Taiwan's Food Resiliency - or Not - in a Conflict with China

The US military, intelligence, and diplomatic communities have overlooked a key vulnerability in their assessment of a potential military conflict between China and Taiwan- Taiwan's growing reliance on agricultural imports and its food stocks (except for rice) that could endure trade disruptions for only six months. This article assesses Taiwan's agricultural sector and its ability to feed the country's population if food imports and production are disrupted;identifies the food products that should be prioritized in resupply operations, based on Taiwan's nutritional needs and domestic food production;and outlines the required logistical assets. These findings underscore the urgency for US military planners to develop long-term logistical solutions for this complex strategic issue.

Application of Benford's law in agricultural production statistics

The importance of food supply throughout the world has once again shown its significance in the COVID-19 pandemic period. A continuous food supply is possible with correct agricultural programming. An effective agricultural product programming can only be possible by obtaining precise agricultural data. However, it is very difficult to gather accurate agricultural production statistics from all over the world and confirm their accuracy. In this study, the compatibility of the production statistics of six important agricultural products (wheat, rice, potato, onion, banana, apple) which had been collected from local sources, and had published as opensource by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, with Benford's law was examined for the first time. Data for the last two decades are used to ignore the impact of annual fluctuations. The compatibility of theoretically expected and observed data was tested by Chi-square (X2) and Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) tests. Although inconsistencies were found in some data by examining the numbers in the first, second, and first two digits, in general, the MAD test results gave a mostly concordant result.

Disentangling Short-Run COVID-19 Price Impact Pathways in the US Corn Market

Despite this focus on pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, fewer empirical studies have sought to isolate short-term price impacts in food and nonfood agricultural commodity markets.1 Understanding the drivers of short-term commodity price impacts is critical to understanding future susceptibility to major market shocks and to informing policies related to shock mitigation. Declines in ethanol production reached an estimated 2 billion gallons lost from March to November 2020, leading to a corresponding decline of 700 million bushels of corn usage and a loss of billions of dollars of ethanol producer surplus (Renewable Fuels Association, 2020b;Schmitz, Moss, and Schmitz, 2020). Increases in corn-based ethanol production that started in 2005 have linked agricultural commodity prices and energy markets as US ethanol production increased rapidly from 3.9 billion gallons in 2005 to 13.3 billion by 2010 and 15.8 billion by 2019 (Chakravorty, Hubert, and Nøstbakken, 2009;Wright, 2011;Roberts and Schlenker, 2013;Asgari, Saghaian, and Reed, 2020;US Department of Agriculture, 2021). Given that over 90% of US ethanol is used in mixtures of E10 gasoline and the US market reached a 10% "blend wall" in 2016, any reduction in gasoline use will cause proportional decreases in ethanol use (US Energy Information Administrationa, 2020;US Department of Agriculture, 2021).

An exploratory factor analysis of long COVID

An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) can provide a window into the latent dimensions of a disease, such as Long COVID. Discovering the latent factors of Long COVID enables researchers and clinicians to better conceptualize, study and treat this disease. In this study, participants were recruited from social media sites dedicated to COVID and Long COVID. Among the 480 participants, those who completed at least 90% of the survey, reported symptoms for two or more months since COVID-19 symptom onset, and had not been hospitalized for COVID were used in the EFA. The mean duration since initial symptom onset was 74.0 (37.3) weeks. A new questionnaire called The DePaul Symptom Questionnaire-COVID was used to assess self-reports of the frequency and severity of 38 Long COVID symptoms experienced over the most recent month. The most burdensome symptoms were "Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities (also known as Post-Exertional Malaise)," "Fatigue/extreme tiredness," "Difficulty thinking and/or concentrating," "Sleep problems," and "Muscle aches." The EFA resulted in a three-factor model with factors labeled General, PEM/Fatigue/Cognitive Dysfunction, and Psychological, consisting of 16, 6, and 3 items respectively (25 items in total). The reliability of the items in the EFA was .90 using a split-half reliability test. Finally, participant self-reported level of functional impairment was analyzed across the three EFA factors. Interpretations and applications to research and practice are provided.

