Search results for: root of trust

Authors: Shackira Am, Jos T. Puthur

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The phytostabilization potential of a halophyte Acanthus ilicifolius L. has been evaluated with special attention to the nutritional as well as anatomical adaptations developed by the plant. Distribution of essential elements influenced by the excess Zn²⁺ ions in the root tissue was studied by FEG-SEM EDX microanalysis. Significant variations were observed in the uptake and allocation of mineral elements like Mg, P, K, S, Na, Si and Al in the root of A. ilicifolius. The increase in S is in correlation with the increased synthesis of glutathione which might be involved in the biosynthesis of phytochelatins. This in turn might be aiding the plant to tolerate the adverse environmental conditions by stabilizing the excess Zn in the root tissue itself. Moreover it is revealed that most of the Zn were accumulated towards the central region near the vascular tissue. Treatment with ZnSO₄ in A. ilicifolius caused significant increase in the number of glandular trichomes on the adaxial leaf surface as compared to the leaves of control plants. In addition to this, A. ilicifolius when treated with ZnSO₄, exhibited a deeply stained layer of cells immediate to the endodermis, forming more or less a ring like structure around the xylem vessels. Phloem cells in these plants were crushed/reduced in numbers. There were no such deeply stained cells forming a ring around the xylem vessels in the control plants. These adaptive responses make the plant a suitable candidate for the phytostabilization of Zn. In addition the nutritional adjustment of the plant equips them for a better survival under increased concentration of Zn²⁺.

Keywords: Acanthus ilicifolius, mineral elements, phytostabilization, zinc

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Authors: Rym Saidi, Pape Alioune Ndiaye, Ibnyasser Ammar, Zineb Rchiad, Khalid Daoui, Issam Kadmiri Meftahi, Adnane Bargaz

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Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important leguminous crop grown worldwide and plays a significant role in humans’ dietary consumption. Alongside nitrogen (N), low phosphorus (P) availability within agricultural soils is one of the major factors limiting chickpea growth and productivity. The combined application of beneficial bacterial inoculants and Rock P-fertilizer could boost chickpea performance and productivity, increasing P-utilization efficiency and minimizing nutrient losses under P-deficiency conditions. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the response of chickpeas to two P-fertilizer forms (RP and TSP) under N2-fixer and P-solubilizer consortium inoculation to improve biological N fixation and P nutrition under P-deficient conditions. Under inoculation, chickpea chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence (RP+I and TSP+I) were increased compared to uninoculated treatments. The RP+I treatment increased both shoot and root dry weights by 48,80% and 72,68%, respectively, compared to the uninoculated RP fertilized control. Indeed, the bacterial consortium contributed to enhancing root morphological traits (e.g., root volume, surface area, and diameter) of all inoculated treatments versus the uninoculated treatments. Furthermore, soil available P and root inorganic P were significantly improved in RP+I by 162,84% and 73,24%, respectively, compared to uninoculated RP control. Our research outcomes suggest that the co-inoculation of chickpeas with N2-fixing, and P-solubilizing bacteria improves biomass yield and nutrient uptake. Eventually, enhancing chickpea agrophysiological performance, especially in restricted P-availability conditions.

Keywords: chickpea, consortium, beneficial bacterial inoculants, phosphorus deficiency, rock p-fertilizer, nutrient uptake

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Authors: M. Norazamina, A. Azizah, Y. Najihah Marha, A. Suraya

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Malaysian Public Sector departments or agencies are responsible to provide efficient public services with zero corruption. However, corruption continues to occur due to the absence of ethical leadership and well-execution of ethical guidelines. Thus, the objective of this paper is to explore the attributes of ethical leadership and ethical guidelines. This study employs a qualitative research by analyzing data from interviews with key informers of public sector using conceptual content analysis (NVivo11). The study reveals eight attributes of ethical leadership which are role model, attachment, ethical support, knowledgeable, discipline, leaders’ spirituality encouragement, virtue values and shared values. Meanwhile, five attributes (guidelines, communication, check and balance, concern on stakeholders and compliance) of ethical guidelines are identified. These identified attributes should become the ethical identity and ethical direction of Malaysian Public Sector. This could enhance the public trust as well as the international community trust towards the public sector.

Keywords: check and balance, ethical guidelines, ethical leadership, public sector, spirituality encouragement

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Authors: Sandhya Armoogum

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In distributed systems and in open systems such as the Internet, often mobile code has to run on unknown and potentially hostile hosts. Mobile code such as a mobile agent is vulnerable when executing on remote hosts. The mobile agent may be subjected to various attacks such as tampering, inspection, and replay attack by a malicious host. Much research has been done to provide solutions for various security problems, such as authentication of mobile agent and hosts, integrity and confidentiality of the data carried by the mobile agent. Many of such proposed solutions in literature are not suitable for open systems whereby the mobile code arrives and executes on a host which is not known and trusted by the mobile agent owner. In this paper, we propose the adoption of the reference monitor by hosts in an open system for providing trust and security for mobile code execution. A secure protocol for the distribution of the reference monitor entity is described. This reference monitor entity on the remote host may also provide several security services such as authentication and integrity to the mobile code.

