High Quality Research Articles

Architectural Support for Sharing, Isolating and Virtualizing FPGA Resources

FPGAs are increasingly popular in cloud environments for their ability to offer on-demand acceleration and improved compute efficiency. Providers would like to increase utilization, by multiplexing customers on a single device, similar to how processing cores and memory are shared. Nonetheless, multi-tenancy still faces major architectural limitations including: (a) inefficient sharing of memory interfaces across hardware tasks (HT) exacerbated by technological limitations and peculiarities, (b) insufficient solutions for performance and data isolation and high quality of service, and (c) absent or simplistic allocation strategies to effectively distribute external FPGA memory across HT. This article presents a full-stack solution for enabling multi-tenancy on FPGAs. Specifically, our work proposes an intra-fpga virtualization layer to share FPGA interfaces and its resources across tenants. To achieve efficient inter-connectivity between virtual FPGAs (vFGPAs) and external interfaces, we employ a compact network-on-chip architecture to optimize resource utilization. Dedicated memory management units implement the concept of virtual memory in FPGAs, providing mechanisms to isolate the address space and enable memory protection. We also introduce a memory segmentation scheme to effectively allocate FPGA address space and enhance isolation through hardware-software support, while preserving the efficacy of memory transactions. We assess our solution on an Alveo U250 Data Center FPGA Card, employing 10 real-world benchmarks from the Rodinia and Rosetta suites. Our framework preserves the performance of HT from a non-virtualized environment, while enhancing the device aggregate throughput through resource sharing; up to 3.96x in isolated and up to 2.31x in highly congested settings, where an external interface is shared across four vFPGAs. Finally, our work ensures high-quality of service, with HT achieving up to 0.95x of their native performance, even when resource sharing introduces interference from other accelerators.

ABO and Rhesus blood groups and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews with meta-analyses of observational studies

BackgroundNumerous studies have been conducted to investigate the relationship between ABO and Rhesus (Rh) blood groups and various health outcomes. However, a comprehensive evaluation of the robustness of these associations is still lacking.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, and several regional databases from their inception until Feb 16, 2024, with the aim of identifying systematic reviews with meta-analyses of observational studies exploring associations between ABO and Rh blood groups and diverse health outcomes. For each association, we calculated the summary effect sizes, corresponding 95% confidence intervals, 95% prediction interval, heterogeneity, small-study effect, and evaluation of excess significance bias. The evidence was evaluated on a grading scale that ranged from convincing (Class I) to weak (Class IV). We assessed the certainty of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria (GRADE). We also evaluated the methodological quality of included studies using the A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). AMSTAR contains 11 items, which were scored as high (8–11), moderate (4–7), and low (0–3) quality. We have gotten the registration for protocol on the PROSPERO database (CRD42023409547).ResultsThe current umbrella review included 51 systematic reviews with meta-analysis articles with 270 associations. We re-calculated each association and found only one convincing evidence (Class I) for an association between blood group B and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk compared with the non-B blood group. It had a summary odds ratio of 1.28 (95% confidence interval: 1.17, 1.40), was supported by 6870 cases with small heterogeneity (I2 = 13%) and 95% prediction intervals excluding the null value, and without hints of small-study effects (P for Egger’s test > 0.10, but the largest study effect was not more conservative than the summary effect size) or excess of significance (P < 0.10, but the value of observed less than expected). And the article was demonstrated with high methodological quality using AMSTAR (score = 9). According to AMSTAR, 18, 32, and 11 studies were categorized as high, moderate, and low quality, respectively. Nine statistically significant associations reached moderate quality based on GRADE.ConclusionsOur findings suggest a potential relationship between ABO and Rh blood groups and adverse health outcomes. Particularly the association between blood group B and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk.

