Study of clonal variation of 'Bidaneh Ghermez' grapevine cultivar in Iran

ArticleGrapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is a well - known plant including different cultivars and clones. In spite of the extensive works at the cultivar level, identification and determination of clonal genetic variation has remained as a challenge. To assess the genetic variation between clones of grapevine cv. 'Bidaneh Ghermez', 20 selected clones were analyzed for cluster weight (CW), cluster length (CL), cluster width (CWI), berry weight (BW), berry length (BL), berry width (BWI) and total soluble solids (TSS) in randomized complete block design with three replications. Analysis of variance reveale d considerable genetic variation for all measured traits (except cluster width) among clones. Cluster analysis, discriminant function analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) showed same results and all clones assigned in 2 groups. First group was including 9 clones and second group was including 11 clones. Overall, our results indicated C7, C10, C12 and C14 clones were best clones and have potential to introduce promising clones for stablishing new vineyard with high yield

A hybrid approach to achieve organizational agility: An empirical study of a food company

Purpose: In today’s intense global competition, agility is advocated as a fundamental characteristic for business survival and competitiveness. The purpose of this paper is to propose a practical methodology to achieve and enhance organizational agility based on strategic objectives. Design/methodology/approach: In the first step, a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) of the organization being studied are recognized and classified under the perspectives of balanced scorecard (BSC). Critical success factors are then identified by ranking the KPIs according to their importance in achieving organizational strategic objectives using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). In the second step, three houses of quality (HOQs) are constructed sequentially to identify and rank the main agile attributes, agile enablers, and improvement paths. In addition, in order to translate linguistics judgments of practitioners into numerical values in building HOQs, fuzzy logic is employed. Findings: The capability of the proposed methodology is demonstrated by applying it to a case of a multi-national food company in Iran. Through the application, the company could find the most suitable improvement paths to improve its organizational agility. Research limitations/implications: A limited number of KPIs were chosen due to computational and visual constraints related to HOQs. Another limitation, similar to other agility studies, which facilitate decision making among agility metrics, was that the metrics were more industry-specific and less inclusive. Practical implications: A strong practical advantage for the application of the methodology over directly choosing agility metrics without linking them is that through the methodology, the right metrics were selected that match organization’s core values and marketing objectives. While metrics may ostensibly seem unrelated or inappropriate, they actually contributed to the right areas where there were gaps between the current and desired level of agility. It would otherwise be impossible to choose the right metrics without a structured methodology. Originality/value: This paper proposes a novel methodology for achieving organizational agility. By utilizing and linking several tools such as BSC, fuzzy TOPSIS, and quality function deployment (QFD), the proposed approach enables organizations to identify the most appropriate agile attributes, agile enablers, and subsequently agile improvement paths

Fuzzy Based PC-PUSH in CR-MANETs

In cognitive radio (CR), the secondary user (SU) needs to hand off its ongoing communication to an idle channel in order to avoid interference to the primary user (PU). Spectrum hand off issue becomes challenging in CR mobile ad hoc networks (CR-MANETs) because of the uncertainty in spectrum availability, broad range of spectrum bands and lack of central entity. The purpose of this study is to design a unified spectrum handoff (USH) scheme for CR-MANETs that considers the spectrum heterogeneity and its availability over time and space. A local flow hand off is performed when spectrum hand off cannot be carried out due to the SUs mobility. To improve further USH, preemptive unified spectrum handoff (PUSH) algorithm is proposed in which two different preemptive hand off threshold regions are defined. The PUSH algorithm also predicts the cognitive link availability considering the PU interference boundary. Although the PUSH scheme improves the hand off performance, the number of spectrum hand offs due to the PU activity should be reduced in this scheme. Therefore, the PC-PUSH (Power Controller-PUSH) scheme is proposed in which the fuzzy logic is used to improve the PUSH in terms of the number of spectrum handoffs because of the PU activity. The PC-PUSH decreases the interference to the PUs, while reducing the number of spectrum handoffs. The results show that the proposed scheme improves the link maintenance probability, decreases the hand off delay, and reduces the number of spectrum handoffs

The effects of phase III cardiac rehabilitation in serum and salivary Hs-CRP and anthropometric measurements in patients with coronary artery disease

Aim: Cardiac rehabilitation is a key part in the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) by its anti-inflammatory effects. However, the effect of exercise training programs on salivary concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in patients with coronary artery disease has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of phase III cardiac rehabilitation on serum and salivary levels of hs-CRP, in relation to the anthropometric measurements of obesity and the relationship between salivary and serum levels of hs-CRP in CAD male patients. Materials and methods: Forty male volunteers (45-75 years) with CAD participated in 6 to 8 weeks of moderate intensity aerobic exercise training consisting of 45 minutes sessions of treadmill, stationary bicycle and arm ergometer. Anthropometric measurements of obesity, serum level of hs-CRP, stimulated and nonstimulated salivary level of hs-CRP were measured at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of exercise sessions. Results: All anthropometric measurements increased (p < 0.05) following cardiac rehabilitation except waist-hip ratio. Serum hs- CRP level reduced by 36 independent to the anthropometric measurements changes. Stimulated and nonstimulated salivary hs-CRP level decreased 68 and 54, respectively, after 24 sessions of cardiac rehabilitation. Nonstimulated salivary hs-CRP levels correlated to serum levels of hs-CRP at baseline and after 24 sessions (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Phase III cardiac rehabilitation seems to be effective to improve serum and salivary hs-CRP concentrations independent of anthropometric measurements. Clinical significance: Nonstimulated salivary hs-CRP measurement could be a surrogate for blood measurement of hs-CRP during cardiac rehabilitation in male patients with CAD

