bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.) accessions for pollen sources in natural crossing by using microsatellites
Authors: Azka N.A. , Taryono  , Wulandari R.A.
Published: December 2021

Tea (Camellia sinensis L. [O.] Kuntze) is a highly cross-pollinated and self-incompatible plant. Seeds can be harvested from specific individual mother plants in polyclonal tea gardens. Whether the pollen donor plays an important role in seed formation remains unclear. This study aimed to identify the male parents of 72 natural hybridized progenies (F1) from one female parent on the basis of a putative specific allele by using simple-sequence repeat (SSR) markers and the exclusion-likelihood method with Cervus 3.0 software. The genetic material, which comprised seven accessions of C. sinensis L., was acquired from Assamica planted in the Kayulandak polyclonal seed garden of the Pagilaran tea plantation in Batang District, Central Java, Indonesia, and was studied during 2019 and 2020. The genotype PGL-15 was used as the female parent, whereas the six candidate genotypes PGL-10, GMB-9, GMB-7, TPS-93, GMB-11, and TRI-2025 were used as the male parents. In this study, 13 SSR loci were used to identify the male parents of the F1 progenies obtained through natural hybridization between one female and six male tea accessions. Results indicated that the exclusion-likelihood method, which correctly predicted 100% of the male parents, was more effective than the putative specific allele approach, which correctly predicted only 34.72% of the male parents in the 72 hybridized F1 progenies of tea plants.
Drought effects on the mineral composition of the leaves of Actinidia species
Authors: Tetyannikov N.V. , Кozak N.V. , Panischeva D.V. , Mertvischeva M.E. , Gins М.S. , Kаbashnikova L.F. , Domanskaya I.N. , Pilipovich Т.S.
Published: December 2021

Against the background of global climate change, drought stress has become one of the environmental limiting factors that can significantly influence the growth and development of crop plants. Drought stress conditions also cause changes in plant physiological and metabolic processes. The influence of soil drought on the mineral composition of the leaves of two Actinidia species with С3-type photosynthesis, namely, Actinidia argutа (Siebold & Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq. cultivar ‘Taezhny Dar’ and Actinidia kolomikta (Maxim. & Rupr.) Maxim. cultivar ‘Narodnaya’, was studied through energy dispersive spectrometry. The investigations were carried out during 2020 to 2021 at the Department of Genofonde and Bioresources of Plants, Federal Scientific Center for Horticulture, Moscow. The present research revealed that actinidia leaves contained the following major elements: K (11.19 mass% to 13.84 mass%), Ca (7.83% to 12.08 mass%), Cl (6.20 mass% to 7.33 mass%), and Mg (2.98 mass% to 3.44 mass%). Low values were recorded for Mo (1.19 mass% to 4.49 mass%) and P (0.83 mass% to 1.25 mass%). In both species, the mineral elements K and Ca were present at high levels. A positive correlation was observed between Mg–P, K–Mn, Mn–Se, Cu-Se, P–Si, Na–Mo, and Si–Mn in the leaves of A. argutа and between Cl–Ca, Mo; P–Si, Mo; and K–Ca in the leaves of A. kolomikta. Under stress conditions, the ratios of K/Ca and K/P declined to 0.9 and 6.3, respectively, whereas those of K/Cl, K/Mg, and K/Mo increased to 3.8, 4.4, and 2.7, respectively. The present studies conﬁrmed that actinidia leaves contained high concentrations of minerals, especially K, Ca, P, and Mg, and that the accumulation of mineral elements in actinidia plant leaves under drought conditions varied depending on the species.
Chili pepper genotypes assay approach for resistance to Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
Authors: Daryanto A. , Syukur M. , Sobir  , Maharijaya A. , Hidayat P.
Published: December 2021

The cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii), is one of the most devastating insect pests for chili pepper that damages the crop and transmits several viruses. Thus far, there is no commercial chili cultivar with effective resistance to cotton aphids (CA). The present study aimed to develop a reliable and practical screening protocol in chili peppers for aphids resistance in the tropical areas. Three no-choice test methods i.e., seedling cage, detached leaf, and clip cage tests have been developed. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications in a greenhouse at the Gunung Putri, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. Seven chili pepper genotypes belong to the species Capsicum annuum L. provided by the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia were used in this study. Chili pepper resistance to aphids was observed through the number of aphids progeny, and aphids fecundity among the genotypes. Two chili genotypes consistently showed low infestation while other genotypes showed the highest infestation with three screening methods. All the methods have a high heritability value (90%–91%), indicating that the evaluated chili genotypes could be used to determine effective screening methods. The correlation between the detached leaf and clip cage tests was significant (r = 0.84, P ≤ 0.05). Therefore, the clip cage test could be used as a reliable and practical screening test for the assay of chili peppers resistance to CA infestation. These information will be helpful in the development of aphid resistant cultivars in the future.
Morphophysiological characterization of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) genotypes prevailing in the core area of Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Haq I.U. , Razzaq H. , Haq M.A. , Saeed A. , Hameed M. , Asif M.
Published: December 2021