Application of a new brine of sprouted grains for delicatessen products from horse meat, beef, and pork

The main task of the meat processing industry is to produce meat products as the primary source of animal protein that ensures the vital activity of the human body in the necessary volumes, high quality, and a diverse assortment. Providing the population with high-quality food products that are biologically complete, balanced in the composition of the primary nutrients, and enriched with target physiologically active components is one of the most priority scientific and technical problems to be solved. In this regard, a recipe for a new brine from sprouted grains for delicatessen products from horse meat, beef, and pork was developed. The composition of the new brine includes flavoring and aromatic ingredients, juice of sprouted grains, and juices of raw vegetable materials. The viscosity of horse meat, beef, and pork during massaging was studied. Thermodynamic parameters such as water activity and moisture binding energy of horse meat, beef, and pork using a new brine were studied. The data analysis shows that the values of the “aw” indicator and the moisture binding energy in the experimental samples of meat products are higher than in the control samples. Studies have found that with an increase in the activity of water and the moisture binding energy, the tenderness of finished delicatessen meat products with a new brine increases. As a result, it was found that the maximum amount of brine in horse meat is retained at 160 minutes of continuous massaging, in beef – at 130 minutes, in pork – at 120 minutes of mechanical processing.

Deer in the agriculture-forest matrix: Interacting effects of land uses on browsing pressure on trees

Cervids inhabit mosaic landscapes that are strongly influenced by human land use and actions. Forestry and agriculture influence both the foodscape and the risk landscape, thus influencing how cervids respond to resource-risk trade-offs. Furthermore, these land use types interact to shape cervid use of the landscape. For example, cervids can forage in open agricultural fields providing high quality forage during the night, while using nearby forest patches to reduce risk during the day. Hence, actions conducted in one of these land use types will likely influence the use of the other by cervids. In this study, we investigate how agricultural and silvicultural practices interact to shape cervid use of the forest and their impact on commercially valuable trees. More specifically, we investigate the effect of growing nutrient dense crops in mixed forest-agriculture landscapes. We hypothesized that the sowing of such crops may not only attract cervids to the agricultural parts of the landscape, but also lead to increased browsing levels in adjacent forest areas where cervids seek cover. Moreover, such high quality crops may not only influence the number of animals, but also increase the intake rate of fibrous tree saplings of individual cervids to nutritionally balance the high input of easily-digestible macronutrients from the crops. We tested these ideas by conducting a large landscape-scale experiment where we manipulated the foodscape by growing two crop types on 28 fields (14 fields with high-quality oat versus 14 fields with lower-quality grass) and measuring cervid use of tree saplings in the forest patches adjacent these fields. We also investigated how forage availability in the forest patches and the distance from field edge affected browsing on tree saplings. Finally, we compared the effects of crop type and forest forage availability on the browsing pressure on coniferous versus deciduous tree species. We studied this in a multispecies ungulate system, where four cervid species occur sympatrically. We show that the type of crop sown influenced browsing pressure on tree saplings in nearby forests, with higher browsing levels in forests surrounding oat compared to grass fields. Moreover, browsing pressure in these forests was influenced by the availability of young trees in the forest stands, where more young trees led to reduced browsing pressure on individual saplings. Our study emphasizes that human practices that shape features of the foodscape in one land use type will influence the impact cervids have in another land use type. Hence, our study highlights the importance of considering the actions and impacts of different land uses simultaneously for predicting cervid foraging patterns in mixed forest-agriculture landscapes.

CSST Dense Star Field Preparation: A Framework for Astrometry and Photometry for Dense Star Field Images Obtained by the China Space Station Telescope (CSST)

Abstract The Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) is a telescope with 2-meter diameter, obtaining images with high quality through wide-field observations. In its first observation cycle, the CSST will scan portions of the galactic centre with 7 different bands across different epochs to capture time-domain observation data. These data have significant potential for the study of properties of stars and exoplanets. However, the density of stars in the galactic centre is high, and it is a well-known challenge to perform astrometry and photometry in such a dense star field. This paper presents a deep learning-based framework designed to process dense star field images obtained by the CSST, which includes photometry, astrometry, and classifications of targets according to their light curve periods. With simulated CSST observation data, we demonstrate that this deep learning framework achieves photometry accuracy of 0.23% and astrometry accuracy of 0.03 pixel for stars with moderate brightness mag=24 in i band, surpassing results obtained by traditional methods. Additionally, the&amp;#xD;deep learning based light curve classification algorithm could pick up celestial targets whose magnitude variations are 1.7 times larger than magnitude variations brought by Poisson Photon Noise. We anticipate that our framework could be effectively used&amp;#xD;to process dense star field images obtained by the CSST.&amp;#xD;

