Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accountability in local government revenue management: who does what?

Research on financial accountability in local government administration has over the years focused mainly on traditional accountability mechanisms such as analysis of auditor’s report, annual financial statements or reports, and adherence to financial regulations among others. This research orientation often tends to focus more on the actions than the actors in the financial management process. Given that financial accountability is the action of actors, this paper focuses on the ´´who´´ aspect of financial accountability in local government administration. Using a concept of financial responsibility charting, the study sought to assess the level of understanding of core staff and Assembly members of the Asante Akim South District Assembly in Ghana on basic financial roles or responsibilities of actors involved in local government financial administration. The study found that not all the core staff of the Asante Akim South District Assembly knows all the specific financial roles or responsibilities of their colleagues in the financial management chain. The study also found that, the Assembly members who are supposed to hold the officials of the Assembly accountable; do not have a fair understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the core staff in the financial management chain. The paper concludes that until efforts are made to whip up the interest of people, especially the Assembly members on the need to be abreast with financial responsibility charting, the quest for transparency and accountability in local government financial administration would remain a mirage. Keywords: Local government, revenue, management, responsibility charting, accountability
The Flora of Zečevo (Hvar Archipelago, Croatia)

Summary Th e islet of Zecevo belongs to Hvar Archipelago and it is situated two kilometres north-east of Vrboska on the island of Hvar (Croatia). Th e area of islet is protected as a Signifi cant landscape. During vegetation periods from 2006 to 2010 a total of 216 vascular plant taxa were recorded. From those, 12 taxa were recorded for Hvar Archipelago for the fi rst time. Th e taxa were classifi ed within 65 families and 161 genera. Th e most abundant families are legumes (Fabaceae 13%), daisies (Asteraceae s.l. 9.2%), grasses (Poaceae 8.3%) and mints (Lamiaceae 5.1%). According to the analysis of life forms the largest portion of therophytes (45.4%) and hemicryptophytes (21.3%) were found. Phytogeographical analysis reveals predominance of the Mediterranean fl oral element (63.4%), followed by widespread plants (12.5%) and Euro-Asian fl oral element (9.7%). Five endemics and fi ve endangered species were recorded, among them three are vulnerable (VU): Ophrys bertolonii Moretti, O. sphegodes Mill. , Salsola kali L. and two are endangered (EN): Glaucium fl avum Crantz and Carex extensa Gooden. Th ree rare plant species of Croatian fl ora: Ophrys liburnica Devillers et Devillers-Tersch, Scaligeria cretica (Mill.) Boiss. and Narcissus serotinus L. were found.
Climate‐mediated habitat selection in an arboreal folivore

The decisions that animals must make to achieve a balance between quantity and quality of resources become more difficult when their habitats are patchy and differ greatly in quality across space and time. Koalas are a prime subject to study this problem because they have a specialised diet of eucalypt leaves and need to balance nutrient and water intake against toxins in the leaves, all of which can change with soil type and climate. Koalas are nocturnal and spend most of the day resting and therefore choose trees for reasons other than feeding, particularly for thermoregulation. We GPS-tracked 40 koalas over 3 yr to determine their shift in tree selection between day and night, and in relation to daily maximum temperature, in a patchy rural landscape in north-western NSW, Australia. The species, degree of shelter, diameter, height and elevation of each visited tree were recorded. We used generalised linear mixed effects models to compare tree use between day and night and maximum daily temperature. Koalas used more feed-trees during the night, and more shelter-trees during the day. They also selected taller trees with more shelter in the day compared with night. As daytime temperatures rose, koalas increasingly selected taller trees at lower elevations. Our results demonstrate that koalas need taller trees, and non-feed species with shadier/denser foliage, to provide shelter from heat. This highlights the need both for the retention of taller, mature trees, such as remnant paddock trees, and the planting of both food and shelter trees to increase habitat area and connectivity across the landscape for arboreal species. Retaining and planting trees that provide optimum habitat will help arboreal folivores cope with the more frequent droughts and heatwaves expected with climate change.
New method for determination of diclofenac sodium by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

In this study a simple, coast effective and direct simple High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed for the determination of diclofenac sodium in it's pure form and different pharmaceutical preparations. Standard diclofenac sodium and its dosage forms were supplied from Ninava State Company For Drug Industries and Medical Appliances (NDI). HPLC method was developed by using mobile phase which was composed of a mixture of HPLC grade (methanol, acetonitrile and deionized water)in the ratio of (60:20:20) respectively. Separation has been completed within 2 min. Calibration curve was linear, coefficient correlation was found to be 1.00 at a concentration of (0.25-4.0 µg.ml-1). The relative standard deviation (RSD) was found to be >1.2%. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of diclofenac sodium in its pure form and different pharmaceutical preparations (injection, tablets, eye drops, suppositories and gel) without using buffer system and there is no inference with additives.
Does provenance matter? Fitness is not determined by genetic distance or the scale of pollen dispersal in Grevillea sphacelata (Proteaceae)

