Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic characterisation and cytological identification of a male sterile mutant in maize (Zea mays L.)

Male sterile mutants play an important role in the utilisation of crop heterosis. Male sterile plants were found in S5 generations of maize hybrid ZH2, through continuous sib-mating by using the fertile plants in the same population, we obtained a male sterile sibling population K932MS including sterile plants K932S and a fertile plant K932F. The objective of this study was to clarify the genetic characterisation and abortion characteristics by nucleus and cytoplasm effect analyses, cytoplasm grouping, and cytological observation. The results showed that no difference was found between K932S and K932F in the vegetative growth stage, but K932S had no emerging anther or pollen grains. The segregation ratio of fertile plants to sterile plants was 1:1 in the sibling progenies, while it was 3:1 in self-crossing progenies of K932F. The sterility of K932S could be restored among reciprocal progenies when seven normal inbred lines were used as females respectively. The fertility expression of K932S crossed with 30 testers would be changed in different test-crosses and some back-cross progenies. The C-type restorer Zifeng-1 (Rf4Rf4) was able to restore the fertility of K932S, and the specific PCR amplification bands of K932MS were consistent with CMS-CMo17. The anther of K932S began abortion at dyad with its tapetum expanded radically and vacuolated: this induced abnormality in the shapes of both dyads and tetrads. The microspore could not develop normally, and then it collapsed and gradually disappeared. Hence, K932MS is a C-type cytoplasmic male sterile mutant with a pollen-free, stable inheritance: it has potential application value for further research.
Combining ability and heterosis study for yield and its component traits in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Twelve crosses derived in line (4) × tester (3) mating design F1s along with their parents were evaluated to study the combing ability and heterosis for fourteen yield and yield contributing traits in safflower. Analysis of genetic component of variance and variance due to specific combining ability (σ2 sca) revealed preponderance of dominant variance and non-additive gene action for all of the traits. In hybrids, contribution of lines was higher over the testers for all the traits. Among the lines MSV-10-5-1 was the best combiner for number of branches per plant, number of capitulum per plant, number of seeds per capitulum, seed yield per plant. Line MMS-white was good combiner for oil content. Among the testers, GMU 1769 was found best combiner for number of seeds per capitulum and seed yield per plant were identified as promising general combiner. However, hybrid MSV-10-5-1 x GMU 1769 was found superior for number of branches per plant, number of capitulum per plant and seed yield per plant. Among the hybrids, identified superior crosses with significantly highest level of heterosis over standard check were GMU 224 x GMU 1303, GMU 224 x RVS-2012-13, GMU 224 x GMU 1769, TMS-3-6-7-9 x GMU 1303 and MSV-10-5-1 x GMU 1769 for seed yield per plant.
Vocal activity of the Ferruginous pygmy-owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) is strongly correlated with moon phase and nocturnal temperature

Bird vocal activity is affected by endogenous and exogenous factors. Owl surveys are mainly based on the detection of nocturnal calls, and therefore, the impact of exogenous factors on owls’ vocal activity may have consequences in conservation planning and behavioural studies. However, our current knowledge about the impact of climatic factors and the moon phase on owl calling behaviour is very limited, especially in the Neotropics. We used autonomous recording units to evaluate the effect of air temperature, rainfall, relative air humidity, and percent of the moon illuminated on the vocal occurrence (active/inactive) of the Ferruginous pygmy-owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) over three consecutive moon cycles in the Brazilian Pantanal. Vocal activity was positively associated with the percent of the moon illuminated, with 75% of the nights on which the species was vocally active having a moon illumination percentage higher than 77%. The vocal activity of the species was negatively associated with the nocturnal air temperature, with more vocal activity observed on cooler nights. Relative air humidity and daily rainfall were not associated with the vocal activity of the Ferruginous pygmy-owl. Our study improves the knowledge about the impact of exogenous factors on the calling behaviour of Neotropical owls. We conclude that future surveys aiming to detect the Ferruginous pygmy-owl should be carried out on nights with a high percent of moon illumination (>75%) and nights with low average temperature (< 18 °C).
An Innovative Application of Composite-Based Structural Equation Modeling in Hospitality Research With Empirical Example

Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) and generalized structured component analysis (GSCA) are two key estimators derived from a full-fledged composite-based structural equation modeling (SEM). The analyses of PLS-PM and GSCA have been recently extended to mimic factor-based SEM, and the extended approaches are called PLSC and GSCAM, respectively. Simulation studies have confirmed that the relative performance of PLS-PM is comparable with that of GSCA. Similarly, GSCAM, PLSC, and the traditional factor-based SEM perform equally well in parameter recovery. Although composite-based SEM perfectly fits into the current research landscape that focuses on a prediction-oriented approach, empirical research in the hospitality context that uses PLS-PM, GSCA, PLSC, and GSCAM estimators is extremely rare. To encourage hospitality researchers to adopt these methodologies, we demonstrate an illustrative example using PLS-PM, GSCA, PLSC, and GSCAM based on the confirmatory composite analysis (CCA) procedure. Measurement and structural invariances, applications of model fit, PLSpredict, and importance-performance map analysis are incorporated into our example. Finally, practical management in the hospitality field based on this methodology is discussed.
Evaluation of shelf life of isotonic beverage enriched with cajuína

Adequate hydration practice before, during, and after exercise is essential for good physical performance in training and competitions, as well as for proper body warm-up and maintenance of health. The best hydration strategy during sports is the combination of water, carbohydrates, and electrolytes. It is important to observe the volume, frequency of intake, temperature and type of substrate used (Geraldini et al., 2017).
COD AND AMMONIUM REMOVAL IN SBR OPERATED UNDER DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS USING PRE-TREATED SLAUGHTERHOUSE WASTEWATER

The slaughterhouse wastewater contains high amount of organic matter; therefore, a pre-treatment is necessary to hydrolyze the protein and diminish the COD concentration in order to produce wastewater of easy degradation. Sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technology has been developed to completely remove nitrogen in one single reactor combining aerobic and anoxic stages. In this work, pre-fermentation of 7 days under anaerobic conditions was carried out; achieving 78% of protein hydrolysis, 138 mg NH4+-N/L was produced and 53% of CODsoluble was diminished. Bio-degradability assays under oxic/anoxic (O/A) and anoxic/oxic (A/O) conditions using pre-fermented wastewater were performed; raw slaughterhouse wastewater was used as control assay. Low values of protein hydrolysis and removal efficiencies of COD were obtained with pre-fermented wastewater: (O/A) 44% and 46%, and (A/O) 34% and 54%, respectively; whereas with the raw wastewater the hydrolysis and COD removal efficiencies were above 60%. Higher removal efficiencies of total nitrogen were obtained with pre-fermented wastewater under O/A conditions (60%). The pre-fermentation was not able to improve the biodegradability; however, the treatment of raw wastewater under A/O conditions produced an effluent with quality to be discharged in according to Mexican Normative.
Liquefaction and post-liquefaction of granular material under multi-directional cyclic loading

Abstract Soil liquefaction can be induced by natural events that entail complicated loading directions and magnitudes. To investigate the liquefaction behaviour of granular material under complex loading conditions, a series of strain-controlled cyclic simple shear tests are conducted on the uniform-sized glass beads. These tests include uni-directional and multi-directional loading paths. An energy-based method is used to assist the understanding of the cyclic behaviour of the specimens. After the first liquefaction happens, the specimens are re-consolidated and subjected to monotonic undrained shearing to investigate their post-liquefaction behaviour. The test results indicate that the specimens subjected to multi-directional cyclic shearing are more prone to liquefy than those under uni-directional loading. Furthermore, the cyclic shear strain amplitude and cyclic loading path have significant influences on the soil liquefaction resistance, re-consolidation volumetric strain and post-liquefaction shear strength. Nevertheless, the total energy that is dissipated for liquefying a specimen is only dependent on its relative density.
Screening for cadmium tolerance of 21 cultivars from Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam) during germination

The cadmium (Cd) tolerance of 21 Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) were investigated in this study by evaluating the process of seed germination on exposure to excess Cd. Excess Cd resulted in the significant growth inhibition, particularly of root growth. The relation between Cd concentrations and inhibition rate of root or shoot elongation can be well described by a logarithmic equation. The maximum values of IC50 (Cd concentration when the root or shoot elongation decreased to 50% compared with control) were observed in root and shoot of ‘IdyII’, whereas the minimums showed in ‘Nioudachi’ and ‘Harukaze’. Cadmium dramatically inhibited the seed germination of 21 cultivars. By comparison of physiological parameters including the absolute and relative value of root and shoot length, germination rate, germination energy, germination index and vigor index, all the tested cultivars exhibited variation when exposed to the same strength of Cd stress. In addition, the values of evaluation index, subordinate function were used to evaluate the Cd tolerance among cultivars treated with excess Cd. As a result, cultivar ‘IdyII’ was identified to be most tolerant to Cd stress, cultivar ‘Tachiwase’ was the most sensitive one. Cluster analysis indicated that 21 cultivars of Italian ryegrass can be classified into four groups, Cd-tolerant, moderate Cd-tolerant, low Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive groups. The results will be basic information for cultivating forage crops used as bioenergy crops in Cd polluted environments.
Manufacture of Functional Koumiss supplemented with Cichorium intybus L. (chicory) Extract - Preliminary Study

