• Title/Summary/Keyword: Yield enhancement

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Integrated Tree Crops-ruminants Systems in South East Asia: Advances in Productivity Enhancement and Environmental Sustainability

  • Devendra, C.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.24 no.5
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    • pp.587-602
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    • 2011
  • Improved efficiency in the use of natural resources, pragmatic production systems and environmental sustainability, justified by the need for improved land use systems and increased productivity, are discussed in the context of Asian integrated systems, diversification, and issues of sustainability. The importance of these are reflected by serious inadequate animal protein production throughout Asia, where available supplies cannot match current and projected human requirements up to 2050. Among the ruminant production systems, integrated tree crops-ruminant production systems are grossly underestimated and merit emphasis and expansion. As an example, integrated oil palm- based system is an important pathway for integration with ruminants (buffaloes, cattle, goats and sheep), and provides the entry point for development. The importance and benefits of integrated systems are discussed, involving animals with annual and perennial tree crops, integration with aquaculture, the significance of crop-animal interactions, stratification of the systems, production options, improved use of forages and legumes, potential for enhanced productivity, implications for improved livelihoods of the rural poor and the stability of farm households. The advances in research and development in South East Asia highlight demonstrable increased productivity from animals and meat offtakes, value addition to the oil palm crop, sustainable development, and distinct economic impacts. The results from 12 out of a total of 24 case studies concerning oil palm over the past three decades showed increased yield of 0.49-3.52 mt of fresh fruit bunches (FFB)/ha/yr; increased income by about 30%; savings in weeding costs by 47- 60% equivalent to 21-62 RM/ha/yr; and an internal rate of return of 19% based on actual field data. The results provide important socio-economic benefits for resource-poor small farmers. Potential increased offtakes and additional income exist with the integration of goats. Additionally, the potential for carbon sequestration with tree crops is an advantage. The reasons for low adoption of the syatems are poor awareness of the potential of integrated systems, resistance by the crop- oriented plantation sector, and inadequate technology application. Promoting wider expansion and adoption of the systems in the future is linked directly with coherent policy, institutional commitment, increased investments, private sector involvement, and a stimulus package of incentives.

Chemoprevention of chemical-induced skin cancer by Panax ginseng root extract

  • Sharma, Jyoti;Goyal, Pradeep K.
    • Journal of Ginseng Research
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    • v.39 no.3
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    • pp.265-273
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    • 2015
  • Background: Cancer has emerged as a major health problem globally as a consequence to the increased longevity of the population, changing the environment and life style. Chemoprevention is a new and promising strategy for reducing cancer burden. Recently, some natural products have been identified for their chemopreventive activity to reduce the cancer incidence. Ginseng is known for its potential to treat various ailments in human beings. The present study was designed to explore the anticancer and antioxidative potential of Panax ginseng against chemical-induced skin carcinogenesis in mammals. Methods: Skin tumors were induced in Swiss albino mice by a single topical application of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene ($100{\mu}g/100{\mu}L$ acetone) and, 2 wks later, promoted by repeated applications of croton oil (thrice in a wk in 1% acetone) till the end of the experiment (i.e., 16 wk). Hydroalcoholic ginseng root extract at a dose of 25 mg/kg body weight/d was orally administered at the periinitiation, postinitiation, and peri-post-initiation stages. Results: Ginseng root extract treatment caused a significant reduction in tumor incidence, cumulative number of tumors, tumor yield, and tumor burden, as compared to the 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-croton oil-treated control group. Further, biochemical assays revealed a significant enhancement in the levels of reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, vitamin C, and total proteins but a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation levels in both the liver and skin with ginseng root extract treatment, as compared to carcinogen-treated control group. Conclusion: These results suggest that P. ginseng has the potential to become a pivotal chemopreventive agent that can reduce cancer in mammals.

