Chemical Profiling and Constituent Diversity in Nutmeg Genotypes (Myristica fragrans Houtt.)

Background: Nutmeg is a perennial tree spices which is yielding twin spices; present days research thrust is to identify high yielding mother trees. But yield and quality both are equally important due to its wide spread medicinal as well as industrial usage. Methods: The core collection of nutmeg genotypes form different locations of Kerala evaluated for biochemical composition. Seventeen morphologically distinct types of nutmeg were analysed through GC/MS method. The change in volatiles after storage (at 4°C) was also assessed after one year. Result: The range of variation was observed for kernel oil, mace oil, kernel oleoresin, mace oleoresin and fixed oil of kernel. Myristicin, elemecin and sabinene were principal volatile compounds. The identification of distinct nutmeg chemotypes for specific volatile compounds which could be used in commercial cultivation/pharmaceutical application/industrial use. Present study highlights the high and low hallucinogen (myristicine, elemicine and safrole) genotypes along with high sabinene types.

Влияние периодической макрошероховатости на развитие турбулентной свободной конвекции у внезапно нагреваемой вертикальной пластины

The results of numerical simulation of unsteady free convection developing near a suddenly heated plate, on which protrusions in the form of adiabatic cylinders of double height with respect to the diameter are arranged in a checkerboard pattern, are presented. The calculations were performed according to the Reynolds equations using a differential model of turbulent stresses. The range of variation of the Grashof number (plotted according to the thickness of the free convective flow), in which a significant intensification of heat transfer can be achieved, has been determined. It is shown that the best conditions for intensification are created if the longitudinal pitch in the array of protrusions is approximately twenty times the diameter of the latter.

The manifestation of the main quantitative characteristics in the populations of second-generation beans and their parent forms

The aim of the research was to study the nature of variability of the main quantitative traits in hybrid populations of the second generation Phaseolus vulgaris L. within the framework of the task 13.00.01.28. F “To study the nature of the inheritance of quantitative traits in hybrids of create a starting material with improved flavoring properties.As a result of the studies carried out, it was found that regardless of the duration of the growing season of the parent components of the crossing, in the hybrid populations of the second generation, the limits of variability for this indicator went beyond the limits of the variability of the parent forms. The average values of the duration of the growing season in hybrids were intermediate between the indicators of the corresponding parent forms. The coefficients of variation in the parent forms were insignificant (1.1 – 1.4%); in hybrid populations they were low – from 4.9% (Line 744-14 / Ukrainka) to 9.2% (Line 741-14 / Suita).In terms of plant height, the limits of variability of hybrid offspring F2 went beyond the limits of variability of the parent components. The average values of the trait in hybrid populations significantly exceeded the corresponding indicators of the parent forms. The degree of variability in plant height of hybrid populations was significant in the combination Line 872-14 / Podolyanka-1 (the parent components differ in the type of plant growth) and was equal to 20.6% versus 3.5% and 4.9% for the corresponding parent forms. In other hybrid populations, the coefficient of variation was average (Ukrainka / Suita-16.5%; Line 741-14 / Suita – 13.5%; Line 744-14 / Ukrainka -10.1%) The degree of variability of the corresponding parental forms was in the range from 2.8% to 3.1%.The widest range of variability was observed according to the characteristics of the mass of seeds from the plant, the number of seeds from the plant, the number of beans from the plant. The degree of variability of the seed mass from the plant in hybrid populations ranged from 30.3% to 39.1% (in the parent forms from 9.1% to 21.7%); the number of seeds from the plant from 22.3% to 40.7% (in the parent forms from 9.8% to 20.1%); the number of beans from the plant from 28.1% to 38.3% (in the parent forms from 4.7% to 16.2%). The degree of variation of the studied traits in hybrid populations was 2–3 times higher than in the parent forms.By the weight of 100 seeds in the offspring of the second generation, the range of variation was much wider than this indicator in the parent forms. The degree of variability on this trait was average for hybrid populations (from 10.6% to 13.4%), and insignificant for parental forms (from 3.7% to 6.6%).It is possible that the most valuable in terms of breeding may be the hybrid combination Line 872-14/Podolyanka, from the widest range of variability in the studied traits in the second generation population.

