The Impact of Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria, Iron, and Zinc Foliar Application on Dry Land Yellow Mustard (Brassica juncea) Grain and Oil Production

The study, conducted at the Research Farm of the College of Agriculture, University of Tabriz in 2021, focused on the effects of various nitrogen-fixing bacterial isolates, biofertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as iron and zinc foliar applications on mustard growth under rainfed conditions. The results indicated that biofertilizers, whether used alone or in combination with chemical fertilizers, produced comparable grain and oil outputs compared to chemical fertilizers alone. Additionally, the application of iron and zinc through foliar spraying significantly enhanced both grain and oil production. These findings suggest that integrating nitrogen-fixing bacteria and biofertilizers could reduce reliance on chemical nitrogenous fertilizers, leading to decreased production expenses, improved product quality, and minimized environmental impact. This study highlights the potential for sustainable agricultural practices in dry land farming as a viable alternative to traditional chemical-intensive methods. Substituting chemical nitrogenous fertilizers with nitrogen-fixing bacteria or biofertilizers could result in cost savings in mustard grain and oil production while promoting environmental sustainability.

Multiple Solutions for a Class of Singular Boundary Value Problems of Hadamard Fractional Differential Systems with p-Laplacian Operator

This paper discusses the existence and multiplicity of positive solutions for a class of singular boundary value problems of Hadamard fractional differential systems involving the p-Laplacian operator. First, for the sake of overcoming the singularity, sequences of approximate solutions to the boundary value problem are obtained by applying the fixed point index theory on the cone. Next, it is demonstrated that these sequences of approximate solutions are uniformly bounded and equicontinuous. The main results are then established through the Ascoli-Arzelà theorem. Ultimately, an instance is worked out to test and verify the validity of the main results.

Tilt Angle Optimality Criteria for Stand Alone PV Systems

The conventional approach to optimizing tilt angles for fixed solar panels aims to maximize energy generation over the entire year. However, in the context of a supply controlled electric grid, where solar energy availability varies, this criterion may not be optimal. This study explores two alternative optimization criteria focused on maximizing baseload supply potential and minimizing required storage capacity to address seasonality in energy generation. The optimal tilt angles determined for these criteria differed significantly from the standard approach. This research highlights additional factors crucial for designing solar power systems beyond gross energy generation, essential for the global transition towards a fully renewable energy-based electric grid in the future.

Evaluation of nutrient limitation in aquatic ecosystems with nitrogen fixing bacteria

There has always been a great need for simple and accurate bioassays for evaluating nutrient limitation in aquatic ecosystems. Whereas organic carbon is usually considered to be the limiting nutrient for microbial growth in many aquatic ecosystems, there are, however, many water sources that are limited by phosphorus or nitrogen. A method named ＂nitrogen fixing bacterial growth potential＂ （NFBGP） test, which is based on pre-culturing of autochthonous （target） microorganisms was described. The method was applied to evaluate phosphorus or nitrogen nutrient limitation in lake and sewage water samples using an isolate of the nitrogen fixing bacterium, Azorhizobium sp. WS6. The results corresponded well to those from the traditional algal growth potential （AGP） test and the bacterial regrowth potential （BRP） test, suggesting that the NFBGP test is a useful supplementary method for evaluating the limiting nutrient, especially phosphorus, in an aquatic environment.

Relay-Switching-Based Fixed-Time Tracking Controller for Nonholonomic State-Constrained Systems:Design and Experiment

Dear Editor,This letter investigates the fixed-time trajectory tracking controller design for nonholonomic chained systems with static state constraints.Firstly,a fixed-time tracking control law is given to carry out relay switching,which divides the controller development process into two stages.

