The objective of this study was to characterize the phaseolin type and α-amylase (αAI) level in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) accessions deposited in the Chinese National Genebank. The 40 accessions sampled were common varieties originating in Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and Africa. No Inca (I-) phaseolin was observed in the accessions. Only four accessions contained Ten…
Land and labour resources indicate that Polish agriculture has extensive options of competing on the European market. However,structural realities, particularly the agrarian scattering and excessive labour resources in the agricultural industry, contribute to low productivity of Polish farming. Productivity improvement can be achieved through increasing sizes of agricultural establishments as w…
This article discusses the features of Apis mellifera mellifera associated with the expansion of their habitat to the north. The A. m. mellifera isolated in Kama Urals is considered the Prikamsky honeybee population and has retained the features of a pure gene pool. Here, we analysed the biological and physiological features of bees native to Kama Urals and the crossbreeding that occurs among t…
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the findings from an exploratory research project investigating perspectives on the recruitment of work placement students among a diverse sample of employers in order to disentangle what constitutes student “employability” in the eyes of these employers. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on data collected in 30 detailed qua…
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between work placements and employability, through an analysis of the impact of a work placement on students’ self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach – The basis of this paper is a large-scale work-based learning module at the University of Birmingham, the “Professional Development Module”. Students completed qu…
In this study, the effects and mechanisms of dispersed oil on Sea Urchin (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus) were investigated. Comparing DNA damage of the Sea urchins and components of petroleum in the water column between the different treatments,the results indicated that the dispersed oil toxicity to Sea urchins significantly increased. The reasons may include that dispersant engendered fine oil d…
The levels of six chemical elements (mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, zinc and copper) were examined in two species of Pacific salmon, genus Oncorhynchus, pink salmon (O. gorbuscha),and chum salmon (O. keta) that were caught in the Kuril waters in July 2013. Concentrations of toxic elements (Hg, As, Pb, Cd) in both species were shown to be belowthe maximumconcentration limits of these trace ele…
Purpose – The aging crisis in Hong Kong is unique in that it was caused by several waves of immigration and emigration, coupled with inadequate investment in tertiary education (Wong, 2013b). The purpose of this paper is to study the causes and outcomes of the Hong Kong aging crisis and,where appropriate, advise on mitigation strategies. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyzes the…
A set of 50 rice genotypes comprising landraces, local selections, and improved varieties were characterized using simple sequence repeat (SSR) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR)markers to study genetic diversity and population structure. Following unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean based clustering using binary data of polymorphic markers, the genotypes were grouped into 5 …
Purpose – Many countries throughout the world provide all children with free education. However,sometimes there are user charges in publically funded schools worldwide. The purpose of this paper is to explore parental participation fees in school expenses in Israel, depicting the current situation and analyzing its implications. Design/methodology/approach – Public documents from Israel we…
Purpose – Blogging has become a well-established method of online communication and publication,used by individuals and organisations to disseminate news, ideas and information. In their earlier forms, blogs were used as online diaries, but have now evolved into complex digital environments. The purpose of this paper is to consider whether blogging can be framed as a mode of work-integrated l…
Nesting biology of the nomiine bee, Nomia (Acunomia) chalybeata Smith, was studied in Iriomote Island, Japan (N2415–250) in 2003 and 2004. Its nesting period extended for 6 months from around the end of April to October. The nest aggregation was found in clay soil under shady conditions. Twenty nests/m2 were present at the highest density spot. Brood numbers in solitary nests were 5–20 (me…
To assist with rapid screening for rice blast resistance as a precursor in a breeding program,the susceptibility to rice blast of 13 rice genotypes from Australia was evaluated in May to June 2013 using three distinct inoculation methods (spot, filter paper and standard methods) at seedling, vegetative and reproductive stages. The results revealed that the spot and filter paper inoculation meth…
The disposal of olive mill wastewater (OMWW) is considered as one of the most serious environmental problems in the Mediterranean region. This study constitutes part of a holistic OMWW management approach aiming at the production of high added value products from OMWW with zero discharge. OMWW constitutes an organic material that could be recycled back to the soil after its treatment with micr…
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the usefulness of the concept of the “implied graduate” to explain the difficulties which students report when engaging with local employers. Design/methodology/approach – The “implied graduate” is an analytical concept that aims to bring together assumptions about what a graduate should be like. In this paper the concept has been us…
The paper analyses the evolution and potential future trend of research debate related to climate change impacts on the wine chain. A particular emphasis was given to the evaluation of sustainability in the examined literature. From a methodological point of view, sets of text analysis techniques were combined for the investigation of those selected scientific papers. Results highlight that the…
The article presents the analysis of agriculture as working environmentally prone to accidents. A questionnaire has been used for the evaluation which included 15 questions for establishing causes of accidents at work in agriculture. Studies have shown that haste, mess and failure to comply with basic safety rules is the most common cause of accidents. It is therefore necessary to raise farmers…
