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Improper stakeholder practices are considered a primary driver of food loss. This study aims to investigate the consequences of pre- and post-harvest practices on extending the shelf life of agro-food products, identifying which practices yield the highest marginal returns for quality. Using Fractional Regression Models (FRM) and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), the research analyzed data from 343 Egyptian grape farmers and intermediaries. Key findings at the farmer level include significant food loss reductions through drip irrigation (13.9%), avoiding maturity-accelerating chemicals (24%), increased farmer-cultivated area (6.1%), early morning harvesting (8.7%), and improved packing (13.7%), but delayed harvesting increased losses (21.6%). For intermediaries, longer distances to market increased losses by 0.15%, while using proper storage, marketing in the formal markets, and using an appropriate transportation mode reduced losses by 65.9%, 13.8%, and 7.9%, respectively. Furthermore, the interaction between these practices significantly reduced the share of losses. The study emphasizes the need for increased public–private partnerships in agro-food logistics and improved knowledge dissemination through agricultural extension services and agri-cooperatives to achieve sustainable food production and consumption. This framework ensures robust, policy-actionable insights into how stakeholders’ behaviors influence postharvest losses (PHL). The findings can inform policymakers and agribusiness managers in designing cost-efficient strategies for reducing PHL and promoting sustainable food systems.

The main cassava‐producing regions include Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and China. Due to significant differences in natural environments, industrial backgrounds, and technological resources for germplasm development across these regions, the utilization of cassava germplasm resources shows regional variation. Currently, main approaches to cassava germplasm development and utilization include traditional breeding methods such as selective breeding, mutation breeding, and hybrid breeding, as well as modern techniques like marker‐assisted selection, genome editing, and genetic modification. Regionally, Africa mainly focuses on developing germplasm resources that improve resistance to environmental stress, enhance nutritional content, and strengthen pest and disease resistance. South America primarily emphasizes cultivating edible cassava germplasm. Southeast Asia prioritizes screening high‐quality germplasm and developing high‐yield, high‐starch, and disease‐resistant varieties. China concentrates on germplasm development aligned with food security strategies and high‐quality edible cassava varieties. In the future, modern breeding technologies will be vital in advancing cassava germplasm development and use. Disease and pest resistance traits will become essential qualities for high‐quality cassava germplasm. Additionally, different major cassava‐producing regions should tailor their germplasm development strategies to their specific industrial needs and regional characteristics.

Introduction: The discharge of nuclear wastewater (NW) poses significant environmental, economic, and geopolitical risks, impacting marine ecosystems, global fisheries trade, and public health. Japan's decision to release NW has triggered international responses, including seafood import restrictions and inspections.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement is an important free trade agreement in the Asia Pacific region. The implementation of RCEP is greatly significant for ensuring the effective supply of agricultural products to member states. On the basis of the analysis of the agricultural product trade structure among China, Australia and New Zealand since 2000, we summarise in this article the potential consequences of tariff reduction for the agricultural products among the three countries under the RCEP framework. The Global Trade Analysis Project model has been used to analyse the effects of RCEP on the macroeconomic indicators, agricultural products trade and domestic agricultural output of the three countries. The research findings indicate that agricultural product trade among the three countries has grown rapidly since 2000. The results of the Global Trade Analysis Project simulations revealed that implementing RCEP will foster macroeconomic growth in the three countries. China’s imports of beef and dairy products and wheat from Australia and New Zealand will substantially increase, and China’s domestic production of this agricultural sector will decrease. Furthermore, India’s potential participation in RCEP will further affect China’s imports and exports of grain. These findings could guide the policymakers in the three countries in designing future agricultural production and trade strategies according to the different scenarios of international trade among the three countries and considering the potential of India joining.

Membrane fluidity, essential for cell functions, is obviously affected by copper, but the molecular mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we unexpectedly observed that a decrease in phospholipid (PL) bilayer fluidity caused by Cu 2+ was more significant than those by Zn 2+ and Ca 2+ , while a comparable reduction occurred in the last two ions. This finding disagrees with the placement in the periodic table of Cu just next to Zn and far from Ca. The physical nature was revealed to be an anomalous attraction between Cu + cations, as well as the induced motif of two phospholipids coupled by Cu-Cu bond (PL- di Cu-PL). Namely, upon Cu 2+ ion binding to a negatively charged phosphate group of lipid, Cu 2+ was reduced to Cu + . The attraction of the cations then caused one Cu + ion simultaneously binding to two lipids and another Cu + , resulting in the formation of PL- di Cu-PL structure. In contrast, this attraction cannot occur in the cases of Zn and Ca ions. Remarkably, besides lipids, the phosphate group also widely exists in other biological molecules, including DNA, RNA, ADP and ATP. Our findings thus provide a new view for understanding the biological functions of copper and the mechanism underlying copper-related diseases, as well as lipid assembly.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether Chinese pork reserve regulation policy fulfills its function in stabilizing market prices and simultaneously to theoretically and empirically analyze the causes leading to the failure of Chinese Government’s intervention in the market, especially in the context of asymmetric pork and hog price information transmission. Design/methodology/approach A modified Reserve-Cobweb model based on the competitive storage model developed by Muth in 1961 is employed to examine the transmission effect of hog and pork prices under the setting of Chinese Government’s pork reserve regulation policy, using the data on Chinese hog and pork prices from June 2009 to June 2015. Findings While the Reserve-Cobweb model provides theoretical insights, suggesting that the implementation of the government’s reserve policy tool to control price volatility actually leads to increased price volatility, the empirical results indicate that the policy induces hypercorrection and impels greater price volatility, especially in the context of existence of asymmetric price information transmission. Social implications The Chinese Government should reduce excessive pork price intervention and instead allow the market to play its role in the hog and pork markets. Originality/value This paper develops a modified Reserve-Cobweb model based on the price transmission effect on different links within the agricultural products supply chain, which is used to empirically validate the existence of asymmetric price information transmission between pork and hog price in China.

