Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Political Representation of Economic Interests

Rising inequality has caused concerns that democratic governments are no longer responding to majority demands, an argument the authors label the subversion of democracy model ( sdm ). The sdm comes in two forms: one uses public opinion data to show that policies are strongly biased toward the preferences of the rich; the other uses macrolevel data to show that governments aren’t responding to rising inequality. This article critically reassesses the sdm , points to potential biases, and proposes solutions that suggest a different interpretation of the data, which the authors label the representative democracy model ( rdm ). After testing the sdm against the rdm on public opinion data and on a new data set on fiscal policy, they find that middle-class power has remained remarkably strong over time, even as inequality has risen. The authors conclude that the rich have little influence on redistributive policies, and that the democratic state is apparently not increasingly constrained by global capital.
Viability of Municipal Solid Waste as a source for Bioenergy products production

Energy is an important requirement for population growth, technological progress and urbanisation. Worldwide energy demand has been projected to increase 5-fold by 2100. Fulfilment of these energy requirements cannot be solely reliant on fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas, on account of their adverse environmental impacts and concomitant depletion of natural resources. As a result multiple approaches for generating alternative energy are being explored globally.In this review paper, focused on the viability of waste especially MSW being a source for bioenergy products such as methane gas, bio-enzyme, biofuel and bio-fertiliser production. This review also focuses on the environmental impacts of MSW, the effect of MSW pre-treatments and properties (physical and chemical) on bioenergy products production.
Side-effects of insecticides used in tomato fields on Trichogramma pretiosum (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae).

The side-effects of lufenuron (0.4g a.i./L), triflumuron (0.15g a.i./L), imidacloprid (0.28g a.i./L), cyromazine (0.11g a.i./L), methoxifenozide (0.12g a.i./L), pirimicarb (0.25g a.i./L) and abamectin (0.18g a.i./L) on different developmental stages of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma pretiosum Riley, were investigated. Abamectin was the only insecticide to affect parasitoid emergence and sex ratio, regardless of the developmental stage and parasitoid generation exposed. Abamectin, lufenuron and pirimicarb also decreased the lifetime of F1 females exposed during the egg-larva stage. The capacity of parasitism was significantly reduced by all the products when females were treated in pupal stage.
A mixture of mulberry and silk amino acids protected against D-galactosamine induced acute liver damage by attenuating oxidative stress and inflammation in HepG2 cells and rats

The liver is an important organ for the removal of toxins and utilization of nutrients. The present study then investigated whether a mixture of mulberry water extracts and silk amino acids protected against acute liver damage in rats induced by intraperitoneal injection of D-galactosamine and the action mechanism. D-galactosamine injection is widely used to develop experimental animal models of acute hepatic disease. In the present study, male Sprague-Dawley rats received intraperitoneal injection of D-galactosamine followed by 200 and 600 mg/kg body weight (BW) of mulberry extracts and silk amino acids (1:3, w/w; MS1:3-L and MS1:3-H), the same amounts of MS with different ratios (1:5, w/w; MS1:5-L and MS1:5-H), and 600 mg/kg bw cellulose (control) for 1 week. The normal-control group received an injection of saline instead of D-galactosamine with the same diet as the control group. D-galactosamine injection (control rats) increased serum ALT, AST and γ-GPT levels, indicating the induction of acute liver damage. The control rats also exhibited reduced glycogen depositions, which contributed to increasing fat synthesis from glucose and elevated serum triglyceride levels. Oxidative stress and inflammation in the liver of the control increased in response to the decreasing antioxidant activity and mRNA expression and increasing TNF-α expression, respectively. Both MS1:3 and MS1:5 reduced serum ALT, AST and γ-GPT levels to ameliorate liver damage. MS1:3 reduced oxidative stress by increasing the activity and expression of antioxidant enzymes, whereas MS1:5 decreased the expression TNF-α in the liver. MS1:3 and MS1:5 improved the necrosis of hepatocytes in H&E staining, which was associated with increased glycogen deposition in PAS staining. MS1:5 had better effects on glycogen accumulation. In conclusion, MS1:3 and MS1:5 can be used as therapeutic agents for acute liver damage.
Dormancy and germination characteristics of herbaceous species in the seasonally dry tropics of northern Australia

Abstract This study investigated changes in dormancy and germination over 8 months for 23 common species (annual and perennial grasses, legumes and other dicotyledons) from herbaceous communities in northern Australia. Seeds were exposed to three storage treatments: relatively constant laboratory conditions, an oven with fluctuating temperatures similar to those found on the soil surface (25/60°C), or exposed on the soil surface at Townsville. There were wide ranges of initial levels of dormancy (9–100%), rates of change of dormancy and response to the different storage conditions showing that species with several types of dormancy characteristics are able to coexist in these communities. The general trend in dormancy levels was a decline with time with the rate of decline greatest for seeds exposed on the soil surface and least for those stored in the laboratory. The species were divided into groups based on dormancy levels in seeds on the soil surface during the late dry and mid wet seasons. The dormancy characteristics of the groups were related to the ecology of the species in the groups. There was an approximately linear increase in germination rate (i.e. a decrease in the number of days to 50% of final germination) over time for all storage treatments; rates for seeds on the soil surface increased more rapidly than those of seeds in laboratory and oven samples.
Making beliefs explicit – student teachers’ identity development through personal practical theories