Characterization of End-to-end Path Selection for Cognitive Radio Wireless Mesh Networks

Abstract: The Cognitive Radio (CR) can delivers the environment to Secondary Users (SUs) of Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) to utilize unused spectrum of Primary Users (PUs) opportunistically. The CR can improve the spectrum usage of the WMN. However, this rises the some additional complexities for the SUs such as spectrum heterogeneity, unpredictable PU activity and interference constraints. In this paper an analytical model has been developed to analyse these complexities for each SU node and link characteristics for end-to-end optimal Path and channel assignment. Numerical results show that the analytical model is an effective tool to investigate the effects of the PU activities and channel heterogeneity on the network performance

Enhancing Controlled Environment Agriculture in Desert Ecosystems with AC/DC Hybrid Solar Technology

Received: 29 March 2023. Accepted: 26 May 2023.Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable farming practices within the challenging climate of the Arabian Peninsula. Traditional CEAs, however, are confronted with excessive water and electricity consumption due to the region's elevated temperatures and humidity levels. To address these challenges, an innovative project was carried out at the Al Dhaid Research Station, United Arab Emirates, integrating solar-powered cooling and irrigation, closed hydroponic systems, net-house structures, root zone cooling, and ultra-low-energy drippers. The study employed a cooled greenhouse alongside two net houses, one of which was equipped with a solar-powered cooling and irrigation system. Cucumber crops were cultivated within each structure, demonstrating that the combined technologies could prolong production periods despite increasing temperatures, while simultaneously reducing energy consumption by 95% and water usage by 80%, without compromising crop yield. The findings of this study suggest that the implementation of this novel approach holds significant potential for boosting crop productivity and water efficiency in desert agriculture systems.This publication showcases a collaborative effort between ICARDA and NARS in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. The contributions and efforts of the NARS, particularly in the UAE where this study was conducted, are highly acknowledged and appreciated. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) and The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) for their invaluable financial support to ICARDA-APRP. Their generous contributions have played a crucial role in facilitating the research and implementation of this project

Comparison of Cold-Resistance in Some Iranian and European Grape Cultivars

One of the main problems in vineyards of Iran is sensitivity of grape cultivars to winter cold. Considering the rich genetic diversity of grape cultivars in Iran vineyards and severe cold winter in 2007, this situation was used as a natural treatment in order to identify cold tolerance and assess damages in 21 Iranian grape varieties and 8 European grape varieties in a factorial experiment, based on completely randomized blocks design with four replications and three plants per unit. In each plant, four branches (one year old) were selected and the number of healthy and damaged sprouts were counted. Then, statistical and cluster analysis was performed. Descriptive statistics (coefficient of variation of phenotypic traits) of the obtained data from assessment of grape cultivars was calculated. Using the correlation coefficient (Pearson r), bilateral relationship between traits was measured and the attributes which their selection could increase the efficiency were determined. The results indicated that grape cultivars were located in four groups of sensitive, semi-sensitive, semi-tolerant and completely tolerant. Ghermez Bidaneh, Fakhri, Siyah Gazvin, Khalili and Rish Baba cultivars showed the highest tolerance. Most of the European cultivars including Ruby Seedless, Superior, Fiesta, Black Seedless, Perlette, Flame Seedless, Tompson Seedless and Torkmanistan 4 were in semi-tolerant to susceptible groups. Tolerance threshold against winter cold was was 15 ±1 ◦C in normal varieties and 20 ±1 ◦C in tolerant cultivars. There was a significant phenotypic correlation between the studied traits

Modelling of routing and spectrum handoff in CR-MANETs

There is an extensive research interest in cognitive radio mobile ad hoc networks (CR-MANETs) to improve the spectrum efficiency by developing innovative design techniques through various layers of the protocol stacks. This paper presents the optimisation of CR-MANETs by exploiting the efficient usage of the available wireless spectrum through a framework for spectrum-aware handoff. In this paper, the concept of integrated handoff management in CR-MANETs is considered. An analytical model for a spectrum handoff scheme is introduced based on spectrum mobility in which secondary users (SUs) will move to another unused spectrum band, giving priority to a Primary User (PU), while satisfying its communication quality of service (QoS). The main contribution is using the Markov chain to model the evolution of the network (node position, node speed, channel quality, etc.) and to propose the combined spectrum handoff and routing. The performance of the network is analyzed based on the Markov chain. The comparison results from both analytical modelling and simulation clearly show an improvement in the performance of the SU network in terms of the route maintenance probability and the SU throughput. It is also proved that not only the PU activity affects the performance of the handoff management scheme but also the channel transmission range and the node mobility have a significant effect on the performance of the management schem