Sensitivity Enhancement of RF Plasma Etch Endpoint Detection With K-means Cluster Analysis

  • Lee, Honyoung;Jang, Haegyu;Lee, Hak-Seung;Chae, Heeyeop
    • Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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    • 2015.08a
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    • pp.142.2-142.2
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    • 2015
  • Plasma etch endpoint detection (EPD) of SiO2 and PR layer is demonstrated by plasma impedance monitoring in this work. Plasma etching process is the core process for making fine pattern devices in semiconductor fabrication, and the etching endpoint detection is one of the essential FDC (Fault Detection and Classification) for yield management and mass production. In general, Optical emission spectrocopy (OES) has been used to detect endpoint because OES can be a simple, non-invasive and real-time plasma monitoring tool. In OES, the trend of a few sensitive wavelengths is traced. However, in case of small-open area etch endpoint detection (ex. contact etch), it is at the boundary of the detection limit because of weak signal intensities of reaction reactants and products. Furthemore, the various materials covering the wafer such as photoresist (PR), dielectric materials, and metals make the analysis of OES signals complicated. In this study, full spectra of optical emission signals were collected and the data were analyzed by a data-mining approach, modified K-means cluster analysis. The K-means cluster analysis is modified suitably to analyze a thousand of wavelength variables from OES. This technique can improve the sensitivity of EPD for small area oxide layer etching processes: about 1.0 % oxide area. This technique is expected to be applied to various plasma monitoring applications including fault detections as well as EPD.

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Rheological and mechanical properties of ABS/PC blends

  • Khan M.M.K.;Liang R.F.;Gupta R.K.;Agarwal S.
    • Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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    • v.17 no.1
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    • pp.1-7
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    • 2005
  • Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC) and their alloys are an important class of engineering thermoplastics that are widely used for automotive industry, computer and equipment housings. For the process of recycling mixtures of ABS and PC, it is desirable to know how sensitive the blend properties are to changes in compositions. It was for this reason that blends of virgin ABS and virgin PC at five different compositions, namely, $15\%,\;30\%,\;50\%,\;70%$ and $85\%$ by weight of ABS were prepared and characterised by rheological and mechanical measurements. Rheological properties of these blends in steady, oscillatory and transient step shear and mechanical properties, namely, tensile strength, elongation-at-break and Izod impact strength are reported. The results show that PC behaves in a relatively Newtonian manner, but ABS exhibits significant shear thinning. The ABS-rich blends show a trend that is similar to that of ABS, while PC-rich blends, namely $0\%$ and $15\%$, exhibit a nearly Newtonian behaviour. However, at a fixed shear rate or frequency, the steady shear or the dynamic viscosity varied respectively in a non-mono-tonic manner with composition. Except for $15\%$ blend, the viscosities of other blends fall into a narrow band indicating a wide-operation window of varying blend ratio. The blends exhibited a lower viscosity than either of the two pure components. The other noticeable feature was that the blends at $70\%$ and $85\%$ ABS content had a higher G' than pure ABS, indicating an enhancement of elastic effect. The tensile yield strength of the blends followed the 'rule of mixtures' showing a decreasing value with the increase of ABS content in PC. However, the elongation-at-break and the impact strength did not appear to obey this 'rule of mixtures,' which suggests that morphology of the blends also plays a significant role in determining the properties. Indeed, scanning electron micrographs of the fracture surfaces of the different blends validate this hypothesis, and the $15\%$ blend is seen to have the most distinct morphology and correspondingly different behaviour and properties.

Enhancement of Immune Activities of Opuntia ficus-indica L. Miller by Ultrasonification Extraction Process (제주 손바닥 선인장의 초음파 추출을 통한 면역활성 증진)