Community Quality Evaluation for Socially Sustainable Regeneration: A Study Using Multi-Sourced Geospatial Data and AI-Based Image Semantic Segmentation

The Chinese urban regeneration movement underscores a “people-oriented” paradigm, aimed at addressing urban challenges stemming from rapid prior urbanization, while striving for high-quality and sustainable urban development. At the community level, fostering quality through a socially sustainable perspective (SSP) is a pivotal strategy for people-oriented urban regeneration. Nonetheless, explorations of community quality assessments grounded in an SSP have been notably scarce in recent scholarly discourse. This study pioneers a multidimensional quantitative model (MQM) for gauging community quality, leveraging diverse geospatial data sources from the SSP framework. The MQM introduces an evaluative framework with “Patency, Convenience, Comfort, and Safety” as primary indicators, integrating multi-sourced data encompassing the area of interest (AOI), Point of Interest (POI), Weibo check-ins, and Dianping data. The model’s efficacy is demonstrated through a case study in the Gusu district, Suzhou. Furthermore, semantic analysis of the Gusu district’s street view photos validates the MQM results. Our findings reveal the following: (1) AI-based semantic analysis accurately verifies the validity of MQM-generated community quality measurements, establishing its robust applicability with multi-sourced geospatial data; (2) the community quality distribution in Gusu district is notably correlated with the urban fabric, exhibiting lower quality within the ancient town area and higher quality outside it; and (3) communities of varying quality coexist spatially, with high- and low-quality communities overlapping in the same regions. This research pioneers a systematic, holistic methodology for quantitatively measuring community quality, laying the groundwork for informed urban regeneration policies, planning, and place making. The MQM, fortified by multi-sourced geospatial data and AI-based semantic analysis, offers a rigorous foundation for assessing community quality, thereby guiding socially sustainable regeneration initiatives and decision making at the community scale.

Sn-doped β-Ga2O3 thin films grown on off-axis sapphire substrates by LPCVD using Ga-Sn alloy solid source

Abstract Adopting low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), Sn-doped β-Ga2O3 thin films were heteroepitaxially grown on c-plane sapphire substrates with off-axis angles towards &lt;11-20&gt; direction. The influences of off-axis angle on crystal structures, electrical properties, surface morphology, and chemical compositions were thoroughly investigated. As a result, the crystallinity of the β-Ga2O3 films is improved with increasing off-axis angles because in-plane rotational domains are effectively suppressed, demonstrating a full width at half maximum (FWHM) down to 0.64°. Correspondingly, the Hall carrier mobility is promoted from 4.7 to 17.9 cm2/V∙s at carrier concentration of 9×1017 cm-3, which is believed highly competitive among reported Sn-doped β-Ga2O3 films by LPCVD. These results demonstrate an alternative pathway to heteroepitaxially grow high electrical quality n-doped β-Ga2O3 films for the advancement of Ga2O3 materials and devices.&amp;#xD;

An experimental validation of diffusion-based devolatilization models in extruders using post-industrial and post-consumer plastic waste

Abstract Extrusion is a key process in mechanical recycling. In a degassing step, volatile components, including all impurities and moisture, are removed from a polymer melt to ensure consistently high quality of the recyclates. Predicting devolatilization performance is therefore of interest in the design of degassing screws; in the plastics industry, it also plays an important role in the transition from a linear to a circular economy. Using two different devolatilization models, we first modelled the degassing process of a lab-scale twin-screw extruder and an industrial-scale recycling single-screw extruder. We then predicted the devolatilization performance of both machines, validated the results with experimental data obtained from emissions tests carried out with post-industrial and post-consumer polypropylene materials and performed linear regression analysis to compare our two models in terms of predictive quality. Our results showed that both models are equally suitable for reliable prediction of the devolatilization performance.