Sustainability assessment of crops' production in India: empirical evidence from ARDL-ECM approach

PurposeThe study aims to evaluate the long- vs short-run relationships between crops' production (output) and crops' significant inputs such as land use, agricultural water use (AWU) and gross irrigated area in India during the period 1981–2018.Design/methodology/approachThe study applied the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to estimate the co-integration among the variables. The study uses the error correction model (ECM), which integrates the short-run dynamics with the long-run equilibrium.FindingsThe ARDL bounds test of co-integration confirms the strong evidence of the long-run relationship among the variables. Empirical results show the positive and significant relationship of crops' production with land use and gross irrigated area. The statistically significant error correction term (ECT) validates the speed of adjustment of the empirical models in the long-run.Research limitations/implicationsThe study suggests that the decision-makers must understand potential trade-offs between human needs and environmental impacts to ensure food for the growing population in India.Originality/valueFor a clear insight into the impact of climate change on crops' production, the current study incorporates the climate variables such as annual rainfall, maximum temperature and minimum temperature. Further, the study considered agro-chemicals, i.e. fertilizers and pesticides, concerning their negative impacts on increased agricultural production and the environment.

Comparative assessment of three storage methods for preserving maize grain to enhance food security post COVID-19. (Special Issue: Technology and innovation for a post COVID recovery and growth: the contribution of industry and academia.)

Cold storage is expensive for smallholder farmers and seed processors in developing countries. Smallholder farmers continue to resort to traditional storage methods such as polypropylene (PP) bags for maize grain storage. They often dose the grains with chemicals to preserve them. However, hermetic bags have proven to provide superior protection to grains during storage without chemical treatment. With the advent of the COVID-19 virus which distorted many food systems across continents, stakeholders in the grain industry need to adopt better systems to reduce post-harvest food loss and improve food security. In this study, maize grain quality, nutritional content and viability were compared under three storage methods (PP bags with Phostoxin treatment, cold storage, and hermetic bag) over a storage period of four months. The results showed that the hermetic bag maintained the moisture content (MC) of the stored grains with 0.40% variations from the initial MC of 13% at the end of the storage period compared to 0.70% and 1.10% for grains stored under cold storage and in PP bags, respectively. Grain damage after the 4th month of storage in the hermetic bag had only increased by 0.40% from an initial 13.3% before storage compared to an increase of 6% for cold storage, which was attributed to unstable power during the storage period, and 4.30% for grains stored in the PP bag. Carbon dioxide concentration in the hermetic bag was maintained at about 11% throughout the storage period indicating low microbial activity. The hermetic bag technology was identified as the best option for quality preservation during storage of maize grain over the other methods, and its adoption by smallholder farmers in Ghana should be considered.

Addressing another threat to food safety: Conflict

Conflicts across the globe affect food security and also have a heavy toll on food safety. Many of the areas affected by conflict are breadbaskets for multiple countries. When the production of staple crops is compromised by diverse conflicts, it becomes necessary to grow them somewhere else to satisfy local, regional, and/or international requirements. However, if that production is done in tropical and subtropical zones, it must be done incorporating strategies to prevent mycotoxin contamination, which has negative health, social, and economic impacts. Otherwise, increased production of susceptible crops in mycotoxin-prone areas may augment the already occurring negative impacts, which are severe in the global south.

US biofuel market persistence and mean reversion properties

This paper investigates the market persistence and mean reversion properties for corn, bioethanol and gasoline prices in the US biofuel industry, evaluating long memory effects with fractional integration techniques from January 1982 to May 2022 with USDA data. Empirical results show evidence of no mean reversion properties for the prices in the three series though some support of it is found when the differences of bioethanol and gasoline are taken with respect to corn. Thus, external shocks in the original series are expected to remain persistent and would require additional policy measures to recover the original trend. Furthermore, the impact of Covid on the time series has been analyzed by comparing the scenarios pre and post pandemic, finding evidence of no major changes in the integration orders in all the series under analysis. © 2023 Economic Society of Australia, Queensland

New perspectives for maximizing sustainable bioethanol production from corn stover

In Egypt, the production of second-generation bioethanol from agricultural waste is a thriving method to compensate the excessive usage as a consequence of the outspread of Covid-19. The profusion and renewability of lignocellulosic biomass urge its utilization as a promising feedstock for bioethanol production. However, functional delignification without affecting the cellulose matrices remains the major obstacle to achieving effective enzyme accessibility. This paper highlights a novel physio-chemical combination for corn stover (CS) pretreatment for bioethanol production. The optimum pretreatment condition was achieved using a mixture of 5% maleic acid (MA) and 3% citric acid (CA) for 30 min at an autoclave temperature of 110 °C leading to produce a pretreated CS (MAC) with 99% hemicellulose removal, 90% cellulose recovery, and 80% lignin removal. Characteristics analyses such as;SEM, FTIR, TGA, EDX, elemental, proximate, ultimate, higher heating value (HHV), and functionalization analyses were performed to emphasize the property and structure change of CS before and after the pretreatment. Then, MAC was hydrolyzed by cellulase enzyme and produced 13.5 g/L glucose yield which was fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and produced 10 g/L bioethanol. [Display omitted] [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Renewable Energy: An International Journal is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Connectivity and racial equity in responding to COVID-19 impacts in the Chicago regional food system