Keywords: security, mobile agents, reference monitor, trust

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Authors: Okafor C. Uche, Agbo P. Ejiofor, Okezie C. Eziuche

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This study provides a regeneration protocol for Treculia africana Decne (an endangered plant) through embryo culture. Mature zygotic embryos of T. africana were excised from the seeds aseptically and cultured on varied strengths (full, half and quarter) of Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented. All treatments experienced 100±0.00 percent sprouting except for half and quarter strengths. Plantlets in MS full strength had the highest fresh weight, leaf area, and longest shoot length when compared to other treatments. All explants in full, half, quarter strengths and control had the same number of leaves and sprout rate. Between the treatments, there was a significant difference (P>0.05) in their effect on the length of shoot and root, number of adventitious root, leaf area, and fresh weight. Full strength had the highest mean value in all the above-mentioned parameters and differed significantly (P>0.05) from others except in shoot length, number of adventitious roots, and root length where it did not differ (P<0.05) from half strength. The result of this study indicates that full strength MS basal medium offers a better option for the optimum growth for Treculia africana regeneration in vitro.

Keywords: medium strengths, Murashige and Skoog, Treculia africana, zygotic embryos

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Authors: Olasunkanmi Jame Ayodeji, Adebayo Adeyinka Victor

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In a hyperconnected world, cybersecurity faces a continuous evolution of threats that challenge traditional defence mechanisms. This paper explores emerging cybersecurity threats like malware, ransomware, phishing, social engineering, and the Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities. It delves into the inadequacies of existing cybersecurity defences in addressing these evolving risks and advocates for adaptive defence mechanisms that leverage AI, machine learning, and zero-trust architectures. The paper proposes collaborative approaches, including public-private partnerships and information sharing, as essential to building a robust defence strategy to address future cyber threats. The need for continuous monitoring, real-time incident response, and adaptive resilience strategies is highlighted to fortify digital infrastructures in the face of escalating global cyber risks.

Keywords: cybersecurity, hyperconnectivity, malware, adaptive defences, zero-trust architecture, internet of things vulnerabilities

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Authors: Awet Araya

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Cochliobolus sativus ((anamorphic stage: Bipolaris sorokiniana (synonyms: Helminthosporium sorokinianum, Drechslera sorokiniana, and Helminthosporium sativum)) is an important pathogen of cereal crops. Many other grass species are also hosts for this fungus. Yield losses have been reported from many regions, especially where barley and wheat are commercially cultivated. The fungus has a worldwide distribution. The pathogen causes root rot, seedling blight, spot blotch, head blight, and black point. Environmental conditions affect disease development. Most of the time, fungus survives as mycelia and conidia. Pseudothecium of the fungus is not commonly encountered and probably not important in the epidemiology of the disease. The fungus can be in seed, soil, or in plant parts. Crop rotation, proper fertilization, reducing other stress factors, fungicide treatments, and resistant cultivars may be used for the control of the disease.

Keywords: Cochliobolus sativus, barley, cultivars, root rot

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Authors: Amir Rashid

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Today is the world of innovation and Cloud Computing is becoming a day to day technology with every passing day offering remarkable services and features on the go with rapid elasticity. This platform took business computing into an innovative dimension where clients interact and operate through service provider web portals. Initially, the trust relationship between client and service provider remained a big question but with the invention of several cryptographic paradigms, it is becoming common in everyday business. This research work proposes a solution for building a cloud storage service with respect to Data Security addressing public cloud infrastructure where the trust relationship matters a lot between client and service provider. For the great satisfaction of client regarding high-end Data Security, this research paper propose a layer of cryptographic primitives combining several architectures in order to achieve the goal. A survey has been conducted to determine the benefits for such an architecture would provide to both clients/service providers and recent developments in cryptography specifically by cloud storage.

Keywords: data security in cloud computing, cloud storage architecture, cryptographic developments, token key

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Authors: Songyun Chen

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Recent scholarly attention to sentiment analysis has provided researchers with a deeper understanding of how emotions are conveyed in writing and leveraged by academic authors as a persuasive tool. Using the National Research Council (NRC) Sentiment Lexicons (version 1.0) created by the National Research Council Canada, this study examined specific emotions in research articles (RAs) across four disciplines, including literature, education, biology, and computer & information science based on four datasets totaling over three million tokens, aiming to reveal how the emotions are conveyed by authors in academic writing. The results showed that four emotions—trust, anticipation, joy, and surprise—were observed in all four disciplines, while sadness emotion was spotted solely in literature. With the emotion of trust being overwhelmingly prominent, the rest emotions varied significantly across disciplines. The findings contribute to our understanding of emotion strategy applied in academic writing and genre characteristics of RAs.