Spaycations: A Qualitative Study of Veterinarians’ Motivations And Perceived Impacts of Remote Volunteer Spay Neuter

Increasingly, veterinarians skilled in High Quality High Volume Spay Neuter (HQHVSN) are invited to volunteer their surgical services in distant low-resource communities on trips that have become casually known as “spaycations.” While these trips are numerous, there is little research on veterinarians’ motivations for participating and their perceptions of the impacts these clinics have on communities they visit. The current study was open to veterinarians who work in or are trained in HQHVSN whether or not they had been on a spaycation trip. For the purpose of this study, a spaycation is defined as an unpaid or minimally paid trip from a high resource area to a low or moderate resource country or area to provide spay neuter services that is organized by someone other than the individual surgeon. Forty-one veterinarians responded to an electronic questionnaire containing open-ended questions relating to their thoughts and experiences regarding spaycations and their impacts on the volunteer veterinarians as well as on the animals, clients, communities, veterinary practitioners, and animal populations in the areas visited. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted in which the veterinarians’ responses were coded inductively for semantic themes using a critical realist approach. Respondents had participated in a variety of spaycations around the world over the past 20 years. Most responding veterinarians were motivated by a desire to make a difference and give back to communities in need as well as the desire to travel and to experience other cultures. Many enjoyed bonding with and learning from other vets and team members on the spaycation, and said that while the trips were exhausting they were also paradoxically energizing, and that they renewed their professional passion. Many veterinarians were concerned by the financial and time commitments associated with participating in spaycations, and these costs had prevented some veterinarians from participating. Further reasons for not participating in spaycations included concerns about stress and burnout and about the continual expectation for veterinarians to volunteer their time. Some veterinarians presented concerns about spaycations producing damaging interactions with the local communities including cultural misunderstandings, distrust, the creation of dependence, colonialism, and White Savior syndrome. Local involvement in the spay neuter event varied, with some events entirely planned and staffed locally and involving training and mentorship of local veterinary professionals and students, while other spaycations included little local involvement. Veterinarians varied in their estimation of the animal population impact of the spaycation and agreed that recurrent or ongoing interventions are necessary for appreciable and sustainable population impacts, but that health impacts on individual animals and their families were important and visible even after a single trip. Thematic analysis identified three main themes, HQHVSN is a special skill set, Colonialism and Cost and Value. Spaycations are a unique way for HQHVSN veterinarians to use their distinctive skills in communities of need. The compelling nature of these trips necessitates conscientious and culturally-sensitive leadership and planning to provide safe, sustainable, community-centered programs with a focus on long-term solutions.

Usefulness of Fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green for evaluation of bowel perfusion in the urgency setting: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Fluorescence imaging with indocyanine (ICG) has been extensively utilized to assess bowel perfusion in oncologic surgery. In the emergency setting there are many situations in which bowel perfusion assessment is required. Large prospective studies or RCTs evaluating feasibility, safety and utility of ICG in the emergency setting are lacking. The primary aim is to assess the usefulness of ICG for evaluation of bowel perfusion in the emergency setting. The manuscript was drafted following the recommendations of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA). A systematic literature search was carried out through Pubmed, Scopus, and the ISI Web of Science. Assessment of included study using the methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS) was calculated. The meta-analysis was carried out in line with recommendations from the Cochrane Collaboration and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines, and the Mantel-Haenszel random effects model was used to calculate effect sizes. 10,093 papers were identified. 84 were reviewed in full-text, and 78 were excluded: 64 were case reports; 10 were reviews without original data; 2 were letters to the editor; and 2 contained unextractable data. Finally, six studies22-27 were available for quality assessment and quantitative synthesis. The probability of reoperation using ICG fluorescence angiography resulted similar to the traditional assessment of bowel perfusion with a RD was -0.04 (95% CI:-0.147 to 0.060). The results were statistically significant P=0.029, although the heterogeneity was not negligible with a 59.9% of the I2 index. No small study effect or publication bias were found. This first metanalysis on the use of IGC fluorescence for ischemic bowel disease showed that this methodology is a safe and feasible tool in the assessment of bowel perfusion in the emergency setting. This topic should be further investigated in high quality studies.