ABSTRACT This research focuses on the identity development of ten student teachers during a one-year Teacher’s Pedagogical Studies program in Finland. The students wrote narratives that represented their beliefs of ‘good’ teaching, and in this study, these beliefs are called as personal practical theories (PPTs). After two teaching practicum experiences, the students were interviewed about the realisation of their PPTs. The most significant change, based on both the narratives and the realised PPTs, was related to contextual factors (such as collaboration with school members and shared organisational culture) that became increasingly significant as teacher education proceeded, which may narrow the potential gap between the student teachers’ ideals and the real world of the schools. On the basis of the results, we see that it is extremely important that future subject teachers should have the opportunity to focus on topics that fundamentally affect their forthcoming work, that is, their personal images, ideals, and values regarding teaching.
Potential impacts of Copper Sulfate and Sodium Silicate Salts of Corn Late Wilt Disease in Field disease Nursery and Synthase of Anti-defense Compounds

Corn seeds coating by copper sulfate and sodium silicate salts exhibited non phytotoxic and led to reduce late wilt disease infection percentage under field nursery conditions during two tested seasons of 2017 and 2018 compared to control treatment. A fertilizer by 5-25 gm. of these salts added with first and second irrigates separately to corn seedlings led to retarding of late wilt disease in the field and caused reduction of infection percentage with the most salts tested cons. Reduction of the disease as salts application resulted in enhancement of yield especially with high cons . Increasing of salts cons led to increase the retarding of late wilt disease and reduction of infection percentage. Generally, Copper sulfate was more effective against late wilt disease than sodium silicate and recorded high retarding of disease and the highest enhancement of the yield in comparison of control and other treatments. Induction of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase enzymes synthase by salts application may be have role in retarding late wilt disease followed by increasing of chemical compounds of fat, ash and carbohydrates contents while antioxidant and total phenols did not effected .
Sponge interactions with spatial competitors in the Spermonde Archipelago

This study describes the in situ effects of four bioactive sponges on their neighbours at three different locations and two depths in the Spermonde Archipelago, SW Sulawesi, Indonesia. The natural rates of interaction between the sponge species and eight possible competitive invertebrate groups were defined and quantified in circular subplots, this was repeated 25x for each of the four species and for each location and depth. Most interactions occurred with other sponges and with corals. Coral overgrowth by the four target species caused necrosis in more than 85 % of these interactions, whereas this was less than 25 % in sponge overgrowths. These results suggest that the toxins are used in spatial competition and that the concentrations of the bioactive compounds of the target species differ both intra-individually and intra-specifically.
Toward a Better Understanding of Electrocochleography: Analysis of Real-Time Recordings

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Objectives: Real-time electrocochleography (ECochG) has been used as a monitoring tool during cochlear implantation (CI), whereby, amplitude drops have been correlated with postoperative acoustic hearing results. However, no consensus has been reached as to how a single event of an amplitude drop should be characterized. The aim of this study was to identify ECochG events that predict loss of hearing 1 month after surgery. Design: Fifty-five patients were included in this prospective cohort study. Real-time ECochG measurements were performed during CI electrode insertion. Single ECochG events were characterized according to their amplitude loss and slope steepness. Results: Using receiver operating characteristic analyses, the most efficient cut-off criterion for a relative hearing loss of 25% was an amplitude loss of 61% at a fixed slope steepness of 0.2 µV/sec. Three-quarters of our population had at least one such event during implantation. Most events occurred shortly before full insertion. With increasing number of events, median residual hearing thresholds deteriorated for all frequencies. Larger amplitude drops trended toward worse hearing preservation. Signal recovery after an ECochG event could not be correlated to acoustic hearing outcomes. Conclusions: Our data suggest that amplitude drops exceeding 61% of the ongoing signal at a slope steepness of 0.2 µV/sec are correlated with worse acoustic hearing preservation. Clearly defined ECochG events have the potential to guide surgeons during CI in the future. This is essential if a fully automated data analysis is to be employed or benchmarking undertaken.
Analysis and design of service failure prevention system in online culinary business

