Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VARIABILITY, HERITABILITY AND CORRELATION STUDIES ON GRAIN YIELD AND RELATED TRAITS IN SPRING WHEAT GENOTYPES

A field research was done at the research station of AFU, Rampur, Chitwan during the wheat growing season of 2018/19 to study the genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance, and correlation of grain yield and yield attributing traits in wheat. Eight wheat genotypes were tested using Completely Randomized Block Design with three replications under rainfed condition. Observations were taken for grain yield, spike length, number of tillers per m2, test weight, number of grains per spike, and grain weight per spike. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the tested wheat genotypes for all the characters, except number of tillers per m2. 8thHPYT409 had the highest number of effective tillers per m2 (399), number of grains per spike (54), grain weight per spike (2.32 g), test weight (406 g) and grain yield per plot (2.51 kg). Number of grains per spike had the highest broad sense heritability (0.72) along with high genetic advance (22%) which can be considered the good estimate for effective selection of the trait. Moderate heritability (0.54) and highest genetic advance (31%) was estimated for grain yield per plot. Number of grains per spike had highly significant positive correlation with grain weight per spike and yield per plot, suggesting number of grains per spike has positive influence on yield (r = 0.59**).
Development of an indirect spectrophotometric method for determination of methamidophos insecticide in soil, water and vegetable samples

A simple and rapid indirect spectrophotometric method for determination of methamidophos in water, soil and vegetable samples has been described. Methamidophos reacts with acid produced from p -dimethylaminobenzaldehyde ( p -DMAB) as a result of Cannizaro’s reaction. The resultant adduct undergoes condensation reaction in acidic medium forming a yellow colored product. Absorbance of the colored product was measured at 405 nm and pH 3 against a reagent blank. The Beer’s law range is obeyed in the range 1-30 µg mL -1 with molar absorptivity of 2.8 ×10 3 L mol -1 cm -1 . The limit of detection and quantification were found to be 0.20±0.03 and 0.60±0.04 µg mL -1 respectively. The proposed method was effectively applied for determination of methamidophos in various samples with percent recoveries in the range of 96±0.08 to 102±0.06 %. KEY WORDS : Spectrophotometric, Methamidophos, p -Dimethylaminobenzaldehyde ( p -DMAB), Cannizaro’s reaction Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2015 , 29(2), 311-318 DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.4314/bcse.v29i2. 13
Liquid Crystalline Epoxy Thermosets

Abstract Rigid rod epoxy compounds can be cured in liquid crystalline structure. The so obtained networks exhibit better mechanical properties with respect to the isotropic ones. The mesogenic character of the epoxy compounds appears more crucial than the molecular geometry of the curing agent in developing liquid crystallinity. The curing temperature plays an important role in affecting the state of order of the thermosets.
Prediction of soil organic matter using a spatially constrained local partial least squares regression and the Chinese vis–NIR spectral library

We need to determine the best use of soil vis–NIR spectral libraries that are being developed at regional, national and global scales to predict soil properties from new spectral readings. To reduce the complexity of a calibration dataset derived from the Chinese vis–NIR soil spectral library (CSSL), we tested a local regression method that combined geographical sub‐setting with a local partial least squares regression (local‐PLSR) that uses a limited number of similar vis–NIR spectra (k‐nearest neighbours). The central idea of the local regression, and of other local statistical approaches, is to derive a local prediction model by identifying samples in the calibration dataset that are similar, in spectral variable space, to the samples used for prediction. Here, to derive our local regressions we used Euclidean distance in spectral space between the calibration dataset and prediction samples, and we also used soil geographical zoning to account for similarities in soil‐forming conditions. We tested this approach with the CSSL, which comprised 2732 soil samples collected from 20 provinces in the People's Republic of China to predict soil organic matter (SOM). Results showed that the prediction accuracy of our spatially constrained local‐PLSR method (R2 = 0.74, RPIQ = 2.6) was better than that from local‐PLSR (R2 = 0.69, RPIQ = 2.3) and PLSR alone (R2 = 0.50, RPIQ = 1.5). The coupling of a local‐PLSR regression with soil geographical zoning can improve the accuracy of local SOM predictions using large, complex soil spectral libraries. The approach might be embedded into vis–NIR sensors for laboratory analysis or field estimation.
Further stability analysis of neutral-type Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with multiple delays

