Economics of robots and automation in field crop production

This study reviewed research published after 1990 on the economics of agricultural mechatronic automation and robotics, and identified research gaps. A systematic search was conducted from the following databases: ScienceDirect, Business Source Complete, Wiley, Emerald, CAB Abstract, Greenfile, Food Science Source and AgEcon Search. This identified 4817 documents. The screening of abstracts narrowed the range to a dataset of 119 full text documents. After eligibility assessment, 18 studies were subjected to a qualitative analysis, with ten focused on automation of specific horticultural operations and eight related to autonomous agricultural equipment. All of the studies found some scenarios in which automation and robotic technologies were profitable. Most studies employed partial budgeting considering only costs and revenues directly changed by the introduction of automation or robotics and assuming everything else constant. None examined cropping system changes, or regional and national impacts on markets, trade and labour demand. The review identified a need for in-depth research on the economic implications of the technology. Most of the studies reviewed estimated economic implications assuming that technology design parameters were achieved and/or based on data from prototypes. Data are needed on the benefits and problems with using automation and robotics on farm. All of the studies reviewed were in the context of agriculture in developed countries, but many of the world’s most pressing agricultural problems are in the developing world. Economic and social research is needed to understand those developing country problems, and guide the engineers and scientists creating automation and robotic solutions

The role of media reporting in food safety governance in China: a dairy case study

Using dairy products as the case study of interest, the aim of the research is to explore the role of the media in food safety governance in China. Thematic content analysis is used to evaluate government and media reports (n = 233) on dairy related food safety incidents in China between 2004 and 2017 with differences identified between government and media reporting. The data is extracted from an online database (Zhichuchuangwai). The results show that the government performs better on exposing incidents earlier within the 14-year period but the news media plays a complementary role in food safety governance exposing a wider coverage of incidents. This study extends the current literature on the role of the news media in food safety governance in China by focusing on a single food sector (dairy), but on a national scale

Factors driving Thailand rice farmer decision-making in the choice of marketing channel

Since the end of the latest rice-pledging scheme, Thai rice farmers have had more freedom in selecting marketing channels. Understanding the determinants of farmers' decision-making associated with these channels is of particular interest to multiple stakeholders in the rice value chain. This study aims to examine how economic, relational and psychological factors concurrently underpin Thai rice farmers' decision-making and influence their marketing channel choice

A review on electronic bio-sensing approaches based on non-antibody recognition elements

In this review, recent advances in the development of electronic detection methodologies based on non-antibody recognition elements such as functional liposomes, aptamers and synthetic peptides are discussed. Particularly, we highlight the progress of field effect transistor (FET) sensing platforms where possible as the number of publications on FET-based platforms has increased rapidly. Biosensors involving antibody-antigen interactions have been widely applied in diagnostics and healthcare in virtue of their superior selectivity and sensitivity, which can be attributed to their high binding affinity and extraordinary specificity, respectively. However, antibodies typically suffer from fragile and complicated functional structures, large molecular size and sophisticated preparation approaches (resource-intensive and time-consuming), resulting in limitations such as short shelf-life, insufficient stability and poor reproducibility. Recently, bio-sensing approaches based on synthetic elements have been intensively explored. In contrast to existing reports, this review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the development of biosensors utilizing synthetic recognition elements and a detailed comparison of their assay performances. Therefore, this review would serve as a good summary of the efforts for the development of electronic bio-sensing approaches involving synthetic recognition elements

The extended growth of graphene oxide flakes using ethanol CVD

We report the extended growth of Graphene Oxide (GO) flakes using atmospheric pressure ethanol Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). GO was used to catalyze the deposition of carbon on substrate in the ethanol CVD with Ar and H2 as carrier gases. Raman, SEM, XPS 10 and AFM characterized the growth to be reduced GO (RGO) of <5 layers. This new grown RGO possesses lower defect density with larger and increased distribution of sp2 domains than chemically-reduced RGO. Furthermore this method without optimization reduces relative standard deviation of electrical conductivity between chips, from 80.5% to 16.5%, enabling RGO to be used in practical electronic devices

Cosmological perturbations in SFT inspired non-local scalar field models

We study cosmological perturbations in models with a single non-local scalar field originating from the string field theory description of the rolling tachyon dynamics. We construct the equation for the energy density perturbations of the non-local scalar field and explicitly prove that for the free field it is identical to a system of local cosmological perturbation equations in a particular model with multiple (maybe infinitely many) local free scalar fields.Comment: 21 pages, no figures, v3: presentation improved, results unchanged, references adde

Creating sustainable value through food waste management: does retail customer value proposition matter?

