Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of leaf rolling on agronomic performances of durum wheat subjected to water stress

In arid and semi-arid climates characterized by low rainfall with a great annual and inter-annual irregularity, drought can occur at any time inducing large losses in crop yield. Leaf rolling is one of the adaptive morphological responses to the water deficit observed in a number of species including cereals. It reduces the leaf area exposed to sunlight and transpiration. The aim of the present work was to characterize the agronomical impact of water stress on a set of 16 Moroccan durum wheat varieties and to examine the possible correlations between leaf rolling and agronomic performances of these varieties. Experiments were conducted during three cropping seasons on a soil with a clay-loam texture at Tamellalet, in Marrakech region. The water stress was applied for one week to the studied varieties at tillering, and the degree of leaf rolling was determined at the end of the stress period. Strong differences between the varieties in the degree of leaf rolling upon water stress and in the ability to counteract drought were observed. Varieties displaying high leaf rolling showed less reduction in the yield components (number of ears per plant, number of grains per ear and weight of grains). The strong correlation observed between the degree of leaf rolling and maintaining of agronomic performance suggests that leaf rolling can be a criterion for water stress tolerance in durum wheat. This trait could thus be used as a morphological marker of tolerance to water stress. Key words: Durum wheat, water stress, leaf rolling, agronomic traits, grain yield, drought tolerance, Morocco.
Study of Aqueous and Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid in Fractured Double-Porosity Soil Using Digital Image Processing

The leakage and spillage of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) and aqueous phase liquids (APLs) contribute to groundwater contamination, resulting in groundwater pollution and rendering the quality of groundwater unsafe for drinking and agriculture. Ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all was the goal and target of the 2030 United Nations agenda for sustainable development, consisting of a plan of action for the population, the planet and general prosperity. This paper is intended to investigate the aqueous and non-aqueous phase liquid migrations in a deformable double-porosity soil, which has become important for both sustainable groundwater use and the comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of liquid migration into groundwater. A modelling experiment was conducted in an attempt to study the pattern and behaviour of aqueous and non-aqueous phase liquid migration in fractured double-porosity soil using a digital image processing technique. The results of the experiments show that the flow of the APL and NAPL migration was not uniformly downward. Faster migration occurred where the soil surface was cracked compared to other locations where the soil surface was not cracked, even when liquids such as toluene were not used. It was concluded that the factors that significantly influenced the APL and NAPL migration were the structure of the soil sample, fracture pattern of the soil sample, physical interaction i.e. bonding between the liquid and soil sample, and the capillary pressure of the fluid. This study indicates that digital image analysis can provide detailed information to help researchers better understand and be able to simulate the pattern and characteristics of liquid migration that have an influence on groundwater resources.
Workless couples: modelling labour market transitions

The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Users are permitted to download and/or print one copy for non-commercial private study or research. Further distribution and any use of material from within this archive for profit-making enterprises or for commercial gain is strictly forbidden.
Digital demodulator unit of laser vibrometer standard for in situ measurement

To establish an easy-to-use traceability system for laser vibrometers in vibration acceleration standard, a highly accurate reference standard is required. In this study, we investigated the measurement reliability of a commercial laser vibrometer with an analog demodulator. The results confirmed a large measurement deviation from nominal sensitivity values due to characteristics of the analog demodulator. To reduce such deviation, a high-accuracy digital demodulator, which can be utilized as a reference standard, was developed. The experimental results confirmed the improved measurement accuracy of the developed digital demodulator.
Inter-Organizational Networking and the Great Recession: Lessons from Detroit Arts and Culture Organizations

ABSTRACT Drawing upon the resource dependency and social network perspectives, this article investigates the structure and composition of inter-organizational networks that 27 arts and culture organizations from the Detroit Metropolitan Area relied on during and after the Great Recession. An analysis of the ego networks of these cultural organizations shows that their ability to withstand stress is unrelated to their network structure and composition. Strategic forms of network configurations, however, appear to be more common among larger and older organizations, thus affirming a powerful role of capacity and reputation for the formation of organizational social capital.
Oral Gastrografin Facilitates Delineation of Intestinal Tracts in CT-Based Brachytherapy for Uterine Cervical Cancer

