Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors influencing oviposition behaviour of the sorghum midge, Contarinia sorghicola Coq.

Summary Visual stimuli influence the orientation behaviour of the sorghum midge, Contarinia sorghicola Coq. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Yellow, red and white colours are attractive to the midge while blue and black are least attractive. Sorghum panicles covered with blue- or black-coloured bags in a headcage showed maximum midge damage, while the reverse was true for panicles covered with yellow, red, and white coloured bags. Panicles at half-anthesis with viable pollen and receptive stigmata suffered higher damage than those at the pre- and post-anthesis. Physical removal of anthers and stigmata significantly reduced the oviposition by the sorghum midge. Reduced oviposition/adult emergence was also recorded in male sterile sorghum lines (2219A and 296A) or through chemically- (Ethrel) (2-Chloro ethyl-phosphonic acid) induced male sterility in panicles of the sorghum cultivar, Swarna. Chemical stimuli from viable pollen and receptive stigmata and to a limited extent physical stimuli, govern the oviposition behaviour of the sorghum midge. Sorghum cultivars IS 12573C, S-GIRL-MR1 and IS 2816C showed antixenosis to adult midges. However, these cultivars became susceptible under no-choice conditions in the headcage. DJ 6514 and IS 12666C were attractive to the adult midges, but showed antixenosis to oviposition under natural and no-choice conditions. Genotypes with short florets showed antixenosis for oviposition. Ovary and anther breadth and tannin content of grain showed negative associations with oviposition. Cultivar antixenosis to adult midges and oviposition is an important component of resistance to the sorghum midge.
Climate Change in Western US Deserts: Potential for Increased Wildfire and Invasive Annual Grasses

Abstract Anthropogenic climate change is hypothesized to modify the spread of invasive annual grasses across the deserts of the western United States. The influence of climate change on future invasions depends on both climate suitability that defines a potential species range and the mechanisms that facilitate invasions and contractions. A suite of downscaled climate projections for the mid–21st century was used to examine changes in physically based mechanisms, including critical physiological temperature thresholds, the timing and availability of moisture, and the potential for large wildfires. Results suggest widespread changes in 1) the length of the freeze-free season that may favor cold-intolerant annual grasses, 2) changes in the frequency of wet winters that may alter the potential for establishment of invasive annual grasses, and 3) an earlier onset of fire season and a lengthening of the window during which conditions are conducive to fire ignition and growth furthering the fire-invasive feedback loop. We propose that a coupled approach combining bioclimatic envelope modeling with mechanistic modeling targeted to a given species can help land managers identify locations and species that pose the highest level of overall risk of conversion associated with the multiple stressors of climate change.
Two Pathotypes of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae Virulence Identified in West Africa

1 Department of Chemical Sciences, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. 2 Federal University of Technology, Akure, PMB 704, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. 3 Institute of Plant Biotechnology for Developing Countries, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. 4 Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Advanced Laboratory, Sheda Science and Technology Complex, PMB 186, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria
Change in colour and physicochemical quality of carrot juice mixed with other fruits

The aim of the study was to determine the changes in physico-chemical parameters (vitamin C, total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity) of the carrot juice samples in mixed juices of apple, banana and peach. The total phenolic content was measured by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent assay while the Vitamin C was determined using 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol titration. Carrot juice, apple, banana, peach and mixed juices were prepared in different proportions. The colour changing from the different juice samples was measured by lightness values (L*), redness values (a*) and yellowness (b*) values. The result indicated the change in Hunter parameters, L* and b*. The vitamin C values have varied from 30.3 mg/100 g for peaches to 3.1mg/100g for carrots, respectively. The total phenolic content ranged from 438.8±6.05 mg GAE/ 100 g, for apples and 65.2±0.85 mg GAE/ 100 g for carrots. The overall study indicated that colour is an important parameter to optimize carrot juice samples in mixed juices of apple, banana and peach.
Effects of partial rootzone drying and rootstock vigour on growth and fruit quality of 'Pink Lady' apple trees in Mediterranean environments

