Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural exports

The COVID-19 outbreak has shocked the world's economies in the year of 2020. As this pandemic spreads around the globe, many experts feared that the global food supplies might start running short, especially if supply chains were disrupted. COVID-19 also added to the uncertainty of the business operation. Therefore, it is critical to understand how COVID-19 pandemic affected global food supply and market. In this study, we investigate the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural export companies in China using a unique firm-level survey data. We found that although on average agricultural businesses experienced declines in the exports, exports of some agricultural products especially grain and oil held strong and even increased, implying the essential demand for staple food during the pandemic. Not surprisingly, exports of medicinal herb also increased significantly during the pandemic. However, exports of goods such as edible fungus and horticultural products sharply decreased. Our results also showed that in general, impact of COVID-19 on smaller firms was more severe than that on larger firms. The results of this study can provide useful guidance and implications for agricultural businesses and policy makers on their COVID-19 mitigation efforts to navigate this global pandemic.     

板式家具设计与制造中的减碳技术与应用

随着我国对环保的日益重视,以人造板为主要原料的板式家具适应绿色健康发展理念。介绍了板式家具主要材料以及板式家具主要原材料分类,分析了板式家具设计与制造中的减碳技术,为板式家具设计及制造企业能获得更好的社会和经济效益提供参考。     

A comparison of the effects of carbon dioxide and medical air for abdominal insufflation on respiratory parameters in xylazine-sedated sheep undergoing laparoscopic artificial insemination

AIMS: To determine if abdominal insufflation with medical air will improve oxygenation and ventilation parameters when compared to insufflation with CO₂ in xylazine-sedated sheep undergoing laparoscopic artificial insemination (AI).

METHODS: Forty-seven sheep underwent oestrus synchronisation and were fasted for 24 hours prior to laparoscopic AI. Each animal was randomised to receive either CO₂ or medical air for abdominal insufflation. An auricular arterial catheter was placed and utilised for serial blood sampling. Respiratory rates (RR) and arterial blood samples were collected at baseline, after xylazine (0.1?mg/kg I/V) sedation, 2 minutes after Trendelenburg positioning, 5 minutes after abdominal insufflation, and 10 minutes after being returned to a standing position. Blood samples were collected in heparinised syringes, stored on ice, and analysed for arterial pH, partial pressure of arterial O₂ (PaO₂), and CO₂ (PaCO₂). The number of ewes conceiving to AI was also determined.

RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated temporal effects on RR, PaO₂, PaCO₂ and arterial pH during the laparoscopic AI procedure (p<0.001), but no difference between insufflation groups (p>0.01). No sheep experienced hypercapnia (PaCO₂>50?mmHg) or acidaemia (pH<7.35). Hypoxaemia (PaO₂<70?mmHg) was diagnosed during the procedure in 14/22 (64%) ewes in the CO₂ group compared with 8/23 (35%) ewes in the medical air group (p=0.053). Overall, 15/20 (75%) ewes in the CO₂ group conceived to AI compared with 16/22 (72.7%) in the medical air group (p=0.867).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There were no statistical or clinical differences in RR, PaO₂, PaCO₂, pH, or conception to AI when comparing the effects of CO₂ and medical air as abdominal insufflation gases. None of the sheep experienced hypercapnia or acidaemic, yet 42% (19/45) of sheep developed clinical hypoxaemia, with a higher percentage of ewes in the CO₂ group developing hypoxaemia than in the medical air group. Based on the overall analysis, medical air could be utilised as a comparable alternative for abdominal insufflation during laparoscopic AI procedures.     

活性炭在果胶提取液脱色中的应用研究

采用活性炭对果胶浸提液进行脱色,分别对活性炭添加量、吸附时间、吸附温度开展单因素试验,不考虑交互作用,以吸附率和果胶得率为衡量指标。结果表明,在活性炭添加量1%,吸附时间20 min,吸附温度60℃条件下,果胶提取液脱色效果最佳。     

Novel soil quality indicators for the evaluation of agricultural management practices: a biological perspective

