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On-water rowing performance consists of the integration of physical and technical attributes. This exploratory study aimed to describe key physical and technical variables for elite and junior rowers and examine the associations and predictive capacity of these variables with on-water rowing performance outcomes. Twenty-eight junior (16 females, 16 ± 0.8 years and 12 males, 17 ± 0.7 years) and 24 elite rowers (12 females, 24 ± 2.7 years and 12 males, 27 ± 2.6 years) completed an on-water, single sculling biomechanics assessment combined with a series of physical, strength and power tests. Elite men and women were superior in mean gate force, distance per stroke and recovery distance compared to junior groups as determined by independent t-tests and effect size appraisal (p < 0.017, d > 1.2). Large associations (p < 0.01) were evident between anthropometry, strength and power assessments with the on-water measures of catch angle, mean gate force, recovery distance and boat speed. Differences in ROM and flexibility attributes did not distinguish between elite and junior rowers. Linear discriminant analysis revealed that individual rowers can be appropriately categorised by sex and performance level based on their physical and technical attributes. This battery of testing with world-class athletes represents an excellent level of ecological validity for the assessment of rowers pertinent to on-water performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly recognised for their significant impact on the environment and human health. Understanding MPs is crucial to grasp their widespread presence in various environmental areas. The unique properties of MPs, such as their small size, durability, and potential to adsorb and transport environmental pollutants, underscore the necessity of studying their characteristics. This study aims to investigate the physical and chemical characteristics of polypropylene microplastics (PPMPs) and address the dispersion stability issues associated with them. The PPMPs were characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealing a surface structure marked by cracks, fractures, and a rough texture. The PPMPs were observed as irregularly shaped, white particles. Their size distribution spans from 14 to 96 µm, with a mean size of 50.00 µm. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the presence of polypropylene functional groups, specifically identifying characteristic peaks at 2952-2846 cm-1 and 1456 -1376 cm-1, indicating C-H stretching and bending vibrations, respectively, with additional peaks suggesting degradation. The effect of different concentrations of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) on PPMPs dispersion indicated that 5% SLS led to superior dispersion of PPMPs, thereby addressing the stability issue. These findings provide comprehensive insights into the physical and chemical attributes of PPMPs and their dispersion stability, offering a foundation for informed environmental assessments and the development of effective mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing trend toward planting native and pollinator-friendly plants in residential gardens and landscapes due to concerns about invasive plant species, water conservation, and urban land management. Yet, understanding consumer purchase behavior and how knowledge affects their purchase intent is largely unknown. In this analysis, we integrated national online and in-person surveys to determine the influence of consumers' subjective and objective knowledge of native and pollinator-friendly ornamental plants on their purchase decisions. Factors influencing plant purchase decisions were measured using a 7-point Likert rating scale. We found that participants with relatively higher knowledge of native and pollinator-attractive plants placed more emphasis on sustainable production methods relative to the plant's physical attributes (e.g., plant size, shape, etc.) and care-related characteristics (e.g., plant health, easiness of care, etc.). Plant lovers (i.e., frequent purchasers who spent relatively more money on plants than infrequent purchasers) were more likely to prioritize sustainable production methods over the plants' physical attributes. In contrast, participants primarily buying plants from mass merchandisers/box stores tend to focus on visual appeal or aesthetic characteristics. Consumer marketing implications for the nursery and greenhouse industry stakeholders are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Soil quality (SQ) assessment is affected by methods that convert data sets into indices, and such analyses are expensive and time‐consuming. Qualitative SQ assessments are faster and cheaper than quantitative methods and they can be repeated to monitor SQ in crop and pasture systems. We evaluated SQ using qualitative and quantitative SQ indicators of two grazing systems under Voisin rational grazing (VRG) with trees (WT) or without trees (NT). We took an adjacent native forest as a reference and we used principal component analysis (PCA) to compare the accuracy of the assessment methods. RESULTS: According to the set of indicators used for quantitative assessment, the WT system and the Forest had higher SQ than other systems as a result of higher values of soil physical and chemical indicators. This the reflected better performance of soil in functions related to structural support, nutrient cycling and biological productivity. According to the set of indicators used for qualitative assessment, the WT system showed better SQ than the NT areas because of the higher scores of all indicators and better performance of the soil functions, and those values were close to the Forest in the indicators. PCA applied to integrate the data of qualitative and quantitative indicators indicated that SQ in WT was similar to Forest. CONCLUSION: The qualitative evaluation was as efficient as the quantitative evaluation for SQ assessment in VRG areas with and without trees. Its use can promote farmers' autonomy and the development of skills to identify environmental factors that help to evaluate their practices. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the important pests, fruit flies derived from Tephritidae family have caused the worst consequences in losing the economic value of fresh horticultural commodity including on the dragon fruits. As a prospective quarantine treatment, gamma irradiation has been thrived to eliminate totally the appearance of those adults’ flies with less impact on the fruit quality degradation. In this study, a series of irradiation dosages were examined to both the third instar larvae (subsequently from Bactrocera papayae, B. cucurbitae and B. carambolae) infesting fruits and the non-infested ones afterwards at 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350 and 400 Gy. For a number of the infested fruits, a series of observations were persisted in at room temperature (27±1°C) until two weeks of the post-treatment period. Whereas the non-infested fruits were stored at 11±1°C for 17 days of the storage. Results showed that B. papayae required the highest recommended dosages (the effective dose = 248.4 Gy; the minimum dose = 225.1 Gy; the maximum dose = 279.6 Gy) for achieving LD0.99 rather than the other tested spesies. There were also no significant differences among each of the non-infested fruits in terms of altering of the observed physical attributes. This result has become a distinct indication that a higher dose value than the generic one is mostly recommended both for phytosanitary irradiation and stabilization of fruit quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study some physical and