Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of Seed Germination and Uniformity in Triploid Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai)

One of the main factors restricting production of triploid seedless watermelon is poor germination due to weak embryos, thick seed coats, and larger air spaces. This study was carried out to investigate the priming effects of different concentrations of chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), fusicoccin, and gibberellic acid (GA) on germination and seedling uniformity of triploid watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). Three commercial triploid cultivars, Seedless Plus, Sinus, and Sizero, were pretreated with water and different levels of H₂O₂ (2 and 4%), fusicoccin (FC: 1, 5, and 10 μM), and GA (1, 5, and 10 μM). The present findings helped to find optimal priming conditions for improving germination of triploid watermelon. Treatment with 5 μM GA and hydropriming helped to break seed dormancy, enhancing the final germination percentages in all triploid cultivars and increasing the germination index in Sizero. These seed-priming treatments could be used on large scale for industrial applications. Moreover, hydropriming provides a simple, effective, and costless method to improve seed germination and seedling vigor of Sinus and Sizero varieties.
Corporate Approaches to CSR Stakeholder Engagement in the Pharmaceutical Industry

prepared for the Corporate Responsibility Research Conference (CRRC) 2012 organised by the BEM Management School Bordeaux (France) and Euromed Management School (Marseille/France) in association with the University of Leeds (UK) which will take place from 12th – 14th September 2012 at BEM Management School in Bordeaux.
SHEAR STRENGTH BEHAVIOR AND SOIL WATER RETENTION CURVE OF A DUAL POROSITY SILT-BENTONITE MIXTURE

Evaluation of soil shear strength is an important step in the stability analysis of earth structures, foundations and natural slopes. The shear strength pro le of unsaturated soil is dictated by the suction pro le. This pro le depends on the evaporation rate, depth of the water table and the soil water retention curve. In this paper, the soil water retention curve of a dual porosity silt-bentonite mixture is determined; employing the vapor equilibrium method and osmotic suction technique, and the validity of these approaches is examined against the results from the lter paper technique. Besides, the e ect of the stress state on the suction value is studied employing the lter paper method. Furthermore, the shear strength response of the material is evaluated for a wide range of suction values (0-287MPa) employing the direct shear apparatus. Results of direct shear tests show that the expansive clay behaves like a normal consolidated soil at suction values less than, or equal to, 20.5MPa, while its behavior is similar to the heavily over consolidated soils for suction more than 20.5MPa.
Invertebrate composition in submerged macrophyte debris : habitat and degradation time effects

1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brasil. 2 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões, Campus de Erechim, Erechim, RS, Brasil. 3 Laboratório de Limnologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas ICB, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brasil.
Remarkably Enhanced Hydrogen Generation of Organolead Halide Perovskites via Piezocatalysis and Photocatalysis

To alleviate photoinduced charge recombination in semiconducting nanomaterials represents an important endeavor toward high‐efficiency photocatalysis. Here a judicious integration of piezoelectric and photocatalytic properties of organolead halide perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) to enable a piezophotocatalytic activity under simultaneous ultrasonication and visible light illumination for markedly enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen generation of MAPbI3 is reported. The conduction band minimum of MAPbI3 is higher than hydrogen generation potential (0.046 V vs normal hydrogen electrode), thereby rendering efficient hydrogen evolution. In addition, the noncentrosymmetric crystal structure of MAPbI3 enables its piezoelectric properties. Thus, MAPbI3 readily responds to external mechanical force, creating a built‐in electric field for collective piezophotocatalysis as a result of effective separation of photogenerated charge carriers. The experimental results show that MAPbI3 powders exhibit superior piezophotocatalytic hydrogen generation rate (23.30 µmol h−1) in hydroiodic acid (HI) solution upon concurrent light and mechanical stimulations, much higher than that of piezocatalytic (i.e., 2.21 µmol h−1) and photocatalytic (i.e., 3.42 µmol h−1) hydrogen evolution rate as well as their sum (i.e., 5.63 µmol h−1). The piezophotocatalytic strategy provides a new way to control the recombination of photoinduced charge carriers by cooperatively capitalizing on piezocatalysis and photocatalysis of organolead halide perovskites to yield highly efficient piezophotocatalysis.
Effects of insoluble fiber on serum biochemical characteristics in broiler

