Favorable Direction Research Articles

Assessment of Combining ability for some Grain Yield and Quality Traits in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) by using Griffing Method and Biplot Analysis

During 2017 growing season, half diallel crosses were made among six genotypes of rice. The obtained 15 F1 and their parents were evaluated during 2018 growing season to analyze the general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA). For all studied characters, the mean squares due to GCA and SCA were highly significant, indicating the importance of the behaviour of both additive and dominance gene in the heredity of these characters. Variances due to GCA were greater than these due to SCA for all studied traits, except milling and grain elongation. Giza 178 and Giza179 possessed highly significant GCA effects for earliness, panicle length, number of filled grains panicle-1, grain yield plant-1 and hulling. IET1444 was good combiner for cooking traits, beside panicle length and number of tillers plant-1. Seven crosses viz., Giza178xIET1444, Sakha 106x Giza 179, Sakha 105x Giza 179, IET1444x WAB880-SG, Giza178xGiza179, Sakha105xSakha106, and Sakha105xGiza178 evidence positive and significant SCA effects for grain yield plant-1. The cross, Sakha 105xGiza179 recorded significant SCA effect in favourable direction for seven traits viz., days to 50%heading, panicle length, number of filled grains/panicles, grain yield plant-1, milling, grain elongation, and amylose content. Sakha105x Sakha106 rice hybrid showed desirable either negative or positive directions and significant SCA effects for days to 50%heading, plant height, grain yield plant-1, gelatinization temperature and grain elongation. Concerning results obtained by biplot analysis, found agreement between two methods of griffing and biplot for analyzing the half-diallel in determining the best parents and hybrids.

The age and sex structure of the population based on materials from the Eneolithic burial sites of the Middle Volga Region

The paper describes the sex and age structure of the Chalcolithic era population in the Middle Volga. The materials of burial sites of different localization were used, in total 304 individuals. Historiographic information on the Eneolithic burial grounds of the region is presented. Various approaches to the interpretation of anthropological materials, the accumulation of new sources, as well as the improvement of methods of paleodemographic analysis determine the periodic appeal to the problem of the ancient societies life features. The сross-group analysis was carried out using the method of principal components of multivariate statistics. There is some similarity for the anthropological series in terms of the indicators of high mortality of children and men survival to old age. Differences can also be traced. The characteristics of the dynamics of human mortality based on the materials of the earliest Eneolithic burial ground Ekaterinovsky Cape brings it closer to the indicators of the Neolithic burial grounds of Eastern Europe. The age-sex structure of the population of the Khvalynsk culture of the developed Eneolithic is close to that which was previously given for other populations of the Eurasian era. It has been confirmed that the change in demographic indicators in a favorable direction among the Eneolithic societies in previous times is associated with the expansion of economic systems that have acquired a complex nature, combined agriculture, cattle breeding, hunting and fishing.

Current structure in the scrape-off layer of a tokamak in a quiescent state

Current structure in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of a tokamak is analyzed. It is demonstrated that poloidal currents measured in the experiments are a combination of several current types with different physical nature. Besides the known Pfirsch–Schlüter currents and thermoelectric currents, so-called plate closing currents flowing to/from the divertor plates are also analyzed. The latter close radial currents in the SOL and below/above the X-point in the SOL and private flux region (PFR). In particular, the current flowing to the outer plate in the PFR, opposite to the thermoelectric current, is predicted for the standard single-null configuration and favorable direction of drift. In addition, a pair of currents should flow to and away from the outer plate. In the single-null configuration, they are often masked by a larger thermoelectric current. However, for the connected double null (CDN) case, where the thermoelectric current is strongly reduced due to smaller temperature asymmetry, these currents dominate. The suggested physical model is supported by the results of simulations performed with the SOLPS-ITER transport code. Simulations were done for ASDEX Upgrade (AUG), L- and H-modes, single-null configurations, and for Globus-M H-mode, both disconnected and CDN configurations. Results of the simulations are compared with probe measurements for AUG and Globus-M tokamaks, and reasonable agreement has been found. The role of parallel currents in the formation of the potential maximum/minimum in the vicinity of the X-point for strongly detached regimes is also analyzed.

