Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of dates of sowing and insecticidal spary on arthropods diversity in direct seeded rice ecosystem

The present studies were conducted at Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana and PAU Regional Research Station Gurdaspur during Kharif 2017-18 to determine arthropods diversity under paired row direct seeded rice with different dates of sowing and sprayed & unsprayed condition. The total 94 species of arthropods were recorded in direct seeded rice ecosystem. Among three dates of sowing, the highest arthropods diversity index was observed in the second date of sowing (first fortnight of June) due to higher evenness index and it was followed by third (second fortnight of June) and first (second fortnight of May) date of sowing. Higher diversity was recorded at Gurdaspur as compared to Ludhiana. The highest leaffolder& stem borer incidence and planthoppers population was also observed in third date (second fortnight of June) of sowing. The leaffolder incidence and planthoppers population was higher at Gurdaspur whereas stem borer incidence was higher at Ludhiana.
Interparticle correlation in death processes with application to variability in compartmental models

This paper is concerned with a pure death process, starting with N individuals, with death rates μ n, n = 1, 2, …, N. It is shown that the fates of distinct individuals are positively correlated if μ n/n decreases with n, and negatively correlated if μ n/n increases with n. The application of this result to the problem of variability in compartmental models is elaborated and in particular a conjecture of Faddy (1985) is settled. Further applications to well-known death processes are also briefly described.
Exploring the Effect of In-Game Purchases on Mobile Game Use with Smartphone Trace Data

Microtransactions have become an integral part of the digital game industry. This has spurred researchers to explore the effects of this monetization strategy on players’ game enjoyment and intention to continue using the game. Hitherto, these relationships were exclusively investigated using cross-sectional survey designs. However, self-report measures tend to be only mildly correlated with actual media consumption. Moreover, cross-sectional designs do not allow for a detailed investigation into the temporal dimension of these associations. To address these issues, the current study leverages smartphone trace data to explore the longitudinal effect of in-game purchase behavior on continual mobile game use. In total, approximately 100,000 hours of mobile game activity among 6,340 subjects were analyzed. A Cox regression with time-dependent covariates was performed to examine whether performing in-game purchases affects the risk of players removing the game app from their repertoire. Results show that making an in-game purchase decreases this risk initially, prolonging the survival time of the mobile gaming app. However, this effect significantly changes over time. After the first three weeks, a reversal effect is found where previous in-game purchase behavior negatively affects the further survival of the game. Thus, mobile games without previous monetary investment are more prone to long-term continual game use if they survive the first initial weeks. Methodological and theoretical implications are discussed. As such, the current study adds to those studies that use computational methods within a traditional inferential framework to aid theory-driven inquiries.
Optimization of production conditions of amylase producing bacterial strains isolated from hot water springs of Manikaran in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh

The hot water springs provide an excellent source of microorganisms which contain such enzymes useful for industrial application. Amylase producing thermophilic bacterial strain was isolated from hot water springs of Manikaran falling in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Among the 8 isolates, MW-2 showed maximum amylase activity (93.80 IU) with specific activity (3.28 IU/mg). Optimum activity of isolate MW-2 showed enzyme production (262.15 IU) at a pH of 9.0 and temperature of 45°C after 72 h of incubation. It could be claimed that significant thermostability of the isolate MW-2 makes it a good candidate for amylase production for use in the industrial applications.
Examination of prospective science teachers’ achievement on basic geography topics and effectiveness of poster-based teaching for learning these topics

The purposes of this study were to examine prospective teachers’ achievement levels in basic geography topics and the effectiveness of a poster–based teaching for learning these topics. For the first goal, the study used an ex post facto quantitative research design, and the achievement level was quite low. The reason for this might be defective teaching methods, and it was needed to study an effective teaching method. For the second goal, the study used a one–group pre–posttest quasi–experimental research design, and the treatment was quite effective.
Size Control of Cobalt Oxide Nanoparticles
and Its Effect on the Fenton Catalytic Activity

Cobalt oxide nanoparticles were prepared using a precipitation-oxidation method at mild reaction conditions. The nanoparticles had spherical shapes and sizes that ranged from 4.6 nm to 19.4 nm as determined by TEM and XRD. XRD indicated that the nanoparticles consisted only of the Co3O4 phase. The nanoparticles’ size was controlled using different amounts of the oxidant, hydrogen peroxide. The size was controlled in the absence of capping molecules. The yield increased with an increase in the amount of hydrogen peroxide used. The cobalt oxide nanoparticles were used as catalyst for the Fenton reaction to degrade methylene blue dye by hydrogen peroxide oxidation. The catalytic activity increased with a decrease in particle size. A percentage degradation of 99 % in 30 minutes was obtained when the 4.6 nm sized nanoparticles was used as catalyst. No significant methylene blue degradation was observed in the absence of the catalyst.
Apium Graveolens Extract Attenuates Adjuvant Induced Arthritis by Reducing Oxidative Stress

