Cutting management has been identified as a critical factor in the alfalfa production systems because it has a significant impact on maximizing yield and maintaining the forage quality. The objective of this experiment was to determine the proper cutting height according to harvesting time for optimizing nutrient yield and forage nutritive quality of alfalfa grown in alpine regions of Korea. Alfalfa was sown at a seeding rate of 30 kg/ha in August 2018 and harvested at four cuttings in 2019 (3 May, 2 July, 11 September, and 13 October). Cutting heights were adjusted at 5, 15, and 25 cm above the soil surface. Alfalfa plant was tallest at the third cutting (109 cm), which was on average 35 cm taller than the first or second cutting. Relative feed value (RFV) remained unaffected by cutting height at the first harvest, but increased consistently in subsequent harvests as cutting height increased. Alfalfa collected at the first and fourth cuttings had the highest RFV (mean 152), which was on average 8 and 67 units higher than the second and third harvests, respectively. At each harvest, in vitro dry matter digestibility was highest in alfalfa cut at a 25-cm height. Dry matter (DM) production at each cutting height was highest in the first cutting, accounting for on average 36-37% of total annual DM production, and lowest in the fourth harvest, accounting for about 11-13% of the total DM yield. The total dry matter production (in four harvests) was 4,218 kg/ha higher when alfalfa was subjected to a cutting height of 5 cm rather than 25 cm. Cutting height had no effect on total crude protein yield, but from the first to fourth cutting, the protein yield followed a decreasing trend. Finally, there were visible declines in forage nutritive quality when alfalfa was cut at a shorter height. However, the magnitude of difference in total forage yield may outweigh the slight decline in forage quality when alfalfa is cut at a lower height. The findings of this study could help the alfalfa growers make better harvest management decisions.

In this work, a simple nonenzymatic glucose sensor has been proposed based on coconut shell charcoal (CSC) modified nickel foil as working electrode in a three-electrode electrochemical cell. Charcoal was prepared by the pyrolysis of coconut shells. The most important advantages of coconut shells are cost-effectiveness and their abundance in nature. The morphology and phase of the CSC powder were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The electrochemical performance of the CSC powder coated Nickel foil electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The sensor shows a higher sensitivity of 2.992 mA cm−2 mM−1 in the linear range of 0.5–5.5 mM and slightly lower sensitivity of 1.1526 mA cm−2 mM−1 in the range of 7–18.5 mM glucose concentration with a detection limit of 0.2 mM. The anti-interference property of CSC powder also was investigated and found that the response of interfering species was less significant compared to glucose response. The proposed sensor offers good sensitivity, wide linear range, and a very low response to interfering biomolecules.

A carbon nanofiber was produced from the Areca catechu husk as a supercapacitor electrode, utilizing a chemical activation of potassium hydroxide (KOH) at different concentrations. One-stage integrated pyrolysis both carbonization and physical activation were employed for directly converting biomass to activated carbon nanofiber. The morphology structure, specific surface area, pore structure characteristic, crystallinity, and surface compound were characterized to evaluate the influence on electrochemical performance. The electrochemical performance of the supercapacitor was measured using cyclic voltammetry (CV) through a symmetrical system in 1 M H2SO4. The results show that the KOH-assisted or absence activation converts activated carbon from aggregate into a unique structure of nanofiber. The optimized carbon nanofiber showed the large specific surface area of 838.64 m2 g−1 with the total pore volume of 0.448 cm3 g−1, for enhancing electrochemical performance. Beneficial form its unique structural advantages, the optimized carbon nanofiber exhibits high electrochemical performance, including a specific capacitance of 181.96 F g−1 and maximum energy density of 25.27 Wh kg−1 for the power density of 91.07 W kg−1. This study examines a facile conventional route for producing carbon nanofiber from biomass Areca catechu husk in economical and efficient for electrode supercapacitor.

The oxidation resistance of the diffusion aluminide bond coat (BC) is compromised largely by interdiffusion (ID) effects on coated turbine blades of aeroengines. The present study is designed to understand the influence of ID on βNiAl coatings or BC. In this regard, nickel substrate and CMSX-4 superalloy are deposited. In total, four sets of BCs are developed, i.e. pure βNiAl (on Ni substrate), simple βNiAl (on CMSX-4 substrate), Zr-βNiAl (on CMSX-4 substrate) and Pt-βNiAl (on CMSX-4 substrate). The main aim of this study is to understand the interdiffusion of Al, Zr and Pt during preparation and oxidation. In addition, the beneficial effects of both Zr and platinum are assessed. Pure βNiAl and simple βNiAl show Ni-outdiffusion, whereas for platinum inward diffusion to the substrate is noticed under vacuum treatment. Interestingly, Zr-βNiAl shows the least ID in all BCs and exhibit stability under both vacuum and oxidation treatments. However, its spallation resistance is slightly lower than that of Pt-βNiAl BC. All BCs show similar oxide growth trends, except for Zr-βNiAl, which exhibits two-stage oxidations, i.e. transient and steady-state. Moreover, it is suggested that the localized spallation in all BCs is caused by βNiAl - γ’-Ni3Al transformation.