Enhancement of PbZrO3 polarization using a Ti seed layer for energy storage application

Enhancement of lead zirconate (PbZrO3) polarization is achieved by using a titanium seed layer on alumina polycrystalline substrate. Thanks to the reduction of the lattice mismatch between the platinum electrode (3.92 Å) and the PbZrO3 films (4.14 Å), lead zirconate thin films oriented along the (111) direction with an orientation factor of around 65 % has been obtained. The (111) PbZrO3 presents an increase of 56 % of the polarization compared to the (100) PbZrO3. This enhancement is responsible of the higher recoverable energy storage density obtained in the (111) PbZrO3 thin films (8 J/cm3 at 600 kV/cm with an efficiency of 72 %). The (111) PbZrO3 also has a higher figure of merit, which indicates that the (111) crystallographic plane is the most favorable direction for energy storage.

Currents structure in the scrape-off layer of a tokamak

Abstract Currents structure in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of a tokamak is analyzed. It is demonstrated that poloidal currents measured in the experiments are a combination of several current types of different physical nature. Besides known Pfirsch-Schluter (PS) currents and thermoelectric currents, so-called PCC (plate closing currents) flowing to/from the divertor plates are also analyzed. The latter close radial currents in the SOL and below/above the X-point. In particular, current flowing to the outer plate in the private flux region (PFR), opposite to thermolelectric current is predicted for the standard single-null configuration and favorable direction of ∇B drift (∇B drift of ions is directed towards active X-point). In addition, a pair of currents to and away from the outer plate should flow. In the single-null configuration they are often masked by a larger thermoelectric current, however for the connected double null (CDN) case, where thermoelectric current is strongly reduced due to less temperature asymmetry, these currents dominate. The suggested physical model is supported by results of simulations performed with SOLPS-ITER transport code. Simulations were done for ASDEX-Upgrade (AUG), L-mode , single-null configurations, and for Globus-M H-mode, both disconnected and connected double null configurations. Results of the simulations are compared with probe measurements for AUG and Globus-M tokamaks, and reasonable agreement has been found.

An index framework founded on the future profit potential of female beef cattle to aid the identification of candidates for culling.

Meticulous culling decisions, coupled with careful breeding decisions, are fundamental to shifting a population distribution in the favorable direction and improving profit per cow. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of easy-to-use dynamic tools to aid in culling decisions in beef cattle. The motivation for the present study was to develop a monetary-based culling tool, here referred to as the Beef Female's Profit Potential (BFPP), to identify females for culling. The BFPP reflects the expected lifetime profitability of an individual female in a herd for the expected remainder of her lifetime; this profit included that of the beef female herself as well as her progeny. The BFPP index framework was composed of 4 subindexes reflecting the value of an animal: (1) as a nulliparae (this was voided if the cow had already calved), (2) for the remainder of her current parity, (3) summed across each of her expected remaining parities, and (4) when she is retained within the herd and not voluntarily culled. Each subindex was comprised of different components reflecting both genetic and non-genetic effects associated with each female. Transition matrices predicting the expected longevity of each female and their expected month of calving were also utilized in calculating the expected remaining lifetime profitability of each female. The BFPP index was validated on 21,102 beef cows as well as their harvested progeny from 875 herds by stratifying the cows, within herd, into 4 strata based on their BFPP. The mean of the within-herd correlation between the BFPP and the Irish national replacement (i.e., breeding) index was, on average, 0.45 indicating the shortcomings of the breeding index as a culling tool. Cows within the top BFPP stratum had a genetic expectation of accruing almost an additional €36 profit per calving, relative to cows within the worst stratum; when validated on the cow's own calving interval and survival performance as well as their progeny's carcass performance, the actual phenotypic value was estimated to be an additional €32 profit per calving. A proportion of this additional profit was due to the harvested progeny of the high BFPP cows having, on average, heavier, more conformed carcasses with less fat cover relative to their poor BFPP contemporaries. This BFPP framework is a useful and easy-to-use tool to aid in producer decision making on the choice of females to voluntarily cull but also on which replacement heifers to graduate into the mature herd.