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops and the fourth most important edible crop after the three major cereal crops. It is considered as an approximately complete diet food because of its nutritional value. Its center of origin is Peru, South America. In Punjab, Pakistan, the districts of Sahiwal and Okara serve as the core areas of potato cultivation. Thirty-three potato genotypes were collected from the core areas of Punjab for characterization. The genetic diversity of potato germplasm was assessed on the basis of morphophysiological traits. This experiment was conducted with a randomized complete block design and three replications. The data on 14 morphological and physiological traits were recorded. Analysis of variance indicated the presence of highly significant variation for each physiological and morphological trait. Correlation analysis showed that plant yield was highly correlated with the number of tubers per plant (0.484), tuber weight (0.648), and chlorophyll contents (0.365). By contrast, tuber dry matter exhibited a significant highly negative association with tuber moisture content (−0.753). Algorithmic hierarchical cluster analysis allocated the genotypes into four distinct clusters. Cluster 2, which was the largest cluster, comprised 18 genotypes. By contrast, cluster 4 was the smallest cluster and contained only two genotypes. The results of diversity analysis obtained through hierarchical clustering were further validated through principal component analysis (PCA). PCA provided five significant principal components that contributed 72.39% of the total variation. The principal components of the biplot explained 41.95% of the total variation, with tuber moisture content and tuber dry matter as distinct traits. Cultivars ‘SH-5’, ‘SH 7-18’, ‘Simply Red,’ and ‘Ruby’ were the vertex genotypes in the biplot. Results indicated the prevalence of significant variation in the tested germplasm. Furthermore, the assessment of diversity at the molecular level is recommended for the further validation of genetic diversity.
Improvement of the submergence stress tolerance of local South Sumatran rice through the introgression of the Sub1 gene by using marker-assisted selection
Authors: Adriansyah F. , Hasmeda M. , Suwignyo R.A. , Halimi E.S. , Sarimana U.
Published: December 2021

Submergence stress due to unpredictable soil flooding is one of the main constraints encountered in rainfed growing areas, especially in Southern Sumatran riparian swamps. The development of submergence-stress-tolerant cultivars through the introgression of Sub1 via marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) is an ideal solution. This study was carried out during 2020 at Sriwijaya University, Palembang, Indonesia, with the aim to select Sub1-introgressed lines in BC3F1 generations on the basis of MABC and to screen out the SSR markers that were unlinked to the target gene for application in subsequent background selection studies. Results revealed that almost all the backcrossed progenies segregated from the rice parental cultivars ‘FR13A’ and ‘Pegagan’. The backcrossed lines showed significantly improved submergence stress tolerance and recovery rates compared with their parents. Sub1 introgression into the BC3F1 generation was confirmed by the tightly linked Sub1 marker SUB1C173, and marker RM23915 was used for recombinant selection. These markers followed the expected marker segregation ratio in accordance with the Mendelian single gene model. In the parental polymorphism survey, 84 out of 237 SSR markers that were unlinked to the target loci were found to be available for background study. Twenty-seven backcrossed lines were selected on the basis of foreground selection. Seven plants were selected on the basis of the recombinant marker RM23915. Five backcrossed lines were further selected on the basis of submergence stress tolerance and agronomic performance.
Agronomic responses of diverse bread wheat genotypes to phosphorus levels and nitrogen forms in a semiarid environment
Authors: Swailam M.A. , Mowafy S.A.E. , El-Naggar N.Z.A. , Mansour E.
Published: December 2021

Increasing wheat production has become an urgent requirement to cope with rapid population growth and abrupt climate change. The management of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) is one of the most important factors for sustaining and increasing wheat production, particularly in semiarid environments. This 2-year field study, which aimed to investigate the effect of P levels (0, 35, and 70 kg P2O5 ha−1) and N forms (urea, ammonium sulfate, and ammonium nitrate) on the yield attributes of three diverse high-yielding commercial wheat cultivars (‘Shandawel-1’, ‘Sids-14’, and ‘Sakha-95’), was carried out at Om-Elzain Village, Zagazig, Egypt. The results indicated that increasing P levels was accompanied by a substantial increase in all evaluated traits, except spike length, and that high P level (70 kg P2O5 ha−1) was superior. Considerable genetic variation was detected among the evaluated cultivars for all studied traits. Cultivar ‘Sakha-95’, followed by ‘Sids-14’, presented the most vigorous growth and enhancements in most yield components, grain yield, and biological yield. Furthermore, ‘Sakha-95’ recorded the highest agronomic P use efficiency, followed by cultivar ‘Sids-14’. N forms did not significantly affect all of the tested traits except plant height, spike number m−2, and 1000-grain weight, during both seasons. Ammonium-containing fertilizer (ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate) resulted in the highest values for these traits when compared with urea. Accordingly, ‘Sakha-95’ and ‘Sids-14’ are recommended for commercial use under high P levels. N forms had a marginally substantial effect on grain yield and its attributes.
Rice backcross population assessment for iron tolerance through phenotypic and genotypic analyses
Authors: Tam V.T. , Vy L.T. , Huu N.T. , Ha P.T.T.
Published: December 2021