Keywords: sentiment analysis, specific emotions, emotional landscape, research articles, academic writing

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Authors: C. Gallottini, W. Di Mari, A. Amaddeo, K. Barbaro, A. Dolci, G. Dolci, L. Gallottini, G. Barraco, S. Eramo

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A group of 10 dogs (group A) with Periodontal Disease in the third stage, were subjected to regenerative therapy of periodontal tissues, by use of nano hydroxy apatite (NHA). These animals induced by general anesthesia, where treated by ultrasonic scaling, root planning, and at the end by a mucogingival flap in which it was applied NHA. The flap was closed and sutured with simple steps. Another group of 10 dogs (group B), control group, was treated only by scaling and root planning. No patient was subjected to antibiotic therapy. After three months, a check was made by inspection of the oral cavity, radiography and bone biopsy at the alveolar level. Group A showed a total restitutio ad integrum of the periodontal structures, and in group B still mild gingivitis in 70% of cases and 30% of the state remains unchanged. Numerous experimental studies both in animals and humans have documented that the grafts of porous hydroxyapatite are rapidly invaded by fibrovascular tissue which is subsequently converted into mature lamellar bone tissue by activating osteoblast. Since we acted on the removal of necrotic cementum and rehabilitating the root tissue by polishing without intervention in the ligament but only on anatomical functional interface of cement-blasts, we can connect the positive evolution of the clinical-only component of the cement that could represent this perspective, the only reason that Periodontal Disease become a Cement Disease, while all other clinical elements as nothing more than a clinical pathological accompanying.

Keywords: nanoidroxiaphatite, parodontal disease, cement disease, regenerative therapy

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Authors: Khalid Alshallash

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Small fragments of the roots of some Rumex species including R. obtusifolius and R. crispus have been found to regenerate readily, contributing to the severity of infestations by these very common, widespread and difficult to control perennial weeds of agricultural crops and grasslands. Their root fragments are usually created during routine agricultural practices. We found that fresh root fragments of both species containing 65-70 % of moisture, progressively lose their moisture content when desiccated under controlled growth room conditions matching summer weather of southeast England, with the greatest reduction occurring in the first 48 hours. Probability of shoot emergence and the time taken for emergence in glasshouse conditions were also reduced significantly by desiccation, with R. obtusifolius least affected up to 48-hour. However, the effects converged after 120 hours. In contrast, R. obtusifolius was significantly slower to emerge after up to 48 hours desiccation, again effects converging after longer periods, R. crispus entirely failed to emerge at 120 hours. The dry weight of emerged shoots was not significantly different between the species, until desiccated for 96 hours when R. obtusifolius was significantly reduced. At 120 hours, R. obtusifolius did not emerge. In outdoor trials, desiccation for 24 or 48 hours had less effect on emergence when planted at the soil surface or up to 10 cm of depth, compared to deeper plantings. In both species, emergence was significantly lower when desiccated fragments were planted at 15 or 20 cm. Time taken for emergence was not significantly different between the species until planted at 15 or 20 cm when R. obtusifolius was slower than R. crispus and reduced further by increasing desiccation. Similar variation in effects of increasing soil depth interacting with increasing desiccation was found in reductions in dry weight, the number of tillers and leaf area, with R obtusifolius generally but not exclusively better able to withstand more extreme trial conditions. Our findings suggest that infestations of these highly troublesome weeds may be partly controlled by appropriate agricultural practices, notably exposing cut fragments to drying environmental conditions followed by deep burial.

Keywords: regeneration, root fragment, rumex crispus, rumex obtusifolius

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Authors: Nevena Jakovčević Stor, Ivan Slapničar

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Any polynomial can be expressed as a characteristic polynomial of a complex symmetric arrowhead matrix. This expression is not unique. If the polynomial is real with only real distinct roots, the matrix can be chosen as real. By using accurate forward stable algorithm for computing eigen values of real symmetric arrowhead matrices we derive a forward stable algorithm for computation of roots of such polynomials in O(n^2 ) operations. The algorithm computes each root to almost full accuracy. In some cases, the algorithm invokes extended precision routines, but only in the non-iterative part. Our examples include numerically difficult problems, like the well-known Wilkinson’s polynomials. Our algorithm compares favorably to other method for polynomial root-finding, like MPSolve or Newton’s method.

Keywords: roots of polynomials, eigenvalue decomposition, arrowhead matrix, high relative accuracy

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Authors: Joy Aworo-Okoroh

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Politics is about trust and trust is challenged by the speaker’s ability to manipulate language before the electorate. Critical discourse analysis investigates the role of language in constructing social relationships between a political speaker and his audience. This paper explores the linguistic choices made by President Muhammad Buhari that enshrines his ideologies as well as the socio-political relations of power between him and Nigerians in his speeches. Two speeches of President Buhari –inaugural and Independence Day speeches are analyzed using Norman Fairclough’s perspective on Halliday’s Systemic functional grammar. The analysis is at two levels. The first level of analysis is the identification of transitivity and modality choices in the speeches and how they reveal the covert ideologies. The second analysis is premised on Normal Fairclough’s model, the clauses are analyzed to identify elements of power, hesistation, persuasion, threat and religious statement. It was discovered that Buhari is a dominant character who manipulates the material processes a lot.

