Flexible Developing System for Modern Instrument Manufacturing

The modern instrument manufacturing has many features, such as high technologies, multiple varieties and small quantities. Aiming at those features, an instrumentation flexible developing system （IFDS） is presented. It constitutes a kind of opening, compatible, extensible and upgradeable flexible developing system, and it will offer a kind of technology equipment for the research and development of new modern instrument products. Its flexible mechanism is able to be suited for different and special requirements of many instrument systems, and its system integrated mechanism is able to adapt to common technological features of most instrument systems. It is IFDS that makes it easy to accomplish a quick system integration of instrument products. IFDS solves key technological problems related to modern instruments development, develops multiple systems for modern instrument development and accomplishes rapid development of series of new products.

Nutrition impacts of non-solid cooking fuel adoption on under-five children in developing countries

This paper examines the nutrition impacts of using non-solid cooking fuel on under-five children in developing countries.We draw on data from more than 1.12 million children in 62 developing countries from the Demographic and Health Surveys(DHS).Results from both fixed effects(FE)and instrumental variable(IV)estimates show that using non-solid cooking fuel significantly improves the nutrition outcomes of under-five children.Compared with their peers from households mainly using solid fuel,children from households mainly using non-solid fuel exhibit a lower probability of experiencing stunting(by 5.9 percentage points)and being underweight(by 1.2 percentage points).Our further investigation provides evidence for several underlying mechanisms,such as improved indoor air quality,induced reduction in children’s respiratory symptoms,benefits on maternal health,and reduction in maternal time spent on fuel collection or cooking.Heterogenous analyses suggest that the nutrition benefits of using non-solid cooking fuel are more prominent among boys,children above three years old,and those from households of lower socioeconomic status,rural areas,and Southeast Asia.

Conventional Geothermal Systems and Unconventional Geothermal Developments: An Overview

This paper provides an overview of conventional geothermal systems and unconventional geothermal developments as a common reference is needed for discussions between energy professionals. Conventional geothermal systems have the heat, permeability and fluid, requiring only drilling down to °C, normal heat flow or decaying radiogenic granite as heat sources, and used in district heating. Medium-temperature (MT) 100°C - 190°C, and high-temperature (HT) 190°C - 374°C resources are mostly at plate boundaries, with volcanic intrusive heat source, used mostly for electricity generation. Single well capacities are °C - 500°C) and a range of depths (1 m to 20 Km), but lack permeability or fluid, thus requiring stimulations for heat extraction by conduction. HVAC is 1 - 2 m deep and shallow geothermal down to 500 m in wells, both capturing °C, with °C are either advanced by geothermal developers at <7 Km depth (Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), drilling below brittle-ductile transition zones and under geothermal fields), or by the Oil & Gas industry (Advanced Geothermal Systems, heat recovery from hydrocarbon wells or reservoirs, Superhot Rock Geothermal, and millimeter-wave drilling down to 20 Km). Their primary aim is electricity generation, relying on closed-loops, but EGS uses fractures for heat exchange with earthquake risks during fracking. Unconventional approaches could be everywhere, with shallow geothermal already functional. The deeper and hotter unconventional alternatives are still experimental, overcoming costs and technological challenges to become fully commercial. Meanwhile, the conventional geothermal resources remain the most proven opportunities for investments and development.