Iron toxicity has become a serious issue affecting rice (Oryza sativa L.) production in many irrigated lowland areas. The selection of Fe2+-tolerant rice cultivars under iron toxicity conditions and the identification of molecular markers are good approaches to obtaining tangible results. This study aimed to identify simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers that were associated with iron tolerance traits in a rice backcross population. A total of 117 seedlings from the backcross (BC3F2) of ‘OM6830’/‘AS996’//‘AS996’ were phenotyped at the 4-week-seedling stage at Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The rice population was screened in Yoshida nutrient medium supplemented with FeCl2 at a concentration of 150 mg L−1 under greenhouse conditions. Phenotypic analysis was conducted by scoring two parameters, namely, root length and leaf bronzing. Genotypic analysis was carried out on the BC3F2 population by using four markers, i.e., RM6, RM240, RM252, and RM451, for association analysis with iron tolerance. A total of 23 BC3F2 lines were selected on the basis of their higher tolerance (score 1) for Fe2+ compared with the tolerant parental line ‘AS996’. The markers RM6 and RM240 were highly polymorphic and identified different Fe2+-tolerant lines in the BC3F2 population. Among the BC3F3 progeny derived from the selected 23 BC3F2 lines, BC3F3-7 was identified as the most Fe2+-tolerant line. BC3F3-15 was also found to be Fe2+ tolerant. Both lines showed good development capability and provided high yields under stress conditions. These tolerant BC3F3 lines could be further screened with additional SSR markers in future breeding programs aiming to increase rice production in iron-contaminated areas of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
Adoption and adaptability of modern Aman rice cultivars in Faridpur region - Bangladesh
Authors: Chakrobarty T. , Asadulla Al Galib M. , Zahidul Islam M. , Akhlasur Rahman M.
Published: December 2021

Rice is not just a staple food; but it is at the center of culture, politics, and economy of Bangladesh. The determinants affecting the adoption of modern rice cultivars and their adaptability in the Aman season (June to November) at the Faridpur region in Bangladesh were discussed. A total of 500 farmers from five different districts such as, Faridpur, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Rajbari, and Gopalganj through multistage sampling technique participated in the survey. Before the survey, 15 farmers were selected for the cultivation of eight modern T. Aman rice cultivars in their fields during three consecutive years 2018 to 2020 in the mentioned five districts of Bangladesh. A structured questionnaire was used to identify the determinants associated with the adoption of modern rice cultivars by replacing the popular old ones. Results revealed that beyond preferences, some other determinants (age, education, risk aversion, land size, yield, and perception of modern rice cultivars and their seed availability) directed the decision to adopt or not. Considering the average grain yield of the tested rice cultivars, the genotypes BRRI dhan72 (G-6) and BRRI dhan87 (G-8) were the high yielding cultivars for the above five districts. Despite having a comparatively low yield, the cultivars BRRI dhan71 (G-4) and BRRI dhan49 (G-3) were more stable compared to other cultivars in the Faridpur region of Bangladesh.
Modeling and Analyzing the Average Fleet Speed of Major Commercial Ship Types
Authors: AÇIK Abdullah
Published: December 2021

In this study, the average speeds of container, dry bulk and crude oil fleets, which are the main market types in maritime transportation, are estimated and analyzed by using external factors such as freight rate, bunker price, fleet size and interest rate. Freight and interest rates affect the average speeds positively, while bunker price and fleet size negatively affect in accordance with the theoretical justifications. The freight rate mostly affects the average speed of the container fleet, while bunker price, fleet size and interest rate mostly affect the average speed of the crude oil fleet; the average speed of the dry bulk fleet is least affected by the fuel price and fleet size; and the average speed of the container fleet is least affected by the interest rate. In general, when the coefficient sizes between the factors are considered, the most effective factor in average speeds of the three market is their fleet size. Thus, new dimensions have been added to the empirical literature stuck in the framework of freight rate and bunker price.
Bir Koster için Yardımcı Güç Kaynağı Olarak Katı Oksit Yakıt Pilinin Termodinamik, Ekonomik ve Çevresel Analizi
Authors: GÜLER Engin , ERGİN Selma , BARLAS Barış
Published: December 2021

