Concerns and Trade-offs in Information Technology Acceptance: The Balance between the Requirement for Privacy and the Desire for Safety

In this paper, we construct a new motivation model by bridging self-determination theory (SDT) with the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Using an explorative approach, we study how human motivational determinants influence the trade-off between safety and privacy in technology acceptance. We take the Scandinavian healthcare context as our empirical outset and explore how older Danish adults perceive sensor-based e-health monitor technology that monitors their health status. Danish municipalities have begun to use these technologies to identify early warning signs and, thereby, improve the quality of care and life by making people more self-reliant and reducing unnecessary hospitalization. However, one needs to consider ethical issues concerning privacy versus safety when implementing these technologies. After monitoring 21 respondents (mean age: 85) living independently at home over nine weeks, we interviewed them about their concerns regarding privacy and safety. We found that the respondents were willing to compromise their privacy if their autonomy and personal integrity were respected and if the benefits of sensor-based monitoring outweighed health-related threats. We used these findings and the theoretical outset to create a novel model that takes human motivation into account when using UTAUT

Comparative Analysis and EST Mining Reveals High Degree of Conservation among Five Brassicaceae Species

Brassicaceae is an important family of the plant kingdom which includes several plants of major economic importance. The Brassica spp. and Arabidopsis share much-conserved colinearity between their genomes which can be exploited for the genomic research in Brassicaceae crops. In this study, 131,286 ESTs of five Brassicaceae species were assembled into unigene contigs and compared with Arabidopsis gene indices. Almost all the unigenes of Brassicaceae species showed high similarities with Arabidopsis genes except those of B. napus, where 90% of unigenes were found similar. A total of 9,699 SSRs were identified in the unigenes. PCR primers were designed based on this information and amplified across species for validation. Functional annotation of unigenes showed that the majority of the genes are present in metabolism and energy functional classes. It is expected that comparative genome analysis between Arabidopsis and related crop species will expedite research in the more complex Brassica genomes. This would be helpful for genomics as well as evolutionary studies, and DNA markers developed can be used for mapping, tagging, and cloning of important genes in Brassicaceae

Cabaran Perkhidmatan Penghantaran Makanan Semasa Pandemik COVID-19

Pendapatan menurun kesan serangan korona virus (COVID-19) di seluruh negara sehingga isu pengangguran meningkat dalam kadar yang tinggi akibat keadaan ekonomi yang tergugat saban hari. Walaupun keadaan ekonomi tidak stabil, masyarakat yang sejajar dengan perkembangan globalisasi ini bijak mengambil peluang untuk mewujudkan langkah baru dalam kehidupan. Antara isu yang diberi perhatian dalam kajian ini adalah cara masyarakat mengambil peluang untuk bangkit semula dalam meningkatkan pendapatan semasa berlakunya pandemik korona virus yang telah banyak memberi kesan dalam taraf hidup. Sehubungan itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji cabaran yang dihadapi oleh pekerja penghantar makanan sepanjang perintah kawalan berjalan di seluruh negara ini. Kajian ini dijalankan melalui pengedaran borang soal selidik secara atas talian kepada masyarakat setempat bagi mendapatkan data yang lebih lengkap. Hasil dapatan kajian yang ditunjukkan melalui graf membuktikan waktu pandemik Covid-19 ini mempengaruhi pekerjaan sebagai penghantar makanan dengan wujudnya pelbagai cabaran semasa penghantaran dijalankan

Unveiling the contemporary progress of graphene-based nanomaterials with a particular focus on the removal of contaminants from water: a comprehensive review