Kisspeptin, a neuropeptide and the master controller of reproductive axis upstream to GnRH neurons, and its receptor are also expressed in extrahypothalamic tissues, such as ovaries. As systemic kisspeptin has been shown to modulate follicular dynamics in cattle, we hypothesized that kisspeptin has direct actions on the ovarian follicular development. We also hypothesized that kisspeptin regulation of primordial follicle development is via modulation of VEGF expression. In order to test these hypotheses, we cultured caprine ovarian cortical strips in vitro for 7 days with supplementation of kisspeptin at 1, 10 and 100 μM concentration and observed the development of primordial follicles into intermediate, primary and secondary follicles. We also studied the alteration in the expression profile of VEGF and VEGF transcript variant 2 mRNA during follicular development in the presence of kisspeptin. We confirmed the presence of GPR54 in goat ovaries in our preliminary studies. Supplementation of kisspeptin at 1 and 10 μM concentration facilitated the development of primordial follicles into intermediate, primary and secondary follicles with less number of degenerated follicles while the same at 100 μM resulted in degeneration of follicles. We observed a drastic increase in the expression profile of VEGF and VEGF transcript variant 2 mRNA upon culture which was independent of kisspeptin treatment. In conclusion, our studies show that kisspeptin facilitates ovarian primordial development in vitro.

Abstract Activated carbon from the shell of the cashew of Para (SCP) was produced by chemical activation with ZnCl using the ratio of SCP: ZnCl2 1.0:1.5 at 700 °C. The prepared activated carbon (SCP700) was used for the removal of two emerging contaminants, 4-bromophenol (4-BrPhOH) and 4-chloroaniline (4-ClPhNH2) that are primarily employed in the industry. Different analytical techniques were used to characterize the activated carbon. From the N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms were obtained the specific surface area of 1520 m2 g− 1 and total pore volume of 0.492 cm3 g−1. The functional groups were identified by the FTIR technique and quantified by modified Boehm titration. The results revealed the bearing of several functional groups on the SCP700 surface, which may utterly influence the removal of the emerging contaminants. The equilibrium experiments showed that the maximum uptaken capacities (Qmax) achieved at 45 °C were 488.2 (4-BrPhOH) and 552.5 mg g−1 (4-ClPhNH2). The thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the processes of 4-BrPhOH and 4-ClPhNH2 adsorption are exothermic, spontaneous, energetically suitable, and the magnitude of ΔH° is compatible with physisorption. The mechanism of the adsorption of the emerging contaminants onto the carbon surface is dominated by microporous filling, hydrogen bonds, π-stacking interactions, and other Van der Waals interactions. The use of activated carbon for the treatment of industrial synthetic wastewater with several inorganic and organic molecules commonly found in industrial effluents showed a very high percentage of uptaking (up to 98.64%).

Foaling is a process of giving birth to foal which is prompt and forceful event in equine breeding. Dystocia is declared when 2nd stage of parturition exceeds from 20 min without fetal movements in mare. Dystocia is very challenging situation for both mare and veterinarian. Survivability of mare and foal, and subsequent fertility of mare depends on efficient management. Therefore, the current report described a rare case of wry neck (torticollis or unilateral bent neck) resulted in dystocia, that was efficiently resolved by partial fetotomy and repulsion technique in mare under field conditions. Intensive post operative care was performed to avoid infection and to achieve fertility subsequently.

Deionized water, methanol, and ethanol were investigated for their effectiveness at dissolving LiCl-KCl-UCl3 at 25, 35, and 50℃ using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to study the concentration evolution of uranium and mass ratio evolutions of lithium and potassium in these solvents. A visualization experiment of the dissolution of the ternary salt in solvents was performed at 25℃ for 2 min to gain further understanding of the reactions. Aforementioned solvents were evaluated for their performance on removing the adhered ternary salt from uranium dendrites that were electrochemically separated in a molten LiCl-KCl-UCl3 electrolyte (500℃) using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Findings indicate that deionized water is best suited for dissolving the ternary salt and removing adhered salt from electrodeposits. The maximum uranium concentrations detected in deionized water, methanol, and ethanol for the different temperature conditions were 8.33, 5.67, 2.79 μg·L-1 for 25℃, 10.62, 5.73, 2.50 μg·L-1 for 35℃, and 11.55, 6.75, and 4.73 μg·L-1 for 50℃. ICP-MS analysis indicates that ethanol did not take up any KCl during dissolutions investigated. SEM-EDS analysis of ethanol washed uranium dendrites confirmed that KCl was still adhered to the surface. Saturation criteria is also proposed and utilized to approximate the state of saturation of the solvents used in the dissolution trials.

