bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DEVELOPMENT OF ART PERFORMANCE TICKETS INFORMATION SYSTEM AT PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL
Authors: Salamah Umniy , Maulana Eka
Published: October 2022

The development of technology and increasing human needs are two things that influence each other. As one example is the need to purchase art performance ticket using the internet. At present, most printed tickets allow misuse by irresponsible parties, but it also takes longer to get tickets. Therefore a solution is needed to purchase tickets with the website. In addition to making it easy for buyers and organizers, tickets will be accepted quickly. E-Ticketing is a way to document the sales process of a business activity without having to physically issue valuable documents or paper tickets. A website-based ticket art purchase application is needed to make purchasing process easier. The making of this application uses HTML as client-side development, PHP as server-side development, and MySQL as a database. With this application it is expected to help the organizers and buyers in making it easier to get tickets. In the testing phase this application starts from creating an account to getting a ticket going well. Then from the conclusions of the application made with this application, the buyer will get the convenience of getting tickets and buying tickets for events held at school by opening the website that has been provided.
IMPLEMENTATION OF C4.5 ALGORITHM TO ASSIST IN THE SELECTION OF FLOOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Authors: Lendra Aditya Roval , Firdaus Diky
Published: October 2022

The country of Indonesia is a developing country. This is indicated by the improvement of the development process and business. So, many development projects will appear. With the changing world in the industry with e-Government governance, project data is no longer in paper form. With the emergence of data - a lot of companies need to do project management activities in determining the project strategy to be taken so as not to affect the final results in determining the taking of the project. Then do a lot of research on the project data that appears in the construction world. The method used for this research is the C4.5 Algorithm which is one of the modern algorithms for data mining processes. C4.5 algorithm is also called a decision tree (decision tree) which is one of the classification methods with a tree structure representation. The concept is to collect data and be made into a decision tree based on the rules needed to get an outcome. The pattern and results obtained will be used for recommendations in determining which projects the company will take. The values generated using Rapidminer are Accuracy 97.18%, precision 100%, and recall 94.31%. With the result, 1205 recommended floor construction projects were taken and 784 projects were recommended not to be taken.
DIAGNOSIS OF SKIN DISEASES IN TODDLERS USING NAÏVE BAYES AND FORWARD CHAINING METHODS
Authors: Rahmatullah Sidik , Mawarni Rima
Published: October 2022

The Center for Public Health is a functional organizational unit that implements health care that is thorough, integrated, evenly acceptable, and affordable to the community. The purpose of this research is to create an Expert System Application to detect skin diseases in toddlers according to the data in the public health center. The system development method used is the Extreme Programming (XP) method with working stages including planning, design, coding, and testing. The system is designed using Unified Modeling Language (UML) which includes use cases, activity diagrams, and chart classes, the software used is PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) with MySQL databases and uses the Naïve Bayes and Forward Chaining methods. The end result of the creation of this App is to make it easier for users or the public in detecting skin diseases for toddlers.
EVALUATION AND COMPARISON OF LOAD DEFLECTION RATE OF FOUR INITIAL ORTHODONTIC ARCH WIRES: AN IN VITRO STUDY
Authors: Choudary Dhanyabiram , Jnaneshwar Poornima , Kannan Ravi
Published: October 2022

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the load-deflection rate of four different types of archwires used in initial stage of orthodontic treatment.

Materials and methods: A modified three-point bending test was performed on the sample of 60 wires of superelastic Nickel Titanium(NiTi), everwhite esthetic NiTi, thermal NiTi and multistranded coaxial stainless steel (15 each). The load exerted by each of the wire was measured at the deflections of 2 mm and 4mm, subsequent unloading process at 37°C temperature.

Results: Comparison of mean load-deflection values revealed that thermal NiTi wires had lowest value at both 2 and 4mm deflection when compared to other three wires which was statistically significant(p=0.009).  Superelastic and esthetic NiTi showed similar values of load deflection ratios at both the deflections where as co-axial wire showed 1.89N at 2mm and 5.22N at 4mm deflection.

Conclusion: The heat-activated NiTi wires are acceptable in severe crowding and periodontally compromised patients. Multistranded co-axial wire is acceptable when we need minimal alignment; whereas esthetic NiTi wires can replace superelastic Niti based on patient’s need.
Evaluation of the Ion release from nanoparticles coated orthodontic brackets - In vitro Study
Authors: Mobeen Nausheen , Duraisamy Sangeetha , K Ravi
Published: October 2022

AIM : To evaluate the release of zinc and copper ions from zinc oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles coated orthodontic brackets in artificial saliva under Invitro condition.

METHODOLOGY : Thirty six metal brackets were coated with copper oxide (group A) and zinc oxide (group B ) nanoparticles using spray pyrolysis method  and bracket was randomly selected  and assessed under scanning electron microscope. The nano-coated brackets with copper oxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles (Group A and B) were bonded on the extracted first premolar tooth with standard protocol and immersed in artificial saliva at pH of 6.5.  The nanocoated brackets were analysed for ion release using atomic absorption spectrometer  at four different time intervals baseline, day 7, day 14, and day 21 under invitro condition.

RESULT  : The highest concentration of zinc ion released from the zinc oxide and copper oxide  nano coated brackets in the artificial saliva was on the 7th day and the quantity of zinc ion released was well below the levels that are toxic to humans throughout the study period.

