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The study was conducted to find out degree of resistance in different citrus rootstocks against citrus canker (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri) infestation. Nine different citrus rootstocks were evaluated against citrus canker disease resistance. The role and profile of proteins, proteases, sugars, nitrogen and total phenolic contents were described in the incidence of disease. Disease rating scale having 0-4 range was used to distinguish among resistance and susceptibility of rootstock. Out of nine rootstocks; three rootstocks (Fraser hybrid, Cox mandarin hybrid and C- 35) were resistant, three were found moderately susceptible (Poncirus trifoliata, Troyer citrange and Carrizo citrange) and three (Cleopatra mandarin, Rough lemon and Benton) were susceptible. Biochemical analysis revealed that there was an increasing trend in the citrus canker disease incidence with total sugars contents while in case of total phenolic contents, protein and protease activity, decreasing trend was observed in disease incidence in all the rootstocks. It is suggested that the resistant rootstocks could be used in breeding to produce the resistant citrus cultivars against citrus canker disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclofructans (CF) are cyclic oligosaccharides consisting of a crown ether core with pendent fructofuranose units. These unique macrocycles were reported recently to be powerful chiral selectors. Derivatized and bonded to silica, CFs make excellent chiral selectors for HPLC. In this study, several new derivatives of cyclofructan 6 (CF6) were prepared by introducing aromatic moieties with electron-withdrawing chloro and nitro groups and an electron-donating methyl group. Their enantioselectivities were evaluated in the normal phase mode in comparison to the commercially available cyclofructan columns (LARIHC CF6-P, LARIHC CF6-RN, and LARIHC CF7-DMP). In several cases, the columns prepared in this work showed improved enantioselectivity over the existing commercially available stationary phases. Furthermore, an evaluation of the number and position of chloro and methyl groups on the phenyl substituents of CF6 is discussed in terms of their ability to alter enantioselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide field of view panoramic videos have recently become popular due to the availability of high resolution displays. These panoramic videos are generated by stitching video frames captured from a panoramic video acquisition system, typically comprising of multiple video cameras arranged on a static or mobile platform. A mobile panoramic video acquisition system may suffer from global mechanical vibrations as well as independent inter-camera vibrations resulting in a jittery panoramic video. While existing stabilization schemes generally tackle single-camera vibrations, they do not account for these inter-camera vibrations. In this paper, we propose a video stabilization technique for multi-camera panoramic videos under the consideration that independent jitter may be exhibited by content of each camera. The proposed method comprises of three steps; the first step removes the global jitter in the video by estimating collective motion and subsequently removing the high frequency component from it. The second step removes the independent i.e. local jitter of each camera by estimating motion of each camera content separately. Pixels that are located in the overlapping regions of panoramic video are contributed by neighboring cameras, therefore, the estimated camera motion for these pixels is weighted using the blend masks generated by the stitching process. The final step applies local geometric warping to the stitched frames and removes any residual jitter induced due to parallax. Experimental results prove that proposed scheme performs better than existing panoramic stabilization schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The date fruit is a primary component of the human diet in many countries with arid and semiarid climates. The present study reflects the relationship of different biochemical attributes with progressive date fruit developmental stages. The study involved eight date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars from Pakistan examined at three different edible stages of dates (khalal, rutab and tamar). The antiradical efficiency (2.14- 0.36), antioxidant enzymes (catalase and peroxidase), total phenolic contents (468.99-108 mg GAE/100g, FW) and the soluble protein contents (5.73-2.75 g/100g) were higher in higher at khalal and thereafter, but declined at fully ripened (tamar) stage. Moreover, glucose (16.92-31.66%) and fructose (15.25-30.58%) have lower quantity at khalal and higher quantity at tamar stage, whereas non-reducing (sucrose) sugars were present only at khalal and rutab stage fruits. Makran and Chohara cultivars revealed best overall values in examined compounds. Our results revealed that variation in different biochemical attributes is mainly depended on the difference in fruit maturity stage and cultivar. Cultivars exhibiting high values of beneficial biochemical attributes may be considered for the expansion of date palm cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a field study, the performance of mashbean in a sesame-mash intercropping system under different geometric arrangements was evaluated on a sandy-clay loam soil at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad for two consecutive years. The planting pattern comprised 40 cm spaced single rows, 60 cm spaced 2-row strips and 100 