Environmental Justice in the Context of Access to Urban Green Spaces for Refugee Children

Accessible and high-quality urban green space (UGS) can provide significant benefits to refugee children for their development, health, and well-being. However, few studies have examined the actual accessibility of UGS from refugee children’s perspectives (i.e., with restricted walking radius, particular vulnerability towards barriers such as traffic infrastructures and disconnected road forms) and related them with other environmental or social burdens under the context of environmental justice. It is necessary to explore related evidence and investigate the underlying causes since refugee facilities are primarily located in areas with restricted social and environmental resources strongly related to attributes of environmental justice. This paper investigated (1) availability, accessibility, and attractiveness of UGS in 30 refugee accommodation locations in Berlin using GIS and Space Syntax, (2) environmental burdens using the Berlin Atlas of Environmental Justice, and (3) neighbourhood characteristics. Findings indicate that 63% of refugee accommodations have availability of green space that is above average official standards, but from refugee children’s perspectives, 60% of the locations have limited access to UGS, lower attractive green spaces, and most locations face multi-environmental burdens. Currently, little guidance focuses on ensuring equal access to and the usability of UGS for specific socioeconomic and demographic groups, such as refugee children. Therefore, this paper has contributed empirical materials to begin such research and develop inclusive decision-making strategies in environmental and health policy to ensure the provision and high quality of UGS for refugee children who need it.

Age and growth reductions increase the proportion of dark heartwood in sugar maple at the northern limit of its range

Abstract The wood of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) in the northernmost part of the species range often exhibits high proportions of discoloured wood at the centre of the stems, which is referred to as dark heartwood. This defect significantly decreases the wood market value of the species, which, in turn, challenges the implementation of state-of-the art silvicultural treatments. The causes of dark heartwood are associated with trauma and the colder climate of the northern regions. In this study, we investigate factors influencing the occurrence of dark heartwood in sugar maple’s northern populations, considering tree age, vigour, stem growth, and local climate. We also aimed to determine whether the proportion of dark heartwood is higher in northern stands compared to more southern ones. We collected samples from 302 sugar maple stems at 16 sites within two bioclimatic domains of Quebec, Canada, i.e. the balsam fir–yellow birch domain (representing the northern limit of the sugar maple range) and the sugar maple–yellow birch domain (representing a more southern location within the range). Our results indicate a positive relationship between dark heartwood proportions and stem age, as well as with the amplitude of the maximum growth reduction throughout the tree’s lifespan and the length of the longest suppression period. We also observed significantly higher dark heartwood proportion for a given tree age in northern stands. The results suggest that silvicultural systems aiming to release suppressed crop trees through group selection using a cut-to-length system could favour the development of high quality timber.

Ultraviolet electroluminescence with electrically tunable colour from epitaxial n-(0001)ZnO/p-(0001)GaN light-emitting diodes

Abstract Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique is used to grow unintentionally n-type (0001)ZnO layers with high crystalline and morphological qualities on p-type (0001)GaN/sapphire templates. Electroluminescent devices are fabricated on these p-n heterojunctions. Oxygen pressure during growth has been found to influence strongly the crystalline and defect properties of the grown layers, which affect not only the current-voltage characteristics but also the emission properties of the electroluminescent devices. It has been observed that the electroluminescence (EL) spectra have both defects related visible and band-edge related ultraviolet (UV) transition features stemming from both GaN and ZnO sides. The study reveals that UV to visible EL intensity ratio maximizes at an optimum oxygen pressure. The relative contribution of EL originating from ZnO and GaN sides can be tuned by the applied bias, as the bias can control the depletion width and hence the carrier interdiffusion across the junction. This finding thus offers a scope to electrically tune the color of the emitted light in these devices.&amp;#xD;