Online culinary businesses are in charge of preventive service failure to avoid greater loss and keeping service performance. The losses occurred due to protracted customer disappointment with service failures which lead to worse churning customers. We propose a prevention system to identify and allocate the failure position. It also sets the action rules to failure. This requires to analyze the current failure structure and cause. This work used decision tree classification (ID3) to design the rule. The failure structure was denied by the component of delivery time and food quality. The parameters to allocate the failure were delivery time, traffic jam, rush hour ordering, weekend/weekday order, rain/not rain day, giving GPS/not, suitable order, food complement, and packaging quality. It had four failure types: none, low, medium, and high. The model had 73% of accuracy to classify failure. The action for low failure was in charge by the delivery man in the form to speed the delivery time not exceed 85 minutes and by kitchen staff in the form to check the order before it sent. The medium failure was in charge by the delivery man in the form to speed the delivery time not exceed 55 minutes in not rush hour order.
Level of myths and misconceptions about diabetes mellitus and its treatment among urban diabetics of Haryana: a cross sectional study

Diabetes is one of the largest global health emergencies of 21st century. Diabetes is a chronic disease with its complications imposing significant economic consequences on individuals, families, health systems and countries. India occupies second position, after China, in the global list of countries with the highest number of diabetics. WHO declared that India will become the “Diabetes capital of World” by the year 2025. There were 66.8 million cases of diabetes in India in 2014 which are expected to rise to 120.9 million by 2035. When diabetes is not well managed, complications develop that threaten health and endanger life. Acute complications are a significant contributor to mortality, costs and poor quality of life.
Real-Time Indoor Positioning Approach Using iBeacons and Smartphone Sensors

For localization in daily life, low-cost indoor positioning systems should provide real-time locations with a reasonable accuracy. Considering the flexibility of deployment and low price of iBeacon technique, we develop a real-time fusion workflow to improve localization accuracy of smartphone. First, we propose an iBeacon-based method by integrating a trilateration algorithm with a specific fingerprinting method to resist RSS fluctuations, and obtain accurate locations as the baseline result. Second, as turns are pivotal for positioning, we segment pedestrian trajectories according to turns. Then, we apply a Kalman filter (KF) to heading measurements in each segment, which improves the locations derived by pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR). Finally, we devise another KF to fuse the iBeacon-based approach with the PDR to overcome orientation noises. We implemented this fusion workflow in an Android smartphone and conducted real-time experiments in a building floor. Two different routes with sharp turns were selected. The positioning accuracy of the iBeacon-based method is RMSE 2.75 m. When the smartphone is held steadily, the fusion positioning tests result in RMSE of 2.39 and 2.22 m for the two routes. In addition, the other tests with orientation noises can still result in RMSE of 3.48 and 3.66 m. These results demonstrate our fusion workflow can improve the accuracy of iBeacon positioning and alleviate the influence of PDR drifting.
Consumer Considerations for the Implementation of Sustainable Packaging: A Review

Packaging sustainability concepts have co-evolved with the increasing incorporation of the principles of sustainable development at various levels within industrial and organizational platforms. Currently, pollution from plastics, packaging-related waste, declining air, soil, and water quality, climate change, and other contemporary challenges are influencing the packaging industry. Barriers such as value chain complexities and negative consumer attitudes due to the economic, social, and environmental demands of sustainable behaviors can discourage companies from the implementation of more sustainable packaging. Hence, packages with improved sustainability may never make their way into the marketplace. However, the next generation of sustainable solutions can be motivated by efforts that fuel a positive consumer attitude towards sustainable packaging. In order to direct efforts, a clear understanding of consumer dynamics in ecological material preferences, willingness to pay, recycling, and factors impacting sustainable behaviors are essential. The objective of this work is to (i) explore the definitions, the impact of sustainable packaging in the value chain, and consumer behavior theories; (ii) review current practices, factors affecting sustainable behaviors, and consumer testing methods; (iii) present three distinct case studies on consumer preferences and value perceptions on bio-based cellulose materials and the impact of on-label claims and pre-evaluation education in consumer preferences; and (iv) to reveal the research gaps and opportunities for consumer research and suggest strategies for stakeholders to communicate packaging sustainability to consumers.
Language abilities in bilingual children: The effect of family background and language exposure on the development of Turkish and Dutch

