Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response of grain sorghum to low rates of glufosinate and nicosulfuron

Abstract Previous research has shown that glufosinate and nicosulfuron at low rates can cause yield loss to grain sorghum. However, research has not been conducted to pinpoint the growth stage at which these herbicides are most injurious to grain sorghum. Therefore, field tests were conducted in 2016 and 2017 to determine the most sensitive growth stage for grain sorghum exposure to both glufosinate and nicosulfuron. Field test were designed with factor A being the herbicide applied (glufosinate or nicosulfuron). Factor B consisted of timing of herbicide application including V3, V8, flagleaf, heading, and soft dough stages. Factor C was glufosinate or nicosulfuron rate where a proportional rate of 656 g ai ha-1 of glufosinate and 35 g ai ha-1 of nicosulfuron was applied at 1/10×, 1/50×, and 1/250×. Visible injury, crop canopy heights (cm), and yield were reported as a percent of the nontreated. At the V3 growth stage visible injury of 32% from the 1/10× rate of glufosinate and 51% from the 1/10× rate of nicosulfuron was observed. This injury was reduced by 4 wk after application (WAA) and no yield loss occurred. Nicosulfuron was more injurious than glufosinate at a 1/10× and 1/50× rate when applied at the V8 and flagleaf growth stages resulting in death of the shoot, reduced heading, and yield. Yield losses from the 1/10× rate of nicosulfuron were observed from V8 through early heading and ranged from 41% to 96%. Yield losses from the 1/50× rate of nicosulfuron were 14% to 16% at the flagleaf and V8 growth stages respectively. The 1/10× rate of glufosinate caused 36% visible injury 2 WAA when applied at the flagleaf stage, which resulted in a 16% yield reduction. By 4 WAA visible injury from either herbicide at less than the 1/10× rate was not greater than 4%. Results indicate that injury can occur, but yield losses are more probable from low rates of nicosulfuron at V8 and flagleaf growth stages. Nomenclature: glufosinate; nicosulfuron; grain sorghum; Sorghum bicolor L. Moench ssp. bicolor
The Role of Teachable Ownership of Learning Components in College Adjustment

Using structural equation modeling, the current study analyzed data from 249 college students to examine how four aspects of ownership of learning (engagement in learning, self-direction, self-efficacy, and self-monitoring) predicted academic, social, and institutional adjustment to college. Results indicated the model was a good fit to the data overall, but that the three types of adjustment were predicted by different components. Implications of the findings for student affairs personnel are discussed.
Non-Performing Loans for Italian Companies: When Time Matters. An Empirical Research on Estimating Probability to Default and Loss Given Default

Within bank activities, which is normally defined as the joint exercise of savings collection and credit supply, risk-taking is natural, as in many human activities. Among risks related to credit intermediation, credit risk assumes particular importance. It is most simply defined as the potential that a bank borrower or counterparty fails to fulfil correctly at maturity the pecuniary obligations assumed as principal and interest. Whenever this happens, a loan is non-performing. Among the main risk components, the Probability of Default (PD) and the Loss Given Default (LGD) have been the subject of greater interest for research. In this paper, logit model is used to predict both components. Financial ratios are used to estimate the PD. Time of recovery and presence of collateral are used as covariates of the LGD. Here, we confirm that the main driver of economic losses is the bureaucratically encumbered recovery system and the related legal environment. The long time required by Italian bureaucratic procedures, simply put, seems to lower dramatically the chance of recovery from defaulting counterparties.
Improving the Mechanical Properties of a β-type Ti-Nb-Zr-Fe-O Alloy