CONCLUSION:  The concentration of zinc ions released zinc oxide nano coated brackets was significantly greater than the concentration of copper ion released from the copper oxide nano-coated brackets in the artificial saliva under similar experimental conditions.
GENOMIC, EPIGENOMIC AND PROTEOMIC LANDSCAPING OF HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA
Authors: Dixit Nandan , Motwani Harsha , Bhavsar Mansi , Patel Soumya , Solanki Hitesh , Rawal Rakesh
Published: October 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and fatal malignancy in humans and proves to be the third most common cause of cancer-related death. Thus, HCC contributes to major international health problem because its incidence is exponentially increasing in many countries. One of the main reasons for the lethality of HCC is the lack of diagnostic markers for early detection of the disease. At late stages, HCC shows a high clinical heterogeneity with poor prognosis i.e. high tumor recurrence is observed in 60-70% of cases within 5 years after surgery. One of the major reasons is that most patients with HCC were diagnosed at advanced stages. It is crucial to find out new therapeutic targets and novel diagnostic biomarkers for the early diagnosis and timely treatment of HCC and to develop preventive strategies and therapeutic interventions based on an improved understanding of molecular hepato carcinogenesis. Therefore, it is still urgent to further explore the exact molecular mechanisms of the development, progression, invasion, and metastasis of HCC. It has been shown that both genetic and epigenetic alterations are crucial for the initiation of HCC, thus making epigenetics a promising and attractive field for identifying the subset of patients at a high risk of recurrence and with dismal survival outcomes.However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Thus, it is urgent and important to dig the hub molecules and to uncover the key molecular mechanisms. Due to the advances made in research based on next generation sequencers, it is now possible to detect and analyse epigenetic abnormalities associated with cancer. In this review article we are trying to explore previously reported to play key role in HCC development and progression such as, DNA methylation, various histone modifications, chromatin remodelling, and non-coding RNA associated gene silencing are considered to be transcriptional regulatory mechanisms associated with gene expression changes.
A plan to realize safe self-government using autonomous police
Authors:   The Korean Society of Private Security, Cho Min-Sang
Published: October 2022

The implementation of the autonomous police system means not only changes in police work, but also new expectations for the role of the police. The implementation of the new strategy of the autonomous police system is in its infancy, and there are many reports of poor awareness of the citizens about the change in the system. The most important thing is that the side effects that occur in the change of the system directly affect the citizens.
In the case of safe self-government, 'voluntary' activities are emphasized first in the scope of the civic life zone, centering on 'local safety'. Above all, in order to realize safe self-government, it is important to form a safety culture based on citizens' voluntary initiative.
This study focuses on finding ways to realize safe autonomy through the implementation of the autonomous police system. The development plan was derived as a research method that analyzes literature and official data. In order to realize safe autonomy, it is important to analyze local characteristics to discover risk factors and to engage in cooperative and voluntary activities. First, a local safety map centered on local residents should be prepared. Second, it is necessary to set priorities and continuously manage local safety evaluation indicators. Third, it is necessary to improve the recognition and sharing of local citizens' requests. Fourth, communication channels should be strengthened in relation to safety information.
A Study on the Direction of Improvement of Field Police Shooting Training
Authors:   The Korean Society of Private Security, Hwang Jong-yong , Jang Seung-soo
Published: October 2022

This study is aim to explore the improvement direction and derive a plan so that police education and training such as tasers and pistols can be used in the field. To this end, opinions on the direction of improvement of shooting training were collected and analyzed by qualitative research from seven field police officers.
As a result of the analysis, it was confirmed that the training situation should be created similar to reality based on realistic scenarios, and that conditions for many police officers to train should be prepared by distributing simulation training systems using virtual reality. In addition, the current training paradigm is basically assumed to shoot, and it is confirmed that the shooting technique of accurately shooting at the target is improved, which should be changed. In fact, the dispatched police officer is considering whether to fire or not to fire at the target or subdue it with other low-risk means, but the decision-making training for this part is still in its infancy.
Accordingly, it was suggested to develop a scenario based on the actual case of the physical force use report, and to distribute a simulation system using VR so that all police officers can actually participate in the training. Also, I tried to draw a training system that quickly and accurately recognizes various elements of the dispatch site and decides whether to shoot or not through the cases of developed countries such as the United States and Australia. In addition, the framework of complex scenarios to develop the ability to grasp the characteristics of victims, context such as relationships with the persons concerned, and physical specificity of the field was derived from the research participants' presentation and scenarios in developed countries.
A Study on the Utilization of Protection Personnel for the Response to the wiretapping and Illegal Filming of Government Complex Sejong: with the focus on the security official
Authors:   The Korean Society of Private Security, Park Chang-Kyu , Jeong Duke-Young
Published: October 2022

