Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Studies on Time and Duration of Flowering, Floral Bud Development and Morphology of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) under Semi-Arid Region of India

Guava occupies an important place in the fruit industry of our country by virtue of its high food value, rich in vitamin-C content, low cost, a pleasant aroma, rich flavour and adaptability to varying conditions of soils (Kahlon et al., 1987). Therefore, it is pertinently referred to as “Poor mans Apple” and “Apple of the Tropics”. In India, in terms of area, it ranks after mango, banana and citrus, occupying an area of 0.19 million hectares. However, guava is 5 th most important fruit crop in production after banana, mango, citrus and papaya with a total production of 1.68 million tonnes (NHB, 2010). Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of guava in India and Allahabad has the reputation of producing the world’s best guava (Mitra and Bose, 1990). Its importance can be further amplified through the evolution of a variety possessing a combination of big fruit size, attractive red flesh, excellent flavour and seedlessness. This can be consummate through hybridization for which the knowledge of its blossom biology is very useful. Only a few attempts so far have been made to study the blossom biology of guava, the major ones being by Dasarathy at Kodur (1951) and by Balasubrahmanyam (1959) at Annamalai. Some preliminary studies have also been reported by Srivastava (1974) from International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 12 (2017) pp. 4176-4186 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Determinants of off-farm work and its effect on agricultural input intensity

Off-farm work is a common phenomenon among farm household members in industrialised nations. In Scotland, it is expected to grow partly due to Brexit induced uncertainty in agricultural policy and markets. Previous research has linked the phenomenon to farmers’ production choices with some research findings suggesting that it increases the uptake of low input intensity pro-environmental farming methods but the overall evidence is mixed. An understanding of the influence of the expected growth in off-farm work on farmer production choices and its impact on the intensity of input use is of interest given the increasing policy emphasis being given to supporting sustainable agricultural production methods. Using Scotland’s Farm Accounts Survey data, we examine the determinants of off-farm work and investigate its effects on two measures of agricultural intensity namely fertiliser and crop protection expenditures per hectare. We find that tenanted farmers managing relatively small farms are more likely to be involved in off-farm work. We also find that farmers with very high levels of off-farm work are significantly less intensive in the use of fertilisers but there is no evidence of any impact of off-farm work on their intensity of use of crop protection products. It follows that an increase in the proportion of farmers with off-farm work brought about by Brexit may have the unintended (positive) consequence of reducing the intensity of inorganic fertiliser use in agriculture, thereby making the sector more environmentally sustainable.
THE WATER AND SANITATION (WASH) DRIVE IN TANZANIA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES HEAD TEACHERS FACE IN RURAL-BASED SCHOOLS

This paper is based on a study carried out in three rural-based primary schools in Dodoma, central Tanzania to investigate opportunities and challenges head teachers face during the implementation of school Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) programme. The qualitative study used interviews, focus group discussions, observations and documentary review in a triangulation fashion to collect the requisite information. It established that the WASH programme benefits include construction of hitherto absent standard school toilets and training in sanitation management. The WASH schools also served as role models to other primary schools and the community. On the other hand, the primary schools under study had fewer toilet holes than required, and lacked running water and funds for WASH activities. Also lack of parental awareness of school WASH activities limited their support. As a result, the schools struggled to maintain and sustain the toilets’ cleanness. Thus there is a need revisit the School WASH operational rules.
Effect of plant growth-promoting bacteria Bacillus amylliquefaciens Y1 on soil properties, pepper seedling growth, rhizosphere bacterial flora and soil enzymes

Effect of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Y1 on Soil Properties, Pepper Seedling Growth, Rhizosphere Bacterial Flora and Soil Enzymes Qaiser JAMAL, Yong Seong LEE, Hyeon Deok JEON and Kil Young KIM* Division of Food Technology, Biotechnology and Agrochemistry, Institute of Environmentally-Friendly Agriculture, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea *Corresponding author: kimkil@jnu.ac. kr
EFFECT OF PLANTING METHODS ON PERFORMANCE OF ONION VARIETIES UNDER COLD DESERT CONDITIONS

