Influence of Production Factors on the Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Fermented Cassava Dough and Sensory Evaluation of Attieke

Attieke is an Ivorian semolina which obtained by fermenting, pressing and steaming cassava dough. Attieke production remains a traditional activity carried out by less literate women. However, perceived differences in measurable factors and attieke qualities require an investigation of their influence on the characteristics of the pressed dough and attieke. The aim of this study is to improve the quality of the dough in relation to that of the attieke produced. The experiment was carried out on 4 production factors, namely the type of boiled or braised ferment, the incorporation rate of the ferment between 8 and 10%, the addition of oil from 0.1 to 1% and the fermentation time from 12 to 15 hours applied to the Improved African Cassava (IAC) variety. A complete experiment design of 16 samples of fermented dough and attieke was employed. These samples underwent physic-chemical analyses for the fermented dough and sensory evaluation for the attieke. It was found that, except for titratable acidity, reducing sugar content and ash content, the physico-chemical characteristics of the dough of IAC variety were significantly influenced by all production factors and their interaction. Fermentation time significantly influences 60% of the physico-chemical characteristics of the fermented dough. The type of ferment, the oil addition and the ferment rate have a significant influence at 40% of these characteristics. At the sensory level, color, acidity and grain binding with an explained variance of 34.60% were essential for the appreciation of the attieke samples. Thus, these production factors could be considered for the improvement of the fermented dough and attieke production process.

Research on Policy Diffusion Path and Reproduction of River Chief System

The River Chief System (RCS) has evolved from local innovative practices to a national water governance strategy to address the current challenges in China’s water environmental management. In contrast to existing research that focuses on the strengths, weaknesses, and improvements of RCS, this study uses literature study to reveal the dynamic evolution of RCS through three phases, with RCS spreading from developed coastal areas to central and western inland regions. RCS’s diffusion path involves vertical diffusion between central and local levels and horizontal diffusion among local governments. Moreover, RCS has also achieved conceptual spillover, gradually expanding into other governance domains, such as the Lake Chief System, the Field Chief System, the Forestry Chief System, and the integration of multiple chief roles. However, it is essential to scrutinize the phenomenon of applying similar governance mechanisms to different areas, as it may result in challenges such as overburdening local governments, insufficient public participation, oversimplification of differences in natural resource endowments, and limited applicability. This study also provides suggestions on how to address these challenges. The study contributes theoretical insights and policy implications, providing a foundation for practical policy innovation.

High glucose reduces Nrf2-dependent cRAGE release and enhances inflammasome-dependent IL-1βproduction in monocytes:the modulatory effects of EGCG

Soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products(sRAGE)acts as a decoy sequestering of RAGE ligands,thus preventing the activation of the ligand-RAGE axis linking human diseases.However,the molecular mechanisms underlying sRAGE remain unclear.In this study,THP-1 monocytes were cultured in normal glucose(NG,5.5 mmol/L)and high glucose(HG,15 mmol/L)to investigate the effects of diabetesrelevant glucose concentrations on sRAGE and interleukin-1β(IL-1β)secretion.The modulatory effects of epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG)in response to HG challenge were also evaluated.HG enhanced intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS)generation and RAGE expression.The secretion of sRAGE,including esRAGE and cRAGE,was reduced under HG conditions,together with the downregulation of a disintegrin and metallopeptidase 10(ADAM10)and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)nuclear translocation.Mechanistically,the HG effects were counteracted by siRAGE and exacerbated by siNrf2.Chromatin immunoprecipitation results showed that Nrf2 binding to the ADAM10 promoter and HG interfered with this binding.Our data reinforce the notion that RAGE and Nrf2 might be sRAGE-regulating factors.Under HG conditions,the treatment of EGCG reduced ROS generation and RAGE activation.EGCG-stimulated cRAGE release was likely caused by the upregulation of the Nrf2-ADAM10 pathway.EGCG inhibited HG-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation at least partly by stimulating sRAGE,thereby reducing IL-1βrelease.

Better use of experience from other reservoirs for accurate production forecasting by learn-to-learn method

To assess whether a development strategy will be profitable enough,production forecasting is a crucial and difficult step in the process.The development history of other reservoirs in the same class tends to be studied to make predictions accurate.However,the permeability field,well patterns,and development regime must all be similar for two reservoirs to be considered in the same class.This results in very few available experiences from other reservoirs even though there is a lot of historical information on numerous reservoirs because it is difficult to find such similar reservoirs.This paper proposes a learn-to-learn method,which can better utilize a vast amount of historical data from various reservoirs.Intuitively,the proposed method first learns how to learn samples before directly learning rules in samples.Technically,by utilizing gradients from networks with independent parameters and copied structure in each class of reservoirs,the proposed network obtains the optimal shared initial parameters which are regarded as transferable information across different classes.Based on that,the network is able to predict future production indices for the target reservoir by only training with very limited samples collected from reservoirs in the same class.Two cases further demonstrate its superiority in accuracy to other widely-used network methods.