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of insoluble raw fiber concentrate (IRFC) on blood biochemical values in broiler males. Four dietary treatments with three replicates containing 0, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75% of IRFC were fed to 180 day old Lohmann chicks from 1 to 42 days. The chicks were randomly assigned to 12 cages (15 birds per cage). The experimental period was 42 days and serum biochemical values containing triglyceride, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL, total protein, albumin, amylase, lipase, calcium and phosphorous were measured at the end of starter (21 d) and grower (42 d) periods. Levels of total protein, albumin, amylase, lipase and phosphorous were not affected much by dietary treatments at day 42. Triglyceride, HDL and VLDL levels affected (p<0.01) by different levels of IRFC in diet and they were lower levels in triglyceride and VLDL and higher levels in HDL in 0.50 and 0.75 dietary groups than control and 0.25 groups, also cholesterol and LDL levels in 0.75 group were significantly lower (p<0.01) as compared to control group. Levels of total protein, albumin, amylase, lipase and phosphorous did not affected by dietary treatments but Ca in 0.50 group was higher than controls.
To Study the Effect of Activated Charcoal,Ascorbic Acid and Light Duration on InVitroMicropropagation of Aloe vera L

The research was conducted to determine the effect of ascorbic acid (50 mgl-1, 100 mgl-1, 200 mgl-1) and activated charcoal (0.5 gl-1, 1 gl-1, 2 gl-1) independently with different light duration (darkness for 4 weeks, and 16 hours light for 4 weeks followed by 2 weeks in 16 hours light) on shoot regeneration. Explants of Aloe vera were planted on MS basal media supplemented with 1.6 mgl-1 IAA, 4.0 mgl-1 BAP and cultured for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, degree of explant browning was evaluated. Explants were then cut vertically into two pieces and planted on shoot regeneration media. After 4 weeks more number of shoot developed on shoot regeneration medium, i.e. MS medium supplemented with 1.6 mg/l IAA + 4.0 mg/l BAP + 100 mg/l ascorbic acid + 0.5g/l activated charcoal. Browning of ex- plants was minimized in this medium and elongation of micro-shoots and the growth of the plantlets were also better. Further elongation and rooting of micro-shoots were obtained when sub-cultured on to MS basal medium containing 0.5g/l activated charcoal and 100% of the survival of rooted plantlets was observed after acclimatization. Therefore, the above protocol could be effectively used in rapid mi- cropropagation of elite plants of Aloe vera.
The success story of Bt cotton in Burkina Faso : a role model for sustainable cotton production in other cotton-growing countries?

Abstract The West-African cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) industry has a huge economic potential. In particular, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and Mali play an important role as exporter on the world market. Still, the cotton sector is also subject to a number of risks that can threaten the sustainability of the cotton production in West Africa. This chapter overviews the challenging pest problems and assesses how biotechnology and, more specifically, insect-resistant cotton (Bt cotton), overcome these problems. Introduction of Bt cotton in Burkina Faso and South Africa resulted in important benefits regarding yield, farmer income, pesticide use, and environmental and health impacts. When structural and institutional limitations are suppressed to realize its full potential, Bt cotton can clearly contribute both to the economic and environmental sustainability of the cotton production. Introduction Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is an important industrial crop worldwide and the predominant natural fiber in the textile industry. Despite competition with artificial fibers, cotton remains important and accounted for 30% of the more than 82 million tons of textile fibers processed in 2013 (www.icac.org/tech/Overview/100-facts-aboutcotton). In 2000, the world production of cotton was twice that of 1960. Even though the production is subject to fluctuations, it still increases (http://faostat3.fao.org/home) (Figure 1). Farmers produce seed cotton that is processed into cotton lint, mainly for the textile industry to produce fabrics for clothing, furniture applications, or money bills. From the seeds derived from the seed cotton less than 1% is used to plant cotton again (www.icac.org/tech/Overview/100-facts-aboutcotton). Cotton seeds are mainly applied in food and feed. The protein-rich seeds can be used as feed for ruminants, but, because they contain the toxic gossypol, they are not suited for consumption as such by humans and monogastric animals. Processing of the cotton seeds yields an edible oil that is suitable for cooking and human consumption as well as additional byproducts utilized in The success story of Bt cotton in Burkina Faso: a role model for sustainable cotton production in other cotton-growing countries?
Structure confirmation and thermal kinetics of the inclusion of cis-jasmone in β-cyclodextrin

In this study, inclusion complex of cis-jasmone in β-CD (β-CD-CJ) was synthesized to improve cis-jasmone stability. The structure and thermal kinetics of the inclusion complex was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC studies showed that the stability of cis-jasmone after β-cyclodextrin encapsulation was improved. The dissociation kinetics of β-CD-CJ at different heating rates was studied by TG, and the activation energy E of β-CD-CJ thermal decomposition kinetic parameters was defined by Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method. The results showed that the average activation energy E was 121.16 kJ mol−1.
comprehension in infant bilinguals Early understanding of two words for the same thing : A CDI study of lexical