The key contribution of this paper is to study the stability analysis of neutral-type Cohen-Grossberg neural networks possessing multiple time delays in the states of the neurons and multiple neutral delays in time derivative of states of the neurons. By making the use of a proper Lyapunov functional, we propose a novel sufficient time-independent stability criterion for this model of neutral-type neural networks. The proposed stability criterion in this paper can be absolutely expressed in terms of the parameters of the neural network model considered as this newly proposed criterion only relies on the relationships established among the network parameters. A numerical example is also given to indicate the advantages of the obtained stability criterion over the previously published stability results for the same class of Cohen-Grossberg neural networks. Since obtaining stability conditions for neutral-type Cohen-Grossberg neural networks with multiple delays is a difficult task to achieve, there are only few papers in the literature dealing with this problem. Therefore, the results given in the current paper makes an important contribution to the stability problem for this class of neutral-type neural networks.
Theoretical study of potential energy surfaces for N12 clusters

Two new isomers of N12 clusters were reported in addition to the four isomers previously studied. The decomposition pathways of these six N12 isomers were studied by using the density functional theory (DFT) method at the B3LYP/6-31G* level. Relative energies were further calculated at the B3LYP/6-311+G(3df, 2p)//B3LYP/6-31G* level. DFT predicts that the dissociation of diazobispentazole proceeds via ring breaking and the barrier height is only 4.0 kcal/mol at the B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p)//B3LYP/6-31G* level. The dissociation reaction of N12 consisting of an aromatic N5 ring and a N7 open chain prefers ring breaking, at a cost of 9.2 kcal/mol, to breaking a bond in the side chain. For open-chain N12 (C2h) isomer, the B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p)//B3LYP/6-31G* barrier height for the N2 elimination reaction is 14.5 kcal/mol. As for the cyclic and cagelike isomers, their decomposition barrier heights are all much lower than 10 kcal/mol. From the results presented here, it seems that these six isomers are not kinetical.
Usefulness of NoneHigh-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol as a Predictor of Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Men in 22-Year Follow-Up

/17/$ i.org/1 low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) for prediction of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, studies comparing the predictive values of LDL-C and non-HDL-C for CVD and total mortality in a long-term follow-up yielded conflicting results. The Cardiovascular Occupational Risk Factor Determination in Israel Study (CORDIS) is a prospective cohort study of a young industrial population of workers with a long-term follow-up. The initial phase of the study was carried out in 1985e1999. Interviews and physical examinations were conducted, and fasting blood samples, including lipid panels, were undertaken. In 2007, after a 22-year follow-up period, the baseline data were merged with data on all-cause and CVD mortality obtained from the Israeli National Death Registry. A total of 4,832 men were included in the analysis with a mean age of 42.1 – 12.1 years. Univariate analysis indicated a positive association between non-HDL-C and LDL-C levels and an increased risk for both all-cause and CVD mortality. Multiple regression analysis, following adjustment for potential confounders, resulted in attenuation of the association of both lipoproteins with total mortality. The adjusted association between non-HDL-C levels ‡190 mg/dl and CVD mortality remained significant (hazard ratio 1.80, 95% confidence interval 1.10 to 2.96), but the association of LDL-C with CVD mortality was attenuated (hazard ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval 0.98 to 2.39). In conclusion, non-HDL-C may be a more potent predictor of CVD mortality than LDL-C levels. 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (Am J Cardiol 2017;119:1193e1198)
Simple phosphorus saturation index to estimate risk of dissolved P in runoff from arable soils