The influence of complex thermo-mechanical processing (TMP) on the mechanical properties of a Ti-Nb-Zr-Fe-O bio-alloy was investigated in this study. The proposed TMP program involves a schema featuring a series of severe plastic deformation (SPD) and solution treatment (STs). The purpose of this study was to find the proper parameter combination for the applied TMP and thus enhance the mechanical strength and diminish the Young’s modulus. The proposed chemical composition of the studied β-type Ti-alloy was conceived from already-appreciated Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr alloys with high β-stability by replacing the expensive Ta with more accessible Fe and O. These chemical additions are expected to better enhance β-stability and thus avoid the generation of ω, α’, and α” during complex TMP, as well as allow for the processing of a single bcc β-phase with significant grain diminution, increased mechanical strength, and a low elasticity value/Young’s modulus. The proposed TMP program considers two research directions of TMP experiments. For comparisons using structural and mechanical perspectives, the two categories of the experimental samples were analyzed using SEM microscopy and a series of tensile tests. The comparison also included some already published results for similar alloys. The analysis revealed the advantages and disadvantages for all compared categories, with the conclusions highlighting that the studied alloys are suitable for expanding the database of possible β-Ti bio-alloys that could be used depending on the specific requirements of different biomedical implant applications.
First report of Fusarium sporotrichioides causing root rot of soybean in Canada and detection of the pathogen in host tissues by PCR

Abstract Soybean plants showing symptoms of root rot were collected from fields in Manitoba, Canada, in 2017, to determine the causal agent of the disease. Of 240 isolated strains, including some known as root rot pathogens, five were identified as Fusarium sporotrichioides Sherb. based on morphological characteristics. All five isolates were pathogenic when inoculated on soybean under controlled conditions, and resulted in typical root rot symptoms. In addition, shoot length, root length, and fresh weight were significantly reduced. A PCR-based diagnostic test was developed, which specifically amplified the Trichothecene gene cluster in F. sporotrichioides. The primer SPO1 amplified a 541 bp fragment in fungal isolates originally isolated from commercial soybean crops, and from artificially infected roots of soybean. Trichothecene (TRI) gene expression was detected in infected soybean roots using RT-PCR analysis with TRI gene-specific primers. This is the first report of F. sporotrichioides as one of causal agents of root rot in soybean in Canada.
Supramolecular and Chiral Effects at the Titanyl-Phthalocyanine/Ag(100) Hybrid Interface

Nonplanar titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc) molecules, characterized by a central, highly dipolar Ti–O group, can offer further degrees of freedom in tailoring the properties of hybrid organic–inorganic structures. Here, we combine scanning tunneling microscopy and low-energy electron diffraction measurements with ab initio density functional theory calculations to investigate the interaction of TiOPc molecules with the Ag(100) surface. Isolated molecules are adsorbed with the macrocycle parallel to the surface in two different configurations: with the O atom pointing outward (UP configuration) or with the O atom pointing toward the surface (DOWN configuration). A different interaction of UP and DOWN molecules with the surface can account for their different orientation on the surface as well as for the observation of marked chiral effects only for UP molecules. Self-assembled domains of randomly mixed UP and DOWN molecules form at the monolayer coverage, driven by a subtle interplay between the molecule–sur.
Intra-Industry Information Transfers and Firm Value: Evidence From Ghana’s Banking Industry

The purpose of this study is to estimate the economic value of intra-industry information transfers within Ghana’s banking industry due to the collapse of seven banks. This is a short-term study with an event window [−10, +10] and an estimation period of 200 trading days. The event study methodology is adopted to estimate the cumulative abnormal return (CAR) gained by other rival industry banks as well as to calculate the cumulative average abnormal return (CAAR) for the entire Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). The results of the study show that the collapse of the seven banks does convey information that the market uses in revising stock prices. However, most of the rival banks experienced an insignificant share price reaction. This insignificant reaction can be attributed to the fact that GSE is not efficient. The study recommended among others, for the GSE to be reformed to improve the efficiency of the market and secure the flow of information to market participants.
Successful Treatment of Concurrently Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma and Myelodysplastic Syndrome With Isolated Del(5q) With Lenalidomide, Bortezomib, and Dexamethasone