Spatial evolution and spatial production of traditional villages from "backward poverty villages" to "ecologically well-off villages": Experiences from the hinterland of national nature reserves in China

With the rapid urbanization process,the space of traditional villages in China is undergoing significant changes.Studying the spatial evolution of traditional villages is significant in promoting rural spatial transformation and realizing rural revitalization and sustainable rural development.Based on the traceability analysis of spatial production theory,this paper constructed an analytical framework for the spatial production evolution of traditional villages,analyzed the spatial evolution process and characteristics of traditional villages by using buffer analysis,spatial syntax,and other research methods,and revealed the characteristics of the spatial production evolution of traditional villages and the driving mechanism.The results show that:(1)The village spatial formation and development follow the village life cycle theory and usually develop from embryonic villages to diversified and integrated villages;(2)The evolution of village spatial production is characterized by the diversity of material space,the sublimation of daily life space,and the integration of social system space and generalization of emotional space;(3)The evolution of village spatial production from backward and poor village to ecologically well-off village is influenced by a combination of factors;(4)The village has formed a spatial structure of"people-land-scape-culture-industry",realized comprehensive reconstruction and spatial reproduction.The study results reflect the spatial evolution characteristics of traditional villages in mountainous areas in a more comprehensive way,which helps to promote the protection and development of traditional villages in mountainous areas and,to a certain extent,provides a reference for the development of rural revitalization.

Thermochemical splitting of CO_(2) on perovskites for CO production: A review

Energy supply dominated by fossil energy has been and remains the main cause of carbon dioxide emissions,the major greenhouse gas leading to the current grave climate change challenges.Many technical pathways have been proposed to address the challenges.Carbon capture and utilization(CCU) represents one of the approaches and thermochemical CO_(2) splitting driven by thermal energy is a subset of the CCU,which converts the captured CO_(2) into CO and makes it possible to achieve closed-loop carbon recirculation.Redox-active catalysts are among the most critical components of the thermochemical splitting cycles and perovskites are regarded as the most promising catalysts.Here we review the latest advancements in thermochemical cycles based on perovskites,covering thermodynamic principles,material modifications,reaction kinetics,oxygen pressure control,circular strategies,and demonstrations to provide a comprehensive overview of the topical area.Thermochemical cycles based on such materials require the consideration of trade-off between cost and efficiency,which is related to actual material used,operation mode,oxygen removal,and heat recovery.Lots of efforts have been made towards improving reaction rates,conversion efficiency and cycling stability,materials related research has been lacking-a key aspect affecting the performance across all above aspects.Double perovskites and composite perovskites arise recently as a potentially promising addition to material candidates.For such materials,more effective oxygen removal would be needed to enhance the overall efficiency,for which thermochemical or electrochemical oxygen pumps could contribute to efficient oxygen removal as well as serve as means for inert gas regeneration.The integration of thermochemical CO_(2) splitting process with downstream fuel production and other processes could reduce costs and increase efficiency of the technology.This represents one of the directions for the future research.

HELLO ASEAN Visa-free policy sparks surge of Chinese tourists to Southeast Asia

As of March 1,Malaysia,Singapore,and Thailand have all implemented visa-free entry policy for Chinese citizens,allowing stays of up to 30 days.The three Southeast Asian countries have been popular destinations for Chinese outbound tourists since the late 1980s and early 1990s.The implementation of the visa-free entry policy is expected to attract more Chinese tourists,especially young people,to travel to Southeast Asia and boost the recovery of the tourism industry in the region.