Experimental Evaluation of Fixing Equipment for Improving the Efficiency of Modular Unit Systems

Modular unit systems provide an eco-friendly advanced construction method that improves productivity and reduces carbon emissions and construction waste. In these systems, the prefabrication ratio of the modules should be high in order to support these eco-friendly features. The purpose of this study was to verify the functionality and driving safety of fixing a modular unit with a high prefabrication ratio to a vehicle for transportation to the site using two novel adapter blocks specially developed for this purpose. When asked to evaluate their performance for this study, the truck drivers selected adaptor block type B as providing the highest convenience and functionality. In real-world driving experiments, maximum loads of 15 kN and 25 kN were measured on adapter block types A and B, respectively. Future improvements in the adapter blocks that take the safety ratio and the improved convenience of use into account are confidently expected to contribute to the eco-friendliness and the improved productivity of modular unit systems.

Existence of Approximate Solutions to Nonlinear Lorenz System under Caputo-Fabrizio Derivative

In this article,we developed sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of an approximate solution to a nonlinear system of Lorenz equations under Caputo-Fabrizio fractional order derivative(CFFD).The required results about the existence and uniqueness of a solution are derived via the fixed point approach due to Banach and Krassnoselskii.Also,we enriched our work by establishing a stable result based on the Ulam-Hyers(U-H)concept.Also,the approximate solution is computed by using a hybrid method due to the Laplace transform and the Adomian decomposition method.We computed a few terms of the required solution through the mentioned method and presented some graphical presentation of the considered problem corresponding to various fractional orders.The results of the existence and uniqueness tests for the Lorenz system under CFFD have not been studied earlier.Also,the suggested method results for the proposed system under the mentioned derivative are new.Furthermore,the adopted technique has some useful features,such as the lack of prior discrimination required by wavelet methods.our proposed method does not depend on auxiliary parameters like the homotopy method,which controls the method.Our proposed method is rapidly convergent and,in most cases,it has been used as a powerful technique to compute approximate solutions for various nonlinear problems.

The impact of Internet access on household dietary quality:Evidence from rural China

Over the past few decades,the Internet has rapidly diffused across China.The spread of the Internet has had a profound economic and social impact on Chinese rural areas.Existing research shows that Internet access significantly impacts agricultural production and improves smallholder farmers’income.Beyond these,the Internet can affect other dimensions of social welfare.However,research about the impact of Internet access on dietary quality in rural China remains scarce.This study utilizes multi-period panel data from Fixed Observation Point in rural China from 2009 to 2015 to estimate the impact of Internet access on dietary quality and food consumption of rural households and conducts a causal analysis.Regression models with time and household fixed effects allow robust estimation while reducing potential issues of unobserved heterogeneity.The estimates show that Internet access has significantly increased rural household dietary quality(measured by the Chinese Diet Balance Index).Further research finds that Internet access has increased the consumption of animal products,such as aquatic and dairy products.We also examine the underlying mechanisms.Internet access improves dietary quality and food consumption mainly through increasing household income and food expenditure.These results encourage the promotion of Internet access as a valuable tool for nutritional improvements,especially in rural areas.