Keywords: politics, critical discourse analysis, Norman Fairclough, systemic functional grammar

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Authors: Amjad Naveed

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This study analysed the role of structural change in the process of labour productivity convergence at country and regional levels. Many forms of structural changes occurred within the European Union (EU) countries i.e. variation in sectoral employment share, changes in demand for products, variations in trade patterns and advancement in technology which may have an influence on the process of convergence. Earlier studies on convergence have neglected the role of structural changes which can have resulted in different conclusion on the nature of convergence. The contribution of this study is to examine the role of structural change in testing labour productivity convergence at various levels. For the empirical purpose, the data of 19 EU countries, 259 regions and 6 industries is used for the period of 1991-2009. The results indicate that convergence varies across regional and country levels for different industries when considered the role of structural change.

Keywords: labor produvitivty, convergence, structural change, panel unit root

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Authors: Edmar N. Franquera, Renato C. Mabesa, Rene Rafael C. Espino, Edralina P. Serrano, Eduardo P. Paningbatan Jr.

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The potential of growing lettuce with different colored plastic mulch silver (control), red, orange, yellow and green was evaluated using two lettuce varieties, Looseleaf and Romaine. The experiment was laid out on split plot design following the Randomized Complete Block Design. The Looseleaf variety had better performance in terms of plant fresh weight, leaf fresh weight, leaf dry weight, root length, plant height and yield. However, better response was observed in Romaine in terms of leaf diameter, leaf length, root dry weight and root fresh weight. The color of the mulch reflected different qualities of light and hence the quality of absorbed light by the lettuce plants. A higher Far red and red ratio (FR:R) was obtained from green plastic mulch which was followed by the red plastic mulch. The different colored plastic mulch affected the growth and developmental responses of leaf lettuce morphological and leaf anatomical characteristics. Data in all growth morphological and yield parameters showed that those grown with red plastic mulch had better response and had longer stomates than those lettuce grown with the other colored plastic mulch. The soil temperature 10 cm below the plastic mulch was significantly influenced by the color of the mulch. The red plastic mulch had the highest soil temperature recorded while the lowest soil temperature recorded was within the yellow plastic mulch.

Keywords: anatomical, lettuce, morpholological, plastic mulch

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Authors: Recep Duzsoz, Elif Bilgir, Derya Yildirim, Ozlem Gormez

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Radicular cysts develop in the root apex of tooth that is devitalized. Cysts are pathologic lesions with an epithelial lining encapsulated by connective tissue. Radicular cysts originate from epithelial remnants of the periodontal ligament in the root apex as a result of inflammation. They are most commonly observed in the maxillary anterior region, among men and in the third decade of life. Radiographically, they are seen as ovoid radiolucent lesions surrounded by a thin radioopaque margin. In this case, series was carried out in 15 radicular cysts of the jaws diagnosed in individuals. The cysts were evaluated age, sex, and localization. 12 of the cysts were localized in the maxillae, 3 of them were localised in the mandible. The female/male ratio of the lesions was 1/2. In conclusion, we evaluated age, localization and sex distribution of radicular cysts in this study. The knowledge of the features of the jaw cysts is a basic aspect to achieve diagnosis, complications and proper treatment.

Keywords: radicular cyst, jaws, CBCT, treatment

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Authors: Riyas Peringattuthodiyil, Mark Taylor, Ian Wallace, Ailish Nugent, Mike Mitchell, Judith Thompson, Allison McKee, Philip C. Johnston

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Aim of Study: The purpose of the study was to screen for diabetes through HbA1c in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) within the Belfast Trust. Background: Patients with chronic pancreatitis are at risk of developing diabetes, earlier diagnosis with subsequent multi-disciplinary input has the potential to improve clinical outcomes. Methods: Clinical and laboratory data of patients with chronic pancreatitis were obtained through the Northern Ireland Electronic Healthcare Record (NIECR), specialist hepatobiliary, and gastrointestinal clinics. Patients were invited to have a blood test for HbA1c. Newly diagnosed patients with diabetes were then invited to attend a dedicated Belfast City Hospital (BCH) specialist chronic pancreatitis and diabetes clinic for follow up. Results: A total of 89 chronic pancreatitis patients were identified; Male54; Female:35, mean age 52 years, range 12-90 years. Aetiology of CP included alcohol 52/89 (58%), gallstones 18/89 (20%), idiopathic 10/89 11%, 2 were genetic, 1: post ECRP, 1: IgG autoimmune, 1: medication induced, 1: lipoprotein lipase deficiency 1: mumps, 1: IVDU and 1: pancreatic divisum. No patients had pancreatic carcinoma. Mean duration of CP was nine years, range 3-30 years. 15/89 (16%) of patients underwent previous pancreatic surgery/resections. Recent mean BMI was 25.1 range 14-40 kg/m². 62/89 (70%) patients had HbA1c performed. Mean HbA1c was 42 mmol/mol, range 27-97mmol/mol, 42/62 (68%) had normal HbA1c (< 42 mmol/mol) 13/62 (21%) had pre-diabetes (42-47mmol/mol) and 7/62 (11%) had diabetes (≥ 48 mmol/mol). Conclusions: Of those that participated in the screening program around one-third of patients with CP had glycaemic control in the pre and diabetic range. Potential opportunities for improving screening rates for diabetes in this cohort could include regular yearly testing at gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary clinics.

