New Clones and Old Varieties: Quality of Sicilian Hillside Apple Cultivation

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the qualitative characteristics of the new clones according to the Mediterranean hillside growing environment and, at the same time, to highlight the qualitative peculiarities of the old varieties in order to avoid genetic loss. Introduction: Several apple varieties are constantly selected for improved quality traits and introduced for cultivation and marketing in addition to a few traditional and affirmed varieties. On the other side, local genotype and ancient varieties are still valorised due to the request of a niche market. Methods: We have studied the physico-chemical quality and the sensory traits of the fruit obtained in this particular environment. Results: Our study reveals a qualitative response to the environment in a genotype-dependent manner. As expected, the physico-chemical characteristics favour the new clones. Conclusion: Both old varieties and new clones of apple fruit, grown in the Mediterranean area, turned out to be of high quality. Nevertheless, results revealed the better characteristics of new clones for commercialization in large-scale supply chain.

On Instructional Materials: The Pre-Service Teachers Preferences in Time of Pandemic

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic did not only surprise many but also caught most of the academic institutions unprepared. As such, the best option to continue the academic year is to go distance education through flexible learning modes. However, several issues are tied to the implementation of the different modes of learning. To find the most appropriate materials in teaching, this study tried to assess the voice of the learners as one of the considerations in the learning system. Using a descriptive method in which the textual responses from 130 English Major Students were converted to quantitative data to establish patterns and qualitative response analysis to capture the implications of the participants’ responses, the researchers analyzed the proposals of the pre-service teachers and their implications to teaching and learning. Findings reveal that the participants implicitly based their preferences on some considerations. Hence, the diversified instructional materials imply their capability and willingness to use various sources and are in favor of engaging in the hybrid form of instructions. Results also indicate that teachers’ preparations should be parallel to the preferences of the learners to meet the demands of the new normal teaching set up.

Tracking and modeling public perceptions toward the reality of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

The study tracked and modeled public perceptions toward the reality of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria over a 3 month period (10 May to 10 August 2020); 2580 Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones were selected to participate in the study. These participants were selected from various social media platforms and were requested to complete an online survey over a 3-month period. Data were analyzed in three phases: tracking, modeling, and forecasting. We first tracked the respondents’ perceptions in the form of a qualitative response, where seven thematic constructs emerged from content analysis. These constructs were confirmed in the modeling phase, using structural equation modeling after data transformation. The themes were forecast as a single construct to predict possible trends and patterns over the next 3 month period using an autoregressive integrated moving average. Our findings revealed that public perceptions toward the reality of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria fall into seven thematic constructs: “scam,” “fake,” “politics,” “business venture,” “exaggeration,” “real,” and “real but manipulated.” These constructs show a steady trend with a random walk pattern, suggesting that perceptions toward the reality of COVID-19 in Nigeria will remain relatively unchanged over the next 3 month period. We recommend, among other things, that massive and intensive sensitization and awareness programs are needed to change the public mindset concerning the reality of the pandemic in Nigeria.

MEASURING QUALITATIVE RESPONSE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS AFFECTING THE ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF RICE FARMS IN NAJAF GOVERNORATE SEASON 2017

This study aimed to estimate rice farms efficiency using qualitative response models. The survied field included three districts in Najaf (Al Mishkhab, Al Hirah, Al Manadhira) during agricultural season 2017, including a random sample of 80 farms, representing 7.5% of the total farms. To achieve the goals, analysis was divided into two stages, the first stage was measuring the economic efficiency according to entry guidance of rice farms, while the second stage involved the analysis of factors affecting the economic efficiency of rice farms using the binomial logistic regression model to obtain a mathematical relationship between the dependent variable (response variable), which represents the economic efficiency of rice farms and the independent variables represented by age, experience and education of the owners , geographical area and type of possession for the farms. DEAP software was used to estimate economic efficiency and SPSS software to analyze the logistic regression of the factors affecting economic efficiency. The results showed that the average economic efficiency according to the Economic efficiency was 66.7%, which means that rice farmers can obtain the same production using 66.7% of the total costs i.e. there is a 33% waste in economic resources in the research sample.The logistic regression results indicated that each of experience (more than 35 years), education (university degree) and farm area (greater than 15 dunums) had a significant effect on the efficiency of the rice crop farms.