Inter-stage performance and energy characteristics analysis of electric submersible pump based on entropy production theory

The electric submersible pump(ESP) is a crucial apparatus utilized for lifting in the oil extraction process.Its lifting capacity is enhanced by the multi-stage tandem structure, but variations in energy characteristics and internal flow across stages are also introduced. In this study, the inter-stage variability of energy characteristics in ESP hydraulic systems is investigated through entropy production(EP) analysis,which incorporates numerical simulations and experimental validation. The EP theory facilitates the quantification of energy loss in each computational subdomain at all ESP stages, establishing a correlation between microscopic flow structure and energy dissipation within the system. Furthermore, the underlying causes of inter-stage variability in ESP hydraulic systems are examined, and the advantages and disadvantages of applying the EP theory in this context are evaluated. Consistent energy characteristics within the ESP, aligned with the distribution of internal flow structure, are provided by the EP theory, as demonstrated by our results. The EP theory also enables the quantitative analysis of internal flow losses and complements existing performance analysis methods to map the internal flow structure to hydraulic losses. Nonetheless, an inconsistency between the energy characterization based on EP theory and the traditional efficiency index when reflecting inter-stage differences is identified. This inconsistency arises from the exclusive focus of the EP theory on flow losses within the flow field, disregarding the quantification of external energy input to the flow field. This study provides a reference for the optimization of EP theory in rotating machinery while deeply investigating the energy dissipation characteristics of multistage hydraulic system, which has certain theoretical and practical significance.

Characterization of Small-Scale Farmers and Assessment of Their Access to Crop Production Information in Selected Counties of Kenya

Small-scale farming accounts for 78% of total agricultural production in Kenya and contributes to 23.5% of the country’s GDP. Their crop production activities are mostly rainfed subsistence with any surplus being sold to bring in some income. Timely decisions on farm practices such as farm preparation and planting are critical determinants of the seasonal outcomes. In Kenya, most small-scale farmers have no reliable source of information that would help them make timely and accurate decisions. County governments have extension officers who are mandated with giving farmers advisory services to farmers but they are not able to reach most farmers due to facilitation constraints. The mode and format of sharing information is also critical since it’s important to ensure that it’s timely, well-understood and usable. This study sought to assess access to geospatial derived and other crop production information by farmers in four selected counties of Kenya. Specific objectives were to determine the profile of small-scale farmers in terms of age, education and farm size;to determine the type of information that is made available to them by County and Sub-County extension officers including the format and mode of provision;and to determine if the information provided was useful in terms of accuracy, timeliness and adequacy. The results indicated that over 80% of the farmers were over 35 years of age and over 56% were male. Majority had attained primary education (34%) or secondary education (29%) and most farmers in all the counties grew maize (71%). Notably, fellow farmers were a source of information (71%) with the frequency of sharing information being mostly seasonal (37%) and when information was available (43%). Over 66% of interviewed farmers indicating that they faced challenges while using provided information. The results from the study are insightful and helpful in determining effective ways of providing farmers with useful information to ensure maximum benefits.

Feasibility of medical radioisotope production based on the proton beams at China Spallation Neutron Source

The utilization of a proton beam from the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS)for producing medical radioisotopes is appealing owing to its high current intensity and high energy.The medical isotope production based on the proton beam at the CSNS is significant for the development of future radiopharmaceuticals,particularly for theα-emitting radiopharmaceu-ticals.The production yield and activity of typical medical isotopes were estimated using the FLUKA simulation.The results indicate that the 300-MeV proton beam with a power of 100 kW at CSNS-II is highly suitable for proof-of-principle studies of most medical radioisotopes.In particular,this proton beam offers tremendous advantages for the large-scale production of alpha radioisotopes,such as 225Ac,whose theoretical production yield can reach approximately 57 Ci/week.Based on these results,we provide perspectives on the use of CSNS proton beams to produce radioisotopes for medical applications.

Evaluation of the Shallow Gas Hydrate Production Based on the Radial Drilling-Heat Injection-Back Fill Method

It has been evidenced that shallow gas hydrate resources are abundant in deep oceans worldwide.Their geological back-ground,occurrence,and other characteristics differ significantly from deep-seated hydrates.Because of the high risk of well construction and low production efficiency,they are difficult to be recovered by using conventional oil production methods.As a result,this paper proposes an alternative design based on a combination of radial drilling,heat injection,and backfilling methods.Multi-branch holes are used to penetrate shallow gas hydrate reservoirs to expand the depressurization area,and heat injection is utilized as a supplement to improve gas production.Geotechnical information collected from an investigation site close to the offshore production well in the South China Sea is used to assess the essential components of this plan,including well construction stability and gas production behavior.It demonstrates that the hydraulic fracturing of the 60mbsf overburden layer can be prevented by regulating the drilling fluid densities.However,the traditional well structure is unstable,and the suction anchor is advised for better mechanical performance.The gas produc-tion rate can be significantly increased by combining hot water injection and depressurization methods.Additionally,the suitable produc-tion equipment already in use is discussed.