geometrical properties of 11 superior apricot genotypes were determined. These properties such as respiration rate, Mass, fruit dimensions, perimeter, surface area, volume, geometric mean diameter, projected area, shape factor, circularity, compact factor, length to width ratio, length to thickness ratio, and length to mass ratio were measured at harvesting moisture content ranging from 75.19 to 87.67 %. Then the correlation among average values of the attributes was performed and the genotypes were classified using principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that all the genotypes had significant differences in terms of all the studied attributes (P<0.01). There was a significant and positive correlation between fruit length and weight and fruit length and moisture content. Fruit shape factor and compression factor showed a positive and significant correlation, while these attributes had negative and significant correlations with circularity. This study showed that Iranian apricot genotypes could be discriminated by differences in their geometrical characteristics using principal component analysis. Based on the PCA results, the first two components account for the most of the variation in the data (91%) and five distinct groups were observed. Overall, the results of this study can be beneficial for the design of equipment for harvesting, transportation, separating, packaging, and processing of apricot fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study investigates the estimation of hydrological signatures in Brazilian catchments using physical attributes and machine learning algorithms. Using CABra’s dataset with 735 catchments, we tested 163 signatures with regression techniques, including Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Regression (SVR). A key aspect was the algorithmic approach, providing models with topographic (area, elevation, slope), climatic (precipitation, evapotranspiration, aridity index), soil (silt, clay, organic content), and land cover attributes without assuming correlations. This enabled the models to uncover complex patterns. Cross-validation (k-fold) showed most signatures were satisfactorily predicted (R2 > 0.7), suggesting their application in ungauged basins. Climatic factors, like precipitation, were crucial for predicting most signatures, especially high-flow, while silt content and latitude influenced low-flow and baseflow. Slope and latitude were key for basin dynamics, influencing the flashiness index, and land cover was important for low-flow. CatBoost was the best model. The SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) analysis highlighted the importance of variables with low linear correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topsoil compaction is a persistent problem in minesoils, jeopardizing the revegetation and ecological reclamation of the mined land. Evaluation of soil structural quality (Sq) through quantitative methods is usually labor-intensive and/or costly, especially if a large area has to be examined. Therefore, reconciling cost-effective and accurate diagnose of minesoil Sq is crucial. The Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) is a spade-based method scoring the soil Sq from 1 (good) to 5 (poor), which has not yet been validated for minesoils, and this was exactly the aim of this study. We made use of our long-term field experiment where quantitative physical attributes differed between perennial grasses used for minesoil revegetation, creating a Sq range to be screened by VESS. The minesoil, located in Southern Brazil, was revegetated for 14.3 years with Hemarthria altissima , Paspalum notatum , Cynodon dactylon , and Urochloa brizantha. The Sq of the minesoil (0.00–0.10 and 0.10–0.20 m layer) was evaluated by VESS and tensile strength of aggregates (TS), soil macroaggregates and microaggregates (%), soil organic matter (SOM) content, bulk density (BD), macroporosity (MaP), microporosity, total porosity (TP), and soil penetration resistance (PR). Through significant correlations between VESS scores and TS, MaP, macroaggregates (%), microaggregates (%), TP, SOM and especially BD (r = 0.60) and PR (r = 0.56), we found VESS to be a suitable method for reliable assessment of minesoil Sq. VESS scores 2.0–3.1 confirmed improved Sq at 0.00–0.10 m compared to 0.10–0.20 m (2.7–3.5), and this was supported by the ordination of 0.00–0.10 m samples together with SOM, macroaggregates (%), MaP and TP by principal component analysis. Moreover, VESS confirmed improved Sq in H. altissima (2.7) compared to C. dactylon (3.6) at 0.10–0.20 m, likely due to gains in soil MaP, TP, macroaggregates (%) and SOM. In this pioneering study we validated VESS as a practical and science-grounded method to monitor the Sq of a clayey subtropical minesoil. • 14.3 years of minesoil revegetation with grasses enhances topsoil structural quality. • VESS correlates significantly with six minesoil physical variables and organic matter. • VESS detected less (0.00–0.10 m) and more (0.10–0.20 m) compacted layers. • VESS scores respond sensitively to grasses used for revegetation of clayey minesoil. • Validation of VESS to monitor the structural quality of revegetated minesoils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at knowing the effect of aerobic training, drinking water and aerobic training just before meals on weight and some physical qualities of junior female athletes of the endurance races in athletics team at Yarmouk University for the academic year (2017-2018). The study sample consisted of (12) players divided into two groups, the experimental group consists of (6) players and the control group consists of (6) players. The researcher used the experimental method called pre and post measurement because of its suitability to the nature of this study, where the experimental group applied the aerobic training program with drinking water before eating meals, while the control group applied the aerobic training program without drinking water. The application of the training program took eight successive weeks, with three training units per week, ranging in time for one training unit,between (45- 60) minutes. The results of the study showed that there are statistically significant differences for the pre and post measurements and in favor of the post measurement to lose weight and some physical characteristics of the experimental group. The study also showed that there are no statistically significant differences among the players of the control group. Thus, the study recommends the necessity of using aerobic training and drinking water before meals, as they have positive impact on weight loss and on some physical attributes in addition to its impact on the improvement of some physical measurements and obtaining a consistent body and ideal weight suitable for the nature of sports practice,. The studyalso recommends conducting studies similar to this study and samples involving different age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Webster, TM, Comfort, P, and Jones, PA. Relationship between physical fitness and the physical demands of 50-over cricket in fast bowlers. J Strength Cond Res 36(3): e66-e72, 2022-Professional cricket is constantly evolving and resulting in increased physiological demand placed on players. Fast bowlers experience the greatest physical demand during match-play; despite this, research has overlooked the importance of specific physical attributes to optimizing physical match performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between 50-Over physical match performance and tests of physical qualities in fast bowlers. Fifteen professional male fast bowlers (age = 23.8 +/- 4.0 years; height = 183.4 +/- 6.7 