MD） was a determination parameter for the reliability judgment of core collection. The effective evaluating parameters for core collection selected in the research could be used as criteria for sampling percentage in different plant germplasm populations.

Assessment on the Eco-environment and the Land Use Based on the Ecosystem Service Value——A Case of Guangdong Province,China

Based on the previous research and the 1996 and 2008 land use change survey,land use type of Guangdong Province is divided into 10 types of farmland,garden plot,woodland,grassland,residential points and other construction sites,traffic and transmission land,land for water conservancy facilities,wetland,water area,and land hard to be utilized. Then,area change and annual changing rate of land use type in Guangdong Province are calculated by the analysis method of land use change. Based on this,ecosystem service value assessment method is used to discuss the variation of ecosystem service value in Guangdong Province. Result shows that ecosystem service value of land use shows a decreasing trend in Guangdong Province,having reduced from from 635 036 billion yuan in the year 1996 to 632 394 billion yuan in the year 2008. Ecosystem service value has reduced by 2 642 billion yuan,a reduction rate of only 0.416 1%. Farmland,woodland,grassland,wetland,land for water conservancy facilities,and unused land have all reduced. But garden plot,traffic and transmission land,water area,and residential point and other construction site have increased. The major characteristics of land use change the years 1996-2008 in Guangdong Province are the internal adjustment of agricultural structure and the increase of construction land. Land use change and adjustment direction are basically rational and the ecological environment is stable.

Value of a comprehensive geriatric assessment for predicting one-year outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation: results from the CGA-TAVI multicentre registry

Background In a three-month report from the CGA-TAVI registry, we found the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI) and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) to be of value for predicting short-term outcomes in elderly patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). In the present analysis, we examined the association of these tools with outcomes up to one year post-TAVI. Methods CGA-TAVI is an international, observational registry of geriatric patients undergoing TAVI. Patients were assessed using the MPI and SPPB. Efficacy of baseline values and any postoperative change for predicting outcome were established using logistic regression. Kaplan- Meier analysis was carried out for each comprehensive geriatric assessment tool, with survival stratified by risk category. Results One year after TAVI, 14.1% of patients deceased, while 17.4% met the combined endpoint of death and/or non-fatal stroke, and 37.7% the combined endpoint of death and/or hospitalisation and/or non-fatal stroke. A high-risk MPI score was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (aOR = 36.13, 95% CI: 2.77–470.78, P = 0.006) and death and/or non-fatal stroke (aOR = 10.10, 95% CI: 1.48–68.75, P = 0.018). No significant associations were found between a high-risk SPPB score and mortality or two main combined endpoints. In contrast to a worsening SPPB, an aggravating MPI score at three months post-TAVI was associated with an increased risk of death and/or non-fatal stoke at one year (aOR = 95.16, 95% CI: 3.41–2657.01). Conclusions The MPI showed value for predicting the likelihood of death and a combination of death and/or non-fatal stroke by one year after TAVI in elderly patients.

Hazard assessment of landslide disaster using information value method and analytical hierarchy process in highly tectonic Chamba region in bosom of Himalaya

The present study is focused on a comparative evaluation of landslide disaster using analytical hierarchy process and information value method for hazard assessment in highly tectonic Chamba region in bosom of Himalaya. During study, the information about the causative factors was generated and the landslide hazard zonation maps were delineated using Information Value Method(IV) and Analytical Hierarchy Process(AHP) using Arc GIS(ESRI). For this purpose, the study area was selected in a part of Ravi river catchment along one of the landslide prone Chamba to Bharmour road corridor of National Highway(NH^(-1)54 A) in Himachal Pradesh, India. A numeral landslide triggering geoenvironmental factors i.e. slope, aspect, relative relief, soil, curvature, land use and land cover(LULC), lithology, drainage density, and lineament density were selected for landslide hazard mapping based on landslide inventory. Landslide hazard zonation map was categorized namely "very high hazard, high hazard, medium hazard, low hazard, and very low hazard". The results from these two methods were validated using Area Under Curve(AUC) plots. It is found that hazard zonation map prepared using information value method and analytical hierarchy process methods possess the prediction rate of 78.87% and 75.42%, respectively. Hence, landslide hazardzonation map obtained using information value method is proposed to be more useful for the study area. These final hazard zonation maps can be used by various stakeholders like engineers and administrators for proper maintenance and smooth traffic flow between Chamba and Bharmour cities, which is the only route connecting these tourist places.