Systematic literature reviews (SLR) are very important to track the extent to which studies related to the formulation of Halal Catering on board have been previously studied by previous scholars. Therefore, the SLR study requires a clear and detailed understanding concerning the study direction for each selected article by analyzing the scope of the study and its dimensions as the main emphasis whether it has been discussed by any previous scholar or otherwise. Through the basis of the analysis of literature reviews will enable the specific detection of the title of the study. Even SLR analysis is also able to compare in terms of the year the article was published by comparing the differences in scope and dimensions of each article by selected scholars referred to 16 scholars from the year 2012 until 2017. Regards to methodology, SLR emphasised into five stages such as i) Time Frame, ii) Selection of a database, iii) Journal selection, iv) Article selection and v) Literature review analysis. Analysis, discussion, and findings will be focusing on the scope, dimensions, and years of studies by using figures, tables as facilitators of analysis and findings. Hence, the role of Halal institutions will be able to assess its ability to form halal rules with the involvement of stakeholders and the scope that has been affected in detail.

Today’s technological developments have resulted in the emergence of various new crimes threatening the international community. In recent decades, there have been various forms of cybercrimes targeted at the communication networks and defense systems of countries by other countries, known as cyber warfare. Unfortunately, international law has not specified this as a crime, but its impact has caused violations of sovereignty and disruption of national security, resulting in material loss, breakdown of communication networks and obstruction of social and public services based on the internet, such as what happened in Estonia in 2007. This article is a normative study that analyzes the elements of cybercrime relating to threats to a country’s security. The modification of the cybercrime concept is necessary to designate cybercrimes as crimes of aggression amid technological development to maintain stability in the international community.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical overview of the use of social marketing in Asia. A total of 17 countries were included in this paper. We demonstrate the development and trends of social marketing in Asia by highlighting prominent and effective cases. Our findings reveal that social marketing practice represents a wide spectrum of topics. However, public policy and education outweigh adoption of social marketing to address social issues. Several barriers influence adoption and effectiveness of social marketing. We highlight a few and recommend strategies to overcome them.

Markets are complex ecosystems consisting of various interconnected actors, in which resources are integrated to co-create value. Said value co-creation within markets can be enhanced by creating higher resource density, hence shaping the market. However, market shaping research predominantly focuses on the activities of market shapers, rather than the equally important roles of other market actors within the ecosystem. While market shapers are instrumental in the process of shaping, this narrow focus fails to consider how all market actors inevitably are influenced or influence the market ecosystem. All market actors exert effort in the value co-creation process, including the process of market shaping. This study therefore explores effort in a market shaping context and examines the effects of effort reduction as a mechanism to facilitate market shaping as it leads to enhanced value creation. This is a conceptual study that uses theory adaptation approach to link the concept of value co-creation, market shaping, and effort. This study offers a conceptual framework and five propositions outlining the role of effort reduction in the value co-creation process with flow on effects to market shaping. The developed conceptual framework indicates how market shapers can enhance resource density and increase value creation by reducing the effort required of other market actors in the value co-creation process. This research offers effort reduction in the value co-creation process as a viable market shaping tactic and extends the focus beyond the focal market shaper to consider the broader context with numerous market actors within it.

This research analyzes how higher education fosters collaboration in the curriculum by investigating the case of project-based learning programs and its ability to teach collaborative capabilities. 30 semi-structured interviews are conducted (students, supervisors, alumni) to gain an understanding of the experience of project work and how it impacts collaborative capabilities.

Consumers become increasingly concerned about the impact of business on the society and social media platforms facilitate the spread of their concern worldwide. This research investigates how consumers react (i.e. Electronic Word-of-Mouth) when brands initiate good or bad practices in the context of social and environmental corporate responsibility. Three experiments provide a multifaceted representation of the phenomenon. We examine the role of consumers’ self-conscious moral emotions (i.e. guilt and pride), in combination with brand engagement in self-concept (BESC) and brand loyalty, in explaining consumers’ reaction. The results will help scholars and managers to better understand and address the spread of consumers’ e-WOM relating to what they perceive as responsible or irresponsible brand behaviors.