Three-dimensional image-guided brachytherapy (3D-IGBT) using computed tomography (CT) is an essential component of definitive radiation therapy for uterine cervical cancer (UCC). Treatment planning for CT-based 3D-IGBT requires delineating the high-risk clinical target volume (CTVHR) and the organs at risk (OARs), which is difficult when the small intestine is adjacent to those delineation targets. Uncertainty in target delineation threatens the validity of 3D-IGBT treatment plans. To address this issue, we introduce the use of diatrizoate meglumine and diatrizoate sodium (gastrografin), an orally administrable iodine-based radiopaque contrast agent. We present two cases of UCC treated with CT-based 3D-IGBT and describe how intraluminal enhancement of the small intestine by oral gastrografin pretreatment facilitated discrimination between the small intestine and the adjacent CTVHR (case no.1) or the rectosigmoid colon (case no. 2). Oral gastrografin pretreatment is a simple and cost-effective method that allows distinguishing the small intestine from the adjacent delineation target (i.e., CTVHR and the OARs) in CT-based 3D-IGBT for UCC.
How Well Are the Distribution and Extreme Values of Daily Precipitation over North America Represented in the Community Climate System Model? A Comparison to Reanalysis, Satellite, and Gridded Station Data

AbstractAn intercomparison of the distribution and extreme values of daily precipitation between the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model, version 4 (CCSM4) and several observational/reanalysis data sources are conducted over the contiguous United States and southern Canada. The use of several data sources, from gridded station, satellite, and reanalysis products, provides a measure of errors in the reference datasets. An examination of specific locations shows that the global climate model (GCM) distributions closely match the observations along the East and West Coasts, with larger discrepancies in the Great Plains and Rockies. In general, the distribution of model precipitation is more positively skewed (more light and less heavy precipitation) in the Great Plains and the eastern United States compared to gridded station observations, a recurring error in GCMs. In the Rocky Mountains the GCMs generally overproduce precipitation relative to the observations and further.
Levels of Economic Activity Across Countries

In the title of his 1989 Richard T. Ely lecture to the American Economic Association, David Landes asked, "Why are we so rich and they so poor? " It is an odd fact that the subsequent explosion of empirical work on economic growth, has rarely returned to this question, choosing to focus instead on explaining differences in average growth rates across countries, computed over several decades. In this essay and in recent research (Hall and Jones 1996), we examine economic levels instead of economic growth. Note: This is not an abstract but is the initial paragraph of the paper.
Electrochemiluminescence from Isoniazid Itself and Its Analytical Application

A weak electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of isoniazid in NaOH solution was observed at a platinum wire anode. When cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was present, the weak ECL was enhanced. The stronger ECL mechanism of isoniazid in NaOH–CTAB solution could be described as follows: isoniazid was electrochemically oxidized via one-electron and one-proton transfer to isoniazid hydrazyl radical. Then the formed radical was further chemically oxidized by dissolved oxygen to the excited state isonicotinate that subsequently emitted light. Based on the stronger ECL phenomenon of isoniazid, a flow injection ECL method for the determination of isoniazid was proposed. The ECL intensity was linear with isoniazid concentration in the range of 4.0 × 10 −7 to 1.0 × 10 −5 mol l −1 and the limit of detection ( s / n = 3) was 1.9 × 10 −7 mol l −1 . The proposed method was simple and convenient operation, and has been applied to the determination of isoniazid in pharmaceutical preparations and human urine.
Mathematical Modeling Of Service Quality Towards Organizational Performance: Case Study On Malaysian Local Authorities

This study examines the relationship between service quality and the organizational performance in Malaysian Local Authorities. 214 respondents participated in this study, whereby the data are gathered through selfadministered structured questionnaire. The results of this study highlighted the close association between the service quality and the organization performance which confirmed that investments in quality should indeed resulted in better performance. The service quality variables that were found to be the strongest predictors of organization performance were customer productivity followed by management commitment, internal customer satisfaction, system, policy and procedure, human resource and infrastructure.
Addressing the "in" in food insecurity.

This paper commissioned to support the development of the Office of Food for Peaces new Strategic Plan analyzes the implications of these trends in poverty and malnutrition for USAID food security programming. The paper argues for a conceptual shift that explicitly acknowledges the risks that constrain progress towards enhanced food security and addresses directly the vulnerability of food insecure households and communities. Enhancing peoples resiliency to overcome shocks building peoples capacity to transcend food insecurity with a more durable and diverse livelihood base and increasing human capital will result in long-term sustainable improvements in food security. (excerpt)
Effects of White Lupin and Groundnut on Fractionated Rhizosphere Soil P of Different P-Limited Soil Types in Japan