Lenalidomide is known to be an effective therapy for multiple myeloma and for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with isolated del(5q). We report the case of a patient simultaneously diagnosed with multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndrome with isolated del(5q) who was treated successfully with lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone. The treatment achieved a stringent complete response of multiple myeloma and a hematologic and cytogenetic response of MDS in three months. Our experience suggests that standard myeloma induction regimens including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor may be considered for treatment of concurrently diagnosed multiple myeloma and MDS with isolated del(5q) and are safe to use in select patients.
Voltammetric Determination of Phenylalanine Using Chemically Modified Screen-Printed Based Sensors

This paper describes the sensitive properties of screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCE) modified by using three different electroactive chemical compounds: Meldola’s Blue, Cobalt Phthalocyanine and Prussian Blue, respectively. It was demonstrated that the Prussian Blue (PB) modified SPCE presented electrochemical signals with the highest performances in terms of electrochemical process kinetics and sensitivity in all the solutions analyzed. PB-SPCE was demonstrated to detect Phe through the influence it exerts on the redox processes of PB. The PB-SPCE calibration have shown a linearity range of 0.33–14.5 µM, a detection limit (LOD) of 1.23 × 10−8 M and the standard deviation relative to 3%. The PB-SPCE sensor was used to determine Phe by means of calibration and standard addition techniques on pure samples, on simple pharmaceutical samples or on multicomponent pharmaceutical samples. Direct determination of the concentration of 4 × 10−6–5 × 10−5 M Phe in KCl solution showed that the analytical recovery falls in the range of 99.75–100.28%, and relative standard deviations in the range of 2.28–3.02%. The sensors were successfully applied to determine the Phe in pharmaceuticals. The validation of the method was performed by using the FTIR, and by comparing the results obtained by PB-SPCE in the analysis of three pharmaceutical products of different concentrations with those indicated by the producer.
Is the quality of reviews reflected in editors' and authors' satisfaction with peer review? A cross‐sectional study in 12 journals across four research fields

Perception of review quality by authors and editors may play a vital role in helping to keep the peer review process constructive. Comprehensive studies examining author and editor perceptions of reviews of manuscripts from different disciplines are rare. We assessed satisfaction of corresponding authors and opinions of editors with reviewer‐generated reports and reviewers' recommendations and checked whether there was association between authors' and editors' perceptions and recommendations in 12 Elsevier journals across four disciplines. We used a modified Review Quality Instrument (RQI) to measure review quality for 809 unique manuscripts from which we accessed 1,313 reviews and recommendations, 331 authors' perception of the review's helpfulness before editor's decision, and 541 editor's opinions regarding both review timeliness and impact on decision. Authors were most satisfied with reviews that recommended acceptance compared to revision or rejection. Reviews that recommended revisions had highest quality as reflected by the RQI. Authors highly rated their satisfaction with review constructiveness from natural sciences, and editors for the same subject also highly rated timeliness and reviews' influence on publication. Editors' opinion regarding the impact of review on their publication decision and RQI were associated. Our findings suggest that more constructive reviews may better guide the editorial decision‐making process.
Differential mental representation of regulatory traffic in Hispanic-America

in NJ are reportable if they result in injury to any crashinvolved person or property damage >$500. Crash reports provide information about all crash-involved drivers and passengers, including restraint use and age. Each driver’s residential address was geocoded and linked to publicly available census tract-level income data from the American Community Survey. We categorized NJ census tracts by quintile of median household income, quintile of population density per square mile, and proportion of residents who were non-Hispanic white. For the current analyses, we identified all drivers involved in a crash in 2014–2017 who were carrying child occupants <8 years old, as these are the children who should be restrained in CRS according to NJ law. Drivers were categorized into (1) those who had all child occupants <8 years old restrained in a CRS and (2) those who did not have all child occupants <8 years old restrained in a CRS.
Elevational variation in voltinism demonstrates climatic adaptation in the dark bush‐cricket