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an Apium graveolens extract (AGE) on the arthritis in rats induced using Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Arthritis was induced by injecting CFA into the subplantar of the left hind paws. The AGE (250, 500, 1000 mg/kg) and prednisone 10 mg/kg were given orally at day 5 to day 28 after induction. Treatment of AGE significantly attenuated the severity of CFA-induced arthritis and decreased the arthritis score, paw and ankle thickness. Any histopathological changes were noted. The plasma levels of total peroxide (TP) and oxidative stress index (OSI) were significantly decreased by oral administration of AGE as well as the total antioxidant status (TAS) was significantly increased. Furthermore, oral administrations of AGE remarkably attenuated the increased nitric oxide (NO) levels after induction as was also the myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in plasma of CFA-induced arthritic rats. Practical Applications Apium graveolens Linn has been consumed as food and traditionally used for inflammatory diseases, gout and rheumatic condition. However, there is no report for pharmacological activity of A. graveolens in the treatment of arthritis. Our results indicate that A. graveolens could alleviate CFA-induced arthritis in rats by decreasing the level of TP, OSI, NO and MPO activity as well as by increasing the level of TAS. Insights from our study may provide the beneficial uses of A. graveolens as a functional food and nutraceutical development for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Effect of Easiness, Service Quality, Price, Trust of Quality of Information, and Brand Image of Consumer Purchase Decision on Shopee Online Purchase

Technological developments are so rapid to bring impact and influence to all areas of life without exception e-commerce. Recent advances in web-based technologies and applications lead to the emergence of new developments that affect electronic trading. Trade of e-commerce encourages consumers to actively participate in the purchase and sale of products and services in the market and online community. However, the effect on the factors that influence and make the consumer are interested of trading the e-commerce marketplace/ platform has not yet achieved the right formula and is not well understood, causing policy-making are less effective in increasing consumer purchase decisions can thus have a negative impact on online purchase behavior of consumers. In this study proposed several variables that are considered influential in the purchase decision of the consumer (such as convenience, quality of service, price, trust, information quality and brand image) that will be modeled in the form of a hypothesis and the next will be in to do testing to prove the hypothesis on the independent variables proposed. The results of the study shows that the ease and brand image have a positive significant impact on purchase decisions online in the marketplace Shopee. While the quality of service, price, trust and information quality has no significant effect on purchasing decisions online in the marketplace Shopee. Shopee can maintain and evaluate the level of convenience and a brand image that is already good and improve the quality of service, price, trust and information quality as an effort to improve the purchase decision of the consumers.
Diversity of flowering insects and their impact on yields of Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench, 1794 (Malvaceae) in Yaoundé (Cameroon)

To evaluate the diversity and impact of insect pollinators on pod and seed yields of Abelmoschus esculentus, its foraging and pollinating behavior were studied in Yaoundé, during the mild raining season (March-June) in 2014 and 2017. Treatments included unlimited floral access by all visitors and bagged flowers to avoid all insect pollinators. For each year of study, observations were made on 32 ± 2 flowers per treatment. The insects’ activities, its foraging behavior, and its impact on pollination were recorded. The foraging activities of insect pollinators increased the number of seeds/pod by 15.09% in 2014 and 20.57 in 2017 and the normal seeds by 44.49% in 2014 and 5.38% in 2017. Therefore, conservation of nests and colonies of insect pollinators close to A. esculentus crop fields should be recommended to improve pod and seed production in the region.
DEVELOPMENT OF SYSTEM-LEVEL COLLAPSE FRAGILITY CURVES FOR DUCTILE REINFORCED CONCRETE BLOCK STRUCTURAL WALLS SYSTEMS IN CANADA

Within the framework of performance-based design of reinforced masonry structural walls (RMSW), seismic risk assessment is key to evaluating the vulnerability of RMSW systems under different levels of seismic demands. Current and previous experimental studies that focused on the performance of RMSW components have demonstrated their ductile response when designed and detailed according to prescriptive seismic code requirements. A recent component-level experimental study by the authors on RMSW quantified key seismic performance parameters of RMSW with different configurations. The RMSW were tested under fully reversed cyclic loading simulating seismic effects. The results show that even for RMSW detailed to meet the requirements of the same seismic design category, their seismic performance can vary significantly. To further examine system-level of RMSW, an archetype RMSW office building designed according to the NBCC 2010 and CSA S304-14 was utilized to develop collapse fragility curves. As a first step, using a distributed plasticity model within the OpenSees platform, an analytical model was developed and calibrated using experimental RMSW test results. Subsequently, incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) was performed to study the system-level RMSW performance under several synthetic ground motion records, with response spectra that match that of the NBCC 2010 design spectrum for Victoria, British Columbia. Using the IDA results, the median collapse intensity and dispersion were estimated and the system-level collapse fragility curves were fitted using the method of moment estimator.
Public Perception of the Development of Café Business and its Affect on the Sustainable Conservation District Images : The Case of Braga, Bandung - Indonesia