We investigated the effects of partial rootzone drying (PRD) and rootstock vigour on water relations, and vegetative and productive performance of ‘Pink Lady’ apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) trees in central Sicily. In a first field trial, trees on MM.106 rootstock were subjected to: Conventional irrigation (CI), maintaining soil moisture above 80% of field capacity; PRD irrigation, where only one alternated side of the rootzone received 50% of the CI irrigation water; and continuous deficit irrigation (DI), where 50% of the CI water was equally applied to both sides of the rootzone. In a second trial, trees on M.9 or MM.106 were subjected to CI and PRD irrigation. PRD reduced stomatal conductance (gs) more consistently in trees on MM.106 than in trees on M.9, but maintained relative water content (RWC) to the levels of CI. DI induced greater gs reductions than PRD and lower RWC than CI and PRD. Rootstock vigour did not influence plant response to irrigation strategy. PRD induced some reduction in fruit number but no change in yields and fruit quality compared with CI, whereas DI reduced fruit size and marketable yields. Significant reductions in shoot and leaf growth were induced by DI, whereas only leaf growth was affected by PRD. Our observations indicate that responses induced by PRD are due to a combination of the amount and way of applying water, and not just to reductions in irrigation volumes, suggesting a possible use of PRD for increasing apple water-use efficiency in Mediterranean environments.
Radiographic oral findings and death risk in the elderly

Radiographic oral and maxillofacial findings were recorded in a cohort of 293 home living elderly, in Helsinki, Finland, derived from a random sample of 8035 subjects, , born in 1904, 1909, and 1912, who participated in the Helsinki Ageing Study. They were 76, 81, and 86 years old at the commencement of the radiographic study. The relationships of potentially infectious findings with increased all-cause mortality over four years were studied. During the four-year follow-up, 18.5% of the subjects died. Of the 124 edentulous subjects, 17% had condylar findings, 13% radiopaque intraosseous findings, 9% retained roots, 6% maxillary sinus findings, 4% impacted teeth and 3% radiolucent findings. Edentulous women had more arthrotic condylar findings than men. The mean number of teeth in the 169 dentate subjects was 13.9, 15.5 in men and 13.2 in women. Carious teeth were found in 75%, radiolucent findings in 41%, teeth with vertical infrabony pockets in 51%, furcation lesions in 28%, calculus in 40%, and condylar findings in 25%. Periodontal attachment loss was slight in 18%, moderate in 31%, and advanced in 46%. 21% of the teeth had been endodontically treated. Periapical lesions were found in 17% of these teeth, and in 4% of the other teeth. 75% of the rootfillings were inadequate, exhibiting periapical lesions twice as often as the adequate ones. Men had more carious teeth, periapical lesions and furcation lesions than women, indicating better oral hygiene and/or utilisation of dental services in women. Compared with the previous studies carried out in Finland, slightly more teeth and less toothassociated pathology were found in the present subjects. In contemporary Scandinavian studies, only a slightly better oral health status in the elderly has been reported. During the four-year follow-up, mortality was higher in the subjects with moderate to advanced infrabony pockets, OR 2.2, 1.0-4.7. In the previous studies, similar associations have been found in larger study cohorts including younger subjects. Our results indicate that oral foci may be more dangerous for the elderly than it has been previously thought, as the subjects who died had poorer dental health than those who survived. H\ZRUGV dental, gerodontology, mortality, old, oral infection, radiography D564.fm Page 4 Friday, December 17, 1999 11:40 AM
Antibacterial Potency of Sarang Semut ( MyrmecodiaPendans Merr . & Perry ) to Prevent Adhesion and Growth of Enterococcus faecalis

