Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of plant density and cultivars on growth, yield and yield components of faba bean ( Vicia faba L.)

One field experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture at Zabol University during the 2006/2007 season to study the effect of plant density (D) and cultivars (V) on some growth characters of faba bean. The experimental design applied was randomized complete block (RCBD) in factorial arrangement with three replications. Plant density at three levels (12.5, 16.7 and 20 plant m -2 ) and cultivars at four levels (Aljazayeri, Barekat, Shami and var. 3514) were used as experimental treatments. The obtained results showed that some characters were markedly affected by plant density, except plant height, height of the lowest pods of soil surface, 100 seeds weight, number of pods per plant and number of seed per pod. Increasing plant density from 12.5 to 20 plant m -2 significantly increased economical yield and biological yield. As such, the cultivars had a significant effect on economical and biological yields. Aljazaeri cultivar surpassed all other cultivars in terms of biological and economical yields, whereas the interaction effect of ‘D x V’ was significant for both biological and economical yields. Increasing plant spacing increased the number of pods per plant, but a decrease in the number of seed/pods consequently gave the highest seed yield. However, cultivars had no significant effect on yield and other investigated characters. Thus, the use of Algazayeri cultivar at the highest plant density produced the best seed and biological yield in this condition. Keyword: Hundred (100) seeds weight, number of pods, growth characters, economical and biological yield
The intertemporal choice behaviour: The role of emotions in a multi-agent decision problem

Decision Neuroscience has shown positive and negative side of emotions in intertemporal choices. Psychological evidences, indeed, point out anomalies (impulsivity modifies the discount function of each individual) and the false consensus effect which increases the degree of consensus in a multi-agent decision problem. An experiment (Engelmann and Strobel 2004) demonstrates that the relevance of the false consensus effect depends on the difficulty of the information retrieval, so the underlying mechanism is an information processing deficiency rather than egocentricity. We demonstrate that emotions can not cause anomalies in a cooperative strategic interaction because information is explicit.
CYCLICAL PATTERNS IN PRO FITS, PRO VISIONING AND LENDING O F BANKS AND PROCYCLICALITY O F TH E NEW BASEL CAPITAL REQ UIREMENTS

The proposed risk sensitive minimum requirements of the new Basel Capital Accord have raised concerns about possible (acceleration of) procyclical behaviour of banking, which might threaten macroeconomic stability. This article analyses the interaction between business cycles and banks over the past two decades for 26 industrial countries. As expected, profits appear to move up and down with the business cycle, allowing for accumulation of capital in boom periods. Provisioning for credit losses rise when the cycle falls, but less so when net income of banks is relatively high, which reduces procyclicality. Lending fluctuates with the business cycle, too, but appears to be driven by demand rather than by supply factors such as (shortage of ) capital, which contradicts the assumptions underlying capital crunch theory. All in all, over the last decades, distortion caused by procyclical behaviour of banks has been limited, banking crises excepted.
EFFECT OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON GROWTH AND ESSENTIAL OIL CONTENT IN PALMAROSA (CYMBOPOGON MARTINII)

Objective: The aim was to examine the responses viz., herbage yield, essential oil content and oil composition to varying levels of gibberellic acid (GA3), kinetin and indole acetic acid (IAA) in Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii). Methods: Essential oils were obtained by hydro-distillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus and oils composition was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Nitrate reductase (NR) activity was evaluated by in-vivo assay. Protein content was evaluated by Lowry method. Chlorophyll was estimated by Arnon method. Results: Plant growth was improved by GA3 significantly, and the increase was maximum at 100 ppm concentration in plant height, leaf area, tiller number and herbage yield. Chlorophyll content, protein content, NR activity and oil content increased in the plants due to GA3 treatment compared to untreated plants, and the increase was maximum at 100 ppm concentration. Effect of IAA and kinetin was similar to GA3 but maximum effect was observed at 50 ppm concentration. Geraniol content of the essential oil of Palmarosa increased due to GA3 and kinetin treatment while percentage of geranyl acetate decreased. Conclusion: On a comparative basis, among the three promotional hormones, GA3 was most effective in stimulating growth, essential oil content, leaf area, tiller number and metabolic parameters (protein content, chlorophyll content and NR activity). Keywords: Cymbopogon martinii, Essential oils, Plant growth regulators, Oil compositon.
Subdividing large mountainous watersheds into smaller hydrological units to predict soil loss and sediment yield using the GeoWEPP model.

