Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SEROPREVALENCIA DE LEUCOSIS ENZOÓTICA BOVINA EN ANIMALES ENTRE 6 A 24 MESES EN LAS PROVINCIAS DE MANABÍ, PICHINCHA Y CHIMBORAZO - ECUADOR

Enzootic Bovine Leukemia is a viral disease that can manifest itself by the presence of tumors or asymptomaticallyin cattle of any age category. Its socioeconomic significance lies in the decline in milk productivity, reproductive losses,forfeitures in abattoirs, and prevents the export of livestock or derivatives. The objective of this research was todetermine the seroprevalence of viral enzootic bovine on animals under two years of Pichincha, ManabA and Chimborazo,provinces that represent important sources of milk production. There were 3 307 samples of bovine bloodserum analyzed, obtained from National sampling of Aphtose Fever organized by AGROCALIDAD. Samples wereanalyzed by serological technique indirect ELISA, 480 samples of Pichincha, 2 348 of ManabA and 479 Chimborazo.Pichincha province presented 8.13% seroprevalence, with the highest percentage of sick animals in Mejia, one ofEcuadorÂŽs main dairy basin. It was observed 0.89% seroprevalence of Manabi and Chimborazo 3.13%. The presenceof the disease was also assessed according to the variables: climate, altitude, age and purpose of cattle, usingchi squared to determine the relationship between them and the appearance of BVL. The investigation showed noassociation, showing this result of 105.14, 7.48, 38.87, 140.91 against p values 11.34, 9.21, 18.48 and 9.21 about weather,age, altitude and purpose, respectively. A greater tendency to get sick was revealed in temperate climates and higheraltitudes, which could be explained by the similarity in practices of intensive exploitation. From the data obtained,further research can be made, because it is a study base line that can lead to develop a sanitary control plan of BVLfrom an early age of cattle.
The Resilience of the Russian mafia: An Empirical Study

Criminal organizations constantly face challenges that threaten their existence. This paper discusses the effects that state repression and state transformation have on criminal organizations and how such organizations respond. We focus on the case of the Russian mafia, known as the vory-v-zakone. We identify the key challenges faced by the vory throughout Soviet and Russian history and examine how the Russian mafia adapted to such threats. We conclude that the biggest threat came not from state repression during Stalin’s Great Terror but rather from state transformation in the 1990s. We also show that Putin’s era repression of the vory has not been more intense than that of the late Yeltsin’s years. The paper is based on a new and unique data set we constructed, which contains biographical information of more than 5,000 members of the vory fraternity.
Earnings Volatility and Auditor Risk Assessments: Evidence from Auditor Resignations

This study proposes that auditors incorporate earnings volatility into their risk assessments such that volatility is associated with auditor resignations. Because volatile earnings are less predictable, they create larger deviations from the auditor's expectation of earnings and could increase auditor risk assessments. Higher earnings volatility could also signal underlying conditions that increase risk because accounting estimates become less reliable. Alternatively, auditors may perceive lower earnings volatility as riskier if auditors view it as an indication of more earnings management. We find a positive association between earnings volatility and auditor resignations, consistent with auditors viewing volatile earnings as riskier. This association is stronger for non-industry-specialists and auditors without long tenure. Finally, after the resignation of a Big 4 auditor, firms in the top quartile of earnings volatility are more likely to switch to a non-Big 4 auditor. Overall, our results show that earnings volatility plays an important role in auditor-client realignments.
Radar wind profilers and avian migration: a qualitative and quantitative assessment verified by thermal imaging and moon watching

Radars of various types have been used in ornithological research for about 70 years. However, the potential of radar wind profiler (RWP) as a tool for biological purposes remains poorly understood. The aim of this study is to assess the suitability of RWP for ornithological research questions. A 1290 MHz RWP at the south‐eastern coast of the Bay of Biscay has been known to exhibit seasonally occurring nocturnal signals attributed to migrating birds. As a first step to verify the origin of these seasonal patterns, historical radar data from 2010 to 2012 were analysed, and both bird patterns and temporal occurrence were identified in RWP data at different levels of the signal processing. A thermal‐imaging (TI) camera in conjunction with moon watching was used as verification systems at the radar site to confirm the ornithological origin of the radar echoes. The simultaneous data on spring migration served as a basis for the identification of biological signatures (qualitative parameters) on time‐series level (raw data) and to derive quantitative migration parameters (flight altitude, migration traffic rates) thereof. Finally, the quantitative measurements of the TI camera and the radar were compared considering meteorological conditions. The approach allowed identifying reproducible criteria based on time series to calculate migration traffic rates and altitudinal flight distribution. General flight directions were only available in the final wind data. In clear weather conditions, the calibration methods coincided well with the wind profiler data. Findings show that wind profiler raw data offer reliable information on migration intensity, flight altitudes and flight directions in a variety of meteorological conditions. The method presented can be applied as a complement to present efforts to use weather radars for large‐scale bird monitoring. Furthermore, it is also interesting for the meteorological community to refine signal‐processing methods.
ISOLATION, IDENTIFICATION AND BIOMANAGEMENT OF ROOT ROT OF BLACK CUMIN (NIGELLA SATIVA) USING SELECTED BACTERIAL ANTAGONISTS

