Drought stress is a serious adverse factor that limits sunflower growth and productivity. The stress induces a range of physiological and biochemical responses in sunflower. So, evaluation of defense systems is important for producing resistant cultivars. In this study, physio-biochemical changes and antioxidant enzymes activitiesof six sunflower lines were evaluated under normal and irrigation...

Global change is exerting a major effect on plant communities, altering their potential capacity for adaptation. Here, we aimed at unveiling mechanisms of adaptation to high altitude in an endemic long-lived monocarpic, Saxifraga longifolia, by combining demographic and physiological approaches. Plants from three altitudes (570, 1100, and 2100 m above sea level [a.s.l.]) were investigated in te...

Groundwater is the main water resource for plant growth and development in the saline soil of the Yellow River Delta in China. To investigate the variabilities and distributions of soil water and salt contents at various groundwater level (GL), soil columns with planting Tamarix chinensis Lour were established at six different GL. The results demonstrated the following: With increasing GL, the ...

We report zero-field NMR measurements of a viscous organic liquid, ethylene glycol. Zero-field spectra were taken showing resolved scalar spin-spin coupling (J-coupling) for ethylene glycol at different temperatures and water contents. Molecular dynamics strongly affects the resonance linewidth, which closely follows viscosity. Quantum chemical calculations have been used to obtain the relative...

The electrical properties of sol-gel prepared aluminosilicate films were investigated for suitability in electronic applications. The aluminosilicate films exhibited apparent closed porosity and a dielectric constant as low as = 5 with processing temperatures from 373 K to 873 K. The porosity was inaccessible to nitrogen at 77 K, helium at 293 K, and water vapor at 293 K. Both bulk and thin-fil...

Contents Acknowledgements v Executive Summary vii

Bologna’s process and the opening of university teaching to new educational scenarios provide an opportunity for the implementation of innovative and active methodologies. This paper describes a practice implemented by the share and reuse of learning contents using streaming technology. Streaming technology was used since it promotes the support of pedagogical activity as a dynamic resource and...

i CONTENTS iv FIGURES viii TABLES xi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xiv AUTHOR’S DECLARATION xvi CHAPTER