Keywords: pancreatogenic diabetes, screening, chronic pancreatitis, trust experience

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Authors: Xiao-Hua Zhu, Xin Yuan, Yi-Ran Zhao

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High-cadmium pollution in rice is a serious problem in many parts of China. Many kinds of remediation technologies have been tested and applied in many farmlands. Because of the productive function of the farmland, most technologies are inappropriate due to their destruction to the tillage soil layer. And the large labours and expensive fees of many technologies are also the restrictive factors for their applications. The conception of 'Root Micro-Geochemical Barrier' was proposed to reduce cadmium (Cd) bioavailability and the concentration of the cadmium in rice. Remediation and mitigation techniques were demonstrated on contaminated farmland in the downstream of some mine. According to the rule of rice growth, Cd would be absorbed by the crops in every growth stage, and the plant-absorb efficiency in the first stage of the tillering stage is almost the highest. We should create a method to protect the crops from heavy metal pollution, which could begin to work from the early growth stage. Many materials with repair property get our attention. The materials will create a barrier preventing Cd from being absorbed by the crops during all the growing process because the material has the ability to adsorb soil-Cd and making it losing its migration activity. And we should choose a good chance to put the materials into the crop-growing system cheaply as soon as early. Per plant, rice has a little root system scope, which makes the roots reach about 15cm deep and 15cm wide. So small root radiation area makes it possible for all the Cd approaching the roots to be adsorbed with a small amount of adsorbent. Mixing the remediation materials with the seed-raising soli and adding them to the tillage soil in the process of transplanting seedlings, we can control the soil-Cd activity in the range of roots to reduce the Cd-amount absorbed by the crops. Of course, the mineral materials must have enough adsorptive capacity and no additional pollution. More than 3000 square meters farmlands have been remediated. And on the application of root micro-geochemical barrier, the Cd-concentration in rice and the remediation-cost have been decreased by 90% and 80%, respectively, with little extra labour brought to the farmers. The Cd-concentrations in rice from remediated farmland have been controlled below 0.1 ppm. The remediation of one acre of contaminated cropland costs less than $100. The concept has its advantage in the remediation of paddy field contaminated by Cd, especially for the field with outside pollution sources.

Keywords: cadmium pollution, growth stage, cost, root micro-geochemistry barrier

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Authors: Al-Molhem, Y.

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This work aimed to study the influence of a geotextile material under sprinkler irrigation on the availability of soil moisture content and salinity of 40 cm top soil profile. Field experiment was carried out to measure soil moisture content, soil salinity and water application efficiency under sprinkler irrigation system. The results indicated that, the mats placed at 20 cm depth leads to increasing of the availability of soil moisture content in the root zone. The results further showed increases in water application efficiency because of using the geotextile material. In addition, soil salinity in the root zone decreased because of increasing soil moisture content.

Keywords: geotextile, moisture content, sprinkler irrigation

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Authors: Sogo Angel Olofinbiyi

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There have been widespread assumptions across the globe that the root cause of Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria is religious rather than socio-economic. An investigation into this dichotomy allowed this study to fully demonstrate that the root cause of Boko Haram’s terrorist actions emanates from the non-fulfillment of socio-economic goals that are prompted by the violation of fundamental human rights, corruption, poverty, unconstitutional and undemocratic practices in the northern part of the Nigerian state. To achieve its aim of establishing the root cause of the terrorism crisis in the latter country, the study critically appraised the socio-economic context of the insurgency by adopting one-on-one in-depth interviews involving forty (40) participants to interrogate the phenomenon. Empirical evidence from the study demonstrated that the evolution of Boko Haram terrorism was a response to socio-economic phlebotomy, political and moral putrescence, and the dehumanization of people that stem from a combination of decades of mismanagement and pervasive corruption by various Nigerian leaders. The study concludes that, as long as the endemic socio-economic problems caused by global capitalism vis-a-vis unequal hegemonic power exchange as expressed in socio-political, ethno-religious and cultural forms persist in the Nigerian society, the terrorism insurgency will recur and remain an inevitable enterprise and indeed a normal social reaction to every undesirable state of affairs. Based on the findings, the study urges the need for the amelioration of the conditions of the vast majority of the Nigerian populace by making socio-economic facilities available to them through the political state.

Keywords: Boko Haram Terrorism, insurgency, socio-economic, religious injunctions

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Authors: John E. Boberg, Steven J. Bourgeois