PurposeThis paper aims to examine whether China's grain price support policy has distorted the grain market price.Design/methodology/approachThe time-varying differences-in-differences (DID) model is used to study the impact of support policies on grain prices, and it is combined with the event study method to explore the dynamic effects of price support policy. Panel data model is used to study the effect of the price support policy on price formation for national grain market prices. In addition, we apply the smooth transformation (STR) model to verify whether there is a distortion in the transmission of grain prices among different markets in China and from the international market to China’s market.FindingsChina’s grain price support policy plays a significant role in rising grain market prices, weakens the decisive role of the market mechanism in the formation of grain prices, hinders the spatial transmission of market price signals and decreases the effect of price transmission from the world market to China’s market.Research limitations/implicationsIn order to ensure both the stability of grain production as well as the market stability, and also to ensure that intervention policies do not distort the food market, the minimum purchase price of grain and market regulation policies should be adjusted as follows: (1) price support policy should be shifted to an income support policy and (2) reasonably determine the scale of reserves and implement a grain minimum purchase price policy in limited areas.Originality/valueOur findings are relevant for understanding the effect of China's grain price support policies on the implementation regions and the price transmission effect, which provide reference experience for developing countries to implement food price policies.

This paper develops one model to explore the relationship between the subsidy policy and the agricultural total factor productivity (TFP). It indicates that the agricultural TFP will be lower after the subsidy policy is implemented and there exists a negative relation between the subsidy and TFP, if subsidies are associated with the acreage. Using Malmquist index, this paper measures the changes of TFP in China's cotton production before and after the subsidy policy is implemented. The results verify that the subsidy policy could not increase but decrease the TFP of China's cotton production, not only in the whole country but also in major provinces of China. Based on the positive study, some policy implications are provided in the end of this paper.

Despite long-term efforts for exploring antibacterial agents or drugs, it remains challenging how to potentiate antibacterial activity and meanwhile minimize toxicity hazards to the environment. Here, we experimentally show that the functionality of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) through copper ions displays selective antibacterial activity significantly stronger than that of rGO itself and no toxicity to mammalian cells. Remarkably, this antibacterial activity is two orders of magnitude greater than the activity of its surrounding copper ions. We demonstrate that the rGO is functionalized through the cation-\\({\\pi}\\) interaction to massively adsorb copper ions to form a rGO-copper composite in solution and result in an extremely low concentration level of surrounding copper ions (less than ~0.5 \\({\\mu}M\\)). These copper ions on rGO are positively charged and strongly interact with negatively charged bacterial cells to selectively achieve antibacterial activity, while rGO exhibits the functionality to not only actuate rapid delivery of copper ions and massive assembly onto bacterial cells but also result in the valence shift in the copper ions from Cu\\(^{2+}\\) into Cu\\(^{+}\\) which greatly enhances the antibacterial activity. Notably, this functionality of rGO through cation-\\({\\pi}\\) interaction with copper ions can similarly achieve algaecidal activity but does not exert cytotoxicity against neutrally charged mammalian cells. The remarkable selective antibacterial activity from the rGO functionality as well as the inherent broad-spectrum-antibacterial physical mechanism represents a significant step toward the development of a novel antibacterial material and reagent without environmental hazards for practical application.

Deep Neural Networks (DNN) will emerge as a cornerstone in automotive software engineering. However, developing systems with DNNs introduces novel challenges for safety assessments. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in verification and validation of safety-critical systems that rely on machine learning. Furthermore, we report from a workshop series on DNNs for perception with automotive experts in Sweden, confirming that ISO 26262 largely contravenes the nature of DNNs. We recommend aerospace-to-automotive knowledge transfer and systems-based safety approaches, e.g., safety cage architectures and simulated system test cases.