Understanding how the scale of pollen transfer determines the outcome of matings is important evolutionarily and a key issue in restoration ecology. We tested the effects of pollen transfer distance for the self-incompatible shrub Grevillea sphacelata using (1) open pollination and transfer among (2) near neighbours, (3) neighbouring subpopulations and (4) populations separated by c. 4 km. We used AFLP markers to test for evidence of genetic differentiation within and among populations. Patterns of seed initiation suggest that open pollinated flowers were pollen limited, although in one subpopulation open seed set was greater than that achieved with pollen from near neighbours or other subpopulations. We detected no other effects of pollen source on seed initiation or seed and seedling development. In contrast, our genetic survey revealed significant spatial autocorrelation to 5 m, moderate differentiation of populations separated by up to 4 km and significant isolation by distance > 16 km. Our data suggest that, although dispersal of pollen may typically be localized, gene flow prevents localized adaptation or co-adaptation and we detected no effects of inbreeding depression. In a restoration context, our results imply that movement of seed between populations separated by 4 km will not have detrimental consequences, despite significant differentiation at neutral genetic markers, and may be beneficial in maintaining genetic diversity and evolutionary potential. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 173, 290–302.
Isolation of a novel xyloglucan endotransglucosylase (OsXET9) gene from rice and analysis of the response of this gene to abiotic stresses

To understand the mechanism(s) underlying stress responses and discover new stress-tolerance genes in rice ( Oryza sativa L.), expression profiles were obtained for leaf and panicle tissues at seedling, booting and heading stages of indica cultivar Pei’ai 64S plants under cold, drought or heat stresses using the GeneChip Rice Genome Array (Affymetrix) representing 51, 279 transcripts from japonica and indica rice. A large number of genes highly up regulated or down regulated were identified under the stresses. OsXET9 ( O. sativa L. xyloglucan endotransglucosylase 9, GenBank accession: NM_001060322) was highly induced in leaf and panicle at all the developmental stages, in response to all stresses, especially in seedling and booting stage under cold stress. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that the result was consensus with GeneChip Rice Genome Array, suggesting that OsXET9 is a multiple stress responsive gene in rice. In order to study its function in stress tolerance, we cloned the cDNA of the gene through amplification by PCR. Sequence analysis showed that the cDNA encodes a protein of 284 amino acid residues with M.W. ≈ 31kD and pI ≈ 5.2. The gene encodes a protein with several conserved domains. Comparison of protein sequences indicates that OsXET9 is closely related to the xyloglucan endotransglycosylase. Analysis of the putative promoter region for candidate cis-regulatory elements using Plant CARE software (http://bioinformatics.psb.ugent.be/webtools/plantcare/html/) identified some cis-elements related to stress responses. Based on these analyses and results obtained, we propose that OsXET9 is a novel candidate gene involved in stress tolerance in rice in addition to the function in metabolism of cell wall. Keywords : Rice, abiotic stress, microarray, xyloglucan endotransglucosylase.
Desempenho agronômico e divergência genética entre genótipos de feijão-caupi cultivados no ecótono Cerrado/Pantanal

The objective of this study was to evaluate the agronomic performance and genetic divergence among genotypes of cowpea in the Cerrado/Pantanal ecotone region. The experiment was conducted in 2008 in the experimental area of the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul, University Unit of Aquidauana (UEMS/UUA). Treatments consisted of 20 genotypes of cowpea arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Was evaluated the following characters: beginning of the flowering, beginning of the maturation, mass of five pods, grain mass of five pods, grain index, mass of 100 grains and grain yield. The genetic divergence between treatments was determined based on the clustering analysis and the canonical variables. The genotype BRS-17 Gurgueia showed higher grain yield. Hybrids with high heterotic effect will be obtained from crosses of Pingode-ouro-2 strain with BRS 17-Gurgueia and BRS-Paraguassu cultivars.
A virtual laboratory for neural network controlled DC motors based on a DC-DC buck converter

DC-DC converters have a wide usage as the driver circuit of direct current (DC) motors. This has necessitated sensitive speedcontrols to be made on DC motors. Classical controllers have lower performance due to the non-linear features of DC motors,such as saturation and friction. The Neural Network Controllers (NNC) are widely used in controlling poorly-defined, nonlinearand uncertain systems. NNC courses are now being offered by several universities at the bachelor0s and master’s degree levels as aresult of NNC’s successful applications in these fields. However, the training of an NNC driver circuit in a laboratory environmentis a time-consuming and expensive task. In this study, an NNC training set of the DC converter-fed Permanent Magnet DirectCurrent (PMDC) motor, which is part of the electrical machinery courses, was prepared. The set has a flexible structure and agraphical interface. Thanks to this set, it has become possible to change the PMDC motor and controller parameters, and monitorthe system’s reaction under various operational conditions in graphics. This training set can also guarantee effective learning andcomprehension of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN).
A Field-Based Deaf Education Teacher Training Model: Does It Make a Difference?.