Made using a natural mixed starter of lactic acid bacteria and yeast, Koumiss is a slightly alcoholic fermented mare’s milk beverage, and a traditional drink of the nomadic populations of Central Asia. Cichorium intybus L. (chicory) is a sedative with potential cardioactive properties, and its oligosaccharides are beneficial in maintaining healthy gastrointestinal flora. Hence, in this study, we have generated a functional Koumiss containing two different concentrations of chicory. After fermentation of the Koumiss premix, the TA increased to 0.85~ 0.88%, and the pH decreased to ~4.3. The addition of either concentration of chicory had no significant effect on pH and TA. However, the taste, flavor, color, texture, and overall acceptability decreased in proportion to the added amount of chicory. This study has provided the first data on Koumiss supplemented with chicory. The results could be useful in developing highquality Koumiss with functional activity using chicory, and allowing large-scale industrial production. Further studies are needed to determine if chicory root extract is beneficial for lifestyle-related diseases.
Storage quality of fresh-cut Philippine 'Carabao' mango (Mangifera indica L. cv. 'Carabao') fruits with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) post-cutting treatment.

The effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) post-cutting treatment on the storage quality of fresh-cut Philippine ‘Carabao’ mango (Mangifera indica L. cv. ‘Carabao’) were determined. Gaseous 1-MCP at a concentration of 1 uL L-1 based on the package volume was injected into packed fresh-cut mangoes at stage 5 maturity. The packaging form used was polyethylene terephthalate (PET) tray overwrapped with low density polyethylene (LDPE) cling wrap film. Samples were stored at 5oC and monitored for storage quality parameters. Ethylene concentration inside the package varied during storage where considerably lower levels were observed at day 5 with the 1-MCP treated samples. CO2 concentration was significantly lower only at day 1. O2 concentration was lowered by 1-MCP until day 4. Visual quality rating and browning index were not affected by 1-MCP while less water-soaking was observed in the 1-MCP treated samples throughout storage. Higher pH and total soluble solids were obtained in 1-MCP treated samples while total acidity was lower. No significant variations in color were noted between the treatments. 1-MCP was found to cause a decline in total plate count at day 5 while yeasts and molds count did not vary. No coliforms were detected all throughout storage. Shelf-life of fresh-cut ‘Carabao’ mango was determined to be 7 days based on the limits set by European Union(EU) countries for aerobic bacteria and yeasts and molds count. 1-MCP was found to impart better storage quality of fresh-cut ‘Carabao’ mango, hence can be a potential tool in extending its shelf-life. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the application of 1-MCP of fresh-cut mango of the ‘Carabao’ variety.
Optimality, duality and saddle point analysis for interval-valued nondifferentiable multiobjective fractional programming problems

This paper is developed to discuss the theoretical aspects of multiobjective fractional problems under interval uncertainty. For this, we have formulated an interval multiobjective fractional model (IVMFP) in which the numerator and denominator of objective functions are assumed to be interval valued functions. Partial ordering is invoked to define LU-Pareto optimal solutions to the problem. Thereafter, necessary optimality conditions of the Fritz John type and Kuhn Tucker type are derived in the classical way. LU-convexity and LU-concavity are used to establish the sufficient optimality criteria and with the same assumptions, the parametric duality theory is discussed. Also, interval valued vector Lagrangian is proposed and the corresponding results are established to locate the saddle point.
Manufacturing 4.0 Operations Scheduling with AGV Battery Management Constraints

The industry 4.0 concepts are moving towards flexible and energy efficient factories. Major flexible production lines use battery-based automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to optimize their handling processes. However, optimal AGV battery management can significantly shorten lead times. In this paper, we address the scheduling problem in an AGV-based job-shop manufacturing facility. The considered schedule concerns three strands: jobs affecting machines, product transport tasks’ allocations and AGV fleet battery management. The proposed model supports outcomes expected from Industry 4.0 by increasing productivity through completion time minimization and optimizing energy by managing battery replenishment. Experimental tests were conducted on extended benchmark literature instances to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed approach.
Helicopter Pilots Encountering Fog: An Analysis of 109 Accidents from 1992 to 2016