Predictive value of the unplanned extubation risk assessment scale in hospitalized patients with tubes

BACKGROUND Critical patients often had various types of tubes,unplanned extubation of any kind of tube may cause serious injury to the patient,but previous reports mainly focused on endotracheal intubation.The limitations or incorrect use of the unplanned extubation risk assessment tool may lead to improper identification of patients at a high risk of unplanned extubation and cause delay or nonimplementation of unplanned extubation prevention interventions.To effectively identify and manage the risk of unplanned extubation,a comprehensive and universal unplanned extubation risk assessment tool is needed.AIM To assess the predictive value of the Huaxi Unplanned Extubation Risk Assessment Scale in inpatients.METHODS This was a retrospective validation study.In this study,medical records were extracted between October 2020 and September 2021 from a tertiary comprehensive hospital in southwest China.For patients with tubes during hospitalization,the following information was extracted from the hospital information system:age,sex,admission mode,education,marital status,number of tubes,discharge mode,unplanned extubation occurrence,and the Huaxi Unplanned Extubation Risk Assessment Scale(HUERAS)score.Only inpatients were included,and those with indwelling needles were excluded.The best cut-off value and the area under the curve(AUC)of the Huaxi Unplanned Extubation Risk Assessment Scale were been identified.RESULTS A total of 76033 inpatients with indwelling tubes were included in this study,and 26 unplanned extubations occurred.The patients’HUERAS scores were between 11 and 30,with an average score of 17.25±3.73.The scores of patients with or without unplanned extubation were 22.85±3.28 and 17.25±3.73,respectively(P<0.001).The results of the correlation analysis showed that the correlation coefficients between each characteristic and the total score ranged from 0.183 to 0.843.The best cut-off value was 21,and there were 14135 patients with a high risk of unplanned extubation,accounting for 18.59%.The Cronbach’sα,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value of the Huaxi Unplanned Extubation Risk Assessment Scale were 0.815,84.62%,81.43%,0.16%,and 99.99%,respectively.The AUC of HUERAS was 0.851(95%CI:0.783-0.919,P<0.001).CONCLUSION The HUERAS has good reliability and predictive validity.It can effectively identify inpatients at a high risk of unplanned extubation and help clinical nurses carry out risk screening and management.

Assessment of self- and cross-absorbed SAF values for HDRK-man using GEANT4 code: internal photon and electron emitters

The ultimate need to account for the partial amount of energy deposited in target tissue/organ resulting from internal inhalation,ingestion,and injection intakes of radionuclides,defined by the Medical Internal Radiation Dosimetry committee as the specific absorbed fraction(SAF),has become obvious.In this study,we assessed the SAF values for self-and cross-absorption,which were calculated for a uniform distribution of monoenergetic photon and electron emitters with energies ranging from 15 keV to 3 MeV.The voxelized human phantom‘‘High-Definition Reference Korean-man’’(HDRK-man),which was implemented using the Monte Carlo simulation code GEANT4(version 10.1),was used for several combinations of target–source organs.The results were compared to those of the International Commission on Radiological Protection Reference(ICRP133)and Zubal phantoms.It was found that the SAF values of the three models have a similar trend.However,the SAF values for the HDRK-man phantom were higher than those of the other two models,with a relatively good agreement with those for the ICRP133 phantom(differences of 13.9±2.8 and 12.1±3.2 for photon and electron emitters,respectively).To analyze the differences in SAF values,we calculated the chord length distributions(CLDs)for selected target–source combinations.The parameters of organ mass(or volume)and CLDs,in addition to the adopted computational procedures,mainly cause such discrepancies.For realistic radionuclide emission spectra,an overall overestimation was observed when computing the S values for three radiopharmaceuticals studied(I-131,In-111,and Lu-177)and for liver–spleen intra-and inter-organ absorption when compared with published data.The new arrangement of S and SAF values is expected to add value for multidisciplinary research and clinical communities.

