DHATUROOPI SHUKRA AND BEEJAROOPI SHUKRA: A CRITICAL REVIEW

Shukra is studied in Ayurveda both as a dhatu and beeja. As a mammalian human body comprises both somatic and gonadal cells. Somatic cells help for growth and regeneration through mitosis. Meiotic cell division causes equal contribution for the inheritance from maternal and paternal sides. Beejartham (reproduction) is the supreme function attributed to Shukra. Reproduction refers to the formation of new cells for tissue growth, repair/replacement (sukshmavayavantarotpatti), or the production of a new individual (shareerantarotpatti). Regenerative capacity is distributed unequally among species, individuals, and tissues. The affliction of shukrastana by kusthadosha (skin disease) causes a failure in regeneration. The affliction of parents' shukra and artava (gametes) by kusthadosha (skin disease) inherits to the next generation. Vrushan (testis) and medru (penis) are the moola of the shukravahavaha srotus, which is meant to fertilise the ovum (beejarupishukra). Majja (bone marrow) and stana (breasts) are the moola of the shukravaha srotus of the one pervading the entire body (dhaturupishukra).

Constitutivity in Flavour Perception

Within contemporary philosophy of perception, it is commonly claimed that flavour experiences are paradigmatic examples of multimodal perceptual experiences. In fact, virtually any sensory system, including vision and audition, is believed to influence how we experience flavours. However, there is a strong intuition, often expressed in these works, that not all of these sensory systems make an equal contribution to the phenomenology of flavour experiences. More specifically, it seems that the activities of some sensory systems are constitutive for flavour perception while others merely influence how we experience flavours. This paper aims to answer the question regarding the constitutive factors of flavour perception in a twofold way. First, a theoretical framework is developed, relying on debates regarding constitutivity in analytic metaphysics and philosophy of science, which defines the stronger and weaker senses in which the activities of sensory systems may be constitutive for flavour perception. Second, relying on empirical results in flavour science, the constitutive status of activities related to distinct sensory systems in the context of flavour perception is investigated.

Global gap-analysis of amphipod barcode library

In the age of global climate change and biodiversity loss there is an urgent need to provide effective and robust tools for diversity monitoring. One of the promising techniques for species identification is the use of DNA barcoding, that in Metazoa utilizes the so called ‘gold-standard’ gene of cytochrome c oxidase (COI). However, the success of this method relies on the existence of trustworthy barcode libraries of the species. The Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) aims to provide barcodes for all existing organisms, and is complemented by the Barcode Index Number (BIN) system serving as a tool for potential species recognition. Here we provide an analysis of all public COI sequences available in BOLD of the diverse and ubiquitous crustacean order Amphipoda, to identify the barcode library gaps and provide recommendations for future barcoding studies. Our gap analysis of 25,702 records has shown that although 3,835 BINs (indicating putative species) were recognised by BOLD, only 10% of known amphipod species are represented by barcodes. We have identified almost equal contribution of both records (sequences) and BINs associated with freshwater and with marine realms. Three quarters of records have a complete species-level identification provided, while BINs have just 50%. Large disproportions between identification levels of BINs coming from freshwaters and the marine environment were observed, with three quarters of the former possessing a species name, and less than 40% for the latter. Moreover, the majority of BINs are represented by a very low number of sequences rendering them unreliable according to the quality control system. The geographical coverage is poor with vast areas of Africa, South America and the open ocean acting as “white gaps”. Several, of the most species rich and highly abundant families of Amphipoda (e.g., Phoxocephalidae, Ampeliscidae, Caprellidae), have very poor representation in the BOLD barcode library. As a result of our study we recommend stronger effort in identification of already recognised BINs, prioritising the studies of families that are known to be important and abundant components of particular communities, and targeted sampling programs for taxa coming from geographical regions with the least knowledge.

