Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of nitrogen fertilisation and irrigation on water utilization efficiency, N accumulation, growth and yields of Zea mays L.

Water and N are considered the most limiting factors for the growth and yield during the grain filling stage, particularly in the arid, semi-arid zones. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of N applications (0, 140, 280 and 420 kg ha -1 ) and water regimes (I 1 = 100%, I 2 = 80% and I 3 = 60% of field capacity) on nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), water utilization efficiency (WU t E) and related parameters and grain yield and its components of Zea mays L. (cv maize hybrid Giza 10). The highest N application resulted in a significant increase in grain yield and its components, accumulated N in grains and shoots. However, it significantly decreased apparent N fertiliser recovery (ANR) and N utilisation efficiency when all water regimes were applied. N application of 280 kg ha -1 was the optimal in our study for such environmental conditions. Yield and its components were increased with increasing soil field capacity from 60 to 100%. There was a significant effect of the interaction between irrigation and N treatments on N efficiencies, growth and consequently on yields. The results showed that the yield of maize can be increased through the reasonable N application (i.e., declining the gap between the recommended N levels and the estimated levels) and suitable irrigation regime (I 2 ). Also, the optimal management of N practices is highly recommended to avoid the loss of the N when there is a deficiency or excessiveness in water supplied to the soil.
The Effects of Ozone on Visual Attraction Traits of Erodium paularense (Geraniaceae) Flowers: Modelled Perception by Insect Pollinators

Ozone (O3) effects on the visual attraction traits (color, perception and area) of petals are described for Erodium paularense, an endangered plant species. Plants were exposed to three O3 treatments: charcoal-filtered air (CFA), ambient (NFA) and ambient + 40 nL L−1 O3 (FU+) in open-top chambers. Changes in color were measured by spectral reflectance, from which the anthocyanin reflectance index (ARI) was calculated. Petal spectral reflectance was mapped onto color spaces of bees, flies and butterflies for studying color changes as perceived by different pollinator guilds. Ozone-induced increases in petal reflectance and a rise in ARI under NFA were observed. Ambient O3 levels also induced a partial change in the color perception of flies, with the number of petals seen as blue increasing to 53% compared to only 24% in CFA. Butterflies also showed the ability to partially perceive petal color changes, differentiating some CFA petals from NFA and FU+ petals through changes in the excitation of the UV photoreceptor. Importantly, O3 reduced petal area by 19.8 and 25% in NFA and FU+ relative to CFA, respectively. In sensitive species O3 may affect visual attraction traits important for pollination, and spectral reflectance is proposed as a novel method for studying O3 effects on flower color.
Impact of contamination on biology, biochemical, and histology of Eobania vermiculata and Monacha obstructa during different seasons in Ismailia, Egypt

Land snails are found to be an appropriate sentinel organism, and the biomarkers chosen are effective for terrestrial heavy metal biomonitoring. The study aimed to compare the biological, biochemistry, and histology of two land snails in the Ismailia governorate, Egypt during different seasons. Random snails were collected from January 2015 to December 2015 from two sites in the Ismailia Governorate, on wet days during each season’s middle month. Soft tissues were taken from the dissected snails. It was noticed that most of the morphometric parameters measured shell height (ShH), last whorl width (LWW), maximum diameter (MaxD), aperture height (AH), and aperture width (AW) were higher in Eobania vermiculata (Sp. 1) than those measured in Monacha obstructa (Sp. 2), except for shell height measurement, which was the same in both species. The growth rate of Sp. 1 and Sp. 2 changed seasonally. In the more polluted areas with heavy metals, lipid peroxidation (LPO) was higher in snails and total protein content than in the snails collected from the less polluted areas for all seasons. However, the snails displayed lower levels of glutathione (GSH) as compared to snails at a less polluted site. GSH and LPO levels, on the other hand, have a negative relationship between them. Histopathological alterations in the digestive gland were more obvious in the general architecture of the digestive gland that had lost its tubular appearance. The excretory cells showed an increase in their excretory granules’ number and size while calcium cells decreased. Also, gonad follicles have lost their normal architecture with the degeneration of some stages of spermatogenesis and oogenesis. In conclusion, There was a strong correlation between GSH levels and total protein content in the same soft tissues. GSH and LPO levels, on the other hand, have a negative relationship. The overall results display the usefulness of E. vermiculata and M. obstructa land snails as bioindicator organisms and support the application of this ecotoxicological approach for evaluating the biologic impact of toxins. E. vermiculata is more abundant than M. obstructa. The density, morphometric, biochemical, and histology of E. vermiculata and M. obstructa were different at different seasons.
Numerical Analysis of Seasonal Heat Storage Systems of Alternative Geothermal Energy Pile Foundations