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for crop production, while most soil P is the less labile P associated with Aluminum (Al) and Iron (Fe) in acidic soils of Japan. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of two contrasting P-efficient legumes (white lupin, WL (Lupinus albus L.); and groundnut, GN (Arachis hypogaea L.)) on rhizosphere soil P dynamics in different soil types of Japan, such as Al-rich volcanic-soil, Fe-rich red-yellow-soil, and sandy-soil, with or without historical fertilization managements (3 soil types × 2 managements = 6 soil samples). We conducted a 56-day pot experiment, and analyzed the plant P uptake and fractionated P of rhizosphere and bulk soils, based on the Hedley-fractionation method. We observed that GN P uptake was generally larger than that in WL in most soil types and managements. WL significantly decreased the labile P in most soils and also decreased the less labile inorganic P (Pi) and organic P (Po) in fertilized Red-yellow-soil, which has much crystalline Fe, though GN did not. In contrast, both WL and GN significantly decreased the less labile Pi in fertilized volcanic-soil, which has much non-crystalline Al. These results indicate that (1) characteristics of less labile P uptake by P efficient legumes were different between the soil types and managements, and (2) WL efficiently solubilized the less labile P than GN in fertilized red-yellow soil, while GN efficiently absorbed the larger amount of P than WL, especially in volcanic- and sandy-soil.
Assessing human and environmental pressures of global land-use change 2000–2010

Non-technical summary Global land is turning into an increasingly scarce resource. We here present a comprehensive assessment of co-occuring land-use change from 2000 until 2010, compiling existing spatially explicit data sources for different land uses, and building on a rich literature addressing specific land-use changes in all world regions. This review systematically categorizes patterns of land use, including regional urbanization and agricultural expansion but also globally telecoupled land-use change for all world regions. Managing land-use change patterns across the globe requires global governance. Technical summary Here we present a comprehensive assessment of the extent and density of multiple drivers and impacts of land-use change. We combine and reanalyze spatially explicit data of global land-use change between 2000 and 2010 for population, livestock, cropland, terrestrial carbon and biodiversity. We find pervasive pressure on biodiversity but varying patterns of gross land-use changes across world regions. Our findings enable a classification of land-use patterns into three types. The ‘consumers’ type, displayed in Europe and North America, features high land footprints, reduced direct human pressures due to intensification of agriculture, and increased reliance on imports, enabling a partial recovery of terrestrial carbon and reducing pressure on biodiversity. In the ‘producer’ type, most clearly epitomized by Latin America, telecoupled land-use links drive biodiversity and carbon loss. In the ‘mover’ type, we find strong direct domestic pressures, but with a wide variety of outcomes, ranging from a concurrent expansion of population, livestock and croplands in Sub-Saharan Africa at the cost of natural habitats to strong pressure on cropland by urbanization in Eastern Asia. In addition, anthropogenic climate change has already left a distinct footprint on global land-use change. Our data- and literature-based assessment reveals region-specific opportunities for managing global land-use change.
The Impact of Stochastic Extraction Cost on the Value of an Exhaustible Resource: An Application to the Alberta Oil Sands

The optimal management of a non-renewable resource extraction project is studied when input and output prices follow correlated stochastic processes. The decision problem is specified by two Bellman equations describing the project when it is currently operating or mothballed. Solutions are determined numerically using the Least Squares Monte Carlo methodology. The analysis is applied to an oil sands project which uses natural gas during extracting and upgrading. The paper takes into account the co-movement between crude oil and natural gas prices and proposes two price models: one incorporates a long-run link between the two while the other has no such link. Incorporating a long-run relationship between oil and natural gas prices has a significant effect on the value of the project and its optimal operation and reduces the sensitivity of the project to the natural gas price process.
Changes in Precipitation From North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Under RCP Scenarios in the Variable‐Resolution Community Atmosphere Model

Decreasing climate models' grid spacing improves the representation of tropical cyclones at decadal time scales. In this study, a variable‐resolution (VR) version of the Community Atmosphere Model 5 (CAM5‐VR) is utilized to study North Atlantic tropical cyclone climatology in ensemble historical climate simulations and under two Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) projections (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). Basin‐wide tropical cyclone counts decrease in the RCP simulations, although landfalling storm counts do not show as straightforward of a pattern, especially when focusing on regional changes. Lifetime maximum intensity metrics suggest that tropical cyclones increase in strength in the RCP ensembles. However, despite increases in tropical cyclone‐related precipitation rates and the amount of precipitation produced per storm with warming, the annual average Rx5day from tropical cyclones over the eastern United States decreases due to less landfalling storms. This work is part of a continued effort to quantify how tropical cyclone‐induced hazards may change in future climates.
Applying an extended theory of planned behavior to examine state-branded food product purchase behavior: The moderating effect of gender