EFFECT OF EDGE DISTANCES ON STIFFNESS OF SHEAR-TENSION MODE IN GLULAM CONNECTIONS WITH INCLINED SCREWS

The effects of edge distances on stiffness in glulam connections with inclined self-tapping screws were studied in this paper. Under four anchorage angles (A-45°, A-60°, A-75°, A-90°) and three edge distances (EG-2D, EG-4D, EG-6D) conditions, the shear-tension tests were carried out on the timber structure connections with inclined self-tapping screws, and the stiffness and other properties of the connections were tested. Based on the results, the effects of edge distances on stiffness in joints were quantified using the equivalent energy elastic-plastic (EEEP) model. The results showed that the edge distances had a certain impact on the yield mode and load-carrying performance of the joints. Within a certain range of variation, as the edge distance increased, the stiffness of the connections increased gradually, showing a positive correlation. The stiffness of specimen EG-2D is 4.41 kN·mm-1. The stiffness of specimen EG-4D is 10.04 kN·mm-1, which increasesby 128% compared with the specimen EG-2D. The stiffness of specimen EG-6D is 12.08 kN·mm-1, which increases by 174% compared with the specimen EG-2D. However, the ductility coefficient, yielding load, and energy dissipatinghave no significant change. Within a reasonable edge distance, only ductile damage occurred.

Indigenous Narratives In Parametric Design. Reconnecting With Māori Identity Through The Development Of Sculptural Cartography As Architectural Interventions

<p>Re-connecting with Māori identity through parametric design has been investigated through this body of research by focussing on mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge). Ultimately asking: “There is a place for parametric design to help translate Māori narratives, values and procedures into architectural form”. The designer’s intent through this body of research was to re-enforce old ties with local iwi, re-learn one’s whakapapa (stories/narratives), and re-connect with one’s sense of self through embedding this knowledge into a coded design. The objective was to achieve a design output that is fundamentally built on mātauranga Māori and cultural practices of Ngāti Kahungunu (iwi in the Hawkes Bay that extends down the East coast of New Zealand’s North Island). When a design begins with such an intent, the generated output is unexpected, surprising and changes perception of what a particular structure is meant to be or do. The ideas touched upon in this research is merely a seed to what can be achieved when using parametric design to produce a culturally significant design. Finding one significant cultural aspect, in this case the power of loci, is one of the most important steps in building the design tikanga (protocols/scope) that will find its way into all aspects of the designs produced. This informed the reasoning for the parameters used, the range of variation and how one step progressed to the next.</p>

Indigenous Narratives In Parametric Design. Reconnecting With Māori Identity Through The Development Of Sculptural Cartography As Architectural Interventions

<p>Re-connecting with Māori identity through parametric design has been investigated through this body of research by focussing on mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge). Ultimately asking: “There is a place for parametric design to help translate Māori narratives, values and procedures into architectural form”. The designer’s intent through this body of research was to re-enforce old ties with local iwi, re-learn one’s whakapapa (stories/narratives), and re-connect with one’s sense of self through embedding this knowledge into a coded design. The objective was to achieve a design output that is fundamentally built on mātauranga Māori and cultural practices of Ngāti Kahungunu (iwi in the Hawkes Bay that extends down the East coast of New Zealand’s North Island). When a design begins with such an intent, the generated output is unexpected, surprising and changes perception of what a particular structure is meant to be or do. The ideas touched upon in this research is merely a seed to what can be achieved when using parametric design to produce a culturally significant design. Finding one significant cultural aspect, in this case the power of loci, is one of the most important steps in building the design tikanga (protocols/scope) that will find its way into all aspects of the designs produced. This informed the reasoning for the parameters used, the range of variation and how one step progressed to the next.</p>

Methane Fluxes of Vegetated Areas in Natural Freshwater Ecosystems: Assessments and Global Significance

Freshwater ecosystems, including wetlands, lakes, and running waters, are estimated to contribute roughly 40% to global emissions of methane (CH4), a highly potent greenhouse gas. The emission of CH4 to the atmosphere entails the diffusive, ebullitive, and plant-mediated pathway. The latter, in particular, has been largely understudied and is neither well understood nor quantified. We have conducted a semi-quantitative literature review to (i) provide a synthesis of the different ways vegetated habitats can influence CH4 dynamics (i.e., production, consumption, and transport) in freshwater ecosystems, (ii) provide an overview of methods applied to study the fluxes from vegetated habitats, and (iii) summarize the existing data on CH4 fluxes associated to different types of vegetated habitats and their range of variation. Finally, we discuss the implications of CH4 fluxes associated with aquatic vegetated habitats for current estimates of aquatic CH4 emissions at the global scale. We identified 13 different aspects in which plants impact CH4 dynamics (three related to gaseous CH4 flux pathways) and ten approaches used to study and quantify fluxes from vegetated habitats. The variability of the fluxes from vegetated areas was very high, varying from -454.4 mg CH4 m-2 d-1 (uptake) to 2882.4 mg CH4 m-2 d-1 (emission). This synthesis highlights the need to incorporate vegetated habitats into CH4 emission budgets from natural freshwater ecosystems and further identifies understudied research aspects and relevant future research directions.