Çevre ve dünya iklimleri açısından karbondioksit (CO2) emisyonlarının azaltılması oldukça önemli olup Uluslararası Denizcilik Örgütü (IMO) de son yıllarda uluslararası denizcilik faaliyetlerinden kaynaklanan sera gazı emisyonlarının sınırlandırılması yönünde çalışmalarını hızlandırmıştır. Gemilerden salınan CO2 emisyonlarının azaltılması için bugüne kadar çok çeşitli yöntemler ve teknolojiler önerilmiştir. Bu teknolojilerden birisi olan yakıt pilleri kullanılan yakıta bağlı olarak CO2 emisyonlarını sıfıra kadar düşürebilmektedir. Bu çalışmada bir koster için yardımcı güç kaynağı olarak katı oksit yakıt pili (SOFC) kullanımının elektrokimyasal ve termodinamik olarak modellenmesi ve Aspen HYSYS yazılımında simülasyonu gerçekleştirilmiştir. Alternatif CO2 emisyon azaltma yöntemleri ile fizibilite ve maliyet açısından daha etkin bir karşılaştırma yapabilmek için birim CO2 azaltma maliyeti üzerinden sistemin ekonomik analizi gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ekonomik analiz, çalışmada kullanılan geminin referans yardımcı güç sisteminin bu çalışmada önerilen SOFC güç sistemi ile değiştirilmesinden kaynaklanan maliyet artışı ve azaltılan CO2 emisyon miktarı değerlerinden yola çıkılarak yapılmıştır. Kurulan model üzerinden yakıt pilinin farklı çalışma sıcaklıkları ve akım yoğunluklarının sistemin maliyeti üzerine etkileri incelenmiştir. Ayrıca gemiler için yapılan çalışmalarda ilk defa yakıt pili kimyasal bozulmasının pil potansiyeli düşüşündeki etkisi bu çalışmada dikkate alınmıştır. Yapılan parametrik çalışma sonucunda incelenen koşullarda akım yoğunluğunun seçimi birim CO2 azaltma maliyetini %10.0’a, sıcaklığın seçimi ise birim CO2 azaltma maliyetini %26.1’e kadar azaltmıştır. Maliyeti minimize eden çalışma koşullarında sistemin kimyasal bozulma öncesi %51.1 gibi yüksek bir termal verime ve 302.2 USD/ton CO2 azaltma maliyetine sahip olduğu hesaplanmıştır. Belirlenen koşulda SOFC güç sisteminin toplam maliyetinin %65’ini kullanılan yakıt olan hidrojenin oluşturduğu görülmüştür. Kimyasal bozulma etkisiyle verim yakıt pili ömrü sonunda ortalama %43.6 olarak elde edilmiş olup bu verim referans yardımcı güç sisteminden %20.7 daha fazladır. Referans koşullardaki gemiye göre CO2 emisyonları çalışmada önerilen yardımcı güç sistemi ile %24.3 kadar azalmıştır.
Numerical Analysis of Composite Sandwich Panels Subjected to Underwater Blast Load
Authors: SERVEREN Mert , TAŞKIN Mustafa , DEMİR Özgür
Published: December 2021

Underwater explosions are tremendously hazardous for floating structures and human life inside. When compared to an air blast, an underwater blast is more effective due to the effect of the fluid domain. Therefore, the design of marine structures with high strength to underwater explosions is a difficult subject as well as important. With the rapid progression of material technology, composite materials are widely preferred over metals in fields of marine and defense industries due to low density, high elasticity and high strength in their nature. In this study, a sandwich panel with a soft-core was modelled using the finite element method, and the dynamic behavior of the panel subjected to an underwater blast load is investigated. In the validation study of the model and method, firstly, the dynamic responses of the carbon epoxy composite plate structure subjected to underwater explosion load were confirmed with the results available in the literature. In this part, ALE (Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian) and Load_SSA (Sub Sea Analysis) methods were used to simulate the dynamic response of the plate and a very good agreement was observed by using the ALE method. Then, the composite sandwich panels with a soft-core (foam) were investigated by the finite element-based ALE method. Finally, the maximum deflection results of the plate structure subjected to underwater explosion loads were examined with parametric studies. Increasing core layer thickness caused a decrease in plate deflections and an increase in post-explosion oscillation frequency under the same blast conditions.
Deneme Seyri Planlamasında PERT Uygulaması
Authors: KAFALI Mustafa , GENÇ Yusuf
Published: December 2021

Bu çalışmada üretim sürecinin sonuna yaklaşmış, fabrika kabul ve liman kabul testleri tamamlanmış olan bir geminin deneme seyri sırasında yapılacak olan testler için bir planlama yapılmıştır. Deneme seyrinde gerçekleştirilen testler ve bunların yaklaşık süreleri gerçek bir deneme seyri gözleminden elde edilmiştir. Çalışmada deneme seyri bir proje olarak ele alınarak öncelikle gerçekleştirilecek testler birer aktivite olarak kabul edilmiş ve liste halinde belirlenmiştir. Daha sonra testleri gerçekleştirecek kişiler kaynak olarak atanmıştır. Bunun ardından testler arasındaki öncül-ardıl ilişkileri incelenerek aynı zaman diliminde yapılabilecek ve birbirlerini etkilemeyecek testler belirlenmiştir. Bu sayede testler için gerekli kaynak atamaları yapılarak uygun bir seyir çizelgesi elde edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Ayrıca elde edilen çizelge kullanılarak deneme seyri için kritik yol tespit edilmiştir. Böylece hangi testlerin kritik olduğu belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) analizi yapılarak deneme seyrinin tamamlanma süresinin beklenen değeri ve standart sapması hesaplanmıştır. Bunun yanı sıra standart z tablosu yardımı ile farklı deneme seyir süresi değerleri için olasılık hesapları yapılmıştır. Burada altı farklı deneme seyir süresi için altı farklı ihtimal değeri belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca hazırlanan seyir çizelgesi ile deneme seyrinde her bir kaynağa düşen iş miktarları ayrı ayrı hesaplanmıştır. Yine buna paralel olarak, hazırlanan çizelge üzerindeki her bir testin iş miktarı da belirlenmiştir. Bu çalışmada yapılmış olan uygulamada olduğu gibi, öncelikle deneme seyrinin planlaması yapılıp bu plana uygun bir şekilde hareket edilerek deneme seyrinin daha başarılı bir şekilde tamamlanabileceği düşünülmektedir.
Risk Analysis of Re-displacement After Conservative Treatment of Pediatric Unstable Fractures of Middle and Distal Forearm
Authors: Xu Dapeng , Qin Rong , Wang Wuyu , Shen Jun , Zhang Aiguo , Wang Xiaodong
Published: December 2021