cm spaced 4-row strips while mashbean was intercropped in all the three planting patterns and also grown as sole crop. The results revealed that planting sesame in the pattern of 100 cm spaced 4-row strips explored the possibility of intercropping mashbean in sesame by producing significantly maximum seed yield of mashbean (703.10 kg ha-1) and base crop i.e. sesame (687.40 kg ha-1) as compared to 40 cm spaced single rows and 60 cm spaced 2-row strips planting patterns. Besides, the intercropping sesame with mashbean in pattern of 100 cm spaced 4-row strips appeared to be feasible, convenient and gave maximum net profit (Rs.21242 ha-1) as compared to other two planting patterns and monocropped sesame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainwater harvesting is a well-known method of collecting and storing rainwater that can subsequently be used for different purposes. Most of the recent studies focused on how to use the harvested rainwater effectively to reduce the use of potable water for non-potable usage and ultimately cut down the water demand from the mains. However, studies on rainwater harvesting system have rarely been undertaken for drinking water production at the household level in rural areas, where a centralised water supply system is unavailable. The present study reports the feasibility of a small-scale rainwater harvesting system intended to produce drinking water for rural/isolated communities. A number of parameters such as roof size, tank size, water demand and daily filtration rate were taken into consideration to examine the performance of the rainwater harvesting system. Local meteorological and costing data were used in the study assuming that the system would provide drinking water to a typical household of four people. It is found that the small-scale rainwater harvesting system can satisfy the drinking water demand throughout the year with 90–97% reliability depending on the roof size. In addition, the capacity of monthly water production from different rainwater harvesting systems is presented that can be adopted to increase the reliability further. A life cycle cost analysis of the system is presented including sensitivity analysis. It is found that the preferred rainwater tank size for a household having 100 m2 roof area in Werrington, New South Wales is 5 kL. The system payback time falls between 1 and 6 years depending on the price of the produced drinking water. The cost of the produced drinking water including disinfection and mineral addition is found to be 1.04 AU₵/L. In addition, the intended rainwater harvesting system could result in a monetary return of AU$ 35,494 over its lifetime of 25 years. This study shows that the production of drinking water by rainwater harvesting for rural communities is possible at an affordable cost, which is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. Image 1 • A small scale RWH system can provide drinking water to rural households. • A 5 kL rainwater tank is the optimum size for 100 m2 roof area in Werrington, NSW. • System payback period falls between 1 and 6 years depending on water price. • The proposed RWH system results in a return of AU$ 35,494 over its lifetime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to devise a sustainable solution for drinking water supply in rural communities at an affordable cost, which is specifically related to the two of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals: G3. Good health and well-being and G6. Clean water and sanitation. In this regard, the objective of this scoping review is to evaluate the sustainability, in relation to technical, financial and acceptability aspects, of a small-scale rainwater harvesting system to identify whether it can fulfil the demand of drinking water at a household level in rural communities at an affordable cost and in a sustainable manner. We have reviewed recent studies on rainwater harvesting systems to investigate: i. Whether a small scale system is economically and technically viable at rural community level, ii. Whether the quality of harvested rainwater meets drinking water standard, iii. Why rainwater harvesting system has not become mainstream water supply system as yet and iv. how climate change can affect the reliability of a small scale rainwater harvesting system? It is found that small scale roof connected rainwater harvesting system is likely to be economically and technically feasible when certain steps and risk assessment procedures are followed in designing and maintaining the system. It is also found that harvested rainwater needs robust treatment before human consumption. The public perceptions, capital cost, lack of knowledge on rainwater harvesting system, mix information about the quality of rainwater, risk associated with the system because of climate change, degradation of stored water quality with time and in some cases inadequate policies obstruct widespread adoption of rainwater harvesting technology. The world may see a dramatic change is socio-economic development of many rural areas when a sustainable drinking water supply system is established via a rainwater harvesting system. • There has been limited research on rainwater harvesting for producing drinking water. • Harvested rainwater in rural areas are generally consumed without formal treatment. • Inappropriate design of rainwater systems is a barrier to achieve sustainability. • Impact of climate change on RWH system reliability should be considered in WBM. • Proper treatment and disinfection method can convert rainwater to drinking water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]