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The decline in student engagement and motivation through the middle years is well documented and clearly associated with a decline in mathematics achievement that persists through high school. To combat this trend and, very often, to meet high-stakes accountability standards, a growing number of parents, teachers, and schools have implemented various methods to incentivize learning. However, according to Self-Determination Theory, forms of incentivized learning such as public praise, tangible rewards, or threats of punishment tend to undermine intrinsic motivation and learning. By focusing on external forms of motivation that thwart autonomy in children, adults also potentially threaten relatedness measures such as trust and emotional engagement. Furthermore, these controlling motivational techniques tend to promote shallow forms of cognitive engagement at the expense of more effective deep processing strategies. Therefore, any short-term gains in apparent engagement or test scores are overshadowed by long-term diminished motivation, resulting in inauthentic approaches to learning and lower achievement. The current study focuses on the relationships between student trust, engagement, and motivation during these crucial years as students transition from elementary to middle school. In order to test the effects of controlled motivational techniques on achievement in mathematics, this quantitative study was conducted on a convenience sample of 22 elementary and middle schools from a single public charter school district in the south-central United States. The study employed multi-source data from students (N = 1,054), parents (N = 7,166), and teachers (N = 356), along with student achievement data and contextual campus variables. Cross-sectional questionnaires were used to measure the students’ self-regulated learning, emotional and cognitive engagement, and trust in teachers. Parents responded to a single item on incentivizing the academic performance of their child, and teachers responded to a series of questions about their acceptance of various incentive strategies. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate model fit and analyze the direct and indirect effects of the predictor variables on achievement. Although a student’s trust in teacher positively predicted both emotional and cognitive engagement, none of these three predictors accounted for any variance in achievement in mathematics. The parents’ use of incentives, on the other hand, predicted a student’s perception of his or her controlled motivation, and these two variables had significant negative effects on achievement. While controlled motivation had the greatest effects on achievement, parental incentives demonstrated both direct and indirect effects on achievement through the students’ self-reported controlled motivation. Comparing upper elementary student data with middle-school student data revealed that controlling forms of motivation may be taking their toll on student trust and engagement over time. While parental incentives positively predicted both cognitive and emotional engagement in the younger sub-group, such forms of controlling motivation negatively predicted both trust in teachers and emotional engagement in the middle-school sub-group. These findings support the claims, posited by Self-Determination Theory, about the dangers of incentivizing learning. Short-term gains belie the underlying damage to motivational processes that lead to decreased intrinsic motivation and achievement. Such practices also appear to thwart basic human needs such as relatedness.

Keywords: controlled motivation, student engagement, incentivized learning, mathematics achievement, self-determination theory, student trust

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Authors: Su Yi Ming, Hou Ying, Zou Guang Ping

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Metal-net rubber is a new dry friction damping material, compared with the traditional metal rubber, which has high mechanization degree, and the mechanical performance of metal-net rubber is more stable. Through the sine sweep experiment and random vibration experiment of metal-net rubber vibration isolator, the influence of several important factors such as the lines slope, relative density and wire diameter on the transfer rate, natural frequency and root-mean-square response acceleration of metal-net rubber vibration isolation system, were studied through the method of control variables. Also, several relevant change curves under different vibration levels were derived, and the effects of vibration level on the natural frequency and root-mean-square response acceleration were analyzed through the curves.

Keywords: metal-net rubber vibration isolator, relative density, vibration level, wire diameter

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Authors: Saifalarab A. Mohmmed, Morgana E. Vianna, Jonathan C. Knowles

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The issue of apical periodontitis has received considerable critical attention. Bacteria is integrated into communities, attached to surfaces and consequently form biofilm. The biofilm structure provides bacteria with a series protection skills against, antimicrobial agents and enhances pathogenicity (e.g. apical periodontitis). Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) has become the irrigant of choice for elimination of bacteria from the root canal system based on its antimicrobial findings. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of different agitation techniques on the efficacy of 2.5% NaOCl to eliminate the biofilm from the surface of the lateral canal using the residual biofilm, and removal rate of biofilm as outcome measures. The effect of canal complexity (lateral canal) on the efficacy of the irrigation procedure was also assessed. Forty root canal models (n = 10 per group) were manufactured using 3D printing and resin materials. Each model consisted of two halves of an 18 mm length root canal with apical size 30 and taper 0.06, and a lateral canal of 3 mm length, 0.3 mm diameter located at 3 mm from the apical terminus. E. faecalis biofilms were grown on the apical 3 mm and lateral canal of the models for 10 days in Brain Heart Infusion broth. Biofilms were stained using crystal violet for visualisation. The model halves were reassembled, attached to an apparatus and tested under a fluorescence microscope. Syringe and needle irrigation protocol was performed using 9 mL of 2.5% NaOCl irrigant for 60 seconds. The irrigant was either left stagnant in the canal or activated for 30 seconds using manual (gutta-percha), sonic and ultrasonic methods. Images were then captured every second using an external camera. The percentages of residual biofilm were measured using image analysis software. The data were analysed using generalised linear mixed models. The greatest removal was associated with the ultrasonic group (66.76%) followed by sonic (45.49%), manual (43.97%), and passive irrigation group (control) (38.67%) respectively. No marked reduction in the efficiency of NaOCl to remove biofilm was found between the simple and complex anatomy models (p = 0.098). The removal efficacy of NaOCl on the biofilm was limited to the 1 mm level of the lateral canal. The agitation of NaOCl results in better penetration of the irrigant into the lateral canals. Ultrasonic agitation of NaOCl improved the removal of bacterial biofilm.

