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The current study examines the score reliability of survey measures of social and emotional learning constructs. In accordance with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, this study collects validity evidence based on internal structure by conducting a confirmatory factor analysis to estimate reliability with coefficient hierarchical omega. This provides one estimate for the multidimensional construct of social and emotional learning and estimates for each subscale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As general factor modeling continues to grow in popularity, researchers have become interested in assessing how reliable general factor scores are. Even though omega hierarchical estimation has been suggested as a useful tool in this context, little is known about how to approximate it using modern bi-factor exploratory factor analysis methods. This study is the first to compare how omega hierarchical estimates were recovered by six alternative algorithms: Bi-quartimin, bi-geomin, Schmid-Leiman (SL), empirical iterative empirical target rotation based on an initial SL solution (SLiD), direct SL (DSL), and direct bi-factor (DBF). The algorithms were tested in three Monte-Carlo simulations including bi-factor and second-order structures and presenting complexities such as cross-loadings or pure indicators of the general factor and structures without a general factor. Results showed that SLiD provided the best approximation to omega hierarchical under most conditions. Overall, neither SL, bi-quartimin, nor bi-geomin produced an overall satisfactory recovery of omega hierarchical. Lastly, the performance of DSL and DBF depended upon the average discrepancy between the loadings of the general and the group factors. The re-analysis of eight classical datasets further illustrated how algorithm selection could influence judgments regarding omega hierarchical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revue du Monde Musulman et de la Méditerrannée is the property of Edisud and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Rising atmospheric CO 2 and its equilibration with surface ocean seawater is lowering both the pH and carbonate saturation state (Ω) of the oceans. Numerous calcifying organisms, including reef-building corals, may be severely impacted by declining aragonite and calcite saturation, but the fate of coral reef ecosystems in response to ocean acidification remains largely unexplored. Naturally low saturation (Ω ~ 0.5) low pH (6.70-7.30) groundwater has been discharging for millennia at localized submarine springs (called "ojos") at Puerto Morelos, México near the Mesoamerican Reef. This ecosystem provides insights into potential long term responses of coral ecosystems to low saturation conditions. In-situ chemical and biological data indicate that both coral species richness and coral colony size decline with increasing proximity to low-saturation, low-pH waters at the ojo centers. Only three scleractinian coral species (Porites astreoides, Porites divaricata, and Siderastrea radians) occur in undersaturated waters at all ojos examined. Because these three species are rarely major contributors to Caribbean reef framework, these data may indicate that today's more complex frame-building species may be replaced by smaller, possibly patchy, colonies of only a few species along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. The growth of these scleractinian coral species at undersaturated conditions illustrates that the response to ocean acidification is likely to vary across species and environments; thus, our data emphasize the need to better understand the mechanisms of calcification to more accurately predict future impacts of ocean acidification. © 2011 The Author(s).

Au cours des dernières décennies, certains auteurs ont suggéré de rejeter le coefficient alpha (α) de Cronbach (1951) pour adopter le coefficient oméga (ω) de McDonald (1985, 1999) basé sur un modèle d’analyse factorielle. Après avoir présenté certaines limites inhérentes à l’α, nous présentons le coefficient ω et ses déclinaisons en poursuivant deux objectifs : comprendre la logique théorique derrière les coefficients de fidélité oméga et exposer les spécificités des coefficients ω sur le plan de leur méthode de calcul. À cet effet, nous distinguons les conditions d’usage des différentes formes d’ω (total ou hiérarchique, dans le cadre d’une AFE ou d’une AFC). Un exemple d’analyse et des recommandations sont proposés pour mieux argumenter la fidélité des scores.

Las tendencias climáticas observadas en todo el Caribe durante las últimas décadas, indican un aumento en la frecuencia e intensidad de la sequía. En Cuba existe un estrecho vínculo entre los eventos de sequía significativos con la influencia de fuertes sistemas anticiclónicos, que actúan desfavorablemente en el desarrollo de las lluvias de cualquier magnitud. De ahí la importancia de investigar cuánto llueve y con qué frecuencia e intensidad lo hace. Por tales razones, el presente trabajo analiza el comportamiento de la cantidad de días con lluvia total y por intervalos en el centro de Cuba, así como su posible relación con la ocurrencia de eventos significativos de sequía desde 1981 al 2010. Se utilizaron los softwares estadísticos Statgraphics 5.1 y Microsoft Office Excel 2016 para la obtención de la tendencia y parámetros estadísticos de los días con lluvia en 19 estaciones meteorológicas. La distribución espacial se realizó mediante el Sistema de Información Geográfico ArcGIS (v 2.14). El método de los deciles fue empleado para analizar los períodos con mayor déficit de días con lluvia y se relacionaron con variables meteorológicas, que reflejan la influencia de procesos atmosféricos en el desarrollo de la sequía, como las superficies Geopotenciales y Omega. Los resultados confirmaron mayor distribución de días con lluvia hacia el interior y zonas montañosas, con mayor concentración en los intervalos menores de 50 mm de precipitación, una tendencia creciente pero solo estadísticamente significativa para el intervalo de 0.1 mm a 10 mm y una gran relación entre los días con lluvia con períodos significativos de sequía.

The Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT) has been a dominant model in understanding the self-assembly of new thermodynamic phases. CNT provides significant explanations to processes such as aerosol formation and cloud condensation. In this work, we generated the nucleation free energy profiles of normal alkanes (n-propane, n-octane and n-dodecane) at five different temperatures using the grand-canonical version of the nucleation algorithm. From these free energy profiles, characteristic $ \Omega $ ($ \equiv $$ \sigma /\rho ^{2/3} $) values were obtained. Using the density, $ \rho $ values from United-Atom Transferable Potentials for Phase Equilibria (TraPPE-UA) force field and the obtained $ \Omega $ values, we calculated the corresponding surface tension, $ \sigma $ values of these n-alkane systems at different temperatures. Values obtained are within reasonable agreement with experimental data.

Electron diffraction coupled with aberration-corrected (AC) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is used to image, identify and confirm the structure producing double diffracted spots seen in electron diffraction patterns in twinned high-carbon steels. The experimental and simulated data show that regions comprising: (i) overlaps between a twin and the matrix or, (ii) overlapping twins, create projected structures that are similar to the ω phase observed in other metastable bcc systems. Thus, AC STEM is proficient in the definitive identification of twins in bcc high carbon steels or nanoscale phases in metastable bcc systems. Electron diffraction coupled with aberration-corrected STEM is used to image, identify and confirm the structure producing double diffracted spots seen in electron diffraction patterns in twinned high-carbon steels. Blue = matrix; Red = twin Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's colony, Namibia, served as a crucial testing ground for apartheid: not only was it the scene of the only significant effort to impose 'grand apartheid', but also of its demise. This essay examines the role of social engineering experts in these efforts by focusing on their role in the social construction of Omega base which housed Bushman soldiers. Treating Omega as an extended case study, I trace out the impact of these decisions and how they helped fashion mechanisms of contra-mobilisation used in the internal pacification of anti-apartheid groups like the UDF. The modus operandi of these experts favoured conspiracy theories and their methodology was akin to acts of divination. I argue that they constituted a 'Potted Factory' in three important ways: Firstly, potted refers to the way facts and ideas were summarised, abbreviated and decontextualised and became part of the symbolic currency of exchange; secondly, they were enclosed ideologically in a closed system or a sealed container; thirdly, 'potted' refers to being high, which they were in a figurative sense. Of course, my own analysis also makes use of conspiracy theories as I attempt to explore the 'dark side' of military intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Omega (Ω) -driven dynamic partially-averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS) model is proposed in this paper. The ratio of the modeled-to-total turbulent kinetic energies fk is dynamically adjusted by the rigid vorticity ratio (the ratio of the rigid vorticity to the total vorticity), the key parameter of the Ω vortex identification method. Three classical flow cases with rotation and curvature are used to test the model. The results show that the turbulent viscosity is effectively adjusted by the new dynamic fk and the LES-like mode is activated, which can help the revelation of more turbulence information and improve the prediction accuracy. The new PANS model does not contain any explicit dependency on the grid size and enjoys good adaptability to the flow fields, and can be used for efficient engineering computations of the turbulent flows in the hydraulic machinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that sub-optimal maternal nutrition has implications for the developing offspring. We have previously shown that exposure to a low-protein diet during gestation was associated with upregulation of genes associated with cholesterol transport and packaging within the placenta. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of altering maternal dietary linoleic acid (LA; omega-6) to alpha-linolenic acid (ALA; omega-6) ratios as well as total fat content on placental expression of genes associated with cholesterol transport. The potential for maternal body mass index (BMI) to be associated with expression of these genes in human placental samples was also evaluated. Placentas were collected from 24 Wistar rats at 20-day gestation (term = 21–22-day gestation) that had been fed one of four diets containing varying fatty acid compositions during pregnancy, and from 62 women at the time of delivery. Expression of 14 placental genes associated with cholesterol packaging and transfer was assessed in rodent and human samples by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. In rats, placental mRNA expression of ApoA2, ApoC2, Cubn, Fgg, Mttp and Ttr was significantly elevated (3–30 fold) in animals fed a high LA (36% fat) diet, suggesting increased cholesterol transport across the placenta in this group. In women, maternal