A sequential quadratic programming algorithm without a penalty function, a filter or a constraint qualification for inequality constrained optimization

This paper discusses a kind of nonlinear inequality constrained optimization problems without any constraint qualification. A new sequential quadratic programming algorithm for such problems is proposed, whose important features are as follows: (i) a new relaxation technique for the linearized constraints of the quadratic programming subproblem is introduced, which guarantees that the subproblem is always consistent and generates a favourable search direction; (ii) a weaker positive-definiteness assumption on the quadratic coefficient matrices is presented; (iii) a slightly new line search is adopted, where neither a penalty function nor a filter is used; (iv) an associated acceptable termination rule is introduced; (v) the finite convergence of the algorithm is proved. Furthermore, the numerical results on a collection of CUTE test problems show that the proposed algorithm is promising.

Evaluation of policy measures to promote a healthy diet and physical activity: The PEN Project

Abstract Issue There is a knowledge gap regarding the effectiveness of policies to change the upstream drivers of health-related behaviours like physical activity (PA) and food choice in a favourable direction. Description of the problem No systematic evaluation of policy interventions across Europe is currently being conducted, thus little information on the merit or utility of policy interventions is available and no guidance on how to address this gap exists. Expected Results PEN will provide tools to evaluate and benchmark policies addressing PA, unhealthy diets and sedentary behaviour (SB) while accounting for existing health inequalities. From February 2019 to January 2022, a multi-disciplinary research network from Europe and New Zealand will interact with policy makers and experts in policy development, implementation and evaluation to (1) assess public policies with potential influence on food and PA environments, (2) foster a harmonised pan-European surveillance system, (3) model the population level impact of policies, (4) evaluate facilitators and barriers of policy implementation processes, (5) give recommendations for an equity and diversity perspective in these policies. It will refine appropriate research designs and methods for the quantification of policy impact. Lessons PEN has adopted the INFORMAS approach to monitor, benchmark and support public and private sector actions in selected European countries to increase healthy food environments and reduce obesity and NCDs and their related inequalities. PEN has expanded this approach to develop a PA policy environment index. It has advanced the roadmap for a harmonized European surveillance system and derived a set of indicators for dietary, physical activity and sedentary behaviours including their upstream drivers. Key messages PEN strives to achieve implementation of evidence-based policies in different cultural or socio-economic settings with focus on vulnerable groups. PEN will give recommendations on how research designs and methods for the quantification of policy impact can be improved.

Methanol and carbon monoxide sensing and capturing by pristine and Ca-decorated graphdiyne: A DFT-D2 study

Abstract Adsorption behavior of methanol and CO molecules on the pristine graphdiyne (GDY) and Ca-decorated graphdiyne (Ca-GDY) was investigated by modified density functional theory (DFT-D2) calculations. We examined center of 18-membered and hexagonal rings and top of the acetylenic chain, for pristine GDY and around the Ca atom for Ca-GDY. Three various orientations of methanol and CO molecules were investigated to find the best site and orientation for capture of these molecules. Results show that for pristine GDY and Ca-GDY, center of 18-membered ring and around the Ca atom are the best sites for methanol and CO capture, respectively. While, parallel orientation of methanol and C-head orientation of CO are more favorable directions. Also, Eads values show that methanol and CO molecules (with Eads of −0.349 and −0.128 eV, respectively) are physisorbed on the pristine GDY. But Ca-decorating remarkably increases the methanol adsorption ability up to ~4.15 and 5.63 times, respectively. We followed adsorption behavior of 1–6 molecules on one side and 1 to 12 molecules on both sides of Ca-GDY for CO and CH3OH molecules. It was seen that CH3OH and CO capture capacities of Ca-GDY are about 29.81 and 27.10 wt%, respectively.

Medium chain fatty acids production from anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge

The utilization of waste activated sludge (WAS) to recover energy in the form of methane or short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) is generally restricted by the low energy density of products and poor degradability of WAS. Herein, this study reported a novel alternative WAS fermentation technology to produce high-energy medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) from WAS in a one-stage anaerobic fermentation system using ethanol as electron donor. The MCFAs production and WAS degradation at different ethanol levels were investigated. The increased ethanol levels resulted in increasing MCFAs production (from 1875 to 6115 mg chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L) and selectivity (from 30.3 to 56.2%). The main MCFAs products were n-caproate and n-caprylate at lower level of ethanol, while n-caproate was the sole MCFA product at higher level of ethanol with longer chain alcohol (i.e., n-hexanol) produced as well. The ethanol markedly increased WAS degradation, with the greatest degradation (0.72 g COD/g volatile solids (VS)) being 1.9 times of that without ethanol (0.38 mg COD/mg VS, at 0 mmol/L), which was ascribed to the advancement of sludge solubilization, hydrolysis and acidification. Microbial community revealed that the ethanol participation induced the community shift to the favorable direction for hydrolysis-acidification and chain elongation in anaerobic WAS fermentation.