AbstractGeothermal energy pile foundations are sustainable, cost-effective alternative energy systems for heating and cooling needs of buildings. This paper presents the thermal modeling of two different configurations of energy pile foundations used for seasonal energy storage. Several two-dimensional (2D) transient analyses were carried out to find the optimum pile configuration and to obtain preliminary information about the heat exchange between the ground and the building. Two scenarios were modeled. In Scenario 1, a combination of long and short piles was simulated, while in Scenario 2 only long piles were considered. Long piles are structural piles and work as a heat exchanger throughout the year, while the nonstructural short piles operate only in the summer months to inject surplus solar energy into the ground. Simulation results show that in Scenario 1 the vertical temperature distribution was uneven, resulted in high temperatures at shallow depths (0–10 m) and near-freezing temperatures at grea.
A bistable snapping microactuator

A mechanical bistable switching device, actuated by the interactive forces of a buckling cantilever and a tension band connected to its end, is described. The device has been built using a combination of surface- and bulk-micromachining on materials familiar in IC fabrication: a silicon substrate, LPCVD layers of polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon), silicon nitride, and silicon dioxide. The switching element is a cantilever formed from three thin-film layers: polysilicon, silicon dioxide, and polysilicon. The cantilever is made to buckle as a result of strong axial force from a built-in tension band. Joule heating in one of the two polysilicon layers of the buckled cantilever gives rise to a snapping action that moves the cantilever end /spl plusmn/6 /spl mu/m in a direction perpendicular to the underlying silicon substrate. The overall device length, excluding contact pads, is less than 200 /spl mu/m; it has an 82 /spl mu/m-long buckling cantilever, a 70 /spl mu/m-long silicon nitride tension band, and a 105 /spl mu/m-long extra cantilever, called a tension-band anchor The substrate under the device is recessed to accommodate large vertical movement of the actuator. The device is operated by heating the cantilever asymmetrically with a current of 7 mA at 24 V for 12 /spl mu/sec, after uniform heating of the tension-band anchor with another current pulse of 3 mA at 7.5 V for 50 msec. The fabrication process used to make the device is briefly reported.
Social capital or non-human sources? A cross-context study on information source selection of migrant farmer workers

Insufficient examination of social factors obscures the reason why non-human information sources are under-utilised by social groups with lower information literacy. This study explores the mechanism of information source selection (ISS) of Chinese migrant farmer workers (MFWs) in different industries by conducting a cross-context analysis. After iterative analyses of multiple cases, a theoretical model of information source selection within an individual’s information world is constructed. It explains why MFWs make more use of social capitals than non-human information sources in information seeking. Besides, the information needs are examined form both the needed information and the need itself. A classification of social capital as human information source is created and the roles that social capitals and non-human information sources play in ISS are identified. This study provides novel theoretical insights into the ‘old’ issue of ISS, and thus has practical implications for public information service providers and MFW-related policy makers.
Global Vegetation Photosynthetic Phenology Products Based on MODIS Vegetation Greenness and Temperature: Modeling and Evaluation

Land surface phenology (LSP) products that are derived from different data sources have different definitions and biophysical meanings. Discrepancies among these products and their linkages with carbon fluxes across plant functional types and climatic regions remain somewhat unclear. In this study, to differentiate LSP related to gross primary production (GPP) from LSP related to remote sensing data, we defined the former as vegetation photosynthetic phenology (VPP), including the starting and ending days of GPP (SOG and EOG, respectively). Specifically, we estimated VPP based on a combination of observed VPP from 145 flux-measured GPP sites together with the vegetation index and temperature data from MODIS products using multiple linear regression models. We then compared VPP estimates with MODIS LSP on a global scale. Our results show that the VPP provided better estimates of SOG and EOG than MODIS LSP, with a root mean square error (RMSE) for SOG of 12.7 days and a RMSE for EOG of 10.5 days. The RMSE was approximately three weeks for both SOG and EOG estimates of the non-forest type. Discrepancies between VPP and LSP estimates varied across plant functional types (PFTs) and climatic regions. A high correlation was observed between VPP and LSP estimates for deciduous forest. For most PFTs, using VPP estimates rather than LSP improved the estimation of GPP. This study presents a useful method for modeling global VPP, investigates in detail the discrepancies between VPP and LSP, and provides a more effective global vegetation phenology product for carbon cycle modeling than the existing ones.
Design and implementation of a peer assessment tool for problem based learning in engineering

The progressive approach of Problem Based Learning has become adopted by a number of universities Australia wide. At Victoria University, in Melbourne, the schools of Architectural, Civil and Mechanical Engineering (ACME) and Electrical Engineering began offering first year PBL subjects in 2006. As part of the shift from a traditional mode of teaching, research was undertaken to review current practices and develop appropriate assessment. This paper focuses on development of an assessment proforma for peer assessment that was implemented in three subjects in first year engineering. Students evaluated their peers on 5 major criteria and these were used by staff to help in assessment of teamwork skills. Although peer based assessment may be seen by some as biased, it is relevant in the context of a PBL environment and offers useful insights that would otherwise be overlooked. The assessment tool was evaluated for validity, reliability and practicality by engineering and language and communication staff.
Factors Affecting Adult Captures of the Cotton Bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Pheromone-Baited Traps

The effects of funnel-trap color, trap height and pheromone formulation on the adult captures of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were evaluated in traps that were suspended in cotton fields in central Greece. Briefly, in a first trial, the efficacy of funnel traps of three different colors, i.e., green, striped (with black and white stripes) and white, was comparatively evaluated, whereas in a second trial green funnel traps were placed at three heights, i.e., 30, 60 and 90 cm from the ground. Finally, in a third trial we tested the efficiency of green funnel traps with three commercially available pheromone lures. Considering the overall captures, trap color and pheromone formulation affected male captures, whereas trap height had no influence. Captures notably increased in all traps from late August to mid-September. In total, the white funnel trap captured more moths than the green or striped funnel traps. Placement of the traps at different heights did not significantly affect captures, but seasonal differences were observed at individual dates during the trapping period. Barrettine’s pheromone lure provided significantly more captures than the other two (Russell, Trécé) in some of the trap-check dates. The results can be further utilized in the monitoring protocols of H. armigera in cotton fields.
Are 45 years of reproductive isolation enough to prevent the amplification of mitochondrial genes in the Pacific oyster?

The Pacific oyster culture in Mexico began 45 years ago, first with spat imported from the USA and now with spat produced in several local hatcheries. Oyster farmers do not know the parameters that define the quality of the spat they buy, among them the level of genetic variability available in the lots offered. In order to evaluate and compare the genetic variability in spat produced by four Mexican hatcheries, an attempt was made to amplify and sequence the non-coding region and the ND5 gene of the oyster mitochondrial DNA with oligos reported in the scientific literature. The amplification of the non-coding region was not possible due to the bad design of the oligos. Despite the integrity of the extracted oyster DNA, the ND5 gene was not able to be amplified possibly due to the modification of the oligo recognition site in the gene. The generational separation of the oyster cultivated in Mexico from its original source population makes it necessary to obtain new mitochondrial sequences in order to design new oligos suitable for the populations established in Mexico.
Transmission‐line modelling in electromagnetic compatibility studies

The transmission-line modelling (TLM) method is applied to problems in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). Simulated results for a field-to-wire coupling problem are presented, together with comparisons with experimental results. The comparisons confirm the validity of the model and its accuracy. The effects on resonances and field profiles, of placing a measurement dipole antenna inside a screened room are investigated. The resonant structure inside an unlined screened room and the same room when lined with radiation-absorbing material are investigated using a TLM model. The results confirm that the model developed can be used for the characterization of the entire EMC test environment.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION OF RAW AND REFINED CANE SUGAR

Sustainable production is becoming an increasingly important issue in the process industries. In the cane sugar industry, pressure for sustainable production has come largely from the importers of ethanol from sugarcane. This has focused attention on sustainable production in the sugar industry in general. Some of the major producers of white sugar are aware of the advantages in the market place of sustainable manufacturing processes in terms of brand enhancement and are using the low carbon footprint of sugar to their advantage. This paper aims to introduce the main elements of sustainability and the major sustainability issues facing producers. The estimation of the carbon footprint for raw and refined sugar production is described and the aspects of production affecting greenhouse gas emissions are identified. Opportunities for refiners in terms of reducing the carbon footprint of their products and the implications are described. Attempts to certify production as sustainable have led to the need for formal certifiable sustainability standards in the sugar industry. The process of developing credible sustainability standards is described. Substantial progress has been made in this respect by the Better Sugar Cane Initiative (now referred to as Bonsucro) in the development of standards for the certification of sustainable production, paving the way for auditing and certification in 2011.
Function of Chloroplasts in Plant Stress Responses

