Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sensors for measuring plant phenotyping: A review

Food crisis is a matter of prime importance because it becomes more severe as the global population grows. Among the solutions to this crisis, breeding is deemed one of the most effective ways. However, traditional phenotyping in breeding is time consuming and laborious, and the database is insufficient to meet the requirements of plant breeders, which hinders the development of breeding. Accordingly, innovations in phenotyping are urgent to solve this bottleneck. The morphometric and physiological parameters of plant are particularly interested to breeders. Numerous sensors have been employed and novel algorithms have been proposed to collect data on such parameters. This paper presents a brief review on the parameter measurement for phenotyping to describe its development in recent years. Some parameters that have been measured in phenotyping are introduced and discussed, including plant height, leaf parameters, in-plant space, chlorophyll, water stress, and biomass. And the measurement methods of each parameter with different sensors were classified and compared. Some comprehensive measurement platforms were also summarized, which are able to measure several parameters simultaneously. Besides, some deficiencies of phenotyping should be addressed, and novel methods should be proposed to reduce cost, improve efficiency, and promote phenotyping in the future. Keywords: plant phenotype, high-throughput phenotyping, sensor, morphometric parameters, physiological parameters DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe. 20181102.2696 Citation: Qiu R C, Wei S, Zhang M, Sun H, Li H, Liu G, et al. Sensors for measuring plant phenotyping: A review. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2018; 11(2): 1–17.
Benefits of Video Presentations in Product Design

Product Design uses a human-centered process to develop solutions that solve unmet user needs. Because of the sequential nature of this activity, final designs are often presented in printed process books or digital slideshows, which visually communicate the development of the solution from start to finish rather than focusing just on the final result. Storytelling is a key element to consider when creating these process books in order to communicate the design solution as well as where it came from. An alternative to these presentations is the use of short videos, which offer the advantage of communicating the design process with a richer narrative and engaging style. The use of videos for final presentations both in the classroom and in professional practice offers a wider array of opportunities for effective storytelling of design projects while reaching a broader audience.
Stumps as Fuel - the influence of handling method on fuel quality

Wood fuels make a key contribution to renewable energy sources in the Nordic countries. The growing demand for forest biomass can be partly met by utilising energy-rich stumps left after clear cutting. As fuel, stump wood is commonly associated with a high presence of contaminants, resulting in high ash content. The concentration of contaminants depends on factors such as soil type, weather conditions, harvesting method, storage duration and other handling operations. The high ash content is a major drawback when using stump wood as fuel. Handling methods that could improve fuel quality are therefore highly desirable. To produce a fuel of acceptable quality, i.e. with low moisture and ash content and high energy value, the above-mentioned factors require evaluation and quantification. In this thesis, various handling methods within the supply chain for Norway spruce stump and their effects on the biomass as fuel are evaluated. The following handling processes are dealt with: harvesting technique, pre-treatments including stump splitting/fractionation and cleaning using vibration or sieving, storage methods and storage duration. Choice of stump harvesting head proved to have an impact on fuel quality, as splitting of stumps during extraction allowed better drying during storage. Such stumps could be stored directly in windrows, since no difference could be established between this method and storage in heaps prior to windrow storage. In general, storage improved fuel quality. Changes in fuel quality parameters do not reflect the whole picture, however, since dry matter losses occur during storage, and therefore the storage period should be kept as short as possible. During winter months, when demands for fuel are highest, stump ash content can be high, since frozen contaminants are difficult to detach from stumps during transport. To achieve acceptable fuel quality during high demand periods, long storage duration or a pre-treatment involving additional stump cleaning is required. Fuel quality was clearly improved by vibration-based cleaning before the comminution of stumps or by sieving stump wood after crushing. These methods can allow stump wood fuel of acceptable quality to be supplied within a harvesting season.
An ABC analysis for power generation project

Article history: Received February 12, 2013 Received in revised format 10 May 2013 Accepted 12 May 2013 Available online May 28 2013 One of the primary concerns on performance measurement is to know how much a particular project cost. However, using traditional method on project-based products often leads to inappropriate results. In this paper, we re-examine this issue by comparing the cost of a power station construction project using ABC versus traditional method. The results of survey show that ABC method is capable of providing better estimates for overhead costs compared with traditional method. In other words, ABC method helps reduce some of the unnecessary overhead cost items and increase on some other cost components. This helps increase the relative efficiency of the system by reducing total cost of project. © 2013 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Fabrication and physical properties of self-organized silver nanocrystals

