Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
General and Specific Combining Ability in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) for Seed Yield and Related Traits

Combining ability study on seed yield per plant from a 7x 7 half-diallel cross of sesame over two years showed that both general combining ability (gca) and specific combining ability (sca) variances important for controlling the traits. Thus, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the gene action and select appropriate parents/crosses using combining ability analysis. Both additive and non additive was of greater significance for seed yield per plant, capsules per plant, days to flowering and oil content. Non additive genetic variances were in the genetic for 1000 seed weight and branches per plant. On the contrary preponderance of additive genetic was found in the inheritance of capsule length and seeds per capsule. The relative magnitude non-additive year interaction was larger than additive x year interaction. The variety Suprava was the best general combiner for seed yield and its major components except oil content. The cross combinations Suprava x Savitri, Suprava x JLT 408 and EC 90 x Savitri would be the best choices for obtaining Original Research Article Prakash and Dasgupta; CJAST, 40(12): 81-87, 2021; Article no.CJAST. 68779 82 desirable recombinants. Suprava x Savitri having additive gene control emerged as the best specific combiner for yield and its components except oil content. For improving seed yield and oil content simultaneously, the specific combiner IC 59 x Savitri was identified to be ideal as this cross mostly controlled by additive gene action and hence desirable recombinants can be obtained in early segregating generation. Breeding strategy for different crosses has been discussed in details. The information could help sesame breeders for appropriate selection of parents with high yield potential and oil content to develop future hybridization programs.
Lecturers’ Organizational Citizenship Behaviours During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: A limited number of studies indicate that organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) have the potential to contribute to organizational and individual performance. Educators who have positive behaviours such as helping behaviour can help facilitate the learning process. With the spread of COVID-19 pandemic which has led to the growth of online learning, OCBs among educators is needed in facilitating students’ learning process. This study was conducted to examine the practice of OCB among lecturers from an institution of higher learning who are currently using online learning as the platform of teaching. Based on the input obtained from 136 students, the results found that lecturers are indeed showing high levels of OCB. These students have reported a total of forty behaviours classified as OCB among lecturers. In terms of implications, lecturers’ OCB are seen to be able to support the online learning process which is a new method for most students. Keywords: Academic performance, COVID-19, e-learning, Organizational citizenship behaviours, pandemic.
Experimental and Kinetic Modeling Studies on the Sulfuric Acid Catalyzed Conversion of d-Fructose to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural and Levulinic Acid in Water

Levulinic acid (LA) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) have been identified as promising biomass-derived platform chemicals. A kinetic study on the conversion of d-fructose to HMF and LA in water using sulfuric acid as the catalyst has been performed in batch setups. The experiments were carried out in a temperature window of 140–180 °C, using sulfuric acid as the catalyst (0.005–1 M) and an initial d-fructose concentration between 0.1 and 1 M. A kinetic model for the conversion of d-fructose to HMF and the subsequent reaction of HMF to LA was developed including the kinetics for the formation of solid byproducts (humins) using a power-law approach. According to the model, the maximum attainable HMF yield in the experimental window is 56 mol % (Cfruc = 0.1 M; Cacid = 0.005 M; 166 °C), which is close to the highest experimental value within the range (53 mol %) and considerably higher than that reported for d-glucose. The highest modeled LA yield was 70 mol % (Cfruc = 0.1 M; Cacid = 1 M; 140 °C), close to t.
Determination of the best method for processing gambier liquid by-product [Uncaria gambir (hunter) roxb] as natural antioxidant sources

The study was conducted to determine the best gambier liquid by-product (GLB) processing methods based on antioxidant activity as natural antioxidant sources. The processing methods were A (ethyl acetate fractionation), B (oven drying) and C (freeze drying) methods. The observed variables were dry extract (using weighing method), tannin (using hide powder method), catechin (using SNI 01339-2000 method), total phenol (using folin ciocalteu reagents) and antioxidant activities (DPPH method) based on ICAO50. These antioxidant activities were compared with vitamin C as a positive
A user selection algorithm for aggregating electric vehicle demands based on a multi‐armed bandit approach

