Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insecticidal activity of seed extracts of Carica papaya (L.) against the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae)

SUMMARY The present study shows that natural products from Carica papaya can be considered as a valid alternative to control pests in agriculture. The insecticide properties of the seed extracts of four cultivars of C. papaya (Maradol, Mammee, Yellow and Hawaiian) were added to an artificial insect diet. Bio assays were conducted with hexanic, acetonic and methanolic extracts at concentrations of 10, 100 and 1000ppm. All tests were performed with the first larval stage of Spodoptera frugiperda. The response variable was insect mortality. Extracts from seeds of the Maradol, Mammee and Yellow cultivars of C. papaya, followed by extracts from seeds of the Hawaiian cultivar, applied at concentrations of 10, 100 and 1000ppm, were toxic on S. frugiperda larvae (50-70% corrected mortality rate). The acetonic extracts of the Maradol and Mammee cultivars at 10ppm were the most effective, causing mortalities of 73.6 and 62.8% of the larvae, respectively.
Inhibition of NF-κB Activity by a Membrane-Transducing Mutant of IκBα1

The transcription factor NF-κB is regulated by the IκB family of proteins. The nonphosphorylatable, nondegradable superrepressor IκBα (srIκBα) mutant is a potent inhibitor of NF-κB activity when expressed in cells. We generated a form of srIκBα in which its N terminus is fused to the protein transduction domain of HIV TAT (TAT-srIκBα). Purified TAT-srIκBα protein rapidly and efficiently entered HeLa or Jurkat T cells. TAT-srIκBα, when exogenously added to HeLa cells, inhibited in a dose-dependent manner TNF-α- or IL-1β-induced NF-κB activation and binding of NF-κB to its consensus DNA sequence. TAT-srIκBα was coimmunoprecipitated with the p65 subunit of NF-κB, and this interaction was resistant to stimulation with IL-1β. Therefore, TAT-srIκBα-mediated inhibition could result from its nonreversible binding and sequestration of endogenous NF-κB. In contrast, exogenously added TAT-srIκBα did not inhibit IL-1β-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, or p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases or the phosphorylation and degradation of endogenous IκBα. These results identify a novel way for direct regulation of NF-κB activity in diverse cell types that may be useful for therapeutic purposes.
The Effect of Shade and Thickness on the Depth of Cure of Bulk-Fill Composites with Different Viscosities

Statement of the Problem: In an attempt to enhance and simplify the restoration process, a new class of composite resins, called the bulk fill composite resins have been introduced. It is claimed that a depth of cure (DOC) of 4 mm can be achieved without affecting the properties of this material. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different shades, thicknesses, and viscosities on the DOC of bulk-fill composites. Materials and Method: In this experimental study, four bulk-fill composites [Filtek™ Bulk Fill Flowable (FBF), Filtek™ Bulk Fill posterior (FBP), Tetric® N-Flow Bulk Fill (TNF), Tetric® N-Ceram Bulk Fill (TNC)] and a conventional composite, Filtek™ Z250 XT Universal (FZ) were evaluated. The samples (n=5) were made using two different shades (light and dark), thicknesses (2 and 4mm), and viscosities (flowable and sculptable). Microhardness test was conducted on top and bottom surface using Vickers microhardness tester and DOC was calculated as the bottom/top ratio of yielded scores. