The impact of epistasis in the heterosis and combining ability analyses

The current theoretical knowledge concerning the influence of epistasis on heterosis is based on simplified multiplicative model. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of epistasis in the heterosis and combining ability analyses, assuming additive model, hundreds of genes, linkage disequilibrium (LD), dominance, and seven types of digenic epistasis. We developed the quantitative genetics theory for supporting the simulation of the individual genotypic values in nine populations, the selfed populations, the 36 interpopulation crosses, 180 doubled haploids (DHs) and their 16,110 crosses, assuming 400 genes in 10 chromosomes of 200 cM. Epistasis only affects population heterosis if there is LD. Only additive x additive and dominance x dominance epistasis can affect the components of the heterosis and combining ability analyses of populations. Both analyses can lead to completely wrong inferences regarding the identification of the superior populations, the populations with greater differences of gene frequencies, and the populations with maximum variability, when the number of interacting genes and the magnitude of the epistatic effects are high. There was a decrease in the average heterosis by increasing the number of epistatic genes and the magnitude of their epistatic effects. The same results are generally true for the combining ability analysis of DHs. Surprisingly, the combining ability analyses of subsets of 20 DHs showed no significant average impact of epistasis on the identification of the most divergent ones, even assuming a high number of epistatic genes and great magnitude of their effects. However, a significant negative effect can occur.

Impact of Lockdown on Dietary and Lifestyle Pattern of Adolescents

Background of the Study: As the Corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic is still ongoing; it has created profound impact socially, physically and emotionally on families across the globe. With confinement laws and regulations still being enforced, healthcare system is deteriorating, Economics are setting down and school closer are being extended. Unfortunately, this also led to increase vulnerability of food insecurity especially among the urban poor and increased risk of overweight and obesity in higher income classes [2]. The lock down restrictions is leading to severe repercussions on individuals; daily routine and lifestyle behaviour including food access and consumption, outdoor activities, travel, school related functions, and access to many forms of leisure and exercise [3]. Particularly alarming are the implication of the lockdown on irregular eating habits, excessive snacking, lack of physical activity, high calorie intake and increased risk of obesity [4]. The aim of this study was to assess changes in lifestyle behaviour of adolescents during the country-wide lockdown. Materials & Methods: A descriptive study design was adopted. Snowball sampling technique was used to gather data from 108 adolescents in between the age group of 11 years to 19 years. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for the collection of data from the participants through an online survey. Results: Finding reveals that 26.85% of adolescents had good impact (Healthy dietary pattern), 51.85% had average impact (Moderate changes) and 21.29% had poor impact (Drastic changes) on dietary pattern. Related to lifestyle pattern results also revealed that 39.81% of adolescents had good impact (Healthy lifestyle), 51.85% had average impact ((Moderate changes)) and none of them had poor impact (Drastic changes) on lifestyle pattern. Conclusion: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has become a major public health concern and has changed the daily lives of citizens across the globe. Healthy eating and good life style pattern are key for health and well-being, especially when the immune system is challenged. The present study revealed a substantial increase in unhealthy dietary and lifestyle pattern among adolescents during COVID-19 lockdown.

Sex differences in cardiovascular research

Background Women are underrepresented in cardiovascular publications. We sought to investigate sex-specific differences in cardiovascular research over the last decade. Methods and results All 387,463 cardiovascular publications between 2010–2019 were retrieved from Web-of-Science and analyzed regarding the authors' sex, the average impact factor (IF), the number of citations, co-authors per article, and international collaborations. The number of cardiovascular research articles increased between 2010–2019 from 19,960 to 29,604 articles per year. The number of articles written by female first authors increased by 48.3% (6434 articles in 2010 and 11,343 articles in 2019) and by 35.0% for male first authors (13,526 articles in 2010 and 18,261 articles in 2019). The last/senior author was more likely to be female in articles with female first authors compared with male first authors (28.2% vs. 14.1%; odds ratio 2.48, 95% confidence interval 2.43–2.53, p<0.001). The average IF for articles by female first authors was lower compared to male (3.1±3.8 vs. 3.5±4.9, p<0.001). Likewise, the H-Index was lower for female than male first authors (1.07±0.74 vs. 1.25±0.98, p<0.001), as was the number of citations per articles (14.0±31.1 vs. 18.0±68.8 citations, p<0.001). Female first authors had fewer co-authors per article than their male peers (7.4±19.6 vs. 8.2±35.2; p<0.001) and were less represented in articles with >15 co-authors (3,623 articles by female and 8,941 by male first authors; ratio female to male 0.41). Scientific advancement as the ratio between female to male first authorships was highest in publications from Latin America (ratio 0.92) and lowest in Asia (ratio 0.40). Female authorship articles reached the highest IF in North America (average IF 3.7), the lowest Africa (average IF 1.8). Conclusions Publications in cardiovascular research have increased over the last decade, particularly by female authors. Female researchers are cited less often compared with their male peers and publish with fewer co-authors. The IF remains lower for articles by female researchers. Efforts to further increase women-led research activities are needed FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): German Cardiac SocietyGerman Research Foundation (DFG)

