Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of fertilization and training on the sensory properties of kiwifruit in orchards in Northern Portugal.

In our latitude, expectations of the kiwifruit sector regarding kiwi productions with high yields and an adequate fruit size have been fulfilled. Thus, at present, this sector is focusing its efforts towards the quality improvement of fruit sensory properties, highly demanded by the consumer, so as to be competitive in the international market. There are several sensory properties that determine quality in kiwifruit. A kiwifruit is considered to have a good flavour quality standard, when the content rate of soluble solids (°Brix) is the highest when consumed. Dry matter is another parameter internationally accepted as an indicator of the "intrinsic" quality of kiwifruit. The acidity and the starch content play an important role on the attainment of these quality standards. The aim of the present work is to determine the effect of fertilization and training (T- bar or pergola) on content and evolution of these sensory parameters. Assays were performed during 2007 in kiwi orchards in Northern Portugal (Kiwi Iberica S.A.), taking fruit samples every two weeks from anthesis until harvest. Sensory properties of these fruits were analyzed according to AOAC methods. Results showed that training systems influenced significantly on dry matter, soluble solids, starch content and acidity. Significant differences were also observed between both fertilization practices during the first phases of fruit development; but these differences disappeared in later stages.
Isolation and molecular characterization of a novel homogalacturonan galacturonosyl-transferase gene ( GbGAUT 1 ) from Gossypium barbadense

A novel gene, designated as GbGAUT1 (Gossypium barbadense homogalacturonan galacturonosyltransferase gene 1), was successfully cloned from G. barbadense (GenBank accession No. EF552432) by bioinformatics methods, RT-PCR and RACE. The open reading frame (ORF) was 1797 bp long and putatively encoded a polypeptide of 598 amino acids, with a predicted molecular mass of 69 kDa. GbGAUT1 could be considered as a homogalacturonan (HG) galacturonosyltransferase protein since the conserved GAUT1-related supperfamily motif had been found and it was clustered into GAUT-A group in the phylogenetic tree. Semi quantitative RT-PCR showed that GbGAUT1 preferentially expressed in the fiber secondary cell wall thickening, especially in the fibers of 35 day post anthesis (DPA). These results suggested that the novel cotton GbGAUT1 might play an important role in fiber development.
A Twofold Solution to a Twofold Problem

This practicum was designed to increase the self-esteem of children between the ages of 8 and 12 from dysfunctional families. The strategies implemented involved working with the parents of these children to help increase positive communication and relationships between parents and their children. Based on the idea that self-esteem is a reciprocal process developed in language between people, this study focused on changing styles of communication between parent and child. An 8-month parent-education group combining several educational programs was developed to help parents of six children focus on fostering positive communication in their children. A one-way mirror was used by the parents to observe their children participating in a self-esteem group, after which the parents joined their children in the group and offered them encouragement, praise and comments focusing on positive behaviors they had observed. The Piers Harris Children's Self Concept Scale was administered before and after the practicum--along with observational check lists and structured interviews with the parents--to compare the children's levels of self-esteem. Data revealed increased eye contact and better parental perceptions in regard to improved eye contact and social skills in the children. The Piers Harris Scale revealed a highly significant increase in the self-esteem of the children. Checklists and interviews are appended. (Contains 30 references.) (Author/KW) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. Increasing Self Esteem in Children, 8-12 Years Old from Dysfunctional Families: CN A Twofold Solution to a Twofold Problem
Effects of Bariatric Surgery on the Oral Health of Patients

Objective: The objective of this prospective cross-sectional study was to analyze the effects of bariatric and metabolic surgery on the oral health of patients. Methods: Twenty-nine patients answered a questionnaire after undergoing bariatric surgery. Of these,18 accepted to have their dental condition clinically assessed as well. Mean postoperative time was 4 years. Oral and eating habits were assessed in order to detect the impact of gastroplasty on patients’ lives and on their dental status. The Eccles index was usedto assess the level of dental erosion. Results: Bariatric surgery complications such as gastroesophageal reflux (55%), induced vomiting (90%), anxiety (65%), and systemic diseases such as anemia, high blood pressure, allergies or a combination of these (59%) were observed. Additionally, changes in eating habits such as craving for candies, ice, beer, finger foods, and sodas (59%), as well ashyposalivation (27%), parafunctional habits (55%), and dentin sensitivity (48%) were also reported. Among the patients submitted to the clinical examination, 55% demonstrated caries and 28% tooth wear Grade 1. Conclusion: Bariatric surgery had a negative effect on oral health, making the patient more susceptible to dental erosion. The integration of dentists into multidisciplinary teams is essential to early diagnosis and treatment of injuries caused by dental erosion. Dentists’ awareness of the effects of bariatric surgery on the oral health can assist them to improve the quality of life of bariatric patients.
Asymmetry in zonal phase propagation of ENSO sea surface temperature anomalies

