This study examined planting seasons, crop rotation, and seed utilization across nine Andean p rovinces i n Ecuador: Carchi, I mbabura, Pichincha, C otopaxi, T ungurahua, C himborazo, Cañar, Azuay, and Loja. A total of 67 farms, representing 60.9% of those surveyed, employed legumes such as peas, beans, broad beans, lupins, and green beans to enhance soil fertility through rotation or intercropping. Among the 110 farms surveyed, 59 (53.6%) implemented a combined crop rotation scheme (including both pastures-to-crop and crop-to-crop rotations), 27 (24.5%) utilized a crop-to-crop rotation, and 18 (16.4%) focused solely on pastures-to-crop rotation. High-quality or certified seeds developed by the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP) were used in 58 fields (19% of the surveyed fields), while the remaining 81% relied on self-saved seeds. These findings indicate that family farming in the Ecuadorian Andes is increasingly adopting sustainable agricultural practices that are resilient to climate change, thereby promoting biodiversity through the use of locally adapted agricultural resources.

Hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a key vegetable crop in Ethiopia, significantly contributing to nutrition, income generation, and foreign currency earnings. However, its production faces ch allenges f rom pests and a shortage o f improved v arieties t h at o ffer acceptable y ields and quality. T his study aimed to identify varieties with higher green pod yields and quality. A field experiment was conducted at four agricultural research centers—Melkassa, Woramit, Debre Markos, and Wendogenet—and one commercial farm in Koka during 2021 and 2022. Six hot pepper genotypes (CCA-984-A, CCA-321, CCA-323, Mr. Lee no. 3 selex, Melka Awaze, and Chala) were evaluated using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The combined analysis of variance across locations and years revealed significant differences among the genotypes in both marketable and total yield. CCA-323 achieved the highest marketable pod yield at 225.72 q/ha, followed closely by the Chala check at 204.81 q/ha. A similar trend was noted for total green pod yield. The performance of the genotypes was highly significant (P<0.01) under both irrigation and rain-fed conditions. Additionally, significant differences genowere observed in various traits, including days to 50% flowering, plant height, plant width, pod weight per plant, pod length, pod diameter, and pod wall thickness. The CCA-323 genotype demonstrated an elongated pod shape, dark green color, smooth surface, high storability, and medium pungency, aligning well with consumer preferences in the green pod market. It proved to be a highly stable and high-yielding genotype. As a result, CCA-323 was released as ‘Koka-1’ for green pod production in the tested sites and similar agro-ecologies of Ethiopia. This variety is expected to enhance both the economic and nutritional value for hot pepper farmers and consumers and can serve as a parental line for future breeding programs.

국제 유학생의 창업에 대한 세계적 관심이 높아지고 있음에도 불구하고, 개인의 심리적 자원이 실제 창업 행동으로 어떻게 전환되는지는 아직 충분히 탐구되지 않았다. 본 연구는 한국 내 국제 유학생을 대상으로, 심리자본이 창업 의도와 행동에 미치는 영향을 분석하고, 이 과정에서 문화적응역량의 매개 역할에 초점을 두었다. 심리자본 이론과 계획된 행동이론(Theory of Planned Behavior)을 기반으로, 180명의 유학생 데이터를 부분 최소자승 구조방정식모형(PLS-SEM)을 통해 분석하였다. 분석 결과, 희망(β = .204, p = .010), 자기효능감(β = .307, p = .006), 낙관주의(β = .323, p < .001)는 문화적응역량을 유의하게 향상시키는 반면, 회복탄력성은 유의하지 않았다(β = .016, p = .844). 문화적응역량은 창업 의도 에 긍정적인 영향을 미치지만(β = .567, p < .001) 행동에는 직접적인 영향을 주지 않았으며, 창업 의도는 행동을 강하게 예측하였다(β = .465, p < .001). 또한 문화적응역량이 창업 행동에 미치는 간접효과는 창업 의도를 통해 유의하게 나타나(β = .264, p < .001), 완전매개 효과가 검증되었다. 본 연구는 심리학과 문화 적 관점을 통합함으로써 창업 이론을 확장하고, 대학과 정책입안자들이 유학생의 심리자원, 문화적응능 력, 제도적 지원을 강화하여 창업 참여를 촉진해야 함을 강조한다.