The study deal with potentiality of some bioagents for controlling the root rot of black cumin under greenhouse conditions, caused by Fus arium spp. Eight fungal isolates were obtained from diseased of back cumin plants collected from Assiut Governorate. These isolates were belonged to the genus Fusarium spp. They were identified as, four isolates of F. comptoceras , three isolates of F. solani and one isolate Fusarium lateritium. Pathogenicity tests indicated that all tested fungal isolates were able to infect black cumin plants causing symptoms of root rot resulted in dwarfism and death before the capsules mature. They varied in their pathogenicity, Fusarium comptoceras No.1 gave the highest percentage of disease severity and percentage of infection on black cumin plants (53 and 50% respectively), while isolates F. comptoceras Nos. 3 and F. solani No. 6 gave the lowest percentage of infection (15 and 17% respectively) the rest of isolates showed moderate of percentage of infection. Antagonistic capability of 15 isolates (PGPR) was tested in vitro against growth of three isolates of Fusarium spp. the causal pathogen of root rot of black cumin. Seeds black cumin plant treated with all bioagents as a suspension significantly increased the root dry weigh and foliar dry weigh compared to infected control. In conclusion, our study confirmed that used of bioagents may be applied as future ecofriendly alternatives to synthetic fungicides for controlling the disease of black cumin.
Impact of nulliparity, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and gestational diabetes on vasomotor symptoms in midlife women

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract Objective: To determine whether women with a history of nulliparity, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have a higher odds of reporting vasomotor symptoms (VMS) at midlife. Methods: A longitudinal analysis was performed with 2,249 women with pregnancy history data in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. Women were classified as nulliparous, no HDP/GDM, or a history of HDP/GDM. VMS (hot flashes, night sweats) were assessed separately at baseline and at each follow-up visit. VMS was recorded as any versus none; 0 , 1-5 , 6+ days in past 2 weeks. Pregnancy history was examined in relation to each VMS (hot flashes, night sweats) using generalized estimating equations adjusting for age (time-varying), site, race/ethnicity, education, financial strain, smoking, and body mass index. Models excluded women with hysterectomy/bilateral oophorectomy and observations with hormone therapy use. Results: Women in the HDP/GDM group (n = 208, 9%) were more likely to be Black, financially strained, and overweight. Compared to women with no HDP/GDM, women with HDP/GDM had greater odds of reporting any hot flashes (OR:1.27; 95% CI:1.05-1.53). Nulliparous women had lower odds of any hot flashes (OR:0.64; 95% CI:0.51-0.80) and night sweats (OR:0.73; 95% CI:0.58-0.93) in age-adjusted models. Similar patterns were observed for frequency of hot flashes and night sweats; associations were attenuated to nonsignificance after adjusting for covariates. Conclusions: History of HDP/GDM may be associated with more VMS and nulliparity with fewer VMS, but not independently of sociodemographic factors. Our findings underscore the importance of social and economic disparities in both reproductive outcomes and VMS. Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Video Summary:http://links.lww. com/MENO/A631.
Households’ Consumption Pattern of Snail (Archachatina species) in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria

The present study investigates household consumption pattern of snail meat in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State. A multistage random sampling technique was used to administer the questionnaires to a total of 120 respondents. Data collected were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The socioeconomic factors analyzed showed that age group between 31 and 40 (45.0%) consumed snail more while age group between 51 and 60 (11.70%) consumed less snails. The majority of respondents were Married (60.8%) and possess secondary education (54.2%). Most of the respondents (95.8%) consume snail meat but most of them consume snail meat on a seasonal basis unlike beef and fish. Furthermore, fried form of snail meat is mostly (65%) preferred when compared to cooked form (24.2%). The regression analysis shows that the consumption of snail meat depended on the price, household size, educational level, household income, nutritive value, occupation and its availability. Problems associated with snail meat consumption in the study area include Price, income level, unavailability and cultural belief. Based on the findings, this study recommends that extension workers should engage the public on the need to get involved in the rearing of snails to make it readily available all year round and thus make it more affordable for all sundry. Keywords: Snail meat, Consumption, Nutritive Values and Oluyole Local Government Area.
Climate, soil and plant functional types as drivers of global fine‐root trait variation