Background: Fractures of the middle and distal diaphysis of the forearm are common in children. Conservative treatment is effective in this regard. Some studies have discussed the risk factors and predictive indicators of re-displacement; however, the objects of the study are all fixed with tubular plaster or double sugar splint. Objectives: This study was performed to determine the risk factors of re-displacement after closed reduction and double splint plaster fixation of unstable pediatric fractures of the middle and distal diaphysis of the forearm. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on 57 patients undergoing closed reduction and plaster fixation after unstable diaphyseal fractures of the middle and distal forearm in Wuxi Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University within May 2014 to May 2020. A total of 35 male and 22 female subjects aged 6 - 9 years (average: 7.3 years) participated in this study. They were followed up for more than 6 weeks after fracture healing. According to whether experiencing a secondary displacement within 2 weeks after the fracture, the subjects were divided into two groups, namely displacement, and non-displacement. Gender, age, double fracture, reduction quality, and plaster fixation type were analyzed as relevant, effective factors. Results: All 57 patients were followed up, and all fractures reached clinical healing standards at the last follow-up. Moreover, 20 and 37 cases were in the shift and non-shift groups, respectively. No statistically significant difference was reported in gender (c2 = 0.168; P = 0.780), age (t = 1.003; P = 0.217), double fracture (c2 = 0.021; P = 1), and plaster fixation type (c2 = 0.416; P = 0.699) between the two groups. The reduction quality (c2 = 7.480; P = 0.025) showed a statistically significant difference. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that reduction quality was a risk factor for fracture relocation providing a predictive value. Conclusions: Good reduction quality can reduce the risk of fracture displacement.
Medicinal Plants with Abortifacient or Emmenagogue Activity: A Narrative Review Based on Traditional Persian Medicine
Authors: Nejatbakhsh Fatemeh , Aghababaei Zahra , Shirazi Mahboobeh , Mazaheri Mohammad , Ghaemi Marjan
Published: December 2021

Context: Traditional Persian medicine (TPM) has a rich background and has introduced various plants with abortive or emmenagogue activity since ancient times. However, many of them are unknown in modern medicine, and a few trials have been conducted describing their efficacy and safety. These plants may be helpful for the management of incomplete abortion, with potentially lower side effects than chemical agents. This review introduced these plants and their potential efficiency to link traditional and modern medicine and suggested further studies. Evidence Acquisition: The search strategy for citations in this narrative review was performed in two steps. At first, medicinal plants used as abortifacient or emmenagogue to manage incomplete abortions or retained products of conception were searched and extracted in the most famous TPM literature, including Al-Qanun Fi at-Tibb, Tuhfat-al-Momenin, and Makhzan-ul-advia. The next step was searching electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar with the same keywords and herbal plants between 1970 and 2021. The overlapped plants between the manual and electronic search were found and briefly described. Results: In TPM literature, 88 plants with abortifacient activity were found, of which 47 were used to manage incomplete abortions or retained products of conception. Also, in the electronic database search, 14 plants were found to have abortifacient or emmenagogue activity. Among them, six plants, including Sesamum indicum L. (Sesame), Commiphora myrrha (myrrh), Lawsonia inermis L. (Henna), Opopanax chironium L. (Jooshir), Plumbago rosea (Shitraj or Stumbag), and Juniperus sabina (Abhal), overlapped with the manual search results. The abortifacient or emmenagogue activity and properties of all these 14 plants were described. Conclusions: The properties of many traditional plants with abortifacient activity are unknown in modern medicine; however, they should not be used in pregnant women. Nonetheless, they may have the power to be entered into modern medicine. Identifying their pharmacology and action mechanisms may be helpful to introduce them as a potential alternative to chemical agents in the management of induced or incomplete abortion with possibly lower side effects.
Australian Biotechnology: A 10-Year Study of Investor Performance
Authors: Molloy Peter L. , Johnson Lester W. , Gilding Michael
Published: December 2021

A recent study assessed the investor performance of the Australian drug development biotech (DDB) sector over a 15-year period from 2003 to 2018. The current study builds on that research and extends the analysis to 2020, using a 10-year period starting 2010, to exclude the impact of the global financial crisis in 2008/09. Based on a value-weighted portfolio of all 41 DDB firms, the overall sector delivered a negative annualized return of -4.1%. Individual firm performance was also assessed using the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in share price over the period as a measure of investor outcomes. On this basis 68% of firms produced negative CAGRs over the period, and of the 32% of firms that produced positive CAGRs, six firms produced CAGRs greater than 20% per annum and in three cases of recently-listed firms, the CAGR’s were greater than 50%. Overall however, the sector overall delivered very poor investor returns and despite a relatively large number of listed biotech firms, Australian biotechnology continues to be small and weak in terms of its contribution to global biotechnology industrialization. As such it lacks the critical mass to grow a robust bioeconomy based on drug development, which remains the standard-bearer of biotechnology industrialization.
Establishment of the system of preparation of teaching staff in Buryat-Mongolian ASSR (1920–1930)
Authors: Nomogoeva Viktoriya Vladimirovna , Shoidonova Altyna Munkozhargalovna
Published: December 2021