A basic question that arises with respect to early bilingual comprehension is whether, as in production, bilingual infants understand words from two languages that have the same meaning (translation equivalents). This study addresses this question using CDI-data from 31 children growing up bilingual in French and Dutch. Raters report that 13-month-old bilingual infants all understand translation equivalents; however, the extent to which children understand translation equivalents is marked by considerable interindividual variability. This understanding is related to how many meanings children understand: the more advanced infants’ comprehension skills are, the more meanings they know in two languages rather than just one.
Planetary eclipse mapping of CoRoT-2a - Evolution, differential rotation, and spot migration

The lightcurve of CoRoT-2 shows substantial rotational modulation and deformations of the planet's transit profiles caused by starspots. We consistently model the entire lightcurve, including both rotational modulation and transits, stretching over approximately 30 stellar rotations and 79 transits. The spot distribution and its evolution on the noneclipsed and eclipsed surface sections are presented and analyzed, making use of the high resolution achievable under the transit path. We measure the average surface brightness on the eclipsed section to be (5 ± 1)% lower than on the noneclipsed section. Adopting a solar spot contrast, the spot coverage on the entire surface reaches up to 19% and a maximum of almost 40% on the eclipsed section. Features under the transit path, i.e. close to the equator, rotate with a period close to 4.55 days. Significantly higher rotation periods are found for features on the noneclipsed section indicating a differential rotation of ΔΩ > 0.1. Spotted and unspotted regions in both surface sections concentrate on preferred longitudes separated by roughly 180°.
Heats of combustion representative of the carbohydrate mass contained in fruits, vegetables, or cereals

Abstract The obtainment of suitable values for metabolizable energy requires the previous knowledge of accurate and precise values of the heat of combustion of the different macronutrients. Thus, in this work, the heats of combustion of six carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, starch, and cellulose) were experimentally measured, and such values were statistically compared with equivalent bibliographic values collected in a parallel work (Heats of combustion of the main carbohydrates in vegetable foods: a bibliographic approach, 2019), proposing, for each carbohydrate, an “overall interval” and an actualized representative value, which were estimated considering jointly the bibliographic and experimental information. Besides, a numerical methodology that used such parameters and the relative content of the different carbohydrates in selected foods was proposed, to estimate the global heat of combustion producible by the carbohydrate mass contained in such foods. The results estimated for 68 foods were globalized to propose the following generalized heats of combustion: (a) for fruits: 3.88 kcal/g, (b) for vegetables: 3.98 kcal/g and, and (c) for cereals: 4.13 kcal/g. These results demonstrated that the use of the Atwater's value (4.2 kcal/g of carbohydrate of vegetable source) involves a clear overestimation of the heat of combustion of the carbohydrate mass contained in vegetable source foods.
Explaining the Urban-Rural Gap in Cognitive Achievement in Peru: The Role of Early Childhood Environments and School Influences

In Peru, students attending rural schools demonstrate extremely poor learning outcomes and obtain results significantly below those of students in urban schools. Because the process of cognitive skill formation is cumulative, differences in initial endowments, early environments and influences occurring later at home and at school can all play a role in shaping these gaps. This analysis aims at measuring the contribution of school and early childhood influences to the difference in cognitive development observed, at the age of 8, between urban and rural children in Peru. Previous decomposition exercises using Peruvian data on the indigenous–non-indigenous achievement gap, report results that favour the role of household characteristics over that of schools or community-level variables. This analysis contributes new evidence based on an unusually rich dataset and provided by a decomposition strategy less prone to biases than those used so far in the literature. Results indicate that between 35 and 40 per cent of the gap in cognitive skill between urban and rural 8-year-old children is related to differences in school inputs (years of schooling, school and teacher characteristics) received between the ages of 6 and 8. This contribution is similar to that of the learning and care environment to which the child was exposed up until the age of 5. The characteristics of rural schools have a direct connection with policy action because nearly all the supply of educational services in rural areas is public. Thus, efforts devoted to ensuring the characteristics of rural schools and teachers become more equal with those in urban areas should allow a significant reduction in the cognitive skill gap between urban and rural children by the time they reach Grade 3.
Dermatoglyphic Patterns of Obese versus Normal-Weight Nigerian Individuals