The COVID-19 outbreak led to major disruptions in food systems across the globe. In the United States' Chicago region, the outbreak created immediate concerns around increased hunger, food insecurity, supply chain disruptions, and loss of local livelihoods. This was especially evident in communities of color, which faced disproportionate impacts from the pandemic. In March 2020, the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) coordinated a Rapid Response Effort that convened people in working groups related to emergency food assistance, local food producers, small businesses, and food system workers to address urgent needs that arose due to the pandemic. Each working group met regularly through virtual calls. This effort has persisted throughout the pandemic in various forms. For this study, we interviewed CFPAC staff members and participants in these calls to create narratives that document respondents' perceptions of the Rapid Response Effort's evolution, benefits, challenges, and potential for long-term impacts. Thematic analysis conducted across these narratives revealed the importance of network connections to overcoming food system disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analysis also underscored challenges associated with racism in efforts to strengthen local and regional food systems. These findings indicate a need for research and practice that intentionally attend to power disparities related to race within collaborative net-works in order to structure local and regional food systems to achieve greater racial equity and resilience to future shocks.

Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Agricultural Residues Produced in Southern and Northern Greece

In Greece biomass is often being disposed of uncontrollably, resulting in significant environmental impacts. The aim of this study is the single-stage anaerobic co-digestion assessment, valorizing Northern and Southern Greece mixtures, resulting from previous literature reviews, experimental designs, and biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays. Regarding the methane yield maximization, in Northern Greece, the most suitable mixture was 10% corn silage, 80% cattle manure, and 10% malt;while in Southern Greece it was 10% corn silage, 57% cattle manure, 23% orange peels, and 10% olive pomace for fall/winter season. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) was set at 20 d and an initial organic loading rate (OLR) of 2 g COD/(L·d) was applied, with a view to gradually increase it. However, volatile fatty acids accumulation was observed, which led to OLR reduction to 1.5 g COD/(L·d) for both experiments. The Northern Greece reactor operated successfully for OLR 1.5–5 g COD/(L·d), while further increase led to system failure. On the other hand, the reactor of the Southern Greece mixture operated successfully at OLR 1.5–2 g COD/(L·d), but further operation indicated inadequacy, probably due to inhibitor (such as limonene) accumulation. Mixtures consisting of corn silage, cattle manure, and malt can be successfully valorized at high OLR. However, further investigation for mixtures with orange peels is suggested due to the presence of inhibitors.

Ukraine's market of certified seed: current state and prospects for the future

The production of high-quality seeds and planting material is the basis for increasing the efficiency and sustainability of crop production. The main aim of this article is to develop proposals to ensure that supply meets the demand in the seed and planting material market Ukraine. The future prospects are also discussed. The paper uses statistical and comparative analysis. The patterns of foreign trade in seeds and planting material to and from Ukraine are analyzed. The high level of import dependence of Ukraine leads to excessive exposure to instability in the world seed market. The development of seed production in Ukraine is discussed and analyzed along with the ways for improving commercial circulation of seeds and planting materials. The export volumes of grains and oilseeds in 2020 were the highest of those over the last three decades and amounted to USD 18.7 million, which is almost twice more than in 2019. Corn seeds dominate in exports (72%). The volume of imports of seeds of grains and oilseeds exceeded exports by 22 times in value and, in 2020, amounted to USD 409.4 million. In the total volume of imports, imports of sunflower seeds accounted for 53%. The upward trend of seed imports has been maintained since 2010. It was the result of increased demand for imported seeds by large- and medium-sized agricultural producers. In 2020, COVID-19 gave impetus to the development of domestic seed production and foreign breeding companies within the country. Prospective ways to accelerate the development of the organization of the Ukrainian seed and planting material market are outlined. Ukraine has prospects for increasing the export of seeds of grains and oilseeds by expanding its production by foreign companies operating in Ukraine. Solving problems of competitiveness seed production in Ukraine will make it possible to strengthen the role of domestic breeding in the seed market, as well as to use the best foreign varieties through their commercial circulation.