Abstract A simple method is used to prepare highly monodispersed silver nanoparticles in the liquid phase, which starts from an initial synthesis in functionalized AOT reverse micelles. To narrow the particle size distribution from 43 to 12.5% in dispersion, the particles are extracted from the micellar solution. The size-selected precipitation method is used. The nanocrystallites dispersed in hexane are deposited on a support. A monolayer made of nanoparticles with spontaneous compact hexagonal organization is observed. The immersion of the support on the solution yields to the formation of organized multilayers arranged as microcrystal in a face-centered-cubic structure. We compare the optical properties of spherical particles organized in a two- and three-dimensional structure with isolated and disordered particles. When particles, deposited on cleaved graphite, are arranged in a hexagonal array, the optical measurements under p-polarization show a new high-energy resonance, which is interpreted as a collective effect, resulting from optical anisotropy due to the mutual interactions between particles. We support this interpretation by numerical calculations performed for finite-size clusters of silver spheres. For disordered particles, a low-energy resonance appears instead of the high-energy resonance observed for spherical and organized particles. This is interpreted as optical shape anisotropy due to the asymmetrical arrangement of particles. The tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) may be used as an extremely localized source of low-energy electrons to locally excite photon emission from a variety of metal films. The detection of locally excited luminescence at the junction of an STM tip provides access to electron dynamic properties at the surface, which makes it possible to study luminescence phenomena of nanometer-sized structures. The photon intensity emitted from electrically isolated silver nanoparticles self-organized as a 2D network on a gold (111) substrate is analyzed. We observed unexpectedly strong variations of photon-emission efficiency from isolated nanoparticles, depending on how tightly they are embedded within the network site. The quenching site observed in the STM photon emission map is interpreted as an enhanced interaction of electrons with surface photon modes.
Contribution of Indigenous Beliefs and Practices to Sustainable Tourism in Baringo, Kenya

The achievement of sustainable tourism faces challenges partly because science-based ideas are driving development agenda in Africa and other developing continents despite the fact that they are not holistically applicable. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the contribution of indigenous beliefs and practices towards sustainable tourism in Kenya. Descriptive and explanatory research designs were adopted. The target population was 10000 households of Endorois community of Baringo of whom 150 households were sampled. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to obtain the sample. Secondary and primary sources of data were utilized. The study indicated that community practices are deeply rooted and contribute highly to sustainable tourism. It was recommended that in order to strengthen indigenous beliefs and practices it is necessary to integrate modern practices. This will offer a greater chance of applicability as well as filling the gaps left by declining and unreliable local practices. Keywords : Indigenous Beliefs and Practices, sustainable tourism, arid and semi arid regions
Aerosol radiative forcing over a tropical urban site in India

Using collocated measurements of aerosol radiative properties and radiative fluxes, aerosol radiative forcing is estimated at a tropical urban site in India, located between the sub‐continent and the Indian Ocean Experiment [INDOEX] sites. Observed sun/sky radiance data are used to derive aerosol spectral optical depth, single scattering albedo [SSA], asymmetry parameter, precipitable water and total column ozone. These serve as inputs to a radiative transfer model, to estimate aerosol forcing at the surface, the top‐of‐the atmosphere [TOA] and the atmosphere. During the dry season of 2001 and 2002 [November–April], these were found to be −33, 0 and 33 Wm−2, respectively. Using measured radiative fluxes during different aerosol loading conditions yield a surface forcing of −31 Wm−2. The surface forcing efficiency as computed from the two independent methods is found to be −88 and −84 Wm−2, respectively, while mean SSA at 500 nm is found to be 0.81.
Unintended Effects of Development Aid - a brief overview

The effects of development aid have been extensively discussed, and the extent to which aid has been effective in achieving its goals is widely disputed. At the same time, several studies and theorists point towards the unintended and potentially negative effects of aid. This paper gives a brief overview of some literature on the unintended effects of aid. It touches upon issues such as Dutch disease symptoms, fungibility, corruption and rent seeking, and various social effects, and discusses the question of absorption capacity and the role of donors and donor conditionalities. Many of the negative effects associated with development aid are connected to the ways in which aid is administered and disbursed, and therefore some of those negative effects may be minimized if donors adjust their approaches. Recognition of country-speciﬁc circumstances, direct budget support, debt relief, building absorption capacity through insti-tutional support, harmonizing donor interventions and limiting the number of donors present in each country or sector, may be the way forward, even if there are no easy solutions. Problems with development aid are often also caused by tangible political and bureaucratic hindrances that are not so easily removed. At the same time, it must be remembered that what may seem like a negative effect to a particular group, for instance a donor agency, may be perceived as a positive effect by other groups, and imagining that external interventions can be done neutrally, unbiased and with no signiﬁcant consequences apart from the intended ones, is hardly realistic.
Effect of Heterodera cajani and Meloidogyne incognita with Fusarium udum and Bradyrhizobium japonicum on the wilt disease complex of pigeonpea.

