Impact of posture and upper-limb muscle activity on grip strength

Purpose. The current research was carried out to determine grip strength (GS) with change in posture and upper-limb muscle activity of manual workers and investigate the impacts of these changes. Methods. For the current research, 120 male and 80 female participants were selected and GS was assessed using a digital hand grip dynamometer in various conditions. Results. The outcomes showed that male participants had higher GS as compared to female participants. Maximum GS was found in a standing posture with the fixed forward shoulder at 45°, elbow at 90° and a neutral position of the wrist and forearm for all participants. Conclusions. Higher values of GS were attained in standing postures which may result in attainment of higher performance levels by the workers. The outcomes justify the importance of correct postures during manual work in industries employing traditional methods.     

Traditional agriculture in transition: examining the impacts of agricultural modernization on smallholder farming in Ghana under the new Green Revolution

Following the renewed effort at achieving a new green revolution for Africa, emphasis has been placed on modernizing smallholder agriculture through the deployment of improved inputs especially mechanized technologies. In Ghana, the government has in the last decade emphasized the provision of subsidized mechanized ploughing services to farmers alongside a rapidly growing private sector tractor service market. While mechanized technology adoption rates have increased rapidly, the deployment of these technologies has been without critical analysis of the impacts on production patterns and local agrarian systems. This paper examines the distributional impacts of agriculture mechanization on cropping patterns and farm sizes of smallholder farmers in northern Ghana using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques, and semi-structured interviews with smallholder farmers (n=60). Specifically, comparative analysis of the field sizes and cropping patterns of participant farmers prior to and after the adoption of mechanized technologies was conducted. In-depth interviews were used to contextualize the experiences of smallholder farmers toward understanding how mechanization may be impacting traditional agriculture. Our findings reveal a mechanization paradox in which farm sizes are expanding, while cropping patterns are shifting away from traditional staple crops (pearl millet and sorghum bicolor) to market-oriented crops (maize, rice and groundnuts). This transition we argue, has adverse implications on the cultural dimension of food security, the organization of social life, and climate change adaptation. We recommend a retooling of the current agricultural policy focus to ensure context sensitivity for a more robust battle against food insecurity.     

利用3S技术动态监测天山草地农业产量及其成因分析

在新疆阜康县大量“天地”资料观测基础上，利用3S(RS、GIS和GPS)技术和生态系统分析方法，对新疆天山草地农业资源进行了系统的动态监测和大面积估产研究。结果表明，该县草地和森林面积1998年比1988年分别下降了17．5％和51．o％，而农业用地面积和沙漠危害面积却分别增加了57．8％和21．2％，实现了利用3s技术系统准确监测新疆阜康县草地农业资源动态变化，其大面积草地遥感估产精度达到75．8％以上。最后，建立了新型PPR估产模型，其估产精度达到81．76％以上，并给出了理论生态成因解释与定量分析结果等。     

The Impact of Agriculture On Dissolved Nitrogen and Phosphorus Cycling in Temperate Ecosystems

Although most research has focussed on inorganic nutrient forms of nitrate (NO^-₃) and phosphorus (PO³₄) in runoff and receiving waters, nitrogen loss from agricultural land can also occur in organic and ammonium-nitrogen form; phosphorus losses, although often dominated by particulate transport, may occur in soluble organic and inorganic form. Furthermore, fluxes between different species may take place during transport from the land to the stream and as a result of in-stream, in-river or in-lake transformations. Knowledge of the spatial and temporal variation in all nitrogen species and phosphorus fractions in a drainage basin is therefore essential if the wider environmental significance of elevated nutrient concentrations in natural waters are to be assessed. This paper reviews recent work on N and P losses from agricultural land and presents some results from two intensive agricultural catchments: Slapton, Devon and the river Windrush catchment in the Cotswolds.     