The aim of this study was to determine the dermatoglyphic features of obese patients from the Ibibio ethnic group. One hundred individuals were examined: 50 obese (20 male and 30 female) and 50 normal (25 male and 25 female) subjects. Dermatoglyphic features such as digital and total ridge counts, DAT (angle formed by the triradius below the index finger) and ATD (angle formed by the triradius close to the wrist of the hand) were assessed. The results showed that on digital prints, the arch pattern was most common on the first right digits of obese males (54.5%) and females (42.33%), while in normal individuals, an ulnar loop was seen more frequently ( P < 0.05, chi-square test). The ATD and DAT angles on the right hands of both male and female obese patients were significantly greater than those of normal male and female subjects ( P < 0.05, z-test). This study therefore showed that certain dermatoglyphic patterns are associated with obesity among the Ibibio population of Nigeria. The potential utility of these dermatoglyphic patterns in identifying individuals at high risk for obesity may be considered in future studies.
The Impact of Drive Cycles and Auxiliary Power on Passenger Car Fuel Economy

In view of the advancement of zero emission transportation and current discussions on the reliability of nominal passenger car fuel economy, this article considers the procedure for assessing the potential for reducing the fuel consumption of passenger cars by using electric power to operate them. The analysis compares internal combustion engines, hybrid and fully electric concepts utilizing batteries and fuel cells. The starting point for the newly developed, simulation-based fuel consumption analysis is a longitudinal vehicle model. Mechanical power requirements on the drive side incorporate a large variety of standardized drive cycles to simulate typical patterns of car usage. The power requirements of electric heating and air conditioning are also included in the simulation, as these are especially relevant to electric powertrains. Moreover, on-board grid-load profiles are considered in the assessment. Fuel consumption is optimized by applying concept-specific operating strategies. The results show that the combination of low average driving speed and elevated onboard power requirements have severe impacts on the fuel efficiency of all powertrain configurations analyzed. In particular, the operational range of battery-electric vehicles is strongly affected by this due to the limited storage capacity of today’s batteries. The analysis confirms the significance of considering different load patterns of vehicle usage related to driving profiles and onboard electrical and thermal loads.
Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of a new dithioglycoluril: 1,4-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-3a-methyltetrahydroimidazo[4,5-d]imidazole-2,5(1H,3H)-dithione

In the title dithioglycoluril derivative, there is a difference in the torsion angles between the thioimidazole moiety and the methoxyphenyl groups on either side of the molecule [C—N—Car—Car = 116.9 (2) and −86.1 (3)°]. The N—C—N bond angle on one side of the dithioglycoluril moiety is slightly smaller than the one on the opposite side [110.9 (2)° cf. 112.0 (2)°], probably as a result of the steric effect of the methyl group.
Visilean: Designing a production management system with lean and BIM

Conceptual analysis of lean construction and Building Information Modelling indicates significant synergies between the two. Interactions between the two range right from the design phase to handover and facilities management. Although lean construction is being applied throughout, application of BIM still remains predominant in the design phase. Previous case studies have proven that the use of BIM with lean practices during the construction phase improves the efficiency of planning. A software system VisiLean is proposed that provides the construction team a lean production management system that is integrated with Building Information Modelling. The system provides clear visualisation of work status through visual indicators on the 3D model and also integrates several information sources to enable a truly integrated system that the construction industry lacks. In this paper, the basic underlying concept and a brief overview of the system are provided. The system has yet to be implemented on site so practical findings are not yet reported. However, it has been demonstrated to construction and major client organisations with positive feedback. Further work is under way to improve the system based on the initial feedback received and also to implement it on a pilot project to evaluate its performance.
Effects of atmospheric and soil water status on photosynthesis and growth in tomato

Du Q.J., Zhang D.L. , Jiao X.C. , Song X.M. , Li J.M. (2018): Effects of atmospheric and soil water status on photosynthesis and growth in tomato. Plant Soil Environ. , 64: 13–19. The responses of tomato seedlings to different vapour pressure deficit (VPD) under low soil moisture were studied. Plants were grown in greenhouses with low and high VPD, under both well-watered and water stress conditions. Low VPD was effectively maintained below 1.5 kPa with a micro-fog system. Under well-watered conditions, low VPD resulted in reduced transpiration, but this did not affect plant water status or growth. Water stress induced leaf dehydration and inhibition of growth, but the adverse effects were significantly alleviated by a decrease in VPD. Under water stress, no difference in transpiration was observed between plants with or without the VPD regulation, but the whole-plant hydraulic conductance was higher under low VPD. Low VPD increased stomatal conductance in drought-stressed plants because it promoted stomatal development and increased stomatal aperture. Thus, stomatal limitation to photosynthesis was reduced by low VPD under water stress. The reduction in plant growth induced by water stress was moderated by low VPD, partially due to higher photosynthetic rate. These results suggest that decreasing VPD improves plant water status, which ultimately enhances photosynthesis and growth under water stress.