cm; body mass = 82.9 +/- 9.2 kg) participated in the study. Subjects completed the following physical fitness tests; sum of skinfolds, countermovement jump (CMJ), 20-m sprint, and the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1. Global positioning system data were collected during 6 professional 50-Over fixtures. Moderate correlations were established between CMJ height to total distance covered (r = 0.585; p = 0.022), sprinting distance ([rho] = 0.554; p = 0.032), and maximal velocity (r = 0.567; p = 0.027); 20-m sprint time to total distance covered ([rho] = -0.519; p = 0.047) and PlayerLoad ([rho] = -0.561; p = 0.03); and Yo-Yo distance to total match distance (r = 0.520; p = 0.047) and sprinting distance ([rho] = 0.524; p = 0.045). These findings demonstrate the predictive importance of prolonged intermittent running ability, jump, and sprint performance to match running performance of elite fast bowlers in 1-day cricket. Strength and conditioning coaches should use such information to design training to ensure fast bowlers are adequately conditioned to meet the demands of match running performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An in vitro study was carried out to assess the addition of polyphenols in the chicken seminal plasma on sperm quality and antioxidant status at different storage periods. Twenty healthy breeding roosters of White Leghorn chicken having similar body weight were randomly selected. The polyphenols in the pomegranate peels were extracted using methanol as a solvent. Samples were split equally into three portions for inclusion of different concentrations of 0, 50 and 100 ppm of polyphenols, respectively. Estimation of catalase, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase was done at 0, 24 and 48 h intervals. The sperm motility invariably increased in all treatment groups (50, 100 ppm) than control in both storage conditions. Other physical attributes such as sperm concentration, live and dead spermatozoa did not differ over control regardless of concentrations and time periods of storage. Inhibition of lipid peroxide action was found significant at the end of 48 h of storage in both the polyphenol treatment groups than control, while there was no change at 0 and 24 h. Polyphenols from pomegranate peels improved spermatozoal motility and antioxidant activity in seminal plasma and it could be concluded that the polyphenols has capability to protect the spermatozoa against oxidative damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban squares, also known as public open spaces, are places where everyone with any social status can visit. Such spaces are recognised and identified as the heart of the cities. In Iraq, the square is not as dominant as a street such as 'souq', maybe because of the geographical factors such as weather and the design aspect. This shows the need for a study to examine the square function and try to understand its compatibility and suitability in the Iraqi context. Thus, this research aims to determine the influence of critical design attributes pertaining to the geographical and physical aspects of urban square design on user activities in Erbil Square. The study site, Erbil Square, is in the heart of Erbil City, north of Iraq. The study adopted a quantitative method of questionnaire survey as the primary tool. The pilot survey used a sample size of 34 square users as respondents. Quantitative analysis employed the descriptive statistics to interpret the important aspects influencing the user activity index. The results revealed a positive relationship between geographical and physical as design factors and user activities. Moreover, the literature review and pilot study have exposed the need to focus on design policies and strategies in the Iraqi urban context. Thus, designers should take note of the square element designs that generate activity in the Iraqi context for designing a new square. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Talent identification and development are two of the most critical, yet underexplored, areas in sport sciences. Despite its importance to a host of sport stakeholders, there is a void in our understanding of how coaches construct talent. In an effort to learn more, semistructured interviews were conducted with nine (one female and eight male) collegiate-level coaches from a single Canadian institution. Social constructionism was utilized as the theoretical framework to guide this research. Reflexive thematic analysis generated two main themes: "what talent looks like" and "how talent behaves." For the former, two subthemes, physical and psychological attributes, were highlighted through the coaches' experiences as qualities they believe talented athletes may present. The latter reflected opinions that talent may be multidimensional and context-specific in nature. Interestingly, the coaches suggested the context and circumstances of collegiate sport may nudge them to consider other elements (i.e., academic standing, years to degree completion) during talent identification that are unique to this context. Future work in this area could seek to study other populations of coaches to provide a deeper analysis of how talent is situated in relation to different sociocultural worlds [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The speed of equipment repair and maintenance becomes a key factor in improving the production efficiency. Though the process of equipment disassembly is complex, long cycle and high cost, the combination of disassembly sequence planning and virtual disassembly platform can solve this problem effectively. The main contents of this paper include: (1) Petri net and genetic algorithm is used to solve the disassembly sequence planning and design a variety of disassembly paths. (2) In order to develop a virtual disassembly platform with more real experience, the physical properties of the equipment and parts are analyzed in the process of disassembly, and the real-time construction method of the physical model is studied; (3) Taking the reducer as an example, the platform of virtual disassembly with force feedback is developed and enhanced the real sense of virtual disassembly by added haptic interaction, which can finish the virtual disassembly under the guidance of the disassembly sequence optimized. Thus, virtual haptic disassembly platform considering disassembly process improves the effectiveness and authenticity of training, learning, and process validation of disassembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highbush blueberry is a crop native to the northeast USA that has been domesticated for about 100 years. This study compared the susceptibility of wild and domesticated/cultivated highbush blueberries to an invasive frugivorous pest, the spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii). We hypothesized that: 1) cultivated fruits are preferred by D. suzukii for oviposition and better hosts for its offspring than wild fruits; and, 2) wild and cultivated fruits differ in physico-chemical traits. Fruits from wild and cultivated blueberries were collected from June through August of 2015 and 2016 from 10 to 12 sites in New Jersey (USA); with each site having wild and cultivated blueberries growing in close proximity. The preference and performance of D. suzukii on wild and cultivated blueberries were studied in choice and no-choice bioassays. In addition, we compared size, firmness, acidity (pH), total soluble solids (°Brix), and nutrient, phenolic, and anthocyanin content between wild and cultivated berries. In choice and no-choice bioassays, more eggs were oviposited in, and more flies emerged from, cultivated than wild blueberries. Cultivated fruits were 2x bigger, 47% firmer, 14% less acidic, and had lower °Brix, phenolic, and anthocyanin amounts per mass than wild fruits. Levels of potassium and boron were higher in cultivated fruits, while calcium, magnesium, and copper were higher in wild fruits. These results show that domestication and/or agronomic practices have made blueberries more susceptible to D. suzukii, which was associated with several physico-chemical changes in fruits. Our study documents the positive effects of crop domestication/cultivation on an invasive insect pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectra obtained from fresh grapevine organs provide information on chemical composition but could also contain valuable information on the morphological and physical attributes. The prediction of grapevine organs physical attributes using infrared spectroscopy is explored for the first time in this study. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) using a solid probe (NIR-SP) and a rotating integrating sphere (NIR-RS) and mid infrared (MIR) were used to obtain spectra from fresh and intact grapevine shoots, leaves, and berries. Linear partial least squares (PLS) and non-linear least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and extreme gradient boost (XGBoost) were implemented to predict relevant physical attributes in grapevine organs. NIR-RS using XGBoost showed coefficients of determination in validation (R2val) of 91.01% and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.71 mm (6.80%) for berry diameter. Shoot diameter was predicted at R2val of 62.08% and RMSEP at 0.82 mm (12.75%) using NIR-RS with LASSO regression. Monitoring these attributes throughout the growing season can lead to important viticultural information on grapevine yield, growth, and health. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to identify the effect of teaching using the reciprocal method on learning skill performance in gymnastics and some physical characteristics among students of the College of Physical Education. The study sample consisted of (30) students from the Gymnastics course (1) in the College of Physical Education. The sample was distributed into two equal groups, experimental and control, each group consisting of (15) students, during the second semester of the year (2021 / 2022), where The results of this study showed that both teaching methods (reciprocal and traditional) are effective in improving the level of learning skill performance in gymnastics and some physical characteristics of students. Gymnastics for students, and one of the most important recommendations recommended by the researcher is to focus on the importance of using the reciprocal method in improving the level of learning skill performance, because of its From a tangible positive role, emphasizing the necessity of using more than one teaching method during the teaching process to achieve the set outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With agricultural expansion in Amazonian regions, studies are needed to verify the effect of mechanization on the soils of the regions. This study aimed to assess soil physical attributes under different compaction conditions induced by tractor traffic on a soil of southern Amazonas State, Brazil. Treatments consisted of three compaction levels: conventional soil tillage without additional compaction (CT) and conventional soil tillage with additional compaction with four (CTc4) and eight tractor passes (CTc8). An intense increase in soil aggregate diameter was observed in the superficial soil layer (0.00-0.05 m) from four tractor passes, decreasing in the successive soil layers (0.05-0.20 m). Soil density increased up to a depth of 0.10 m. The reduced macroporosity and soil moisture on the soil surface (0.00-0.05 m) did not significantly alter soil microporosity in the different treatments. For the macroporosity, the 0.00-0.05 m layer was the most impaired, with a reduction of more than 50% for the treatments submitted to compaction (CTc4 and CTc8). The penetration resistance for the 0.00-0.05 m layer was increased by more than 150% between the treatment without compaction (CT = 0.88 MPa) and compaction (CTc4 = 2.25 MPa; CTc8 = 2.50 MPa). These results show a greater caution in the agricultural machinery management in Amazonian soils, which may be aggravated due to the intense water regime in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The choice of waterproofing material in the analysis of bulk density is a fundamental step when it opts for its realization by the waterproofed clod method. The objective of this work verify that the carnauba wax can be used as waterproofing clods in the determination of soil density and determine the size of the clod appropriate for analysis, comparing the results with the estimate by the volumetric ring method. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial arrangement 2x2 + 1, with four replications, two waterproofing, two average diameters of nougat, and a control treatment, soil density by volumetric ring method. To analyze samples were collected in three soil classes in the Janaúba county, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, being the Typic Eutrustox (eutrophic Red Latosol), Haplustalf (eutrophic Red Nitosol) and Albaqualf (Haplic Planosol). It was found that carnauba wax can be used as waterproofing of lumps in the bulk density analysis. Aside from Albaqualf, the use of clods with an average diameter of 6 cm waterproofed with carnauba wax allows an estimate of soil density similar to that obtained by the volumetric ring method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cavendish basrai is considered as the most commonly used banana in Pakistan. This experiment was executed to examine the assortment of basic quality profile of Cavendish basrai. Study was carried out on the diversity of four different bioactive characteristics including physical attributes, chemical composition, phenolic constituents and antioxidant potential on Cavendish basrai pulp and peel during storage at room temperature from unripe to ripe and ripped to over ripe (R1 to R8) at regular intervals of three days. The continuous increase was observed in pulp to peel ratio, which directly effects on all the bioactive constituents of both pulp and peel. As a result, moisture and sugar contents, TSS, titratable acidity, TDS, conductance, % NaCl and ash contents continuously increased with regular trends from R1 to R8 stages while regular decrease in total organic matter, total dry matter and pH was founded. Chlorophyll a and b, and carotenoids were found to have irregular trends. Phenolic constituents including total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid contents (TFC), and total antioxidant activity evaluated by three different assays (reducing power, phosphomolybdenum and DPPH assays) increased from R1 to R6 but suddenly decreased from R7 to R8. R5 to R8 considered suitable stages for the utilization of Cavendish basrai banana. In comparison to peel, significant fall down observed in bioactive characteristics with decay from R1 to R8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banana is considered as a short life fruit. Extending shelf life and maintaining postharvest quality of the fruit can be accomplished when ripening is not induced by a large ethylene exposure, stored at appropriate temperature and relative humidity. Afar region of Ethiopia, very hot temperature and very low relative humidity makes the shelf life of banana fruits less than two days. This study initiated to extend the shelf life and maintain postharvest quality of banana fruits by applying different postharvest treatments and packaging materials locally available. Three packaging materials (carton, jute sack and newspaper) and three post-harvest treatments (ginger, clove, hot water treatment with 550c for 40 seconds and ambient (control)) had been used. This two factor experiment was arranged with Completely Randomized Design each replicated three times. Chemical and physical attributes including total soluble solids, pH value, moisture content, physiological weight loss, peel to pulp ratio, decay percentage, color and shelf life were assessed every four days as response parameters and data were analyzed using SAS version 9.2 statistical software. Result of the study showed that retaining of postharvest shelf life was better using combinations of postharvest treatments and packaging. Best result was showed for fruits packed with carton and treated by ginger (8 days) followed by fruits packed with carton and treated with clove. Fruits stored at ambient were immediately unmarketable after 2-day storage. Generally, moisture content, physiological weight loss, and peel to pulp ratio, decay percentage and color were much better for fruits treated and packed in different packaging materials as compared to the control. All the chemical attributes also performed better relative to the ambient. So generally it can be concluded that all the three postharvest treatments and packaging can prolong shelf life and other quality parameters of banana fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biometric system uses the physical or behavioural attributes of a person, such as face, fingerprint, iris or voice, to recognise an individual. Many operational biometric systems store the biographic information of an individual, viz., name, gender, age and ethnicity, besides the biometric data itself. Thus, the biometric record pertaining to an individual consists of both biometric data and biographic data. We propose the use of a graph structure to model the relationship between the biometric records in a database. We show the benefits of such a graph in deducing biographic labels of incomplete records, i.e. records that may have missing biographic information. In particular, we use a label propagation scheme to deduce missing values for both binary‐valued biographic attributes (e.g. gender) as well as multi‐valued biographic attributes (e.g. age group). Experimental results using face‐based biometric records consisting of name, age, gender and ethnicity convey the pros and cons of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to evaluate a population of mites and springtails and a physical condition of a mined soil revegeted with different species of perennial grasses. The treatments evaluated were: Urochloa brizantha, Hemarthria altissima, Paspalum notatum, Cynodon dactylon and Spontaneous vegetation. For comparative effects a natural soil were used as reference. In 2014, 56 soil samples were collected in the 0.00-0.10 m layer for the determination of the population of mites and springtails, the physical attributes and the organic carbon content. The Hemarthria altissima was the most prominent plant species among perennial grasses, to date, providing an average density of mites and springtails very close to the natural soil. Among the physical attributes, bulk density showed the most sensitive variable the changes promoted by plant species, after 11 years of revegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

About 70-75% of the pumped ground water of Pakistan is brackish in nature and Ber cultivation is considered as a good option for such conditions. Objective of the present study was to evaluate whether brackish water is suitable for Ber production without affecting its quality. The research was conducted at Experimental Garden, Ghazi University and Horticultural Research Station, Dera Ghazi Khan. Statistical inferences showed significant variation for all studied traits (growth, physical and biochemical characteristics) and ber varieties against brackish water treatment. Significant interaction among varieties and treatments was found for MBL, Ca, K, PRO, SS, VC and TS during 2013 and 2014. On contrary, FLSR, TY, Na and TA were consecutively found non-significant in both years. While CD, SB and TNF, FLW, SW, FW, CHL, TSS and pH were significant in 2013 but non-significant in 2014 against brackish water treatment. Normal water improved all the studied traits in both years. Brackish water least affected Ber production without affecting its quality as compared to Brackish + normal water treatment. Among the varieties, Delhi White performed better than Suffan, Karela and Mehmud Wali in both experimental years. Brackish water can be used to grow Ber and Delhi White variety is recommended for cultivation on marginal lands in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass identification of mango fruits from their dimension attributes remains challenging. This is because of the unregulated shapes of these fruits. Therefore, this research aims at creating mathematical models that can demonstrate the relationship between the fruit's mass and dimension attributes. Hence, these models can be used in post-harvest engineering systems. The researchers used 100 mango fruits (Mangifera indica cv. Zebdia) to determine the mathematical relationship between the fruits' weight and dimension attributes. The researcher measured and photographed the dimensions of these fruits and processed the image captured for each fruit using a computer program to find the fruit's dimensions. The results obtained led to the development of six mathematical models to predict a fruit's mass from the dimensions. Given these results, the mathematical model based on the fruit's length shows the best performance in the mass prediction (Pearson's r=0.87). One can infer that a fruit's mass could be obtained from its dimensions. This conclusion is not generalizable to other mango cultivars. Thus, the researcher recommends conducting further studies of other cultivars to develop a unified mathematical model. This will be helpful in developing modern post-harvest engineering systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Freeze drying (FD) and FD combined with far-infrared drying (FIRD) were investigated. • Moisture state and distribution could be used to determine moisture transfer points. • Moisture transfer points influenced quality of dried seed-used pumpkin. • Free phenolics content of FD-FIRD samples was 14.97%–26.60% higher than that of FD. • FD-FIRD performed higher retention for carotenoids showing 3.00–3.39 folds than FIRD. A promising drying technology, namely combined freeze-drying and far-infrared drying (FD-FIRD) was employed to dehydrate seed-used pumpkin (SUP) and its effects on physical characteristics (color, microstructure, texture, shrinkage), bioactive components (phenolics and carotenoids) of SUP were evaluated. The low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was used to analyze moisture state and distribution during FD process, which is beneficial for choosing appropriate moisture transfer point. Results showed that most free water (87.29 %) was removed when drying time reached 25 h, thus retaining original tissue structure of sample with almost no deformation during later FIRD process. Therefore, FD for 25 h followed by FIRD for 2 h (FD25-FIRD2) sample exhibited similar appearance with FD sample. The free phenolics content of FD-FIRD samples was 14.97 %-26.60 % higher than that of FD depending on FIRD duration. Especially, p-coumaric acid content of FD25-FIRD2 sample increased of 32.23 %. Besides, FD-FIRD performed higher retention for carotenoids showing 3.00–3.39 folds than FIRD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane management systems affect soil attributes such as the carbon cycle. This fact has stimulated