scholarly journals Weed Functional Diversity as Affected by Agroecological Service Crops and No-Till in a Mediterranean Organic Vegetable System

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 689
Author(s):  
Corrado Ciaccia ◽  
Laura Armengot Martinez ◽  
Elena Testani ◽  
Fabrizio Leteo ◽  
Gabriele Campanelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
Weed Communities ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Flowering Onset ◽  
Selection Of

This paper explores the effect of agroecological service crops (ASCs), i.e., crops included in the crop rotation for their ecosystem services, terminated with an in-line tillage roller crimper (ILRC) on weed community composition and their functional traits in comparison to a tilled control without ASC. A two-year study was performed in a long-term experiment with vegetables under organic management. Four different cereal crops were introduced as ASCs. Weed abundance and richness and the functional traits were assessed at three different stages, i.e., before and after ASC termination and before harvest of the following crop, melon. All the ASCs showed strong weed suppression, with few differences between the cereals tested. Weed communities with ASCs had later flowering onset and wider flowering span compared to the control, which positively affects weed dispersal and attraction of beneficial insects. However, weed communities with ASCs had higher values for traits related to competition (specific leaf area, seed weight and more perennials). A trade-off between weed suppression and selection of more competitive weed communities by the introduction of ASCs managed with the ILRC should be evaluated in the long-run. The use of the ILRC alternating with other soil management practices seems the more effective strategy to benefit from the minimal soil tillage while avoiding the selection of disservice-related traits in the weed community.

An exploratory analysis of earnings management practices in Australia and New Zealand

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Sun ◽  
Omar Al Farooque
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Reform Period ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Short Run

PurposeThis study aims to explore corporate earnings management practices in Australia and New Zealand before and after the regulatory changes and corporate governance reforms. The study argues that the effectiveness of regulatory reforms has to be reflected in constraining earnings management in post-reform period as compared to pre-reform period.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 3,966 firm-year observations, including all ASX and NZX listed firms for the period 2001-2006, the study examines earnings management practices in both countries in pre- and post-reform periods with appropriate statistical methods.FindingsThe results indicate some interesting phenomenon: the magnitude of earnings management did not decline after the governance reform as a positive time trend is observed in the entire sample as well as in Australian and New Zealand sub-samples, suggesting that earnings management has been growing over time. Additional test indicates no structural change has occurred before and after the new regulations. The shifting from decreasing earnings management to increasing earnings management can be interpreted as an evidence that earnings become more ‘informative’ in a more transparent disclosure regime to capture short-run benefits from regulator reforms.Research limitations/implicationsThe shifting of earnings management behaviour from decreasing to increasing income can be interpreted as the outcome of more “informative”, rather than “deliberate”, earnings management in a more transparent disclosure regime to capture short-run benefits of regulatory reforms, which is worth further investigation. The findings of the study can lead regulatory authorities taking appropriate measures to promote earnings quality in corporate financial reporting from a long-run decision usefulness context. Any future reforms should be directed to protecting the interest of stakeholders as well as ensuring benefits outweighing costs for them.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study can lead regulatory authorities in taking appropriate measures to promote earnings quality in corporate financial reporting from a long-run decision usefulness context.Originality/valueThe study adds value to the existing earnings management literature as well as effectiveness of regulations for the benefit of wider stakeholder groups.

Dynamic Relationship between Crude Oil and Stock Prices in India: Before And After the Subprime Financial Crisis 2008

GIS Business ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 96-104
Author(s):  
P. Sakthivel ◽  
S. Rajaswaminathan ◽  
R. Renuka ◽  
N. R.Vembu
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Stock Prices ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
Energy Index ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
Crude Oil Prices ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Before And After

This paper empirically discovered the inter-linkages between stock and crude oil prices before and after the subprime financial crisis 2008 by using Johansan co-integration and Granger causality techniques to explore both long and short- run relationships.  The whole data set of Nifty index, Nifty energy index, BSE Sensex, BSE energy index and oil prices are divided into two periods; before crisis (from February 15, 2005 to December31, 2007) and after crisis (from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2018) are collected and analyzed. The results discovered that there is one-way causal relationship from crude oil prices to Nifty index, Nifty energy index, BSE Sensex and BSE energy index but not other way around in both periods. However, a bidirectional causality relationship between BSE Energy index and crude oil prices during post subprime financial crisis 2008. The co-integration results suggested that the absence of long run relationship between crude oil prices and market indices of BSE Sensex, BSE energy index, Nifty index and Nifty energy index before and after subprime financial crisis 2008.