The subject of this research is the establishment of the system of preparation of teaching staff in the ethnic republic at the initial stage of the formation of the Soviet state. The relevance of this research is directly related to modernization of educational curriculum at the present time. Thus, numerous educational projects that require the preparation of professional teaching staff are carried out within the framework of the national project “Education”. The authors believe that similar situation developed during the years of the Cultural Revolution. The severe shortage of professional personnel was observed in Buryatia, while the public education was undergoing significant changes. The goal of this article lies in tracing the establishment of the system of preparation of teaching staff in Soviet Buryatia. The analysis of documentary materials of the republican archives allows assessing the results of efforts applied by the republican government to resolve the personnel problem. The scientific novelty consists in the attempt to compare the situation in the 1920s–1930s and 2020s for giving a more in-depth perspective upon the system of preparation of teaching staff. Although this topic is the subject of special research in the scientific literature, it requires further discussion. Methodological framework is comprised of the principles of historicism and systematicity, which view the process in its entirety and in accordance with a particular historical era. The conclusion is made that the results achieved were acceptable within the socioeconomic reality of the region. The regional government was able to create the necessary conditions for preparation of professional teaching staff and lay the groundwork for the subsequent development of the educational system. The creation of the republican system of preparation of teaching staff improved the level of education of the local population and led to the formation of the socialist culture in Soviet Buryatia. The acquired conclusions are valuable for studying regional history of the period of the Cultural Revolution.
State sovereignty and dialectics of its evolution in the modern context
Authors: Zhukovskaya Nataliia , Kalinina Elena Vladimirovna
Published: December 2021

This article reviews the prerequisites, content and consequences of the impact of global processes on the sovereignty of modern states. The object of this research is the international legal relations and their peculiarities in the current context. The subject is the conditions and forms of restriction of sovereignty of national states, as well as contributing factors. Special attention is given to representations on the “fate” of sovereign rights and variants of their transformation reflected in the scientific literature, as well as change in the vector of development of globalization processes under the influence of strategy of the countries that act in accordance with their sovereign rights and national interests. The main method of “diluting” the state sovereignty are viewed based on the general scientific methods − induction and deduction, analysis, generalization, abstraction, modeling; sectoral methods of studying global processes: political scientific, statistical, formal-legal, specific-historical, and comparative. The research relies on the dialectical approach towards analyzing the concept of state sovereignty. The following conclusions were made: 1) modern world marks to multidirectional trends that testify to the transformation of state sovereignty, narrowing of its separate spheres in the conditions of globalization, or on the other hand, change in the vector of development of the global processes; 2) there is virtually no formal legal equality of the countries set by the leading norms of international law and underlying sovereignty; however, the national states continue demonstrating the resistance to global challenges; at the same time, the most “impregnable” for leveling sovereign rights is not the economy or politics, but cultural-historical values (the sphere of humanities); 3) in the conditions of globalization, the prospect of losing sovereignty depends on the degree of resistance to external challenges demonstrated by a particular state.
On the issue of fiscal commissions
Authors: Rusakova Olga
Published: December 2021

The subject of this research is the recently emerged form of tax administration in form of fiscal commissions on legalization of the tax base. Currently, taxpayers are summoned to the tax inspectorate by notification to provide clarification on transactions with problem counterparties. The author examines the existing normative framework for conducting such fiscal commissions, and concludes on the lack of legal certainty of such measures. Special attention is given to the typical mistakes of tax authorities in registration of the taxpayer’s summons to the commissions or in holding such commissions. The main conclusions lies in the theses on the lack of legal certainty of fiscal commissions, which requires making amendments to the current tax legislation. Along with the proposal supported by the author to establish the right of tax authorities to send information notice (reasoned opinion) to the taxpayers, the author believes that such form of preventive measures by the tax authority would be maintained in the future, which in turn requires to legislatively establish the actions of the taxpayer in response to the received reasoned proposal, similar to such mutual agreement procedures present in tax monitoring.
Lectures in distant format: certain methodological techniques
Authors: Paimakova Elena Albertovna , Tavberidze Daria Vladimirovna
Published: December 2021