The chloroplast has a central position in oxygenic photosynthesis and primary metabolism. In addition to these functions, the chloroplast has recently emerged as a pivotal regulator of plant responses to abiotic and biotic stress conditions. Chloroplasts have their own independent genomes and gene-expression machinery and synthesize phytohormones and a diverse range of secondary metabolites, a significant portion of which contribute the plant response to adverse conditions. Furthermore, chloroplasts communicate with the nucleus through retrograde signaling, for instance, reactive oxygen signaling. All of the above facilitate the chloroplast’s exquisite flexibility in responding to environmental stresses. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the involvement of chloroplasts in plant regulatory responses to various abiotic and biotic stresses including heat, chilling, salinity, drought, high light environmental stress conditions, and pathogen invasions. This review will enrich the better understanding of interactions between chloroplast and environmental stresses, and will lay the foundation for genetically enhancing plant-stress acclimatization.
Polish Multi-Institutional Study of Children with Ependymoma—Clinical Practice Outcomes in the Light of Prospective Trials

We performed a multi-institutional analysis of 74 children with ependymoma to evaluate to what extent the clinical outcome of prospective trials could be reproduced in routine practice. The evaluation of factors that correlated with outcome was performed with a log rank test and a Cox proportional-hazard model. Survival was estimated with the Kaplan–Meier method. The majority of patients had brain tumours (89%). All had surgery as primary treatment, with adjuvant radiotherapy (RTH) and chemotherapy (CTH) applied in 78% and 57%, respectively. Median follow-up was 80 months and 18 patients died. Five- and 10-year overall survival (OS) was 83% and 73%. Progression was observed in 32 patients, with local recurrence in 28 cases. The presence of metastases was a negative prognostic factor for OS. Five- and 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 55% and 40%, respectively. The best outcome in patients with non-disseminated brain tumours was observed when surgery was followed by RTH (+/−CTH afterwards; p = 0.0001). Children under 3 years old who received RTH in primary therapy had better PFS (p = 0.010). The best outcome of children with ependymoma is observed in patients who received radical surgery followed by RTH, and irradiation should not be omitted in younger patients. The role of CTH remains debatable.
Effect of lateral impact loads on failure of pressurized pipelines supported by foundation

Abstract The dynamic inelastic response and failure prediction of pipelines under lateral mass impact at the mid-span position are presented in this article. A total of 52 impact tests were carried out on seamless mild steel pipes with different internal pressure levels and foundation supports. Critical initial impact energies were obtained for each group of pipe specimens with different internal pressure levels and foundation supports. Numerical simulations of the experimental tests were carried out using three-dimensional dynamic non-linear finite element analysis, where both geometrical and material non-linearities were considered. Good agreements were achieved between the impact tests results and the numerical predictions. It has been found that the influences of the internal pressure and the foundation on the critical initial impact energy are significant. The critical initial impact energy is much less sensitive to internal pressure for the pipes with a foundation than those without a foundation.
Comparative Study on Multiobjective Power Unit Coordinated Control Problem via Differential Evolution and Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithms

Power unit coordinated control (PUCC) problem was being focused by many optimizers as a serious task to be tackled in several aspects. Through this paper differential evolution (DE) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms are implemented to solve the PUCC problem. With considering four objectives to be optimized: minimization of tracking error in load power demand, fuel consumption, throttling losses due to steam control valve, and feeding water. Simulation experiments are made through case-study by aid of MATLAB programs to develop the required comparison through the two algorithms.
Optimization-based scheduling of hydrothermal power systems with pumped-storage units

This paper presents an optimization-based method for scheduling hydrothermal systems based on the Lagrangian relaxation technique. After system-wide constraints are relaxed by Lagrange multipliers, the problem is converted into the scheduling of individual units. This paper concentrates on the solution methodology for pumped-storage units. There are, many constraints limiting the operation of a pumped-storage unit, such as pond level dynamics and constraints, and discontinuous generation and pumping regions. The most challenging issue in solving pumped-storage subproblems within the Lagrangian relaxation framework is the integrated consideration of these constraints. The basic idea of the method is to relax the pond level dynamics and constraints by using another set of multipliers. The subproblem is then converted into the optimization of generation or pumping; levels for each operating state at individual hours, and the optimization of operating states across hours. The optimal generation or pumping level for a particular operating state at each hour can be obtained by optimizing a single variable function without discretizing pond levels. Dynamic programming is then used to optimize operating states across hours with only a few number of states and transitions. A subgradient algorithm is used to update the pond level Lagrangian multipliers. This method provides an efficient way to solve a class of subproblems involving continuous dynamics and constraints, discontinuous operating regions, and discrete operating states. >