In the paper the effects of keratin and polyvinyl alcohol additives on the stress relaxation course in thermoplastic starch film were presented. The 3-parameter Zener model was used to describe the behavior of film under loading taking into account sample sizes and initial deformation velocity. The effects of air relative humidity, initial deformation velocity and the way of sample cutting on m…
Purpose – This paper aims to report on the efforts made to enhance the engagement of IT students with non-IT-specific content. The mechanism to foster this engagement was the introduction of an eLearning information system (ELIS) for a finance-related subject within an IT undergraduate degree at the university. The subject developers were primarily concerned with both the learning design and …
Modern energy-saving technologies, that are widely implemented currently in agriculture include the use of combined units that can not only reduce the agronomic timing of field work, but also reduce water loss by reducing the inter-operational periods of time, to reduce the impact of sealing machine units on the ground, to save fuel − materials and so on. Keywords: energy-saving; combin…
Recently, vegan food has received increased attention from Italian consumers. Despite this fact, it has rarely been the subject of analysis. Our study focuses on consumer preferences for breadsticks in North-Eastern Italy. We applied a choice experiment where a hypothetical market was designed to analyze five characteristics of breadsticks (country of origin, vegan product certification, produc…
Phytospreading, proposed by S.V. Meyen, depends on the role of biological evolutionary “mechanisms”.Some biological species that occupy a vast territory from the equator to the mid latitudes break up into two areas and form two populations. Later, the conditions arise for these populations (new related species) convergence at equatorial or middle latitudes, resulting in the hybridization of…
This research compared 2 types of model (regression model and artificial neural network) for prediction of glue content for sealing toothpaste carton from 4 sealing process factors, i.e., production line, diameter of toothpaste tube, pressure in glue nozzle during applying glue onto a toothpaste carton and glue temperature in a glue tank. Models under study included 3 regression models, i.e., m…
Purpose – This editorial review takes its agenda from issues about the meaning and use of variation theory in the context of Lesson Study, which have already been raised in previous issues of the journal. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a way of resolving such issues by locating variation theory in a broader framework of pedagogical theory. Runesson’s editorial commentary on papers …
The paper presents a decision support system for the selection of locations of dismantling stations in a vehicle recycling network. The system uses genetic algorithms effectively. Locations were optimized according to the following criterion: minimization of costs connected with transport, storage and dismantling of end-of-life vehicles as well as costs connected with transport of parts and mat…
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine Graduate Certificates in colleges in Ontario,Canada, and their distinctive ability to generate intrinsic student engagement in specialized skills development, and a culture of progression and scholarship. Design/methodology/approach – This is a review of selected literature on student engagement. While extrinsic motivation, such as employmen…
Oil collected from Tarim oilfield was poured with different proportions into oil collected from Shengli oilfield. The mixed oil samples were placed in an artificial climate chamber to simulate a 160-days weathering process and reveal long-term weathering effects on conventional biomarker diagnostic indicators of n-alkanes in these mixed oil samples. The results show that only CPI2 in all common…
Two-steps utilization of residual Shorea wood biomass (Meranti) from saw mill industry in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan,Indonesia was studied to point out its potential as the feedstock for the production of food and energy. For this purposes, oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus was cultivated on mixed sawdust of Shorea wood (major species; Shorea leprosula), and then the residual wood obtained …
Purpose – This paper aims to present an approach to achieve accessible and inclusive Virtual Education for all, but especially intended for students with disabilities. This work proposes main steps to take into consideration for stakeholders involved in the educational process related to an inclusive e-Learning. Design/methodology/approach – The paper pays particular regard to accessibilit…
The program designed for young coffee farmers is intended to increase the young coffee farmers’ interest to become entrepreneurs. This is based on the increase of the number of female workers that keeps increasing. While middle productiveaged workers (35-54 years old) increase slowly, young productive-aged workers (15-34 years old) decrease. This research was aimed to study the gap between g…
Wildlife management in agroforestry territory has become particularly complex in recent years because of the increase of animal density. This study proposes a review of the literature on the impact of wildlife in many areas of the world. In particular, it examines the negative effects due to the strong growth of wildlife populations and consequently the loss of the balance of agricultural and f…
Phosphate-solubilising rhizobacteria associated with Coffea arabica L. in natural coffee forests of southwestern Ethiopia were investigated. The main purpose was to screen for potential microbial biofertilisers by assessing isolated strains for phosphate solubilisation efficiency and organic acid production in different media. Initial screening was performed on Pikovskaya’s agar (PA). Quantit…
Certain mosquito species are important vectors of fatal human diseases, among which Anopheles arabiensis is known to be associated with malaria transmission in different tropical and subtropical areas. Since chemical control of mosquitoes was linked with numerous drawbacks,like resistance development, the search for effective environmentally sound alternatives is urgently needed. Therefore, it …
