Utilising YouTube to Facilitate English Speaking Skills Improvement among EFL Learners

This study aimed to explore how students utilize YouTube as a virtual platform for developing English- speaking skills. A qualitative approached was used to capture the experiences of three participants in English Department discussing how YouTube improved their English-speaking skills. To analyse data, a thematic analysis was employed. The findings revealed three major themes, namely employing self- directed learning approach, engaging with videos for active learning, and receiving diverse content exposure for language enrichment. These shed light on the many ways that YouTube helps students improve their English speaking skills and advance our understanding of how students use the platform for foreign language learning

Transition in Tuber Quality Attributes of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Under Different Packaging Systems During Storage

The suitability of different packaging materials i.e. jute, nylon, polypropylene, cotton, low density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene, and high density polyethylene were studied for tubers of the premium potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) variety “Lady Rosetta”. After harvest, potato tubers were washed, sorted, graded, cured, and subsequently stored in different packaging materials at ambient temperature (25±2 °C). Changes in quality attributes of potato tubers under different packaging materials were studied on the basis of their physico-chemical and functional parameters. Overall results revealed that packaging materials had a significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on many important quality attributes. Generally, weight loss, glucose and glycoalkaloid amounts, and polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities increased, while ascorbic acid contents decreased with increasing storage time. Total phenolic contents and radical scavenging activity showed a nearly parabolic trend during the storage period. Amongst the different packaging materials employed, potatoes stored in polypropylene and low-density polyethylene presented the best overall retention of vital quality attributes during 63 days storage. However, the higher tensile strength of polypropylene packaging made it a more durable and thus more effective material for prolonged potato tuber storage, a characteristic having clear advantages when used in typical marketing supply chains

GaN-based power devices: Physics, reliability, and perspectives

Over the last decade, gallium nitride (GaN) has emerged as an excellent material for the fabrication of power devices. Among the semicon- ductors for which power devices are already available in the market, GaN has the widest energy gap, the largest critical field, and the highest saturation velocity, thus representing an excellent material for the fabrication of high-speed/high-voltage components. The presence of spon- taneous and piezoelectric polarization allows us to create a two-dimensional electron gas, with high mobility and large channel density, in the absence of any doping, thanks to the use of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. This contributes to minimize resistive losses; at the same time, for GaN transistors, switching losses are very low, thanks to the small parasitic capacitances and switching charges. Device scaling and monolithic integration enable a high-frequency operation, with consequent advantages in terms of miniaturization. For high power/high- voltage operation, vertical device architectures are being proposed and investigated, and three-dimensional structures—fin-shaped, trench- structured, nanowire-based—are demonstrating great potential. Contrary to Si, GaN is a relatively young material: trapping and degradation processes must be understood and described in detail, with the aim of optimizing device stability and reliability. This Tutorial describes the physics, technology, and reliability of GaN-based power devices: in the first part of the article, starting from a discussion of the main proper- ties of the material, the characteristics of lateral and vertical GaN transistors are discussed in detail to provide guidance in this complex and interesting field. The second part of the paper focuses on trapping and reliability aspects: the physical origin of traps in GaN and the main degradation mechanisms are discussed in detail. The wide set of referenced papers and the insight into the most relevant aspects gives the reader a comprehensive overview on the present and next-generation GaN electronics

Bioactive compounds from hemp (<i>Cannabis sativa</i> L.) seeds: optimization of phenolic antioxidant extraction using simplex lattice mixture design and HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS² analysis

peer reviewedThe extraction of phenolic compounds from defatted hempseeds was optimized using a simplex lattice mixture design with three solvents (water, methanol, and acetone). The response variables were total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity evaluated by different spectrophotometric tests. The results showed that the binary acetone-water mixture in equal proportions is the optimal combination to achieve the maximum TPC (53.65 mg GAE per g extract) with higher antioxidant activities (265.53, 36.25, 119.03, 69.46, and 68.91 mg TE g 1 extract for the TAC, DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and CUPRAC tests respectively). In addition, the phenolic profile analysis of defatted hemp seeds by HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS2 techniques showed the predominance of hydroxycinnamic acid amides and lignanamides. It allowed visualizing the effect of each solvent mixture on the relative extracted amount of each identified phenolic compound. This study suggests that N-trans-caffeoyltyramine, cannabisin A, and cannabisin B might contribute strongly to the potent antioxidant activity of hempseed extracts. Thus, it encourages the use of defatted hemp seeds as a source of antioxidants with added value for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications

Genetic diversity among tomato accessions based on agro-morphological traits

It is of great importance to know about the genetic diversity, conservation and classification for further utilization of tomato germplasm resources. Therefore, 40 tomato accessions were evaluated on the basic of agro-morphological traits for genetic diversity in 2014. The experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Farm, University of Haripur and farmer field in Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Principal component analysis showed that five out of 27 principal components with an eigenvalue above 1.0 were considered for 74.10% of the total variance. The major contributing traits in variations were days to flowering (DFL), days to fruiting (DFR), fruit size (FS), fruit weight plant-1 (FW), yield plot-1 (YPP), yield hectare-1 (YPH), leaf length (LL), predominant fruit shape (PDFS), fruit length (FL), fruit width (FWidth), clusters plant-1 (CPP), fruits plant‑1 (FPP) and plant height (PH). The scattered plot of the PC’s revealed that the accessions were scattered in all the quarters, which is also a representative that high level of genetic variability was present. FW and FL were positively correlated with YPH. However, the remaining yield components indirectly contributed YPH. Cluster analysis divided 40 accessions into four main clusters (I, II, III and IV), each of which having 12, 11, 07 and 10 accessions. The accessions in clusters I and II were statistically similar and performed better in terms of yield and yield related traits. Grouping into different clusters was associated with their agro-morphological differences. These results could be serving as a useful resource for further characterization, preservation and breeding programs

Characterization of Sweet Almond Oil Content of Four European Cultivars (Ferragnes, Ferraduel, Fournat, and Marcona) Recently Introduced in Morocco

peer reviewed(is study concerns the characterization of oil content and quality indices for almond cultivars (Marcona (Mr), Fournat (Fn), Ferragnes (Fg), and Ferraduel (Fd)) recently introduced into marginal agricultural areas in eastern Morocco. (ese verities are known for their rusticity and late flowering stage. (e analyzed almond oils showed low acidity and peroxide values ranging, respectively, from 0.32 to 0.36% and 1.88 to 3.18 meq O2/kg. Fatty acid (FA) profile revealed a predominance of the unsaturated FA represented essentially by the oleic (56.64–64.03%) and linoleic FA (24.57–29.80%). Triacylglycerol (TAG) analysis allowed the determination of eleven species with a remarkable dominance of trioleylglycerol (OOO: 30%) and dioleyllinoleoylglcerol (OOL: 27.25%). Regarding the minor compounds, the results showed that the total phenol content ranges between 85.33 and 141.66 mg/kg. Concerning the tocopherol content, the studied oils showed richness in these secondary metabolites (408.99–491.77 mg/kg) with a dominance of α-tocopherol. In comparison to their homologues in the Mediterranean area, the evaluated almond oils demonstrated a slight superiority in terms of quality, in particular, to those produced in Spain

An Overview of Functional Food

Functional foods are responsible for the improvement of human health and can significantly reduce the probability of disease in the host body. Functional foods are directly or indirectly part of different food ingredients and can induce functional activities in the host biological system. Functional foods are present in fruits, vegetables, dairy, bakery, cereals and meat products. Functional foods are not additional food supplements, drugs or antibiotics, they are the main component of a normal human and animal diet. Functional foods are cost-effective and easily available in the market. Daily consumption of functional foods can prevent the gastrointestinal diseases and also provide ease against different acute and chronic diseases. Adequate administration of probiotics in a human food can convert a normal food into functional food. This chapter will highlight the effective role of functional food in an individual’s daily life

Effects of a high-dose 24-h infusion of tranexamic acid on death and thromboembolic events in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (HALT-IT): an international randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Tranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and reduces death due to bleeding in patients with trauma. Meta-analyses of small trials show that tranexamic acid might decrease deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods: We did an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 164 hospitals in 15 countries. Patients were enrolled if the responsible clinician was uncertain whether to use tranexamic acid, were aged above the minimum age considered an adult in their country (either aged 16 years and older or aged 18 years and older), and had significant (defined as at risk of bleeding to death) upper or lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients were randomly assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Patients received either a loading dose of 1 g tranexamic acid, which was added to 100 mL infusion bag of 0·9% sodium chloride and infused by slow intravenous injection over 10 min, followed by a maintenance dose of 3 g tranexamic acid added to 1 L of any isotonic intravenous solution and infused at 125 mg/h for 24 h, or placebo (sodium chloride 0·9%). Patients, caregivers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. The primary outcome was death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation; analysis excluded patients who received neither dose of the allocated treatment and those for whom outcome data on death were unavailable. This trial was registered with Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN11225767, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01658124. Findings: Between July 4, 2013, and June 21, 2019, we randomly allocated 12 009 patients to receive tranexamic acid (5994, 49·9%) or matching placebo (6015, 50·1%), of whom 11 952 (99·5%) received the first dose of the allocated treatment. Death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation occurred in 222 (4%) of 5956 patients in the tranexamic acid group and in 226 (4%) of 5981 patients in the placebo group (risk ratio [RR] 0·99, 95% CI 0·82–1·18). Arterial thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction or stroke) were similar in the tranexamic acid group and placebo group (42 [0·7%] of 5952 vs 46 [0·8%] of 5977; 0·92; 0·60 to 1·39). Venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) were higher in tranexamic acid group than in the placebo group (48 [0·8%] of 5952 vs 26 [0·4%] of 5977; RR 1·85; 95% CI 1·15 to 2·98). Interpretation: We found that tranexamic acid did not reduce death from gastrointestinal bleeding. On the basis of our results, tranexamic acid should not be used for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding outside the context of a randomised trial