BMI was associated with fewer inconsistent alterations in gene expression. In summary, sub-optimal maternal nutrition is associated with alterations in the expression of genes associated with cholesterol transport in a rat model. This may contribute to altered fetal development and potentially programme disease risk in later life. Further investigation of human placenta in response to specific dietary interventions is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, several commonly used vortex identification methods for marine hydrodynamics are revisited. In order to extract and analyse the vortical structures in marine hydrodynamics, the Q, λ2 — criterion and modified normalized Liutex/Rortex Ω ~ R method are utilized for vortex identification for propeller open water test, ship drag test, ship propeller-rudder interaction, VIV of a marine riser and VIM of a Spar platform. The limitation of Q and λ2 — criterion is discussed. The Liutex/Rortex Ω ~ R method is promising for convenient and accurate vortex identification and visualization. However, care should be taken when choosing the small parameter b0 for Ω ~ R . We proposed recommended values of b0 for marine hydrodynamic problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Mosaic Research is the property of Uludag University, Mosaic Research Center and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Algorithmic modes of thought have long and problematic histories of collusion in processes of governmentality, dating at least back to the Atlantic slave trade and including the othering of neurodiverse, black and indigenous, and queer cultures. But beyond their instrumentation within systems of power, this paper proposes that at the foundation level of algorithmic design there are a series of assumptions about what constitutes legitimate thought processes. These assumptions are based on neurotypical modes of thought and often ignore the possibilities of more neurodiverse thinking, which is regularly devalued in our society. This naturalised "whiteness" that lies at the centre of and colonises algorithmic programming needs to be interrogated and rethought, it is argued, in order to break the relationships between algorithms and oppressive power systems. Drawing on fugitive and devalued modes of thought such as queer kinship and failure, black sociality and the incomputability at the heart of the mathematical concept of Omega, the article speculates on the conception of a minor algorithmic value or "life" closer to that of an emergent collective and ecological consciousness than that of the dominant individualised and fixed model that is valued within contemporary capitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While some researchers contend that hope is unidimensional, other researchers regard hope to be multidimensional. Schrank, Woppmann, Sibitz, and Lauber's exploratory factor analysis of their Integrative Hope Scale (IHS) found subscales of Trust, Future Orientation, Social Relations, and Lack of Perspective. However, subsequent articles have utilized only the total IHS score. To resolve this issue, a community sample of 288 participants completed the IHS as well as two measures of hedonic well-being (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; Temporal Satisfaction With Life Scale), a measure of eudemonic well-being (Measure of Actualization of Potential), and a measure of time orientation (the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory). One-factor, four-factor oblique, higher order, and bifactor models were compared through confirmatory factor analysis and interpreted using Omega reliability coefficients. While the poorest model fit was for the one-factor model, little reliable variance was found in subscale scores after controlling for a general hope factor with the exception of the Lack of Perspective factor. IHS total and subscale scores were associated with measures of well-being and time orientation. We suggest researchers continue to focus on using the IHS total score, but also report subscale scores, especially for the Lack of Perspective subscale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: The Minimal Eating Observation Form—Version II (MEOF-II) is a screening and research tool for eating difficulties. Here we assess the psychometric properties of the tool. Methods: Cross-sectional MEOF-II data, n = 5,956 persons (nursing home residents [ n = 3,087]; in-hospital patients [ n = 1,490]; mean age 76.9; 61% women). Data was analyzed taking account of the dichotomous nature of item-level data, that is, based on tetrachoric correlations. Results: The MEOF-II items (n = 9) belonged to one higher order unidimensional factor (61.7% explained variance, omega 0.92), and three lower level factors, with three items each (92.9% explained variance, omega 0.83–0.88): deglutition; ingestion; and energy/appetite. Conclusion: The study provides support for the reliability and validity of the MEOF-II total scale and subscales, and the findings are in line with previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large-pore zeolite omega (SiAl = 3.1) has been treated with solutions of the surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium (CTA) in aqueous ammonia in order to generate intracrystalline mesoporosity. For this purpose, the as-made sample was calcined, transformed in the acid form by ion exchange with