Enteric Methane Emissions and Rumen Fermentation Profile Treated by Dietary Chitosan: A Meta-Analysis of In Vitro Experiments

Chitosan is a natural compound obtained from deacetylation of chitin, which is a biopolymer present in the exoskeleton of crustaceans such as crabs and shrimp. The present study aimed to perform a meta-analysis from published studies regarding the effects of chitosan on methane emission and rumen fermentation profile of in vitro batch culture experiments. A total of 41 studies from 12 articles were integrated into a database. Parameters included were gas production, methane emission, rumen fermentation characteristics, microbial population, nutrient digestibility, and fatty acid profile. Data were analyzed according to mixed model methodology in which different studies were treated as random effects and chitosan addition levels were treated as fixed effects. Results showed that chitosan addition was able to reduce enteric methane emissions (p<0.001). Such methane decrease was accompanied by a decline in the protozoa population (p<0.05) and a tendency of methanogen reduction (p<0.1). The increasing chitosan level was associated with a decrease in total VFA and ammonia concentrations (both at p<0.001). Chitosan addition decreased acetate proportion (p<0.001) while elevated propionate proportion (p<0.001). Chitosan was associated with an increase of dry matter digestibility, crude protein digestibility, and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (p<0.001). Chitosan increased concentrations of C18:3n3 (p<0.05), conjugated linoleic acid (p<0.01) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (p<0.01) while decreased concentration of saturated fatty acids (p<0.001). It can be concluded that chitosan addition can mitigate enteric methane emission and alters rumen fermentation profiles in a favorable direction.

The experimental and numerical investigation on the enhancement of stagnation and parallel zones of laminar jet

The effectiveness of a laminar jet in various applications depends on the hydraulic jump and stagnation zone lengths. After impingement, the early occurrence of the above stated two parameters declines the effectiveness of the laminar water jet. In the absence of mechanical modification, the enhancement in hydraulic jump and stagnation zone lengths has been a challenging task for the recent generation researchers. Therefore, in the current work, an attempt has been made to achieve the above mentioned by chemical modification process which includes the thermo-physical property modification of fluid in the favorable direction. The hydrodynamics study clearly indicate that the reduction in viscosity and surface tension of the coolant step up hydraulic jump and stagnation zone lengths and the heat transfer analysis reveals that the augmentation is achieved due to the alteration of the aforesaid properties. It is observed that the role of surface tension and viscosity in the variation of hydraulic jump lengths and stagnation jump lengths remains unaltered. However, the intensity of alteration decreases. The experimental result obtained from the hydrodynamics investigation is compared with the results obtained from CFD simulation. The comparison illustrates that the experimental data have been in good agreement with the results predicted by CFD models and information reported by the previous researchers.

Least Favorable Direction Test for Multivariate Analysis of Variance in High Dimension

Least Favorable Direction Test for Multivariate Analysis of Variance in High Dimension

Dynamic earthquake rupture modeling considering regional crustal stress conditions in southeastern Korea

The Korean Peninsula is located in a low-seismicity zone at the eastern margin of the Eurasian plate. However, the 2016 Gyeongju and 2017 Pohang earthquakes, which occurred in southeastern Korea, highlight the importance of advanced seismic hazard assessment and mitigation in this region. We successfully performed spontaneous dynamic rupture modeling by considering the crustal stress field in southeastern Korea, constrained by earthquake focal mechanism data, to better understand the seismic hazard in the region. We found that the geologically recognized Yangsan fault trace near the location of the Gyeongju earthquake is not aligned well with the favorable shear rupture directions, given the current crustal stress field in the region. The fault needs to be very weak (i.e., have a low static friction coefficient) to initiate a large earthquake rupture. However, our dynamic model results show that the fault plane constrained by the focal mechanism solution of the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake is more favorably aligned for shear rupture under the current stress condition and that it may be able to produce a relatively large earthquake if the extension of the fault is quite long (~60 km). This type of dynamic rupture modeling study may help to more accurately elucidate the seismic hazard in a low-seismicity zone such as southeastern Korea.