School of Electrical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Smart Grid Technology and Equipment, Nanjing, China State Grid Taizhou Power Supply Company, Taizhou, China School of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, University of North Carolina‐Charlotte, Charlotte, USA School of Electrical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
Leaf morphological traits of Orophea spp. (Annonaceae): Living collections of Purwodadi Botanic Gardens, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Lestari DA, Fiqa AP, Abywijaya IK. 2021. Leaf morphological traits of Orophea spp. (Annonaceae): Living collections of Purwodadi Botanic Gardens, East Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 3403-3411. Orophea (Annonaceae) have various benefits and play important roles in lowland forest structures. Due to their importance, various Orophea species currently require identification for research and conservation purposes. One of many important variables for such purpose is leaf morphometrical features. This study aimed to investigate leaf morphometrical variations, measure morphometrical similarities, and identify determinant morphometrical traits for species identification in Orophea spp. As many as 23 living plant specimens of Orophea spp. cultivated in Purwodadi Botanic Gardens (belongs to 4 species: Orophea celebica, O. chlorantha, O. enneandra, O. hexandra and an unidentified Orophea sp.) were observed. Twelve measured leaf morphometrical traits in this study were leaf length and width, petiole length, distance from leaf base to the widest part of the leaf, number of secondary veins, apex and base shape, leaf area, length of leaf margin, length to width ratio, leaf roundness and slimness indices. Data were analyzed using multiple one-way ANOVA, Hierarchical Cluster and Principal Component Analyses from within R. The results highlighted that O. hexandra was the most distinguishable species with number of secondary veins, length to width ratio, and leaf slimness as the most distinct characters. The unidentified species of Orophea sp. exhibited morphometrical characters similar to O. chlorantha. No distinct leaf morphometrical traits were able to be identified as determinant characters to each species. Thus, suggesting leaf morphological traits analyses to be used only as a supporting component for plant identification, while still paying attention to the plant’s generative characters.
Development of small-and medium-sized enterprises through information technology adoption persistence in Vietnam

ABSTRACT Understanding how small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adopt information technology (IT) in a rapidly changing business environment is important to promote their development. Utilizing longitudinal data of SMEs and the local business environments in a transition economy over a period of 2005–2015 and applying the dynamic random effect probit model as was done in the study “Business environment and innovation persistence: The case of small- and- medium sized enterprises in Vietnam” published in Economics of Innovation and New Technology, this study finds that the persistence of SMEs’ IT adoption is reduced in an improved local business environment. This finding indicates that an improved local business environment is an enabling factor for SMEs without prior experience to begin IT adoption. As a result, policymakers in transition economies are recommended to enhance SMEs’ IT adoption for development by synchronizing IT policies and policies to improve the quality of the local business environment.
Information and Communication Technologies in Medical Education

During the COVID-19 epidemic, almost all countries of the world faced the problem of closing schools and universities by switching to 100% online education, which greatly affected education in general. Distance learning, which has only just begun to be in demand, has become the only way to guarantee continuity in learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This contribution is a brief review of the literature on the limitations and benefits of distance learning using information and communication technologies in medicine, in particular at the higher school level, with a focus on the experience and features of distance learning during the COVID-19 emergency in Uzbekistan.
The Role of Epigenetics in Periodontal and Systemic Diseases and Smoking: A Systematic Review

The aims of this systematic review were to identify and synthesize the evidence for an association in DNA methylation/histone modifications between periodontal diseases and systemic diseases/smoking. Electronic database searches using relevant search terms in PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and SciELO, and manual searches, were independently conducted to identify articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Nine studies of 1482 participants were included. Periodontitis was compared to metabolic disorders, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), cancer, and smokers, as well as healthy controls. Substantial variation regarding the reporting of sample sizes and patient characteristics, statistical analyses, and methodology was found. IL6 and TNF were modified similarly in RA and periodontitis. While TIMP-3 and GSTP-1 were significantly lower in periodontitis patients and controls than in cancer, SOCS-1, RMI2, CDH1, and COX2 were modified similarly in both cancer and periodontitis. While TLR4 in and CXCL8 were affected in periodontitis independent of smoking habit, smoking might change the transcription and methylation states of ECM organization-related genes, which exacerbated the periodontal condition. There was some evidence, albeit inconsistent, for an association between DNA methylation and periodontal diseases and systemic diseases or smokers compared to healthy patients or non-smokers.
Evolution in aviculture: loss of genetic diversity and head-colour morph frequency divergence in the domesticated Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae)