The number of studies using prediction models on measuring soil loss and/or sediment yield has been continuously increasing since these models are considered timely and cost-effective. Similarly, in this study, we used the GeoWEPP model to determine how much soil is being lost and the amount of sediment being yielded from Godrahav Creek Watershed (GCW) located in northeastern Turkey. Because the watershed is large (5,298.21 ha) and has mountainous and steep terrain, it was subdivided into smaller hydrological units (SHUs) so that the model can run easily and give detailed findings. The results revealed that out of 18,596.8 t of soil loss generated from both hillslopes and channels within the whole GCW, approximately 9,854.8 t y-1 reached Borcka Dam reservoir as sediment. The model also predicted annual average soil loss and sediment yield as 1.73 t ha-1y-1 and 1,86 t ha-1y-1, respectively. In addition, with a sediment delivery ratio (SDR) of 0.530, the results indicated that almost half of the detached soil particles were carried away as sediment. Despite the dominant vegetation coverage, relatively high SDR and soil loss – particularly in certain SHUs – can be associated with steep terrain and conversion of natural lands in the watershed.
Development of the Temporal Intelligence Questionnaire.

Research has demonstrated that the temporal characteristics of individuals and jobs significantly predict outcome variables such as well-being and performance (Francis-Smythe & Robertson, 2003; Hecht & Allen, 2003; Slocombe & Bluedorn; 1999). This paper will present an account of the development of the Temporal Intelligence Questionnaire (TI-Q). This instrument is proposed to represent individual differences in leaders’ (including management roles) time related thoughts, attitudes and behaviours directed towards followers; which are known as follower-referenced temporal practices. These practices are broken down into two typologies called: global and adaptive temporal typologies. The global form of temporal practices refers to how a leader thinks and behaves on 13 dimensions of time in the workplace, in the context of interactions with individual followers and teams/groups of followers. The adaptive form of temporal practices represents a leaders’ process of awareness and behavioural adaptation, based on knowledge of the time related, dispositional characteristics of followers and the time demands of their respective jobs.
Early Childhood Education, Child Development and School Readiness: Evidence from Zambia

While early childhood education has received increasing attention in the developing world in recent years, relatively little evidence is available from sub-Saharan Africa on its effects on child development and subsequent school enrolment. We use a prospective case-control design to evaluate the developmental impact of a community-based early childhood center in an urban area in Zambia. Comparing 40 children attending the center to 40 children not attending the center from the same community, we find that center attendance was associated with significantly better performance in an assessment of task orientation, and was also weakly associated with increased letter familiarity. We also observed higher performance among center students on tests of receptive language and pencil-related fine motor skills. These associations were, however, smaller and not statistically significant. We conducted a follow-up one year after the initial assessment, when children were seven years old and should have been in first grade. At follow-up, 27% of non-attendees were not yet enrolled in primary school, compared to just 11% of center students, suggesting that participation in early education encourages a timely transition into first grade.
Enhanced lines and box-shaped features in the gamma-ray spectrum from annihilating dark matter in the NMSSM