Theoretical analysis of the influence of plane control network on lateral breakthrough error of long immersed tunnel

Abstract There is extremely strict precision requirement for the lateral breakthrough error of long immersed tunnel in the offshore island and tunnel project, but the point location layout range of the outer plane control network is limited in the artificial island, and the space inside the tunnel is long and narrow, which is not conducive to high-precision through-measurement control. In order to further reduce the influence of the error of the plane control network on the lateral breakthrough error of the immersed tunnel, a mathematical model of the influence of the lateral breakthrough error caused by the orientation direction of the outer control point and the position of the breakthrough point has been established through the theoretical analysis in this study, and the favorable orientation directions and the favorable penetration point are analyzed. It is suggested through simulation analysis that the direction that is as consistent with that from the entrance (outlet) point to the penetration point as possible is as the advantageous orientation, which could minimize the lateral penetration error and ensure high-precision rendezvous and docking of the immersed tunnel. This study is instructive for similar engineering practices.

Co-Axial Laminar Multiphase Jet: A Novel Methodology for the Attainment Enhancement in Transition Boiling Regime

Abstract In the current investigation, by using a very low mass flux co-axial laminar multiphase fluid jet, enhancement in heat transfer rate, uniformity in heat flux distribution, and reduction in coolant consumption rate characteristics are simultaneously tried to achieve in case of cooling from a very high initial temperature (900 °C). The information on quenching technology depicting all the above-mentioned advantages has not been reported in the literature. In the present work, kerosene–water, nanofluid (Al2O3 = 0.15%)–kerosene, and nanofluid (Al2O3 = 0.15%)–polyethylene glycol combinations were used for co-axial cooling experimentation. From the heat transfer analysis, it is observed that nanofluid (Al2O3 = 0.15%) and kerosene combination produces maximum critical heat flux due to the alteration of thermophysical and interfacial properties, which enhance the driving force and flow behavior defining momentum and thermal diffusivities in the favorable direction of heat transfer, respectively. In addition to the above, the comparative study ensures a significant reduction in coolant consumption and augmentation in uniformity in heat flux distribution.

Don't adapt, shape! Use the crisis to shape your minimum viable system – And the wider market

In addition to being resilient and adaptive, firms should also utilize shocks such as COVID-19 to generate new business opportunities. Two processes make markets and other economic systems more malleable during times of crises: (1) as the stasis of the market system is interrupted, it forces the system “into movement” - and it requires less effort to nudge an already moving system in a specific direction; and (2) as deeply-rooted mental models are challenged during crises, any market-shaping initiative which promises a credible end to current instability with a new equilibrium will appeal to the natural human craving for stability. This malleability, in turn, creates multiple opportunities for firms to shape their markets and hence drive the market's development in favorable directions. We outline a generic process of market-shaping, comprising eight steps: (1) determining whether to act now or actively wait, (2) deciding whether to be a shaper or a supporter, (3) developing a scalable vision for the future market, (4) recognizing the minimum viable system linked to this vision, (5) driving changes in market-level properties, (6) securing that value is quantified and shared, (7) inviting actor engagement for implementation, and (8) defending against possible retaliations from threatened market systems.

Water soluble polymer added high mass flux spray: A novel approach for the attainment of enhanced heat transfer rate in transition boiling regime