Environmental Impact Assessment System and Process in Developing Countries

Environmental impact assessment (EIA), a decision-making process for project appraisal and sustainability adopted globally as an administrative process to identify, predict, evaluate, and monitor projects from their feasibility, preconstruction, construction, and operation stages to mitigate the adverse impacts and enhance the beneficial impacts for the protection of the affected environment, The study objective is to explore global EIA systems and processes and find shortcomings and implications for making the best instrument or tool to protect the natural environment from man-made activities over the project cycle. For this, the relevant literature on the EIA system and process was reviewed and evaluated through the application of quantitative and qualitative approaches, including the assessment of legal instruments and the adoption of EIA methodologies in developing countries. EIA, initiated in the 1970s in the US and Australia, expanded to developing countries and was amended in East and Southeast Asia from the 1970s to the 2000s. The evaluation assessed that the South Asian countries follow UNEP and IAIA guidelines, utilizing national laws and expert consultations, with screening criteria and administrative processes based on established environmental legislation. Ad hoc, checklist, matrix, network, overlay, cost-benefit analysis, and predictive or simulation in EIA practice are used to assess the environmental impacts of development activities. Failure to recommend major projects undermines public trust and prevents mitigation measures from being implemented. Most developing countries have followed EIA to fulfill the legal requirement with shadow-off monitoring and follow-up rather than to upset, reduce, or compensate for the project impacts as per size, location, and severity of the project area. The research and guidelines outlined in the IAIA principles and process have synthesized the best EIA practices worldwide. Public participation, impact coverage, scientific mitigation, transparent evidence-based approaches, monitoring, follow-up, legitimate approaches, and future appraisal opportunities are major concerns to be included in best EIA practice.

Addressing inclusion,innovation,and sustainability challenges through the lens of economic geography:Introducing the hierarchical regional innovation system

The world is facing dramatic challenges related to environmental sustainability at an accelerating pace.In this context,the field of economic geography(EG)has been playing an important role in understanding both the socioeconomic and technological dimensions of these challenges,as it deals with a variety of complementary notions and perspectives.Departing from this lens,our aim is to explore a conceptual framework that can help us to understand environmental changes relating to multi-dimensional territorial development,notably in eco-nomic contexts where inequality is high,and stratification based on hierarchies regulate social and economic life.Based on the territory concept,we propose the original notion of a hierarchical regional innovation system(HRIS)that emphasises the pervasive role of hierarchies(powers)in regional innovation systems and illustrate its value with evidence and case studies from extant literature on sustainability transitions.The HRIS can help us understand and promote development paths considering the contribution of inclusive eco-innovations(another original conceptual amalgam).Through some empirical cases from other studies in low-carbon transitions,we show the application of the HRIS(and inclusive eco-innovation)framework.In conclusion,we provide incen-tives to explore new regional innovation systems,alongside the HRIS,adapted to different regions worldwide and centred on the inclusiveness of people and places.

Constructing a standard system of city sustainable development assessment technology based on the SDGs

Given the rapid development of China’s new urbanization,cities with different locations and varying functional positioning,resource endowments,and development stages have insufficient scientific and applicable technical tools for implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).City managers and policymakers must urgently establish SDG benchmarks to diagnose city development.Moreover,successful experiences from similar cities regarding sustainable development and self-improvement must be learned from to promote diversified,sustainable development across the country.Furthermore,emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence,the Internet of Things,big data and 5G are widely used in smart cities.Therefore,there is a growing need for“knowledge-based,personalized and intelligent”technologies to support monitoring,evaluation,and decision-making processes facilitating sustainable development in cities.This paper uses standardization as the theoretical support and technical basis.This approach can help clarify the sustainable development processes in China and clarify the evaluation results of and provide data on horizontal city comparisons,which can be used to develop evaluation technology for sustainable development in cities and construct a standardized system.The results provide a standard framework for intelligent assessment and decision-making regarding cities’sustainable development capabilities in China.Evaluating major international standardization institutions reveals that the practices of Chinese national standards should be fully absorbed and integrated to guide the evaluation of smart,resilient,and low-carbon cities.To this end,an indicator library of city sustainable development is proposed to provide standard evaluation technology methods.Finally,analyzing the response relationship of the indicator library to SDGs reveals the need for a standardized knowledge map of sustainable development assessment techniques and methods from the perspective of integrated management for sustainable development in cities.