This paper investigates the problem of ship course control in the presence of model uncertainties, external disturbances, and actuator saturation. A high-performance autopilot is developed based on a direct neural network adaptive dynamic surface control (DSC) framework integrated with deep reinforcement learning. To compensate for lumped uncertainties arising from unmodeled dynamics and disturbances, a radial basis function (RBF) neural network is employed to provide online approximation within the control design. Moreover, the actuator saturation constraint is explicitly incorporated into the controller, avoiding performance degradation commonly encountered in conventional DSC schemes.To alleviate the reliance on manual parameter tuning, the controller parameter adaptation is formulated as a continuous-action optimization problem and solved using a deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm. The DDPG agent learns an optimal tuning policy by maximizing a reward function that penalizes course tracking errors, excessive control variations, and energy consumption. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves improved tracking accuracy, smoother control inputs, and enhanced robustness under complex operating conditions, thereby validating the effectiveness of the DDPG-based adaptive tuning strategy for autonomous ship navigation.

Aiming at the control problem of nonlinear uncertain systems with asymmetric saturated actuators and u nknown external disturbances, a composite control method integrating dynamic surface control (DSC), ad aptive neural network estimation, and a nonlinear saturation compensation mechanism is proposed. In the scenarios of ship course and trajectory tracking, the system faces multiple challenges such as symmetric and asymmetric actuator saturation, as well as unknown external disturbances. Radial basis function (R BF) neural networks are utilized for online approximation of unknown nonlinear functions and external d isturbances. Combined with dynamic surface technology, the problem of "explosion of complexity" in tra ditional backstepping control is eliminated. A nonlinear function with inverse correlation to error gain is designed to dynamically adjust the control gain, balancing the requirements of tracking accuracy and sat uration suppression. Furthermore, a Gaussian error function is introduced to construct a continuously diff erentiable asymmetric saturation model. An auxiliary dynamic system is integrated to compensate for the saturation nonlinear effect, achieving smooth amplitude limitation of rudder angle commands. Comparati ve MATLAB simulation results demonstrate that the course tracking error is reduced by 1°, the fluctuati on amplitude of the rudder angle is decreased by approximately 50%, the number of rudder angle satura tion events is reduced by about 60%, and the error convergence time is shortened by roughly 30%. The proposed composite control method effectively addresses the issues of asymmetric saturation and externa l disturbances, significantly enhancing the accuracy and robustness of the ship course control system.

Porous carbon derived from biomass represents pivotal electrode materials for electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). However, their applications are limited by the low pore utilization and low withstanding voltage (< 2.7 V), which largely hinder the energy density (Eg) of SCs. In this study, fulvic acid-derived porous carbons (FPs) were synthesized through the self-assembly and KOH activation strategy by employing fulvic acid (FA) as the precursor and cationic surfactant PDDA as the soft template. The electrostatic forces between FA and PDDA enable the structural orientation of FA, leading to the formation of stable layered liquid microcrystals. Besides, under the activation process, the decomposition of PDDA contributes to the interconnected pores in FPs. Thus, the obtained sample FP1 exhibits a high specific surface area (2593 m2 g− 1) and high mesopore ratio (48%). Moreover, low oxygen content and stable surface composition promote the withstanding voltage of FPs. In the TEABF4/ PC electrolyte, the sample FP1 is capable of a high voltage of 3.0 V, high-rate capability C10/0.05 of 76.3%, and high energy density of 39 Wh kg− 1.

Surface wetting gradient design plays a crucial role in enhancing liquid transportation in smart devices. However, achieving Janus wetting interfacial design to manage high-efficient ion transport paths remains a great challenge in textile electrodes. Herein, a porous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel layer was constructed on one side of the composite electrode, while a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) solution was sprayed onto the opposite side of electrode to obtain an asymmetric Janus-wettability textile electrode. Furthermore, the design of asymmetric wettability gradient and multilevel structure has been facilitated to directional liquid self-drive and ion transmission in a Janus-wettability textile electrode. Compared with the charge transfer resistance (Rct) of pure PDMS superhydrophobic electrode (1.58 Ω), the Rct of Janus-wettability electrode was 1.31 Ω, which reveals that the porous PVA layer is beneficial to promoting a rapid electron transfer. For solid-state supercapacitors (FSCs) with Janus-wettability electrode, the Rct of Janus-FSCs (0.5 Ω) was reduced by 90% compared to the composite FSCs (4.6 Ω) without PDMS coating, confirming a faster ionic diffusion after the introduction of stable PDMS superhydrophobic surface for wettability gradient. Moreover, the Janus-wettability FSCs also achieved a specific energy density of 0.104 mWh cm− 2 at 1.2 mW cm− 2, and cycle stability (96.8% after 10,000 cycles). These insights demonstrate the effectiveness of interface coordination in textile electrodes for enhancing electrochemical performance.