Introduction: Enterococcus faecalis is one of the anaerobic facultative bacteria that causes root canal infections. The growth intensity and adhesion strength of E. faecalis against the host cell makes it difficult to eliminate. Previous studies have reported that extract of Sarang Semut(Myrmecodia pendansMerr. & Perry) has a promising sensitivity to E. faecalis, especially at high concentrations. Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the potential of extracts of Sarang Semut in preventing adhesion and growth of E. faecalis based on the time of incubation. Method: E. faecalis ATCC 29212. E. faecalis is equalized with Mc. Farlan 0,5 (1x10). Anti-adhesion activity of extract of Sarang Semut on E. faecalis ATCC 29212 was analyzed by spectrophotometry at wavelength 590 nm and the growth inhibitory activity was analyzed by using culture approach. Results were analyzed by One Way Anova test (p<0,05). Result: Based on the incubation times (3, 6, 9, 12, 16, and 24 hours), the activity of the extract of Sarang Semut significantly showed the ability of E. faecalis to prevent adhesion. This result also correlated with decreased growth of E. faecalis colonies, particularly in the concentration of 100% (μg/ml) as the highest concentration. Conclusion. Based on the incubation time, the extract of Sarang Semuthas ability to prevent both adhesion and growth of E. faecalis, mainly in highest concentration of Sarang Semutextracts.
A CXCR3 agonist prevents human T cell migration in a humanized model of arthritic inflammation

Citation: O'Boyle, Graeme, Fox, Christopher, Walden, Hannah, Willet, Joseph, Mavin, Emily, Hine, Dominic, Palmer, Jeremy, Barker, Catriona, Lamb, Christopher, Ali, Simi and Kirby, John (2012) Chemokine receptor CXCR3 agonist prevents human T-cell migration in a humanized model of arthritic inflammation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109 (12). pp. 4598-4603. ISSN 0027-8424
Weak Instruments in IV Regression : Theory and Practice

When instruments are weakly correlated with endogenous regressors, conventional methods for instrumental variables estimation and inference become unreliable. A large literature in econometrics develops procedures for detecting weak instruments and constructing robust confidence sets, but many of the results in this literature are limited to settings with independent and homoskedastic data, while data encountered in practice frequently violate these assumptions. We review the literature on weak instruments in linear IV regression with an emphasis on results for non-homoskedastic (heteroskedastic, serially correlated, or clustered) data. To assess the practical importance of weak instruments, we also report tabulations and simulations based on a survey of papers published in the American Economic Review from 2014 to 2018 that use instrumental variables. These results suggest that weak instruments remain an important issue for empirical practice, and that there are simple steps researchers can take to better handle weak instruments in applications. weak instruments, heteroskedasticity, F-statistic
Financial Collapse and Class Status: Who Goes Bankrupt?

Every policy prescription, economic analysis, or news report about consumer bankruptcy rests on one or another unspoken image of the estimated 1.6 million families that will file in a single year. Data from the 2001 Consumer Bankruptcy Project permit a systematic analysis of the composition of those who file for personal bankruptcy, focusing on their educations, occupations and home ownership status. These attributes serve as a proxy for class identification. Based on these indicia, more than 90 percent of the families in bankruptcy qualify as middle class. These data are a powerful reminder that whatever else might be said about those in bankruptcy, these people are not some sub-group of Americans safely distanced from the middle class, but instead are co-workers, neighbors and families woven throughout the fabric of American society.
Agriculture in the Doha Agenda

The author looks at the OECD domestic political economy associated with ongoing WTO farm negotiations, focusing on the OECD-based coalitions which could be helpful for WTO negotiators. Support from individual final consumers and taxpayers is far from guaranteed because consumers are spending less and less on food, and because taxpayers support, more or less willingly, non-trade concerns, such as environment or food safety, that they tend (wrongly) to associate with domestic farmers. As a result, trade negotiators should look at other allies. A natural candidate is a powerful group of consumers-the agribusiness industries-for which a reduction of the still high protection of their products under the Doha Round requires a corresponding reduction of protection in their farm inputs. They should also talk to farmers, hence sharpen their arguments, in particular by focusing on the distinction between small and large farmers, the latter being by far the main beneficiaries of the current OECD farm protectionist policies.
Modeling large scale shoreline sand waves under oblique wave incidence