Adequacy of setting standards for kick impact in the Taekwondo electronic scoring system: comparison of a reference group model based on empirical data

Background In Taekwondo competitions, the rule is that points are scored when the impact of the kick reaches a predetermined threshold of strength. This study aimed to explore the adequacy of the protector and scoring system (PSS) designed to determine taekwondo body scoring based on a reference group model (RGM). Specifically, the kicking impact of the PSS was calculated using data from 188 matches fought during of 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. The RGM was designed based on empirical data by classifying the victory and defeat groups by gender and weight class, and the scoring method was set according to these criteria. Result The result of this study are as follows. First, there was no difference in the average impact of kicks of taekwondo players by weight class. Second, result of setting up the kick scoring impact standards of taekwondo PSS by classifying the winning and non-winning groups, the kick scoring impact set by the WT was found to be high in all weight classes except 58 kg. Lastly, result of comparing the settings of impact to score according to weight classes, the kick scoring impact standard set by the WT was higher in heavyweight (men's: under 80 kg, + 80 kg, women's: under 67 kg, over 67 kg) than in the lightweight (men's: under 58 kg, under 63 kg, under 68 kg, women's: under 49 kg, under 53 kg, under 57 kg). Conclusion The kick scoring impact set by the WT was found to be high in all weight classes except for the under 58 kg class defining kick scoring impact based on the standards of WT-certified PSS by classifying the matches into winning and non-winning groups. Finally, as a result of comparing the scoring impact settings according to weight class, the kick scoring impact standard set by the WT was higher for the heavier weight classes than for the lighter weight classes.

EXPRESS: Online Training of Salespersons: Impact, Heterogeneity, and Spillover Effects

Data from a field study concerning an online salesperson training program is used to investigate: (1) the overall impact of program participation on sales performance for two kinds of products, Focus and Other (the direct impact); (2) heterogeneity in the impact of program participation across salespersons; and (3) spillover effect of program participation by others in the vicinity on salesperson performance (the indirect impact). The program contains short-duration training modules accessed via an online platform. Salespersons choose whether to take any module, how many modules to take, and when to take them. Results show that while training improved sales performance, the average impact of training on Other product sales was immediate, significant, and positive, and that on Focus product sales was delayed. Further, the impact of training diminishes over time. The authors find significant heterogeneity in the impact of training across salespersons and regions. Finally, the results show a mixed spillover effect of training by peers. There is a positive spillover effect on sales of the focal salesperson with an increase in the total number of trainings taken by peer salespersons, and a negative or no spillover effect with an increase in the number of peer salespersons taking training.

A Within-Study Approach to Evaluating the Role of Moderators of Impact in Limiting Generalizations from “Large to Small”

There is a burgeoning body of evidence on the average impacts of educational programs. Yet, for many local decision makers, because impacts can vary across sites, the question of whether a certain program will work in their particular district or school remains. This article addresses the question of the generalizability of large-scale average causal effects to specific locales, that is, from “large to small.” Our method evaluates whether impacts measured on the large-scale generalize to individual sites and whether adjusting for variation among sites in their characteristics accounts for impact heterogeneity that limits generalization. Our application to a multisite experimental evaluation in education shows that the average impact does not readily generalize to sites, with discrepancies between 0.17 and 0.38 standard deviations, and that characteristics of sites account only minimally for this variation. This emphasizes need for caution by local decision makers in accepting average impact findings as generalizable to their specific locales.