Akaganeite (β-FeOOH) and hybrid active materials (akaganeite/maghemite (γ-Fe2O3)) containing carbon nanoparticles have been successfully developed through hydrothermal process using oxidation debris of graphene oxide and iron (II) chloride tetrahydrate. The obtained akaganeite sample and the hybrid material containing 29% akaganeite and 71% maghemite were confirmed using Mӧssbauer analysis. Two types of cathode made of akaganeite (β-FeOOH) and hybrid active materials supported on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) for RGO/AKA-100 and RGO/AKA-29 were taken as the main air electrode. The full-cell zinc–air battery prototypes (with 6 M KOH electrolyte) were tested for 500 cycles at room temperature. The result showed that the discharge capacity was achieved as high as 131.05 mAh/cm2 for RGO/AKA-100 and 137.26 mAh/ cm2 for RGO/AKA-29. These performances are better than that using zinc–air batteries with carbon black/MnO2 (CB/ MnO2) as air cathode, that give a discharge capacity of 115.7 mAh/cm2. The charge–discharge efficiency of RGO/AKA-100 and RGO/AKA-29 was examined in relation to their distinct catalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) when incorporated into electrochemically rechargeable zinc–air batteries. In addition, the different morphology of zinc deposit and dendrite was characterized using SEM, TEM, and PXRD analysis. From this study, the high performance of active material was suggested to be due to the hybrid effect among akaganeite, maghemite, and reduced graphene oxide, which can produce a synergetic improvement.

Hard carbon's excellent performance and affordability made it an ideal anode material for sodium-ion batteries. However, hard carbons derived directly from lignin often exhibit poor performance. Optimizing the synthesis process presents a valuable strategy for enhancing performance. In this study, we optimize the synthesis process to minimize costs while integrating green chemistry principles to mitigate environmental impact. Sodium lignosulfonate-formaldehyde resin-derived hard carbon is produced using a simple, low-cost pyrolysis technique involving multiple temperature stages. This process enhances the material's structural stability and electrochemical performance. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy analysis show that higher pyrolysis temperatures lead to a distinct peak, which improves electronic conductivity. In contrast, lower temperatures result in chaotic structural formations. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image analyses reveal that the resulting material has a porous structure with unique chemical properties. Tested for 200 cycles at a current density of 50 mA g− 1, the materials exhibited specific capacities of 332.24 mAh g− 1, 180.3 mAh g− 1, and 105.6 mAh g− 1, respectively, for LSHC-1400, LSHC-1200, and LSHC-1000. The promising results can be attributed to the unique porous structure and inherent chemical properties of the lignosulfonate precursor, which enhance the transport and storage of sodium ions. This study highlights the critical role of the synthesis method in determining the sodium storage capacity of the carbon anode in sodium-ion batteries, encouraging further exploration and optimization in this area.

Symptomatic joint degeneration is a common chronic musculoskeletal disorder worldwide. The literature has noted that some clinicians find treating this condition “technically challenging,” while others find it to be “unchallengingly routine.” We believe that all clinicians treating symptomatic joint degeneration should have a robust understanding of the mechanobiological interactions between the synovial lining, synovial cells, synovial fluid, articular cartilage, and subchondral bone. This four-part narrative review describes how inner lining synovitis and cellular changes in the subchondral region, including the development of bone marrow edema, are symptom generators in some patients with various grades of joint degeneration. This review suggests that physical therapists (PTs) should acquaint themselves with the concept of mechanotransduction and more fully consider cellular mechanosensitivity and mechanoresponsiveness as exercise loading and manual interventions loads are placed upon joints with degenerative change. We call for additional research efforts in the area of protocol development for low-load exercise intervention and between PTs and physicians who may have access to laboratory facilities and imaging equipment. This research could allow for both direct and indirect assessment of intra-articular pressure, synovial fluid, and bone marrow edema after the application of therapeutic exercise and joint mobilization.