Although in the literature, the polyethylene glycol (PEG) added water dropwise evaporative cooling at very low temperature and single droplet evaporation mechanisms are revealed, the role of polyethylene glycol in spray evaporative quenching at very high initial surface temperature (900°C) has not been revealed so far. According to the reported information, PEG added water droplet evaporation favors high heat flux and therefore, in the current work, it is expected that by performing high mass flux polymer spray cooling at very high initial temperature, heat transfer rate can be augmented. The enhancement mechanism is based on the alteration of the surface properties in the favorable direction of heat transfer. The surface modification is achieved by adding water soluble polymer (Polyethylene Glycol) of different molecular weights (PEG 200 and PEG 600) as additives, which make the surface hydrophilic due to the deposition on the hot plate during evaporation. Before experimentation, the conditions and properties leading to the formation of coating were investigated by analyzing the polymer droplet wall interaction. This study depicts that due to the interaction of polymer with wall and very slow diffusive nature of polymer in water, the deposition of polymer is expected to occur during evaporation. The hydrophilic nature of the surface increases the spreading factor of the impinging droplet and this phenomenon increases heat transfer area, which in turn favors higher heat transfer rate. Spray evaporative cooling study was carried out on a hot AISI 304 steel plate using polymer solution of different concentrations as coolant and the enhancement intensity was identified by comparing with the result of pure water. The comparison illustrates significant enhancement i.e. 30% in CHF and 28% in IHF for 20 ppm concentration of polymer type I. For the verification of heat transfer mechanism and identification of the reason behind enhancement, different dimensionless numbers such as Reynold's number, Weber and Prandtl numbers were analyzed. The surface morphology of heat treated steel plate clearly indicates the deposition of the polymer over surface of the plate and the characteristics of the deposition confirm the superhydrophilic nature. In comparison with the literature, the developed coating on the surface of the plate is thermally, mechanically and chemically more stable.

Hybrid test for publication bias in meta-analysis.

Publication bias frequently appears in meta-analyses when the included studies' results (e.g., p-values) influence the studies' publication processes. Some unfavorable studies may be suppressed from publication, so the meta-analytic results may be biased toward an artificially favorable direction. Many statistical tests have been proposed to detect publication bias in recent two decades. However, they often make dramatically different assumptions about the cause of publication bias; therefore, they are usually powerful only in certain cases that support their particular assumptions, while their powers may be fairly low in many other cases. Although several simulation studies have been carried out to compare different tests' powers under various situations, it is typically infeasible to justify the exact mechanism of publication bias in a real-world meta-analysis and thus select the corresponding optimal publication bias test. We introduce a hybrid test for publication bias by synthesizing various tests and incorporating their benefits, so that it maintains relatively high powers across various mechanisms of publication bias. The superior performance of the proposed hybrid test is illustrated using simulation studies and three real-world meta-analyses with different effect sizes. It is compared with many existing methods, including the commonly used regression and rank tests, and the trim-and-fill method.

Variance components using genomic information for 2 functional traits in Italian Simmental cattle: Calving interval and lactation persistency

Functional traits, such as fertility and lactation persistency, are becoming relevant breeding goals for dairy cattle. Fertility is a key element for herd profitability and animal welfare; in particular, calving interval (CIN) is an indicator of female fertility that can be easily recorded. Lactation persistency (LPE; i.e., the ability of a cow to maintain a high milk yield after the lactation peak) is economically important and is related to several other traits, such as feed efficiency, health, and reproduction. The selection of these functional traits is constrained by their low heritability. In this study, variance components for CIN and LPE in the Italian Simmental cattle breed were estimated using genomic and pedigree information under the single-step genomic framework. A data set of 594,257 CIN records (from 275,399 cows) and 285,213 LPE records (from 1563,389 cows) was considered. Phenotypes were limited up to the third parity. The pedigree contained about 2 million animals, and 7,246 genotypes were available. Lactation persistency was estimated using principal component analysis on test day records, with higher values of the second extracted principal component (PC2) values associated with lower LPE, and lower PC2 values associated with higher LPE. Heritability of CIN and LPE were estimated using single-trait repeatability models. A multiple-trait analysis using CIN and production traits (milk, fat, and protein yields) was performed to estimate genetic correlations among these traits. Heritability for CIN in the single-trait model was low (0.06 ± 0.002). Unfavorable genetic correlations were found between CIN and production traits. A measure of LPE was derived using principal component analysis on test day records. The heritability and repeatability of LPE were 0.11 ± 0.004 and 0.20 ± 0.02, respectively. Genetic correlation between CIN and LPE was weak but had a favorable direction. Despite the low heritability estimates, results of the present work suggest the possibility of including these traits in the Italian Simmental breeding program. The use of a single-step approach may provide better results for young genotyped animals without their own phenotypes.