间伐对长白落叶松人工林碳汇木材复合经济效益的影响

【目的】为量化不同间伐策略对长白落叶松人工林碳汇木材复合经营中木材产量、碳储量及其经济效益的综合影响。通过比较不同的管理方案,优化林业管理以增强其碳汇功能和木材产量,从而提升林地的总体经济价值。【方法】以帽儿山实验林场长白落叶松人工林为研究对象,以CO_(2)FIX模型为基础,结合气象数据、调查数据和文献数据,探讨由间伐起始期(11、13 a)、间隔期(5、8和10 a)和间伐强度(10%、20%和30%)组成的不同间伐方案(即起始期、间隔期、间伐强度)对长白落叶松人工林木材产量、碳储量、碳流通以及经济效益的影响。【结果】1)较早的间伐起始期有助于提升林分木材产量和碳储量,起始期11 a的林分比13 a的林分木材产量、碳储量增加了约6%和2%;轻度间伐优化碳汇,重度间伐则可提前获得经济效益,10%间伐强度下的林分木材产量、碳储量相较于间伐强度30%的增加了约28.9%和13.2%;而30%间伐强度下林分的经济效益比10%强度下林分增加了19.5%。短间伐间隔(5 a)在木材收获、提升碳汇能力和经济效益比较长的间伐间隔(10 a)增加了10%、5.3%和1.4%。2)当以碳汇和木材为经营目标时,方案A1(11 a,5 a,10%)的效果均为最佳,其木材蓄积、碳储量和经济效益分别为758.49 m^(3)/hm^(2)、124.28 Mg/hm^(2)、32.48万元;当以碳汇木材复合经营为目标时,方案D3(13 a,5 a,30%)效果最佳,其木材蓄积、碳储量分别比方案A1减少了187.8 m^(3)/hm^(2)、13.5 Mg/hm^(2),但经济效益却比A1方案高9.62万元。3)当以碳汇和木材为最优先考虑时,长白落叶松人工林每公顷储碳约246.11 Mg/hm^(2),49%的碳进入土壤碳库,51%的碳进入木材加工。一个轮伐期后,42%的碳进入大气,20%的碳由林产品分解释放,31%的碳留存于木材产品碳库,7%的碳仍存于土壤碳库。而当以碳汇木材复合经营为目标时,长白落叶松人工林每公顷储碳约246.21 Mg/hm^(2),49%的碳进入土壤碳库,51%的碳进入木材加工。一个轮伐期后,43%的碳进入大气,20%的碳由林产品分解释放,31%的碳保存于木材产品碳库,6%的碳仍存于土壤碳库。【结论】研究量化分析了不同间伐策略对长白落叶松人工林在碳汇、木材产量及其经济效益方面的影响,证明根据具体的经营目标(碳汇、木材产量或二者综合经济效益),合理选择和调整间伐策略的重要性。

Fixed-Time Consensus-Based Nash Equilibrium Seeking

Dear Editor,This letter examines the fixed-time stability of the Nash equilibrium(NE)in non-cooperative games.We propose a consensus-based NE seeking algorithm for situations where players do not have perfect information and communicate via a topology graph.The proposed algorithm can achieve NE in a fixed time that does not depend on initial conditions and can be adjusted in advance.

Secure Tracking Control via Fixed-Time Convergent Reinforcement Learning for a UAV CPS

Dear Editor,This letter is concerned with the secure tracking control problem in the unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) system by fixed-time convergent reinforcement learning(RL). By virtue of the zero-sum game,the false data injection(FDI) attacker and secure controller are viewed as game players.

Existence and numerical approximation of a solution to frictional contact problem for electro-elastic materials

In this paper,a frictional contact problem between an electro-elastic body and an electrically conductive foundation is studied.The contact is modeled by normal compliance with finite penetration and a version of Coulomb’s law of dry friction in which the coefficient of friction depends on the slip.In addition,the effects of the electrical conductivity of the foundation are taken into account.This model leads to a coupled system of the quasi-variational inequality of the elliptic type for the displacement and the nonlinear variational equation for the electric potential.The existence of a weak solution is proved by using an abstract result for elliptic variational inequalities and a fixed point argument.Then,a finite element approximation of the problem is presented.Under some regularity conditions,an optimal order error estimate of the approximate solution is derived.Finally,a successive iteration technique is used to solve the problem numerically and a convergence result is established.

Effect of the Particle Packing Configuration on Fixed Bed Performance

Fixed-bed reactors are generally considered the optimal choice for numerous multi-phase catalytic reactions due to their excellent performance and stability.However,conventional fixed beds often encounter challenges related to inadequate mass transfer and a high pressure drop caused by the non-uniform void fraction distribution.To enhance the overall performance of fixed beds,the impact of different packing configurations on performance was investigated.Experimental and simulation methods were used to investigate the fluid flow and mass transfer performances of various packed beds under different flow rates.It was found that structured beds exhibited a significantly lower pressure drop per unit length than conventional packed beds.Furthermore,the packing configurations had a critical role in improving the overall performance of fixed beds.Specifically,structured packed beds,particularly the H-2 packing configuration,effectively reduced the pressure drop per unit length and improved the mass transfer efficiency.The H-2 packing configuration consisted of two parallel strips of particles in each layer,with strips arranged perpendicularly between adjacent layers,and the spacing between the strips varied from layer to layer.