淹水时间对土壤粘闭的影响

本文研究了植稻前淹水时间长短对土壤物理性质和粘闭作用的影响。结果表明,淹水可以显著地降低土壤强度,但土壤抗穿透力并不随淹水时间的延长而进一步明显下降;延长淹水时间,可以促进土壤粉粒和粘粒的分散,但土壤粘闭胼形成的有效粘闭层厚度以及粘闭后表层土壤强度的降低、主要受所使用的粘闭机具的影响,而与淹水时间的长短无关。因此,过分地延长淹水时间的措施,在生产实践上的意义并不大。     

Structural Adjustment of Oasis Agriculture in Xinjiang

As a special basic economic region in China, Xinjiang is situated in the arid area in the Northwest China. Oasis agriculture is the basis of the national economy. The development of oasis agriculture helps to accelerate the development of economy, social and environment. After 50 years of practice, from 1949 to 2002, oasis agriculture in Xinjiang enhanced rapidly the scale of agricultural industry and had great changes in its structure. The amount of cultivated area rose from 120.97*102 ha t…     

潮土细菌及真菌群落对化肥减量配施有机肥和秸秆的响应

为了研究化肥减量配施有机肥和秸秆对华北麦玉轮作田潮土细菌和真菌群落的影响,在天津市宁河区试验基地开展田间定位施肥试验,采用Illumina高通量测序技术比较了5种施肥模式（单施化肥处理,F;化肥减施处理,FR;化肥减量与秸秆配施处理,FRS;化肥减量与有机肥配施处理,FRO;化肥减量与有机肥和秸秆配施处理,FROS）下土壤细菌及真菌群落的组成、多样性和结构差异,并结合土壤理化性质分析,探究不同施肥处理下驱动细菌和真菌群落变化的关键土壤环境因子.结果表明,FRO处理显著提高了土壤SOM含量.FROS处理的TP含量显著高于FRS处理,增加了13.33%.FRO和FROS处理AP含量较其它处理显著增加,NH₄⁺-N含量显著高于化肥处理（F和FR）.各施肥处理土壤中优势细菌门类均为变形菌门（Proteobacteria）、放线菌门（Actinobacteria）、绿弯菌门（Chloroflexi）和酸杆菌门（Acidobacteria）,优势真菌门类均为子囊菌门（Ascomycota）.在化肥减量配施有机肥（FRO）的基础上添加秸秆（FROS）显著降低了放线菌门（Actinobacteria）的相对丰度.FRS和FROS处理均显著降低了芽单胞菌门（Gemmatimonadetes）的相对丰度.FROS处理显著提高了浮霉菌门（Planctomycetes）和疣微菌门（Verrucomicrobia）的相对丰度.对于真菌群落而言,有机肥（FRO和FROS）的施入显著提高了子囊菌门（Ascomycota）的相对丰度.与FR处理相比,FROS处理显著降低了被孢菌门（Mortierellomycota）和油壶菌门（Olpidiomycota）的相对丰度,且FRS处理同样显著降低了油壶菌门（Olpidiomycota）的相对丰度.FROS处理的细菌群落Shannon多样性指数显著高于F和FR处理,分别增加了1.26%和1.25%,Chao1指数较F处理显著增加了4.51%,细菌Shannon多样性指数与AP和NH₄⁺-N含量显著正相关（P<0.05）.与FR处理相比,FRS、FRO和FROS处理显著降低了真菌群落Shannon多样性指数,分别达到29.85%、24.94%和25.73%,真菌Shannon多样性指数与AP含量显著负相关（P<0.05）.细菌群落结构在FROS处理下显著区别于F、FR和FRO处理,土壤SM、TP、pH和AP是导致细菌群落结构变化的主要驱动因子;真菌群落结构在FRO和FROS处理下显著区别于F和FR处理,真菌群落结构变化主要受土壤TN、AP和TP的驱动.综上所述,添加有机肥和秸秆改变了土壤理化性质,进而改变了土壤细菌和真菌群落组成,土壤真菌对有机物料的敏感程度高于细菌,细菌和真菌群落结构均受到土壤P的调控,在潮土农业耕作中应引起充分重视.     