Purpose This research aims to explore retail managers' views on how food waste (FW) management activities contribute to sustainable value creation and how the customer value proposition (CVP) for a given food retailer interacts with their approaches to FW management. Design/methodology/approach A three-stage exploratory qualitative approach to data collection and analysis was adopted, involving in-depth interviews with retail managers, documentary analysis of multiple years of relevant corporate reports and email validation by seven major UK grocery retailers. Thematic content analysis supplemented by word similarity cluster analysis, two-step cluster analysis and crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis was undertaken. Findings FW management practices have been seen by retail managers to contribute to all forms of sustainable value creation, as waste reduction minimises environmental impact, saves costs and/or serves social needs, whilst economic value creation lies at the heart of retail FW management. However, retail operations are also framed by CVP and size of a retailer that enable or inhibit the adoption of certain FW management practices. Low-price retailers were more likely to adopt practices enabling them to save costs. Complicated cost-incurring solutions to FW were more likely to be adopted by retailers associated with larger size, high quality and a range of services. Originality/value This study is the first of its kind to empirically explore retail managers' perception of sustainable value creation through FW management activities and to provide empirical evidence of the linkages between retail CVP and sustainable value creation in the context of retail FW management

The detection and measurement of interleukin-6 in venous and capillary blood samples, and in sweat collected at rest and during exercise

Purpose: This study aimed to quantify the relationship between venous and capillary blood sampling methods for the measurement of plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6). A parallel study was conducted to determine the possibility of measuring IL-6 in sweat using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and investigate the relationship between plasma- and sweat-derived measures of IL-6. Methods: Twelve male participants were recruited for the measurement of IL-6 at rest and during exercise (study 1). An additional group of five female participants was recruited for the measurement of IL-6 in venous blood versus sweat at rest and following exercise (study 2). In study 1, venous and capillary blood samples were collected at rest and in response to exercise. In study 2, venous and sweat samples were collected following exercise. Results: Mean plasma IL-6 concentration was not different between venous and capillary blood sampling methods either at rest (4.27 ± 5.40 vs. 4.14 ± 4.45 pg ml−1), during (5.40 ± 5.17 vs. 5.58 ± 6.34 pg ml−1), or in response to exercise (6.95 ± 6.37 vs. 6.99 ± 6.74 pg ml−1). There was no IL-6 detectable in sweat either at rest or following exercise. Conclusion: There are no differences in the measurement of plasma IL-6 using either venous or capillary blood sampling methods. Capillary measurement represents a minimally invasive way of measuring IL-6 and detecting changes in IL-6, which are linked to fatigue and overtraining

Detection of matrilysin (MMP-7) activity using polypeptide functionalized reduced graphene oxide field-effect transistor sensor.

A novel approach for rapid and sensitive detection of matrilysin (MMP-7, a biomarker involved in the degradation of vari-ous macromolecules) based on polypeptide (JR2EC) functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO) field effect transistor (FET) is reported. MMP-7 specifically digests negatively charged JR2EC immobilized on rGO, thereby modulating the con-ductance of rGO-FET. The proposed assay enabled detection of MMP-7 at clinically relevant concentrations with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 ng/mL (400 pM), attributed to the significant reduction of the net charge of JR2EC upon digestion by MMP-7. Quantitative detection of MMP-7 in human plasma was further demonstrated with a LOD of 40 ng/mL, illustrating the potential for the proposed methodology for tumor detection and carcinoma diagnostic (e.g. lung cancer and salivary gland cancer). Additionally, excellent specificity of the proposed assay was demonstrated using matrix metallopeptidase 1 (MMP-1), a protease of the same family. With appropriate selection and modification of polypeptides, the proposed assay could be extended for detections of other enzymes with polypeptide digestion capability

Observational constraints on holographic dark energy with varying gravitational constant

We use observational data from Type Ia Supernovae (SN), Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO), Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and observational Hubble data (OHD), and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, to constrain the cosmological scenario of holographic dark energy with varying gravitational constant. We consider both flat and non-flat background geometry, and we present the corresponding constraints and contour-plots of the model parameters. We conclude that the scenario is compatible with observations. In 1$\sigma$ we find $\Omega_{\Lambda0}=0.72^{+0.03}_{-0.03}$, $\Omega_{k0}=-0.0013^{+0.0130}_{-0.0040}$, $c=0.80^{+0.19}_{-0.14}$ and $\Delta_G\equiv G'/G=-0.0025^{+0.0080}_{-0.0050}$, while for the present value of the dark energy equation-of-state parameter we obtain $w_0=-1.04^{+0.15}_{-0.20}$.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, version published in JCA