We study spectral features in the gamma-ray emission from dark matter (DM) annihilation in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM), with either neutralino or right-handed (RH) sneutrino DM . We perform a series of scans over the NMSSM parameter space, compute the DM annihilation cross section into two photons and the contribution of box-shaped features, and compare them with the limits derived from the Fermi-LAT search for gamma-ray lines using the latest Pass 8 data. We implement the LHC bounds on the Higgs sector and on the masses of supersymmetric particles as well as the constraints on low-energy observables. We also consider the recent upper limits from the Fermi-LAT satellite on the continuum gamma-ray emission from dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). We show that in the case of the RH sneutrino the constraint on gamma-ray spectral features can be more stringent than the dSph bounds. This is due to the Breit-Wigner enhancement near the ubiquitous resonances with a CP even Higgs and the contribution of scalar and pseudoscalar Higgs final states to box-shaped features. By contrast, for neutralino DM, the di-photon final state is only enhanced in the resonance with a Z boson and box-shaped features are even more suppressed. Therefore, the observation of spectral features could constitute a discriminating factor between both models. In addition, we compare our results with direct DM searches, including the SuperCDMS and LUX limits on the elastic DM-nucleus scattering cross section and show that some of these scenarios would be accessible to next generation experiments. Thus, our findings strengthen the idea of complementarity among distinct DM search strategies.
Binary neural networks for speech recognition

Recently, deep neural networks (DNNs) significantly outperform Gaussian mixture models in acoustic modeling for speech recognition. However, the substantial increase in computational load during the inference stage makes deep models difficult to directly deploy on low-power embedded devices. To alleviate this issue, structure sparseness and low precision fixed-point quantization have been applied widely. In this work, binary neural networks for speech recognition are developed to reduce the computational cost during the inference stage. A fast implementation of binary matrix multiplication is introduced. On modern central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) architectures, a 5–7 times speedup compared with full precision floatingpoint matrix multiplication can be achieved in real applications. Several kinds of binary neural networks and related model optimization algorithms are developed for large vocabulary continuous speech recognition acoustic modeling. In addition, to improve the accuracy of binary models, knowledge distillation from the normal full precision floating-point model to the compressed binary model is explored. Experiments on the standard Switchboard speech recognition task show that the proposed binary neural networks can deliver 3–4 times speedup over the normal full precision deep models. With the knowledge distillation from the normal floating-point models, the binary DNNs or binary convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can restrict the word error rate (WER) degradation to within 15.0%, compared to the normal full precision floating-point DNNs or CNNs, respectively. Particularly for the binary CNN with binarization only on the convolutional layers, the WER degradation is very small and is almost negligible with the proposed approach.
Mixing times in the mantle of the early Earth derived from 2‐D and 3‐D numerical simulations of convection

The Earth's mantle is chemically heterogeneous at all scales, as shown by elemental and isotopic analysis of oceanic basalts. This heterogeneity is continuously destroyed by convective stirring and slow diffusion. It has been argued that 3‐D time‐dependent convection is less efficient than 2‐D convection, except in the presence of a toroidal component. In this study we question this conclusion with numerical simulations and show that mixing in 3‐D time‐dependent convection is as efficient as in 2‐D, and only depends on convective vigor. We compute mixing times of thermal and chemical heterogeneities in the early Earth of 10 and 100 Myrs respectively.
The Cyclical Behaviour of Job and Worker Flows

This research exploits a large employer-level panel dataset in order to analyse employment and worker flows. Excess reallocation, the difference between worker and job flows at the firm level, is substantial and has a definite cyclical pattern. Both accessions and separations are cyclical in contrast to the conventional wisdom that assumes separation to be countercyclical. Separations increase in upswing, following the accession increase, and decline in recession. Unemployment during recession is not, to a large extent, due to an increase in the rate at which workers separate from their employers, as traditionally assumed among macroeconomists, but to the decline in job creations.
A case study on the flavor properties of melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars

Introduction . The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of sugar and citric, malic, succinic and ascorbic acid levels on melon flavor perception, and to infer about consumers’ preferences based on instrumentally measured characteristics. Materials and methods . Fully ripened melons belonging to the ‘Branco’ (Brazilian), ‘Pele de Sapo’ (Spanish) and winter ‘Tendral’ (Portuguese) melon cultivars were analyzed using five fruits with three replicates for each treatment. Quality parameters (weight, height, diameter, solid shape, volume, internal appearance, texture and flavor), sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose), total soluble solids content, sweetness, organic acids (citric, malic, succinic and ascorbic) and sourness were measured. Results and discussion . Flavor was the most important parameter for the consumers’ decision, regarding the different melon cultivars studied. It was also detected that it correlated well with sweetness (thus, with sucrose content) and sourness. The obtained data supports that sugars and organic acids enhance human perception of specific flavor notes in melon.
HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn identification of phenolic compounds in cultivated strawberries from Macedonia

Strawberry fruits contain phenolic compounds that exhibit antioxidant, anticancer, antiatherosclerotic, antinflammatory and anti-neurodegenerative properties. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometric (ESI-MS) detection in the positive and negative ion mode has been used to identify the phenolic compounds in extracts from sixteen different strawberry cultivar fruits from Republic of Macedonia. Photodiode-array detection (DAD) has been used for screening of the different classes of phenolic compounds, whereas MS and MSn fragmentation data were employed for their structural characterization. The phenolic compounds identified were grouped as: ellagic acid and ellagic acid conjugates with sugars, ellagitannins, anthocyanins, flavonols, flavanols, and acylated sugars (feruloyl, caffeoyl and coumaroyl hexoses). Quercetin and kaempferol were the major flavonols found as quercetin 3-O-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide, kaempferol 3-O-glucoside, kaempferol 3-O-glucoronide, kaempferol 3-O-malonylglucoside, kaempferol 3-O-acetylglucoside and kaempferol 3-O-coumaroylglucoside. Pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside was the most abundant anthocyanin in all strawberry extracts. Proanthocyanidins were also identified by MSn fragmentation as dimers, trimers and tetramers of (epi)catechin and (epi)afzelechin. This is the first assay of the phenolic profile of the strawberry cultivars in Macedonia, which can be further developed for characterization and evaluation of their quality with regards to their phenolic composition.
Homogenization of elastic waves in fluid-saturated porous media using the Biot model

We consider periodically heterogeneous fluid-saturated poroelastic media described by the Biot model with inertia effects. The weak and semistrong formulations for displacement, seepage and pressure fields involve three equations expressing the momentum and mass balance and the Darcy law. Using the two-scale homogenization method, we obtain the limit two-scale problem and prove the existence and uniqueness of its weak solutions. The Laplace transformation in time is used to decouple the macroscopic and microscopic scales. It is shown that the seepage velocity is eliminated from the macroscopic equations involving strain and pressure fields only. The plane harmonic wave propagation is studied using an example of layered medium. Illustrations show some influence of the orthotropy on the dispersion phenomena.
ASPECTS OF THE SILVOPASTORAL SYSTEM CORRELATED WITH PROPERTIES OF A TYPIC QuARTzIPSAMMEnT (EnTISOL) In MATO GROSSO DO SuL, BRAzIL

In Brazil, grazing mismanagement may lead to soil and pasture degradation. To impede this process, integrated cropping systems such as silvopasture have been an effective alternative, allied with precision agriculture based on soil mapping for site-specific management. In this study, we aimed to define the soil property that best sheds light on the variability of eucalyptus and forage yield. The experiment was conducted in the 2011/12 crop year in Ribas do Rio Pardo, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. We analyzed linear and spatial correlations between eucalyptus traits and physical properties of a Typic Quartzipsamment at two depths (0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m). For that purpose, we set up a geostatistical grid for collection at 72 points. Gravimetric moisture in the 0.00-0.10 m layer is an important index of soil physical quality, showing correlation to eucalyptus circumference at breast height (CBH) in a Typic Quartzipsamment. With an increase in resistance to penetration in the soil surface layer, there is an increase in eucalyptus height and in neutral detergent fiber content in the forage crop. From a spatial point of view, the height of eucalyptus and the neutral detergent fiber of forage can be estimated by co-kriging analysis with soil resistance to penetration. Resistance to penetration values above 2.3 MPa indicated higher yielding sites.
Aligning Sustainability with Management Control Systems