1. Phenotypic plasticity and/or genetic adaptation may allow species to live in a variable environment. It has been shown that eggs of the dark bush‐cricket, Pholidoptera griseoaptera, which experienced an insufficient warm treatment (shorter and/or colder), had a longer development time and hatched predominantly after the second diapause.
Composition of tree species in Onigambari Forest Reserve, Oyo State, Nigeria

The tree composition of Onigambari Forest Reserve in Oyo State was evaluated by laying out a plot size of 50 x 50 m2 resulting to four plots per hectare. 104 and 93 stems per hectare were recorded. A total of 197 tree stands were encountered in the two compartments studied with family Sterculiaceae with species Cola gigantean, Cola millenii, Sterculia africana, Sterculia oblonga, Sterculia tragacantha, Triplochiton scleroxylon, Pterogota macrocarpa and Nesogordonia papaverifera.as the most abundant having 34 stands, followed by the family Papilionoideae with species Baphia nitida with 20 stands as the most abundance species. About thirty-nine percent of the tree species encountered were wildlings having a diameter at breast height of ≤ 10 cm. Less than one percent (0.50%) of the trees were of merchantable size. This could be a thing of concern and it calls for adequate resourceful and sustainable management techniques. Habits in Onigambari Forest Reserve are presented in Table 1. A total of forty-three (43) species of trees distributed into twenty (20) families were encountered. Family Sterculiaceae and Fabaceae was the richest with eight (8) species each followed by family Euphobiaceae with (5) tree species. Based on their habit, these species were classified into 100% trees. Furthermore, it is of the importance that the forest reserves be protected from illegal/indiscriminate logging among other anthropogenic activities in order to allow it regenerate. Keywords: Abundance, merchantable, sustainable, resourceful
Experimental study on the cycle-by-cycle variations of homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion using primary reference fuels and their mixtures

Abstract In this paper, the combustion stabilities and cycle-by-cycle variations of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion using neat n-heptane, PRF20, PRF40, PRF50, and PRF60 were investigated. In-cylinder pressures of 100 combustion cycles for each test fuel on a single-cylinder engine were recorded. Consequently, cycle-to-cycle variations of the main combustion parameters and performance parameters were analysed, and the interdependency between the combustion parameter and performance parameters were also evaluated. The results reveal that the cycle-by-cycle variations deteriorate with the increase of the research octane number (RON). Especially, the coefficient of variations (COVs) of all parameters increase substantially when the RON of test fuels exceeds 40. For a certain test fuel, the COVs of combustion parameters that were used to depict the combustion characteristics during the early stage of combustion are very small, the COVs of combustion parameters that were used to describe the combustion characteristics of the post stage of the combustion are the largest, and the COVs of the i.m. e.p. and Pmax maintain at a middle level. Furthermore, a better interdependency also exists between the ignition timing of the low temperature reaction (LTR) and high temperature reaction (HTR), between the maximum pressure rise rate and its corresponding crank angle, between the peak values of the heat release and its corresponding crank angle.
High resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy investigation of plasma-modified polystyrene surfaces

The plasma modification of polystyrene with low pressures of nitrogen, ammonia, and oxygen has been studied by high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. The method is shown to be capable of detecting nitrogen incorporation by variations in NH stretching band intensity and oxygen incorporation by carbonyl related bands. The method is particularly sensitive to loss of aromaticity as seen by evolution of the aromatic and aliphatic CH stretching band intensities.
Stepping out of the Shadows: Identity Exposure as a Remedy for Stigma Transfer Concerns in the Medical Marijuana Market*