Effect of gas pre-decomposition device on the growth of GaN epitaxial layer

Abstract In previous studies, the influence of gas phase and surface reactions on the growth of GaN was mainly calculated through simulations. In this study, a novel gas pre-decomposition device (GPDD) was designed to experimentally investigate the effects of gas phase and surface reactions on GaN growth by changing the length and height of the isolation plates. By varying the structure of the GPDD, the effects on the growth rate and thickness uniformity of the GaN films were studied. The growth rate of the GaN sample slowed with the extension of the isolation plates because the longer partition plates led to insufficient gas mixing and premature consumption of the precursor trimethylgallium (TMG). The use of GPDD simultaneously achieves high crystal quality and smooth surface morphology of the GaN film. Owing to the use of GPDD, the decomposition of TMG in the pyrolysis pathway was promoted, which suppressed Ga vacancies and C impurities, resulting in weak yellow luminescence (YL) bands in the photoluminescence (PL). This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the chemical reaction mechanism of GaN and plays an important role in promoting the development of metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) equipment.&amp;#xD;

Nature-inspired approaches in Software Fault Prediction

In software engineering, predicting software faults is a crucial task for ensuring high software quality and reducing costs. In recent years, nature inspired approaches have been increasingly used in software fault prediction. In this paper, we explore the effectiveness of six nature inspired algorithms, namely Ant Colony, Particle Swarm Optimization, Firefly, Bat, Harris Hawks, and Genetic Algorithm, for software fault prediction. We evaluate the algorithms using three commonly used datasets, JM1, CM1, and PC1. Our experimental results show that nature inspired approaches can effectively predict software faults, with some algorithms performing better than others depending on the dataset used. Our findings suggest that these approaches have potential to be used as a practical and efficient means for software fault prediction. Keywords— nature inspired algorithms; PSO; Ant Colony Optimization; Harris Hawks; Genetic Algorithm (GA); python programming; Jupyter Notebook; confusion matrix;

Comparative analysis of key fiber characteristics in white Pima cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.): Native accessions from the Peruvian Amazon

AbstractThe fiber quality of cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) native to the Peruvian Amazon region is one of the most versatile and essential natural fibers in the Peruvian textile industry. There is little information about the fiber quality traits of cotton genotypes native to the Peruvian Amazon region. This study investigated the fiber quality traits of Peruvian Pima cotton accessions native to the Amazon region of the La Convención Province, Cusco, Peru, to determine the lines with the greatest potential for improving fiber quality in cotton genetic breeding programs. A total of 14 cotton accessions with white fiber color, being 12 accessions of G. barbadense L. (Pima cotton) and two accessions of Gossypium sp. (unknown cotton), were analyzed. The fiber properties determined using the high volume instrument method included seven characteristics. All fiber properties were classified into five quality classes. The data on fiber quality properties were subjected to distribution, correlation, and canonical variable analysis. The results of fiber quality properties showed that the two accessions of Gossypium sp. (unknown cotton) can be promising options to be used as high‐quality fiber progenies in crop genetic breeding programs or can be cultivated by regional farmers for the purpose of producing cotton with high fiber quality. Future investigations could utilize other methods of fiber quality analysis and compare the fiber quality of these cotton accessions native to the Peruvian Amazon region with other cotton species grown worldwide to improve the understanding of Pima cotton fiber quality and its applicability in different contexts of the textile industries.

Production of high-quality seedlings of Handroanthus spongiosus (Bignoniaceae), native to a seasonally dry tropical forest

Studies of the use of alternative substrates have enabled producing seedlings of various species with high quality and low cost. The objective of this work was to evaluate the best cultivation conditions for production of Handroanthus spongiosus seedlings. The seeds were collected from five different populations in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, and cultivated in six substrates: soil, sand, soil + vermiculite, soil + goat manure, soil + vermiculite + goat manure, and soil + goat manure + 30% biochar. We evaluated the emergence, shoot and root length, stem base diameter, shoot and root dry mass, and Dickson quality index. The substrates with addition of organic matter favored increased shoot length, stem diameter and dry mass. The incorporation of goat manure and biochar in the substrates favored the quality of the H. spongiosus seedlings.