ABSTRACT Aviculturists are enthusiastic to be included in conservation efforts by providing expertise or genetic stock to support captive-breeding or reintroduction programmes, but little work has explored these possibilities. Bringing organisms into captivity can have rapid and profound effects on behaviour, physiology, and population genetic diversity, which can have important consequences for viability of reintroduction and the extrapolation of captive experiments to wild counterparts. The Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae) is a popular avicultural species that is endangered in the wild, and potential flagship for such reintroduction efforts. Here we used microsatellite and mitochondrial markers to characterise genetic diversity within and among avicultural populations in the broader population of domesticated Gouldian Finches in Australia, and with respect to natural head-colour morphs and artificially selected plumage variation. Domesticated Gouldian Finches have reduced the number of genetic variants by 32–48% compared to current wild populations, as well as high relatedness, and genetic structure among aviculturists. Indeed, regardless of collection size no aviculturist approached the total diversity held among all breeders. Head-colour genotype frequencies were substantially different from the wild, potentially due to selection or non-random mating in the domesticated populations. Given the previously established relationship between head-colour and functional traits, and possible adaptation to captivity, we suggest caution before introducing domesticated stock into the wild. Indeed, the status quo of relatively closed populations is potentially susceptible to inbreeding depression and further loss of genetic diversity, and we recommend a nationwide genetics-aware approach to any reintroduction programmes.
Exploring students' learning experience in online education. Analysis and proposals based on the case of a Spanish open learning university

Not surprisingly, the number of online universities continues to expand - especially in Covid-19 times. These institutions all offer “online education” with diverse institutional, technological, and pedagogical processes. However, a fundamental element has to do with the experience of the students, and how they adapt to the educational model of the online university in which they are studying. In this article, we present the main results of the case-study developed in one of the most historical and relevant virtual universities in an international context. We have explored and analysed the process of adaptation to the educational model by the student body, and their perceptions of their interactions with the pedagogical, institutional, and technological elements designed to support their learning. Qualitative and quantitative methods are used to gather and analyse the data. From 1715 students who participated in the survey and the perceptions of 30 students individually interviewed, the results show positive evaluations regarding the integration and adoption of technological competencies, and also, that the online education generally serves as a responsive model to the emergent needs of the learner. However, the results also show that students have important concerns regarding the pedagogical and institutional support provided.
Thermal pleasure inside solar screened spaces: an experimental study to explore alliesthesia in architecture

ABSTRACT Controlled non-uniform indoor thermal environments have the potential to evoke thermal pleasure in occupants as explained by the psychophysiological framework of alliesthesia. In this study, the authors aimed to explore thermal pleasure inside solar screen shaded, single-occupancy, perimeter office set-ups that are within a 4.5 m distance from a building facade. Two solar screens, static (stationary) and dynamic (movable), were designed to differently control the thermal environments inside the single-occupancy, perimeter office set-ups. A within-subject experiment was designed in which 27 human participants were exposed to both set-ups. Subjective responses on thermal pleasure as well as objective data including the participants’ physiological responses and indoor environmental data were collected during these exposures. Correlations between the subjective responses and objective data were analysed. Ramps in operative temperatures and skin temperature contrasts were found to have a significant influence (p < 0.05) on evoking thermal pleasure in ambient thermal environments of the solar-screened, perimeter offices that remained in the upper fringes of the thermoneutrality limits. The findings provide experimental evidence that expands the application of the thermal alliesthesia framework to building perimeter offices. This work contributes to occupant-centric building research by describing an approach to design shading systems that cater to occupant’s thermal pleasure.
Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of a subalpine deciduous shrub Lonicera angustifolia var. myrtillus (Caprifoliaceae)

Abstract The genus Lonicera (Caprifoliaceae) is of great economical significance. It has been taxonomically studied frequently in history, while phylogenetic relationships intra the genus are still obscure. Here, we reported the first species complete chloroplast genome sequence in the section Isoxylosteum, Lonicera angustifolia var. myrtillus. It is 156,222 bp in length, comprising a large single-copy (LSC) region of 89,838 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 19,211 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 23,509 bp. In L. angustifolia var. myrtillus chloroplast genome, a total of 114 functional genes were identified, with an overall GC content of 38.4%. The phylogenetic relationships of Lonicera based on maximum-likelihood (ML) showed that L. angustifolia var. myrtillus is most closely related to L. nervosa in section Isika. Our study contributes to the molecular phylogenetic studies of Lonicera and Caprifoliaceae.
The two Bis(4-aminosalicylato-O) bis(N,N-dimethylethylenediamine)Ni(II) complexes