It is often emphasized in the literature that the phase propagation of El Niño sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies along the equator changed from westward to eastward after a mid‐ to late‐1970s climate regime shift in the Pacific. Theories have been developed to explain this change of phase propagation in terms of changes in background state on which El Niño events develop. Those theories also suggest that the direction of La Niña anomaly phase propagation should have changed from westward to eastward as well. However, the direction of La Niña SST anomaly phase propagation did not change after the mid‐ to late‐1970s. Instead, La Niña SSTs continued to exhibit westward phase propagation along the equator, a feature overlooked in both observational analyses and theories. This paper highlights the asymmetry in zonal phase propagation between El Niño and La Niña sea surface temperature anomalies since 1980 and discusses the implications of that asymmetry for understanding El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) dynamics.
Microbial test organisms for sterilization processes in food industry

The importance of sterilization processes has been a major topic in the food manufacturing industry since it preserves the quality and provides longer shelf-life by preventing microbiological recontamination of products. Aseptic packaging is an alternative technique to pack commercially sterile products into containers with a very low recontamination rate, thus, the entire production chain must be designed according to the aseptic condition, including the packaging material, the filling machines, and the surrounding area where the process takes place. To evaluate a sterilization process, there is a validation test in which the process is challenged with certain test organisms. VDMA or Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau (German Engineering Federation) has published a guideline (FS NuV No. 10/2005 Appendix A) containing the recommendation of the required outcomes for the validation test of the filling machines depending on the sterilization processes and test organisms. Furthermore, the guideline has motivated us to obtain further confidence data on the performance of the test organisms. The present study aimed to investigate and compare the resistance of spore-producing organisms, A. brasiliensis, B. atrophaeus, and B. subtilis, against different disinfection/sterilization processes relevant to the food industry as indicated by VDMA, i.e. chemical (hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid products of Oxonia), thermal (steam, hot water, and dry heat), as well as UV irradiation. A review of existing research was then compiled with the laboratory results to suggest suitable test organisms depending on the sterilization processes applied. Based on the observations, B. subtilis spores are the test organism that showed highest resistance against H2O2 and Oxonia sterilization process with D60 °C = 6,17 s and Dambient = 13,89 s respectively. This result was in accordance with the guidelines of VDMA. For the thermal processes, VDMA suggested A. brasiliensis spores as the recommended test organisms. However, our findings resulted that for disinfection and sterilization processes that employ hot water and dry heat, B. atrophaeus spores were found as the ideal test organism exhibiting the desired resistance towards the given processes with a D90 °C and D121 °C of 8,1 min and 71,94 min. Our review study on steam sterilization suggested G. stearothermophilus as the suitable test organisms for steam sterilization, although VDMA suggested A. brasiliensis spores. Throughout the study, A. brasiliensis spores have demonstrated rapid reductions for all the sterilization process evaluated, indicating low resistance and therefore were not considered as an ideal test organism to use. However, when looking into the available literature on UV irradiation, it was found that A. brasiliensis could be a possible test organism to assess its effectiveness considering its black spore pigment, aspergillin, which is responsible to the high UV resistance as it absorbs high amounts of the UV radiation to protect the cell.
Restframe UV-to-optical spectroscopy of APM 08279+5255

We present the analysis of the restframe optical-to-UV spectrum of APM 08279+5255, a well-known lensed broad absorption line (BAL) quasar at z = 3.911. The spectroscopic data were taken with the optical DOLoRes and near-IR NICS instruments at TNG, and include the previously unexplored range between C III] λ1910 and [O III] λλ4959,5007. We have investigated the possible presence of multiple BALs by computing “balnicity” and absorption indexes (i.e., BI, BI0, and AI) for the transitions Si IV λ1400, C IV λ1549, Al III λ1860, and Mg II λ2800. No clear evidence for the presence of absorption features is found in addition to the already known, prominent BAL associated to C IV, which supports a high-ionization BAL classification for APM 08279+5255. We also studied the properties of the [O III], Hβ, and Mg II emission lines. We find that [O III] is intrinsically weak (F[OIII]∕FHβ ≲ 0.04), as it is typically found in luminous quasars with a strongly blueshifted C IV emission line (~2500 km s−1 for APM 08279+5255). We computed the single-epoch black hole mass based on Mg II and Hβ broad emission lines, finding MBH = (2 ÷ 3) × 1010μ−1 M⊙, with the magnification factor μ that can vary between 4 and 100 according to CO and restframe UV-to-mid-IR imaging respectively. Using a Mg II equivalent width (EW)-to-Eddington ratio relation, the EWMgII ~ 27 Å measured for APM 08279+5255 translates into an Eddington ratio of ~0.4, which is more consistent with μ = 4. This magnification factor also provides a value of MBH that is consistent with recent reverberation-mapping measurements derived from C IV and Si IV.
Behaviors in highly effective continuous improvement teams : two types of video-analyses of three prototypical work situations