Conservation district has a vital role in supporting a sustainable city. One form of revitalization strategy in conservation district is to incorporate new functions into old buildings, such as café business. The involvement of stakeholders is required to achieve proper implementations of sustainable revitalization, and one of them is the café visitors as the users. The purpose of this study was to find out public perceptions of the development of café business and how café buildings affect the image of Braga conservation district. Several cafés in Braga District of Bandung City were chosen as the object of this research study. This mixed qualitative-quantitative research collected data using the online questionnaire method, unstructured interviews and direct observation. Data analysis was performed quantitatively using distribution analysis. The results of the study showed that the majority of café visitors who are millennial generations visited the café for social interactions. in addition, it was also found that the physical aspects of the café building were also the reason they were attracted to visit the café. Although many cafés arise, public could still feel the image of the Braga conservation district. The café that was considered the most representative of the district's image was a café that retains its original appearance, brings the concept of locality and provide setbacks. The results of this study can be input for the government and the private sector as a direction for the development of sustainable conservation districts. Keywords: conservation district, sustainable, revitalization, café, public perception, conservation district images
Diet of Dermatonotus muelleri (Anura: Microhylidae) in a semi-deciduous forest in western Brazil

Anurans are important predators and preys in neotropical food webs linking different trophic levels. A small portion of them are specialist predator what is related with mouth size and morphology. Herein, we report the diet of Dermatonotus muelleri (Microhylidae) from a semideciduous forest in Western Brazil. We collected a total of 63 adults of D. muelleri (females and males) from the Selviria municipality, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. We did not find differences between male and female diet composition. The most frequent preys found were isopterans(63.34%) and hymenopterans (26.67%). All hymenopterans identified belong to the Formicidaefamily. Our results defined Dermatonotus muelleri as an ant-specialist predator and agree with previous studies about the diets of neotropical Microhylid frogs like Chiasmocleis albopunctata , C. bassleri , C. capixaba , C. hudsoni , C. jimi , C. leucosticta , C. shudikarensis , C. ventrimaculata , Ctenophryne geayi , Elachistocleis bicolor, E. ovalis , E. pearsei , and E. panamensis .
Brushing Reduces Thrips and Aphid Populations on Some Greenhouse-grown Vegetable Transplants

«Sunny» tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), «BlackBeauty» eggplant (Solanum melongena var. esculentum L. Nees.), or «Sugar Baby» watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] were nontreated, subjected to brushing (20 strokes twice daily) or drought conditioning (2 hours daily wilt), or maintained undisturbed using ebb-and-flow irrigation. One week after brushing or drought conditioning, plants were inoculated with western Dowerthrips (Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande) or green peach aphid (Myzus persicae Sulzer). Brushing and drought conditioning reduced plant height and shoot dry weight of all crops. Brushing of all three species generally reduced the number of thrips, as indicated by number of feeding scars or percent leaf area damaged
University of Birmingham Diatoms as indicators of the effects of river impoundment at multiple spatial scales

River impoundment constitutes one of the most important anthropogenic impacts on the World’s rivers. An increasing number of studies have tried to quantify the effects of river impoundment on riverine ecosystems over the past two decades, often focusing on the effects of individual large reservoirs. This study is one of the first to use a large-scale, multi-year diatom dataset from a routine biomonitoring network to analyse sample sites downstream of a large number of water supply reservoirs ( n = 77) and to compare them with paired unregulated control sites. We analysed benthic diatom assemblage structure and a set of derived indices, including ecological guilds, in tandem with multiple spatio-temporal variables to disclose patterns of ecological responses to reservoirs beyond the site-specific scale. Diatom assemblage structure at sites downstream of water supply reservoirs was significantly different to control sites, with the effect being most evident at the regional scale. We found that regional influences were important drivers of differences in assemblage structure at the national scale, although this effect was weaker at downstream sites, indicating the homogenising effect of river impoundment on diatom assemblages. Sites downstream of reservoirs typically exhibited a higher taxonomic richness, with the strongest increases found within the motile guild. In addition, Trophic Diatom Index (TDI) values were typically higher at downstream sites. Water quality gradients appeared to be an important driver of diatom assemblages, but the influence of other abiotic factors could not be ruled out and should be investigated further. Our results demonstrate the value of diatom assemblage data from national-scale biomonitoring networks to detect the effects of water supply reservoirs on instream communities at large spatial scales. This information may assist water resource managers with the future implementation of mitigation measures such as setting environmental flow targets.
The Making of the South African Past: Major Historians on Race and Class