the sugar and alcohol industry to refine the sugarcane production systems by replacing the pre-harvest burning (PB) and manual harvest with mechanized harvesting followed by residue deposition. The aim of this study was to evaluate different management systems with respect to C cycling carbon dioxide and soil parameters (chemical, physical and biological) which were determined over the season. Three sugarcane cultivation systems were evaluated at the following periods: (a) PB, (b) 5-year green harvest and (c) 10-year green harvest. The results indicated that CO2emission was 36% greater in the 10-year sugarcane green harvest system than in the PB system. The bulk density and macroporosity were the factors that were most affected by the different sugarcane management systems and that significantly influenced soil CO2emissions. The principal component analysis showed that soil CO2emission was 18% influenced by base saturation (V%) and 14% by pH, especially in the PB area. Additionally, 19% was affected by carbon and macroporosity in the 5- and 10-year green harvest areas, respectively. From our results, it can be concluded that the most CO2emissions are in the areas of sugarcane green, this is due to the higher carbon concentration when compared with the area of burning sugarcane. The parameters that most influenced the CO2emissions were bulk density, porosity, macroporosity, pH andV%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study, which was carried out in the areas of Amasya Gökhöyük Agricultural Enterprise, Turkey, was to determine area management factors that will induce management practices unique to alluvial and colluvial areas using multivariate geostatistical techniques. Physical and chemical analyses were done for 224 soil samples taken at 0–30 cm depth from Entisol and Inceptisol soils. Based on the factor analysis results of the data set prepared, factors were determined, and these factors were named to as soil texture, soil organic matter, fertilization, and pH. While the texture factor accounted for the highest variability with 32.17% and the pH factor accounted for the lowest variability with 10.45%, the four factors together accounted for 79.17% of the total variance. According to the spatial distribution maps, soil texture and soil organic matter factors reached the highest values in alluvial areas close to Çekerek Creek while fertilization factor reached the highest values in colluvial areas. However, pH showed a relatively more homogenous distribution and reached its highest values in areas close to the transition zone of alluvial and colluvial areas. Based on these results, it can be seen that the aforementioned factors are the most important soil factors for these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In Brazilian agriculture, maize (Zea mays L.) is prominent because of its magnitude of grain production. However, soil compaction changes negatively the soil physical attributes, limiting the crop growth. This study aimed to evaluate physical attributes of a clayey Oxisol (Rhodic Hapludox) under no-tillage, and the relationships between these attributes with maize yield in the Midwest region of Brazil. Besides this, indicators of soil physical quality when subjected to levels of compaction were determined. A randomized complete block design was applied with five replicates. Treatments were induced levels of compaction: a reference condition that reflects 8 yr of no-tillage (NT); no-tillage with additional compaction by tractor traffic in one (NT-1), two (NT-2), four (NT-4), and six passes (NT-6). There was significant correlation (P < 0.01) between all physical attributes of the studied soil. Maize yield was positively correlated to macroporosity (r = 0.41*), and negatively to penetration resistance (r = -0.42*), geometric mean diameter (r = -0.51*), and mean weighted diameter (r = -0.53*). The index of emergence speed, stem diameter, plant height, grain mass, and grain yield decreased as soil compaction increased. The physical attributes evaluated, especially the resistance to penetration and soil macroporosity, reveal the level of soil compaction and can be used as soil physical quality indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to understand whether the physical attributes of streetscapes affect the livability of Kuala Lumpur streets. Traffic management has been stressed as the main determinant of livable streets, but physical features have been merely pointed out. Yet, does physical quality deterioration of streetscapes affect the livability degradation of urban spaces? To answer this question, people’s perception towards the physical quality of multifunctional streets, have been examined in this study. Identification of fourteen streetscape’s physical attributes was fulfilled based on a comprehensive literature review. Through structured observations and questionnaire surveys, the physical attributes of each case study was evaluated and the physical problems were discovered. Additionally, users’ perception on the identified problems and their effects on livability of the studied areas were found and defined. The result revealed that physical problems like improper walkway paving, inadequate public services and maintenance, besides traffic congestion, are deteriorating the livability of streets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical performance and body composition are key elements in the development of the operational work of the Army Military Colombia. The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between body composition and physical performance in students of the Military School of Cadets General José María Córdova a -correlacional sectional study with 51 male students were assessed was performed, all signed the informed consent, which perform the training process in Military Sciences in Bogotá. The characteristics of the population show that the average age is 19.45 years, height stood at 172.6 cm, body mass gained 68.33 kg, the BMI is at 22.97. Physical performance variables which was assessed by the Directive 300-7 of 2013 JEDOC were analyzed, evaluating test navette (9.7), the test Wells, the test bars (8, 4) and the test in one minute abdominal (76.7) and elbow bends (54.8). Body composition was determined by varying proposed by De Guimaraes resulting Ross characterizing the type of population with 2.0% meso-endomorfo, endo-mesomorfo 49.0%, 15.7% ecto-mesomorfo, 5.9% meso-ectomorfo tetra-comportamental model 27.5% balanced mesomorph. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry systems are an alternative agricultural production that minimizes the effect of human intervention on the environment. Moreover, the intensive culture and the use of machines and equipment promote soil compaction. Thus the aim of this study was to evaluate the spatial variability of soil resistance to penetration (RP) and the water content in the soil at different depths in an area of agroforestry. The experiment was conducted in a Ultisol. The sample collection points were established through a mesh of 70×70 m, being sampled at the crossing points of the grid with regular spacing of 10 by 10 m. The resistance to penetration (RP) and soil water content were evaluated at depths of 0.0 to 0.15, 0.15 to 0.30 and from 0.30 to 0.45 m. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and geostatistics. The resistance to penetration (RP) and the water content in the soil have spatial dependence at all depths studied. The degree of spatial dependence was classified as moderate for all depths studied. The water content in soil and (RP) had values of greater range than the spacing of the mesh, ranging from 17.00 to 70.00 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effectiveness of using infrared (IR) dry-peeling as an alternative process for peeling tomatoes without lye and water was studied. Compared to conventional lye peeling, IR dry-peeling using 30s to 75s heating time resulted in lower peeling loss (8.3%–13.2% vs. 12.9%–15.8%), thinner thickness of peeled-off skin (0.39–0.91mm vs. 0.38–1.06mm), and slightly firmer texture of peeled products (10.30–19.72N vs. 9.42–13.73N) while achieving a similar ease of peeling. IR heating increased the Young's Modulus of tomato peels and reduced the peel adhesiveness, indicating the tomato peels to loosen, become brittle, and crack more easily. Also, IR heating resulted in melting of cuticular membrane, collapse of several cellular layers, and severe degradation of cell wall structures, which in turn caused peel separation. These findings demonstrated the effectiveness of the novel IR dry-peeling process for tomatoes. Industrial relevance: Development of a sustainable and non-chemical peeling technique for food processing industry is urgent. Currently, industrialized peeling methods such as hot lye or steam peeling are water- and energy-intensive operation and result in a large amount of waste effluent. Disposal of these wastewater containing high salinity and organic solids poses negative environmental footprints. Tomato processors have long been interested in pursuing a sustainable and non7 chemical peeling alternative in order to minimize waste effluent containing high salinity and organic loads and reduce the negative environmental impacts associated with conventional hot lye peeling. The emerging infrared dry-peeling technique offers a novel approach to eliminate the usage of chemicals and water in the peeling process while maintaining high quality peeled products. The study explored several crucial and fundamental aspects of developing infrared radiation heating technology as a sustainable tomato peeling method. The findings of this research provide scientific evidence of the benefits of infrared dry-peeling in comparison to the conventional hot lye peeling and have been used for the development of a pilot scale tomato infrared dry-peeling system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses research on tests of physical qualities, with a focus on an investigation of the relationship between tests of physical attributes and fitness and physical match performance in rugby players. Topics include associations between running capacities and collision sports, sprint and high-intensity intermittent running ability, and maximal aerobic power.

Since direct experimental evidence is not available, this must be verified through a modeling approach, provided adequate data be available. Many statistical methods are used to study the relation between independent and dependent variables. This research was carried out at the western part of Jazmurian basin located in the southeast of Iran. In this paperused ten physical characteristics such as area (A), perimeter (Pr), average elevation of basin (av.e), average slope (av.s), gravelious coefficient (G), length of main stream (L), pure slope of main stream (P), length of output to one point equivalent center of basin (Lc), Time of concentration (Tc) and lag time( Tl) as independent variables and nine hydrograph component such as Qp, Q25, Q50, Q75, Tp, T25, T50, T75 and Tb as dependent variables. We investigate flood hydrograph through the physical attributes using two and multiple variables regression factor and cluster analysis. With the data of twelve hydrometric stations. Normality test was done using Kolmograph- Smironov. After using four mentioned methods and with the use of modeling, the relations between dependent and independent variables weres defined. The evaluation of hydrologic model behavior and performance is commonly made and reported through comparisons of simulated and observed variables. Frequently, comparisons are made between simulated and measured stream flow at the catchments outlet. Significant models have correlation coefficient bigger than 0.325 at 0.01 significant level and higher than 0.250 at 0.05 significant levels. Three criteria such as root mean square error (RMSE), relative error (RE) and coefficient of efficiency (CE) were used for selecting the ultimate models. The results revealed that with the use of physical characteristics of the basin we can determine the synthetic hydrograph. The results also showed that the two- variable models have higher efficiency in estimating the discharge variables of the simulated hydrographs. After the cluster analysis for group in which are more station s, it results in more significance of the model than one whose group included less stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cookies prepared with white or wholegrain wheat flours and substituted with high-oleic sunflower seed (10g/100g and 30g/100g supplementation levels) and hull-less barley flour (30g/100g and 50g/100g levels) were evaluated for nutritional properties, physical and sensory attributes. Sunflower seed significantly increased the contents of Se, Zn, Mg, and Ca, as well as the contents of α-tocopherol and fat in cookies. The contents of Se, Cu, Fe, Zn and β-glucan were raised in cookies by barley supplementation. It was estimated that 100g of barley and sunflower seed-supplemented cookies can meet about 18–49% of dietary reference intake (DRI) for Se. Both supplemented cookies were found not to pose a significant risk, with regard to excessive intakes of heavy elements (Pb, Cd, As, Hg). In addition, the supplementation with sunflower seed improved sensory properties of the cookies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood causes great and uncompressible damage to people's life and properties as well as environment each year in Iran. This research was carried out at the west section of Jazmurian basin that placed in the southeast of Iran. In this research physical characteristics such as area (A), perimeter (Pr), average elevation of basin (av.e), average slope (av.s), gravelious coefficient (G), length of main stream(L), pure slope of main stream(Pur), Lc, Tc and Tl for independent variables and hydrograph component such as Qp, Q25, Q50, Q75, Tp, T25, T50, T75 and Tb for dependent variables were used. For this the data of 12 hydrometric stations were used. Normality test was done by kolmograph- Smironov. After that using two and multiple variables regression analysis and with the use of modeling, the relation between dependent and independent variables were defined. The evaluation of hydrologic model behavior and Performance is commonly made and reported through comparisons of simulated and observed variables. Frequently, Comparisons are made between simulated and measured stream flow at the catchments outlet. Significant models are included the models that have correlation coefficient bigger than 0.325 at 1 percentage level and bigger than 0.250 at 5 percentage levels. We used three criteria such as RMSE, RE and CE for selecting the ultimate models. These models have less RMSE and RE and more CE .The results approve that with the use of physical characteristics of the basin we can determine the synthetic hydrograph. The results also show that the two- variable models have higher efficiency in estimating the discharge variables of the simulated hydrographs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specimen identification keys are still the most commonly created tools used by systematic biologists to access biodiversity information. Creating identification keys requires analyzing and synthesizing large amounts of information from specimens and their descriptions and is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming activity. Automating the