waves develop with wavelengths between 2 and 5 km, they migrate downdrift at about 0.5 km/yr and they reach amplitudes up to 120 m within 13 years. Larger wave obliquity, higher waves and shorter wave periods strengthen the shoreline instability. Cross-shore transport is essential for the instability and faster cross-shore dynamics leads to a faster growth of the sand waves. Simulations with variable wave incidence angles (alternating between 60 � and 30 � ) show that a large proportion of high angle waves is required for spontaneous sand wave formation (at least 80%). Insight is provided into the physical mechanism behind high angle wave instability and the occurrence of a optimal length scale for sand wave growth. The generic model results are consistent with existing observations of shoreline sand waves, in particular with those along the southwest coast of Africa.
Solanum Fruit Juice as a Natural and Sustainable Source of Antioxidants for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C under Antiviral Therapy

Variations in liver metabolism as a result of hepatitis C virus have been established by numerous clinical trials. The use of antioxidants supplements has been reported to minimize the implication of this disease. In this regard, we examined the suitability of Solanum fruit juice, a natural source of vitamin C and citrus flavoniod as a precursor for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Forty adult patients who were diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C and were under antiviral therapy were divided into two equal groups. Group 1 patients received their antiviral therapy with normal food and water and served as the control group while patients in group 2 were supplemented with Solanum fruit juice for eight consecutive weeks. Measurements for Anthropometric data, C reactive protein (CRP), atherogenic indices, biochemical parameters and activities of liver marker enzymes were recorded before and after eight weeks. No alterations were found in waist circumference, body mass and body fat following regular use of Solanum fruit juice. The serum levels of oxidative stress markers, LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, CRP and atherogenic indices decreased in the Solanum fruit juice group when compared to the control group. Moreover, the activities of the liver marker enzyme AST decreased in those who had high levels before the intervention. These results underscore the benefits of Solanum fruit juice in the diet of patients with HCV as a result of decreased cholesterol in blood serum, decreased inflammation, and increase in antioxidant capacity as well as maintaining body mass index. This clinical trial is registered at Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (www.pactr.org) with unique identification number PACTR201802003092138.
Evaluation of Proximate Composition and Phytochemical analysis of Terminalia catappa L. from Nagapattinam Region

The leaf was collected and extracted with different organic solvents and the phytochemical screening was carried out using the standard procedures. Alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, steroids and glycosides were found to be present in the leaf extracts. The Proximate composition and Phytochemical characteristics were determined for Terminalia catappa leaves. The results obtained showed the moisture content 7.18±0.18 moisture; ash 20.2±0.48; crude fiber 20.47±0.59 and the carbohydrate 187.4±0.53 ; protein 86.73±0.75 was present in the mature leaves of Terminalia catappa L.The present study revealed that the plant contain many phytochemicals which may be responsible for the medicinal properties.
How Weather-Proof is the Construction Sector? Empirical Evidence from Germany

With the purpose to reduce winter unemployment and to promote all-season employment in the constructions sector, Germany maintains an extensive bad weather allowance system. Since the mid 1990s, these regulations have been subject to several reforms that resemble the range of approaches for employment promotion which can be found in other European countries. We analyse the effect of these reforms on individual unemployment risks using large individual administrative data merged with information about local weather conditions and the business cycle. We find a weaker direct link between seasonal layoffs and actual weather than broadly assumed, since most of the layoffs take place at fixed dates. The reforms under consideration have economically plausible effects; Regulations that limit an employer's financial burden reduce transitions to unemployment and render it less weather-dependent.
Emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, well-being and engagement: explaining organisational commitment and turnover intentions in policing

