Australian journal of basic and applied sciences 

About: Australian journal of basic and applied sciences is an academic journal published by International Network for Scientific Information Publication. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Crop yield & Tourism. It has an ISSN identifier of 1991-8178. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 1151 publications have been published receiving 12147 citations. The journal is also known as: AJBAS.

Virtual Teams: a Literature Review

Abstract: In the competitive market , virtual teams represent a growing response to the need for fasting time-to- market, low-cost and rapid solutions to complex organizational problems. Virtual teams enable organizations to pool the talents and expertise of employees and non-employees by eliminating time and space barriers . Nowadays, companies are heavily investing in virtual team to enhance their performance and competitiveness. Despite virtual teams growing prevalence, relatively little is known about this new form of team. Hence the study offers an extensive literature review with definitions o f virtual teams and a structured analysis of the present body of knowledge of virtual teams. First, we distinguish virtual teams from conventional teams , different types of virtual teams to identify where current knowledge applies. Second, we distinguish what is needed for effective virtual team considering the people, process and technology point of view and underlying characteristics of virtual teams and challenges they entail. Finally, we have identified an d extended 12 key factors that need to be considered, and describes a methodology focused on supporting virtual team working, with a new approach that has not been specifically addressed in the existing literature and some guide line for future research extracted.

Degradation of Date Palm Trees and Date Production in Arab Countries: Causes and Potential Rehabilitation

Abstract: The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a major fruit crop in most Arab countries. it has historically been connected with sustaining human life and tradition of the people in the old world as a major agricultural crop. Arab countries possess 70% of the 120 million world's date palms and are responsible for 67% of the global date production. During the past 50 years, date palm groves were subjected to degradation due to extensive exploitation resulting from the increase in the human population and domestic animals. Like many other plants, some palms are in danger of dying out because of human activity. Date palm production faces serious problems such as low yields as well as marketing constraints. Over the last decade, productivity of date palm trees has declined in the traditional growing areas. As much as 30% of production can potentially be lost as a result of pests and disease. In the Gulf countries and Egypt, the Red Palm Weevil has recently become one of the major date palm pests, while Bayoud disease caused by a parasitic fungus is a common threat to date palms in North Africa. Technical and socio-economic factors contributed for date palm degradation. Also, date processing and marketing have affected the economic revenue from date production and its quality. Rehabilitation of date palm trees in the Arab countries is crucial and needs collaborative efforts and a dedicated budget. Recommendations for stopping the degradation in date palm sector and strengthening this industry particularly for cultivation, harvesting, date processing and marketing in the Arab countries have been proposed.

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.): Current Uses and Future Applications

Abstract: The archaeological evidence of flax cultivation dates back to >6000 BC and it is considered as one of the oldest and most useful crops. Components of flax have diverse uses. Cultivar development of flax is currently focused on enhancing the oil content and nutritional value to meet the demand of nutraceutical market supply, as an alternate source of fish oil, a rich source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6). Flax seed is also rich in soluble and insoluble fibers and lignans, makes it useful as a dietary supplement. Intake of flaxseed in daily diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke. There is also evidence that flax has anticancer effects in breast, prostate and colon cancers. Flax fiber is used in the textile industry for linen cloth and also in paper industry. The residues remaining after the oil extraction from linseed contains about 35-40% protein and 3-4% oil, a rich source of feed to livestock like cattle and buffalo. Flax is naturally high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), more specifically in �-3 fatty acids; and hence flax seed as a component of poultry meal, can provide �-3 enriched eggs. Rapid drying linseed oil is used for several purposes in industry, including paint and flooring (linoleum) industries. Because of its novel oil profile, flax may also be a suitable platform crop for synthesis of specialized industrial and nutraceutical products.

Antioxidant activities, total anthocyanins, phenolics and flavonoids contents of some sweetpotato genotypes under stress of different concentrations of sucrose and sorbitol.

Abstract: 2 Abstract: Antioxidant activity, total anthocyanins, phenolics and flavonoids Contents were monitored in a callus induced from stem segment culture of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Abees, the Egyptian orange-fleshed cultivar in addition to four genotypes (199062.1-1999026.1-199015.14- 199004.2) obtained from the International Potato Centre (CIP). In vitro callus culture were grown over period of four weeks in dark on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations of osmotic potential induced by (0.03, 0.1, 0.15 molar) sucrose or sorbitol, MS medium without any sugar used as a control. It was found that the dominant DPPH radical-scavengers of Abees cultivar was due to the presence of anthocyanins and phenolic compounds rather than flavonoids, while at 199062.1 was as a consequence of flavonoids and at 199004.2 was a result of the phenolic compounds. Anthocyanins and flavonoids accumulation stimulated by increasing the sugar concentration up to 0.1 M and 0.15 M respectively using sucrose; however phenolics compounds increased in 0.1 M sorbitol. Radical-scavenging activity contributors varied according to the cultivar and the osmotic potential.

Determining Critical Success Factors of Mobile Banking Adoption in Malaysia

Abstract: This study is to examine critical success factors that influence the adoption of mobile banking in Malaysia using extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The proposed model was empirically evaluated by using survey data collected from 300 banking users concerning their perceptions of mobile banking. The findings indicate that this model can predict consumer intention to use mobile banking. Specifically, perceived usefulness, perceived credibility and awareness about mobile banking have significant effect on user's attitude thus influence the intention toward mobile banking. The results may provide further insights into mobile banking strategies.