This study aims to improve the overall security level of government buildings by deriving problems in response to wiretapping and illegal filming, which have large security vulnerabilities, focusing on the government complex in Sejong, where the largest number of central administrative agencies among government buildings reside. Its purpose is to provide basic data to contribute.
In particular, among the protection personnel of the government complex in Sejong, I tried to suggest a countermeasure by using security officials who have not been studied much, and conducted a literature study that closely analyzes data such as wiretapping and illegal filming related laws. By analyzing this, problems with the introduction of regular wiretapping detection and illegal filming detection equipment and operational problems in response to wiretapping and illegal filming were derived.
In relation to this, in this study, as an improvement plan for dealing with wiretapping and illegal filming, we prepare the basis for conducting wiretapping and illegal filming detection work, establish a new specialized team to respond to wiretapping and illegal filming, education and training of specialized institutions, continuous inspection through related institutions, and Facility supplementation was suggested, and the use of the research results is expected to greatly contribute to the improvement of the professionalism of government building security officials and the security level of government buildings.
Bio-Inspired Ocean Exploration
Authors:   U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Xu Nicole , Dabiri John
Published: October 2022

Substantial efforts have been made to expand our knowledge of the physics, biology, chemistry, and geography of the ocean using state-of-the-art measurement tools. With new global projects and technological advances, the collaborative efforts of the Ocean Decade (2021–2030) are well on the way to revolutionizing our knowledge of ocean sciences and sustainability. Yet even today, over three-quarters of the seafloor is still unmapped, more than 90% of marine life still awaits discovery and classification, and the number of ocean sensors required to study global phenomena at sufficient temporal and spatial resolutions is seemingly intractable. To address this challenge, new approaches such as bio-inspired robotics can expand our existing toolbox and bridge this knowledge gap. The concept of biology-inspired engineering has emerged as a powerful tool to complement traditional engineering approaches to technology development. For example, specific swimming features of jellyfish and fish have been applied to a variety of fields, from vehicular propulsion to wind energy to medical diagnostics. In particular, jellyfish are advantageous model organisms because of their energy efficiency, with the lowest known cost of transport compared to other animals, as well as their ubiquity and survivability in various ocean environments. In this article we highlight the evolution of research into jellyfish-inspired robotic constructs and their potential applications in ocean exploration. After initial projects using entirely engineered materials (i.e., jellyfish-​inspired submarine propellers) and tissue engineering methods (i.e., rat cardiac cells seeded on flexible films), recent work to integrate microelectronic systems onto live jellyfish demonstrates that their swimming speeds can be increased (up to three times compared to their baselines) and their energy efficiency can be improved (up to four times compared to their baselines). This shows promise for the robotic control of jellyfish in real-world oceanic environments, where the animals are already distributed globally. Future work can improve the maneuverability of these bio-hybrid jellyfish robots, incorporate miniaturized sensors to profile regions of interest, and ultimately deploy swarms of these low-power, low-cost robots to obtain high-resolution data and improve ocean climate models. The synergy of bio-inspired technologies with existing ocean measurement tools holds promise to push the frontiers of ocean exploration and stewardship.
Broadening Participation in TOS Through Honors Nominations and Awards
Authors:   University of South Florida, Muller-Karger Frank , Bhatt EeShan , Meyer-Gutbrod Erin
Published: October 2022

The Oceanography Society (TOS) Honors Program provides opportunities for its members to amplify the Society’s values (https://tos.org/about) and to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of colleagues. However, individual and systemic biases can affect the nomination and selection process. In fall 2021, the TOS Council postponed a cycle of the Honors Program due to lack of diversity in nominees (https://tos.org/tos-news-june-2022). The TOS JEDI Committee (https://tos.org/diversity) is considering ways to generate a large and diverse pool of nominees by embedding TOS’s justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion goals into the honors and awards process. This article highlights some of those suggestions and invites TOS members to weigh in.
Beatitudo et religio: Tomás de Aquino e o fim último do ser humano
Authors: Sousa Luís Carlos Silva de
Published: October 2022

Resumo: O objetivo do texto consiste em propor uma perspectiva hermenêutica acerca da relação entre as noções de beatitudo e religio na Summa theologiae de Tomás de Aquino. A religião não é considerada por Tomás como virtude teologal, mas sim como virtude moral. Por outro lado, argumenta-se que as contribuições neoplatônicas de Dionísio e Agostinho são fundamentais no sentido de articular a busca da perfecta beatitudo do ser humano na visão da essência de Deus.
O jovem leitor Agostinho no livro III das Confissões
Authors: Fujisaka Daniel
Published: October 2022

Esse artigo pretende explorar a narrativa de Agostinho acerca de sua adesão ao pensamento gnóstico-maniqueu, livro III das suas Confissões, como momento falacioso do espírito, engenho de simulacro linguístico enganador. O livro III das Confissões de Agostinho de Hipona pode ser lido como análise do filósofo sobre suas próprias condições de assentimento às representações literárias como via de acesso à verdade ou falsidade na medida em que problematiza a via gnóstico- maniqueia outrora trilhada como uma questão de leituras (cf. Conf. III, 4, 7 à III, 5, 10). O jovem leitor denuncia sua pretensão de saber (gnose), uma suposição que o levara ao procedimento de tomar phantasia como referência hipostasiada de significação de verdade. Presume que seja arguto para imaginar e nomear realidades sobre corpos, [que seriam] mais reais do que verdadeiras imagens de corpos, e ao proceder assim nada faz senão imaginar “falsos corpos”, germe de uma perigosa nomeação que chega a pretender pela palavra indicar até mesmo o infinito. Finalmente, um trecho final dos seus Solilóquios II será especialmente esclarecedor para compreender como Agostinho parece apontar para a disposição do espírito por detrás da suposição e significação – para além de simples “sentenças falsas e enganadoras” (cf. Solilóquios II, xv, 29). A perspicácia (acies) do maniqueu faz dele sujeito de uma presunção sedutora, arrogando-se ser capaz de nomear o que está além da possibilidade de qualquer representação ou objetivação. A leitura, no entanto, não será afastada como via de exortação do espírito à verdade, o que lança a hipótese de que outra disposição deva substituir a presunção de saber algo da essência do texto.
Letter to Editor by Dr. Park S. Nobel
Authors: Nobel Park S.
Published: October 2022