Quanti-Qualitative Response of Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris L. var. cycla) to Soil Amendment with Biochar-Compost Mixtures

In recent years, soil addition with organic amendments, such as biochar and compost, has gained attention as an effective agronomic practice to sustain soil fertility, enhance plant growth and crop yield. Well known are the positive effects of compost on yield of a wide crop varieties, while both positive and negative responses are reported for biochar Therefore, the aim of the study was to verify the effect of biochar mixed with three types of compost on quanti-qualitative response of Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. cycla), a leafy green vegetable rich in dietary antioxidants, largely consumed worldwide. A factorial experiment in pots with two factors, including biochar (without biochar and with biochar from vine pruning residues) and compost (without compost, with compost from olive pomace, with vermicompost from cattle manure, and with compost from cattle anaerobic digestate), was setup. Two growth cycles were considered, and a set of quantitative (height of plants, number, area and fresh weight of leaves) and qualitative parameters (carotenoids, chlorophyll, total N, and NO3−content of leaves) were analyzed. Biochar decreased plant growth and NO3− leaf content; on the contrary, it increased total N leaf content, while compost improved all the considered parameters. The interactive effect of biochar and compost was evident only on total N and NO3− leaf content. In our experimental conditions, the compost showed to be the best option to improve Swiss chard growth and increase the content of phytopigments, while the biochar-compost mixtures did not produce the expected effect.

Quanti-Qualitative Response of Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris L. var. cycla) to Soil Amendment with Biochar-Compost Mixtures

In recent years, soil addition with organic amendments, such as biochar and compost, has gained attention as an effective agronomic practice to sustain soil fertility, enhance plant growth and crop yield. Well known are the positive effects of compost on yield of a wide crop varieties, while both positive and negative responses are reported for biochar Therefore, the aim of the study was to verify the effect of biochar mixed with three types of compost on quanti-qualitative response of Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. cycla), a leafy green vegetable rich in dietary antioxidants, largely consumed worldwide. A factorial experiment in pots with two factors, including biochar (without biochar and with biochar from vine pruning residues) and compost (without compost, with compost from olive pomace, with vermicompost from cattle manure and with compost from cattle anaerobic digestate), was setup. Two growth cycles were considered and a set of quantitative (height of plants, number, area and fresh weight of leaves) and qualitative parameters (carotenoid, chlorophyll, total N and NO3-content of leaves) were analyzed. Biochar decreased plant growth and NO3- leaf content; on the contrary, it increased total N leaf content, while compost improved all the considered parameters. The interactive effect of biochar and compost was evident only on total N and NO3- leaf content. In our experimental conditions, the compost showed to be the best option to improve Swiss chard growth and increase the phytopigments content, while the biochar-compost mixtures didn’t produce the expected effect.

Assessing Distance Learning in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This qualitative study is an investigation and assessment of distance learning in Morocco during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research surveyed 3037 students and 231 professors enrolled in different stages of higher education programs. It aims to investigate the limitations of e-learning platforms and how these activities take place at public and private Moroccan universities during the coronavirus confinement. For this purpose, two structured questionnaires were constructed by researchers from different specialties, and the type of data was based on the responses of students and professors from 15 universities. In this paper, we have used three methods: descriptive analysis, regression analysis, and qualitative response analysis. As a data analytics tool, Microsoft Power BI was used to analyze data, visualize it, and draw insights. In this study, both professors and students stated that online learning is not more interesting than ordinary learning and professors need to provide at least 50% of their teaching in face-to-face mode. Recommendations at teaching and technical levels, such as the need for technical support and training in the use of these tools, were provided to enhance and promote distance education in Morocco. The contribution of this paper comes as a result of data analysis obtained from a survey conducted in some famous Moroccan universities.

Noise-Correlation Is Modulated by Reward Expectation in the Primary Motor Cortex Bilaterally During Manual and Observational Tasks in Primates

Reward modulation is represented in the motor cortex (M1) and could be used to implement more accurate decoding models to improve brain-computer interfaces (BCIs; Zhao et al., 2018). Analyzing trial-to-trial noise-correlations between neural units in the presence of rewarding (R) and non-rewarding (NR) stimuli adds to our understanding of cortical network dynamics. We utilized Pearson’s correlation coefficient to measure shared variability between simultaneously recorded units (32–112) and found significantly higher noise-correlation and positive correlation between the populations’ signal- and noise-correlation during NR trials as compared to R trials. This pattern is evident in data from two non-human primates (NHPs) during single-target center out reaching tasks, both manual and action observation versions. We conducted a mean matched noise-correlation analysis to decouple known interactions between event-triggered firing rate changes and neural correlations. Isolated reward discriminatory units demonstrated stronger correlational changes than units unresponsive to reward firing rate modulation, however, the qualitative response was similar, indicating correlational changes within the network as a whole can serve as another information channel to be exploited by BCIs that track the underlying cortical state, such as reward expectation, or attentional modulation. Reward expectation and attention in return can be utilized with reinforcement learning (RL) towards autonomous BCI updating.