A study was conducted at Research Farm of High Mountain Arid Agriculture Research Institute (SKUAST-K), Stakna, Leh to investigate the impact of three planting methods (Flat bed, Middle of Ridge, Both sides of Ridge) on the performance of four onion varieties in Split plot design with three replications. Flat bed system produced statistically highest net bulb weight (66.00g), bulb diameter (51.33mm) and yield per ha (440.2 qt). Net bulb weight, diameter and yield per ha of onion hybrid Rosy was highest but at par with Local Red and Nasik Red. It can be concluded that planting on flat land is best method for onion production in cold desert conditions.
Looking for the Phase Transition—Recent NA61/SHINE Results

The fixed-target NA61/SHINE experiment at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) seeks to find the critical point (CR) of strongly interacting matter as well as the properties of the onset of deconfinement. The experiment provides a scan of measurements of particle spectra and fluctuations in proton–proton, proton–nucleus, and nucleus–nucleus interactions as functions of collision energy and system size, corresponding to a two-dimensional phase diagram (T- μ B ). New NA61/SHINE results are shown here, including transverse momentum and multiplicity fluctuations in Ar+Sc collisions as compared to NA61 p+p and Be+Be data, as well earlier NA49 A+A results. Recently, a preliminary effect of change in the system size dependence, labelled as the “percolation threshold” or the “onset of fireball”, was observed in NA61/SHINE data. This effect is closely related to the vicinity of the hadronic phase space transition region and will be discussed in the text.
Effects of Sumithion 50 EC on the growth and breeding performances of Heteropneustes fossilis

The work was carried out to evaluate the toxic effects of Sumithion on growth and breeding performance of Heteropneustes fossilis as a model organism under three experiments in the Mini Hatchery cum Breeding Complex, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh from August 2015 to June 2016. In this study, four doses of Sumithion such as 8.0, 10.0, 12.0, 14.0 ppm were used and larvae produced only from 8.0 ppm which was further reared. A number of 100 fry of 35 days old from control and treated group were separately reared in two ponds of 2 decimal in sizes. The average final lengths for control group (25.84±0.27 cm) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than treated group (21.82±0.25 cm) and the average final weights for control group (34.78±0.17 g) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than treated group (25.3±0.38 g). The percent length gain value of treated group (959.22±29.46%) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than control group (549.25±12.65%). The percent weight gain value of control group (1319.59±14.83%) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than treated group (1029.46±26.85%). A breeding trial of H. fossilis was given with both Sumithion treated and untreated fish. The 35 days old fry obtained from 8.0 ppm Sumithion concentration could not attain complete maturity after nine months of rearing as none of them ovulated. On the contrary, 100% of control fish ovulated and 82.33% fertilization and 80.33% hatching were obtained. The ovulation was partially, fertilization (62.29%) and hatching rates (60.89%) of Sumithion treated fish were lower than the Sumithion untreated fish. The results of the above experiments suggested that Sumithion at the concentration of 8.0 ppm has adverse effect on growth and breeding performance of H. fossilis. © 2018 The Authors. Published by JFLS. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0). A R T I C L E I N F O Received: 10 March 2018 Accepted: 01 May 2018 Available online: 30 June 2018
RAS Gene Polymorphisms and Renal Responsiveness to RAS Inhibition Therapy in Type 2 Diabetic Asian Indians

