Oil Palm Inflorescence Sex Ratio and Fruit Set Assessment in dura × pisifera Biparental Progenies on Fibric Peat Soil

This study investigated oil palm inflorescence sex ratio (ISR) and fruit set (FS) yield among 24 dura × pisifera biparental progenies on fibric peat soil, hybridized from ten genetic origins. Three-month intervals of data collection on ISR and “S-shape” procedure for FS determination were carried out in an independent complete randomized design for one year. Based on the assessment of individual progenies, analysis of variance revealed the existence of genetic heterogeneity. Five of the progenies had the highest ISR above 90%. However, 20.83% of the progenies (PK4841, PK4674, ECPHP415, ECPHP550, and PK4118) had the best normal range of ISR, indicating FS declined being influenced by ISR. Therefore, only 12.50% of the progenies (PK4674, PK4465, and PK4482) were above 60% FS critical level. Correlation analysis verified that ISR depends on the female flower and progeny PK4674 (65.78%) and PK4465 (62.62%) had the best FS and fruit to bunch. Among the parental origins, Deli Serdang × Cameroon was statistically the best for male flower production at 29.40% and ISR at 72.22%. The highest FS was recorded in Deli Banting × AVROS (54.00%) and Angola × AVROS (53.78%). However, molecular research, such as microsatellite molecular markers if concurrently used as a selection criterion with the present conventional study, could present further details to complement the present findings.

A clinical practice for the hippocampal neurogenesis by chronobiological therapy

Background: In 1965 Altman achieved the hippocampal neurogenesis in rats. In addition, when enough activities are provided in the daytime, and it is suggested that the consolidation of the memory during sleep will be achieved by hippocampal neurogenesis. Aims: We show a recovery method about dementia of neurodegenerative diseases on this article. We introduce our clinical practice of the chronobiological therapy regarding 6 dementia cases. Method: We provided the chronobiological therapy based on awakening-sleep rhythm by daily medical care. We examined autonomic nervous disorders and fluctuating cognition using physical examination. We performed the medication to promote the changes from sleep to awakening-activities in morning. In daytime, our occupational therapy was set, and awakening-activities was made stable. At night we gave the medication to make an active state decreased and stabilize deep sleep. The clinical evaluation was carried out by psychological examination. And Voxel-based Specific Regional Analysis System for Alzheimer’s Disease (VSRAD) of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which had been already established, was performed. The conventional study in VSRAD showed the state that the brain atrophy was progressive. Results: About Z-score showing the hippocampal atrophy in VSRAD we accomplished the improvement of 1.28 points from 0.03 about six dementia cases by the chronobiological therapy. These improvements were accompanied by the better changes of the cognitive functions. Conclusion: We speculate that the hippocampal neurogenesis may be derived by reconstructing awakening-sleep rhythm using the chronobiological medicines. If neurogenesis is more dominant than neurodegeneration, dementia associated with the neurodegeneration can be treated.

Use of 360° virtual reality video in medical obstetrical education: a quasi-experimental design

Background Video-based teaching has been part of medical education for some time but 360° videos using a virtual reality (VR) device are a new medium that offer extended possibilities. We investigated whether adding a 360° VR video to the internship curriculum leads to an improvement of long-term recall of specific knowledge on a gentle Caesarean Sections (gCS) and on general obstetric knowledge. Methods Two weeks prior to their Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) internship, medical students were divided in teaching groups, that did or did not have access to a VR-video of a gCS. Six weeks after their O&G internship, potentially having observed one or multiple real-life CSs, knowledge on the gCS was assessed with an open questionnaire, and knowledge on general obstetrics with a multiple-choice questionnaire. Furthermore we assessed experienced anxiety during in-person attendance of CSs, and we asked whether the interns would have wanted to attend more CSs in-person. The 360° VR video group was questioned about their experience directly after they watched the video. We used linear regression analyses to determine significant effects on outcomes. Results A total of 89 medical students participated, 41 in the 360° VR video group and 48 in the conventional study group. Watching the 360° VR video did not result in a difference in either specific or general knowledge retention between the intervention group and the conventional study group. This was both true for the grade received for the internship, the open-ended questions as well as the multiple-choice questions and this did not change after adjustment for confounding factors. Still, 83.4% of the 360° VR video-group reported that more videos should be used in training to prepare for surgical procedures. In the 360° VR video-group 56.7% reported side effects like nausea or dizziness. After adjustment for the number of attended CSs during the practical internship, students in the 360° VR video-group stated less often (p = 0.04) that they would have liked to attend more CSs in-person as compared to the conventional study group. Conclusion Even though the use of 360° VR video did not increase knowledge, it did offer a potential alternative for attending a CS in-person and a new way to prepare the students for their first operating room experiences.