Distinguished Professor of Biology Emeritus, University of California, LosAngeles.

Near my 75th birthday Peter Felker persuaded me to pen a few “words ofwisdom” relating cacti, particularly Opuntia ficus-indica, to global climatechange and future drought, specifically referencing my books.
Review of scientific and technical bibliography on the use of Opuntia spp. as forage and its animal validation
Authors: Grünwaldt Josefina María , Guevara Juan Carlos , Grünwaldt Eduardo Guillermo
Published: October 2022

Several studies have shown the remarkable properties of Opuntia spp., a largely distributedspecies in the world. It has been used as an edible resource, especially in periods of foodshortage, and also as livestock food in arid lands. This review aimed at identifying currentliterature related to Opuntia spp. as forage and its validation through experiences withdomestic and other animals. The literature review was carried out October 3, 2014 using theScopus database. From 5,723 documents, 98 of them were selected, all of those whichinvolved experiences with animals both in housing conditions and in extensive grazing. Thefollowing items were analyzed: publication year, document type, source title, author affiliationand country, source type, language, animal species used in the experiences and a particularanalysis of the publications in the Journal of the Professional Association for CactusDevelopment according to Scopus. It was detected that Scopus omitted some documents inthe review, and there were few contributions regarding experiences that include cactus aspart of animal diets.
Antioxidant components and nutritional quality of 15 genotypes of Xoconostle (Opuntia spp.)
Authors: López Martínez Carlos Raúl , García Mateos Rosario , Gallegos Vázquez Clemente , Sahagún Castellanos Jaime
Published: October 2022

This study determined nutritional quality, content of antioxidant compounds and antioxidantactivity in the rind (mesocarp) of the fruit of 15 genotypes of xoconostle to identify those thathave greater nutraceutical potential. A proximal analysis was conducted. Contents ofbetalain, total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity werequantified. The data obtained were analyzed with an analysis of variance (ANOVA), theTukey test (P ? 0.05) and the Pearson coefficient of correlation. Significant differences in theproximal composition and antioxidant compounds were found among the 15 genotypes. Thegenotype Cambray had the highest total content of betalains (35.06 mg 100 g-1 f.w.). Theantioxidant activity observed in the other genotypes may be due to a synergetic effect of thepresence of total betalains, phenolic compounds, flavonoids and vitamin C. The wildgenotype Chaveñito (O. sainaltense), which had the highest percentage (95.88 %) ofinhibition of the DPPH radical (indicating greater antioxidant activity), can be considered thegenotype with the best nutraceutic quality.
Carmine cochineal: fortune wasted in northern Ethiopia Tesfay Belay
Authors: Belay Tesfay
Published: October 2022

Carmine cochineal, Dactylopius coccus Costa, was introduced to northern Ethiopia to addconsiderable value to existing cactus pear vegetation that in places like the southern Tigraywas becoming an invasive plant. It became an investment opportunity where Foodsafe, aChilean company was involved. Company was granted 300 ha at the cactus pear infestedplains of southern Tigray. Foodsafe was also expected to expand cochineal productionthrough an outgrower scheme. It created employment opportunity for the locals and startedexporting dried cochineal to Mexico and Germany bringing in foreign currency. As cactuspear grows in communal lands, conflict of interest arose and it polarised the community. Thecompany was forcibly closed and it was a tragedy that a one time commercial insect becamea full-fledged invasive insect pest. Attempts to contain the insect with mechanical andchemical control were not successful. So far more than 16,000 ha of cactus pear land wasinfested with carmine cochineal. 13,000 ton of dried cochineal could have been harvested ina single year, generated USD $52 million, and part of that money could have been used forits management.
Salinity effects on germination and seedlings biomass of Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum: an endangered species
Authors: Beltrán-Morales Alfredo , Córdoba-Matson Miguel Víctor , García-Hernández José Luis , Troyo-Diéguez Enrique , Azadi Hossein , Ruiz-Espinoza Francisco Higinio , Valdez-Cepeda Ricardo David , Murillo-Amador Bernardo
Published: October 2022