  • Kwon, Min-Chul;Han, Jae-Gun;Jeong, Hyang-Suk;Qadir, Syed Abdul;Choi, Young-Beom;Ko, Jung-Rim;Lim, Tae-Il;Lee, Hyeon-Young
    • Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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    • v.16 no.1
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    • pp.1-8
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    • 2008
  • Immune activities of Opuntia ficus indica L. Miller were investigated through aqueous extracts associated with ultrasonification process at $60^{\circ}C$, and showed the highest promotion of human B and T cell growth, up to 52% and 41%, respectively, compared to the control. The secretion of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-60 was also enhanced by the addition $(0.5mg/m{\ell})$ of the extracts, up to 48%. NK cell activation was significantly improved up to 1.3 times higher than the case of adding other extracts. It was also found that extracts from O. ficus indica could yield higher nitric oxide production from macrophage than Lipopolysaccaharides (LPS). It can be concluded that, in general, the extracts treated with ultrasonification has higher Immune acitivities than others, possibly by higher yielding immune-modulatory than conventional extraction process. The optimum condition for the extraction of O. ficus-indicais water extraction associated with ultrasonification.

Investments on Pro-poor Development Projects on Goats: Ensuring Success for Improved Livelihoods

  • Devendra, C.
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.1-18
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    • 2013
  • The elements that determine the success of development projects on goats and the prerequisites for ensuring this are discussed in the context of the bewildering diversity of goat genetic resources, production systems, multifunctionality, and opportunities for responding to constraints for productivity enhancement. Key determinants for the success of pro-poor projects are the imperatives of realistic project design, resolution of priorities and positive impacts to increase investments and spur agricultural growth, and appropriate policy. Throughout the developing world, there exist 97% of the total world population of 921 million goats across all agroecological zones (AEZs), including 570 breeds and 64% share of the breeds. They occupy a very important biological and socioeconomic niche in farming systems making significant multifunctional contributions especially to food, nutrition and financial security, stability of farm households, and survival of the poor in the rural areas. Definitions are given of successful and failed projects. The analyses highlighted in successful projects the value of strong participatory efforts with farmers and climate change. Climate change effects on goats are inevitable and are mediated through heat stress, type of AEZ, water availability, quantity and quality of the available feed resources and type of production system. Within the prevailing production systems, improved integrated tree crops - ruminant systems are underestimated and are an important pathway to enhance C sequestration. Key development strategies and opportunities for research and development (R and D) are enormous, and include inter alia defining a policy framework, resolution of priority constraints using systems perspectives and community-based participatory activities, application of yield-enhancing technologies, intensification, scaling up, and impacts. The priority for development concerns the rainfed areas with large concentrations of ruminants in which goats, with a capacity to cope with heat tolerance, can be the entry point for development. Networks and networking are very important for the diffusion of information and can add value to R and D. Well formulated projects with clear priority setting and participatory R and D ensure success and the realisation of food security, improved livelihoods and self-reliance in the future.

Effect of Rice stripe virus NS3 on Transient Gene Expression and Transgene Co-Silencing

  • Sohn, Seong-Han;Huh, Sun-Mi;Kim, Kook-Hyung;Park, Jin-Woo;Lomonossoff, George
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
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    • v.27 no.4
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    • pp.310-314
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    • 2011
  • Nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) encoded by RNA3 of Rice stripe virus (RSV), known to be a suppressor of gene silencing, was cloned and sequenced. The cloned NS3 gene is composed of 636 nucleotides encoding 211 deduced amino acids, and showed a high degree of similarity with the equivalent genes isolated from Korea, Japan and China. The NS3 gene promoted the enhancement of transient gene expression and suppressed transgene co-silencing. In the transient GFP expression via agroinfiltration, GFP expression was dramatically enhanced in terms of both protein yield and expression period in the presence of NS3. The highest accumulation of GFP protein reached to 6.8% of total soluble proteins, which corresponded to a two-fold increase compared to that obtained in the absence of NS3. In addition, NS3 significantly suppressed the initiation of GFP co-silencing induced by the additive GFP infiltration in GFP-transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana. The NS3 gene was also found to be a stronger suppressor than Cucumber mosaic virus 2b. These observations are believed to be derived from the strong suppressive effect of NS3 on gene silencing, and indicate that NS3 could be used as an effective enhancer for the rapid production of foreign proteins in plants.

