INPUTS OPTIMIZATION IN THE SEEDLINGS PRODUCTION OF Corymbia citriodora E Eucalyptus dunnii

Corymbia citriodora and Eucalyptus dunnii are species of relevant importance due to the quality of the wood and growth potential in Southern Brazil. Therefore, we aimed to identify containers and doses of controlled-release fertilizer capable of enhancing the morphophysiological quality and growth of these species in the nursery, aiming for the proper management of these inputs. The seedlings were produced in two volumes of containers (50 e 110 cm³), filled with Sphagnum peat-based substrate, mixed with different doses of controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) NPK 15-09-12 (0, 3, 6, 9 e 12 g L-1 of substrates). In addition, the morphological (height, stem diameter, leaf area, dry weight of shoot, root, and total) and physiological (chlorophyll a and b index and quantum yield of the photosystem II) attributes were evaluated. The morphological attributes proved to be suitable indicators of the quality of C. citriodora and E. dunnii seedlings, allowing to recommend the container of 50 cm³ and the doses of 9.0 g L-1 of controlled-release fertilizer for both species. At the same time, the physiological variables evaluated were not responsive to the effect of the treatments.

Controlling foamability of polypropylene/γ-irradiated ethylene acrylic elastomer blends by extent of crosslinking and domain microstructure of elastomer

Foams of polypropylene/elastomer blends can often lead to softer foams which may not be desirable every time. Incorporating rigidity to the foams can often be made possible by preferentially crosslinking the elastomer phase prior to blending. Although foamability of polypropylene/elastomer blends has been understood in the scientific community, the influence of the extent of crosslinking in the elastomer phase is not yet understood well. The purpose of this investigation is to identify the influence of the extent of elastomer crosslinking and the blend morphological attributes (achieved by varying screw speed during melt mixing) on foamability of polypropylene/partially crosslinked elastomer blends. Crosslinking of ethylene-acrylic elastomer is carried out using gamma radiation with several doses (0, 12.5, 25, 50 kGy) before melt blending and, subsequently, 10 wt.% of the irradiated elastomers (prior optimized) are mixed with polypropylene in a micro-compounder at three different screw speeds. The microstructure development in blends is characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Frequency sweep rheological analysis is done for selected blends to identify the ease of foamability among the series of blends. Foaming of blends is done with supercritical carbon dioxide in batch mode at three different temperatures. The density reduction along with the microcellular morphology development of blends with foaming is analyzed with the screw speed, the extent of crosslinking, and foaming temperature; furthermore, the individual input parameters (the elastomer domain size, controlled by the screw speed and the extent of crosslinking, controlled by gamma radiation dose) are optimized based on the foam morphology. A uniform and good foamability were achieved at 155 and 160°C for blends with elastomers, irradiated at 12.5 and 25 kGy radiation doses. The lowest density foam (0.37 g/cc) was obtained for polypropylene with 12.5 kGy irradiated crosslinked elastomer mixed at 200 rpm at 160°C foaming temperature. The final elastomer domain dispositions within the foam morphologies are characterized and the plausible foaming mechanism is proposed.

A high-resolution inland surface water body dataset for the tundra and boreal forests of North America

Inland surface waters are abundant in the tundra and boreal forests in North America, essential to environments and human societies but vulnerable to climate changes. These high-latitude water bodies differ greatly in their morphological and topological characteristics related to the formation, type, and vulnerability. In this paper we present an inland surface water body inventory (SWBI) dataset for the tundra and boreal forests of North America. Nearly 6.7 million water bodies were identified, with approximately 6 million (~90 %) of them smaller than 0.1 km2. The dataset provides geometry coverage and morphological attributes for every water body. During this study we developed an automated approach for detecting surface water extent and identifying water bodies in the 10 m resolution Sentinel-2 multispectral satellite data to enhance the capability for delineating small water bodies and their morphological attributes. The approach was applied to the Sentinel-2 data acquired in 2019 to produce the water body dataset for the entire tundra and boreal forests in North America, providing a more complete representation of the region than existing regional datasets, e.g., Permafrost Region Pond and Lake (PeRL). Total accuracy of the detected water extent by SWBI dataset was 96.36 % by comparing to interpreted data for locations randomly sampled across the region. Compared to the 30 m or coarser resolution water datasets, e.g., JRC GSW yearly water history, HydroLakes, and Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD), the SWBI provided an improved ability on delineating water bodies, and reported higher accuracies in the size, number, and perimeter attributes of water body by comparing to PeRL and interpreted regional dataset. This dataset is available on the National Tibetan Plateau/Third Pole Environment Data Center (TPDC, http://data.tpdc.ac.cn): DOI: 10.11888/Hydro.tpdc.271021 (Feng et al., 2020).