Nationalist Trends in the Transformation of New Zealand’s Maori Language Policy

Language is an important carrier of human culture and a specific method for communication between humans.It is one of the most important symbols of human identity and flags of dividing group identity.At present,in the modern national state,the government is paying more attention to language policy and being more and more prudent to it.In the process of making and implementing language policy,the government must take into account a range of factors such as the country’s national history,politics,culture,economy,and relations between different social groups.From the mid-nineteenth century,when New Zealand became a British colony,until the mid-twentieth century,the Maori people were inspired to defend their rights and respect for themselves by the rise of Maori nationalist ideology and Maori political radicalism in a struggle that lasted more than 100 years.Until 1994,there were more than 800 kohanga reo,early childhood institutions that established Maori language instruction independent of the school system,and the nationalism drives to revitalize the Maori national language was at its peak.The process of revolution on Maori language policies in New Zealand reflects a trend of nationalist thoughts from Maori becoming more deep.Exploring the process of change in New Zealand’s Maori language policy will help to develop the study of the social history of indigenous peoples during the colonial period and will contribute to the study of the development of colonized countries and regions in the post-colonial period.The change in New Zealand’s Maori language policy has provided an important example of the preservation and revitalization of the indigenous languages of the world’s former colonies,which is of great significance for the preservation of linguistic and cultural diversity.

Research on the Work-for-Relief Policy within the Scope of Comprehensive Rural Revitalization:Quantitative Analysis of Policy Texts Based on 71 Policy Documents

Work-for-relief plays a unique role in China’s journey toward modernization.From the perspectives of policy tools and interest analysis,this paper uses quantitative analysis of policy texts and integrates grounded theory to build a policy expression analysis model to discuss the current work-for-relief policy system.The study found that China’s use of the work-for-relief policy is unbalanced,and it is necessary to enhance the involvement of non-governmental sectors,as well as to fully consider the policy’s target groups and the social issues that need addressing.

Matching actions to needs: shifting policy responses to the changing health needs of Chinese children and adolescents

China is home to the second largest population of children and adolescents in the world.Yet demographic shifts mean that the government must manage the challenge of fewer children with the needs of an ageing population,while considering the delicate tension between economic growth and environmental sustainability.We mapped the health problems and risks of contemporary school-aged children and adolescents in China against current national health policies.We involved multidisciplinary experts,including young people,with the aim of identifying actionable strategies and specific recommendations to promote child and adolescent health and wellbeing.Notwithstanding major improvements in their health over the past few decades,contemporary Chinese children and adolescents face distinct social challenges,including high academic pressures and youth unemployment,and new health concerns including obesity,mental health issues,and sexually transmitted infections.Inequality by gender,geography,and ethnicity remains a feature of health risks and outcomes.We identified a mismatch between current health determinants,risks and outcomes,and government policies.

Construction of a Virtual Simulation Practice Teaching System of the Chemical Industry Under the Background of Integration of Production and Education

With the development of the integration of production and education,chemical engineering and technology education is facing many new challenges and opportunities.The construction of a chemical virtual simulation practice teaching system under the background of integration of production and education aims to improve students’learning efficiency and innovation ability with the help of virtual simulation technology,so as to meet the needs of future industrial development.This paper discusses the significance of the construction of the system,analyzes the difficulties and challenges that may be encountered in the construction process,and evaluates the effective strategies to strengthen the construction of the system.Through the introduction of virtual simulation technology,students can improve their practical skills and innovation ability,and better adapt to the development needs of industrialization and informatization.

Trend in seasonal amplitude of northern net ecosystem production:Simulated results from IAP DGVM in CAS-ESM2

北方陆地净生态系统生产力(NEP)具有明显的季节变化特征,这是大气CO_(2)季节变化的关键驱动.研究这些碳循环过程并理解潜在的驱动因素是气候研究的一个关键问题.本文利用第二代中国科学院地球系统模式(CAS-ESM2)中的全球植被动态模型(IAPDGVM),研究了1990-2014年北方NEP(40°-90°N)的季节振幅及其变化趋势.在初始化试验的基础上,本文开展了一个控制试验来评估模拟的北方NEP季节幅度的变化趋势,同时开展了三个敏感性试验来研究气候和大气CO_(2)的贡献.结果表明:1990-2014年,模拟的北方NEP季节振幅显著增加,趋势为9.69万吨碳/月/年,这主要是由于最大NEP增加所致.当分别排除CO_(2)施肥效应和气候效应时,上述增加趋势大大减弱.这些显著的减少表明大气CO_(2)和气候变化对北方NEP的季节性振幅有重要影响.尽管模式存在不确定性,但这些结果有利于进一步提升IAPDGVM对陆地碳循环的精确模拟,也为CAS-ESM研究碳-气候相互作用的应用提供了重要参考.