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to use an extended model of the theory of planned behavior to investigate the antecedents which lead to consumers’ purchase of state-branded food products. Relationships among attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, health-consciousness, intention to purchase, and actual purchase were examined. In addition, the moderating role of gender on consumer purchasing was assessed. The hypothetical model was empirically tested using data collected via Amazon Mechanical Turk (Mturk). Results implicated that consumers’ attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control of purchasing state-branded products significantly predicted their intention to purchase, and consumers’ intention to purchase significantly predicted their actual purchase of state-branded products. The relationship between health-consciousness and intention to purchase, however, was not found. Gender differences were found only between consumers’ perceived behavioral control of state-branded purchasing and their intention to purchase. Implications for marketers, farmers, and restaurant owners are provided.
Polyphenols from Red Vine Leaves Using Alternative Processing Techniques

The extraction kinetics of polyphenols, which are leached from red vine leaves, are studied and evaluated using a laboratory robot and nonconventional processing techniques such as ultrasonic (US)-, microwave (MW)-, and pulsed electric field (PEF)-assisted extraction processes. The robotic high-throughput screening reveals optimal extraction conditions at a pH value of 2.5, a temperature of 56 °C, and a solvent mixture of methanol:water:HCl of 50:49:1 v/v/v. Nonconventional processing techniques, such as MW- and US-assisted extraction, have the fastest kinetics and produce the highest polyphenol yield. The non-conventional techniques yield is 2.29 g/L (MW) resp. 2.47 g/L (US) for particles that range in size from 450 to 2000 µm and 2.20 g/L (MW) resp. 2.05 g/L (US) for particles that range from 2000 to 4000 µm. PEF has the lowest yield of polyphenols with 0.94 g/L (450–2000 µm), resp. 0.64 g/L (2000–4000 µm) in comparison to 1.82 g/L (2000 to 4000 µm) in a standard stirred vessel (50 °C). When undried red vine leaves (2000 to 4000 µm) are used the total phenol content is 1.44 g/L with PEF.
A new empirical test of the infant-industry argument : the case of Switzerland protectionism during the 19th century

I employ the “granger causality” test to determine the nature of Swiss protectionism during the first wave of globalization (1886-1913). This test is applied for the first time to test if the protectionism takes the form of an infant-industry protection. I argue that if tariffs cause exports flow, the economy implement a protection following List’s principles. I use a highly disaggregated database of exports flow and tariffs at the product level. It allows dealing with a panel-VAR structure to test my hypothesis. In the descriptive study I show that Switzerland protectionism is moderate and selective, giving argument in favour of an infant industry protection. Then, the result of the “granger causality” test clearly shows that my different measures of protection “granger cause” exports flows. This article gives a new empirical test of the infant industry protection argument.
Management Overconfidence and CSR Activities in Korea with a Big Data Approach

We examined the relationship between management characteristics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) and this relationship was differentiated by the level of corporate governance. Our analysis was undertaken in firms listed on the Korean Stock Exchange (KSE) from 2006 to 2015. We employed Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression after clustering the standard errors at the firm level in order to examine these relationships. The KEJI (Korea Economic Justice Institute) index was used as a proxy for CSR and a big data-based proxy estimated from multimedia was used as the level of advertising. We showed that there is a positive relationship between overconfident management and CSR activities. We then categorized the CSR activities as primary and social activities and found that overconfident management is more aggressive in primary CSR activities. In addition, overconfident management makes fewer CSR expenditures when the management is in a chaebol firm but promotes more CSR advertisement. This finding indicates that chaebol affiliation controls overinvestment in CSR activities but promotes CSR advertisements by overconfident managers. Similarly, we found consistent results with overconfident owner-managers. Prior literature on CSR activities focuses on the impact of CSR activities on firm performance. In this paper, we elucidated the determinants of CSR activities, so that this research contributes to firms’ decision-making about sustainable management. Our estimation of CSR variables with big data approaches will also guide future research on this issue. We expect our study to be used as a reference for decision-making by relevant authorities and stakeholders.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) to Enhance Occupational Safety in Construction Activities: Research Trends Emerging from One Decade of Studies

In recent years, the use of new technologies is rapidly transforming the way working activities are managed and carried out. In the construction industry, in particular, the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) is ever increasing as a means to improve the performances of numerous activities. In such a context, several studies have proposed BIM as a key process to augment occupational safety effectively, considering that the construction industry still remains one of the most hazardous working sectors. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the recent research addressing the use of BIM to improve construction safety. A systematic review was performed considering journal papers that appeared in literature in the last decade. The results showed that the most viable and promising research directions concern knowledge-based solutions, design for safety improvement through BIM solutions, transversal applications of BIM, and dynamic visualization and feedback. The findings of this study also indicated that more practical BIM applications are needed, especially focusing on safety training and education, the use of BIM to augment safety climate and resilience, and the development of quantitative risk analysis to better support safety management. Overall, the study provided a comprehensive research synthesis augmenting knowledge on the role of BIM-based tools in construction safety, which can be considered a reference framework to enhance workers’ safety by means of these new technologies.