Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolutionary history of Heptapteridae catfishes using ultraconserved elements (Teleostei, Siluriformes)

Heptapteridae is composed of 228 valid species allocated in 24 genera, making it the most diverse family within superfamily Pimelodoidea, a clade endemic to the Neotropical freshwaters. Heptapterids are widely distributed from southern Mexico to the Pampas of Argentina and occupy a variety of habitats generally in small‐ to medium‐sized rivers. To evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of Heptapteridae, we used a matrix with 1,319 ultraconserved elements (UCEs) from the genome from 56 specimens spanning 42 species and 24 genera of Heptapteridae and 19 related siluriform taxa. Maximum likelihood, Bayesian and coalescent‐based analyses strongly supported the monophyly of Heptapteridae and confirmed previous hypotheses of a sister relationship between Heptapteridae and Conorhynchos conirostris. We provide the evidence to recognize two subfamilies: (1) Rhamdiinae (Goeldiella, Rhamdella, Rhamdia, Brachyrhamdia, Pimelodella) and (2) Heptapterinae; with two tribes: Brachyglaniini new tribe (Gladioglanis, Myoglanis, Brachyglanis and Leptorhamdia) and Heptapterini (Mastiglanis, Chasmocranus, Cetopsorhamdia, Pariolius, Phenacorhamdia, Nemuroglanis, Imparfinis, Taunayia, Rhamdioglanis, Acentronichthys, Rhamdiopsis and Heptapterus). Inside Heptapterini, we recognize five subclades and provide putative morphological synapomorphies. This paper represents the first molecular hypothesis of intergeneric and interspecific relationships helping to better delineate heptapterid taxa.
Biodiesel production waste as promising biomass precursor of reusable activated carbons for caffeine removal

Biodiesel production generates low particle size rapeseed waste (recovered from warehouse air filtration systems) that was herein explored as promising biomass precursor of chemically activated carbons. The influence of several experimental parameters on the porosity development was investigated. No benefit was observed when solution impregnation was made nor a significant dependence of the biomass : K2CO3 ratio was observed and, as expected, high porosity development was obtained only for treatments at 700 °C. Microporous materials with apparent surface area around 1000 m2 g−1 were obtained comparing favorably with literature data regarding activated carbons from rapeseed processing by-products. A selected lab-made sample and two commercial carbons were tested as adsorbents of caffeine from aqueous solution. Although commercial materials present a quicker adsorption rate, regarding adsorption capacity the lab-made sample reaches the same value attained by a benchmark material. The regeneration tests made over the rapeseed derived carbon through heat treatments at 600 °C for 1 hour under N2 flow proved that at least two exhaustion–regeneration cycles can be made since the material retains a caffeine adsorption capacity similar to that of the fresh carbon. Therefore, a waste management problem of biodiesel industry – rapeseed residue – can be transformed in a valuable material with promising properties for environmental remediation processes.
Differences in Pollination Efficiency Among Three Bee Species in a Greenhouse and Their Effects on Yield and Fruit Quality of Northern Highbush ‘Bluecrop’ Blueberry

Different pollinators exhibit different adaptability to plants. Here, we compared the performance in visiting frequency and pollination efficiency among three bee pollinators (Bombus terrestris, Apis cerana, and Apis mellifera) on greenhouse-grown northern highbush ‘Bluecrop’ blueberry plants and evaluate their effects on yield and fruit quality. Our results indicated that the duration of daily flower-visiting of B. terrestris was 24 and 64 minutes longer than that of A. cerana and A. mellifera, respectively, and the visiting time of a single flower for B. terrestris was substantially shorter than the other two bee species, and pollen deposition on the stigma from single visit by B. terrestris was twice and three times that of A. cerana and A. mellifera, respectively. The yield of individual plants pollinated by B. terrestris showed an increase of 11.4% and 20.0% compared with the plants pollinated by A. cerana and A. mellifera, respectively, with the rate of Grade I fruit (>18 mm diameter) reaching 50.8%, compared with 32.9% and 22.5% for A. cerana and A. mellifera groups, respectively. Moreover, the early-to-midseason yield of plants pollinated by B. terrestris was higher, and the ripening time was 3 to 4 days earlier. An artificial pollination experiment demonstrated that seed set of high (≈300), medium (90–110), and low (20–30) pollination amounts were 43.0%, 42.5%, and 10.5%, respectively, and the corresponding mean weights of single fruits (related to the seed number inside) were 2.8, 2.7, and 1.2 g, respectively. The highly efficient pollination of B. terrestris was attributed to its behavior of buzz-pollination. Therefore, it is preferential for pollination of ‘Bluecrop’ blueberry in the greenhouse.
The effect of emergent technologies on accountant`s ethical blindness