In order to adapt to today’s highly uncertain and customer-focused environment, many organizations implement continuous improvement (CI) at the shop floor team-level. However, many teams fail to successfully implement CI, while the behavioral dynamics of CI teams are hardly understood. To explore their daily behaviors, five highly effective CI teams were minutely analyzed by means of a survey and video-analysis of three prototypical situations: a start-up meeting; a weekly team meeting; and everyday work of team members and leaders. It appeared that all five teams have different behavioral dynamic patterns, although some similarities were found. For instance, team leaders barely showed any ‘self-defending’ type of behaviors during all three prototypical situations. Furthermore, during their everyday work, team members showed extensive ‘individualized consideration’, far more than in the meetings. In addition, two teams with similar types of work environments, showed correspondence in their team dynamics. For instance, these team leaders had the same level of ‘informing’ during the start-up meeting. This suggests that CI team dynamics are subject to contextual enablers. Finally, ‘Team learning’, measured by the survey, was negatively related to negative types of observed behavior (e.g. defending one’s own position) and positively related to the observed behavior ‘intellectual stimulation’. Our findings open up new paths for future video-research on behavioral dynamics in CI teams.
Maxwell-consistent, symmetry- and energy-preserving solutions for ultrashort-laser-pulse propagation beyond the paraxial approximation

We analytically and numerically investigate the propagation of ultrashort tightly focused laser pulses in vacuum, with particular emphasis on Hermite-Gaussian and Laguerre-Gaussian modes. We revisit the Lax series approach for forward-propagating linearly polarized laser pulses, to obtain Maxwell-consistent and symmetry-preserving analytical solutions for the propagation of all field components beyond the paraxial approximation in four-dimensional geometry (space and time). We demonstrate that our solution conserves the energy, which is set by the paraxial-level term of the series. The full solution of the wave equation towards which our series converges is calculated in the Fourier space. Three-dimensional numerical simulations of ultrashort tightly focused pulses validate our analytical development.
Schooling effects on degree performance: a comparison of the predictive validity of aptitude testing and secondary school grades at Oxford University

This article examines the cause of school type effects upon gaining a first class degree at Oxford University, whereby for a given level of secondary school performance, private school students perform less well at degree level. We compare the predictive power of an aptitude test and secondary school grades (GCSEs) for final examination performance, using data from the Oxford Admissions Study. Both metrics are predictive of final degree performance but the school effects are only statistically robust for arts students. Private school students perform less well in final examinations relative to their GCSE results when compared with state school students, but they do not under perform relative to their aptitude test scores or in gross terms. It is therefore argued that teaching effects, associated with private school students, distort secondary school grades as an indicator of academic potential in higher education when compared to state school students.
Comparison of magnetic susceptibility

Comparisons of field portable magnetic susceptibility (MS) meters have been carried out by a number of geophysicists. Bleeker (2012) compared the KT-10 and the SM-30. He concluded that the KT-10 was most suitable for his purposes, as the KT-10 has a mode that provides the average and standard deviation of multiple readings on an outcrop. Bleeker (2012) found that the MS readings were useful for studying dyke swarms and differentiating between different dyke swarms. Lee and Morris (2013) compared three instruments and found that the KT10 and SM-30 gave similar readings, with the Bartington MS2E giving readings that were about 9% greater.
Defining Sustainability in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Because of the normative and subjective nature of the terms sustainability and sustainable development, solutions tend to be applicable for specific regions but not the whole of society. Thus, it is imperative understand better how community stakeholders and decision makers define the concept of sustainability. Not only will greater understanding of such definitions add to our understanding of nature-society relations, but also in certain contexts, this understanding may help to promote realistic and effective decision-making at local levels. The objective of this study was to determine how amenity-driven gateway communities surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks define, conceptualize, and perceive sustainability, and if those perceptions varied between time in residence, community of origin, or role within the community. Thirty-five key informant interviews were conducted with decision makers within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to meet the study objectives. Throughout study communities, definitions of sustainability focused on the environment, the economy, and multi-generational thinking, and it is believed that these similarities can be the starting point for communication and collaboration among gateway communities, the long-term sustainability of their individual communities, and the collective resource upon which they all depend, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Accounting for selection effects in the BH-bulge relations: no evidence for cosmological evolution

