Yield and bunch quality component comparison between two-way crosses and multi-way crosses of DxP oil palm progenies

Breeding for hybrid DxP oil palm in many commercial seed producers has recently switched from simple two-way crosses to complicated multi-way crosses with the hope of increasing hybrid vigour and thus higher yield potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the yield potential of the multi-way (MW) crosses as compared to conventional two way (TW) crosses in United Plantations Berhad. A trial was set up in 2004 where 20 crosses of both multi-way and two-way combinations were field planted and evaluated for six years after maturity. Palms were assessed for yield traits and bunch components through bunch analysis. Fresh fruit bunch weight for both types of crosses was significantly different with MW crosses yielding 37.11 tonnes per ha per year as opposed to TW crosses with 36.40. MW crosses had 1.46 tonnes oil per ha per year advantage over TW. High coefficient of variation (CV%) was seen for selected traits such as bunch number (BNO), average bunch weight (ABW), kernel, shell and mesocarp to bunch (KB, SB and MB), oil to dry and oil to wet mesocarp (ODM and OWM), as well as mean fruit weight (MFW). ANOVA showed that replicate (REP), year (Y) and progeny (ID) were significantly different (p≤0.01) for BNO and fresh fruit bunch (FFB) in both crosses but not significant for REP in ABW of TW. REP was not significant for all the traits except ODM whereas ID was significant for all the traits in both TW and MW. Phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variance (PCV and GCV) were low (<10%) for all the traits in both types of crosses with MW crosses showing higher PCV and GCV in most cases. Heritability for ABW, FFB, KB, oil to bunch (OB), SB and MFW were higher in MW crosses but lower for BNO, fruit to bunch (FB), MB, ODM and OWM compared to TW crosses

Mannerisms of Millennials: Why are they different?

Differences in attitudes and mannerisms of the millennials and the older generation could result in intergenerational conflicts. This study aims to determine the definitions of good mannerisms as perceived by the two different generations and to identify the factors that contribute to the mannerisms and characteristics of the millennials. Using a non-experimental design, a questionnaire was distributed to 400 respondents. The responses by the millennials differed in some aspects from the older generation. Nevertheless, both groups agreed that the lack of a good upbringing and social media influences were the primary reasons for the lack of good mannerisms among millennials. Keywords: Millennials, Mannerism, Values, Characteristics eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning &amp; Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i21.369

2-{2-[3-(1H-Benzimidazol-2-yl)quinolin-2-yl­oxy]eth­oxy}ethanol

In the title compound, C20H19N3O3, the inter­planar angle between the benzimidazole unit and the quinoline unit is 25.1 (2)°. Two different hydrogen bonds involving the hydr­oxy group and the imidazole unit are present. An intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond links the hydr­oxy group of the side chain with the imidazole unit, forming a 12-membered ring, and an inter­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond links the mol­ecules, forming chains in the crystallographic b direction

3-(1H-Benzimidazol-2-yl)-2-chloro-8-methyl­quinoline

Two independent mol­ecules of the title compound, C17H12ClN3, are present in the structure. The angle between the planes defined by the atoms of the benzimidazole unit and the quinoline unit are 45.2 (3) and 44.0 (3)°, indicating an essentially identical conformation for both mol­ecules. Each of the independent mol­ecules is linked with a symmetry equivalent by an inter­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bond involving the two benzimidazole N atoms, to form chains in the crystallographic c direction

Ursolic acid inhibits colistin efflux and curtails colistin resistant Enterobacteriaceae

Abstract Colistin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae especially Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli is driving the evolution of pan drug resistant strains. Screening a library of 13 plant nutraceuticals led to the identification of acetyl shikonin and ursolic acid, which exhibited synergy with colistin against extremely drug resistant (XDR) clinical strains of E. coli (U3790) and K. pneumoniae (BC936). Ursolic acid caused a significant colistin MIC reversal of 16-fold in U3790 and 4-fold in BC936 strains. Ursolic acid also potentiated the bactericidal effect of colistin against both U3790 and BC936 by causing ~ 4 to 4.5 log fold decline in CFU of both clinical isolates in a time kill assay. At 2× minimum effective concentration, ursolic acid was non-toxic to zebrafish as evidenced by brain and liver enzyme profiles and by histopathology studies. In combination with colistin, ursolic acid reduced bacterial bioburden of U3790/BC936 by 1–1.58 log fold from the infected muscle tissue of zebrafish. Mechanistic explorations via studies on real time efflux, membrane potential and intracellular accumulation of dansyl chloride tagged colistin revealed that colistin efflux is inhibited by ursolic acid. In addition, ursolic acid also enhanced outer membrane permeability which probably facilitates colistin’s attack on outer and inner membranes. Our study shows that ursolic acid synergizes with colistin by inhibiting colistin efflux in Enterobacteriaceae that helps to curtail colistin resistant Enterobacteriaceae.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148135/1/13568_2019_Article_750.pd