Tri-Intersectional Model of Leadership by Values:A Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making Open Technology Assessment System

Purpose-Nowadays successful organizations need to be masters at leadership by values to play in a constantly changing and transforming environment.But how can leaders and organizations effectively convene strategic and culture development based on values?This paper presents the Tri-Intersectional Model of Leadership by Values(TMLV)in which leaders and organizations can integrate a sustainable strategy,as well as a culture and value-based management system that simultaneously leverages human,financial,and social resources.With its three essential axes of values(economic-pragmatic,emotional-development,and ethical-social)at their intersection points,it allows leaders to focus on the strategy linkages:innovation-intersection between the economic-pragmatic values axis and the emotional-development values axis-allows them to develop sustainable innovations;survival-intersection between the economic-pragmatic values axis and the ethical-social values axis-enhances their organization’s survival;finally,sensibility-intersection between the economic-pragmatic values axis and the ethical-social values axis-makes them more humane and more socially-responsible.The application of the TMLV,using the Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making Open Technology Assessment System,can be a great inspiration for stimulating and working with values in organizations,as well as allowing leaders to develop a values-based,high-involvement,and performance-oriented culture.Methodology/Approach-This research considers empirical data analysis of the 37 case studies of the EU-InnovatE project(http//www.euinnovate.com)-a pioneering initiative to align innovation values to integrate the end user into the process of innovation and entrepreneurship related to a sustainable lifestyle and the green economy in Europe-using a fuzzy multiple-criteria decision making method and open technologies system,such as server-side PHP language,MariaDB Database,fork of MYSQL Database Management System,and JavaScript libraries to perform operation directly on the user’s browser.Findings-The application of the TMLV model,considering empirical analysis of the extracted values from the case studies,using the Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making Open Technology Assessment System,can be a great inspiration for stimulating and working with values in João organizations,as well as allowing leaders to develop suitable strategies and interventions for shaping a sustainable high-performance culture.Research implications-This research can be a starting point for further research to assess the effectiveness of the leadership model based on a decision-making open technology system in any given organization,as well as to invite researchers who have positive passion about working with values to participate in the improvement of this tool.Originality/value-The Tri-Intersectional Model of Leadership by Values using the Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making Open Technology Assessment System is presented as an evolution in leadership models that may be used to fuel innovation,survival,and a sensibility strategic focus that is necessary to optimize human and organizational performance and deliver effective solutions to the massive array of human,financial,and social problems we face today.

Assessment of Service Value of Ecosystem in Karst Ecological Control Areas

To investigate the characteristics of service value of the karst rocky desertification ecosystem,we take water conservation,soil conservation,carbon-fixation and oxygen-production,production of organic matter,and purification of atmospheric environment as function indicators,to conduct quantitative assessment and analysis of service function value of ecosystem in Bijie Yachi,Qingzhen Hongfenghu and Guanling-Zhenfeng Huajiang demonstration areas in Guizhou Province,using remote sensing and field monitoring data in 2006. The results show that the rate of contribution of water conservation,soil conservation,carbon-fixation and oxygen-production functions to regional service value is high ( 37. 05%,36. 68% and 23. 15%,respectively) ; the rate of contribution of production of organic matter and purification of atmospheric environment functions to regional service value is low ( 2. 80% and 0. 32%,respectively) . The ranking of landscape in terms of service value per unit area is as follows: forestland ( 23.353 9 million yuan) > shrub land ( 10.630 1 million yuan) > grassland ( 5.036 7 million yuan) > dry land ( 3.381 2 million yuan) > farmland ( 2.508 8 million yuan) . The ranking of demonstration areas in terms of service value per unit area is as follows: Yachi Demonstration Area ( 12.44 million yuan) > Hongfenghu Demonstration Area ( 5. 91 million yuan) > Huajiang Demonstration Area ( 4. 4 million yuan) . It is negatively correlated with rocky desertification incidence within the region. The results also indicate that in the process of restoring and reconstructing the ecological environment in rocky desertification areas,increasing the area of forest vegetation,promoting the conversion of dry land and farmland into forestland, shrub land and grassland,will contribute to enhancement in ecological service value.