Inoculation of 500 J2 of H. cajani caused greater damage to pigeon pea growth than 1000 J2 of M. incognita, in pot experiments. When both nematodes were inoculated together, damage to plant growth was more than the sum of the damage caused by them alone. Also, H. cajani and F. udum together caused more damage than when both nematodes were inoculated together. The greatest damage to plant growth was observed when all 3 pathogens were inoculated, while inoculation of B. japonicum with the other pathogens reduced the damage caused by them alone. Inoculation of nematodes prior to F. udum and B. japonicum was also found to be more damaging to plant growth. Inoculation of H. cajani and M. incognita, or both prior to F. udum and/or B. japonicum inoculation increased the disease severity. F. udum and B. japonicum had an adverse effect on nematode multiplication.
An evaluation of the impact of funding and school specialisation on student performance using matching models

We evaluate a secondary education policy, based on higher public funding to schools which specialise in specific subjects, in order to assess its effects on pupils’ test score outcomes. Using several data sets we apply matching methods to confront issues of the choice of an appropriate control group and selection bias. After matching we find a positive and statistically significant policy effect on test score levels, but this is approximately 50% lower than our ‘naive’ estimates. On average, the effect falls from 4 to 2 points. Difference-in-differences estimates show a significant and positive effect on the change in test
Plant sulfolipid. III. Role in adaptation

The quality and/or relative content of plant sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG) change in response to a stress action. Various types of stress action induce two types of response – more general to the oxidative stress and specific – to a concrete stress factor. Besides, two types of reaction take place in photosynthesizing and non-photosynthesizing tissues. SQDG molecules take part in the adaptation reaction being cytochrome oxidase, CF1, F1, ATPase regulators, protectors and stabilizing agents for D1/D2 dimers and LHC II. This compound in non-photosynthesising tissues could be connected with negative charge domination required for lipoprotein complex stabilisation. SQDG quantitative changes and acyl composition shifts take place at both abiotic and biotic factors impact.
Etiologic and Pathogenic Perinatal Factors for the Development of Intrauterine Infections in Newborns (Review)

For many decades, the world community’s efforts have been aimed at reducing the neonatal and infant mortality from intrauterine infections. In 1990, the United Nations and the World Health Organization set out the priority of decreasing children mortality by 2015 году. In spite of impressive success in newborn treatment, mortality due to sepsis decreases slowly; when survive, postnatal children develop central nervous system impairments of different level of severity. In the recent decade, new data have emerged concerning the methods of intrauterine infections prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment. The purpose of the review is to present data concerning specifics of pregnancy course when infections develop, contemporary diagnostic methods including studies of interleukins, placenta morphology, allelic genes, and to reflect the current approach to the treatment of intrauterine infections in newborns.
Functional alteration of breast muscle fatty acid profile by manipulation of dietary n-6:n-3 ratios in broiler chickens

Breast muscle fatty acid (FA) profile was studied in broiler chickens fed at different levels of n-6:n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratios in 4 treatment groups; very high level of n-6:n-3 ratios (VH), high level of n-6:n-3 ratios (H), low level of n-6:n-3 ratios (L), very low level of n-6:n-3 ratios (VL) and control, respectively. All the birds were slaughtered at 42 days of age and breast muscle were collected. FA profile of breast muscles was determined by gas liquid chromatography. Increased levels of fish oil significantly (P < 0.05) increased the long chain PUFA (LC-PUFA) n-3 level, mainly because of the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) content in the VL and L groups. n- 6: n-3 ratios were effectively changed by the experimental diets. The LC- PUFA n-3 content of the VL and L groups of the breast muscle was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than in the VH, H and control groups. In conclusion, an increase in PUFAs n-3 associated with the dietary supplementation of fish oil maybe consider as a functional approach to elevate the nutritional value of chicken meat with regards to human nutrition.
Synthesis of DeterminedSystems ReconstractingtheGiven Random Sequence

A synthesis method for the ordinary differential equations is proposed.Their solutions reconstructthe statistical properties of the given pseudo-random sequence. The method is illustrated by an example of simulating singular Lorenz attractor and the sequence of pseudo-random numbers whish are uniformly distributed within [0,1] interval. Lorentz inhis published article [1]showedthe possibilityof obtaining onedimensional discrete sequences corresponding to the chaotic motion of the certain continuous system of the third order. The comparison of continuous and discrete systemsis evidently useful for many applications. Her the solution of inverse problem is proposed: the synthesisof a continuous system which is in some sense equivalent to one-dimentional random sequence. Statement of the problem. There is an object – black box – at whish output the sequence of random numbers appear. An autonomous continuous dissipate system with lumped parameters should be found which can reconstruct the statistical properties of the given random sequence. This system is known to have a strange attractor and its order chouldnot be less than three [2]. The work consist of three sections: in the first, the structure of the mathematical model and a general method of its identification is justified; in the second section the model synthesis is made for Lorenz attractor in a special and general cases; the sources of possible incorrectnessesand methods of their elimination are shown; in the third section the model of pseudo-random process is constructed.
Proliferating cells in the adult primate cerebellar cortex after ischemia