Estimation features of winter bread wheat quality by the method of sedimentation analysis

It is known that the breeding process is in a great need for fast methods, working on minimal weights of experimental material and revealing the qualitative potential of the varieties. For this purpose, in order to get rid of unpromising numbers, the laboratory assessments widely use a sedimentation analysis, this type of analysis being the main one at the primary stages of breeding and when estimating winter wheat in the pre-harvesting period. The purpose of the current study was to identify the most valuable genotypes in seed plots by sedimentation analysis to optimize the breeding process of winter bread wheat for grain quality. The sedimentation index was estimated by the method using a 2% surfactant (SAS) solution of the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 9.4% lactic acid. Gluten content and its quality, volumetric bread yield and falling number were assessed according to generally accepted methods. For the most accurate interpretation of the study results there has been used a one-way analysis of variance. The range of variation of the sedimentation index in the seed plot of CVT was 35–57 ml (2017); 50–83 ml (2018); 56–84 ml (2019); in KP-1 it was 44–95 ml (there were analyzed 945 samples); in KP-2 it was 50–94 ml (there were analyzed 100 samples). Inthe studied seed plot of CVT, which was laid fallow, 25 of 36 variety samples were very strong in quality; 7 ones were strong; 4 ones were medium; there were not identified any satisfactory and weak samples. As for the seed plot KP-2, 88 of 100 were very strong, 11 ones were strong and only one sample was average in quality. In the seed plot KP-1 480 of 945 were very strong (51%); 440 samples were strong (46%), and only 3% (25 pieces) were average in quality; there were not identified any satisfactory and weak samples.

Predictive structure or paradigm size? Investigating the effects of i-complexity and e-complexity on the learnability of morphological systems

Research on cross-linguistic differences in morphological paradigms reveals a wide range of variation on many dimensions, including the number of categories expressed, the number of unique forms, and the number of inflectional classes. However, in an influential paper, Ackerman & Malouf (2013) argue that there is one dimension on which languages do not differ widely: in predictive structure. Predictive structure in a paradigm describes the extent to which forms predict each other, called i-complexity. Ackerman & Malouf (2013) show that although languages differ according to measure of surface paradigm complexity, called e-complexity, they tend to have low i-complexity. They conclude that morphological paradigms have evolved under a pressure for low i-complexity, such that even paradigms with very high e-complexity are relatively easy to learn so long as they have low i-complexity. While this would potentially explain why languages are able to maintain large paradigms, recent work by Johnson et al. (submitted) suggests that both neural networks and human learners may actually be more sensitive to e-complexity than i-complexity. Here we will build on this work, reporting a series of experiments under more realistic learning conditions which confirm that indeed, across a range of paradigms that vary in either e- or i-complexity, neural networks (LSTMs) are sensitive to both, but show a larger effect of e-complexity (and other measures associated with size and diversity of forms). In human learners, we fail to find any effect of i-complexity at all. Further, analysis of a large number of randomly generated paradigms show that e- and i-complexity are negatively correlated: paradigms with high e-complexity necessarily show low i-complexity.These findings suggest that the observations made by Ackerman & Malouf (2013) for natural language paradigms may stem from the nature of these measures rather than learning pressures specially attuned to i-complexity.

Biofilm Formation of Clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains Isolated from Tracheostomy Tubes and Their Association with Antimicrobial Resistance, Virulence and Genetic Diversity

(1) Background: Due to the commonness of tracheotomy procedures and the wide use of biomaterials in the form of tracheostomy tubes (TTs), the problem of biomaterial-associated infections (BAIs) is growing. Bacterial colonization of TTs results in the development of biofilms on the surface of biomaterials, which may contribute to the development of invasive infections in tracheostomized patients. (2) Methods: Clinical strains of K. pneumoniae, isolated from TTs, were characterized according to their ability to form biofilms, as well as their resistance to antibiotics, whether they harbored ESβL genes, the presence of selected virulence factors and genetic diversity. (3) Results: From 53 patients, K. pneumoniae were detected in 18 of the TTs examined, which constitued 34% of all analyzed biomaterials. Three of the strains (11%) were ESβL producers and all had genes encoding CTX-M-1, SHV and TEM enzymes. 44.4% of isolates were biofilm formers, SEM demonstrating that K. pneumoniae formed differential biofilms on the surface of polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) TTs in vitro. A large range of variation in the share of fimbrial genes was observed. PFGE revealed sixteen genetically distinct profiles. (4) Conclusions: Proven susceptibility of TT biomaterials to colonization by K. pneumoniae means that the attention of research groups should be focused on achieving a better understanding of the bacterial pathogens that form biofilms on the surfaces of TTs. In addition, research efforts should be directed at the development of new biomaterials or the modification of existing materials, in order to prevent bacterial adhesion to their surfaces.