Horticultural crops are rich in constituents such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals important for human health. Under biotic and abiotic stress conditions, rhizospheric bacteria are powerful sources of phytohormones such as indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA), abscisic acid (ABA) and Plant growth regulators including cytokines, ammonia, nitrogen, siderophores, phosphate, and extra cellular enzymes. These phytohormones help horticultural crops grow both directly and indirectly. In recent agricultural practices, the massive use of chemical fertilizers causes a major loss of agricultural land that can be resolved by using the potent plant growth-promoting rhizospheric bacteria that protect the agricultural and horticultural crops from the adverse effect of phytopathogens and increase crop quality and yield. This review highlights the role of multifunctional rhizospheric bacteria in the growth promotion of horticultural crops in greenhouse conditions and agricultural fields. The relevance of plant growth hormones in horticultural crops highlighted in the current study is crucial for sustainable agriculture.

In this paper, a classification of low-dimensional nanomaterials is given, and new type of these nanomaterials — subnanophase coatings are proposed. Experimental results on the formation of a wetting layer of a transition metal on a silicon substrate by physical deposition in vacuum and results of this layer identification by the EELS method are given. Based on these results, a new approach to the formation of subnanophase coatings has been proposed by creation of an interface stresses structuring WL. The possible properties and application prospects of subnanophase coatings are considered.

Marine geological maps of the Campania region have been constructed both to a 1:25.000 and to a 1:10.000 scale in the frame of the research projects financed by the Italian National Geological Survey, focusing, in particular, on the Gulf of Naples (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea), a complex volcanic area where volcanic and sedimentary processes strongly interacted during the Late Quaternary and on the Cilento Promontory offshore. In this paper, the examples of the geological sheets n. 464 “Isola di Ischia” and n. 502 “Agropoli” have been studied. The integration of the geological maps with the seismo-stratigraphic setting of the study areas has also been performed based on the realization of interpreted seismic profiles, providing interesting data on the geological setting of the subsurface. The coastal geological sedimentation in the Ischia and Agropoli offshore has been studied in detail. The mapped geological units are represented by: i) the rocky units of the acoustic basement (volcanic and/or sedimentary); ii) the deposits of the littoral environment, including the deposits of submerged beach and the deposits of toe of coastal cliff; iii) the deposits of the inner shelf environment, including the inner shelf deposits and the bioclastic deposits; iv) the deposits of the outer shelf environment, including the clastic deposits and the bioclastic deposits; v) the lowstand system tract; vi) the Pleistocene relict marine units; vii) different volcanic units in Pleistocene age. The seismo-stratigraphic data, coupled with the sedimentological and environmental data provided by the geological maps, provided us with new insights on the geologic evolution of this area during the Late Quaternary.

Regarding to the influence of chloride and fluoride ions on the corrosion resistance, the electrochemical behavior of Ti alloys has been deeply studied. In this work, the main goal was to investigate the electrochemical behavior of cp-Ti and Ti-Mo alloys containing 6, 10 and 15 wt% of Mo concentrations. All the samples were immersed in different solutions, such as 0.15 mol L^-1 Na₂SO₄, 0.15 mol L^-1 Ringer, 0.15 mol L^-1 Ringer plus 0.036 mol L^-1 NaF and 0.036 mol L^-1 NaF. Simulating the commercial fluorinated gels, the NaF solutions naturally-aerated were prepared with 1450 ppm of fluoride ions. The electrochemical techniques applied in this work were the open-circuit potential, cyclic voltammetry, besides the technique for chemical identification, which was X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The formation and growth of TiO₂ and MoO₂ were identified, without pitting corrosion. The electrochemical stability and the corrosion resistance of the Ti-Mo alloys decreased in the solutions containing chloride and fluoride ions, with an appreciative decrease especially in the fluorinated medium. The Ti-Mo alloy with higher Mo content concentration was the material with higher corrosion resistance. Therefore, it is a promising candidate as a biomaterial, once the osseointegration needs a satisfactory corrosion resistance for being achieved.

This study examines conditions that impact PPP delivery success or failure in the roadways sector in India using Qualitative Comparative Analysis. QCA is well-suited for problems where multiple factors combine to create pathways leading to an outcome. Past investigations have compared PPP and non-PPP project delivery performance, but this study examines performance within PPPs by uncovering a set of conditions that combine to influence the success or failure road PPP project delivery in India. Based on data from 21 cases, pathways explaining project delivery success or failure were identified. Specifically, PPPs with high concessionaire equity investment and low regional industrial activity led to project delivery success. Projects with lower concessionaire equity investment and low reliance on toll revenue and with either: (a) high project technical complexity or (b) high regional industrial activity, led to project delivery failure. The pathways identified did not have coverage values that they were extremely strong. Coverage strength was hindered by lack of access to information on additional conditions that could be configurationally important. Further, certain characteristics of the Indian market limit generalization. Identification of combinations of conditions leading to PPP project delivery success or failure improves knowledge of the impacts of structure and characteristics of these complex arrangements. This study is one of the first to use fuzzy QCA to understand project delivery success/failure in road PPP projects. Moreover, this study takes into account factors specific to a sector and delivery mode to explain project delivery performance.

A three-factor experiment was set at the Horticulture Laboratory, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, to study the effects of the controlled deterioration (CD) on the pea seeds at the constant temperature of 35 ℃. The 3 factors considered were: 3 pea seed sources (Rangpur Local/RL, Dinajpur Local/DL and Thakurgaon Local/TL); 3 ageing periods (0, 8 and 16 days); and 3 seed moisture contents (12, 16 and 20% MC). The 27 treatment combinations compared in the CRD with the 3 repetitions for the 8 arenas were: % germination, % abnormal seedlings, % dead seeds, % soil emergence and seedling evaluation test for the root and shoot lengths as well as their dry matter contents. Identical prototypes of notable (5–1% level) degradations were recorded everywhere. But the disparities were lucid under the extreme stresses. Moreover, highly noteworthy (1% level) relations were traced amid all the traits ranging from -0.9847 (soil emergence × abnormal seedling) to 0.9623 (soil emergence × normal seedling). So, the CD technique was very effectual in judging the physiological statuses of the seed sources studied. Thus, the germination test might be add-on by a vigor test, the latter of which could be assessed by quantifying the seedlings’ root and shoot lengths and/or their dry matter accumulations. Moreover, in the seed quality certification, the suitable limits of vigor for the chosen traits could also be got by this technique. But the seeds of several pea varieties should be exploited to fix-up the agreeable limits of the traits. Furthermore, to save time, the ageing period could be squeezed by raising the seed MC.