Cacti are particularly sensitive to habitat disturbance since they have slow growth and a longlife cycle. Their development and establishment depend on several factors, includingenvironmental requirements for germination and establishment of seedlings. Two of the mostinfluential factors are soil and water salinity. The objective of this study was to quantify seedsgermination and seedling biomass production of the Aborigine’s comb cactus (Pachyceruspecten-aboriginum) in salt stress using sodium chloride (NaCl) as the main salt source. Theexperiment was arranged in a completely randomized design using six salt levels (0.11, 2.03,4.00, 6.03, 8.03 and 10.07 dS m-1) with five replicates of 20 seeds each one. The seeds werecollected in a wild population of P. pecten-aboriginum in Ejido Álvaro Obregón, BajaCalifornia Sur, Mexico in June 2011. The results showed that germination and seedlingbiomass were significantly affected by salt stress, which was higher at 2.03 and 0.11 dS m-1,followed by 6.03 and 4.00 dS m-1, lower at 8.03 dS m-1, and no growth at 10.07 dS m-1. It isconcluded that saline levels using sodium chloride as the main source of salt, affect seedgermination and seedling biomass production of P. pecten-aboriginum significantly.
The importance of native bees, especially cactus bees (Diadasia spp) in the pollination of cactus pears
Authors: Felker Peter , Bunch Ron
Published: October 2022

The edible pulp size of cactus pear fruit is highly correlated with seed content, which in turn iscorrelated with the effectiveness of pollination. In California commercial orchards, honey bees(Apis mellifera) are not nearly as efficient pollinators as the very docile, ground dwelling,solitary, native cactus bee (Diadasia spp). Much additional work on native bees is needed todevelop practical methods to: a) establish cactus bees on other plantations, b) manipulate thedate of emergence to coincide with late/early flowering, c) develop protocols to safely applypesticides to control insects such as cochineal without harming native bees, and d) developother native insect pollinators early in the season (February/early March) when Opuntiaflowers are available but no insect pollinators are available.
Genetic diversity in Opuntia spp. cultivated for forage production
Authors: Las Casas Giuseppina , Zingale Nicoletta , Distefano Gaetano , Caruso Marco , Nicolosi Elisabetta , Gentile Alessandra , La Malfa Stefano
Published: October 2022

Opuntia genus belongs to the Cactaceae and includes a range of species from 75 to 250originated from the Americas. Several Opuntia species represent useful sources of forage inmany arid areas, and their cultivation is drastically increasing. However the taxonomicclassification of these species is complicated by the lack of reliable morphological descriptors,the relevant phenotypic plasticity, and the frequency of natural hybridization and of polyploidy.In this study 31 genotypes selected for forage production including Opuntia ficus-indica andsome related species were analyzed using SSR markers to establish their genetic variabilityand to elucidate phylogenetic relationships among cultivated genotypes and related species.The analysis of six loci allowed to univocally identify most of the accessions and confirmed thefact that their taxonomical classification is not congruent with the observed patterns of geneticdiversity. Most of the accessions selected for forage production were grouped exhibiting anarrow genetic variation level and clustered separately from two reference O. ficus-indicagenotypes, used for fruit production in Mediterranean area. NeighbourNet analysis displayed alow level of diversification among the forage Opuntia from Brazil suggesting they probably havecommon ancestors. This information will be useful to plan future breeding strategies aimed atthe selection of improved genotypes to be cultivated in different areas.
Meat and milk quality of sheep and goat fed with cactus pear
Authors: Cordova-Torres A.V. , Costa R. G. , Araújo Filho J. T. , Medeiros A. N. , Andrade-Montemayor H.M.
Published: October 2022

Consumer demand for quality food products is increasing rapidly, motivating a similar interestin the production sectors. Meat and milk quality can be evaluated from the perspective of theproducer, where high yields and profits are sought. From the consumer viewpoint, sensorialcharacteristics are the most important, although, nowadays, welfare and health are alsoimperative. This has increased the demand for better characteristics and fatty aciddifferentiation in products of animal origin. In general, sheep meat it is considered milder thangoat meat, principally due to the higher lipid content, however, both types of meat are wellappreciated by consumers. Goat milk is highly valued for its characteristics and is commonlyused to feed children and adults with allergic and gastrointestinal problems. The lipid profileof meat and milk products depends on what the animal eats, consequently, the feed has animportant role in improving the products. Cactus pear is an excellent feed for animals insemiarid regions. Cactus pear consumption has been shown to increment the linoleic,linolenic and conjugated linolenic acid fatty acids, without modifying the sensorial quality ofgoat and sheep products.
Effect of salinity on seed germination, growth and metabolic activity of pitaya seedlings [Stenocereus thurberi (Engelm.) Buxb.]
Authors: Orozco Antonio , Gardea Alfonso A. , Rascón-Chu Agustín , Sánchez Alfonso
Published: October 2022