Morphological evolution of Cuban super heavyweight boxers, 1976-2014

Objective: To evaluate the morphological changes of Cuban super heavyweight boxers, more and less successful, through the period 1976-2014. Material and method: Thirty super heavy boxers, who were members of the Cuban national teams in the period 1976-2014, were compared; The strategy consisted of separating the group in the periods 1976-1989, 1990-1999, 2000-2009 and 2010-2014. Sixteen anthropometric dimensions were recorded (weight, height, sitting height, six skinfold thickness, five girths and two breadths), from which the body composition and the somatotype were obtained. The data were analyzed applying the Analysis of variance (ANOVA). The conglomerate analysis based on the Euclidean distance was used in order to evaluate the correspondence between physical development and sports performance. A discriminant analysis was carried out in order to analyze the contribution of the anthropometrical variables to the variance of different clusters. Results: Most of the anthropometric dimensions and indicators showed significant differences, having an impact on the increase in adiposity, body fat and endomorphy (p <0.05), as well as the decrease in the indicators dependent on height (p <0.05). The analysis by conglomerates, as well as the study of the Migratory Distances of the somatotype, showed that the Olympic medalist boxers differed in terms of the characteristics of body composition and in terms of the intensity of the somatotype changes in the period 1976-2014. Conclusions: The Cuban boxer of the super heavyweight category showed a wide range of morphological demands, but these were framed within the international trends of professional boxers. The morphological attributes of the Olympic medalists differed from each other, and from the rest of the boxers investigated over time. These results provide anthropometric data of high scientific value, both for selection and for medical control of training.

Perdiz arrow points from Caddo burial contexts aid in defining discrete behavioral regions

Recent research in the ancestral Caddo area yielded evidence for distinct _behavioral regions_, across which material culture from Caddo burials—bottles and Gahagan bifaces—has been found to express significant morphological differences. This inquiry assesses whether Perdiz arrow points from Caddo burials, assumed to reflect design intent, may differ across the same geography, and extend the pattern of shape differences to a third category of Caddo material culture. Perdiz arrow points collected from the geographies of the northern and southern Caddo _behavioral regions_ defined in a recent social network analysis were employed to test the hypothesis that morphological attributes differ, and are predictable, between the two communities. Results indicate significant between-community differences in maximum length, width, stem length, and stem width, but not thickness. Using the same traditional metrics combined with the tools of machine learning, a predictive model---support vector machine---was designed to assess the degree to which community differences could be predicted, achieving a receiver operator curve score of 97 percent, and an accuracy score of 94 percent. The subsequent geometric morphometric analysis identified significant differences in Perdiz arrow point shape, size, and allometry, coupled with significant results for modularity and morphological integration. These findings bolster recent arguments that established two discrete _behavioral regions_ in the ancestral Caddo area defined on the basis of discernible morphological differences across three categories of Caddo material culture.

Morphological Attributes Govern CO2 Reduction on Mesoporous Carbon Nanosphere with Embedded Axial Co-N5 Sites

Although single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been widely employed in the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), the understanding regarding the effect of morphological attributes on catalytic performance are still lacking, which prevents the rational design of high-performance catalysts for electrochemical CO2RR. Here, we developed a novel catalyst with axial Co-N5 sites embedded on controllable mesoporous carbon nanosphere with different graded pore structures. Benefiting from the precise control of porosity, the influence of morphological attributes on catalytic performance was well revealed. In situ characterization combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that axial N-coordination induced local d-p orbitals coupling enhancement of Co with oxides and the optimal pore size of 27 nm promoted the interfacial bonding characteristics, which facilitate both the COOH* generation and CO desorption. Consequently, A superior selectivity of nearly 100% at -0.8 V vs. RHE and commercially relevant current densities of >150 mA cm−2 could be achieved, and a strikingly high turnover frequency of 1.136*104 h−1 at -1.0 V has been obtained, superior to the most of Co-based catalysts.

Salinity Stress Mitigation by Foliar Feeding of Salicylic Acid on Maize (Zea Mays L.) grown under Hydroponic Culture

Salicylic acid (SA) is mainly associated with the regulation of plant growth particularly in salinity stress conditions and this signaling molecule exists in pivotal parts of plant. The objective of this research analysis was to overcome stress condition by distinct foliar treatments of Salicylic acid, for instance, 0 and 100 mM. Foliar applications of SA on maize were rendered on 10 days later than transplanting under a hydroponics experiment. Plants were grown under non-saline (S0= 0 mM NaCl) and saline (S1= 100 mM NaCl) conditions. Evaluation of biochemical, physiological and morphological attributes of maize was rendered after harvesting of plants. The experimental layout of Completely Randomized Design (CRD) under a factorial arrangement with three replications of each treatment was assigned for this study. According to our results it was confirmed that cultivation of maize under saline condition reduced the morphological, physiological and biochemical attributes of plant. However, exogenous application of SA on maize had a positive impact on the above mentioned traits under presence and absence of saline environment. Finally, it was justified that exogenous application of variable concentration of SA significantly improves whole parameters of maize cultivar.