The redshift evolution of the black hole - bulge relations is an essential observational constraint for models of black hole - galaxy coevolution. In addition to the observational challenges for these studies, conclusions are complicated by the influence of selection effects. We demonstrate that there is presently no statistical significant evidence for cosmological evolution in the M•-bulge relations, once these selection effects are taken into account and corrected for. We present a fitting method, based on the bivariate distribution of black hole mass and galaxy property, that accounts for the selection function in the fitting and is therefore able to recover the intrinsic black hole bulge relation unbiased. While prior knowledge is restricted to a minimum, we at least require knowledge of either the sample selection function and the mass dependence of the active fraction, or the spheroid distribution function and the intrinsic scatter in the black hole - bulge relation. We employed our fitting routine to existing studies of �
Agricultural Credit as an Instrument of Rural Development in Tanzania: A Case Study on the Credit Programme for Tractorization of Small Scale Agriculture in Morogoro Region

As in most developing countries, in Tanzania, agricultural credit is considered an important factor in stimulating agricultural production, particularly among small farmers. This paper provides the findings from a study on a formal agricultural credit programme sponsored by the government in Morogoro Region. The credit programme supplied tractors to small farmers in the region to improve production. Through a field survey conducted among small farmers who received the credit, it was found that the performance of the credit programme was below the expected level because of insufficient examination of the socioeconomic situation of the farms and lack of provision of supportive service to the programme.
Practice and working memory effects in building procedural skill.

Several theories assume that practice (a) results in restructuring of component processes and (b) reduces demand on working memory. Eight subjects practiced judgments about digital logic gates for over 8,000 trials. At two practice levels, subjects made judgments while retaining short-term memory loads irrelevant to the judgments, relevant but not accessed, or accessed to make the judgments. Four phenomena together provide constraints for theory: First, performance declined in moving from blocked practice to randomized practice. Second, gate and judgment type strongly affected latency. Third, these effects declined but did not disappear with practice. Fourth, the cost of accessing information in working memory remained substantial. These results are interpreted as reflecting a serial pro-cess with constant structure, while component processes become faster. The results challenge theories assuming that all learning results from restructuring or that restructuring is an automatic consequence of practice, and they support a distributed view of working memory. Several current theories of skill acquisition (e.g., Anderson, 1982, 1983, 1987; Rosenbloom & Newell, 1987) share the assumptions that (a) practice results in the reorganization or r£rtrwc/un/7# of component processes, and (b) practice reduces the load on a working memory that serves as a single workspace for carrying out cognitive processes. In the study reported here, we observed the acquisition of procedural skill for judgments about causal rules over the course of approximately 20 hr (over 8,000 trials) of practice. The results challenge the above assumptions and suggest an alternative view in which the organization of component processes and use of working memory remain constant while the speed of component processes increases (and attentional load decreases) with extended practice (see Schneider, 1985).
ASSESSMENT OF APPLE ROOTSTOCKS M 9 AND M 26 FOR IN VITRO ROOTING POTENTIAL USING DIFFERENT CARBON SOURCES

A study was accomplished to evaluate the effect of different carbon sources for the In vitro rooting of apple rootstocks M 9 and M 26. Significant differences were exhibited by carbon sources, apple rootstocks as well as by the interaction of these two factors. Among the various carbon sources tested, the best rooting response was obtained with 35 g l -1 sorbitol (T9) both in terms of mean root number (5.0) and root length (3.84) while 45 g l -1 sorbitol (T10) was the optimum concentration to work out the highest rooting percentage of 86.67%. Sucrose showed its propensity to stimulate the rooting of both genotypes but it was not much appealing in comparison to sorbitol. Quite unfair results were yielded by glucose followed by highly meager outcome, which was given by mannitol. Within rootstocks the most supercilious outcome was given by M 26 which gained a cut above M 9 regarding rooting percentage (44.17 %), root number (2.02) and root length (1.59 cm).