Can Southeast Asia continue to be a major rice bowl?

Southeast Asia is a major rice-producing region, with high level of internal consumption and accounting for 40% of global rice exports. Limited land resources, climate change, and yield stagnation during recent years have once again raised concerns about the capacity of the region to meet the growing demand for rice and remain as a large net exporter. Here we use a modelling approach to map rice yield gaps and assess production potential and net exports by 2040. We find that the average yield gap represents 48% of the yield potential estimate for the region. Exploitable yield gaps are relatively large in Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Thailand, but comparably smaller in Indonesia and Vietnam. Continuation of current yield trends will not allow Indonesia and Philippines to meet their domestic rice demand. In contrast, closing the exploitable yield gap would allow all countries to achieve rice self-sufficiency, with an aggregated annual rice surplus of 100 million tons available for export. Our study provides insights for increasing regional production on existing cropland by narrowing existing yield gaps.

Rare Earth Elements Recycling Potential Estimate Based on End-of-Life NdFeB Permanent Magnets from Mobile Phones and Hard Disk Drives in Brazil

Besides neodymium, the chemical composition of Neodymium–Iron–Boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets possibly contains other rare earth elements (REEs) such as praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium. Among its applications, NdFeB magnets are essential for Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) in computers for data storage, in Mobile Phones (MPs), and in acoustic transducers. Because REEs were classified as critical raw materials by the European Union and the USA, the recycling of them has become an important strategy to diminish supply risk. Therefore, in this publication, the authors have uncovered the recycling potential estimate (RPE) of these four REEs from both end-of-life (EoL) secondary sources. The results were based on the time-step method, using in-use stock and sales data from Brazil over the last decade (2010–2019). Moreover, the NdFeB magnets were characterized by content and weight to a more accurate RPE. The EoL generation over the decade studied showed different scenarios for MPs and HDDs, mainly due to lifespan, social behavior regarding storage and usage, and resources. Under those circumstances, the RPE revealed 211.30 t of REEs that could return as raw materials in the last decade, of which approximately 80% is neodymium. Unfortunately, recycling rates are still too low, even more so in Brazil, which is problematic for the future REE supply chain and electronic waste figures.

Yield Potential and Variability of Teff (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) Germplasms under Intensive and Conventional Management Conditions

Teff is the most strategic cereal crop grown from high rainfall to drought prone areas of Ethiopia, where it covers nearly 30% of the land allotted for cereals. However, its productivity remains very low due to lack of knowledge and research interventions. To investigate the grain yield potential, estimate the genetic parameters, and the diversity, a pot experiment with intensive management and a field experiment with conventional management at two contrasting locations for two seasons using the same 317 genotypes and additional 3 improved cultivars in the field experiment were carried out. The results showed highly significant variation among the genotypes for grain yield, biomass, harvest index, and phenological traits under both experiments. The best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP)-adjusted grain yield performance of the genotypes ranged from 4.2 to 8.8 g/plant in the intensive management and 1.8 to 4.3 g/plant in the field growing condition with conventional management. Coefficient of genetic variation, heritability, and expected genetic advance for grain yield were the highest in both experiments. Among the phenological traits, the grain filling period in the intensive growing condition exceptionally showed the highest genetic coefficient of variation and genetic advance. The high grain yield performance and wider range of the harvest index observed under the intensive management condition with moderate to high heritability signifies the genetic potential of teff for further improvement through trait recombination.