Site Selection, Current Design and Management Practices for Land Treatment Units of Petroleum Wastes

1991 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 83-91
Author(s):  
D. C. P. Casarini ◽  
E. Gloeden ◽  
R. C. de A. Cunha
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Design Management ◽  
Hazardous Waste Management ◽  
Land Treatment ◽  
Management Technology ◽  
Current Design ◽  
Treatment Facilities ◽  
Petroleum Refineries ◽  
Selection Of

Land treatment is defined as the hazardous waste management technology related to application and incorporation of waste into the defined treatment zone of the soil where will occur the degradation, transformation and immobilization of the constituents contained in the applied waste, to ensure protection of surface water and groundwater. This paper describes some criteria for site selection of land treatment facilities used by petroleum refineries, as well as the engineering design, management practices to optimize the process and closure and post-closure techniques.

scholarly journals The Effect of Different Soil Tillage Systems and Crop Residues on the Composition of Weed Communities

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1276
Author(s):  
Vaida Steponavičienė ◽  
Aušra Marcinkevičienė ◽  
Lina Marija Butkevičienė ◽  
Lina Skinulienė ◽  
Vaclovas Bogužas
Keyword(s):  
Soil Ph ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Plant Residues ◽  
No Tillage ◽  
Agricultural Crops ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Weed Communities

The composition of weed communities in agricultural crops is dependent on soil properties and the applied agronomic practices. The current study determined the effect of different tillage systems and crop residue on the soil weed community composition. The research programme encompassed 2013–2015 in a long-term field experiment located in the Experimental Station of Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania. The soil type in the experimental field was qualified as Endocalcaric Stagnosol (Aric, Drainic, Ruptic, Amphisiltic). Weeds were categorised into communities according to soil pH, nitrogen and moisture indicators. The results of investigations were grouped using cluster analysis. Agricultural crops were dominated by different weed species depending on the soil pH and moisture. Weed species were relatively more frequent indicating nitrogen-rich and very nitrogen-rich soils. In the reduced tillage and no-tillage systems, an increase in the abundance of weed species indicating moderate acidity and low acidity, moderately wet and wet, nitrogen-rich and very nitrogen-rich soils was observed. The application of plant residues decreased the weed species abundance. In the reduced tillage and no-tillage systems, the quantitative distribution of weed was often uneven. By evaluating the association of weed communities with groups of different tillage systems with or without plant residues, their control can be optimised.

scholarly journals Earthworm Abundance Changes Depending on Soil Management Practices in Slovenian Vineyards

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1241
Author(s):  
Stanko Vršič ◽  
Marko Breznik ◽  
Borut Pulko ◽  
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Green Cover ◽  
The Impact

Earthworms are key indicators of soil quality and health in vineyards, but research that considers different soil management systems, especially in Slovenian viticultural areas is scarce. In this investigation, the impact of different soil management practices such as permanent green cover, the use of herbicides in row and inter-row areas, use of straw mulch, and shallow soil tillage compared to meadow control for earthworm abundance, were assessed. The biomass and abundance of earthworms (m2) and distribution in various soil layers were quantified for three years. Monitoring and a survey covering 22 May 2014 to 5 October 2016 in seven different sampling dates, along with a soil profile at the depth from 0 to 60 cm, were carried out. Our results showed that the lowest mean abundance and biomass of earthworms in all sampling periods were registered along the herbicide strip (within the rows). The highest abundance was found in the straw mulch and permanent green cover treatments (higher than in the control). On the plots where the herbicide was applied to the complete inter-row area, the abundance of the earthworm community decreased from the beginning to the end of the monitoring period. In contrast, shallow tillage showed a similar trend of declining earthworm abundance, which could indicate a deterioration of soil biodiversity conditions. We concluded that different soil management practices greatly affect the soil’s environmental conditions (temperature and humidity), especially in the upper soil layer (up to 15 cm deep), which affects the abundance of the earthworm community. Our results demonstrated that these practices need to be adapted to the climate and weather conditions, and also to human impacts.

scholarly journals A microfluidic device enabling drug resistance analysis of leukemia cells via coupled dielectrophoretic detection and impedimetric counting

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yağmur Demircan Yalçın ◽  
Taylan Berkin Töral ◽  
Sertan Sukas ◽  
Ender Yıldırım ◽  
Özge Zorlu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Resistance ◽  
K562 Cells ◽  
Leukemia Cells ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gene Expressions ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Resistant Cells

AbstractWe report the development of a lab-on-a-chip system, that facilitates coupled dielectrophoretic detection (DEP-D) and impedimetric counting (IM-C), for investigating drug resistance in K562 and CCRF-CEM leukemia cells without (immuno) labeling. Two IM-C units were placed upstream and downstream of the DEP-D unit for enumeration, respectively, before and after the cells were treated in DEP-D unit, where the difference in cell count gave the total number of trapped cells based on their DEP characteristics. Conductivity of the running buffer was matched the conductivity of cytoplasm of wild type K562 and CCRF-CEM cells. Results showed that DEP responses of drug resistant and wild type K562 cells were statistically discriminative (at p = 0.05 level) at 200 mS/m buffer conductivity and at 8.6 MHz working frequency of DEP-D unit. For CCRF-CEM cells, conductivity and frequency values were 160 mS/m and 6.2 MHz, respectively. Our approach enabled discrimination of resistant cells in a group by setting up a threshold provided by the conductivity of running buffer. Subsequent selection of drug resistant cells can be applied to investigate variations in gene expressions and occurrence of mutations related to drug resistance.

A multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis of housing market: a role of financial crises in developed economies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Ali Raza ◽  
Nida Shah ◽  
Muhammad Tahir Suleman ◽  
Md Al Mamun
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Housing Market ◽  
Market Efficiency ◽  
House Price ◽  
Fluctuation Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Before And After

Purpose This study aims to examine the house price fluctuations in G7 countries by using the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) for the years 1970–2019. The study examined the market efficiency between the short-term and long-term in the full sample period, before and after the global financial crisis period. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the MF-DFA to analyze house price fluctuations. Findings The findings confirmed that the housing market series are multifractal. Furthermore, all the markets showed long-term persistence in both the short and long-term. The USA is identified as the most persistent house market in the short run and Japan in the long run. Moreover, in terms of efficiency, Canada is identified as the most efficient house market in the long run and the UK in the short run. Finally, the result of before and after the financial crisis period is consistent with the full sample result. Originality/value The contribution of this study in the literature is fourfold. This is the first study that has examined the house prices efficiency by using the MF-DFA technique given by Kantelhardt et al. (2002). Previously, the house market prices and efficiency has been investigated using generalized Hurst exponent (Liu et al., 2019), Quantile Regression Approach (Chae and Bera, 2019; Tiwari et al., 2019) but no study to the best of the knowledge has been done that has used the MF-DFA technique on the housing market. Second, this is the first study that has focused on the house markets of G7 countries. Third, this study explores the house market efficiency by dividing the market into two periods i.e. before and after the financial crisis. The study strives to investigate if the financial crisis determines the change in the degree of market efficiency or not. Finally, the study gives valuable insights to the investors that will help them in their investment decisions.

A Survey of browse plants used in feeding small ruminants in the Komenda‐ Edina‐Eguafo‐Abrem district (K.E.E.A) of the Central Region of Ghana

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 196-203
Author(s):  
K. Agyeman ◽  
S. O. Apori
Keyword(s):  
Central Region ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Small Ruminant ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Terminalia Catappa ◽  
Livestock Feeding ◽  
Browse Species ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
Production Response ◽  
Selection Of

A study was carried out to identify species used as fodder by small ruminant farmers in the selected villages in the Komenda‐Edina‐Eguafo‐Abrem district of the Central Region of Ghana. Livestock farmers in fifteen communities were interviewed using questionnaires to obtain information on the personal background and livestock feeding and management practices. The main aim of the study was first to identify existing browse species and to determine problems associated with the use of those existing browse species. Some problems identified include harboring of insects, causing of abortion as well as causing bloat. The survey showed that Ficus exasperata, Ficus umbellate, Baphia nitida, Griffonia simplifolia, Antiaris africana, Terminalia catappa, Grewia carprinifolia, Pethecellobium dulceand Leucaena leucocephala were the main browse species that were used in the district to feed small ruminants. Other feedstuffs that were used in feeding animals such as Aspillia africana and Manihot esulentus tops (leaves and peels) were also identified. The level of browse usage showed that Ficus exasperata had the highest value of 66.7% and Terminalia catappa had the lowest value of 13.3%. Farmers in the district preferred Ficus exasperata which they perceived to promote the best production response in livestock. Various reasons were assigned for the selection of a particular browse plant. Farmers in the district may have to be helped to cultivate browse plant in order to sustain the availability and usage of  browse for livestock feeding due to the rateof destruction of browse (shrubs and trees) resulting from urbanization, use of stem of shrubs and trees for fuelwood and other livelihood activities and desertification arising from human related activities.

Manufacturing of LSAW Pipes Using Hot Rolled Sheets for Sour-Service Application

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh Kumar Goyal ◽  
Mahesh Gajjar ◽  
Ashok Joshi ◽  
Anupkumar Tamhane
Keyword(s):  
Steel Mill ◽  
Corrosion Resistant ◽  
Behavioural Changes ◽  
H2s Corrosion ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Service Application ◽  
Hot Rolled ◽  
Sour Service ◽  
Geographical Locations ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract The exploration and transportation of fluids from corrosive fields or reserves demand corrosion-resistant pipelines. The pipelines for sour-service application demand higher resistance to H2S corrosion because of higher sulphur content observed in the geographical locations. The pipelines laid in the corrosive and marshy lands demand high wall thickness to allow for wall thinning due to corrosion. The linepipes manufactured using TMCP plates are widely accepted for sour-service applications. The use of cut-to-length sheets from hot rolled coils for the manufacturing of LSAW pipes is economical but having limited acceptance by the pipeline operators. Welspun took an initiative to develop the linepipes for an onshore sour-service application using API 5L X60MS grade cut-to-length sheets from TMCP hot rolled coils procured from an approved steel mill. The LSAW pipes of 24” OD × 14.27 mm WT were manufactured by the JCO-E press at Welspun Pipes Mill in Anjar-Gujarat-India. The experience of 24”OD × 14.30 mm WT, API 5L X60MO grade pipes manufacturing using TMCP plates procured from another approved steel mill, was used to decide factors such as alloy design, cleanliness, strength, DWTT, hardness, HIC, SSCC, CVN for the selection of cut-to-length sheets. This paper deals with sheet-to-pipe behavioural changes in properties before and after cold mechanical expansion. Wherever possible, the comparison was also made with plate-pipe behavioural changes in properties.

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