The Cactaceae is an important resource in the arid and semi-arid zones of Mexico, this familyis naturally distributed in the Americas. Pitaya (Stenocereus thurberi) is an important endemicspecies of the Sonoran Desert that has received little attention despite its diverse uses,distribution and endemism. In the environment where pitayas thrive, salinity is a commoncondition, and its effects in physiological traits has been poorly recorded in the literature. Inthis study, NaCl effect was evaluated on germination, and seedlings growth and metabolicchanges. For the latter, heat or metabolic activity (q), respiration rate (RCO2), metabolicefficiency (Rq / RCO2) and growth rate (RSG?HB) were determined. These variables wereanalyzed using isothermal calorimetry at 25°C in pitaya seedlings. Final germination andplantlet survival rate were not affected by salinity; however, mean germination time, aerialbiomass production, root growth and the calorimetric variables mentioned above were directlyaffected according to salt concentration. Although seedling size decreased, contents ofchlorophylls a, b, and total chlorophyll (a+b) and total carotenoids showed an increase as afunction of NaCl concentration. Variables evaluated showed different salinity tolerance,reaching maximum values between 4,000 and 6,000 ppm of NaCl. As far as pigmentsynthesis, salinity treatments caused increases in chlorophylls and carotenoids. Thisincrement was more conspicuous at salinity treatments above 8,000 ppm.
The potential of using solarized cattle manure fertilizer and planting densities to cultivate the cactus Opuntia ficus-indica L.
Authors: Salazar-Sosa Enrique , Trejo-Escareño Hèctor Idilio , Orona-Castillo Ignacio , Salazar-Melendez Enrique , Hernández-Montiel Luis Guillermo , Murillo-Amador Bernardo
Published: October 2022

Opuntia has been long cultivated for forage, as well as for human consumption. The objectivewas to evaluate yield, thickness, length and width of cladodes of Opuntia while in the soil, pH,electrical conductivity, organic matter and nitrates were evaluated. The experiment wasconducted during three years 2008, 2009 and 2010 through a completely randomized blockdesign with factorial arrangement with three replications. The factors were doses of organicfertilizer (0, 20, 40, 60 t ha-1) and one inorganic fertilizer as control 100-100-0 kg ha-1 of N, Pand K, respectively and planting densities (4,435, 8,871, 8,887 and 13,323 plants ha-1) withdifferent topological arrangements. The results showed greatest yield at 60 t ha-1 in 2009 and2010. In 2008, yield was greater at 60 t ha-1 but was not significantly greater than 40 t ha-1,however was greatest than control. All plant variables were greatest at 60 t ha-1, although insome cases not significantly different from other dosages. For all 3 years, pH, electricalconductivity, organic matter and nitrate content at 60 t ha-1 and 13,323 plants ha-1 wereunacceptable ranges and were not significantly worse than inorganic fertilizer, dosages orplanting densities. In conclusion, organic fertilizer is an option to avoid use of non-organicfertilizers in order to improve Opuntia production as well as maintaining soil quality.
Potential of forage cactus pear accessions under saline water irrigation in arid areas
Authors: Nadaf Saleem K. , Al-Farsi Safa'a M. , Al-Hinai Saleh A. , Al-Hinai Aliya S. , Al-Harthy Abdul Aziz S. , Al-Khamisi Saif A. , Al-Bakri Ahmed N.
Published: October 2022

Forage cactus pear has potential in arid areas of the world to be as one of the alternate foddersin the existing forage/fodder production system. Thirty three cactus accessions introducedunder Arabian Peninsula Research Program of International Center for Agriculture Researchin the Dry Areas in Oman in 2005 with an objective to identify suitable species for therehabilitation of degraded rangelands in arid and saline areas were planted in randomizedcomplete block design under plant density of 40,000 ha-1 with three replications on a sandyloam site under drip irrigation on December 2011 at Rumais Livestock Research Center inOman and evaluated annually during three consecutive years (2012 to 2014) followingstandard agronomic practices recommended worldwide for cactus cultivation. The irrigationwater electrical conductivity was 5.37 dSm-1 at the beginning of the experiment while it was6.01 dSm-1, 10.45 dSm-1 and 14.75 dSm-1, for the annual harvests on December 2012, 2013and 2014, respectively. The observations on plant height (cm) at harvest, number of pads/plant,weight/pad (kg) and green matter weight/plot were recorded at each harvest. The dry matterweight was estimated based on dry matter percentage of green samples. Green and dry matteryield/ha were estimated for their respective weights from experimental plots (3m x 3m). Theresults revealed that the cactus accessions were different (p<0.05) with respect to all thecharacters, such as plant height (45.75 to 82.00 cm), number of pads/plant (2.00 to 10.56),weight/pad (0.32 to 0.59 kg), green matter yield (46.99 to 331.58 t ha-1), dry matter yield (4.40to 33.38 t ha-1) and dry matter (8.29 to 13.00%). Ten cactus accessions had three-year freshannual fodder yield over 150 t ha-1. The accession No. 74112 from Mexico had significantlyhighest (p<0.05) annual pad yield (331.58 t ha-1) of all other accessions studied. Otheraccessions which were not different (p>0.05) but with important production were 4321 fromTunisia (197.67 t ha-1), 75018 from Morocco (195.33 t ha-1), 68247 from Algeria (185.78 t ha-1),73049 from Mexico (180.78 t ha-1) and 69241 from Tunisia (173.22 t ha-1). Results indicatedthe potential of cactus for fodder production under saline water in arid conditions (from 5.37 to14.75 dSm-1 during crop growth), with an average green fodder yield of 117.31 t ha-1 yr-1, ascompared with existing perennial Rhodes grass with an average of 80 to 100 t ha-1 yr-1. Hence,these cactus accessions could be included in the existing fodder production system or used for                                                                                             afforestation of degraded rangelands of Oman besides the farms affected by salinity to theextent of over 5.37 dSm-1.
Estimation of cladode area of Nopalea cochenillifera using digital images
Authors: Rodrigues de Lucena Leandro Ricardo , De Mello Vieira Leite Mauricio Luiz , Da Cruz Junior Claúdio Balbino , Dias Carvalho Juliane , Rodrigues dos Santos Eliane , Melo de Oliveira Antonio Dennys
Published: October 2022

