Agricultural information dissemination using ICTs: a review and analysis of information dissemination models in China

Open Access funded by China Agricultural UniversityOver the last three decades, China’s agriculture sector has been transformed from the traditional to modern practice through the effective deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Information processing and dissemination have played a critical role in this transformation process. Many studies in relation to agriculture information services have been conducted in China, but few of them have attempted to provide a comprehensive review and analysis of different information dissemination models and their applications. This paper aims to review and identify the ICT based information dissemination models in China and to share the knowledge and experience in applying emerging ICTs in disseminating agriculture information to farmers and farm communities to improve productivity and economic, social and environmental sustainability. The paper reviews and analyzes the development stages of China’s agricultural information dissemination systems and different mechanisms for agricultural information service development and operations. Seven ICT-based information dissemination models are identified and discussed. Success cases are presented. The findings provide a useful direction for researchers and practitioners in developing future ICT based information dissemination systems. It is hoped that this paper will also help other developing countries to learn from China’s experience and best practice in their endeavor of applying emerging ICTs in agriculture information dissemination and knowledge transfer

What Powered the Optical Transient AT2017gfo Associated with GW170817?

The groundbreaking discovery of the optical transient AT2017gfo associated with GW170817 opens a unique opportunity to study the physics of double neutron star (NS) mergers. We argue that the standard interpretation of AT2017gfo as being powered by radioactive decay of r-process elements faces the challenge of simultaneously accounting for the peak luminosity and peak time of the event, as it is not easy to achieve the required high mass, and especially the low opacity of the ejecta required to fit the data. A plausible solution would be to invoke an additional energy source, which is probably provided by the merger product. We consider energy injection from two types of the merger products: (1) a post-merger black hole powered by fallback accretion; and (2) a long-lived NS remnant. The former case can only account for the early emission of AT2017gfo, with the late emission still powered by radioactive decay. In the latter case, both early- and late-emission components can be well interpreted as due to energy injection from a spinning-down NS, with the required mass and opacity of the ejecta components well consistent with known numerical simulation results. We suggest that there is a strong indication that the merger product of GW170817 is a long-lived (supramassive or even permanently stable), low magnetic field NS. The result provides a stringent constraint on the equations of state of NSs

Effect of User Involvement in Supply Chain Cloud Innovation: A Game Theoretical Model and Analysis

Cloud innovation has become increasingly important to supply chain innovation and performance. User involvement is a crucial part of cloud innovation. However, the effect of user involvement in supply chain cloud innovation has not been thoroughly studied, particularly its effect on product cost and optimal price. In this paper, the authors attempted to bridge this major gap in the literature. The authors reviewed the relevant literature to define cloud innovation and user involvement in supply chain cloud innovation. Then the authors developed a game model based on the Bertrand model. Analysis of the model showed that user involvement affects product cost and optimal pricing in an interesting way. The authors also presented a real-life example of how user innovation takes place at Tailg electric vehicle company

Ophiorrhiza shiqianensis (Rubiaceae), a new species from Guizhou, China

A new species of the genus Ophiorrhiza L. (Rubiaceae), Ophiorrhiza shiqianensis L.D.Duan & Yun Lin, is described, illustrated and photographed from Shiqian County, Guizhou Province, South-western China. This species was found growing at the side of streams in evergreen broad-leaved forests in mountains at elevations of 960–1100 m. The new species is morphologically similar to Ophiorrhiza hunanica H.S.Lo, but differs from the latter by the glabrous, glabrescent or pilose stems, the 5–10 cm long subterranean stem internodes, the glabrous or pilose petioles, the 3–5 mm long stipules, the purple corolla lobes, the ca. 12 mm long style and included stigmas in long-styled flowers and the 3–4 × 8–10 mm, glabrous or glabrescent capsules