Development of multi-functional anchorage support dynamic-static coupling performance test system and its application

In underground engineering with complex conditions,the bolt(cable)anchorage support system is in an environment where static and dynamic stresses coexist,under the action of geological conditions such as high stresses and strong disturbances and construction conditions such as the application of high prestress.It is essential to study the support components performance under dynamic-static coupling conditions.Based on this,a multi-functional anchorage support dynamic-static coupling performance test system(MAC system)is developed,which can achieve 7 types of testing functions,including single component performance,anchored net performance,anchored rock performance and so on.The bolt and cable mechanical tests are conducted by MAC system under different prestress levels.The results showed that compared to the non-prestress condition,the impact resistance performance of prestressed bolts(cables)is significantly reduced.In the prestress range of 50–160 k N,the maximum reduction rate of impact energy resisted by different types of bolts is 53.9%–61.5%compared to non-prestress condition.In the prestress range of 150–300 k N,the impact energy resisted by high-strength cable is reduced by76.8%–84.6%compared to non-prestress condition.The MAC system achieves dynamic-static coupling performance test,which provide an effective means for the design of anchorage support system.

Establishment of human cerebral organoid systems to model early neural development and assess the central neurotoxicity of environmental toxins

Human brain development is a complex process,and animal models often have significant limitations.To address this,researchers have developed pluripotent stem cell-derived three-dimensional structures,known as brain-like organoids,to more accurately model early human brain development and disease.To enable more consistent and intuitive reproduction of early brain development,in this study,we incorporated forebrain organoid culture technology into the traditional unguided method of brain organoid culture.This involved embedding organoids in matrigel for only 7 days during the rapid expansion phase of the neural epithelium and then removing them from the matrigel for further cultivation,resulting in a new type of human brain organoid system.This cerebral organoid system replicated the temporospatial characteristics of early human brain development,including neuroepithelium derivation,neural progenitor cell production and maintenance,neuron differentiation and migration,and cortical layer patterning and formation,providing more consistent and reproducible organoids for developmental modeling and toxicology testing.As a proof of concept,we applied the heavy metal cadmium to this newly improved organoid system to test whether it could be used to evaluate the neurotoxicity of environmental toxins.Brain organoids exposed to cadmium for 7 or 14 days manifested severe damage and abnormalities in their neurodevelopmental patterns,including bursts of cortical cell death and premature differentiation.Cadmium exposure caused progressive depletion of neural progenitor cells and loss of organoid integrity,accompanied by compensatory cell proliferation at ectopic locations.The convenience,flexibility,and controllability of this newly developed organoid platform make it a powerful and affordable alternative to animal models for use in neurodevelopmental,neurological,and neurotoxicological studies.

Physiological and pathological functions of circular RNAs in the nervous system

Circular RNAs(circRNAs)are a class of covalently closed single-stranded RNAs that are expressed during the development of specific cells and tissues.CircRNAs play crucial roles in physiological and pathological processes by sponging microRNAs,modulating gene transcription,controlling the activity of certain RNA-binding proteins,and producing functional peptides.A key focus of research at present is the functionality of circRNAs in the nervous system and several advances have emerged over the last 2 years.However,the precise role of circRNAs in the nervous system has yet to be comprehensively reviewed.In this review,we first summarize the recently described roles of circRNAs in brain development,maturity,and aging.Then,we focus on the involvement of circRNAs in various diseases of the central nervous system,such as brain cancer,chronic neurodegenerative diseases,acute injuries of the nervous system,and neuropathic pain.A better understanding of the functionality of circRNAs will help us to develop potential diagnostic,prognostic,and therapeutic strategies to treat diseases of the nervous system.

Carrying Capacity and Coupling Coordination of Water and Land Resources Systems in Arid and Semi-arid Areas: A Case Study of Yulin City, China

Quantitatively assessing the carrying capacity of water and land resources systems in arid and semi-arid areas is crucial for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.In this work,taking Yulin City in China as a case study and employing the Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation(CRITIC)method,a modified model of coupling degree was developed to evaluate the car-rying capacity of water and land resources systems endowment and utilization,as well as their coupling coordination degree from 2013 to 2020.Our findings indicate that the water and land resources of Yulin are diminishing due to declines in agriculture,higher industrial water use,and wetland shrinkage.However,reallocating domestic water for ecological sustainability and reducing sloping farmland can mitigate this trend of decline.Temporally,as the coupling coordination between water and land resources system endowment in Yulin continuously improved,the coupling coordination between water and land resources system utilization first decreased and then in-creased with 2016 as the turning point.Spatially,the carrying capacity of water and land resources systems,the coupling coordination degree between water and land resources system endowment,and the coupling coordination degree between water and land resources system utilization in Yulin exhibited the same pattern of being higher in the six northern counties than in the six southern counties.Improving the water resources endowment is vital for the highly efficient use of water and land resources.