This article provides professional perspective of a teacher-training model which relies heavily on an intensive, culturally immersive field experience for the teacher of the Deaf and hard of hearing. Survey results were based upon 21 past participants concerning their perceptions during their one-year internship experience at Indiana School for the Deaf (ISD). Formal and informal periodic evaluations of past ISD/BSU participants reinforced the author's perspectives that an intensive yearlong residential experience is critical for developing the linguistic, fluency, and cultural awareness that are not only vital but also indispensable for teachers of D/hh students. (This study does not intend to endorse any philosophy of the education of the Deaf. This study adopts an eclectic approach to teaching different philosophies for D/hh students.) Hear and you forget, see and you remember, do and you understand. As my year at Indiana School for the Deaf (ISD) came to a close, I truly understood teaching, friendships, and above all.life (Current teacher and past participant, 1992-1993). The importance of field-based instruction for teacher education candidates has been recognized for several years as indicated by former students and available research. Field experience enriches the content of course-based instruction and provides an opportunity for students to apply the concepts and methods presented in texts and lectures to real life settings. Boe, Shin and Cook (2007) reported national data related to general education and special education teacher preparation. They concluded that extensive preparation in pedagogy and supervised teaching had a major contribution in preparing qualified special education teachers. They further highlighted the critical role of in-field teaching for special education teachers. In addition, early practice and internships at the freshmen and sophomore levels help students build professional confidence and gain valuable interpersonal skills. Finally, early field experiences permit pre-service teachers a close-up examination of their chosen profession and an opportunity to change careers in the event teaching does not fulfill their expectations and their achievements (Roberson, Woolsey, Seabrooks, & Williams, 2004). Given the importance of early field experience in any area of teaching, intensive practice would seem to be critical for pre-service teachers of the Deaf and hard of hearing (D/hh) students, not merely for the purpose of mastering instructional methodology, but also for the opportunity to develop an appreciation of the uniqueness of the Deaf experience. The emergence of Deaf culture as a significant factor in educational programming for Deaf individuals suggests that to be successful, a hearing teacher must
Vavilovian Mimicry: Nikolai Vavilov and His Little-Known Impact on Weed Science

Abstract Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov was an early 20th century Russian plant scientist who was killed by Joseph Stalin in 1943 for his adherence to basic genetic principles. Vavilov is well known within plant breeding and plant evolutionary biology circles, yet the science of Vavilov is just as important to the field of weed science. Specifically, Vavilov proposed that certain weeds adapted to weed control practices to survive in prehistorical agrarian societies. Most would refer to this adaption as crop mimicry, but the term “Vavilovian mimicry” is more apt. Vavilovian mimicry requires three factors: a model—the crop or desirable plant; a mimic—the weed; and an operator—the discriminating agent, possibly human, animal, or machine. In a modern context, it is proposed that weed adaptation to herbicide applications be included as a form of Vavilovian mimicry, with the acknowledgement that the operator is the herbicide. In this context, Vavilovian mimicry is the adaption of the weed mimic to be perceived by the operator as visually, physically, or biochemically indistinguishable from the crop model. This review will cover the history and legacy of Vavilov in a condensed version in the hope that weed scientists will hold this individual in high regard in our future endeavors and begin to acknowledge Vavilov as one of the first scientists to propose that weeds can mimic the attributes of crops.
Formal development of control software in the medical systems domain

In this thesis we describe the effectiveness of applying a number of formal techniques to the development of industrial control software at Philips Healthcare. We demonstrate how these techniques were tightly incorporated to the industrial workflow and the issues encountered during the application. The work was established in an industrial context, dealing with real industrial projects and a real product concerning the development of interventional X-ray systems. The results are very conclusive in the sense that the used formal techniques could deliver substantially better quality code compared to the code developed in conventional development methods. Also, the results show that the productivity of the formally developed code is better than the productivity of code developed by projects at Philips Healthcare or projects reported worldwide. The thesis also includes a number of design and specification guidelines that assist constructing verifiable components using model checking. The guidelines were successful in designing and verifying a controller component developed at Philips Healthcare. Hence, the guidelines can provide an effective framework to design verifiable control components in industrial settings.
Infrequent drinking, digestive efficiency and particle size of digesta in black Bedouin goats