This study examines the effect of emotional intelligence upon the job satisfaction, well-being and engagement of police officers in explaining their organisational commitment and turnover intentions. Survey responses from 193 police officers in Australia were analysed using partial least squares path modelling. As predicted, emotional intelligence leads to job satisfaction and well-being, with positive path relationships leading to employee engagement and organisational commitment, thereby affecting turnover intentions. Organisational commitment was found to partially mediate the causal relationship between employee engagement and turnover intentions. The findings of this research have important theoretical and practical implications for police officer retention.
MUSE crowded field 3D spectroscopy of over 12 000 stars in the globular cluster NGC 6397 - I. The first comprehensive HRD of a globular cluster

Aims. We demonstrate the high multiplex advantage of crowded field 3D spectroscopy with the new integral field spectrograph MUSE by means of a spectroscopic analysis of more than 12 000 individual stars in the globular cluster NGC 6397. Methods. The stars are deblended with a point spread function fitting technique, using a photometric reference catalogue from HST as prior, including relative positions and brightnesses. This catalogue is also used for a first analysis of the extracted spectra, followed by an automatic in-depth analysis via a full-spectrum fitting method based on a large grid of PHOENIX spectra. Results. We analysed the largest sample so far available for a single globular cluster of 18 932 spectra from 12 307 stars in NGC 6397. We derived a mean radial velocity of vrad = 17.84 ± 0.07 km s−1 and a mean metallicity of [Fe/H] = −2.120 ± 0.002, with the latter seemingly varying with temperature for stars on the red giant branch (RGB). We determine Teff and [Fe/H] from the spectra, and log g from HST photometry. This is the first very comprehensive Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD) for a globular cluster based on the analysis of several thousands of stellar spectra, ranging from the main sequence to the tip of the RGB. Furthermore, two interesting objects were identified; one is a post-AGB star and the other is a possible millisecond-pulsar companion.
Product Contagion: Changing Consumer Evaluations through Physical Contact with “Disgusting” Products

This research demonstrates the strong influence of disgust in a consumer context. Specifically, it shows how consumer evaluations may change in response to physical contact with products that elicit only moderate levels of disgust. Using evidence from six studies, the authors develop a theory of product contagion, in which disgusting products are believed to transfer offensive properties through physical contact to other products they touch, thus influencing evaluations.
Trust and trustworthiness in experimental organizations

In this paper we discuss two instruments through which corporate law attempts to promote trust and trustworthiness in business organizations: (i) monitoring of the manager by a principal, as in the agency approach; (ii) moral suasion, as in the approach according to which managers are i? ½fiduciariesi? ½. We present the results of a laboratory experiment designed to investigate the effectiveness of these two instruments in promoting: (i) profitable, but at the same time risky, entrustments of assets to a manager from a group of investors earning their endowment through real effort; (ii) a higher payback for those investors who entrust more assets to the manager. The first is a measure of trust of the investors in the manager, while the second is a measure of the manageri? ½s trustworthiness. We find that moral suasion increases the investorsi? ½ trust. Monitoring also increases the investorsi? ½ trust, but only in the case in which the manager is not aware of the experimental identity of his/her principal. The manager is trustworthy up to a certain degree, regardless of the governance structure of the organization and of the accuracy with which she observes each investori? ½s entrustment. Finally, we find a modest positive effect of noise on trust, but no strong effect of noise on effort or trustworthiness.
The Effects of Monetary Policy on Stock Market Bubbles: Some Evidence

We estimate the response of stock prices to exogenous monetary policy shocks using a vector-autoregressive model with time-varying parameters. Our evidence points to protracted episodes in which stock prices end up increasing persistently in response to an exogenous tightening of monetary policy, even though they experience a small decline in the short run. That response is clearly at odds with the "conventional" view on the effects of monetary policy on bubbles, as well as with the predictions of bubbleless models. We also argue that it is unlikely that such evidence be accounted for by an endogenous response of the equity premium to the monetary policy shocks.