This article is the result of research carried out during the pandemic, which was intended to determine the interrelation between certain methodological techniques and engagement of students in the distant learning process. The following techniques were used for improving the effectiveness of educational process: well-defined structure of the lecture, presentation as the system of questions and topics for discussion, grasping new material in the form of discussion, test cases on the material learned, weekly results and systematization of knowledge, implementation of video materials in homework. The authors held lectures in accordance with all listed points, observing the response and motivation of students. The surveys conducted at the beginning and at the end of the lecture course indicate a sharp increase in cognitive activity, overall satisfaction of students, and interest in further study of the discipline. The students also gave a five point scale rating to each of the offered methodological techniques; in spite of the hypothesis advanced by the authors, the students highlighted presentation as the system of questions and discussion during a distant lecture. The research demonstrates that such methodological techniques effectively increase students' engagement in the learning process, as well as stimulate cognitive activity. The described aspects of conducting lectures can be applied not only in distant format, but in offline learning as well.
Urban estates in Astrakhan of the late XVIII – early XX centuries: typological aspect
Authors: Bondareva Nadezhda   Ivanovna , Mamaeva Yulia  Vasilievna
Published: December 2021

The subject of this research is the typological groups of urban estates in Astrakhan of the late XVIII – early XX centuries. The object is the peculiarities of urban estates in Russia of that time. The goal lies in studying the urban estates in Astrakhan of the late XVIII – early XX centuries from the perspective of their classification. The article touches upon the question of phenomenology of the Russian estate, the architecture and typology of urban estates in the Russian province, as well as the architecture of urban estates in Astrakhan. The research employs the general scientific method (analysis of the historical and logical), historical-architectural approach, and art history techniques for studying estates in urban environment and photographic evidence. The author also attracts historical references, archival and other documents on the topic. The theoretical framework is comprised of the works of M. B. Mikhaylova and E. I. Kirichenko on the estate construction in Russian cities; T. V. Vavilonskaya and G. G. Nugmanova on the classification of urban estates. The scientific novelty lies in outlining the typological groups of urban estates of Astrakhan from the perspective of their architectural and artistic characteristics, as well as social rank of the lords. It is established that the urban estates of Astrakhan are divided into wealthy estates of the merchants that are an artistic phenomena in the architectural image of the city; prosperous and middle-class of the merchants and officials oriented towards eclectic architecture; wooden estates of modest merchants and philistines that carry certain artistic value. The practical importance of this research consists in contribution to the creation of the holistic picture of the development of Astrakhan architecture.
First-principles study of phase transition of BaF
2 under high pressue
Authors: Tian Cheng , Lan Jian-Xiong , Wang Cang-Long , Zhai Peng-Fei , Liu Jie ,   Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China,   School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Published: December 2021

There have been some theoretical studies of high pressure phase transition behavior of BaF 2, while in most cases the attention is paid mainly to the optical and electrical properties of BaF 2 under increasing pressure. To date, there has been still a lack of theoretical explanation for the hysteresis phenomenon of high-pressure phase of BaF 2 when the pressure is released. In addition, the pressure-dependent behavior of the BaF 2 band gap is still under controversy, and there are few studies of its high-pressure Raman spectra. Therefore, first principle is used to make a supplementary calculation of the high pressure behavior of BaF 2. For a given pressure P and temperature T, the thermodynamic stable phase has the lowest Gibbs free energy. The calculations are performed at zero temperature and hence, the Gibbs free energy becomes equal to the enthalpy. Thus, the variation of enthalpy is calculated as a function of pressure to study the high-pressure phase stability of BaF 2 based on density functional theory as implemented in the Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP). The results show that the BaF 2 undergoes two structural phase transitions from Fm3 m(cubic) to Pnma (orthorhombic) and then to P6 3/ mmc(hexagonal) with increasing pressure, and their corresponding transition pressures are 3.5 and 18.3 GPa, respectively. By calculating the evolution of lattice constant with pressure, it is found that at about 15 GPa (near the second phase transition pressure), the lattice constants of the Pnma structure show abnormal behavior (a slight increase in b o and a slight decrease in a o). We suggest that this behavior leads the band gap to decrease, indicated by analyzing the calculated results of Pnma structure of other materials. The Pnma structure completely transforms into P6 3/ mmc structure at about 20 GPa. By analyzing the phonon dispersion curves of BaF 2 as a function of pressure, the structural stability information of the material can also be obtained. Then the density functional perturbation theory (DFPT) is used to calculate the phonon dispersion curves of BaF 2 by VASP code and Phonopy code. The hysteresis phenomenon of the P6 3/ mmc structure, when the pressure is released, is explained by the kinetic stability. The results predict that the P6 3/ mmc structure can be stabilized at least to 80 GPa.
Effect of defects on magnetostriction and magnetic moment evolution of iron thin films
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Long Lian-Chun , Liu Jing-Yi , Yang Yang ,   Faculty of Materials and Manufacturing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China,   Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Published: December 2021