Social fish-tancing in Wisconsin: the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on statewide license sales and fishing effort in northern inland lakes

The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was associated with an "anthropause" in many industries, initially reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other negative anthropogenic influences. However, outdoor recreation has exploded in popularity in response to closures of indoor recreation options, increased free time, and/or increased levels of stress. We tested for the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sale of fishing licenses in Wisconsin and on vehicle counts that were observed at public lake access points in Vilas County, Wisconsin, in 2020. In the summer of 2020, fishing license sales in Wisconsin, USA, increased, particularly among first-time license purchasers for whom cumulative sales in 2020 increased by 71% and 35% compared with the previous 5-year average for Wisconsin residents and nonresidents, respectively. Changes in the vehicle counts at lake access points in the summer of 2020 varied considerably by lake. However, lakes with greater proportions of public shoreline experienced pandemic-associated increases in lake visitors. Our results suggest that the distribution of recreational fishing effort in Wisconsin changed during the pandemic, potentially placing additional harvest pressures on hot spot inland lakes.

Understanding small- and very-small-scale meat processors in Missouri to strengthen the local supply chain

Promoting local food systems is crucial to providing a more viable economy, eco-friendly production, and equal opportunities for producers, consumers, and communities. Meat processors are critical to local meat producers and the meat supply chain. However, various barriers have restricted small-scale meat processors and challenged the lo-cal meat supply chain. Although local food systems have gained enormous scholarly attention, little attention has been devoted to specifically exploring the meat processing sector. This study investigated the characteristics and challenges of small-scale (<750 employees) and very-small-scale (<200 employees) meat processors in Missouri. Twenty-six meat processors participated in an online survey through Qualtrics, a mail survey, or a structured phone interview between May 2021 and March 2022. We identified the characteristics and constraints related to their businesses. The analysis revealed that 76% of meat processors perceived that their business was in better or much better condition than before the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting their adaptability to the disrupted meat supply chain. However, small-scale meat processing facilities were limited by the labor shortage, complicated regulations and high regulatory compliance costs, a lack of consistent supply, and limited access to tools and equipment. More integrated work is needed to aid smaller processors in positively impacting the local community and environment through locally sourced meat production. This study contains helpful implications for state-level policymaking, extension programs, and future re-search directions.

On entropy measures of polycyclic hydroxychloroquine used for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) treatment

The molecular structure of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) used in the treatment of malaria is recently suggested for emergency used in COVID-19. The chemical compound of HCQ is produced by chemical alteration of ethylene oxide from human products, such as waxy maize starch. The molecular graph is a graph comprising of atoms called vertices and the chemical bond between molecules is called edges. A topological index is a numerical representation of a chemical structure which correlates certain physico-chemical characteristics of underlying chemical compounds besides its numerical representation. To distinguish the creation of entropy-based measures from the structure of chemical graphs, several graph properties have been utilized. For computing the structural information of chemical graphs, the graph entropies have become the information-theoretic quantities. The graph entropy measure has attracted the research community due to its potential application in discrete mathematics, biology, and chemistry. In this paper, our contribution is to explore graph entropies for molecular structure of HCQ based on novel information function, which is the number of different degree vertices along with the number of edges between various degree vertices. More precisely, we have explored the degree-based topological characteristics of hydroxyethyl starch conjugated with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ-HEC). Also, we computed entropies of this structure by making a relation of degree-based topological indices with the help of information function. Moreover, we presented the numerical and graphical comparison of the computed results.

COVID-19 pandemic: impact of agricultural labour migration on income levels of farmers in Telangana

The present study was undertaken during 25th March 2019 to 25th March 2021 to examine the impact of agricultural labour migration due to COVID-19 pandemic on the income levels of farmers. Both primary and secondary data were used in the study, multistage sampling technique was used in selection of district, mandals and villages. Tools and techniques like tabular analysis, gross returns and net returns were used. Economic impact on farmers in the study area was studied by selecting three major crops viz., Paddy, Cotton and Maize. During the COVID-19 pandemic, in the kharif and rabi season, in all the three major crops, the labour availability was increased when compared with the period of before the pandemic. This situation was appeared due to reverse migration during pandemic. The average wage rates received by the agricultural labourers for almost all farm operations in case of paddy, maize and cotton crops were decreased due to increase in labour supply due to reverse migration. The available man days also clearly got increased for almost all the operations except harvesting of paddy and cotton crops. In case of paddy and cotton crops, net returns were found to increase. In case of Maize crop, the gross and net returns were decreased due to increase in total operation costs and decrease in price per quintal during rabi season of the pandemic period respectively.

T-Toxin Virulence Genes: Unconnected Dots in a Sea of Repeats.