AGGREGATE SPECIAL FUNCTIONS TO APPROXIMATE PERMUTING TRI-HOMOMORPHISMS AND PERMUTING TRI-DERIVATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH A TRI-ADDITIVEψ-FUNCTIONAL INEQUALITY IN BANACH ALGEBRAS

In this paper,we define a new class of control functions through aggregate special functions.These class of control functions help us to stabilize and approximate a tri-additiveψ-functional inequality to get a better estimation for permuting tri-homomorphisms and permuting tri-derivations in unital C*-algebras and Banach algebras by the vector-valued alternative fixed point theorem.

Does community-based health insurance affect lifestyle and timing of treatment seeking behavior?Evidence from Ethiopia

Objectives This paper aims to investigate the effects of enrollment in the Ethiopian community-based health insurance(CBHI)scheme on household preventive care activities and the timing of treatment-seeking behavior for illness symptoms.There is growing concern about the financial sustainability of CBHI schemes in developing countries.However,few empirical studies have identified potential contributors,including ex-ante and ex-post moral hazards.Methods We implement a household fixed-effect panel data regression model,drawing on three rounds of household survey data collected face to face in districts where CBHI scheme is operational and in districts where it is not operational in Ethiopia.Results The findings show that enrolment in CBHI does not significantly influence household behaviour regarding preventive care activities such as water treatment before drinking and handwashing before meals.However,CBHI significantly increases delay in treatment-seeking behaviour for diseases symptoms.Particularly,on average,we estimate about 4-6 h delay for malaria symptoms,a little above 4 h for tetanus,and 10-11 h for tuberculosis among the insured households.Conclusions While there is evidence that CBHI improve the utilization of outpatient or primary care services,our study suggests that insured members may wait longer before visiting health facilities.This delay could be partly due to moral hazard problems,as insured households,particularly those from rural areas,may consider the opportunity costs associated with visiting health facilities for minor symptoms.Overall,it is essential to identify the primary causes of delays in seeking medical services and implement appropriate interventions to encourage insured individuals to seek early medical attention.

Employment and development levels in rural areas of the Russian Federation

The development of agro-industrial complex is important for ensuring national food security and national health.The development of rural areas is subject to the development of agriculture and local infrastructure,as well as the availability of various services.This study selected 15 indicators in 2021 to analyze the employment and development levels in rural areas of 71 regions of the Russian Federation using the analytical grouping method.The results indicated that 20 regions(Group 1)had the highest percentage of rural population(33.10%).The percentage of population engaged in agriculture had the highest value(12.40%)in 31 regions(Group 2).Moreover,20 regions(Group 3)had the highest investments in fixed assets at the expense of municipal budget(11.80 USD/person).Increasing the investments in fixed assets carried out from the budget of the municipality can improve the employment level in rural areas.Then,we used cluster analysis to divide 14 regions of the Volga Federal District in the Russian Federation into 3 clusters.Cluster 1 covered Kirov Region and Republic of Mari El;Cluster 2 included Ulyanovsk Region,Saratov Region,Nizhny Novgorod Region,Perm Territory,Orenburg Region,Chuvash Region,and Republic of Mordovia;and Cluster 3 contained Republic of Tatarstan,Samara Region,Udmurtian Republic,Penza Region,and Republic of Bashkortostan.Results indicated that the 2 regions of Cluster 1 need to increase the availability of resources and natural gas and improve the investment attractiveness of rural areas.The 7 regions of Cluster 2 needed to develop infrastructure,public services,and agricultural production.We found the highest employment level in rural areas,the largest investments in fixed assets at the expense of municipal budget,the largest residential building area per 10,000 persons,and the largest individual residential building area in the 5 regions of Cluster 3.This study makes it possible to draw up a comprehensive regional development program and proves the need for the development of rural areas,which is especially important for the sustainable development of the Russian Federation.