Ecosystem functioning relies heavily on below‐ground processes, which are largely regulated by plant fine‐roots and their functional traits. However, our knowledge of fine‐root trait distribution relies to date on local‐ and regional‐scale studies with limited numbers of species, growth forms and environmental variation. We compiled a world‐wide fine‐root trait dataset, featuring 1115 species from contrasting climatic areas, phylogeny and growth forms to test a series of hypotheses pertaining to the influence of plant functional types, soil and climate variables, and the degree of manipulation of plant growing conditions on species fine‐root trait variation. Most particularly, we tested the competing hypotheses that fine‐root traits typical of faster return on investment would be most strongly associated with conditions of limiting versus favourable soil resource availability. We accounted for both data source and species phylogenetic relatedness. We demonstrate that: (i) Climate conditions promoting soil fertility relate negatively to fine‐root traits favouring fast soil resource acquisition, with a particularly strong positive effect of temperature on fine‐root diameter and negative effect on specific root length (SRL), and a negative effect of rainfall on root nitrogen concentration; (ii) Soil bulk density strongly influences species fine‐root morphology, by favouring thicker, denser fine‐roots; (iii) Fine‐roots from herbaceous species are on average finer and have higher SRL than those of woody species, and N2‐fixing capacity positively relates to root nitrogen; and (iv) Plants growing in pots have higher SRL than those grown in the field. Synthesis. This study reveals both the large variation in fine‐root traits encountered globally and the relevance of several key plant functional types and soil and climate variables for explaining a substantial part of this variation. Climate, particularly temperature, and plant functional types were the two strongest predictors of fine‐root trait variation. High trait variation occurred at local scales, suggesting that wide‐ranging below‐ground resource economics strategies are viable within most climatic areas and soil conditions.
Effects of Daphnia exudates and sodium octyl sulphates on filament morphology and cell wall thickness of Aphanizomenon gracile (Nostocales), Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Nostocales) and Planktothrix agardhii (Oscillatoriales)

ABSTRACT Grazing is recognized as one of the selective factors shaping the morphology and physiology of cyanobacteria. A recent study has shown that the filamentous cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon gracile strain SAG 31.79 thickened in the presence of Daphnia (Cladocera) and its exudates. The aims of our study were: (1) to determine whether this type of response to Daphnia cues is common for other strains of A. gracile, and other species of filamentous cyanobacteria, (2) to test whether the response is due to nutrients recycled by Daphnia, or kairomone induced, and (3) whether it is related to toxin production. Prior to the experiment, cyanobacterial strains were inspected using chromatographic methods for the presence of two toxins, cylindrospermopsin (CYN) and three homologues of microcystin (MC-RR, MC-YR, MC-LR). HPLC analyses showed that all strains were free of cylindrospermopsin, whereas microcystins were detected only in one strain (Planktothrix agardhii). We then tested whether Daphnia exudates can cause thickening of cyanobacterial filaments, which would suggest the morphological changes in cyanobacterial filaments are caused by recycled nutrients. Cyanobacteria were also exposed to sodium octyl sulphate (a commercially available Daphnia kairomone). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to check whether Daphnia exudates and sodium octyl sulphate trigger thickening of cyanobacterial cell walls, which would be a defence mechanism against grazing. The TEM analysis revealed no significant effect of either Daphnia exudates or kairomone (sodium octyl sulphate) on the cell wall thickness of cyanobacteria. However, our study showed that Daphnia exudates triggered filament thickening in nostocalean cyanobacteria, while filaments of the oscillatorialean strain P. agardhii did not show this response. It was also demonstrated that sodium octyl sulphate alone can also cause filament thickening, which suggests that this might be a specific defence response to the presence of grazers.
Maximally Stable Extremal Regions and Naïve Bayes to Detect Scene Text

This study examines the performance of Maximally Stable Extremal Regions (MSER) and Naïve Bayes in detecting scene text. The variance of types and sizes of fonts, uneven lighting conditions, the text orientation, a complex background, occlusion, and the presence of objects that resemble text, make the scene text detection is quite challenging. The initial stage of the detection process is to use MSER to get the candidate characters in the image. The validation process of the candidate character uses the Naïve Bayes classifier, which we trained using char74k and CIFAR10 data sets. The classification process used HOG as the extracted features. The system validates the candidates by comparing the Naïve Bayes probability value with the specified threshold value. By using 100 images from ICDAR 2015, the research obtains a 50% reduction of the candidate with an accuracy increase of 8% for Naïve Bayes using threshold values. The result shows that Naïve Bayes with the thresholding value is better than the usual Naïve Bayes classification in selecting candidates.
Structure of Coastal Zone Herpetofaunal Communities in the Southern Laurentian Great Lakes