The sustainability of organisations is crucial in moving towards a sustainable economy and calls for sustainable practices. Companies have attempted to embed sustainability in management control systems (MCSs). A qualitative multiple-case study on the integration of full cost accounting (FCA) within MCSs is performed to identify the processes of sustainability integration in organizations. The findings reveal intra-organizational processes are more important than extra-organizational factors during the implementation of FCA. FCA functions as an object and mechanism of change. It was used to build awareness and enhance cognitive integration. The main barrier was a lack of top management adoption. The study shows a paradox surrounding the use of FCA as it is intended to be used both diagnostically and interactively creating dynamic tensions. Top management inhibited this dual use providing an organizational barrier to integration. This study provides a processual approach towards understanding the integration of sustainability in control systems from an institutional perspective. Author F.A. J. Melisse Student number 368601 Date 02-12-2016 Master Programme Accounting & Control Supervisor Drs. T.P.M Welten Second Corrector Dr. L. Dal Maso
Individual cell DNA synthesis within natural marine bacterial assemblages as detected by 'click' chemistry

Individual cell growth rates enhance our understanding of microbial roles in regulat- ing organic matter flux in marine and other aquatic systems. We devised a protocol to microscop- ically detect and quantify bacteria undergoing replication in seawater using the thymidine analog 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), which becomes incorporated into bacterial DNA and is detected with a 'click' chemistry reaction in 3 orders of magnitude, wherein the most intensely labeled cells comprised most of a sam- ple's sum community EdU signal, e.g. 26% of cells comprised 80% of the sum signal. This ability to rapidly detect and quantify signals in labeled DNA is an important step toward a robust approach for the determination of single-cell growth rates in natural assemblages and for linking growth rates with microscale biogeochemical dynamics.
The Role of Agriculture in Poverty Reduction - an Empirical Perspective

The relative contribution of a sector to poverty reduction is shown to depend on its direct and indirect growth effects as well as its participation effect. The paper assesses how these effects compare between agriculture and non-agriculture by reviewing the literature and by analyzing cross-country national accounts and poverty data from household surveys. Special attention is given to Sub-Saharan Africa. While the direct growth effect of agriculture on poverty reduction is likely to be smaller than that of non-agriculture (though not because of inherently inferior productivity growth), the indirect growth effect of agriculture (through its linkages with nonagriculture) appears substantial and at least as large as the reverse feedback effect. The poor participate much more in growth in the agricultural sector, especially in low-income countries, resulting in much larger poverty reduction impact. Together, these findings support the overall premise that enhancing agricultural productivity is the critical entry-point in designing effective poverty reduction strategies, including in Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, to maximize the poverty reducing effects, the right agricultural technology and investments must be pursued, underscoring the need for much more country specific analysis of the structure and institutional organization of the rural economy in designing poverty reduction strategies.
Comparison of some metabolites in blood and ovarian follicular fluid in different sizes in Holstein dairy cows.

Article history Received: 5 May, 2015 Revised: 10 Jun, 2015 Accepted: 12 Jun, 2015 Abstract Follicular fluid biochemical compounds are influenced by their corresponding serum metabolites. In this study, 45 non-pregnant Holstein cows were selected and divided into three categories (small, medium and large). Blood samples were taken before slaughter from tail vein. Glucose, urea and insulin were measured in serum and follicular fluid. The results showed that by increasing the size of the follicles, glucose and insulin concentration increased significantly (P<0.05), however, urea concentration significantly (P<0.05) reduced in follicular fluid. In general, these result showed the existence of significant relation between the follicular size and concentration of these metabolites is a useful indicator to realize their role in growth and maturation of Oocytes.