Flexible Load Participation in Peaking Shaving and Valley Filling Based on Dynamic Price Incentives

Considering the widening of the peak-valley difference in the power grid and the difficulty of the existing fixed time-of-use electricity price mechanism in meeting the energy demand of heterogeneous users at various moments or motivating users,the design of a reasonable dynamic pricing mechanism to actively engage users in demand response becomes imperative for power grid companies.For this purpose,a power grid-flexible load bilevel model is constructed based on dynamic pricing,where the leader is the dispatching center and the lower-level flexible load acts as the follower.Initially,an upper-level day-ahead dispatching model for the power grid is established,considering the lowest power grid dispatching cost as the objective function and incorporating the power grid-side constraints.Then,the lower level comprehensively considers the load characteristics of industrial load,energy storage,and data centers,and then establishes a lower-level flexible load operation model with the lowest user power-consuming cost as the objective function.Finally,the proposed method is validated using the IEEE-118 system,and the findings indicate that the dynamic pricing mechanism for peaking shaving and valley filling can effectively guide users to respond actively,thereby reducing the peak-valley difference and decreasing users’purchasing costs.

A related degree-based frequent pattern mining algorithm for railway fault data

It is of great significance to improve the efficiency of railway production and operation by realizing the fault knowledge association through the efficient data mining algorithm.However,high utility quantitative frequent pattern mining algorithms in the field of data mining still suffer from the problems of low time-memory performance and are not easy to scale up.In the context of such needs,we propose a related degree-based frequent pattern mining algorithm,named Related High Utility Quantitative Item set Mining(RHUQI-Miner),to enable the effective mining of railway fault data.The algorithm constructs the item-related degree structure of fault data and gives a pruning optimization strategy to find frequent patterns with higher related degrees,reducing redundancy and invalid frequent patterns.Subsequently,it uses the fixed pattern length strategy to modify the utility information of the item in the mining process so that the algorithm can control the length of the output frequent pattern according to the actual data situation and further improve the performance and practicability of the algorithm.The experimental results on the real fault dataset show that RHUQI-Miner can effectively reduce the time and memory consumption in the mining process,thus providing data support for differentiated and precise maintenance strategies.

On Perron’s Formula and the Prime Numbers

The Riemann hypothesis is intimately connected to the counting functions for the primes. In particular, Perron’s explicit formula relates the prime counting function to fixed points of iterations of the explicit formula with particular relations involving the trivial and non-trivial roots of the Riemann Zeta function and the Primes. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate this relation at the fixed points of iterations of explicit formula, defined by functions of the form limT∈Ν→∞fT(zw)=zw,where, zwis a real number.

A Bioequivalence Study of Empagliflozin/Metformin Fixed-Dose Combination in Healthy Subjects under Fasting Conditions

Background: This study evaluated the bioequivalence of empagliflozin 12.5 mg/metformin 1000 mg tablets compared to Synjardy® (Empagliflozin 12.5 mg/metformin 1000 mg) tablets in healthy male subjects under fasting conditions. Methods: This was a phase I, randomized, single-dose, two-period, two-sequence, crossover study to evaluate the bioequivalence (BE) profiles of two fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) of empagliflozin/metformin. Cmax, AUC0-t and AUC0-∞ from test and reference formulations were evaluated to access BE. The plasma concentrations were measured using a validated liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Of the 24 subjects enrolled, 23 completed both periods of the study. The two formulations test and reference were considered bioequivalent if 90% confidence interval (CI) fell within 80.00% - 125.00% for Cmax, AUC0-t and AUC0-∞. Tolerability and safety were assessed throughout the study. Results: The pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters were similar between the test product (T) and reference product (R) Synjardy®. The 90% CI of the test/reference ratios of log-transformed PK parameters point estimates was Cmax: 89.87% (85.68% - 94.27%), AUC0-t: 87.91% (83.65% - 92.39%) and AUC0-∞: 87.16% (82.80% - 91.75%) to empagliflozin and Cmax: 92.19% (87.95% - 96.65%), AUC0-t: 91.38% (84.42% - 98.91%) and AUC0-∞: 93.78% (83.82% - 104.93%) to metformin respectively (90% CI for all PK parameters fell within 80.00% - 125.00%). Conclusion: Our results demonstrated BE between the test and reference formulations of oral tablets of empagliflozin 12.5 mg/metformin 1000 mg (FDC) in healthy male subjects under fasting conditions.