Coupling and coordination relationship of tourism inclusive green growth system:Evidence from Shandong Province

Sustainable growth is a prerequisite for high-quality development,and inclusive green growth is regarded as an important way to realize sustainable growth.This paper constructs a tourism inclusive green growth index(IGGI)system based on the 2018 Asian Development Bank IGGI.Using Shandong Province from 2017 to 2019,the entropy weight method is utilized to explore the degree of coupling and coordination among the subsystems of tourism inclusive green growth.The study shows that:(1)the tourism IGGI continues to grow;(2)in the tourism inclusive green growth system,the social equity subsystem shows a trend of steady improvement;and(3)in the system,there is a slight discordance between the economic growth subsystem and the environmental sustainability subsystem.The study aims to provide the scientific basis for the high-quality development of tourism and theoretical support for the field of tourism and environmental sustainability.

Research on Developing an Assessment Scale for Tourism Experience Elements of Ancient Shu Road Heritage Trail

Cultural ancient roads,known in Chinese as gudao,serve as heritage trails that carry historical exchanges across various regions in China.Due to their extensive preservation,wide geographical distribution,diverse thematic variations,and considerable tourist appeal,these paths have emerged as representative heritage trails,increasingly transforming into a novel tourism product experience that is highly favored by tourists and recognized by government authorities.However,research on ancient roads for tourism in China currently lacks a systematic theoretical framework,as well as relevant policies,regulations,and standards to guide their practical development.Therefore,there is a pressing need to draw upon international best practices and conduct foundational research to develop an experience element system that aligns with the perceptions,behaviors,and consumption characteristics of Chinese tourists,thereby advancing theoretical exploration in this field.This study focuses on the representative Ancient Shu Road as a case study and employs a mixed-method approach that integrates qualitative and quantitative research.It aims to construct a tourist-centric scale for the experience elements of ancient road tourism while analyzing the interactive relationship between these experience elements and tourist needs.This study addresses a significant gap in the development of indicator systems for domestic studies of ancient road tourism experiences.Ultimately,the study establishes a comprehensive scale that encompasses three core categories—trail resources and environment,facilities and services,and modes of tourism activities—along with eight primary dimensions:core resources,surrounding cultural environment,surrounding natural environment,tourism reception facilities and services,infrastructure and support services,information facilities and information services,and outdoor and recreational activities.This scale consists of thirty-two specific items,providing a robust reference for future research endeavors.Additionally,the study proposes specific development strategies related to key mechanisms,spatial configuration,and facility construction to enhance the overall development of ancient road tourism.

Towards Lessening Learners’Aversive Emotions and Promoting Their Mental Health:Developing and Validating a Measurement of English Speaking Demotivation in the Chinese EFL Context

While a plethora of studies has been conducted to explore demotivation and its impact on mental health in second language(L2)education,scanty research focuses on demotivation in L2 speaking learning.Particularly,little research explores the measures to quantify L2 speaking demotivation.The present two-phase study attempts to develop and validate an English Speaking Demotivation Scale(ESDS).To this end,an independent sample of 207 Chinese tertiary learners of English as a Foreign Language(EFL)participated in the development phase,and another group of 188 Chinese EFL learners was recruited for the validation of the scale.Exploratory Factor Analysis(EFA)and Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)were employed to determine the factor structure of the scale.The EFA results revealed a six-factor solution with Teacher-related Factors in Learning Spoken English(TFLSE),Interest and Valence in Learning Spoken English(IVLSE),Self-efficacy in Learning Spoken English(SELSE),Negative Peer Influence in Learning Spoken English(NPILSE),Undesirable Environment for Learning Spoken English(UELSE),and Negative Influence of Assessment and Learning Materials in speaking class(NIALM).In the validation phase,Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA)was performed to validate the internal structure of the scale.The CFA results showed that the model fits the data well.Overall,the ESDS is a robust and trustworthy psychometric tool that could be utilized to examine L2 speaking demotivation.Implications for diminishing EFL learners’demotivation,lessening their aversive emotions and promoting their mental health are also discussed.

