MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS ON SELECTED CHERRY PLANTS, A PRIMARY EFFECT PRODUCT OF GAMMA RADIATION (Cz137)

A study has been conducted on the rootstock cross area, trunk cross area and total growth with 195 selected plants, a primary effect product from Bigareau Burlat, Pobeda Krimska and Kozerska cherry varieties, during the first MV1 generation after the gamma radiation with Cz137. Graft branches were exposed to dosages of 25Gy, 35Gy and 45Gy at the Institute of Radiobiology and Radiopreservation in Sofia. The graft was taken during dormant buds onto a Prunus mahaleb rootstock. The average values of all study parameters with the selected plants are 10 to 50% smaller in comparison with the controls (plants not treated with radiation). The highest reduction of total plant growth is noticed at Kozerska variety. The average value is 40% smaller in contrast to the control. The average values for this characteristic provide statistical significant differences for all radiation dosages with the selected plants in contrast to the control. The highest difference was noticed with the dosage of 25 Gy, where the total growth is 50% smaller than the control. A very high positive correlation is determent between the rootstock and trunk cross area, as well as between the rootstock and trunk cross area and with the total growth in all of the tested varieties. Negative correlation between the radiation dosage and the total growth is detected for Pobeda Krimska and Kozerska. This kind of correlation is not present in Bigareau Burlat

CHEMICAL CONTENT OF FRUITS OF SOME PERSPECTIVE STRAWBERRY VARIETIES CULTIVATED ON OPEN FIELD

This research contains results concerning the chemical composition of 15 introduced varieties of strawberries in Macedonia: Idea, Camarosa, Belrubi, Evita, Honeoye, Tethis, Chandler, Onda, Miranda, Paros, Elsanta, Eris, Madalene, Favette and Marmolada and two controll varieties: Pocahontas and Sengasengana. The analysis has been conducted on the following substances: soluble dry matter, sugars (total and reductive), acids, pulp’s pH, sugar/acid ratio, vitamin C, anthocyanins and mineral matters. The percentage of soluble dry matter is between 8.5% with the Eris variety and 11% with Idea. Idea has the highest concentration of sugars with 8.80% of total and 6.16% of reductive sugars. Eris has the lowest concentration of 6.80% total and 4.76% reductive sugars. Lowest amount of acids is 0.79% (Onda and Madalene) and highest is 0.94% (Evita). The range of pH value goes from 3.5 (Tethis) to 4.2 (Chandler and Pocahontas). The Marmolada variety has the highest sugar/acid ratio with 10.4 and Evita has the lowest of 8.1. The concentration of vitamin C goes between the range of 72.49mg% (Pocahontas) and 113.73mg% (Camarosa). The anthocyanins concentration with the Favette is to be the lowest with 37.06mg/kg, whereas the Elsanta reaches the highest content with 48.88mg/kg. The content of mineral matter within the fruit is between 0.52% (Chandler and Onda) and 0.94% (Tethis)

Impact of Harvest Time on the Main Agronomic and Fruit Quality Traits of Three Apricot Cultivars

Fruit quality and sensorial traits of three apricot cultivars as affected by harvest time were evaluated. High variability and significant differences were found among cultivars in all studied traits, except flowering date, yield efficiency, stone weight, titratable acidity, and sucrose. Additionally, all evaluated traits significantly depended on the harvest time. Year-by-year variation also was observed. Mid-late season 'Hungarian Best' and late ripening 'Kecskemét Rosè' cultivars had better fruit quality and sensorial traits than the early ripening cultivar 'Senetate', and can be recommended for fresh consumption, storage, and processing. On a principal component analysis, mid- and late-harvest time was shown to be positively associated with a good yield, sweetness, flavor, juiciness, and aroma, and negatively associated with sourness of the apricot. © 2012 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Microstructure analysis of titanium oxynitride films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering

This paper presents the structure analysis results of TiOxNy films, deposited using reactive magnetron sputtering with different O2/N2 flow ratio. The impact of increase of N2 flow upon the films structure has been studied. The analysis was carried out by X-ray diffraction method. The lattice parameters and phase composition were calculated using PowderCell 2.4