Authorship Correction: International Changes in COVID-19 Clinical Trajectories Across 315 Hospitals and 6 Countries: Retrospective Cohort Study (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED Authorship Correction: International Changes in COVID-19 Clinical Trajectories Across 315 Hospitals and 6 Countries: Retrospective Cohort Study In “International Changes in COVID-19 Clinical Trajectories Across 315 Hospitals and 6 Countries: Retrospective Cohort Study” (J Med Internet Res 2021 Oct 11;23(10):e31400. doi: 10.2196/31400), two errors were noted. Due to a system error, the equal contribution of the last three authors was not noted. To correct this under the JMIR parameters allowing only one equal contribution footnote, we are implementing the following changes. In the originally published paper, equal contribution was noted as: “Griffin M Weber MD, PhD1*, Harrison G Zhang1*, Sehi L'Yi PhD1*,… *These authors contributed equally” This has been corrected to: “Griffin M Weber MD, PhD1*, Harrison G Zhang1*, Sehi L'Yi PhD1*,… Tianxi Cai ScD1*‡, Andrew M South MD, MS36*, Gabriel A Brat MD, MPH1*… *These authors contributed equally” Additionally, the Authors’ Contribution section has been updated to include: “These authors contributed equally: Griffin M Weber MD, PhD, Harrison G Zhang, Sehi L’Yi PhD. These authors jointly supervised the work: Tianxi Cai ScD, Andrew M South MD, MS, Gabriel A Brat MD.” The correction will appear in the online version of the paper on the JMIR Publications website on November 2, 2021, together with the publication of this correction notice.

Identification of spring barley genetic sources of increased and stable 1000 kernel weight performance (Hordeum vulgare L.)

The trials were conducted in 2018–2020 at the V.M. Remeslo Myronivka Institute of Wheat of NAAS. The aim of the research was to identify new spring barley genetic sources with combination of increased and stable 1000 kernel weight performance for creation initial breeding material under ecological conditions of the central part of Ukrainian Forest-steppe. There were studied 96 spring barley collection accessions originated in different ecological conditions. To identify peculiarities among genotypes within different subspecies (two-rowed and sixrowed), groups of varieties (covered and naked), as well as among two-rowed covered accessions of different ecological origin the genotypes under study were divided into six groups. Within four groups of accessions there were selected genotypes combining the maximum 1000 kernel weight performance and high homeostatic (Hom) and selection value (Sc) indexes. The other two groups of accessions were characterized with the fact that genotypes with high1000 kernel weight through three years did not have high Hom and Sc indexes due to higher variability. The analysis of variance of the AMMI model revealed almost the equal contribution to the total variance for growing season conditions (34.02%), genotype (34.67%) and their interaction (31.32%). The identified features indicate both the significant genetic diversity presented in this panel of spring barley accessions and the significant influence of weather conditions on the formation of 1000 kernel weight, as well as the different reaction of genotypes on the conditions of individual years of the research. When using statistical parameters and visualizations of the GGE biplot, new spring barley genetic sources with the optimal combination of increased and stable the trait performance were identified. In particular, to improve 1000 kernel weight the accessions Sviatovit (UKR), Dar Nosivshchyny (UKR), Smaragd (UKR), Sunshine (DEU), Lilly (DEU), and Vladlen (KGZ) are recommended to use as parental components for two-rowed covered barley varieties, the accession NSGJ-1 (SRB) is for naked barley varieties, and Yerong (AUS) is for six-rowed barley varieties.