The accounting field has come under scrutiny after a number of high-profile ethical scandals dealing with organizational fraud has been tied to the profession. While several accounting standards have been established to ensure the integrity, objectivity, and professional competency of accountants; the power of the situation and individual motivations are challenges that may ethically blind accountants and result in fraud. In this paper, we explore the combinative effect of three emergent technologies: Blockchain-based, IoT-enabled and AI-empowered distributed ledger on reducing the risk of accounting ethical blindness. We examine how technical features of emergent technologies present both gains and challenges to ethical decision-making for the accounting profession. While some of these challenges can be overcome by adopting all three emerging technologies, others require social and legal interference to avoid the challenges of these technologies. Keywords: Emergent technology, accounting ethical blindness, blockchain, artificial intelligence, internet of things.
The contribution of Design Thinking to the R of R&D in technological innovation

Literature on Design Thinking has mainly focused on whether its key principles enhance performance in the development phase (the D of R&D) of the technological innovation process. However, it has dedicated scant attention to the earlier research phase (the R of R&D). This aspect is surprising, given that many innovations fail as a result of early research actions and decisions. This article examines how it is possible and desirable to apply Design Thinking to the research phase of the technological innovation process. How can Design Thinking support innovation, even when advanced breakthrough technologies are at stake, the market is distant, and product applications and specific user needs have not been identified yet? To respond to this question, we investigate the research work of the design center of a global electronics company that uses a design approach called Proxemics to envision future interactions between bodies (people), objects (technology), and spaces (context). Although Proxemics is consistent with and implements the human centeredness and experimentation principles of Design Thinking, results of this study show that its logics and tools are different from those used in Design Thinking in the D of R&D due to the more abstract the
Achievement goal orientations and perceived physical competence profiles in adolescent physical activity

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationships between achievement goals and perceived physical competence in a sample of 4493 adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age (M=14.92, SD=2.08). A cluster analysis was performed to (1) identify cluster profiles of the adolescents based on their goal orientations and perceived physical competence, and (2) assess whether clusters differed in gender, age, and participation in physical activity. Three stable clusters reflecting different achievement goals and perceived physical competence profiles were identified: high, moderate, and low task orientation and perceived competence. Differences were found in genders, age, and physical activity frequency. The discussion focuses on the implications for educators, physical education teachers, and coaches and provides information for possible strategies to foster physical activity in adolescents.
Effect of Ballistic Bouncing of Gas Particles across a Microchannel on Rarefied Gas Flows

This paper proposes a novel computationally efficient method of modeling rarefied gas flow in microchannels based on the newly discovered and mathematically proven Ballistic Principle of the Property Balance in Space (BPPBS). The mechanism of influence of the effect of rarefication on the gas flow is specifically investigated. Also, a differential form of the momentum balance equation governing gas flow in the channel between two parallel plates due to the pressure gradient along the channel and its exact implicit solution in the form of an integral equation have been derived. The theory does not use the generalized concept of viscosity based on the variable mean free path (MFP) in the Knudsen layer (KL). Comparing the normalized flow rate as a function of the inverse Knudsen number according to the current theory and the experimental data shows good agreement in the range of the inverse Knudsen number from 0.01 to about 40. The correlation factor is found to be about 0.995. The results show that our approach based on the BPPBS offers substantial and practical advantages in modeling and simulation of rarefied gases. The validity of the widely disseminated claim of the geometry-dependent MFP in the KL was analyzed.
The effect of artisanal gold mining on aquatic insect communities: a case study in Costa Rica

Abstract Among the anthropogenic disturbances that affect rivers, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has recently generated great concern regarding the deterioration of aquatic ecosystems. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of ASGM on the assemblages of aquatic insects. For this, aquatic insects were sampled from two actively mined streams in the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. ASGM produces significant changes in the richness, abundance and assemblage’s composition of aquatic insects. These changes, however, are mitigated a few meters downstream, after encountering a seemingly undisturbed tributary, for which the stream seems to keep its stability through resilience. For ASGM activities that have low intensities of extraction and don’t use pollutant chemicals for amalgamation, keeping a low intensity of the activity and a considerable distance between goldmining sites could be an option for a more sustainable development of this activity, since it allows biodiversity to be partially restored.
Enabling service innovation and firm performance: the role of co-creation and technological innovation in the hospitality industry