Many legalized markets bear categorical stigma—a vilifying label attached to an industry and its participants—that threatens their performance and survival chances. This happens because audiences avoid engagement with stigmatized organizations to minimize the probability of stigma transfer. Although scholars have explored what strategies stigmatized companies undertake to mitigate their stigma, we know very little about whether and how audiences’ acceptance of stigmatized organizations actually happens and if industry-level processes play a role in this acceptance. We develop a theory of identity exposure predicting that customers will become less concerned about stigma transfer when stigmatized organizations unambiguously reveal their identities by publicly advocating and celebrating their business and when vanguard customers openly discuss stigmatized organizations and their products in public forums. We find support for our theorizing in the analyses of customers’ concerns about stigma in Weedmaps.com—a marijuana-based community—from its inception in 2008 through 2014. Ultimately, our findings and extensive robustness checks suggest that identity exposure within stigmatized industries can alleviate customers’ concerns about stigma transfer and in this way accelerate the market destigmatization process.
Gender Difference in the Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Performance in Science among Secondary School Students in Migori County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to investigate the gender difference in the relationship between self-efficacy and performance in science. A sample of 327 Form Four students in Migori County was used. Questionnaires, focus group discussion guide and interview schedules were used for data collection. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation. Qualitative data were organized into themes and interpreted. Overall, boys had higher levels of performance in science (Mean=39.21) than girls (Mean=30.80) and the mean difference was statistically significant (t=3.89, p=.00). Boys had higher levels of self-efficacy (Mean=2.89) than girls (Mean=2.81) and the mean difference was not statistically significant (t=1.56, p=.12). Further, the overall correlation between self-efficacy and performance was statistically significant with r=. 236 (p=.002, n=327). The correlation between self-efficacy and performance for boys was significant with r=. 250 (p=.005, n=200) and non-significant for girls with r=. 085 (p=.558, n=127). It is concluded that boys outperform girls in science and record higher scores in self-efficacy than girls. In addition, the variance shared in common between self-efficacy and performance is higher for boys than girls. To improve performance and also reduce the gender gap in science performance, self-efficacy should be enhanced for students but more particularly so for girls.
TREATMENT OF THE NONEQUILIBRIUM VAPOR MOTION NEAR AN EVAPORATING INTERPHASE BOUNDARY

Strong evaporation problems are characterized by the nonequilibrium vapor motion near the interphase boundary. The solution of this nonequilibrium region, known as Knudsen layer, requires the use of kinetic theory. Kinetic equations have been solved numerically for a plane evaporation problem. Numerical solutions have led to the establishment or the validity of a simple kinetic theory approach to calculate the jump conditions across the Knudsen layer and the net mass, momentum, and heat fluxes. This approach can be used together with the conventional continuum method to calculate How parameters at the outer edge of the Knudsen layer for heat transfer problems in which evaporation occurs at the interphase boundary.
Assessment of Haematological and Biochemical Parameters of Women at Childbirth and their Newborn in Abidjan, Côte d’ Ivoire

ABSTRACT Purpose: The objective of this study is to compare the hematological and biochemical parameters of women with those of their newborns in order to assess the impact of the nutritional status of the former on the latter. Subjects and methods: 83 women who came to give birth in the hospitals of Abobo Sud and Yopougon Attie (Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire), were recruited with their consent and according to specific inclusion and non-inclusion criteria. The blood, taken from the fold of the elbow’s vein of the women in labor and in the umbilical cord after childbirth is put in suitable tubes for the assays of the blood parameters. Results: The results showed that 29% of women in childbirth and 41% of newborns were anemic with the occurrence of almost all forms of anemia (ANN, ANm, AHN and AHm), in both subpopulations. The glycemia and lipid parameters studied as well as the atherogenicity indices were increased in women during childbirth, unlike newborns. Regarding hepatic and renal parameters, no significant differences were observed in total proteins, ALT and total bilirubin between women and newborns. However, the other parameters such as creatinine, AST and conjugated bilirubin were elevated in newborns. As for the blood ion levels, the results showed high levels of calcium and potassium in newborns and high levels of chlorine in women. Conclusion: women nutritional status significantly influences that of their newborn babies. Keywords: Women, Newborns, Hematology, Biochemistry, Hospital, Abidjan