Basic Seed Stock Maintenance and Multiplication in Indian Tropical Tasar Silkworm Antheraea mylitta Drury-A Strategic Approach

  • Reddy, Rangareddygari Manohar;Suryanarayana, Nagabathula;Ojha, Nand Gopal;Hansda, Ganga;Rai, Suresh;Prakash, Nanjappa Basappa Vijaya
    • International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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    • v.18 no.2
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    • pp.69-75
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    • 2009
  • Daba ecorace of Antheraea mylitta Drury (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), the semi domesticated Indian tropical tasar silkworm being reared outdoor; the egg and silk yields are dependent of genotype environment interaction. The insufficient maintenance and multiplication of its P4 seed stock need a coherent as well as scientific strategy to safeguard breed potential, being commercially applied ecorace. The sort-out lines of P4 stock studied over five generations highlighting on commercial trait up gradation suits for a tropical crop season, revealed enhanced performance. The line with high pupal parents (T2) shown improved fecundity (12.9%) and the line with high shell parents (T3) recorded higher shell weight (40.0%) and silk ratio (24.1%). While, the line of high pupal female and high shell male (T4) reveal enhancement in fecundity (9.0%), egg hatching (14.1%), shell weight (50.0%), silk ratio (35.2%) and absolute silk yield (52.0%) indicating the need and role of varied basic seed stock lines. The approach could improve economically vital egg fecundity and cocoon shell weights besides balancing them in same line for commercial operation. The progressive show of lines (T1 to T4) along successive generations (G1 to G5), in spite of passing through seed crop (Jul-Aug) and commercial crop (Sep-Nov) seasons emphasize their compatibility. The study infers that the strategic plan of combining preferred parental phenotypes, methodical selection for desired commercial trait(s) through generations with best possible genotype environment interaction has enriched P4 stock with elevation in needy trait(s) besides assuring choice of suitable lines for seasons and regions and timely replenishment of basic seed of Daba ecorace.

A Conical Indentation Technique Based on FEA Solutions for Property Evaluation (유한요소해에 기초한 원뿔형 압입 물성평가법)

  • Hyun, Hong-Chul;Kim, Min-Soo;Lee, Jin-Haeng;Lee, Hyung-Yil
    • Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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    • v.33 no.9
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    • pp.859-869
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    • 2009
  • The sharp indenters such as Berkovich and conical indenters have a geometrical self-similarity in theory, but different materials have the same load-depth curve in case of single indentation. In this study, we analyze the load-depth curves of conical indenter with angles of indenter via finite element method. From FE analyses of dual-conical indentation test, we investigate the relationships between indentation parameters and load-deflection curves. With numerical regressions of obtained data, we finally propose indentation formulae for material properties evaluation. The proposed approach provides stress-strain curve and the values of elastic modulus, yield strength and strain-hardening exponent with an average error of less than 2%. It is also discussed that the method is valid for any elastically deforming indenters made of tungsten carbide and diamond for instance. The proposed indentation approach provides a substantial enhancement in accuracy compared with the prior methods.

Effects of Foliar Application of Potassium Phosphate $(KH_2PO_4)$ on the Enhancement of Marketable Fruit Yields of Fresh Tomato (칼륨 엽면처리가 시설토마토 과실의 상품성 향상에 미치는 영향)

  • Kang, Nam-Jun;Lee, Jae-Han;Kwon, Joon-Kook;Choi, Young-Hah
    • Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.194-198
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    • 2007
  • This study was performed to determine the optimum concentration of potassium for the foliar application, and its application stage to increase the production of marketable sized tomato. For this purpose, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 percent of potassium phosphate $(KH_2PO_4)$ were applied in the leaves of tomatoes by the stage of flowering, fruit setting and fruit development. The control plants were applied with distilled water. The results showed that foliar application with 0.5 percent of potassium phosphate increased the proportion of medium sized fruit of the products by 29.5 percent compared to the controlled plants, which is highest in the treatments. The foliar application of 0.5 percent of potassium phosphate at the fruit setting stage increased the yield of marketable sized fruit by 5.9 percent compared to the controlled plants.