Determination of photosynthetic area of a plant, leaf or cladode is a fundamental tool in study of transpiration intensity, specific leaf area and leaf area index. The objective of this study was to evaluate Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck). cladode area, in a non- destructive way, using digital images and test its relation with the variables: product of length and maximum width and real cladode area through regression models. The design used randomized blocks with three replicates and using the N. cochenillifera forage cactus clone, Giant Sweet. To determine the real cladode area of cactus forage, 432 cladodes in different stages of growth were randomly collected (162 primary cladodes, 127 secondary and 143 tertiary cladodes), all free from damage, disease or pest attacks. All cladodes were photographed with a digital camera (Sony Mark, model DSC-P72) generating a sample of 432 1200 x 2500 pixel digital images of N. cochenillifera cladodes. Linear, gamma and power regression models were adjusted to test the relation between the digital cladode area and the explanatory variables real cladode area and product of length by width. Models were evaluated with the following criteria: Coefficient of model determination, Akaike information criterion, sum of squares of residuals and Willmott index. The power model gave the best performance, with explanatory power higher than 99.5%, while the Willmott index exceeded 0.99. Sum of squares of residuals and Akaike information criterion had lower values. The digital cladode area of N. cochenillifera can be explained by the linear dimensions of cladodes in, and independent of, branching order. The digital cladode area (DCA) of N. cochenillifera can be explained as a function of the power model -DCA = LW0.98Sconsidering the product of length by width (LW) with explanatory variable, and by D-CA = RCA1.002considering real cladode area (RCA) with explanatory variable.
Physico-chemical characteristics, and bioactive compounds of red fruits of sweet pitaya (Stenocereus thurberi)
Authors: Rodríguez-Félix Armida , Fortiz-Hernández Judith , Tortoledo-Ortiz Orlando
Published: October 2022

The objective of this study was to determine the physical and chemical characteristics and the content of bioactive compounds of ripe fruits of red sweet pitaya (Stenocereus thurberi). Sweet pitaya fruits are spherical, with a high moisture content (85.8%), a pulp percentage of 71.6%, soft texture (3.4 N), low acidity (0.18%), a total soluble solids content of 12.83 °Brix, with glucose and fructose being the main sugars with a content of 35.65 and 17.48 g 100 g-1 dry weight, respectively. The fruit has a low protein content (0.86% fresh weight) with tyrosine, glutamate, and methionine are the main essential amino acids. The pitaya flesh showed traces of carotenes, low content of L-ascorbic acid (12.45 mg 100 g-1 fresh weight), a content per gram of dry weight of total phenols of 11.31 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE), total flavonoids of 13.70 mg quercetin equivalent (QE) and total betalains of 2.43 mg. The peel had a higher content of phenols and total flavonoids (5.5 and 4.3 times higher, respectively) than the flesh, which could be considered a potential source of these compounds. The red fruits of sweet pitaya can be considered a source of phenolic compounds and betalains with potential benefits to human health.
In Memoriam: Dr. Enrique Arias Jiménez
Authors: Inglese Paolo
Published: October 2022

Enrique passed away. For our community it is like having lost our father. I personally lose one of my best friends ever. When we edited the last FAO book on cactus pear, I wrote that Enrique ‘was for the Cactusnet like a lighthouse in the storm. He guided and served science and technical development for the rural poor with devotion and daily commitment’. This is exactly true. Enrique was a dreamer.
Spine function in Cactaceae, a review
Authors: Aliscioni N. L. , Delbón N. , Gurvich D. E.
Published: October 2022

Spines are one of the most conspicuous organs of cacti, and are present even in the most basal species of the family. The aim of this review is to analyse the proven functions of spines, the number of species studied, their taxonomical (subfamily) and the geographic origin of studied species. We found a total of 24 studies that analyzed a total of five functions. A total of 39 species (around 2% of total diversity in the family) were studied. The most studied function was thermoregulation, where spines protect the stem from extreme temperatures, followed by antiherbivory defense. Others functions are water collection, dispersion and antiparasitism defense. Most of the studied species belong to the Cactoideae subfamily, ten to Opuntioideae subfamily and only one, to the Pereskioideae. There is also a bias to the study of species from North America, particularly Mexico and USA. The most studied species was Carnegiea gigantea that was the subject of 5 articles. Surprisingly, there are few studies that analyzed species in environmental gradients or that analyzed the effect of spine removal. These results indicate the necessity of further investigation that include species with different spinescence patterns and which rigorously test possible functions.
Biomass accumulation of Schlumbergera truncata (Haw.) Moran (Thanksgiving cactus) grown under high pot density
Authors: Leytur Matías , Gandolfo Esteban , Carnelos Danilo , Giardina Ernesto , Di Benedetto Adalberto
Published: October 2022