Abstract There are few studies of animal communities in coastal zones, especially those of herpetofauna. We conducted herpetofaunal surveys in open shoreline habitats for 3 yr in three large protected areas in the Mixedwoods Plains Ecozone of the southern Laurentian Great Lakes. These locations are isolated preserves in one of the most heavily human-modified areas of North America. We found 17 species with low to moderate similarity of species membership and highly uneven relative abundance and biomass. Common Five-Lined Skinks dominated communities in relative abundance, dominated biomass at one location, and codominated biomass with Common Gartersnakes and Eastern Foxsnakes or Milksnakes at the other two locations. Five other species also regularly inhabited the coastal zone, whereas others were more transient users. Review of species' dietary requirements suggest that consumption of arthropods and other invertebrates may play an important role in structuring the community. Both the legacy of historical and more recent anthropogenic changes have altered the structure of these communities into “novel ecosystems. ” Further study of coastal herpetofaunas and their functional role in ecosystems is warranted.
Impact of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Succession Policy on CEO Turnover Announcement in Malaysia

This paper presents a fresh perspective on chief executive officer (CEO) turnover, where the impact of CEO turnover on firm value is analysed based on whether the removal is planned or unplanned. A total of 146 announcements for ten years in Malaysia is examined using an event study method. The results indicate that, in general, CEO turnover announcements cause a significant reaction due to changes in the firmâ€™s investment decisions. Specifically, a significant positive impact exists when CEO turnover occurs as planned. In a planned turnover, the negative news of the removal of the CEO is immediately minimised with the positive news of a CEO appointment, indicating the positive impact of establishing a CEO succession plan on firm value. This finding adds new knowledge to the current literature and allows policymakers to examine the establishment of a CEO succession policy.
Evaluation of two storage methods for fungal isolates of Fusarium sp. and Cochliobolus sativus

Comparison of two storage techniques (Castellani’s method and freezing) was carried out for 16 isolates of four Fusarium head blight species and 54 isolates of Cochliobolus sativus causing spot blotch and common root rot. The viability, purity and morphological stability of cultures were verified for a one year period. Duplicate isolates were stored as a fungal suspension in sterile distilled water at 4 °C, and fungal cultures by freezing at –16 °C. The viability of 70 isolates was 100% for the two storage methods. Morphological alternations and pathogenic contaminations were not detected. All isolates were able to retain viability, purity and morphological stability by the two tested storage methods for over 12 months. Castellani’s method and freezing were found to be safe, easy, inexpensive and reliable.
Genetic variability and regression analysis for yield and quality traits in Brassica napus

An experiment was conducted to estimate the genetic variability and regression analysis for yield and quality traits in a set of eight brassica genotypes in a randomized complete block design with three replications at The University of Agriculture Peshawar, during 2011-12 cropping season. Significant genetic variability was recorded among genotypes for plant height, pods main receme-1, pod length, seed yield plant-1, 1000-seed weight, seeds pod-1, oil content, protein content, glucosinolate content, erucic acid content, oleic acid content and linolenic acid content except for primary branch plant-1 and pods plant-1 which showed non-significant differences. Genotypes, AUP-401, AUP-402, AUP-404 and AUP-407 showed potential performance for glucosinolate content (55.1 μmol g-1), seed yield plant-1 (23.93 g), pods plant-1 (268.83), protein contents (21.1 %), erucic acid contents (42.7 %) and oil contents (53.3 %). Seed yield plant-1 was taken as a dependent variable to study the effects of many morphological yield traits on it. Branches plant-1, pods main raceme-1, pods plant-1, and seed pod-1 showed a positive effect on seed yield plant-1, while 1000-seed weight, pod length, and plant height showed a negative effect on seed yield plant-1. Seed yield plant-1 as an independent variable showed a negative effect on oil content. Protein content as an independent variable showed a positive effect on erucic acid content, while oil contents as independent variables show a negative effect on protein contents, respectively. The developed germplasm could be used in the upcoming brassica breeding programs to release high yielding, disease resistance, stress tolerance, and insect resistance varieties, which will eventually upsurge the productivity and decrease the gap between demand and domestic production of the brassica crop.