Summary When given access to water once every 4 days, black Bedouin goats that were fed dry lucerne hay required, on average, only half the water and 60% of the gross energy they consumed when water was offered to them once daily. Digestibility of the feed in these goats was increased by 4%. The outflow of fluid from the rumen slowed down during the water deprivation period. A flow rate of 1080 ml/kg0.75. day was recorded during the 1st day of the period and only 350 ml/kg0.75. day during the last day. While being offered water once daily the outflow from the rumen amounted to 1243 ml/kg0.75. day. Following the subjection of black Bedouin goats to infrequent drinking the mean retention time of the digesta in the rumen was extended by 33 % and in the entire gastrointestinal tract by 43 %. It is suggested that the slowing down of the ruminal flow that followed the subjection of the goats to infrequent drinking enabled the particulate matter to stay longer in the digestive tract despite their smaller size.
Redescription of the Chengjiang arthropod Squamacula clypeata Hou and Bergström, from the Lower Cambrian, south‐west China

The anatomy of the arthropod Squamacula clypeata Hou and Bergström, 1997 from the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang Lagersta¨tte is redescribed based on four newly excavated specimens. The new material was collected from localities recently discovered in the Kunming area, Yunnan Province, south‐west China, and preserves remarkable details of the ventral morphology, revealed by preparation. Squamacula clypeata is dorsoventrally flattened and rounded in outline. The cephalon was covered by a wide, short shield, with a large doublure and a pair of uniramous antennae on the ventral side. The thorax consists of nine somites, each protected by a tergite and carrying at least one pair of biramous limbs. The pygidium is covered with a small rounded tergum. The endopod is segmented, equipped with short spines on the inner margin of the coxa and a claw‐like structure distally, and the exopod flap‐like, fringed with setae. The limbs in the pygidium are like those in the thorax in shape. Squamacula was most probably a nektobenthic predator. The spinose endopod could walk, grasp and grind. The large flap‐like exopod was adapted for swimming and respiration. Its affinities lie with the Arachnomorpha, but the relationships with other known taxa remain ambiguous.
A field bioassay approach to assess the toxicity of insecticide residues on soil to Collembola.

Field bioassays were conducted to assess the toxicity of three insecticides, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin and pirimicarb, to four species of springtails, Isotoma viridis, Isotomurus palustris, Folsomia candida (Collembola : Isotomidae) and Sminthurus viridis (Collembola : Sminthuridae). Spray residues on two soil types (a sandy clay loam and a sandy soil) were obtained in the field, in the presence and absence of a wheat crop canopy, after spray application by a commercial tractor-mounted sprayer. Collembola were then confined for 24-h periods on the sprayed soils in a constant laboratory environment at 1, 2, 3, 8 and 15 days after treatment. Residual insecticide toxicity was compared between species, insecticides, soils and exposure conditions (crop or no crop) using the age of residue at which median mortality occurred (DAT 50 ). Cypermethrin and pirimicarb residues were of low toxicity, causing less than 10% mortality, whereas residues of chloryprifos were toxic to all four species of Collembola on both soil types and in both exposure treatments. Interspecific differences in collembolan susceptibility to chlorpyrifos residues gave the ranking (from most to least susceptible) S. viridis > F. candida > Isotomurus palustris > Isotoma viridis. Residues on the sandy soil were more toxic than those on the sandy clay loam. These results are discussed in terms of how field bioassay approaches may be used to determine pesticide residual toxicity to microarthropods. We conclude that field bioassays offer a feasible method for evaluating the toxicity of pesticides and the persistence of toxic effects on Collembola. Advantages and disadvantages of this method are considered.
Conservation of fishes in the Elands River, Mpumalanga, South Africa: Past, present and future

In an isolated reach, between two large natural waterfalls in the Elands River in Mpumalanga, populations of a critically endangered Kneria sp. , the endangered Chiloglanis bifurcus and a genetically unique population of Labeobarbus polylepis occur. The aim of this article was to evaluate past efforts to conserve these fishes, describe the current status and propose future conservation and management actions. The population status assessments were based on a series of fish community composition and population structure evaluations from surveys undertaken at 22 sites during seven surveys from 2002 to 2006. Although water-use activities have continued to increase in the area, impacts have been offset by conservation efforts initiated almost 30 years ago. The existing C. bifurcus population appears to be stable, which is reflected in the downgrading of the conservation status of the species from critically endangered to endangered. The abundance of the kneriid population appears to be increasing and spreading to other tributaries in the study area. The abundance of L. polylepis appears to be increasing but has still not reached historical levels. Conservation implications: Continued conservation efforts are required to protect these fishes. This case study presented a rare example of how the impacts associated with the use of aquatic resources in South Africa can successfully be offset by conservation efforts.