不同轮作模式下作物根际土壤养分及真菌群落组成特征

为研究宁夏中部干旱带不同轮作模式下土壤养分及真菌群落组成的特征,以谷子轮作大豆（MRG）、轮作籽粒苋（MRA）、轮作藜麦（MRQ）及谷子连作（CK）为对象,测定了土壤养分含量,并利用Illumina MiSeq高通量测序平台测定了土壤真菌的ITS变异区序列.结果表明,不同轮作模式对土壤养分的影响存在差异.3种轮作模式下土壤pH和电导率均有所下降,土壤全氮、全钾、全磷和有机质含量均上升,OTUs数和α多样性指数均高于连作.真菌群落组成研究结果显示,子囊菌门（Ascomycota）为4种模式下的优势菌群.聚类分析显示MRA和MRG的真菌属组成最为相似,其次是MRQ,CK与3种轮作模式相差较大.相关性分析显示,土壤养分与几种优势真菌属呈显著相关性（P<0.05或P<0.01）,土壤全氮、全钾、硝态氮和有机质含量是影响土壤真菌群落最主要的因子.主成分分析（PCA）表明,MRG轮作模式优于MRA和MRQ模式.综上所述,轮作提高了真菌群落多样性指数,改变了土壤真菌群落结构,改善了土壤肥力状况,其中以谷子与大豆轮作效果最佳,建议将谷豆轮作作为中部干旱带杂粮产业中主要的轮作模式之一进行推广.     

Treatability studies of naphthalene in soil,water and air with persulfate activated by iron(Ⅱ)

Chemical oxidation was applied to an artificially contaminated soil with naphthalene (NAP). Evaluation of NAP distribution and mass reduction in soil, water and air phases was carried out through mass balance. Evaluation of NAP distribution and mass reduction in soil, water and air phases was carried out through mass balance. The importance of the air phase analysis was emphasized by demonstrating how NAP behaves in a sealed system over a 4 hr reaction period. Design of Experiments method was applied to the following variables: sodium persulfate concentration [SP], ferrous sulfate concentration [FeSO₄], and pH. The system operated with a prefixed solid to liquid ratio of 1:2. The following conditions resulted in optimum NAP removal [SP] = 18.37 g/L, [FeSO₄] = 4.25 g/L and pH = 3.00. At the end of the 4 hr reaction, 62% of NAP was degraded. In the soil phase, the chemical oxidation reduced the NAP concentration thus achieving levels which comply with Brazilian and USA environmental legislations. Besides the NAP partitioning view, the monitoring of each phase allowed the variabilities assessment over the process, refining the knowledge of mass reduction. Based on NAP distribution in the system, this study demonstrates the importance of evaluating the presence of semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds in the air phase during remediation, so that there is greater control of the system as to the distribution and presence of the contaminant in the environment. The results highlight the importance of treating the contaminant in all its phases at the contaminated site.     

Identification of potential electrotrophic microbial community in paddy soils by enrichment of microbial electrolysis cell biocathodes

Electrotrophs are microbes that can receive electrons directly from cathode in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). They not only participate in organic biosynthesis, but also be crucial in cathode-based bioremediation. However, little is known about the electrotrophic community in paddy soils. Here, the putative electrotrophs were enriched by cathodes of MECs constructed from five paddy soils with various properties using bicarbonate as an electron acceptor, and identified by 16S rRNA-gene based Illumina sequencing. The electrons were gradually consumed on the cathodes, and 25%–45% of which were recovered to reduce bicarbonate to acetic acid during MEC operation. Firmicutes was the dominant bacterial phylum on the cathodes, and Bacillus genus within this phylum was greatly enriched and was the most abundant population among the detected putative electrotrophs for almost all soils. Furthermore, several other members of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria may also participate in electrotrophic process in different soils. Soil pH, amorphous iron and electrical conductivity significantly influenced the putative electrotrophic bacterial community, which explained about 33.5% of the community structural variation. This study provides a basis for understanding the microbial diversity of putative electrotrophs in paddy soils, and highlights the importance of soil properties in shaping the community of putative electrotrophs.