Abstract. There is increasing evidence that phosphorus has been accumulating in the surface horizons of agricultural soils to the extent that some soils represent a potential diffuse source of pollution to surface waters. The relationships between equilibrium phosphorus concentration at zero sorption (EPC 0) of soil and a number of soil physicochemical variables were investigated in the surface layers of arable and grassland agricultural soils sampled from the Thame catchment, England. Soil EPC0 could be predicted from an equation including soil test (Olsen) P, soil phosphate sorption index (PSI) and organic matter content (OM) (R2=0.88; P<0.001) across a range of soil types and land use. The simple index Olsen P/PSI was found to be a good predictor of EPC0 (R2=0.77; P<0.001) and readily desorbable (0.02 m KCl extractable) P (R2=0.73; P<0.001) across a range of soil types under arable having soil organic matter contents of <10%.
Cell membrane electrical charge investigations by silicon nanowires incorporated field effect transistor (SiNWFET) suitable in cancer research

Obtaining biocompatible skein shaped silicon nanowires covered field-effect transistors (SiNWFETs) is reported. Such structures are formed by the growth of Si nanowires on top of the polysilicon gate terminal of a n-MOSFET in three-probe top-gate geometry for cells membrane electrical charge detection suitable in biological applications such as cancer investigations. We observe that electro-negativity increment of metastatic cells outer membrane restricts the drain current of bioFET. SiNWFET is proposed to be used covered with skein SiNW. Different invasive grades of colon cancers (HT29 and SW48) owing to their dissimilar negative charge production, affect the electrical response of the device.
Thioacidolysis of Spruce Lignin: GC-MS Analysis of the Main Dimers Recovered After Raney Nickel Desulphuration

The GC-MS identification of the main dimers recovoered after thioacidolysis, then desulphuration over Raney nickel of spruce lignin allowed to characterize the various types of condensed linkages in softwood lignin. The major carbon-carbon bonds were observed to-be represented by the β-5, 5-5 and β-1 interunitary linkages established between two guaiacyl units, in agreement with literature data. Besides, minor linkage patterns were represented by dimers provided with the diphenyl ether, the phenylisochroman and the tetrahydrofuran structures
Augmentation of erythropoietin enhancer-mediated hypoxia-inducible gene expression by co-transfection of a plasmid encoding hypoxia-inducible factor 1α for ischemic tissue targeting gene therapy

Therapeutic angiogenesis with gene encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potential treatment for ischemic diseases. However, VEGF expression should be tightly regulated to avoid side effects such as tumor growth. Previously, our group developed the erythropoietin (Epo) enhancer–SV40 promoter system for hypoxia-specific gene expression. In the present study, the activity of the Epo enhancer–SV40 promoter system was further enhanced without significant decrease in its specificity by co-transfection of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) gene. pSV-HIF1α was constructed by the insertion of the HIF1α cDNA into pSI. At a 1:1 ratio, co-transfection of pSV-HIF1α and pEpo-SV-Luc increased the promoter activity of the Epo enhancer–SV40 promoter system, showing at least three times higher gene expression under hypoxia as compared with the pEpo-SV-Luc single-plasmid transfection. Furthermore, co-transfection showed significant hypoxia specificity. Also, co-transfection of pEpo-SV-VEGF with pSV-HIF1α showed the enhanced VEGF expression without loss of hypoxia specificity, as compared with pEpo-SV-VEGF single-plasmid transfection. Furthermore, pSV-HIF1α induced the endogenous hypoxia-responsive genes such as angiopoietin-1, which would be beneficial for therapeutic angiogenesis. Therefore, with hypoxia specificity and higher gene expression, co-transfection of pSV-HIF1α and pEpo-SV-VEGF may be useful for ischemia targeting gene therapy.
Degradation behaviors of monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) nanoparticles in aqueous solution

Monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(e-caprolactone)(MPEG-b-PCL) diblock copolymers were synthesized via a ring-opening polymerization. The polymeric nanoparticles prepared by precipitation/solvent evaporation exhibit a core–shell structure, characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The hydrolytic degradation of those nanoparticles was studied by DLS, NMR, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). It was found that the molecular weight of PCL block in a copolymer significantly affects the stability of nanoparticles in aqueous solution and nanoparticles with shorter PCL block length degraded faster. The degradation behaviors could be divided into two stages with slow degradation at the interface region via swelling effect and fast degradation at inner core via caves and channels formed by cleavage of ester bonds. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SUCCESSION PLANNING IN ORGANIZATIONS; IMPACT ON WORKPLACE