Objective: Inhibitors of renin angiotensin system (RAS), ACE inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), are frequently used as renal-protective agents in type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, there is significant inter individual variability in response to these drugs. In the present study, we examined the role of genetic polymorphisms in ACE, AGT and AGTR1 genes, in modulating reno-protective response to ACEI and ARB therapy in north Indian T2DM subjects, with cases having diabetic nephropathy (DN) and controls without DN. Method: 810 north Indian T2D patients treated with ACEI or ARB after diagnosis were followed up for 3 years. Percent changes in eGFR, urinary albumin excretion (UAE), serum creatinine at the end of 3 years of treatment were taken as points of renoprotective response. Result: We observed that ACE II genotype and cumulative risk score of 6 was associated with better renoprotective response to ARB (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that ACE I/D genotypes individually and in interaction with other RAS SNPs modulate renoprotective efficacy of ACEI and ARB in T2D patients, depending on the status of proteinuria.
Pre- and postpartum effects of starch and fat in dairy cows : a review

CITATION: Useni, B. A. , Muller, C. J. C. & Cruywagen, C. W. 2018. Pre- and postpartum effects of starch and fat in dairy cows : a review. South African Journal of Animal Science, 48(3):413-426, doi:10.4314/sajas.v48i3. 2.
Effect of Recombination between a Molecular Ion and an Electron on Radial Dose in the Irradiation of a Heavy Ion

This paper discusses the effect of recombination between a molecular ion and a free electron on radial dose in the irradiation of a heavy ion through simulations. This irradiation produces molecular ions and free electrons due to the heavy ion impact ionization. The composition electric field, which is formed from these molecular ions, traps some of free electrons and these trapped free electrons increase radial dose near the heavy ion path. These trapped electrons also cause the recombination and that the recombination enhances radial dose.
Sensitivity of biogenic volatile organic compound emissions to leaf area index and land cover in Beijing

Abstract. The Beijing area has suffered from severe air pollution in recent years, including ozone pollution in the summer. In addition to the anthropogenic emissions inventory, understanding local ozone pollution requires a reliable biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emission inventory. Forest coverage rose from 20.6 to 35.8 % from 1998 to 2013 in Beijing according to the National Forest Resource Survey (NFRS), and accurate representations of land cover for recent years is crucial for estimating BVOC emissions and their impacts on air quality. In this study, we established a high-resolution BVOC emission inventory in Beijing using the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) v2.1 with three independent leaf area index (LAI) products and three independent land cover products. Various combinations of the Global LAnd Surface Satellite (GLASS), Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MCD15, and GEOland (GEO) v2 LAI datasets and the Finer Resolution Observation and Monitoring of Global Land Cover (FROM-GLC), MODIS MCD12Q1 plant functional type (PFT) products, and Climate Change Initiative Land Cover (CCI LC) products are used in five model sensitivity experiments (E1–E5), and the experiment using the FROM-GLC with the highest spatial resolution of 30 m and GLASS LAI products was treated as the baseline. These sensitivity calculations were driven by hourly, 3 km meteorological fields from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The following results were obtained: (1) according to the baseline estimate, the total amount of BVOC emissions is 75.9 Gg for the Beijing area, and isoprene, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and other VOCs account for 37.6, 14.6, 1.8 and 46 % of the total, respectively. Approximately three-quarters of BVOC emissions occur in the summer. (2) According to the sensitivity experiments, the LAI input does not significantly affect the BVOC emissions. Using MODIS MCD15Q1 and GEO v2 LAI led to slight declines of 2.6 and 1.4 %, respectively, of BVOC emissions in the same area. (3) The spatial distribution of PFTs from different inputs strongly influenced the spatial distribution of BVOC emissions. Furthermore, the cross-walking table for converting land cover classes to PFTs also has a strong impact on BVOC emissions; the sensitivity experiments showed that the estimate of BVOC emissions by CCI LC ranged from 42.1 to 70.2 Gg depending on the cross-walking table used.
The Impacts of Multi-environmental Constructs on Tourism Destination Competitiveness: Local Residents’ Perceptions