Changes in the source and transport mechanism of terrigenous input to the Indian sector of southern ocean during the late quaternary and its palaeoceanographic implications

Changes in the terrigenous sediment source and transport mechanisms during the late Quaternary have been investigated using four sediment cores within the Indian sector of Southern Ocean, using the magnetic susceptibility (MS) and sedimentological records. Sediments deposited during the Holocene and other interglacial periods were characterised by low MS, low sand content, reduced ice-rafted detritus (IRD) input and increased illite possibly transported via hydrographic advection from the south. The glacial intervals are characterised by high MS, high sand content, increased IRD input and reduced illite clays, derived from both local as well as Antarctic sources. Significant reduction in clay fraction and illite content during glacials suggests that the erosive and transporting capabilities of the deep and bottom waters could have reduced compared to the interglacial times. The changes in terrigenous influx to this region were significantly influenced by the rhythmic glacial–interglacial fluctuations in bottom circulation and the position of the Polar Front

Dissecting star-formation in the "Atoms-for-Peace" galaxy: Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope observations of the post-merger galaxy NGC7252

The tidal tails of post-merger galaxies exhibit ongoing star formation far from their disks. The study of such systems can be useful for our understanding of gas condensation in diverse environments. The ongoing star formation in the tidal tails of post-merger galaxies can be directly studied from ultraviolet (UV) imaging observations. The post merger galaxy NGC7252 ("Atoms-for-Peace" galaxy) is observed with the Astrosat UV imaging telescope (UVIT) in broadband NUV and FUV filters to isolate the star forming regions in the tidal tails and study the spatial variation in star formation rates. Based on ultraviolet imaging observations, we discuss star formation regions of ages $<$ 200 Myrs in the tidal tails. We measure star formation rates in these regions and in the main body of the galaxy. The integrated star formation rate of NGC7252 (i.e., that in the galaxy and tidal tails combined) without correcting for extinction is found to be 0.81 $\pm$ 0.01 M$_{\odot}$/yr. We show that the integrated star formation rate can change by an order of magnitude if the extinction correction used in star formation rates derived from other proxies are taken into consideration. The star formation rates in the associated tidal dwarf galaxies (NGC7252E, SFR=0.02 M$_{\odot}$/yr and NGC7252NW, SFR=0.03 M$_{\odot}$/yr) are typical of dwarf galaxies in the local Universe. The spatial resolution of the UV images reveals a gradient in star formation within the tidal dwarf galaxy. The star formation rates show a dependence on the distance from the centre of the galaxy. This can be due to the different initial conditions responsible for the triggering of star formation in the gas reservoir that was expelled during the recent merger in NGC7252.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

In-orbit Performance of UVIT on ASTROSAT

We present the in-orbit performance and the first results from the ultra-violet Imaging telescope (UVIT) on ASTROSAT. UVIT consists of two identical 38cm coaligned telescopes, one for the FUV channel (130-180nm) and the other for the NUV (200-300nm) and VIS (320-550nm) channels, with a field of view of 28 $arcmin$. The FUV and the NUV detectors are operated in the high gain photon counting mode whereas the VIS detector is operated in the low gain integration mode. The FUV and NUV channels have filters and gratings, whereas the VIS channel has filters. The ASTROSAT was launched on 28th September 2015. The performance verification of UVIT was carried out after the opening of the UVIT doors on 30th November 2015, till the end of March 2016 within the allotted time of 50 days for calibration. All the on-board systems were found to be working satisfactorily. During the PV phase, the UVIT observed several calibration sources to characterise the instrument and a few objects to demonstrate the capability of the UVIT. The resolution of the UVIT was found to be about 1.4 - 1.7 $arcsec$ in the FUV and NUV. The sensitivity in various filters were calibrated using standard stars (white dwarfs), to estimate the zero-point magnitudes as well as the flux conversion factor. The gratings were also calibrated to estimate their resolution as well as effective area. The sensitivity of the filters were found to be reduced up to 15\% with respect to the ground calibrations. The sensitivity variation is monitored on a monthly basis. UVIT is all set to roll out science results with its imaging capability with good resolution and large field of view, capability to sample the UV spectral region using different filters and capability to perform variability studies in the UV.Comment: 10 pages, To appear in SPIE conference proceedings, SPIE conference paper, 201