Magnetostrictive materials have broad application prospects in sensing, control, energy conversion, and information conversion. The improving of the performances and applications of such materials has become a research hotspot, but defects will inevitably appear in the preparation and use of materials. In this study, the magnetostrictive structure model of iron elemental material with no defect or hole defect or crack defect is established by the molecular dynamics method. The influences of different defects on the magnetostrictive behavior of iron thin films are analyzed, and the mechanism of the influence of defects on the magnetostrictive behavior is depicted from the perspective of atomic magnetic moment. The results show that the films with 60 × 2 × 1 defects in the center are the easiest to reach saturation magnetostriction, and the magnetostriction is the least after reaching saturation, with respect to the films without defects. The films with 10 × 10 × 1 and 2 × 60 × 1 defects in the center require a larger magnetic field to approach to saturation, and the magnetostriction of the film with 2 × 60 × 1 defects in the center reaches a maximum value after saturation. This is because the defects will affect the magnetic moment of the surrounding atoms and make them deflect to the direction parallel to the defects, thus affecting the magnetostriction of the iron thin film. Among them, the hole defects have less influence on the magnetostriction, while the crack defects have stronger influence on the magnetostriction. The direction of the crack also has an effect on the magnetostriction of Fe thin film. When the crack is parallel to the direction of magnetization, the maximum magnetostriction of the film in the direction of magnetization from the initial state to the saturation of magnetization will decrease. When the crack is perpendicular to the direction of magnetization, the maximum magnetostriction of the film in the direction of magnetization from the initial state to the saturation of magnetization will increase. These results suggest that the defects affect the magnetostriction of the model as a whole during magnetization by affecting the initial magnetic moment orientation of the surrounding atoms.
Ecology, conservation status, and phylogenetic placement of endemic Pristimantis frogs (Anura: Craugastoridae) in Trinidad and Tobago and genetic affinities to northern Venezuela
Authors: Jowers Michael J. , Sánchez‐Ramírez Santiago , Greener Mark S. , Harper Lynsey R. , Auguste Renoir J. , Marshall Trudie , Thomson Robyn , Byrne Isabel , Loughrey Ciara F. , Graham Leah , McGhee William A. O. , Murphy John C. , Rivas Gilson A. , Beyts Cammy , Downie J. Roger
Published: December 2021

Trinidad and Tobago are home to three endemic species in the anuran genus Pristimantis, of which two (Pristimantis charlottevillensis and Pristimantis turpinorum) occur in Tobago alone and the third (Pristimantis urichi) is present on both islands. Earlier, the IUCN assessed the conservation status of these species as: P. urichi, Endangered (EN); P. charlottevillensis, Least Concern (LC); P. turpinorum, Vulnerable (VU). However, these assessments were based on very little field‐based evidence. Here, we present survey results which contributed to reassessments as LC, VU and Data Deficient for these three species, respectively. Despite the close proximity of Trinidad to northern Venezuela, the islands do not share any Pristimantis species with the mainland, which holds a rich endemicity of Pristimantis regionally. In this study, we used genetic sequencing from several island populations and compared them to northern Venezuelan endemics to assess genetic divergence for the first time. The time tree analyses found that only the northern Tobago species P. turpinorum is closely related to mainland Pristimantis, with a genetic split dating to the Late Miocene, suggesting a vicariant event of mainland and island species. Pristimantis urichi, although identical between the two islands, remains highly divergent from the mainland species. Similar results were found for P. charlottevillensis. In addition, there was a high level of divergence between P. urichi and P. charlottevillensis. These findings indicate different island colonization events by different lineages. Sequencing other Venezuelan species remains pivotal to unravel the complexity of the colonization episodes in the region, likely influenced by the changing topography and multiple connection and isolation episodes of the islands by eustatic sea‐level changes.
Evaluation of an Intervention to Support Patient‐Rheumatologist Conversations About Escalating Treatment in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Proof‐of‐Principle Study
Authors: Danila Maria I. , Chen Lang , Ruderman Eric M. , Owensby Justin K. , O’Beirne Ronan , Melnick Joshua A. , Harrold Leslie R. , Curtis David , Nowell W. Benjamin , Curtis Jeffrey R.
Published: December 2021

Objective

This study’s objective was to test whether an online video intervention discussing appropriate treatment escalation improves willingness to change treatment in people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

We conducted a controlled, randomized trial among patients with RA enrolled in ArthritisPower, a United States patient registry. We recruited participants by email and surveyed their assessment of disease activity (patient global), satisfaction with disease control (patient acceptable symptom state), attitudes about RA medications, decisional conflict (decisional conflict scale), and willingness to modify RA treatment (choice predisposition scale, higher scores are better) if or when recommended by their rheumatologist. Intervention groups watched educational videos relevant to a treat‐to‐target (T2T) strategy, whereas control groups viewed vaccination‐related videos as an “attention control.” We compared the between‐group difference in patients’ willingness to modify RA treatment (primary outcome) and difference in decisional conflict about changing RA treatment (secondary outcome) after watching the videos using t tests.

Results

Participants with self‐reported RA (n = 208) were 90% White and 90% women, with a mean (standard deviation) age of 50 (11) years, and 52% reported familiarity with the RA T2T strategy. We found a significant improvement in between‐group difference in willingness to change RA treatment among intervention versus control participants (0.49 [95% confidence interval 0.09‐0.88], P = 0.02). The effect size (Glass’s delta) for the intervention was 0.48. Decisional conflict about treatment change decreased, but the between‐group difference was not significant.

Conclusion

This novel educational patient‐directed intervention discussing appropriate treatment escalation was associated with improved willingness to change RA treatment if or when recommended by a rheumatologist. Further studies should evaluate whether this change in patients’ predisposition translates into actual treatment escalation.