In the rural tourism industry, the environment has emerged to be of most concern to the local communities, followed by social-cultural and economic issues. Stemming from the awareness, the environment has become one of the main pillars for sustainable tourism development, particularly, rural tourism destination. On the other note, in a competitive tourism market, it is important for rural tourism destinations to create competitive advantage in order to attract visitors. Therefore, competitiveness theory underpins the research framework proposed and attempts to examine the impacts of multi-environmental constructs towards the development of rural tourism destination competitiveness. A total of 278 respondents comprising of local communities from rural destinations in Sarawak, Malaysia took part voluntarily in this study. To assess the developed model, SmartPLS 2.0 (M3) is applied based on path modelling and bootstrapping. The findings showed that local residents are in their believed that for a rural tourism destination to enhance its competitiveness, environmental education is the key to increase environmental conservation that lead to better quality of environment. Tourism infrastructure is an added advantage to increase a tourism destination competitiveness. This study further discussed on the implications of the findings, limitations, and direction for future research.
New Insights on Cosmic Ray Modulation through a Joint Use of Nonstationary Data-Processing Methods

The time variability of the cosmic ray (CR) intensity, recorded by the Climax neutron monitor and covering the period 1953–2004, has been analyzed by the joint application of the wavelet and the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) analyses. Dominant time scales of variability are found at ~11 yr, ~22 yr, ~6 yr and in the range of the quasi-biennial oscillations (QBOs). The combination of the 11 yr cycle and QBOs explains the Gnevychev Gap (GG) phenomenon and many step-like decreases characterizing the CR modulation. The additional scales of variability at ~22 yr and ~6 yr are responsible for other features of the long-term CR trend, such as the intensity flat-topped profile, following the maxima of even-numbered cycles during positive polarity state of the heliosphere ( <path id="x30" d="M241 635q53 0 94 -28.5t63.5 -76t33.5 -102.5t11 -116q0 -58 -11 -112.5t-34 -103.5t-63.5 -78.5t-94.5 -29.5t-95 28t-64.5 75t-34.5 102.5t-11 118.5q0 58 11.5 112.5t34.5 103t64.5 78t95.5 29.5zM238 602q-32 0 -55.5 -25t-35.5 -68t-17.5 -91t-5.5 -105 q0 -76 10 -138.5t37 -107.5t69 -45q32 0 55.5 25t35.5 68.5t17.5 91.5t5.5 105t-5.5 105.5t-18 92t-36 68t-56.5 24.5z" /> ). Comparison with basic time scales of variability derived from the sunspot area (SA) allows the association of the 11 yr cycle and QBOs with solar activity variations, whereas the other two modes with the drift effects govern the CR entrance in the heliosphere.
Effect of Antimicrobial Metabolites Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria (Lab) on Quality Aspects of Frozen Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Fillets

2 Abstract: The effect of antimicrobial metabolites produced by Lactobacillus casei DSM 120011 (A) and Lactobacillus acidophilus 1M (B) individually and in combination on quality attributes of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fillets was studied during frozen storage. The results showed that the combination treatment in particular at concentration of 2% slightly increased pH values and decreased both total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and trimethylamine nitrogen (TMA-N) contents. In addition, thibarbituric acid (TBA) value markedly decreased in all samples treated with investigated metabolites as compared with the control sample throughout different frozen storage periods. On the other hand, there was a good antibacterial activity of the investigated metabolites on the total viabl count (TVC) when used separately, but the activity highly increased by combination of the two extracts. Furthermore, the metabolite (A) was highly effective against Staphylococuus aureus, E. coli (at 2% concentration) and yeasts. The combination trial increased the activity against coliform bacteria relatively. Moreover, the metabolite (B) was more active against molds during 45 and 90 days of storage. In conclusion, the use of metabolites produced by Lactobacillus improved the biochemical quality criteria, microbial aspects and safety of frozen fish fillets.
Prior wildfires influence burn severity of subsequent large fires