Parthenogenesis and the Evolution of Anisogamy

Recently, it was pointed out that classic models for the evolution of anisogamy do not take into account the possibility of parthenogenetic reproduction, even though sex is facultative in many relevant taxa (e.g., algae) that harbour both anisogamous and isogamous species. Here, we complement this recent analysis with an approach where we assume that the relationship between progeny size and its survival may differ between parthenogenetically and sexually produced progeny, favouring either the former or the latter. We show that previous findings that parthenogenesis can stabilise isogamy relative to the obligate sex case, extend to our scenarios. We additionally investigate two different ways for one mating type to take over the entire population. First, parthenogenesis can lead to biased sex ratios that are sufficiently extreme that one type can displace the other, leading to de facto asexuality for the remaining type that now lacks partners to fuse with. This process involves positive feedback: microgametes, being numerous, lack opportunities for syngamy, and should they proliferate parthenogenetically, the next generation makes this asexual route even more prominent for microgametes. Second, we consider mutations to strict asexuality in producers of micro- or macrogametes, and show that the prospects of asexual invasion depend strongly on the mating type in which the mutation arises. Perhaps most interestingly, we also find scenarios in which parthenogens have an intrinsic survival advantage yet facultatively sexual isogamous populations are robust to the invasion of asexuals, despite us assuming no genetic benefits of recombination. Here, equal contribution from both mating types to zygotes that are sufficiently well provisioned can outweigh the additional costs associated with syngamy.

Analyzing Socially Shared Regulation of Learning during Cooperative Learning and the Role of Equal Contribution: A Grounded Theory Approach

Although cooperative learning is an effective instructional method, it cannot be taken for granted that students will gain new knowledge when engaging in a cooperative activity. Even if cooperative learning is effectively designed, problems might arise regarding cognitive, behavioral and motivational aspects of learning. For students to gain knowledge, cognition, metacognition, behavior and motivation should be collectively regulated by the group, which is called the socially shared regulation of learning (SSRL). However, up until now, there has been no consensus about how SSRL is manifested during cooperative learning. This study investigated how SSRL is manifested during cooperative learning by means of a grounded theory approach. This was done to identify what is necessary for effective SSRL and what its consequences are. A theoretical model was built based on the data in order to portray these prerequisites and consequences of SSRL. This study also investigated whether equal participation fostered SSRL. In this study, participants were students from the fourth, fifth and sixth grades of elementary school, working together in groups of four (n = 104). The data indicated that SSRL is a rare process, the absence of which caused less structured collaboration in groups who were not prompted to participate equally.

Decision Support System Design Model for Choosing Effective Learning Method in Higher Education Institution

In an educational institution, especially higher education, producing qualified graduates is the highest priority achievement. The quality of the graduates is highly dependent on the applied learning method. However, sometimes universities have difficulty in determining appropriate learning for their students. Determination of this decision requires a tool that can facilitate decisionmakers in analyzing all the considerations in choosing decisions. Another challenge is when the decision is shared among multiple stakeholders with equal contribution. It consequently creates a need for a mechanism that can provide an equal contribution for each stakeholder. The research tries to create a model to design a tool that can determine the decisions that need to be taken. This model is built with the Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach. MCDA is selected because it can be implemented in a collaborative ecosystem where multiple stakeholders are involved. Then, a literature study is conducted to determine the attributes and decision-making parameters. In addition, the primary data derived from interviews to a total of 40 respondents consisting of students, lecturers, and staff are taken into consideration to complete the literature study. The literature review and interview output are then translated to some parameters that influence an effective learning system. The result shows that this model can be used as a reference in developing a web-based application as an implementation of MCDA.

Replica Plating

This chapter describes how Esther Lederberg, in daring to re-purpose her compact makeup pad as a kind of ink stamp, developed the new Replica Plating Technique but later her husband Joshua seemed to claim sole credit for this discovery. The Lederbergs demonstrated the effectiveness of the new plating technique in their study of spontaneous bacterial mutations, using the technique to resolve a longstanding question of bacterial mutations: Did mutations occur spontaneously or was some other process of adaptation involved? While at first, Joshua defended Esther’s co-equal contribution to the invention of replica plating, in later publications, he seemed to claim sole credit, by ignoring her contributions. This is a classic example of the Matilda Effect, when a male colleague is given sole credit for an invention by unfairly ignoring the female colleague’s contribution. Some of the Lederbergs’ colleagues recognize Esther as the primary inventor of replica plating, since she had the reputation of an experimental genius; others assumed that the creative insight was Joshua’s.