Effective Development of Enterprise Emergency Management under the New Policy of Safety Production

In recent years,China has formed a more perfect emergency management system,and has achieved more significant results.The form of safety production has maintained a continuous good development trend,showing the characteristics of"two declines,one being basically flat,and one zero occurrence".In order to further strengthen the implementation of production safety responsibilities and resolutely prevent and contain extremely major accidents,the recent national production safety teleconference deployed 15 measures to pay close attention to the implementation,seriously pursue accountability,adhere to the red line,and immediately carry out in-depth and solid production safety inspections across the country.In such a high pressure situation,the ways to effectively carry out the security management of enterprises were briefly described in this paper.

Mechanical Modeling and Analysis of Stability Deterioration of Production Well During Marine Hydrate Depressurization Production

Different from oil and gas production,hydrate reservoirs are shallow and unconsolidated,whose mechanical properties deteriorate with hydrate decomposition.Therefore,the formations will undergo significant subsidence during depressurization,which will destroy the original force state of the production well.However,existing research on the stability of oil and gas production wells assumes the formation to be stable,and lacks consideration of the force exerted on the hydrate production well by formation subsidence caused by hydrate decomposition during production.To fill this gap,this paper proposes an analytical method for the dynamic evolution of the stability of hydrate production well considering the effects of hydrate decomposition.Based on the mechanical model of the production well,the basis for stability analysis has been proposed.A multi-field coupling model of the force state of the production well considering the effect of hydrate decomposition and formation subsidence is established,and a solver is developed.The analytical approach is verified by its good agreement with the results from the numerical method.A case study found that the decomposition of hydrate will increase the pulling-down force and reduce the supporting force,which is the main reason for the stability deterioration.The higher the initial hydrate saturation,the larger the reservoir thickness,and the lower the production pressure,the worse the stability or even instability.This work can provide a theoretical reference for the stability maintaining of the production well.

Exploring the impact of Nafion modifier on electrocatalytic CO_(2) reduction over Cu catalyst

Nafion as a universal polymer ionomer was widely applied for nanocatalysts electrode preparation.However,the effect of Nafion on electrocatalytic performance was often overlooked,especially for CO_(2)electrolysis.Herein,the key roles of Nafion for CO_(2)RR were systematically studied on Cu nanoparticles(NPs)electrocatalyst.We found that Nafion modifier not only inhibit hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)by decreasing the accessibility of H_(2)O from electrolyte to Cu NPs,and increase the CO_(2)concentration at electrocatalyst interface for enhancing the CO_(2)mass transfer process,but also activate CO_(2)molecule by Lewis acid-base interaction between Nafion and CO_(2)to accelerate the formation of^(*)CO,which favor of C–C coupling for boosting C_(2)product generation.Owing to these features,the HER selectivity was suppressed from 40.6%to 16.8%on optimal Cu@Nafion electrode at-1.2 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE),and as high as 73.5%faradaic efficiencies(FEs)of C_(2)products were achieved at the same applied potential,which was 2.6 times higher than that on bare Cu electrode(~28.3%).In addition,Nafion also contributed to the long-term stability by hinder Cu NPs morphology reconstruction.Thus,this work provides insights into the impact of Nafion on electrocatalytic CO_(2)RR performance.

Evolving patterns of agricultural production space in China:A network-based approach

The agricultural production space,as where and how much each agricultural product grows,plays a vital role in meeting the increasing and diverse food demands.Previous studies on agricultural production patterns have predominantly centered on individual or specific crop types,using methods such as remote sensing or statistical metrological analysis.In this study,we characterize the agricultural production space(APS)by bipartite network connecting agricultural products and provinces,to reveal the relatedness between diverse agricultural products and the spatiotemporal characteristic of provincial production capabilities in China.The results show that core products are cereal,pork,melon,and pome fruit;meanwhile the milk,grape,and fiber crop show an upward trend in centrality,which is in line with diet structure changes in China over the past decades.The little changes in community components and structures of agricultural products and provinces reveal that agricultural production patterns in China are relatively stable.Additionally,identified provincial communities closely resemble China's agricultural natural zones.Furthermore,the observed growth in production capabilities in North and Northeast China implies their potential focus areas for future agricultural production.Despite the superior production capa-bilities of southern provinces,recent years have witnessed a notable decline,warranting special attentions.The findings provide a comprehensive perspective for understanding the complex relationship of agricultural prod-ucts'relatedness,production capabilities and production patterns,which serve as a reference for the agricultural spatial optimization and agricultural sustainable development.