A total of 1350 hatching eggs were obtained from commercial broiler breeders Cobb,Ross 308 and Arbor Acres at 30–35, 40–45 and 50–55 weeks of age, 450 eggs for each breed and 150 eggs for each breed age. Eggs for each age were randomly divided into three groups, 50 eggs in each, stored either for 0, 7 or 14 days, individually weighed before and after storage and incubated following usual …
A study was made to investigate differential responses of petal senescence and postharvest performance at varying concentrations of Cycloheximide (CHI) in cut spikes of Narcissus tazetta cv. Kashmir Local. Cycloheximide at 0.01 and 0.05 mM concentrations delayed senescence. Above 0.05 mM concentrations CHI prevents flower opening and promotes senescence. Senescence delay by CHI points to the sy…
Rice is one of the important agricultural products in Indonesia. The production has been fully supported by infrastructure including research and development as well as government regulations in pricing. Its vulnerability to climate change requires adaptation strategies on irrigation,biotechnology and selection of alternative crops. The primary goal of this paper was to evaluate the historical …
The analysis undertaken in this paper applies a multimarket model to simulate two policy measures based on the assumption that the government of Sudan would pursue two policies on the Gezira scheme the biggest irrigated scheme in Africa in attempts to achieve food self-sufficiency from wheat (major food crop), or to improve the foreign exchange earnings from cotton (major cash crop) through exp…
Soil particles contain a variety of anthropogenic and natural organic components derived from many sources such as industrial and traffic fossil fuel emissions and terrestrial biota. The organic contents of soil and sand from the Arabian region have not fully characterized. Thus, samples of fine soil particles (sieved to
Cold acclimation shows the increased Pi in skeletal muscle of Channa punctata variety of fishes after 1 h and 2 h while reduces at prolonged exposure (4 h). Similar stimulatory effects were observed in heart, however, reduced at 30 min and 4 h and in liver it causes prevention of Pi release after 30 min, 1 h, 2 h and 4 h respectively. In gastrointestinal tract, the effects were pronounced whene…
Most of the date fruits are processed traditionally in Iran. It becomes imperative to characterize the fruits with a view of understanding the properties that may affect the design of machines to handle their processing. The objectives of this study were to find the basic physical properties of date fruit at different storage time. Some physical properties of the Iranian Stamaran date variety w…
The present study investigated the influence of microwave power on the drying kinetics,energy consumption and drying efficiency of green pepper during microwave drying at 180, 240,300, 360, 420, 480 and 540 W. Seven mathematical models for describing the thin-layer drying behaviour of pepper samples were investigated. The models were compared based on their R2,RMSE and v2 values between experim…
Starch isolated from lotus stem was treated by gamma-irradiation at different doses of 5,10 and 20 kGy. Physicochemical, morphological and pasting properties of irradiated lotus stem starches were investigated and these properties differed significantly. Carboxyl content, water absorption capacity, amylose leaching, and transmittance increased, whereas swelling power, apparent amylose content, …
Dextrinization of corn starch by twin screw extruder was studied. The effect of extruder operating conditions (five different screw speeds: 35, 45, 55, 65, and 70; and three temperatures: 125,130, and 135 C) on some physicochemical properties of dextrin (total soluble solid, water absorption index, water solubility index, and total color difference) was investigated. Results showed that as the…
GW2 is an important gene that regulates grain width and weight. We used cDNA clone to obtain the sequences of GW2 from large- and small-grained rice varieties, TD70 and Kasalath,respectively. Then, we developed a dCAPS (derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence) marker on the basis of the sequence difference between functional and nonfunctional GW2 genes to analyze the genotypes and phenot…
Purpose – Liberal Studies (LS), as a compulsory subject for senior secondary students (S4-6) who sit for the Diploma of Secondary Education, was introduced in 2007. There has been increased discussion about merits of the subject. This paper was written based on a study the researchers conducted with LS teachers and students to probe the role LS may play in relation to civic education. The pap…
Jember is a town in the East Java province with a high appeal to become a tourism city. The local delicacy as souvenirs and gifts to bring to families at the tourists’ hometown became one of the important things sought by tourists when traveling to Jember. This can be viewed by industries to acquire income. Besides the available raw materials or ingredients that can be obtained easily, there …
The achievement of "food security" involves the companies and their productive capacity. As well, the role played by the financial and commodities markets and their operators - commercial, financial and credit intermediaries- is important for the achievement of a new sustainability. Therefore, the "agricultural crisis" is based, principally on agricultural and environmental questions, but also …
Abstract A brief overview of those bee genera and subgenera occurring in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is provided. In total 22 genera are currently documented in the literature for the country, although a further 17 genera undoubtedly occur here based on extralimital records. The lists provided here will serve as a baseline for biodiversity studies on the bee fauna of the country that are pr…
The purpose of this paper is to review the key analytical developments in international trans-boundary water politics and to shed light on the important, but overlooked, issue of ecosystems. The scholarship has gained greater breadth resulting interests and motives governing water use and allocation. However, it is argued that much of the literature is anthropocentric and frames the natural …
Indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities suffer lower levels of access to improved water and sanitation services due to socio-economic and cultural marginalisation and geographical challenges. Lack of cultural sensitivity and operational limitations tend to render water and sanitation interventions less effective and services unsustainable. Field studies and action research realised in six c…