Using Mixed Methods to Explore Variations in Impact Within RCTs: The Case of Project COMPASS

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in education are common as the design allows for an unbiased estimate of the overall impact of a program. As more RCTs are completed, researchers are also noting that an overall average impact may mask substantial variation across sites or groups of individuals. Mixed methods can provide insight and help in unpacking some of the reasons for these variations in impact. This article contributes to the field of mixed methods research by integrating mixed methods into a recently developed conceptual framework for understanding variations in impact. We model the use of this approach within the context of an RCT for online courses that found differences in impact across courses.

Influence of Fiber Orientation on Impact Resistance Behavior of Woven Sisal Fiber Reinforced Polyester Composite

Woven natural fiber reinforced polymer composites have better tensile, flexural, and compressive strength compared to the mechanical properties of unidirectional and randomly oriented NFRPC because of the interlacing of fiber bundles. However, the characterization of impact behavior with different fiber orientation such as 30°/60°, 0/90°, 30°/−45°, and 45°/−45° woven sisal fiber reinforced polyester composite was not studied vigorously. Thus, this paper focuses on the experimental characterization of the impact resistance behavior on woven sisal fiber reinforced polyester composite materials for semistructural part by using Izod impact testing setup. The 30°/60°, 30°/−45°, 0°/90°, and 45°/−45° woven sisal fiber was prepared using nailed wooden frame as a warp and weft guider. The woven sisal fiber was impregnated in order to make woven sisal fiber dimensionally stable. Using 40% by weight of fiber and 60% by weight of polyester, the composite was developed using hand layup process. The morphology and cross-sectional elemental detection was carried out using scanning electron microscope (SEM) assessment in leather development institute (LDI). Finally, impact tests were carried out using Izod impact testing setup in Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (ASTU). The average impact strength of a 40 wt% fiber 45°/−45° woven sisal fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester composite (WSFRPC) test specimen with consecutive warp and weft tow spacing of 2 mm was 342.67 J/m and this was greater energy compared to the other orientations. But the average impact strength of a 40 wt% fiber 30°/60° WSFRPC of test specimen with consecutive warp and weft tow spacing of 2 mm was 241.33 J/m.

Entrepreneurial Framework Conditions and Impact Scores of Small-Size Certified Benefit Corporations (CBCs). A Configurational Analysis of 17 Countries

The urgent need that the private sector generate positive social and environmental impacts in order to cope with the grand challenges faced by humanity and contribute to sustainable development, has ignited the need to understand the country conditions that could promote such an endeavor, especially for small firms who may have more difficulties and, among them, those that try to generate positive impacts for multiple stakeholders, such as Certified B Corporations (CBCs). To contribute to such understanding, we use fsQCA to identify the combinations of presence/absence of four entrepreneurial framework conditions (EFCs)—financing for entrepreneurs, taxes and bureaucracy, R&D transfer, and commercial and legal infrastructure—that are sufficient for the presence/absence of a high average impact score of small-size CBCs in the country. The analysis reveals that two combinations of the presence/absence of the considered EFCs are sufficient for the presence and another two are sufficient for the absence of that outcome. General patterns, specific combinations and the implications for policymakers, CBCs managers and future research are discussed.

Geospatial Assessment of Floods in Western Nepal

Floods are major problems, and their coexistence poses a potent threat, which cannot be eradicated but has to be managed. Extreme affects untold numbers of people, taxing economies, disrupting food production, creating unrest, and prompting migrations. There is much more that can be done to understand the effects of floods, particularly to help protect the poorest and most vulnerable. This research was carried out in the affected area of Bhimdatta municipality and aimed to find out the flood event of 2013 and present the scenario done for flood disaster management. The primary data were collected by direct observation and key informant survey. Landsat images were downloaded from USGS websites, and secondary information was collected through previous research and articles. The data were analyzed by using ArcGIS. It was found that the flood had created a negligible impact on the forest, high impact on the river itself, and average impact on land. 0.13% of forests, 17.38% of land, and 82.48% of river bodies were affected by the flood of 2013. Different governmental and nongovernmental organizations played an effective role for flood disaster management.