Aims and objectives: The study investigates the effects of family background and language exposure on the language abilities of Turkish-Dutch bilingual children in their heritage language, Turkish, as well as in the majority language, Dutch. Methodology: Thirty-five children (3;01-6;11) participated in the study. All children took two standardized proficiency tests: CELF-Preschool 2 in Dutch and TEDİL in Turkish. Parents were interviewed on the family background and on the children’s use of and exposure to Dutch and Turkish. Data and analysis: Children’s test scores in Dutch and Turkish were analyzed in relation to the amount of exposure to Dutch and Turkish and the socio-economic and linguistic background of the parents. Findings: The results reveal that the children’s home context—both the linguistic background of the parents and the socio-educational level of the mother—affected the children’s scores, especially for Dutch. The amount of exposure to and use of Dutch and Turkish was correlated to the Dutch and Turkish scores. A qualitative discussion of children’s profiles revealed that children’s performance can only be fully understood when details of the home context, obtained through interviews with the parents, are taken into account. Originality: To date, few studies on bilingual children from families with a migration background have examined young children’s general language abilities in both the heritage language and the majority language. Implications: The study raises awareness of the importance of evaluating bilingual children’s language proficiencies in both languages, considering the effects of family background and language exposure on children’s bilingual language development. Limitations: The children’s language abilities were mapped on the basis of widely recognized standardized tests originally developed for the assessment of monolingual children. As more bilingual instruments are being tested and developed, future research will benefit from these tools.
Differentiation of Three Varieties of Zingiber officinale Rosc. by RAPD Fingerprinting

The genetic variation between three varieties of Zingiber officinale Rose. was investigated using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. The varieties are reported to be useful in traditional medicine and food flavours in Peninsular Malaysia. Analysis was carried out on the RAPD profiles generated by 16 arbitrary primers to determine genetic differences between the varieties. The clearest polymorphic bands were obtained from OPA1, OPA8, OPA9, OPA10, OPA13, OPA16 and OPA20 primers. A total of 104 bands were scored and analysed.
Plant Agc protein kinases orient auxin-mediated differential growth and organogenesis

In view of their predominant sessile lifestyle, plants need to be able to adapt to changes in their environment. Environmental signals such as light and gravity modulate plant growth and architecture by redirecting polar cell-to-cell transport of auxin, thus causing changes in the distribution of this plant hormone. The PIN auxin efflux carriers are key drivers of auxin transport that determine the direction of auxin flow through their asymmetric subcellular distribution. An important component in PIN polarity establishment is the plant protein kinase PINOID (PID). PID instructs apical (shoot meristem facing) PIN polarity by phosphorylating the central hydrophylic loop of PIN proteins (PINHL). In this thesis we investigated modulation of PID activity by the calcium binding proteins TCH3 and PBP1, and by the protein kinase PDK1. All three proteins were found to regulate both the enzymatic activity and the sub-cellular localisation of PID in response to calcium and phospholipids, respectively, and as such they are likely to be involved in translating environmental signals into PIN polarity changes. In addition, we show that PID and its close homologs act both redundantly and differentially in orienting plant development by instructing the subcellular distribution of PINs.
Process‐Based Simulation of Aerosol‐Cloud Interactions in a One‐Dimensional Cirrus Model

A new microphysical cirrus model to simulate ice crystal nucleation, depositional growth, and gravitational settling is described. The model tracks individual simulation ice particles in a vertical column of air and allows moisture and heat profiles to be affected by turbulent diffusion. Ice crystal size‐ and supersaturation‐dependent deposition coefficients are employed in a one‐dimensional model framework. This enables the detailed simulation of microphysical feedbacks influencing the outcome of ice nucleation processes in cirrus. The use of spheroidal water vapor fluxes enables the prediction of primary ice crystal shapes once microscopic models describing the vapor uptake on the surfaces of cirrus ice crystals are better constrained. Two applications addressing contrail evolution and cirrus formation demonstrate the potential of the model for advanced studies of aerosol‐cirrus interactions. It is shown that supersaturation in, and microphysical and optical properties of, cirrus are affected by variable deposition coefficients. Vertical variability in ice supersaturation, ice crystal sedimentation, and high turbulent diffusivity all tend to decrease homogeneously nucleated ice number mixing ratios over time, but low ice growth efficiencies counteract this tendency. Vertical mixing induces a tendency to delay the onset of homogeneous freezing. In situations of sustained large‐scale cooling, natural cirrus clouds may often form in air surrounding persistent contrails.
‘Living at the border of poverty’: How theater actors maintain their calling through narrative identity work

People who have a sense of calling to their work are more inspired, motivated and engaged with what they do. But how is calling constructed and maintained within organizations? More importantly, how do people maintain a sense of calling to their work when this is a source of ongoing material and existential hardships? This article seeks to address these questions by looking at the artistic setting of theater where actors maintain their calling despite their precarious work situation. The study employs a narrative approach to illustrate how three dominant narratives—religious, political and therapeutic—are central in constructing theater work as deeply meaningful. Specifically, each narrative explains how theater actors maintain their calling through different processes of identity work enacted through sacrifice (religious), responsibility (political) and self-care (therapeutic), with corresponding role identities as martyrs (religious), citizens (political) and self-coaches (therapeutic). We contribute to the literature on callings by: (a) showing how different processes of identity work are central to maintaining callings in precarious work situations, (b) exploring the role played by the ‘other’ as an interlocutor in accounting for and maintaining callings, and (c) advancing a theoretical explanation of callings that illustrates how callings contingently emerge as acts of elevation, resistance or resilience within contemporary society.