Succession planning today enables organizations to identify talented employees and provide education to develop them for further higher leach and broader responsibilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of succession planning on workforce productivity in Kenya. The study adopted desk based methodology. Specifically, the paper identified documentary evidence in the form of already completed studies that focused on succession planning and the impact it has on employees and the organizations at large. The study findings indicated that most organizations are engaging in formalized succession planning in order to offer the knowledge to help high potential employees fit into management positions. Therefore, succession planning programs have emerged as a strong factor influencing staff retention and thus improved productivity. Thus, organizations investment in their staff and improvement contributes to a pool of talent, which benefits the whole organization through retention. The study found that existing level of employee’s performance can be enhanced through providing more development opportunities to employees for strengthening their skills to work in synergy in the firms to compete with the challenges of the world. The paper recommends that succession planning should include those strategies that assist in acknowledging the need and form of value generating skills and knowledge that the organization would need, and transforming these values to competitive advantage(s) for the organization. Succession strategies should create corporate social identity for the organization, where employees sees themselves as owners or partners together with the employer, therefore they strive to make the organization progress. Keywords; Succession planning, Employee Performance, Productivity, Workplace Date of Submission: 12-03-2019 Date of Acceptance: 12-4-2019
Evaluation of Mehlich 3 for Extraction of Copper and Zinc from Irish Grassland Soils and for Prediction of Herbage Content

Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine how the extractant Mehlich 3 (M3) compared with other methods currently used in Ireland for determination of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in soils. Samples from eight different mineral soil types, four of sandstone/shale and four of limestone origin, were analyzed for copper and zinc using M3 and conventional extractants. Herbage samples were taken from the soils and analyzed for Cu and Zn. Mehlich 3 results showed good correlation with ethylenediamine‐tetraacetic acid (EDTA)– and diethylenetriamine‐pentaacetic acid (DTPA)–extractable Cu and Zn. Inclusion of soil properties in multiple regression models improved the coefficients of determination. All extractants were equal in their ability to predict Cu and Zn herbage content. Differences between sandstone/shale and limestone soils in relation to herbage content were also found, with the better relationship found in sandstone/shale soils.
Statistical model for molten Fe1−yCryNx (0·4≤y≤0·9)

Abstract Results of previous statistical thermodynamic analysis appeared to imply that N atoms in molten Fe1−yCry (0·05<y<0·2) are trapped in octahedral voids (O-sites) surrounded by one Cr atom and five Fe atoms. However, previous work did not include development of a statistical model for molten Fe1−yCryNx-with higher Cr content. In the present work, available equilibrium nitrogen pressure–temperature–composition relationships for molten Fe1−yCryNx were analysed in the composition range 0·4≤y≤0·9. The results of the present analysis appeared to suggest that in this composition range O-sites surrounded by four Cr atoms and two Fe atoms provide the trapping sites for N atoms.MST/721
A quantum-chemical-based guide to analyze/quantify the cytotoxicity of ionic liquids

A COSMO-RS descriptor (Sσ-profile) has been used in quantitative structure–activity relationship studies (QSARs) based on a neural network for the prediction of the toxicological effect of ionic liquids (ILs) on a leukemia rat cell line (LogEC50 IPC-81) for a wide variety of compounds including imidazolium, pyridinium, ammonium, phosphonium, pyrrolidinium and quinolinium ILs. Sσ-profile is a two-dimensional quantum-chemical parameter capable of characterising the electronic structure and molecular size of cations and anions. By using a COSMO-RS descriptor for a training set of 105 compounds (96 ILs and 9 closely related salts) with known biological activities (experimental LogEC50 IPC-81 values), a reliable neural network was designed for the systematic analysis of the influence of structural IL elements (cation side chain, head group, anion type and the presence of functional groups) on the cytotoxicity of ∼450 IL compounds. The Quantitative Structure–Activity Map (QSAM), a new concept developed here, was proposed as a valuable tool for (i) the molecular understanding of IL toxicity, by relating Log EC50 IPC-81 parameters to the electronic structure of compounds given by quantum-chemical calculations; and (ii) the sustainable design of IL products with low toxicity, by linking the chemical structure of counterions to the predictions of IL cytotoxicity in handy contour plots. As a principal contribution, quantum-chemical-based QSAM guides allow the analysis/quantification of the non-linear mixture effects of the toxicophores constituting the IL structures. Based on these favorable results, the QSAR model was applied to estimate IL cytotoxicities in order to screen commercially available compounds with comparatively low toxicities.
Surface enhanced Raman scattering from a single molecule adsorbed on a metal particle aggregate: A theoretical study