Evoked Compound Action Potentials to Guide Lead Placement: A Neuromonitoring Technique Case Series

INTRODUCTION The procedure to place leads on the spinal cord traditionally required patients to be awake for reporting of device-induced paresthesias. Conversely, neuromonitoring using electromyography (EMG) recording determines optimal lead location while the patient is under general anesthesia. These techniques have been compared with regards to safety and efficacy, favoring the use of neuromonitoring1-2We present 7 subjects, incorporating the use of Evoked Compound Action Potential (ECAP) recording from implanted electrodes, using a new SCS system, and comparing the results with EMG recording. METHODS Standard neuromonitoring protocols were employed at 2 institutions Once leads were implanted, stimulation current was increased until the following were observed: ECAP and EMG signal (late response [LR]), and EMG signal on the neuromonitoring EMG electrodes. An x-ray was obtained; postoperative paresthesia testing was performed to assess coverage obtained at different points along the implanted leads. RESULTS Data were obtained from 7 patients, across 2 sites. Onset of EMG signals on implanted electrodes and EMG electrodes correlated. Furthermore, the ratio of current amplitude between EMG onset and ECAP onset (LR: ECAP), on implanted leads, provides a potential estimate of lead laterality and objective lead placement. Whereby a ratio <1 indicates leads are too lateral. This technique was used successfully to place leads under general anesthesia (1 case), without utilizing EMG recording as a dermatomal coverage marker. CONCLUSION Intraoperative recording of ECAPs and EMG signals from implanted leads may facilitate optimized lead placement, without requiring additional equipment and setup. Analysis of ECAP morphology and its relationship with different waveforms could have diagnostic capabilities intraoperatively. This could be correlative with recent results showing the effect of different waveforms on EMG recording.

Integration of Thermoactive Metro Stations in a Smart Energy System: Feedbacks from the Grand Paris Project

During the next 15 years, around 200 km of tunnels and 68 new metro stations will be built around Paris to increase the capacity of the existing metro and the transport efficiency. The Société du Grand Paris—the public entity in charge of the design and the execution of this new network—is also highly concerned by the development and the use of renewable energy within this project, especially the integration of thermoactive metro stations in a smart energy system. This paper discusses some issues related to this strategy within the “Grand Paris Project”. The first part presents how smart technology could help to the integration of thermoactive metro stations into the urban energy system, while the second part addresses the following issues: assessment of the geothermal potential, estimate of the energy demand, ground investigations, thermal design, and finally system monitoring. The mechanical design is not considered in this paper. The paper shows the pertinence of the smart energy system for the integration of the thermoactive metro stations energy and the procedure for its implementation.

Groundwater potential of the eastern Kalahari region of South Africa

An integrated approach involving geological, borehole data, hydrogeochemical and environmental isotope analyses was used to determine the groundwater potential of the eastern Kalahari region of South Africa, an area to the west of Mahikeng that stretches northward from the Orange River into Botswana. The total groundwater resource potential for the eastern Kalahari region of South Africa is estimated at 10127 Mm3/a, with the Kalahari Group aquifer showing the greatest potential, comprising 51% of the total resource. The storage capacity of the Kalahari Group aquifer (7130 Mm3) is also impressive, estimated to be more than twice that of the dolomite aquifer (2728 Mm3). Despite having such great potential, the aquifer is not actively recharged and is often associated with very saline water that is not suitable for human and livestock consumption. The limestone and dolomite aquifers of the Campbell Rand Subgroup, as well as the weathered granitic rocks of the Archaean basement, are considered as the most prospective water bearing formations, with a groundwater resource potential estimate of 1981 Mm3/a and 1845 Mm3/a, respectively. Aquifers with the least potential in the project area comprise the fractured basement rocks of the Kraaipan - Amalia greenstone belt, with a groundwater resource potential of 26 Mm3/a, and the fractured sedimentary rocks of the Asbestos Hills Subgroup, with a groundwater resource potential of 108 Mm3/a. The calculated groundwater storage and resource potential in the eastern Kalahari region of South Africa satisfies a large proportion of the water demand in the region.

The Riesz potential in generalized Orlicz spaces

In this article we prove a Riesz potential estimate and a Sobolev inequality for general generalized Orlicz spaces. Our assumptions are natural generalizations of the

An Application of Potential Estimates to A Priori Bounds for Elliptic Equations

A potential estimate type approach is used in order to obtain some a priori bounds for the solutions of certain classes of Dirichlet problems associated with nondivergence structure elliptic equations.