Keywords: 3D printing, biofilm, root canal irrigation, sodium hypochlorite

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Authors: S. R. Nikhashemi, Laily Haj Paim, Ali Khatibi

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Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test a hypothesized model explaining Malaysian hypermarket customers’ perceptions of brand trust (BT), customer perceived value (CPV) and perceived service quality (PSQ) on building their brand loyalty (CBL) and generating positive word-of-mouth communication (WOM). Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from 374 Malaysian hypermarket customers from Mydin, Tesco, Aeon Big and Giant in Kuala Lumpur, a metropolitan city of Malaysia. The data strongly supported the model exhibiting that BT, CPV and PSQ are prerequisite factors in building customer brand loyalty, while PSQ has the strongest effect on prediction of customer brand loyalty compared to other factors. Besides, the present study suggests the effect of the aforementioned factors via customer brand loyalty strongly contributes to generate positive word of mouth communication.

Keywords: brand trust, perceived value, Perceived Service Quality, Brand loyalty, positive word of mouth communication

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Authors: Nur Rokhman

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A mathematical function gives relationship between the variables composing the function. Interpolation can be viewed as a process of finding mathematical function which goes through some specified points. There are many interpolation methods, namely: Lagrange method, Newton method, Spline method etc. For some specific condition, such as, big amount of interpolation points, the interpolation function can not be written explicitly. This such function consist of computational steps. The solution of equations involving the interpolation function is a problem of solution of non linear equation. Newton method will not work on the interpolation function, for the derivative of the interpolation function cannot be written explicitly. This paper shows the use of Secton method to determine the numerical solution of the function involving the interpolation function. The experiment shows the fact that Secton method works better than Newton method in finding the root of Lagrange interpolation function.

Keywords: Secton method, interpolation, non linear function, numerical solution

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Authors: Hafiz Awais Ahmad

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This paper aims to examine the root causes of gender-based violence (GBV) in Pakistan and proposes strategies to address this issue. Using a qualitative approach, this study analyzed data from various sources, including interviews with survivors of GBV and experts in the field. The findings revealed that GBV in Pakistan is deeply rooted in patriarchal attitudes and practices, economic insecurity, lack of education, and limited access to justice. The study recommends a multi-faceted approach to address GBV, including legislative reforms, awareness-raising campaigns, economic empowerment, and improved access to justice for survivors. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of engaging men and boys in efforts to address GBV and promote gender equality. The findings of this study have important implications for policy-makers, practitioners, and researchers working towards ending GBV in Pakistan.

Keywords: gender-based violence, Pakistan, legislative reforms, advocacy

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Authors: Solomon Yokamo, Dianjun Lu, Xiaoqin Chen, Huoyan Wang

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The current ‘high input-high output’ nutrient management model based on homogenous spreading over the entire soil surface remains a key challenge in China’s farming systems, leading to low fertilizer use efficiency and environmental pollution. Localized placement of fertilizer (LPF) to crop root zones has been proposed as a viable approach to boost crop production while protecting environmental pollution. To assess the potential benefits of LPF on three major crops—wheat, rice, and maize—a comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted, encompassing 85 field studies published from 2002-2023. We further validated the practicability and feasibility of one-time root zone N management based on LPF for the three field crops. The meta-analysis revealed that LPF significantly increased the yields of the selected crops (13.62%) and nitrogen recovery efficiency (REN) (33.09%) while reducing cumulative nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission (17.37%) and ammonia (NH₃) volatilization (60.14%) compared to the conventional surface application (CSA). Higher grain yield and REN were achieved with an optimal fertilization depth (FD) of 5-15 cm, moderate N rates, combined NPK application, one-time deep fertilization, and coarse-textured and slightly acidic soils. Field validation experiments showed that localized one-time root zone N management without topdressing increased maize (6.2%), rice (34.6%), and wheat (2.9%) yields while saving N fertilizer (3%) and also increased the net economic benefits (23.71%) compared to CSA. A soil incubation study further proved the potential of LPF to enhance the retention and availability of mineral N in the root zone over an extended period. Thus, LPF could be an important fertilizer management strategy and should be extended to other less-developed and developing regions to win the triple benefit of food security, environmental quality, and economic gains.

Keywords: grain yield, LPF, NH₃ volatilization, N₂O emission, N recovery efficiency

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Authors: Piacentini Diego, Della Rovere Federica, Fattorini Laura, Lanni Francesca, Cittadini Martina, Altamura Maria Maddalena, Falasca Giuseppina