generation of identification keys from text descriptions becomes a highly attractive text mining application in the biodiversity domain. Fine-grained semantic annotation of morphological descriptions of organisms is a necessary first step in generating keys from text. Machine-readable ontologies are needed in this process because most biological characters are only implied (i.e., not stated) in descriptions. The immediate question to ask is “How well do existing ontologies support semantic annotation and automated key generation?” With the intention to either select an existing ontology or develop a unified ontology based on existing ones, this paper evaluates the coverage, semantic consistency, and inter-ontology agreement of a biodiversity character ontology and three plant glossaries that may be turned into ontologies. The coverage and semantic consistency of the ontology/glossaries are checked against the authoritative domain literature, namely, Flora of North America and Flora of China. The evaluation results suggest that more work is needed to improve the coverage and interoperability of the ontology/glossaries. More concepts need to be added to the ontology/glossaries and careful work is needed to improve the semantic consistency. The method used in this paper to evaluate the ontology/glossaries can be used to propose new candidate concepts from the domain literature and suggest appropriate definitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The presence of defective coffee beans is known to depreciate the quality of coffee beverage consumed worldwide. These beans represent about 15–20% of the total coffee produced in Brazil and, although they are separated from the non-defective beans, they are still commercialized in the coffee trading market. Thus, it was the aim of this work to verify if physical characteristics provide an effective discrimination of defective and non-defective coffees of both Arabica and Robusta species, before and after roasting. The evaluated parameters were size (volume), density and color. The results obtained in the present study showed that, within a given coffee species, defective beans can be separated from non-defective ones by sieving, before roasting. In the case of Arabica coffees, size separation between non-defective and defective can also be accomplished after roasting. Prior to roasting, color separation will be effective for Robusta coffees, but ineffective for separation of non-defective, immature and light sour Arabica beans. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Resistances of three chickpea cultivars (large kabuli, small kabuli, and desi) to airflow ranging from 0.02 to 0.4 m3s-1m-2 were measured in vertical direction at three levels of bulk density and three levels of moisture content. The effects of moisture content, bulk density, and bed depth on airflow resistance of chickpea were investigated. Pressure drop increased with airflow rate and bulk density but decreased with increasing moisture content. Airflow resistance per unit depth of seed column increased linearly with bed depth. Three models (Shedd, Hukill and Ives, and Ergun) were fitted to the experimental data by using PROC NLIN of the SAS software. The percentage relative error approached zero for airflow rates of more than 0.1 m3s-1m-2. The coefficient of multiple determination (R2), and the mean square error (MSE) of predicted values with respect to the measured values for various chickpea samples were used to evaluate the models. The values of coefficient of determination were greater than 0.90 in all experimental trials indicating good fit of the models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-piercing riveting (SPR) as an attractive sheet joining method has been more and more used in various applications. Physical attributes of self-piercing riveted joints are used in industry empirically to assess the qualities of SPR joints. The physical attributes are part of the criteria used to determine whether or not an SPR joint is acceptable. Physical attributes of an SPR joint include bottom thickness, undercut and spread. The relationships between the factors and the physical attributes of SPR joints were discovered in the present paper. Design of experiments (DOE) method was used in the present study. The effects of the different factors upon the physical attributes were investigated. Physical attributes of an SPR joint include bottom thickness, undercut and spread. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), effects analysis and effects plots were employed in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to characterize the spectral responses of soil and plant indicators utilizing the Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) and Leaf Area Index (LAI) in areas under the cultivation of 'Orelha de Elefante Mexicana' forage cactus (Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw.) and 'Miúda' (Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm-Dyck) in Brazilian semi-arid region and to establish a model for characterizing vegetation cover in crop production areas. The research was conducted in Brazilian semi-arid region, which had two areas under the cultivation of forage cactus in the period from 2017 to 2020. Soil physical attributes and plant morphometric variables were recorded, concomitantly the determination of SAVI and LAI, from images from the Sentinel-2 satellite. The recorded data were submitted to principal component analysis. The cumulative total variance of the principal components showed satisfactory results for both areas. There was a correlation between plant height, the number of cladodes, and vegetation indices, selected to compose the predictive variables of the multiple regression model. It is recommended to use images from the Sentinel-2 satellite in small areas, given its lower spatial resolution in capturing different spectral responses. • The use of images from the Sentinel-2 satellite to analyze spatial dynamics in small areas is promising. • Different genera of forage cactus with different morphometric characteristics, oscillate the vegetation indices. • The spectral responses of the vegetation indexes, characterize the periods of cultivation and density of the forage cactus. • Plants from semi-arid environments, in water deficit, have oscillations in the tissue of the adaxial epidermis. • The principal component analysis is essential in choosing predictor variables in establishing a vegetation index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defective (triage) coffee beans are beans rejected after separating the graded ones according to the size and color. These coffee beans represent about 15% to 20% of coffee production in India but are not utilized for beverages since these affect the quality of coffee brew. In the present study, physical characteristics such as bean density, brightness, titratable acidity, pH, moisture, and total soluble solids and also chemical composition, namely, caffeine, chlorogenic acids, lipids, sucrose, total polyphenols, and proteins, were evaluated in defective as well as in graded green coffee beans. The physical parameters such as weight, density, and brightness of defective coffee beans were low compared to the graded beans, which is due to the presence of immature, broken, bleached, and black beans. Caffeine content was low in triage beans compared to graded beans. Chlorogenic acids, one of the composition in coffee responsible for antioxidant activity, was found to be intact (marginally high in some cases) in defective coffee beans. Hence, triage coffee beans can be evaluated as a source of antioxidant or radical scavenging conserve for food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]