In 1970, the Southern Corn Leaf Blight epidemic ravaged U.S. fields to great economic loss. The outbreak was caused by never-before-seen, supervirulent, Race T of the fungus Cochliobolus heterostrophus. The functional difference between Race T and O, the previously known, far less aggressive strain, is production of T-toxin, a host-selective polyketide. Supervirulence is associated with ~1 Mb of Race T-specific DNA; only a fraction encodes T-toxin biosynthetic genes (Tox1). Tox1 is genetically and physically complex, with unlinked loci (Tox1A, Tox1B) genetically inseparable from breakpoints of a Race O reciprocal translocation that generated hybrid Race T chromosomes. Previously, we identified 10 genes for T-toxin biosynthesis. Unfortunately, high-depth, short-read sequencing placed these genes on four small, unconnected scaffolds surrounded by repeated A+T rich sequence, concealing context. To sort out Tox1 topology and pinpoint the hypothetical Race O translocation breakpoints corresponding to Race T-specific insertions, we undertook PacBio long-read sequencing which revealed Tox1 gene arrangement and the breakpoints. Six Tox1A genes are arranged as three small islands in a Race T-specific sea (~634 kb) of repeats. Four Tox1B genes are linked, on a large loop of Race T-specific DNA (~210 kb). The race O breakpoints are short sequences of race O-specific DNA; corresponding positions in race T are large insertions of race T-specific, A+T rich DNA, often with similarity to transposable (predominantly Gypsy) elements. Nearby, are 'Voyager Starship' elements and DUF proteins. These elements may have facilitated Tox1 integration into progenitor Race O and promoted large scale recombination resulting in race T. IMPORTANCE In 1970 a corn disease epidemic ravaged fields in the United States to great economic loss. The outbreak was caused by a never-before seen, supervirulent strain of the fungal pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus. This was a plant disease epidemic, however, the current COVID-19 pandemic of humans is a stark reminder that novel, highly virulent, pathogens evolve with devastating consequences, no matter what the host-animal, plant, or other organism. Long read DNA sequencing technology allowed in depth structural comparisons between the sole, previously known, much less aggressive, version of the pathogen and the supervirulent version and revealed, in meticulous detail, the structure of the unique virulence-causing DNA. These data are foundational for future analysis of mechanisms of DNA acquisition from a foreign source.

Multiscale Correlation Analysis of Sino-US Corn Futures Markets and the Impact of International Crude Oil Price: A New Perspective from the Multifractal Method

Based on the multifractal method, this paper studies the dynamic characteristics of the cross-correlation between Sino-US corn futures markets after 2020 in the context of a series of exogenous shocks, and the impact of international crude oil prices on this relationship. We find that the cross-correlation significantly strengthened after 2020 at multi-time scales, but its uncertainty and complexity reduced. Besides, shocks of the crude oil market increase the cross-correlation at multi-time scales, which notably weakened after 2020. This suggests the Chinese government's interventions and regulations on the domestic grain market were effective.

Maternal fructose boosts the effects of a Western-type diet increasing SARS-COV-2 cell entry factors in male offspring.

Fructose-rich beverages and foods consumption correlates with the epidemic rise in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Severity of COVID-19 has been related to these metabolic diseases. Fructose-rich foods could place people at an increased risk for severe COVID-19. We investigated whether maternal fructose intake in offspring affects hepatic and ileal gene expression of proteins that permit SARS-CoV2 entry to the cell. Carbohydrates were supplied to pregnant rats in drinking water. Adult and young male descendants subjected to water, liquid fructose alone or as a part of a Western diet, were studied. Maternal fructose reduced hepatic SARS-CoV2 entry factors expression in older offspring. On the contrary, maternal fructose boosted the Western diet-induced increase in viral entry factors expression in ileum of young descendants. Maternal fructose intake produced a fetal programming that increases hepatic viral protection and, in contrast, exacerbates fructose plus cholesterol-induced diminution in SARS-CoV2 protection in small intestine of progeny.

Buriti oil and natural surfactant improve the properties of cassava starch and carboxymethylcellulose films

Due to the environmental problem related to the disposal of non-biodegradable packaging and its aggravation during the COVID-19 pandemic, buriti oil (BO) and Yucca schidigera (YS) surfactant were added to the cassava starch and carboxymethyl-cellulose films to create a new emulsified biofilm with better properties. The influence of BO and YS on mechanical and barrier properties was evaluated. All properties differed significantly (p < 0.05) compared to the base film. Incorporation of BO and YS increased tensile strength by 1.100% and opacity by 375% and reduced elongation. In addition, the two variables generated a reduction in water vapour permeability (similar to 47%) and water solubility (similar to 70%), making the films less hydrophilic. Both attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were able to generate important correlations, observing the effects of BO and YS on the uniformity and cohesion of the structures of the emulsified films. Overall, the emulsified films showed great potential for application as primary and/or secondary packaging.