INTRODUCTION: Brain ischemia is a devastating neurological condition with significant medical and social impact. Here we investigated the effect of experimental ischemia of different duration on the ability of the adult macaque cerebellum to produce new cells of specific phenotypes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We used a well-established model of global brain ischemia in young adult Japanese monkeys applying bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) for 5 days х 100 mg/kg daily. Animals were distributed into different experimental and control groups depending on postischemic survival periods: 4, 9, 15, 23, 44 days (D) and BrdU starting day. Immunohistochemical detection of BrdU+ cells, Iba1+ microglia and GFAP+ astroglia was performed on cryosections. Statistical evaluation of newly generated cells with phenotyping for microglia and astrocytes in various cortical layers of the cerebellum were done. RESULTS and CONCLUSIONS: The numbers of BrdU+ cells in some ischemic groups were significantly higher compared to control animals. By cerebrocerebellum, there was an increasing value by D4 group compared to the control, then slightly reducing in D9 and D15 groups and increasing again by D23 and D44 groups. In the spinocerebellum, an increase was detected only in D44 group. The newly generated cells were dispersed in all cerebellar cortical layers with highest concentration in Purkinje cell layer. Our data show that ischemia stimulates cellular proliferation in the cerebellum but this effect declines with time after ischemia. We found evidence for generation of new microglia but not for astroglia. Our data may contribute to a better understanding of regeneration in the cerebellum after brain ischemia.
Evaluation of Management Outcome of Adolescent Type-1 Diabetes Patients in Selected Clinics in Calabar, Nigeria

Diabetes mellitus (DM), is a group of metabolic diseases in which there are high blood sugar levels resulting from defects in inulin absorption over a prolonged period. This research was carried out to evaluate the management outcome in Type-1 diabetes adolescents in Calabar, Nigeria. Nineteen (19) diabetic adolescent patients attending selected clinics in Calabar and another 19 age-and-sex matched healthy adolescents were recruited for this research. Glycaemic control was assessed using fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels and Glycated haemoglobin concentration (HbAic%). Anthropometric parameters (height, weight, BMI) in adolescent Diabetes mellitus (DM) and control groups were also measured. Blood pressure in diabetic and control subjects were equally measured. Mean age of diabetic male and female were not statistically significant compared with male and female control groups. Average age of onset of illness in diabetic males and females were also not significant, and the same result was observed in duration of illness. Findings revealed that baseline fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated haemoglobin (HbAIC%) values of the diabetic adolescents were significantly (P<0.001) higher than values in control group. There was a significant (P<0.01) decrees in anthropometric parameters of diabetics compared with controls. Significant negative correlation was observed between father’s educational status and FBG (r= -0.546*) and negative correlation in glycated haemoglobin (HbAIC %) (r= -0.464*) levels in diabetic group. Glycated haemoglobin appeared to be a very dependable marker for diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in adolescents. Adolescent female diabetics have better management outcome compared to males. Combined therapy and insulin therapy resulted in improved glycaemic control and general wellbeing.
The Effect of Poultry Preslaughter Fasting and Condition on the Quality of Meat and Luncheon Processed in Syria

The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of chicken transport time and lair before slaughtering on the quality of locally meat and luncheon. One hundred and fifty chickens were tested and submitted to thirteen-hour preslaughter fasting periods in average. Deboned breast meat submitted to the following analysis: pH, drip loss (DL), water holding capacity (WHC) and emulsion stability (ES). The results show that 20% of meat considered as pale, soft and exudative (PSE) and the luncheon prepared with local meat have good properties.
Does Democracy Promote or Reduce Transnational Terrorist Incidents?

This article studies the various mechanisms by which democracy affects transnational terrorism. New theoretical mechanisms are identified that either complement or encompass existing arguments. Different effects of democracy on transnational terrorism are assessed for a sample of about 119 countries from 1975 to 1997. Results show that democratic participation reduces transnational terrorist incidents in a country, while government constraints increase the number of those incidents, subsuming the effect of press freedom. The proportional representation system experiences fewer transnational terrorist incidents than either the majoritarian or the mixed system.