The growth of most pot-grown succulents offered by the ornamental industry is limited mainly by water, nutrients, photoperiod, and temperature manipulation, while other decisions, such as: plant density at pot cropping are often based on the grower’s experience. In the present study, to optimize the biomass accumulation of Schlumbergera truncata under high pot density, we performed an experimental design that included different numbers of initials phylloclades and spraying or not with the synthetic cytokinin 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). The highest biomass accumulation on a fresh weight basis and highest stem area expansion were recorded in pots with five initial phylloclades and BAP-sprayed plants. The decrease in individual biomass accumulation and the expansion of steam area were related to an increase in pot density. Since shading effect can be discard, responses to photo-assimilate uptake and distribution more associated with mechanical constraints on pot roots rather than with a competition between individual roots. Our results suggest that, when Schlumbergera truncata is grown in pots, the number of initial phylloclades may be higher than the usually recommended number per pot.
First record of Hemiberlesia cyanophylli (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) on Opuntia ficus-indica in México
Authors: Lázaro-Castellanos Carlos , Vanegas-Rico Juan Manuel
Published: October 2022

Opuntia ficus-indica is a cactus distributed in more than 30 countries in the word, it is affected by the presence of hemipteran, of which the superfamily Coccoidea stand out, sessile insect, with a hard cover (armored scales) or without it (soft scales). There are other species of coccoids known as armed scales in the country, which are little studied, since they are usually secondary pests in crops. Therefore, the objective of this work is to present the first record of a species of armed scale on O. ficus-indica in Mexico. For this, cladodes of O. ficus-indica were collected and placed in tricot-nylon bags for review in the laboratory, a photographic record was made, sampling adult scales and fixed in 70% ethanol. The specimens were processed with the Hamon and Kosztarab technique and were determined; obtaining an identification of Hemiberlesia cyanophylli (Signoret) that can occupy up to 86% of the cladode surface.
Nitrogen fertilization strategies in the cultivation of Cactus pear in Brazilian Savannah localities
Authors: Nascimento Keuven dos Santos , Edvan Ricardo Loiola , Gomes Tiago Gutemberg De Jesus , Sousa Sheila Vilarindo , Matias Sammy Sidney Rocha , Ribeiro Maykon De Oliveira , Camboim Luan Felipe Reis
Published: October 2022

This study aimed to evaluate the agronomic parameters and the chemical composition of the cactus pear variety Doce (Nopalea cochenillifera) in different Brazilian savannah localities, subjected to different nitrogen fertilization strategies. A randomized block design was used in this experiment, with a 2× 4 × 2 factorial arrangement with five replications. The factors corresponded to two application frequencies of nitrogen fertilization (30 days and 30/60 days), four nitrogen doses (0, 100, 200, 400 kg ha-1 year-1), and two cactus pear cultivation localities, with Locality 1 corresponding to the municipality of Curimatá and Locality 2 corresponding to the municipality of Riacho Frio. After one year of cultivation, there was no interaction (P>0.05) for frequency × doses × locality, doses × locality, and frequency × doses. The means observed for fresh and dry matter production varied from 57.0 to 68.0±2.9 t ha-1 and from 2.4 to 3.7±0.2 t ha-1, respectively. There was an interaction (P<0.05) between frequency × locality for fresh matter production, dry matter production, water-use efficiency, water accumulation, and carrying capacity. For the chemical composition, there was an interaction (P<0.01) between frequency × dose for the mineral content matter. Fertilization splitting associated with the highest nitrogen application dose resulted in better performance for the cactus pear variety of Doce grown in the Brazilian savannah region.
Boundary-Line Approach micro-nutrient optimum concentrations and sufficiency ranges for Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller fruiting
Authors: Alatriste-Jiménez Tania S. , Blanco-Macías Fidel , Loredo-Osti Catarina , Beltrán-López Sergio , Lara-Mireles José Luis , Valdez Cepeda Ricardo David
Published: October 2022

Optimum concentrations and/or sufficiency ranges of nutrients are useful for correct diagnosis and improvements of nutrient status of cultivated plants. However, Opuntia ficus-indica nutrient storage at plant and cladode levels and best fit plant requirements for fruiting remain practically unknown. Then, this research work aimed to identify the Boundary-Line Approach (B-LA) micronutrient optimum concentrations linked to maximum fruit yield per one-year old fructification cladode and sufficiency ranges at 90% maximum fruit yield for O. ficus-indica variety ‘Rojo Pelón’. Four years (2012 – 2015) data of fruit yield per cladode and micronutrient concentrations (B, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) were used for the elaboration of scatter diagrams (n = 228) and selection of 7 to 10 points to estimate the B-LA quadratic functions. Then, the vertices allowed estimation of the optimum micronutrient concentrations: B = 33.62 mg kg–1, Cu =11.74 mg kg–1, Fe = 108.51 mg kg–1, Mn = 149.33 mg kg–1 and Zn = 414.91 mg kg–1 as linked to estimated maximum yield per cladode; and the sufficiency ranges at 90% maximum fruit yield: B = 24.44 to 46.25 mg kg–1, Cu = 8.68 – 15.87 mg kg–1, Fe = 73.73 – 143.3 mg kg–1, Mn = 114.89 – 183.77 mg kg–1 and Zn = 334.31 – 514.95 mg kg–1. The linked estimated maximum fruit yield per cladode varies from 1999.48 g to 2139.59 g. The proposed B-LA standards can be used to perform reliable micronutrient diagnosis and proper fertilization recommendations.