134. idweek Clinician Educator Mentoring Program for Junior Faculty

Background Effective career mentorship enhances well-being, productivity, and advancement in academic medicine. The pathway to success for clinician educators (CE) is often ill-defined. Career development resources and support for this pathway vary across institutions. To address this need, we created a mentoring program pairing junior faculty pursuing careers as CEs with more experienced CEs from other institutions during IDWeek 2018 and 2019. Methods Prior to IDWeek 2018 and 2019, a survey was sent through the IDSA listserv to identify members pursuing CE careers interested in extra-institutional career mentorship. These faculty were paired with mentors who were established career CEs identified via the IDSA Medical Education Workgroup. Mentees completed a brief individual development plan (IDP) and identified 3 discussion topics. Mentors received the mentee’s IDP and CV prior to IDWeek and were given brief guidance on successful mentoring. One hour advising sessions were held during IDWeek and ended with the creation of a mentee action plan and a scheduled follow-up call. Post-participation surveys were sent to mentees and mentors. Results 31 different mentees and 15 mentors participated in the program over two years. 26 (84%) mentees completed the post-session survey. 25 (96%) mentees and 14 (93%) mentors reported being very satisfied with their meetings at IDWeek. All mentees created an action plan with their mentor. 16 (62%) strongly agreed and 10 (38%) somewhat agreed that they planned to make changes based on the meeting. 21 (81%) mentees strongly agreed they received advice they were unable to get at their own institution. After the session, 18 (69%) strongly agreed they felt connected to a supportive CE community at IDSA; none strongly agreed in the pre-survey. All mentors and mentees agreed that this program was a resource that IDSA should consider expanding. Qualitative response themes from mentees emphasized the usefulness of an external perspective. Conclusion A mentoring program for junior faculty during IDWeek was feasible and effective for CEs. Through these interactions, mentees planned changes to enhance their careers and felt newly supported by the IDSA community. This model could be used for other ID career paths at future meetings. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

16.D. Workshop: The Place Standard Tool around the world – experience on impact, equity aspects and transferability

The relationships that exist between the fundamental drivers of our physical, social and economic environments and the immediate or eventual impacts these environments or “places” have on population health and inequalities are well documented. Successfully empowering communities to positively influence and help shape the decisions that impact on current and future living environments is a fundamental driver of health and well-being. The Place Standard Tool is a flexible product that translates complex public health and place making theory into a simple tool that supports communities, organisations and businesses to work together and identify both the assets of a place and areas deemed priority for improvement albeit within places that are well-established, undergoing change, or still being planned. The tool consists of 14 easy to understand questions or dimensions which cover both the physical and social elements of a place. On completion the tool is designed to provide both a quantitative (a score of 1-7 for each theme) and qualitative response through free text. The quantitative scores are displayed on a compass diagram and allow at a glance an immediate understanding of what dimensions of place work well (a score of 7 is the highest) and what areas require improving (a score of 1 is the lowest). Critical to establishing this full picture is ensuring that all ages and populations successfully contribute to the process. International developments continue to proceed at pace. The European Network for WHO Healthy Cities takes interest in spreading the tool to its members, and adaptations of the tool are already available in 14 European countries. These countries include the Netherlands, Denmark, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Greece, Germany and Spain. This workshop aims to bring together current international experience and developments with the tool, and to reflect on transferability, replicability, possible health impacts and equity aspects in terms of participation and data analysis. Another aim is promote availability of the tool more widely and to allow increased awareness and application to assist with the creation of healthy places. The objectives of the workshop are: To outline the connection between place, health and health inequalitiesTo introduce and explain how, where and when to use the Place Standard Tool to support the design of healthy and equitable placesTo enable participants through a variety of case studies explore whether the Place Standard is a suitable tool to use in their particular context which might be at a national, city and or neighbourhood delivery level. This will be achieved through an introduction to the tool and case studies from the Netherlands, Spain and Germany. Time will be provided at the end for discussion. Key messages Knowledge and awareness of a free and practical product to engage with partners, communities and politicians in taking forward an evidence based, and inclusive approach to healthy place design. An opportunity to contribute to and learn from a growing community of experience and expertise in healthy place making.