ammonium chloride solution followed by calcination, and the resulting acid form subsequently treated with steam at 620 ºC to partially dealuminate the framework. The samples were characterized by XRD, N 2 adsorption, TGA, SEM, 29Si and 27Al MAS NMR, pyridine adsorption for acidity determination, and tested in the isomerization/disproportionation of m -xylene. It has been found that partial dealumination of the framework (Si/Al ∼ 7.3) followed by mild acid leaching (HCl = 0.3 M) to remove only the extraframework aluminium species is required for CTA to generate intracrystalline mesopores with a narrow pore diameter of 4 nm. The CTA treatment is ineffective when applied to the acid form (Si/Al ∼ 5.7) or the steamed sample before acid leaching. The concentration of strong acid sites and the average acid strength of the CTA samples are lower than those of the steamed/acid leached sample, which suggests the presence of weak acid sites located at the mesopores. The mesopores greatly enhanced the catalytic activity in the m -xylene conversion by decreasing diffusional constraints. However, the selectivity to the bulky trimethylbenzenes is not improved by the CTA treatment, which suggests that the reaction mainly takes place at the strong acid sites located at the micropores. [Display omitted] • Extraframework Al can be removed from steamed zeolite omega by mild acid leaching. • Basic treatment with the surfactant CTA generates mesoporosity in acid-leached omega. • CTA-treated samples had lower acid strength than parent dealuminated omega. • Mesoporosity strongly enhanced the activity in m -xylene transformation. • m -xylene transformation mostly takes place at the micropores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Median lethal concentration values are commonly used to express the relative risk related to the acute toxicity of chemicals. In this paper, we considered rat and mouse acute toxicity (LD50) data of organophosphorous compounds (OPs) with diverse structures. Interspecies QSTTR (quantitative structure-toxicity–toxicity relationships) models were developed to predict the mouse oral acute toxicity using the multiple linear regression (MLR) approach. Descriptors were calculated from the OPs structures optimized by molecular mechanics calculations. Model validation was performed using several statistical parameters. The results suggest the suitability of the developed QSTTR models to reliably predict the acute toxicity of OPs.

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Reprodução Animal is the property of Revista Brasileira de Reproducao Animal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many instruments are created with the primary purpose of scaling individuals on a single trait. However psychological traits are often complex and contain domain specific manifestations. As such, many instruments produce data that are consistent with both unidimensional and multidimensional structures. Unfortunately, oftentimes, applied researchers make determinations about the final structure based solely on fit indices obtained from structural equation models. Given that fit indices generally favor the bifactor model over competing measurement models it is imperative that researchers make use of the available information the bifactor has to offer in order to compute informative indices including omega reliability coefficients, construct reliability, explained common variance, and percentage of uncontaminated correlations. Said indices provide unique information about the strength of both the general and specific factors in order to draw conclusions about dimensionality and overall scoring of scales (and subscales). Herein, we describe these indices and offer a new module which easily facilitates their computation

Background: Experimental studies have demonstrated that fatty acids such as omega 3 and 6 have anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, cardio protective and anti-tumor effects. Objective: The main objective was to determine the protective effect of sacha inchi oil on pentylenetetrazoleinduced seizures in albino mice. Material and Methods: Thirty male Balb/C albino mice of 8 weeks of age were purchased from the National Institute of Health (Lima-Peru). The animals were divided into 5 groups of 6 animals each one. Group I: Control; PTZ (pentylenetetrazole 80 mg / kg, s.c.). II: PTZ + Diazepam (1 mg / kg; s.c.). Group III, IV, V: PTZ + sacha inchi oil at single doses of 250, 500, 1000 mg / kg respectively orally. Sacha inchi oil was administered 30 minutes before induction of seizures by PTZ. Next, various parameters such as latency, seizure frequency, duration and score were scored according to Racine scale. The program Graph Pad Prism v.4 was used for statistical analysis. Results: As result, the experimental group treated with sacha inchi oil at maximum dose of 1000 mg/kg showed better results in response to PTZ induced seizure; low levels of seizures, frequency and duration (P<0.001; ANOVA, P <0.001 Post-hoc Dunnett test). Conclusion: It is concluded that Sacha inchi oil presented anticonvulsant effect at the highest doses tested being very similar to Diazepam. The main mechanism could be by reducing free radical and improving GABA levels in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teilhard's The Phenomenon of Man was posthumously published and has been retranslated as The