Abstract The two complexes of Bis(4-aminosalicylato-O) bis(N,N-dimethylethylenediamine)Ni(II) with different colors, were synthesized by the reaction between sodium salt of 4-aminosalicylic acid (PAS-Na), Ni(NO3)2 · 6 H2O and N,N-dimethylethylenediamine in the ethanol water mixture. In the complexes, each Ni(II) atom was in a distorted octahedral environment, was coordinated apically by two 4-aminosalicylato-O atoms and equatorially by two the N,N-dimethylethylenediamine N atoms. The crystal structures (monoclinic, P21/n space group) of the complexes, comprise mononuclear {Ni(NH2OHC6H3COO)2 · [NH2CH2CH2N(CH3)2]2} species and the Ni(II) atoms were located on a crystallographic inversion centre. The bond lengths and bond angles were nearly same with showing small difference as approximately 1% in coordination bonds lengths which caused the different colors for complexes. The N—H···O, C—H···O and C—H···π intermolecular interactions, extended the molecules through the three axes to form three dimensional network.
Analysis of Free Convection about a Vertical Cone in a Porous Medium Saturated by a Nanofluid

This work studies the free convection heat transfer about a vertical cone embedded in a porous medium saturated by a nanofluid with constant wall temperature. Instead of the commonly used boundary conditions of constant wall nanoparticle volume fraction, a boundary condition of zero nanoparticle flux is employed to obtain results more realistic and useful. Similarity equations are derived and then solved by the cubic spline collocation method. The temperature profile and the velocity profile are plotted for various values of important parameters. The effects of important parameters on the local Nusselt number have been studied. Results show that an increase in the thermophoresis parameter tends to decrease the local Nusselt number. However, the local Nusselt number is almost independent of the Brownian parameter and the buoyancy ratio. Furthermore, the local Nusselt number tends to increase as the Lewis number is decreased.
The role of basic psychological needs satisfaction in the relationship between transformational leadership and innovative work behavior

The aim of this contribution was to investigate predictors of innovative work behavior (IWB) in nonprofit organizations. For instance, in schools, innovative solutions are crucial as the quality of education and therefore the schools' competitiveness depends on their ability to keep pace with technological, economic, and societal transformations. We addressed this issue in a quantitative study with 130 teachers in Dutch secondary schools employing a time-lag design. In accordance with self-determination theory, we investigated the role of transformational leadership for enhancing IWB and the role of basic psychological needs satisfaction in mediating this relationship. By employing structural equation modeling, we found that transformational leadership was positively related to the satisfaction of the teachers' needs for autonomy and competence. Furthermore, the satisfaction of the need for competence positively predicted teachers' IWB. In addition, perceived competence fully mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and teachers' IWB. Accordingly, persons with leadership responsibilities should adopt a transformational leadership style and motivate their employees by providing individual attention, intellectual stimulation, and encouragement for goal striving. Specifically, leaders may provide feedback on employees' innovative ideas and their strategies for realizing innovative solutions, thus helping them to become increasingly confident about what they can achieve and improve concerning their contributions to innovation development. For human resource development (HRD) professionals, our findings imply that efforts toward leadership training and development (e.g., training, coaching, and mentoring) should incorporate knowledge and practical experiences about transformational leadership as well as its role for employees' IWB and their contributions to organizational and professional development.
Estimation of the Age of Architectural Heritage Objects by Microstructural Changes of Calcite in Lime Mortars of Ancient Brickwork and Masonry

Determining the age of ancient architectural and cultural monuments is a significant scientific problem. An approach based on the transformation of portlandite into calcite and subsequent recrystallization of calcite is considered, which allows for estimating the relative age of ancient brickworks for local groups of historic buildings based on the results of diffraction studies of powder samples of carbonate mortars and measurements of samples with a known age. This article presents the results of the study of lime mortars of ancient brickwork. Under natural conditions, the process of transformation of portlandite into calcite takes from 100 to 200 years. The rate of this process is influenced by temperature, humidity, peculiarities of interaction with carbon dioxide contained in the air, etc. Examples show that portlandite is completely transformed into calcite in masonry mortars of the 18th century and that portlandite is not found in older mortars. It was determined that after the transformation of portlandite into calcite, an increase in the degree of recrystallization of calcite is observed, which manifests itself in powder diffraction patterns in the relative broadening of the diffraction peak of calcite hkl 104. In a detailed study, an estimate of the peak width at half maximum (FWHM) associated with the degree of crystallinity is effective. The actual data are given, which show that in older lime mortars the degree of recrystallization of calcite is higher than in younger ones. This fact makes it possible to indirectly determine the relative age of brickwork and masonry of various buildings of architectural heritage, which is especially relevant for the objects with the use of lime mortars of the northern provinces of the Byzantine Oecumene and other periods of various cultures.