Systematizing Teacher Development:A Review of Foreign Language Teacher Learning

Foreign language teaching practice is developing rapidly,but research on foreign language teacher learning is currently relatively fragmented and unstructured.The book Foreign Language Teacher Learning,written by Professor Kang Yan from Capital Normal University,published in September 2022,makes a systematic introduction to foreign language teacher learning,which to some extent makes up for this shortcoming.Her book presents the lineage of foreign language teacher learning research at home and abroad,analyzes both theoretical and practical aspects,reviews the cuttingedge research results,and foresees the future development trend,painting a complete research picture for researchers in the field of foreign language teaching and teacher education as well as front-line teachers interested in foreign language teacher learning.This is an important inspiration for conducting foreign language teacher learning research in the future.And this paper makes a review of the book from aspects such as its content,major characteristics,contributions and limitations.

Challenges to establishing and maintaining kidney transplantation programs in developing countries:What are the coping strategies?

Kidney transplantation(KT)is the optimal form of renal replacement therapy for patients with end-stage renal diseases.However,this health service is not available to all patients,especially in developing countries.The deceased donor KT programs are mostly absent,and the living donor KT centers are scarce.Single-center studies presenting experiences from developing countries usually report a variety of challenges.This review addresses these challenges and the opposing strategies by reviewing the single-center experiences of developing countries.The financial challenges hamper the infrastructural and material availability,coverage of transplant costs,and qualification of medical personnel.The sociocultural challenges influence organ donation,equity of beneficence,and regular follow-up work.Low interests and motives for transplantation may result from high medicolegal responsibilities in KT practice,intense potential psychosocial burdens,complex qualification protocols,and low productivity or compensation for KT practice.Low medical literacy about KT advantages is prevalent among clinicians,patients,and the public.The inefficient organizational and regulatory oversight is translated into inefficient healthcare systems,absent national KT programs and registries,uncoordinated job descriptions and qualification protocols,uncoordinated on-site investigations with regulatory constraints,and the prevalence of commercial KT practices.These challenges resulted in noticeable differences between KT services in developed and developing countries.The coping strategies can be summarized in two main mechanisms:The first mechanism is maximizing the available resources by increasing the rates of living kidney donation,promoting the expertise of medical personnel,reducing material consumption,and supporting the establishment and maintenance of KT programs.The latter warrants the expansion of the public sector and the elimination of non-ethical KT practices.The second mechanism is recruiting external resources,including financial,experience,and training agreements.

Blastocystis hominis as a cause of chronic diarrhea in low-resource settings:A systematic review

BACKGROUND Blastocystis hominis(B.hominis),an anaerobic unicellular protist parasite,is known for its diverse clinical manifestations upon infecting the human gastrointestinal tract.Although globally distributed,it is particularly prevalent in developing nations.Examining the symptoms and treatment outcomes of B.hominis infection in low-resource settings holds immense significance,providing healthcare practi-tioners with valuable insights to enhance patient care.AIM To synthesize existing evidence on the symptomatology and treatment outcomes of B.hominis infection in low-resource settings.METHODS Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines,a systematic review was conducted.The search spanned electronic databases including PubMed,Scopus,and Google Scholar.After a comprehensive screening process,a thorough examination of the papers,adhering to inclusion and exclusion criteria,and data extraction from eligible studies was conducted.The findings underwent summarization through simple descriptive analysis.RESULTS The search yielded 1200 papers,with 17 meeting inclusion criteria.Chronic diarrhea due to B.hominis infection was reported in only two studies,while abdominal pain,diarrhea,flatulence,constipation,and nausea/vomiting emerged as the most commonly documented symptoms.Recovery rates after one week of treatment ranged from 71.8%to 100%,and after two weeks,from 60%to 100%.CONCLUSION In low-resource settings,chronic diarrhea resulting from B.hominis infection is infrequent.Common symptoms include abdominal pain,diarrhea,flatulence,constipation,and nausea/vomiting.Post-treatment,clinical outcomes are notably favorable,supporting the recommendation for treatment.Metronidazole is advocated as the first-line agent,with consideration for switching to a second-line option in cases of treatment failure or poor response.