Human Phenomenon. It presents humankind in unity with an evolving world, locates parts in relation to the whole, and balances the perspectives of the outside and the inside. Key aspects include the tangential–radial energy distinction, axes of evolution, the noosphere and personalization. Although Teilhard regarded it as a scientific work, he leaves space for the theological notions of ensoulment, monogenism and the supernatural, and derives his hypothesis that Omega is a point of evolutionary convergence from Scripture. Today, Teilhard's cosmic vision appeals to some and the global context he defines is ecologically significant, but his dense theorizing may obscure or detract from basic elements of Christian belief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scions of Sultani Seedless (S.S.) grapevine variety and cuttings of three vine rootstocks (1103P, 41B and Ramsey) were used in the study. The cuttings were grafted with two different grafting methods (omega and chip-budding). Graft successes of grafting methods and rootstocks in fusion (callusing room) and adaptation rooms were evaluated. In respect of callus level, 1103P rootstock and 1103P rootstock omega grafted cuttings are successful. The 1103P omega grafted cuttings had the highest amount in respect of callus on rootstock side and total callus; as the highest amount callus on scion side were weighed at 4IB chip-budding grafted cuttings. 1103P/S.S. omega grafted cuttings had the highest percentage of sprouted grafted cuttings (42nd day, 100%), average of shoot length (42nd day, 19.5 cm), percentage of rooted grafted cuttings (42nd day, 23%), average of root number (42nd day, 35 roots), average of root length (42nd day, 3.8 cm) and the lowest percentage of grafted cuttings having decay on their bottom (10%). Also, chip-budding grafted cuttings of the same scion/rootstock graft combination were second about percentage of sprouted grafted cuttings (42ndday, 46 %), average of shoot length (42ndday, 11 cm), percentage of rooted grafted cuttings (42ndday, 17%), average of root numbers (42ndday, 21 roots) and average of root length (42ndday, 1.9 cm). One-week adaptation phase after four-week fusion phase is considered appropriate, because there were regression in general for the evaluated criteria of 35 days after grafting. Moreover, omega graft method for 1103P and 41B and chip-budding graft method for Ramsey with Sultani Seedless grafting combination were suggestible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Glutathione S-transferases (GST) are drug metabolizing enzymes. Various forms of GST and their chains have been reported. GST sequences from human and other species will be taken up, and comparative structure studies will be done to identify similarities and dissimilarities among alpha and omega subunit of GST. Materials and Methods: Sequence retrieval, structure modeling, and structure comparison were done in the samples of Chick, Rat, and Human. All the data were collected from the Swiss-Prot database and subjected to analysis. Results: A multiple sequence alignment involving all omega class sequences was obtaining, depicting a very high level of sequence convergence and thereby sequence similarity. Furthermore, there appears to be very negligible number of gaps in this alignment. In relation to GST omega, GST alpha classes of sequences are less similar. However, both the classes of GST in these selected species were found to be highly similar and therefore converged. Multiple structure comparison done using Mammoth-multitool resulted that the structures to adopting the same fold and architecture. Conclusion: This study thus shows the structural comparison of GST enzymes with human, rat, and chick samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vortex is intuitively recognized as the rotational/swirling motion of fluids, but a rigorous and universally-accepted definition is still not available. Vorticity tube/filament has been regarded equivalent to a vortex since Helmholtz proposed the concepts of vorticity tube/filament in 1858 and the vorticity-based methods can be categorized as the first generation of vortex identification methods. During the last three decades, a lot of vortex identification methods, including Q, Δ, λ2 and λci criteria, have been proposed to overcome the problems associated with the vorticity-based methods. Most of these criteria are based on the Cauchy-Stokes decomposition and/or eigenvalues of the velocity gradient tensor and can be considered as the second generation of vortex identification methods. Starting from 2014, the Vortex and Turbulence Research Team at the University of Texas at Arlington (the UTA team) focus on the development of a new generation of vortex identification methods. The first fruit of this effort, a new omega (Ω) vortex identification method, which defined a vortex as a connected region where the vorticity overtakes the deformation, was published in 2016. In 2017 and 2018, a Liutex (previously called Rortex) vector was proposed to provide a mathematical definition of the local rigid rotation part of the fluid motion, including both the local rotational axis and the rotational strength. Liutex/Rortex is a new physical quantity with scalar, vector and tensor forms exactly representing the local rigid rotation of fluids. Meanwhile, a decomposition of the vorticity to a rotational part namely