Effects of Plant Growth Regulators on Micropropagation of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) in Commercial-Scales

Aim: Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is renowned as a popular spice used to flavor dishes around the world and is also an agricultural export commodity that brings high economic value to many countries. However, traditional propagation methods by seed, cuttings, layering, and grafting reveal many limitations such as the low multiplication coefficient, the low survival rate of seedlings, and especially when there is an outbreak of disease, the ability to control the disease source is exceedingly difficult, leading to the spread of disease. Therefore, an alternative method through apical meristem micropropagation has been applied to contribute to sustainable and disease free pepper cultivars. Propagation by apical shoot meristem gives high propagation efficiency, good and uniform seedling quality, and can be propagated in large numbers in a brief period. Methodology: This study is conducted to contribute to optimizing the process of micropropagation of pepper plants to meet the needs of producing excellent quality seedlings, serving the Vietnamese pepper industry. The two steps in the micropropagation sequence studied in this project are shoot formation and bud cluster multiplication. In this study, we investigate the effects of BA (6-Benzylaminopurine) and NAA (α-Naphthalene acetic acid) in shoot formation. Regenerated shoots were then cultured in MS media supplemented with different combinations of Kinetin (6-Furfurylaminopurine) and NAA in bud cluster multiplication experiment. Results: The results showed that the apical shoot meristem cultured on MS medium (Murashige and Skoog, 1962) supplemented with 0.5 mg L-1 NAA and 2.0 mg L-1 BA was the optimal medium for shoot formation rate (100%). Besides, MS culture medium supplemented with Kinetin 1.5 mg L-1 + NAA 0.5 mg L-1 produced superior results in bud cluster multiplication compared with other treatments (8, 20 buds) after 8 weeks (about 2 months). Conclusion: BA, Kinetin and NAA give important rules on micropropagation of black pepper in commercial-scale.

Parental hesitancy toward children vaccination: a multi-country psychometric and predictive study

AimUnderstanding vaccine hesitancy, as a critical concern for public health, cannot occur without the use of validated measures applicable and relevant to the samples they are assessing. The current study aimed to validate the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS) and to investigate the predictors of children’s vaccine hesitancy among parents from Australia, China, Iran, and Turkey. To ensure the high quality of the present observational study the STROBE checklist was utilized.DesignA cross-sectional study.MethodIn total, 6,073 parent participants completed the web-based survey between 8 August 2021 and 1 October 2021. The content and construct validity of the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale was assessed. Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega were used to assess the scale’s internal consistency, composite reliability (C.R.) and maximal reliability (MaxR) were used to assess the construct reliability. Multiple linear regression was used to predict parental vaccine hesitancy from gender, social media activity, and perceived financial well-being.ResultsThe results found that the VHS had a two-factor structure (i.e., lack of confidence and risk) and a total of 9 items. The measure showed metric invariance across four very different countries/cultures, showed evidence of good reliability, and showed evidence of validity. As expected, analyses indicated that parental vaccine hesitancy was higher in people who identify as female, more affluent, and more active on social media.ConclusionsThe present research marks one of the first studies to evaluate vaccine hesitancy in multiple countries that demonstrated VHS validity and reliability. Findings from this study have implications for future research examining vaccine hesitancy and vaccine-preventable diseases and community health nurses.

(Invited) Luminescent InP Quantum Dots: They're Not Just Like CdSe

There are significant similarities and differences in the spectroscopy and photophysics between CdSe-based and InP-based quantum dots. One of the more important differences is the presence of reversibly populated hole traps in InP/ZnSe quantum dots (QDs). These traps affect many aspects of the overall excited state dynamics. In this paper we elucidate the hole relaxation dynamics in high quality InP/ZnSe/ZnS QDs at room temperature and focus on the role of these traps. Specifically, we show that the presence of transiently populated traps results in extremely slow (tens of picoseconds to nanoseconds) hole cooling as evidenced by a significant fraction of the photoluminescence exhibiting a slow risetime following photoexcitation. Through a combination of chemical derivatization studies and density functional theory calculations, they are assigned to substitutional indium adjacent to a zinc vacancy, In3+/VZn 2-, in the ZnSe shell.