Food Security in Developing Countries: Factors and Mitigation

Since 1976, eradicating hunger has become one of the priority objectives of the United Nations, which is included in the Charter of Human Rights;the right to get adequate food. The qualification of food security in time and space must analyze not only the three components it covers but also the relationships that these three components maintain. Climate change contributes to food insecurity, but it is not the only factor. To address food insecurity in various forms, greater food security must be combined with improved sustainable agricultural practices with minimal strain on the environment. This review of literature insists on the principles of food security, which in particular allows a better understanding of food insecurity in developing countries and favors a greater contribution of agriculture and food systems in general to nutritional progress.

World Industrial Revolutions and the Development of Artificial Intelligence System

The objective-scientific conclusions obtained from the researches conducted in various fields of science prove that era and worldview are in unity and are phenomena that determine one another,and era and worldview are the most important phenomena in the understanding of geniuses,historical events,including personalities who have left a mark on the history of politics,and every individual as a whole.And it is appropriate to briefly consider the problem in the context of human and personality factors.It is known that man has tried to understand natural phenomena since the beginning of time.Contact with the material world naturally affects his consciousness and even his subconscious as he solves problems that are important or useful for human life.During this understanding,the worldview changes and is formed.Thus,depending on the material and moral development of all spheres of life,the content and essence of the progress events,as the civilizations replaced each other in different periods,the event of periodization took place and became a system.If we take Europe,the people of the Ice Age of 300,000 years ago,who engaged in hunting to solve their hunger needs,in other words,the age of dinosaurs,have spread to many parts of the world from Africa,where they lived in order to survive and meet more of their daily needs.The extensive integration of agricultural Ice Age People into the Earth included farming,fishing,animal husbandry,hunting,as well as handicrafts,etc.,and has led to the revolutionary development of the fields.As economic activities led these first inhabitants of the planet from caves to less comfortable shelters,then to good houses,then to palaces,labor activities in various occupations,including crafts,developed rapidly.Thus,the fads of the era who differed from the crowd(later this class will be called personalities,geniuses...-Kh.G.)began to appear.If we approach the issue from the point of view of history,we witness that the world view determines the development in different periods.This idea can be expressed in such a way that each period can be considered to have developed or experienced a crisis according to the level of worldview.In this direction of our thoughts,the question arises:So,what is the phenomenon of worldview of this era-XXI century?Based on the general content of the current events,characterized as the globalization stage of the modern world,we can say that the outlook of the historical stage we live in is based on the achievements of the last stage of the industrial revolution.In this article,by analyzing the history of the artificial intelligence system during the world industrial revolutions,we will study both the concept of progress of the industrial revolutions and the progressive and at the same time regressive development of the artificial intelligence system.

Curriculum Development and Teachers for Cultivating OECD Student Agency in Japan:From an Examination of Educational Thought,Educational System,History,and Contemporary Science and Mathematics Education Practices

The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of a curriculum in Japan to foster the agency(OECD Student Agency)necessary for children living in the future,as outlined in the OECD Education2030 Project,and the role of teachers who implement this curriculum.Therefore,I aim to achieve this goal by taking an overview of educational thought,educational systems and history,and examining several initiatives in the OECD Project and the situation of a Japanese high school that practices science and mathematics education.As a result of analyzing previous research and the narratives obtained from interviews with Teacher A(pseudonym)of a certain F High School(pseudonym),it was found that school education should not simply teach subjects,but should aim to enable student to help student exercise agency in the future.It was suggested that it is not necessary to add content to the curriculum,but rather to prepare to provide students with competencies that will enable them to use the content in various contexts,situations,and circumstances,suggesting that in order to discover such important competencies,teachers and other related parties are required to implement curricula that allow students to slowly and carefully explore the competencies surrounding the content,and to conceive and build curricula that include both hidden and intended curriculum that allows student to reflect on the curriculum they have achieved.

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.