Liutex/Rortex and an anti-symmetric shear part (RS decomposition) was introduced in 2018, and a universal decomposition of the velocity gradient tensor to a rotation part (R) and a non-rotation part (NR) was also given in 2018 as a counterpart of the traditional Cauchy-Stokes decomposition. Later in early 2019, a Liutex/Rortex based Omega method called Omega-Liutex, which combines the respective advantages of both Liutex/Rortex and Omega methods, was developed. And a latest objective Omega method, which is still under development, is also briefly introduced. These advances are classified as the third generation of vortex identification methods in the current paper. To elaborate the advantages of the third-generation methods, six core issues for vortex definition and identification have been raised, including: (1) the absolute strength, (2) the relative strength, (3) the rotational axis, (4) the vortex core center location, (5) the vortex core size, (6) the vortex boundary. The new third generation of vortex identification methods can provide reasonable answers to these questions, while other vortex identification methods fail to answer all questions except for the approximation of vortex boundaries. The purpose of the current paper is to summarize the main ideas and methods of the third generation of vortex identification methods rather than to conduct a comprehensive review on the historical development of vortex identification methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Applied Technology for Agricultural Science / Revista Brasileira de Tecnologia Aplicada nas Ciências Agrárias is the property of Brazilian Journal of Applied Technology for Agricultural Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract To increase the strength of titanium alloys beyond that achievable with α - β microstructures, alternative reinforcing methods are necessary. Here, field-assisted sintering technology (FAST) has been used to produce a novel Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-3Cr (Ti-5553) metal-matrix-composite (MMC) reinforced with 0-25 wt.% of a ∼2 GPa yield strength TiFeMo alloy strengthened by ordered body-centred cubic intermetallic and ω phases. The interdiffusion region between Ti-5553 and TiFeMo particles was studied by modelling, electron microscopy, and nanoindentation to examine the effect of graded composition on mechanical properties and formation of α , intermetallic, and ω phases, which resulted in a > 200 MPa strengthening benefit over unreinforced Ti-5553. Graphical Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT) has been a dominant model in understanding the self-assembly of new thermodynamic phases. CNT provides significant explanations to processes such as aerosol formation and cloud condensation. In this work, we generated the nucleation free energy profiles of normal alkanes (n-propane, n-octane and n-dodecane) at five different temperatures using the grand-canonical version of the nucleation algorithm. From these free energy profiles, characteristic () values were obtained. Using the density, values from United-Atom Transferable Potentials for Phase Equilibria (TraPPE-UA) force field and the obtained values, we calculated the corresponding surface tension, values of these n-alkane systems at different temperatures. Values obtained are within reasonable agreement with experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The 2015–2020 dietary guidelines for Americans advise substituting total unsaturated fatty acids (∑UFA) for total saturated fatty acids (∑SFA). Thus, field experiments were carried out to verify the influence of irrigation regime (well-irrigated and water deficit) and fertilizers (chemical and biological) on the ratio of ∑UFA to ∑SFA of evening primrose seed oil. Therefore, two experiments were conducted at the experimental stations (arid and semi-arid) of Iran in 2014 and 2015. Experiments were conducted in a split factorial layout within a randomized complete block design with three replications. Water deficit significantly reduced UFA (omega 3, 6, 7 and 9), ∑UFA and ratio of ∑UFA to ∑SFA (especially in the arid region), but it increased SFA and ∑SFA (especially in the arid region). In fact, fatty acid quality (increased ratio of ∑UFA to ∑SFA) of evening primrose seed oil was significantly increased in well-irrigated compared to water deficit stress (especially in the semi-arid region). Bio-fertilizers (Azospirillum lipoferum and Glomus mosseae) and chemical fertilizers (urea + triple superphosphate) increased the ratio of ∑UFA to ∑SFA of evening primrose seed oil (especially in the semi-arid region), but fatty acid quality of evening primrose oil was significantly increased in bio-fertilizers compared to the chemical fertilizers (especially in the arid region). Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • The highest total saturated fatty acids (∑SFA) was obtained at severe drought stress (especially arid region) in evening primrose oil. • The highest total unsaturated fatty acids (∑UFA) and ratio of ∑UFA to ∑SFA were obtained at well-irrigated (especially semi-arid region) in evening primrose oil. • Bio-fertilizers (Azospirillum lipoferum and Glomus mosseae) improve fatty acid quality (increased ratio of ∑UFA to ∑SFA) better than chemical fertilizers under well-irrigated and water deficit conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]