Background and Objectives Fonio (Digitaria spp.), characterized by its tiny grains and ability to thrive in arid environments without irrigation, is native to West Africa. It holds great potential as a plant-based grain alternative for diverse food products and value-added applications owing to its nutritional profile. Nevertheless, it remains largely untapped. This study investigates the nutritional and techno-functional properties of whole-milled flours of a single variety fonio, Niata (NFF), and a variety blend (tout venant [TFF]) for broader application in food product development.Findings Differences were observed in composition, with TFF exhibiting higher protein (9.36%), digestible starch (38.62%), and total starch (44.69%) contents, while NFF showed higher lipid (1.92%) and resistant starch (9.66%) contents. The fatty acid composition of both NFF and TFF was dominated by unsaturated fatty acids, specifically high levels of linoleic acid (45.12% and 46.84%, respectively) and oleic acid (35.67% and 29.54%, respectively). Except for Mg, P, and Mn, TFF presented higher contents of Ca, K, Na, S, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mo, Al, and B. The contents of anti-nutritional factors such as tannins (NFF: 1.25, TFF: 1.35 mg/g), saponins (NFF: 10.57, TFF: 10.65 mg/g), and oxalates (NFF: 0.89, TFF: 0.88 mg/g) were similar across both flours. Lysine was the predominant essential amino acid in NFF and isoleucine in TFF, while leucine was the limiting amino acid for both young and older children. TFF presented a higher amino acid score (1.12) and essential amino acid index (0.34) but lower in vitro protein digestibility (67.52%) than NFF (67.98%). Techno-functional properties were also comparable, though TFF showed superior performance except for swelling power (5.41 g/g).Conclusions The findings indicate that Niata and tout venant exhibit distinct yet, in some respects, comparable attributes that can be leveraged for fonio ingredient development. However, their divergent profiles necessitate independent, variety/mixture-specific evaluation to ensure optimized application in targeted food systems.Significance and Novelty This study provides an integrated assessment of physicochemical, nutritional, and techno-functional properties to elucidate the end-use potential of a single fonio variety and a cultivar mixture. The results generate application-oriented insights for breeders, growers, millers, and other value-chain stakeholders.
With institutional histories, culturally/socially inclusive practices, and academic access and support for African American science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students, HBCUs continue to play a pivotal role in supplying the market with African American STEM graduates, producing a higher percentage of the African Americans in STEM fields. The purpose of this study was to amplify the contextual challenges and deficit frameworks that may inhibit the recruitment and retention of African American STEM students. The findings of this study demonstrate the advantageous and counterproductive strategies in the recruitment and retention of African American STEM students at both HBCUs and predominantly White institutions (PWIs).
This case study explores the School of Rock (SOR), a multi-institutional research-practice partnership (RPP) that aims to broaden participation in geosciences and enhance teacher professional development in STEM content areas. The partnership includes several institution types, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), scientific research programs, and K-12 partners. Qualitative methods such as interviews and document analyses were used to gather data from 24 participants. Thematic analysis of testimonial videos revealed themes of gratitude and appreciation, personal reflections and experiences, collaboration and future opportunities, and program and event logistics. Document analysis highlighted five major categories of proposals developed by participants: STEM curriculum development, teacher professional development, multi-institutional partnerships, workforce development, and innovative learning. Ethical considerations for each category are discussed. This work also provides considerations for future multi-institutional RPPs in order to sustain growth in the geosciences.
We demonstrate millimeter wave (mmWave) imaging using Autler-Townes (AT) splitting-induced fluorescence in rubidium vapor. By employing counter-propagating probe and coupling beams, we create a plane of atoms in a dark state that is sensitive to incident mmWave and demonstrate the method with mmWaves resonant with the transition between two neighboring Rydberg states at 91.4 GHz. Objects in the mmWave's path affect the spatial profile of the mmWave field, which, in turn, leads to spatial variation of optical fluorescence at 780 nm. This results in a transduction of the mmWave spatial profile to an optical image that can be acquired by a CCD camera. We demonstrate real-time, diffraction-limited mmWave imaging in transmission geometry, over an effective sensing area of 6.5 cm2 with a minimum 600 µV/cm detectable electric field and a rapid 16.4 µs response time. In addition, we demonstrate this method with a variety of imaging masks, including 3D-printed vortex phase plates. Our study provides a pathway for high-speed and high-resolution mmWave imaging with potential applications in security, communications, and scientific research.
This study investigates how digital rural development influences agricultural green total factor productivity (AGTFP) in China, with particular attention to stage characteristics and regional heterogeneity. Using panel data from 30 provinces from 2012 to 2022, we construct a multidimensional evaluation framework incorporating digital infrastructure, digital service capacity, and the digital development environment. A fixed-effects model is employed to estimate the overall impact, mediation models are used to examine the roles of factor allocation, organizational upgrading, and technology diffusion, and a panel threshold model is applied to identify nonlinear effects. The results show that digital rural development significantly enhances AGTFP, and this finding is robust to alternative measures, sample adjustments, and endogeneity tests. Mechanism analyses reveal that digitalization improves green efficiency by promoting labor mobility, expanding large-scale operations, strengthening cooperative development, and accelerating mechanization and agricultural R&D. However, the positive effect of land transfer remains constrained by institutional frictions, limiting its contribution to green transformation. Threshold analyses indicate that the impact of digital infrastructure becomes stronger once a critical level is surpassed, whereas the marginal effect of digital services weakens at higher stages of development. Regional heterogeneity further shows that the positive effects are most pronounced in eastern provinces and in non-grain-producing regions. Overall, digital rural development functions as a multidimensional driver of agricultural green transformation, offering empirical evidence and policy insights for designing differentiated digitalization strategies that support sustainable agricultural development.