A Generalized Approach to Optimization of Relational Data Warehouses Using Hybrid Greedy and Genetic Algorithms

As far as we know, in the open scientific literature, there is no generalized framework for the optimization of relational data warehouses which includes view and index selection and vertical view fragmentation. In this paper we are offering such a framework. We propose a formalized multidimensional model, based on relational schemas, which provides complete vertical view fragmentation and presents an approach of the transformation of a fragmented snowflake schema to a defragmented star schema through the process of denormalization. We define the generalized system of relational data warehouses optimization by including vertical fragmentation of the implementation schema (F), indexes (I) and view selection (S) for materialization. We consider Genetic Algorithm as an optimization method and introduce the technique of "recessive bits" for handling the infeasible solutions that are obtained by a Genetic Algorithm. We also present two novel hybrid algorithms, i.e. they are combination of Greedy and Genetic Algorithms. Finally, we present our experimental results and show improvements of the performance and benefits of the generalized approach (SFI) and show that our novel algorithms significantly improve the efficiency of the optimization process for different input parameters

Primary amyloidosis with initial gastrointestinal manifestation. A case report

Introduction. Amyloidosis is a rare disease associated with extracellular accumulation of abnormal protein – amyloid in various organs and systems. This disease can be either acquired or hereditary, systemic or localized. At its core, it represents a grown, tumor-like neoplastic clone of the plasma cells in the bone marrow. Gastrointestinal amyloidosis is manifested by symptoms, such as diarrhea, steatorrhea, constipation, and very rarely – hemorrhages and perforations of the colon. Case presentation. We present a case of primary intestinal amyloidosis with recurrent hematochezia and abdominal pain in a 61-year-old woman. Colonoscopy revealed polyposis of the whole colon and a total colectomy was performed, followed by morphological and paraclinical examinations. Histologically, amyloid deposition, positive for Congo red, was found in the walls of the submucosal blood vessels and in the smooth muscle cells of the muscular layers. The laboratory tests indicated anemia, high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and Bence-Jones proteins in urine. Conclusions. Our case is a demonstration of primary amyloidosis with intestinal localization that should be taken into consideration in the presence of recurrent hematochezia

The Impact of Social Support Networks on Maternal Employment: A Comparison of West German, East German and Migrant Mothers of Pre-School Children

Given shortages in public child care in Germany, this paper asks whether social support with child care and domestic work by spouses, kin and friends can facilitate mothers' return to full-time or part-time positions within the first six years after birth. Using SOEP data from 1993-2009 and event history analyses for competing risks, the author compares the employment transitions of West German, East German and migrant mothers of pre-school children. The results indicate that West German and migrant mothers return to work sooner if they have access to kin, and that kinship support is particularly important when public child care is unavailable. Furthermore, West German and migrant mothers are more likely to work full-time if their spouses partipate in domestic work. In contrast, social support does not affect employment transitions in East Germany where public child care is more easily accessible and continuous female employment is a prevalent social norm

Mediterranean winter rainfall in phase with African monsoons during the past 1.36 million years

Mediterranean climates are characterized by strong seasonal contrasts between dry summers and wet winters. Changes in winter rainfall are critical for regional socioeconomic development, but are difficult to simulate accurately1 and reconstruct on Quaternary timescales. This is partly because regional hydroclimate records that cover multiple glacial–interglacial cycles2,3 with different orbital geometries, global ice volume and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations are scarce. Moreover, the underlying mechanisms of change and their persistence remain unexplored. Here we show that, over the past 1.36 million years, wet winters in the northcentral Mediterranean tend to occur with high contrasts in local, seasonal insolation and a vigorous African summer monsoon. Our proxy time series from Lake Ohrid on the Balkan Peninsula, together with a 784,000-year transient climate model hindcast, suggest that increased sea surface temperatures amplify local cyclone development and refuel North Atlantic low-pressure systems that enter the Mediterranean during phases of low continental ice volume and high concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases. A comparison with modern reanalysis data shows that current drivers of the amount of rainfall in the Mediterranean share some similarities to those that drive the reconstructed increases in precipitation. Our data cover multiple insolation maxima and are therefore an important benchmark for testing climate model performance