Developments in soil biology and in methods to characterize soil organic carbon can potentially deliver novel soil quality indicators that can help identify management practices able to sustain soil productivity and environmental resilience. This work aimed at synthesizing results regarding the suitability of a range of soil biological and biochemical properties as novel soil quality indicators for agricultural management. The soil properties, selected through a published literature review, comprised different labile organic carbon fractions [hydrophilic dissolved organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), hot water extractable carbon and particulate organic matter carbon], soil disease suppressiveness measured using a Pythium-Lepidium bioassay, nematode communities characterized by amplicon sequencing and qPCR, and microbial community level physiological profiling measured with MicroResp^TM. Prior studies tested the sensitivity of each of the novel indicators to tillage and organic matter addition in ten European long-term field experiments (LTEs) and assessed their relationships with pre-existing soil quality indicators of soil functioning. Here, the results of these previous studies are brought together and interpreted relative to each other and to the broader body of literature on soil quality assessment. Reduced tillage increased carbon availability, disease suppressiveness, nematode richness and diversity, the stability and maturity of the food web, and microbial activity and functional diversity. Organic matter addition played a weaker role in enhancing soil quality, possibly due to the range of composition of the organic matter inputs used in the LTEs. POXC was the indicator that discriminated best between soil management practices, followed by nematode indices based on functional characteristics. Structural equation modeling shows that POXC has a central role in nutrient retention/supply, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, erosion control and disease regulation/suppression. The novel indicators proposed here have great potential to improve existing soil quality assessment schemes. Their feasibility of application is discussed and needs for future research are outlined.     

以普鲁兰多糖为载体的CO2型指示标签的研制

以普鲁兰为成膜材料制备一种CO2敏感型指示标签，以食品包装中CO2含量作为监控指标，以甲基红和溴百里酚蓝为指示剂，与成膜材料普鲁兰多糖及甘油混合制得对CO2敏感的凝溶液，以滤纸为基材制备指示标签，并研究普鲁兰多糖浓度、甘油添加量、倒板量对指示标签变色的影响，采用响应面分析法对指示标签的制作工艺进行优化。结果表明，指示标签制备的最佳工艺条件为：在甲基红溶液与溴百里酚蓝溶液体积比为3∶2，质量浓度为5%的混合指示液中添加普鲁兰多糖7.5 g/100 mL、甘油2 g/100 mL，将6.5 mL溶液倒入铺有滤纸的平皿中，浸泡2 h并自然晾干12 h，可制得CO2气敏性指示标签，对其进行验证，色差值为18.21。该指示标签制备工艺简单，可重复操作，具有较大的使用价值。     

Seasonal Losses of Surface Litter in Northern Great Plains Mixed-Grass Prairies

Surface litter protects rangeland soils against wind and water erosion and provides food and nesting materials for wildlife and insects. However, the ability of grassland systems to provide these services depends on the little studied topic of seasonal surface litter decomposition. Seasonal and annual surface litter decomposition rates were determined between 2014 and 2015 in central and western South Dakota at three mixed-grass prairie locations. Residue bags containing surface litter were placed in the field in late fall (1 November) of 2014 and removed after the winter (1 April), spring (1 July), and summer + fall seasons (1 November) of 2015. The litter was analyzed for total C, total N, acid detergent fiber (ADF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL). Average winter temperatures ranged from −5^oC to −15^oC, while summer temperatures ranged from 10^oC to 35^oC. Litter decomposition was lowest during the winter (0.57−0.86 g [kg × day]⁻¹) and greatest during the summer + fall (2.12−2.69 g [kg × day]⁻¹). Over the entire season, 40.8−62% of the surface litter decomposed. Winter litter decomposition was positively correlated with air temperature (r = 0.62, P < 0.01) and snow depth (r = 0.61, P < 0.01), and negatively correlated with C/N ratio (r = −0.65, P < 0.01), ADF (r = −0.35, P < 0.05), and ADL (r = −0.25, P < 0.05) concentrations. These findings indicate that winter decomposition cannot be ignored and that winter surface litter decomposition increases with snow depth.     

群钻钻削精度试验

通过群钻钻头直径Ｄ，进给量ｆ和切削速度ｎ对孔径扩张量，圆度，孔中心线垂直度和直线度影响的试验，得出它们的变化规律。     

活性炭吸附痕量银的研究

在静态、动态吸附条件下，分别选用果壳类净水用活性炭和煤质净水用活性炭对胶片工业废水中的痕量银的吸附行为进行了研究．结果表明，废水中的银浓度可降至＜５０ｐｐｂ，活性炭对银的吸附量达到３～５ｍｇ／ｇ．微孔发达的活性炭更适于吸附废水中的痕量银．随着银液浓度的升高，银液量增大，活性炭吸附能力增加．银液的最佳吸附ｐＨ值是５．