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Plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to cope with environmental cues. Changes in intracellular content and distribution of phytohormones, such as the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), have been involved in morphogenic adaptation to environmental stresses. In addition to phytohormones, plants can rely on a plethora of small signal molecules able to promptly sense and transduce the stress signals, resulting in morpho/physiological responses thanks also to their capacity to modulate the levels/distribution/reception of most hormones. Among these signaling molecules, nitrogen monoxide (nitric oxide – NO) is a critical component in several plant acclimation strategies to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Depending on its levels, NO increases plant adaptation by enhancing the enzymatic or non-enzymatic antioxidant systems or by acting as a direct scavenger of reactive oxygen/nitrogen (ROS/RNS) species produced during the stress. In addition, exogenous applications of NO-specific donor compounds showed the involvement of the signal molecule in auxin metabolism, transport, and signaling, under both physiological and stress conditions. However, the complex mechanisms underlying NO action in interacting with phytohormones, such as auxins, during metal stress responses are still poorly understood and need to be better investigated. Emphasis must be placed on the response of the root system since it is the first plant organ system to be exposed to metal soil pollution. The monocot Oryza sativa L. (rice) has been chosen given its importance as a stable food for some 4 billion people worldwide. In addition, increasing evidence has shown that rice is often grown in contaminated paddy soils with high levels of heavy metal cadmium (Cd) and metalloid arsenic (As). The facility through which these metals are taken up by rice roots and transported to the aerial organs up to the edible caryopses makes rice one of the most relevant sources of these pollutants for humans. This study aimed to evaluate if NO has a mitigatory activity in the roots of rice seedlings against Cd or As toxicity and to understand if this activity requires interactions with auxin. Our results show that exogenous treatments with the NO-donor SNP alleviate the stress induced by Cd, but not by As, in in-vitro-grown rice seedlings through increased intracellular root NO levels. The damages induced by the pollutants include root growth inhibition, root histological alterations and ROS (H2O2, O2●ˉ), and RNS (ONOOˉ) production. Also, SNP treatments mitigate both the root increase in root IAA levels and the IAA alteration in distribution monitored by the OsDR5::GUS system due to the toxic metal exposure. Notably, the SNP-induced mitigation of the IAA homeostasis altered by the pollutants does not involve changes in the expression of OsYUCCA1 and ASA2 IAA-biosynthetic genes. Taken together, the results highlight a mitigating role of NO in the rice root system, which is pollutant-specific, and involves the interaction of the signal molecule with both IAA and brassinosteroids at different (i.e., transport, levels, distribution) and multiple levels (i.e., transcriptional/post-translational levels). The research is supported by Progetti Ateneo Sapienza University of Rome, grant number: RG120172B773D1FF

Keywords: arsenic, auxin, cadmium, nitric oxide, rice, root system

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Authors: Majid Gharaipour Abbasabad

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This research is studying the effects that various densities of Zeatin, and BA hormones may have on the scale of transformation of plant nodes to new shoots, among seedlings produced by seed germination, and also surveys the amount of produced shoots and their lengths, inside the specific Olive seed lab medium (OM). It is also concerned with the effects that various densities of IBA hormone, and inoculating the shoots with Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 can have on shoots' root production. This is a totally random research, and each attendance group has had three occurrences, and ten samples per a hectare. The average amounts have been compared using Duncan's test method, which was done in 5% level. The results indicated that the highest rate of transformation of micro samples to shoots happened in the seed germination environments, containing Zetain with 5 mg, and also 15 mg per a liter densities. (respectively, 95% and 94%), while the highest rate of plants' stem production ,in micro samples, happened in the lab medium environments with 5mg per a liter Zetain density (4.5). In lab medium environments with 15 mg Zetain per liter, a decrease was observed in the number of produced stems (3.88). According to the produced stems' lenght, the longest stem length was observed in environments with 5 mg and also 15 mg per a liter Zetain, and 25 mg per a liter BA densities (respectively, 8.45 cm, 45.66 cm, 8.53 cm). Meanwhile, the lowest amount of transformation of micro samples to shoots, the lowest number of produced shoots, and the shortest shoots were observed in the environments without any hormones (respectively, 3.32 cm, 1.13, 19.66%). The results of root production in Olive indicated that attendance groups which were exposed to different hormones did not vary, and Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 had no effect on them, as well. The lowest root's growth rate (22%) happened in environments without any hormones and also, in environment with Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 (19.66%). The largest number of roots was observed in the environments, containing Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 plus IBA (10 mg/l) and Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 plus IBA (10 mg/l), (respectively, 8.46 and 8.70), which had a significant difference with environments merely containing 10 mg and 20 mg of IBA per a litre (respectively, 3.06 and 3.2). So it can be concluded that even though Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 had no impact on root's growth among shoots, it had an impact on the number of produced roots. It should be noted that even when the environment contained merely Agrobacterium Rhizogenez A4 without any hormones, only (1.16) roots were produced, which is significantly different from the attendance group with hormones (1.06).

Keywords: olive-effect of hormones-germination of seed, densities of zeatin, BA hormones, agriculture

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Authors: Faribaebrahimi, Mehdi Ghorbani, Mohsen Mohsenisaravi

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Ecosystem management is complex because of natural and human issues. To cope with this complexity water governance is recommended since it involves all stakeholders including people, governmental and non-governmental organization who related to environmental systems. Water governance emphasizes on water co-management through consideration of all the stakeholders in the form of social and organizational network. In this research, to illustrate indicators of water governance in Dorood watershed, in Shemiranat region of Iran, social network analysis had been applied. The results revealed that social cohesion among pastoralists in Dorood is medium because of trust links, while link sustainability is weak to medium. According to the results, some pastoralists have high social power and therefore are key actors in the utilization network, regarding to centrality index and trust links. The results also demonstrated that Agricultural Development Office and (Shemshak-Darbandsar Islamic) Council are key actors in rangeland co-management, based on centrality index in rangeland institutional network at regional scale in Shemiranat district.

Keywords: social network analysis, water governance, organizational network, water co-management

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