Over the past one hundred years, a body of historical knowledge and writing has been built up which has sought to explain and describe the unique configuration of South African Society. In the historical evolution of this society prominence and sometimes primacy have been variously accorded to the concepts of race and class. This survey of the lives and works of the major historians of South AfricaoG. M. Theal, W. M. Macmillan, C. W. de Kiewiet, Leonard Thompson, Shula Marks and othersoexamines the ways in which the South African past has been recreated and interpreted anew. Contents: Introduction 1; PART I:3 G.M. THEAL; 1 A Canadian becomes South African 9; 2 The making of a settler historian 18; 3 Race and Class 30; 4 Racial myths and Theal's legacy 36; PART 2:3 W.M. MACMILLAN AND C.W. DE KIEWIET; 5 Macmillan: the South African years, and after 47; 6 The revisionist historian 62; 7 De Kiewiet: from Johannesburg to America 76; 8 The master historian 81; 9 Race, class, and liberal history 95; PART 3:3 AMATEURS AND PROFESSIONALS; 10 Early Africanist work 105; 11 Walker and other historians of the 1930s and 1940s; 12 Historians of the 1940s and 1950s 121; 13 Early radical writing 131; PART 4:3 THE LIBERAL AFRICANISTS; 14 The beginnings of liberal Africanism 143; 15 The Oxford History 154; PART 5:3 THE RADICAL CHALLENGE; 16 The challenge begins 165; 17 Class and race, structure and process 177; 18 Changing perspectives 186; Conclusion 192; References 198; Select bibliography 219; Index 235^R
On an optimal selection problem of Cowan and Zabczyk

Cowan and Zabczyk (1978) have studied a continuous-time generalization of the so-called secretary problem, where options arise according to a homogeneous Poisson processes of known intensity λ. They gave the complete strategy maximizing the probability of accepting the best option under the usual no-recall condition. In this paper, the solution is extended to the case where the intensity λ is unknown, and also to the case of an inhomogeneous Poisson process with intensity function λ (t), which is either supposed to be known or known up to a multiplicative constant.
Cohesion Policy and the citizens’ perceptions of the EU: the role of communication and implementation

ABSTRACT EU Cohesion Policy has arguably the most tangible impact on the citizens’ environment and livelihoods and can potentially boost their attachment to the European project. Beyond the cross-national transactionalist hypothesis, Cohesion Policy spending has a local impact and may affect the lives of citizens who do not benefit directly from cross-national transactions, like education, work, investment and travel in other European countries. One could thus expect that Cohesion Policy has a significant positive impact on the ways in which citizens perceive the EU. But what happens when a country is a net contributor to the EU’s budget receiving a relatively small amount of Cohesion Policy funding, the bulk of it being invested in poorer European territories? Building on the cases of two Dutch regions – Flevoland and Limburg – this paper investigates the extent to which the citizens are aware of Cohesion Policy interventions and how the features of communication on and implementation of Cohesion Policy affect this awareness.
Tumor venéreo transmisible diseminado sobre piel, párpados y pene en un perro: Reporte de caso

El tumor venereo transmisible canino (TVT) es una neoplasia benigna de celulas redondas que afecta frecuentemente la mucosa genital externa de perros. El olfateo y el lamido permiten la implantacion de las celulas tumorales en zonas extragenitales con formacion de metastasis. Se relata un caso de TVT diseminado en piel, parpados y pene en un perro macho mestizo. Las lesiones localizadas en la parte dorsal y lateral de la zona toracica y abdominal presentaban varios nodulos alopecicos ulcerados y bien vascularizados, con aspecto friable y con secrecion purulenta. El parpado superior izquierdo y derecho presentaban una masa granulosa con areas de necrosis y queratitis bilateral. En la base del pene se presentaba una masa granulosa firme y bien delimitada. El analisis citologico de los nodulos cutaneos, de los parpados y la masa del pene revelo hallazgos compatibles con TVT, el que fue confirmado con analisis histopatologico. Ademas se determino la presencia de LINE-1 en el oncogen c-myc como una alteracion genetica conocida para CTVT. Se establecio un protocolo quimioterapico sobre la base de sulfato de vincristina. Previo a cada sesion de quimioterapia se tomaron hemogramas para prevenir mielosupresion. Posterior a la tercera sesion se observo una anemia no regenerativa moderada que fue resuelta suspendiendo durante 2 semanas la terapia. La terapia con sulfato de vincristina fue efectiva para producir la regresion de todos los tumores en 6 sesiones, sin mostrar recurrencia