ABSTRACT This study empirically explores the impact of co-creation on technological innovation and firm performance in the hospitality industry. Further, it examines the influence of technological innovation on service innovation and firm performance. Data were collected, using questionnaires, from 340 managers of the luxury hotels (one to five star) operating in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, India. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationship between the hypotheses. The findings confirm the positive relationship among all the constructs of the integrated model and provide valuable managerial guidance and implications in the context of hospitality industry.
Lethal interactions among forest‐grouse predators are numerous, motivated by hunger and carcasses, and their impacts determined by the demographic value of the victims

Abstract New vertebrate communities are emerging in Europe following the recovery of multiple native predators to highly anthropized landscapes where predator control is still prevalent. While the lack of reference points for these communities creates novel challenges for conservationists and wildlife managers, they also provide opportunities to further our understanding of species interactions. Despite a growing body of evidence, many aspects of interactions among predators remain poorly understood, impairing our ability to anticipate the effects of such changes in predator communities. Through a systematic literature review, we gathered all the available evidence concerning the existence, strength, and demographic impacts of lethal predator interactions among forest‐grouse predators in Europe. We found a highly interconnected predator community, with 44 pairwise lethal interactions among 12 taxa. Three of these resulted in some degree of population suppression of the victim, while another three did not. However, most interactions (38) have not been evaluated for population suppression. Additionally, we highlight how predators interact simultaneously with a large range of other predators and identified at least two further taxa possibly suppressed through the combined impacts of multiple predators. We propose that interactions causing demographic suppression are characterized by impacts on individuals with high survival elasticity and that they are motivated by food limitation and additionally, in mammals, by competition for carcasses. Predator interactions, and our still poor understanding of them, introduce large uncertainties to conservation actions based on the management of predator abundances, which should be carefully evaluated.
Condensation heat transfer on superhydrophobic surfaces

Condensation is a phase change phenomenon often encountered in nature, as well as used in industry for applications including power generation, thermal management, desalination, and environmental control. For the past eight decades, researchers have focused on creating surfaces allowing condensed droplets to be easily removed by gravity for enhanced heat transfer performance. Recent advancements in nanofabrication have enabled increased control of surface structuring for the development of superhydrophobic surfaces with even higher droplet mobility and, in some cases, coalescence-induced droplet jumping. Here, we provide a review of new insights gained to tailor superhydrophobic surfaces for enhanced condensation heat transfer considering the role of surface structure, nucleation density, droplet morphology, and droplet dynamics. Furthermore, we identify challenges and new opportunities to advance these surfaces for broad implementation in thermofluidic systems.
Species boundaries in the messy middle -- testing the hypothesis of micro-endemism in a recently diverged lineage of coastal fog desert lichen fungi

Species delimitation among closely related species is challenging because traditional phenotype-based approaches, e.g., morphology, ecological, or chemical characteristics, often produce conflicting results. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing, it has become increasingly cost-effective to acquire genome-scale data which can resolve previously ambiguous species boundaries. As the availability of genome-scale data has increased, numerous species delimitation analyses, such as BPP and SNAPP+Bayes factor delimitation (BFD*), have been developed to delimit species boundaries. However, even empirical molecular species delimitation approaches can be biased by confounding evolutionary factors, e.g., hybridization/introgression and incomplete lineage sorting, and computational limitations. Here we investigate species boundaries and the potential for micro-endemism in a lineage of lichen-forming fungi, Niebla Rundel & Bowler in the family Ramalinaceae. The species delimitation models tend to support more specious groupings, but were unable to infer robust, consistent species delimitations. The results of our study highlight the problem of delimiting species, particularly in groups such as Niebla, with complex, recent phylogeographic histories.
Are Coaching Competence and Resilience of Managers a Success Factor for Companies?

This study aims on assessing the success relevance of different management styles and resilience approaches for business performance. Design/methodology/approach: Based on surveying CEOs of Austrian midsized companies, this research applies explorative data analysis approaches to analyze the attitudes of the surveyed CEOs towards different management styles and resilience approaches in the context of firm performance indicators. Findings and Originality: A coaching approach in management and the consideration of resilience in its different dimensions – organizational resilience, the manager’s consciousness for his personal resilience, and a management style focusing on the resilience of employees – could not be found as success-relevant for both Key business performance indicators, such as sales performance or earning power.
EFFICACY OF CATFISH (PANGASIUS HYPOPHTHALMUS) OIL TO OVERCOME STUNTING BY REDUCING INFLAMMATORY CONDITION