Water scarcity and pollution pose significant challenges to global environmental sustainability and public health. As these concerns intensify, the quest for innovative and efficient water treatment technologies becomes paramount. In recent years, graphene-based nanomaterials have emerged as frontrunners in this pursuit, showcasing exceptional properties that hold immense promise for addressing water contamination issues. Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, exhibits extraordinary mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. These inherent characteristics have led to a surge of interest in leveraging graphene derivatives, such as graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide and functionalized graphene, for water treatment applications. The ability of graphene-based nanomaterials to adsorb, catalyze, and photocatalyze contaminants makes them highly versatile in addressing diverse pollutants present in water sources. This review will delve into the synthesis methods employed for graphene-based nanomaterials and explore the structural modifications and functionalization strategies implemented to increase their pollutant removal performance in water treatment. By offering a critical analysis of existing literature and highlighting recent innovations, it will guide future research toward the rational design and optimization of graphene-based nanomaterials for water decontamination. The exploration of interdisciplinary approaches and cutting-edge technologies underscores the evolving landscape of graphene-based water treatment, fostering a path toward sustainable and scalable solutions. Overall, the authors believe that this review will serve as a valuable resource for researchers, engineers, and policymakers working toward sustainable and effective solutions for water purification

Understanding Aquaporin Transport System in Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), an Aquatic Plant Species

Aquaporins (AQPs) are a class of integral membrane proteins involved in the transport of water and many other small solutes. The AQPs have been extensively studied in many land species obtaining water and nutrients from the soil, but their distribution and evolution have never been investigated in aquatic plant species, where solute assimilation is mostly through the leaves. In this regard, identification of AQPs in the genome of Zostera marina L. (eelgrass), an aquatic ecological model species could reveal important differences underlying solute uptake between land and aquatic species. In the present study, genome-wide analysis led to the identification of 25 AQPs belonging to four subfamilies, plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs), tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs), nodulin 26-like intrinsic proteins (NIPs), small basic intrinsic proteins (SIPs) in eelgrass. As in other monocots, the XIP subfamily was found to be absent from the eelgrass genome. Further classification of subfamilies revealed a unique distribution pattern, namely the loss of the NIP2 (NIP-III) subgroup, which is known for silicon (Si) transport activity and ubiquitously present in monocot species. This finding has great importance, since the eelgrass population stability in natural niche is reported to be associated with Si concentrations in water. In addition, analysis of available RNA-seq data showed evidence of expression in 24 out of the 25 AQPs across four different tissues such as root, vegetative tissue, male flower and female flower. In contrast to land plants, higher expression of PIPs was observed in shoot compared to root tissues. This is likely explained by the unique plant architecture of eelgrass where most of the nutrients and water are absorbed by shoot rather than root tissues. Similarly, higher expression of the TIP1 and TIP5 families was observed specifically in male flowers suggesting a role in pollen maturation. This genome-wide analysis of AQP distribution, evolution and expression dynamics can find relevance in understanding the adaptation of aquatic and land species to their respective environments

Identification of genomic loci governing pericarp colour through GWAS in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Rice pericarp colour is one of the nutritional traits that is now gaining attention worldwide. In the present investigation, genome-wide association GWAS) was performed to identify loci governing pericarp colour in rice. A set of 1,349,269 SNPs and precise phenotyping across 325 diverse accessions of rice were used for the GWAS. The accessions belong to five rice isozyme classification groups viz., indica, japonica, aromatic, aus, and admix. The GWAS identified two significant loci gPC5-1and gPC7-1 on chromosomes, 5 and 7, respectively, associated with the pericarp colour in rice. The SNPs on chromosome 7 co-localized with the functionally characterized Os07g0211500 (Rc gene) known to control pericarp colour and Os07g0214900 which is similar to the Chalcone synthase 2(OsCHS2) gene involved in flavonoid synthesis pathway. Linkage disequilibrium analysis across 0.25 Mbp upstream and downstream of these markers suggested three strong linkage blocks on chromosome 7. More interestingly, the novel locus identified on chromosome 5 gPC5-1 does not harbor any homolog of previously reported genes. Therefore, the locus can serve as a basis for identifying a new gene for rice pericarp colour. The results presented here will be helpful to understand the genetic regulation of pericarp colour and for genomic-assisted breeding in rice