With longer and more severe fire seasons predicted, the incidence and extent of fires are expected to increase in western North America. As more area is burned, past wildfires may influence the spread and burn severity of subsequent fires, with implications for ecosystem resilience and fire management. We examined how previous burn severity, topography, vegetation, and weather influenced burn severity on four wildfires, two in Idaho, one in Washington, and one in British Columbia. These were large fire events, together burning 330 000 ha and cost $165 million USD in fire suppression expenditures. Collectively, these four study fires reburned over 50 000 ha previously burned between 1984 and 2006. We used sequential autoregression to analyze how past fires, topography, vegetation, and weather influenced burn severity. We found that areas burned in the last three decades, at any severity, had significantly lower severity in the subsequent fire. Final models included maximum temperature, vegetation cover typ.
A Complete Understanding of Disorientation Problems in Web-Based Learning.

Disorientation problems influence student learning. To address this issue, this study uses an integrative approach to investigate the causes and consequences of disorientation problems so that a complete understanding can be obtained. Unlike previous empirical studies, which use statistical techniques, this study attempts to expose unexpected relationships with a data mining approach. The results indicate that the causes of disorientation problems are associated with learners’ computer experience, the frequencies and time of using each navigation tool. On the other hand, the consequences of disorientation problems are concerned with learning effort and learning performance. Based on the findings, a framework is proposed to provide guidelines for the development
Sustainable Consumption and Production

Sustainable consumption . needs to be a priority area for development. This is not an easy task for industrialized countries, whose economic growth has been based on consumption and which have until now focused their consumer societies on consumer protection and choice. Since the recent, very tangible manifestations of the multiple crises in our economic, environmental, and social systems, there is increasing recognition of the need to change how we do things. This has led to the more regular use of words such as transition, transformation, and eco-innovation, especially in areas of environmental and industrial research but also in economic contexts. This is very good news if, behind these words of renewal, people intend to address the fundamental problems in the systems and mentalities that helped to create the crises in the first place. In our view, these fundamental issues should be tackled in international policy programs such as the United Nation’s Green Economy Initiative or its Ten Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). 1 One important change in mentality can be characterized as a mental shift from 20th-century to 21st-century realities and the subsequent types of solutions one can identify. The 20th century was marked by expansion—of knowledge, wealth, use of resources, human population, and markets. Since the Industrial Revolution, the accepted approach to expansion has been based on
The Influence of Charge Dilution and Injection Timing on Low-Temperature Diesel Combustion and Emissions

The effects of charge dilution on low-temperature diesel combustion and emissions were investigated in a small-bore single-cylinder diesel engine over a wide range of injection timing. The fresh air was diluted with additional N 2 and CO 2 , simulating 0 to 65% exhaust gas recirculation in an engine. Diluting the intake charge lowers the flame temperature T due to the reactant being replaced by inert gases with increased heat capacity. In addition, charge dilution is anticipated to influence the local charge equivalence ratio Φ prior to ignition due to the lower O 2 concentration and longer ignition delay periods. By influencing both Φ and T, charge dilution impacts the path representing the progress of the combustion process in the Φ-T plane, and offers the potential of avoiding both soot and NO x formation. In-cylinder pressure measurements, exhaust-gas emissions, and imaging of combustion luminosity were performed to clarify the path of the combustion process and the effects of charge dilution and injection timing on combustion and fuel conversion efficiency. Based on the findings, a postulated combustion process in the Φ-T plane is presented for different dilution levels and injection timings. Although the ignition delay increased with high dilution and early injection, the heat release analysis indicated that a large portion of the combustion and emissions formation processes was still dominated by the mixing-controlled phase rather than the premixed phase. Because of the incomplete premixing, and the need to mix a greater volume of charge with unbumed or partially-burned fuel to complete combustion, the diluted mixtures increased CO emissions. Injecting the fuel at earlier timings to extend the ignition delay helped alleviate this problem, but did not eliminate it. Fuel conversion efficiencies calculated for each dilution level and start of injection provide guidance as to the appropriate combustion phasing and practical levels of charge dilution for this low-temperature diesel combustion regime.