Helicopters have the ability to make maneuvers or precautionary off-airport landings to avoid flights into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) such as fog. Flight accidents in which fog was encountered as well as inadvertent and intentional flights into fog were examined to understand their occurrence. A 25-year period in the United States using the National Transportation Safety Board online database was used to collect 109 accident reports of which 73 (67%) were fatal. Pilots flying intentionally into IMC were more likely to be a part of a fatal accident than those who did so inadvertently. Those pilots who were reported as being under pressure when encountering fog conditions were also more likely to be in an accident. The findings confirm a high prevalence and an added danger to intentional flights into IMC. In addition, decision-making under pressure when encountering IMC conditions is now linked to a higher proportion of fatalities, emphasizing that helicopter pilots should be made aware of these specific decision-making circumstances in their operations.
Potential of Sustainable Concept for Handling Organic Waste in Tunisia

Nowadays, Tunisia is seeking to implement cost-efficient and sustainable solutions in relation to the treatment of organic waste which, at up to 65%, makes up the largest proportion of total waste generated in the country. Therefore, an efficient tool for decision makers is needed to provide a clear approach about the potential of organic waste as well as the treatment concept, which can be adapted based on technical requirements and local conditions. Results revealed that there is a high variation in terms of the nature of the collected biowaste, which affects the selection of the adopted bioprocess for each geographical zone of the study area. Three main categories of biowaste are produced along the coastline of Tunisia: food waste (FW) (102.543 t/a); green waste (GW) (1.326.930 t/a); and cattle manure (CM) (1.548.350 t/a). Based on the results of similar projects and laboratory-scale research work, anaerobic and aerobic digestion were examined. Regarding aerobic digestion, the monitoring of several physicochemical parameters ascertained that the co-composting of FW and GW at different ratios (GW: FW = 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75) allowed the production of a stable and mature compost. A highly qualified end-product was generated from each trial categorized as a finished compost of class V with reference to German Standards of compost. Regarding the anaerobic process, different feedstock mixtures (FW:CM = 0:1, 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1) were prepared to feed semi-continuous anaerobic reactors. However, a significant improvement in the process development was recorded for digesters including a higher fraction of FW, which produced 0.846 LN/kg VSin as the maximum biogas production. Therefore, biological treatments of food waste and different co-substrates seems to be a suitable technique for Tunisia in terms of waste management, environmental, and energy aspects. However, the evaluation of the efficiency of the proposed biological treatments was also verified by a draw-up of a technical and economic feasibility analysis. Although the cost–benefit estimations proved that the profits from both the compost and biogas plants would be very modest, the feasibility of such sustainable projects should not only be evaluated on an economic basis, but also by taking into account socio-environmental considerations including decreasing environmental threats, providing work opportunities, increasing incomes, stimulating public awareness as well as reducing the operating costs linked to landfilling.
Military Coalitions and the Politics of Information

When can diplomatic communication facilitate military cooperation? I analyze a formal model in which states may form coalitions for war but are uncertain about a partner’s willingness to fight. I demonstrate that incentives to lie are greatest when potential coalition partners agree on how to settle a dispute. Additionally, the audience of communication matters. Communication among military partners is only credible when it occurs in private, out of view of a shared enemy. Taken together, the results indicate that preference heterogeneity and secrecy are necessary for credible communication among military partners. In an extension, I show that the availability of side payments exacerbates the difficulty of communication. The theoretical results provide a framework to understand observed variation in the success of precrisis diplomacy among potential coalition members.
The influence of govermental management, customers and suppliers relationship to foreign direct investment companies’ performance in Binh Duong province: A qualitative study

Binh Duong province is becoming one of the most attractive locations for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) firms of different origins, yet few studies have been conducted to investigate the several aspects related to FDI firms in Binh Duong. This research aims to evaluate the performance of FDI companies and understand the potential determinants of the performances by utilizing the exploratory approach. The research methodology is carefully designed to ensure the trustworthiness in data collection, coding and analysis. The study finds out four dimensions of Governmental Management: Managerial Political Ties, Institutional Support, Governmental Training Activities and Administrative Procedure that relate to FDI firm performance and competitive advantages. Furthermore, relationship with customers and suppliers manifest correlations with the performance and competitive advantage of FDI enterprises. Finally, this paper suggests some managerial implications for the governmental agencies to improve the current policies to attract more foreign investors. Specifically, FDI companies also get some valuable information when investing in the emerging market like Vietnam in general and Binh Duong province in particular.