Microwave and Conventional Study of Coumarin-Oxadiazole Adducts and their Anti-Microbial Evaluation

Introduction: Nowadays, researchers are progressively concentrated to generate economical, affordable and also greener synthesis approach for the synthesis of various heterocycles. On look at the beauty of coumarin molecules and oxazoles, it seems to be lead  molecules in the anti-microbial area.  Aim: With the target to identify efficient molecules, we studied 2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yl-2-((5-substituted aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl) thio)acetate derivatives using two synthetic protocol/methods, i.e. conventional synthesis and microwave-based synthesis. Materials and methods: Two simultaneous methods, i.e. conventional and microwave synthesis have been used for the synthe-sis of 2-oxo-2H-chromen-4-yl-2-((5-substituted aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)thio)acetate (6a-l) derivatives. The desired molecules were synthesized by conventional and microwave synthesis and a comparative study was carried out to identify an easy route for industrial applications. The confirmations of the compounds were carried out by spectroscopic techniques such as IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectra and elemental analysis.  Results: All synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in-vitro antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus pyogenes), gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and antifungal activity (Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger).  Conclusions: All conventional synthesis of final coumarin derivatives were completed within 4-6 h. While that of microwave-based reaction took comparatively more reaction time. Surprisingly, the compounds 6f and 6g could not be synthesized by microwave radiation even after 32 minutes of irradiation. As to the medicinal application part, microbial evaluation of synthesized analogues showed that the compounds 6b, 6e, 6d, and 6j were found more potent in comparison to the reference drug. 

Development of one-axis controlled bearingless motor and its application to a centrifugal pump for extremely low temperature

In this paper, a centrifugal pump for for extremely low temperature was fabricated and evaluated by experiments in liquid nitrogen. The pump is using a bearingless motor and permanent magnet bearings to levitate and rotate the rotor without lubricating oil. The difference from the conventional study is that a one-axis controlled bearingless motor is used to reduce the magnetic bearing cost and that the bearings are installed in the liquid to eliminate a shaft-seal. Stable levitation and rotation of the rotor were confirmed in the rotation and pump experiments in liquid nitrogen. In pump experiment, the flow rate of liquid nitrogen was measured at 1 cm in a pumping height. The maximum flow rate was 1.3 L/min when the rotation speed is 1,800 rpm.

Abbreviated MRI protocol for colorectal liver metastases: How the radiologist could work in pre surgical setting

Background MRI is the most reliable imaging modality that allows to assess liver metastases. Our purpose is to compare the per-lesion and per-patient detection rate of gadoxetic acid-(Gd-EOB) enhanced liver MRI and fast MR protocol including Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI) and T2-W Fat Suppression sequence in the detection of liver metastasis in pre surgical setting. Methods One hundred and eight patients with pathologically proven liver metastases (756 liver metastases) underwent Gd-EOBMRI were enrolled in this study. Three radiologist independently graded the presence of liver lesions on a five-point confidence scale assessed only abbreviated protocol (DWI and sampling perfection with application-optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolution (SPACE) fat suppressed sequence) and after an interval of more than 2 weeks the conventional study (all acquired sequences). Per-lesion and per-patient detection rate of metastases were calculated. Weighted к values were used to evaluate inter-reader agreement of the confidence scale regarding the presence of the lesion. Results MRI detected 732 liver metastases. All lesions were identified both by conventional study as by abbreviated protocol. In terms of per-lesion detection rate of liver metastasis, all three readers had higher detection rate both with abbreviated protocol and with standard protocol with Gd-EOB (96.8% [732 of 756] vs. 96.5% [730 of 756] for reader 1; 95.8% [725 of 756] vs. 95.2% [720 of 756] for reader 2; 96.5% [730 of 756] vs. 96.5% [730 of 756] for reader 3). Inter-reader agreement of lesions detection rate between the three radiologists was excellent (k range, 0.86–0.98) both for Gd-EOB MRI and for Fast protocol (k range, 0.89–0.99). Conclusion Abbreviated protocol showed the same detection rate than conventional study in detection of liver metastases.

Kant be Compared: People High in Social Comparison Orientation Make Fewer—Not More—Deontological Decisions in Sacrificial Dilemmas

The current work tests whether the dispositional tendency to compare oneself to others—social comparison orientation (SCO)—impacts decisions in moral dilemmas. Past research offers two competing predictions for how SCO impacts moral decision making: (a) SCO increases deontological judgments because people high in SCO care especially about social norms versus (b) SCO decreases deontological judgments because people high in SCO are competitive and thus unconcerned about causing harm to others. Four studies (two preregistered) find consistent support that SCO decreases deontological decisions. This relationship was robust in employing conventional (Study 1) and process dissociation (Studies 2–4) dilemma analytic techniques. Furthermore, we find that psychopathy uniquely mediates decreased deontological decisions among people high in SCO (Study 4). These results indicate that high-SCO people make fewer deontological decisions because they are less concerned with causing harm. Overall, the current research suggests that there is a dark side to making social comparisons.