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) oil on hs-CRP and transthyretin levels of undernourished Wistar rats. Methods: Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into five equal groups. Healthy control (KN) is normal rats that consumed a standard diet only and negative control (K-) is undernourished rats that consumed a protein-free diet only. Undernourished rats that consumed a protein free diet and catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) oil at doses 0.020 ml/200 g-body-weight/d, 0.040 ml/200 g-body-weight/d and 0.060 ml/200 g-body-weight/d were classified to P1, P2 and P3 groups, respectively. Hs-CRP is a parameter to evaluate inflammatory condition. Transthyretin and body weight are parameters for measuring nutritional status. Results: Treatment of catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) oil on P3 group significantly increases body weight of rats (p<0.05) compare to K-, P1 and P2 groups. There were significant difference of hs-CRP levels in P1, P2 and P3 groups (p<0.05) compare to K-. Hs-CRP levels in P1, P2 and P3 groups compared lower to K-but higher than KN. The mean value of hs-CRP levels in the P3 group (dose 0.060 ml/200 g-body-weight/d) was lower than the other treatment groups. Otherwise, there were no significant difference of TTR levels in P1, P2 and P3 group (p>0.05) compared to K-. Conclusion: The present study showed that catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) oil has the potential effect to increase body weight and reduce inflammatory biomarker (hs-CRP) levels but has no effect to increase TTR levels in undernourished Wistar rats.
Cognitive and behavioral coping in response to wildlife disease: The case of hunters and chronic wasting disease

ABSTRACT The transactional model of stress and coping (TMSC) provides a conceptual framework for understanding adaptations to stressors like chronic wasting disease (CWD). Understanding hunter response to stressors is important because decreased participation and satisfaction can affect individual well-being, cultural traditions, agency revenue, and local economies. Using TMSC, we explored how deer hunters coped with CWD. We also compared involvement, and impacts and emotions related to CWD, inside and outside a CWD management zone. Then we examined coping related to CWD presence, and if the disease affected human health. Most hunters would cope using product shift (i.e., eating meat after a negative test result) rather than displacement (i.e., hunting elsewhere) or dropout. Hunters who may be displaced reported lower involvement in deer hunting, and increased worry about CWD. Results suggest that CWD information and testing may increase hunter worry. Funding expanded testing without prompting displacement or dropout are important management considerations.
Prejudice towards Immigrants: The Importance of Social Context, Ideological Postulates, and Perception of Outgroup Threat

Recent years have witnessed a rise in support for political parties with an anti-immigration sentiment and nationalistic rhetoric as their distinguishing traits. Within this context, our study, through a survey, analyses the relation of prejudice toward immigrants with ideological postulates of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance and outgroup threat. With a sample of 247 individuals (54.7% men and 45.3% women), our results reveal that positions favouring right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance and perception of realistic and symbolic threat have an influence on negative attitudes toward immigrants. At the same time, greater prejudice is found in those individuals scoring high in authoritarianism and symbolic threat. These results confirm, on one hand, the dual process motivation model of ideology and prejudice, and on the other, the bifactor structure of outgroup threat. As a conclusion, we propose that in order to foment peaceful coexistence and reduce hostility towards minority groups within today’s social context, it is important to consider the relevance of ideological postulates and outgroup threat. It is a priority to design public policies that favour the inclusion and integration of minority groups with the goal of building more sustainable societies that respect human rights.
From Island Biogeography to Conservation: A Multi-Taxon and Multi-Taxonomic Rank Approach in the Tuscan Archipelago

Investigating the drivers that support species richness (S) in insular contexts can give insights for the conservation of insular biodiversity. Our aim was to decouple the effect of drivers (island area, distance from mainland and habitat diversity) accounted in three hypotheses or a combination of them in explaining S in seven islands of the Tuscan Archipelago: Area (species–area relationship, SAR), area and distance from mainland (equilibrium hypothesis, EQH) and habitat (habitat diversity hypothesis, HDH). We used published and original datasets to assess S (except aliens) for 42 taxa (14 animal and 28 plant taxa) in each island, and we used S as the dependent variable and the drivers as covariates in regression models. In 31 taxa, the data supported one of the tested hypotheses or a combination of them, and the most commonly supported hypotheses were SAR (12 taxa) and EQH (10 taxa). The effect of the area was also evident in SAR + HDH (five taxa) and EQH + HDH (one taxon), making it the prevailing driver in explaining S. Since distances are relatively short, and three out of four islands are land-bridge islands, the effect of distance was significant for 12 taxa. The effects of habitat diversity were evident for just nine taxa. The multi-taxon approach allowed us to understand the differential effect of drivers among taxa in influencing S in a single archipelago. Moreover, the multi-taxonomic rank approach highlighted how the information contained within higher taxonomic ranks (e.g., Division) can be substantially different from that derived from lower ranks (e.g., Family). These insights are of particular importance from a conservation perspective of the archipelago’s biodiversity, and this approach can be transferred to mainland fragmented systems.