A methodology for the theoretical evaluation of Raman intensities for a molecule adsorbed on a metal particle aggregate, possibly in the presence of a solvent, is presented. The molecule is treated at the ab initio level, both in the evaluation of ground state electronic density and nuclear geometry, and in the evaluation of normal modes and Raman scattering factors. The whole metal aggregate, built by exploiting a Cluster–Cluster Aggregation (CCA) model, is described as an ensemble of polarizable dipoles. The metal particles nearest to the molecule are treated as a single complex shaped metal nanoparticle and the quasielectrostatic problem for the molecule–nanoparticle system is solved by using a Boundary Element Method (BEM). The solvent is modeled by using the Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM). Applications of the methodology to systems for which huge enhancements (1013–1014) of Raman intensities have been experimentally measured are given.
802. Infrared spectra of uranyl nitrate hydrates and rubidium uranyl nitrate

The infrared spectra of uranyl nitrate di-, tri-, and hexahydrate have been examined from 3700 to 700 cm/sup -1/, with nitrogen of normal isotopic composition and enriched in N/sup 15/, and most of the bands are assigned. The spectrum of uranyl nitrate hexahydrate is in most respects that of a typical ionic nitrate. The spectra of uranyl nitrate di- and trihydrate are similar to the spectrum of rubldium uranyl nitrate, and all three are closely related to the fluorescence spectrum of cesium uranyl nitrate, studied by Dieke and Duncan. These spectra are all characteristlc of compounds having coordinated nitrato- groups, and structures are suggested for the molecules in crystals of the di- and the trihydrate which account for the observed splitting of many of the bands. (auth)
Fabrication of hollow Cu2O@CuO-supported Au–Pd alloy nanoparticles with high catalytic activity through the galvanic replacement reaction

We report the synthesis of unique Au–Pd bimetallic alloy nanoparticles (NPs) supported on a hollow Cu2O–CuO core–shell heterostructure via the galvanic replacement method, which represents the first example of Au–Pd alloy nanoparticles immobilized on hollow Cu2O@CuO nanocubes. The morphological evolution can be controlled by the reaction time. The morphology, composition, and structure of the as-prepared Cu2O@CuO/(Au–Pd) material are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), elemental analysis (EDS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The size of the Au–Pd bimetallic NPs deposited onto the Cu2O@CuO nanocubes is ca. 15 nm. These bimetallic NPs showed a high catalytic activity towards the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) in water at room temperature. Significantly, the strong synergistic effect between Au and Pd, and the high specific surface area of Cu2O@CuO enhance the catalytic efficiency. The catalytic system can be reused for several cycles without any obvious decay of the catalytic efficiency.
Translational energy distribution and production mechanism of H* and D* produced by controlled electron impact on water and heavy water

The high resolution spectra of the Balmer lines of H* (n=3,4) and D* (n=3,4) have been measured with the use of a Fabry–Perot interferometer. Translational energy distributions of H* and D* calculated from their Doppler profiles have four components; their peaks lie at about 0.5, 4, 2, and 6–8 eV. There are four thresholds for the formation of H* (n=4) and D* (n=4) at about 18.7, 25.5, 31.3, and 38.9 eV. The production mechanisms of these components have been assigned to dissociation through Rydberg states converging to some ionic states of water such as the B 2B2, 2B1, 2A1, and doubly ionized states, respectively.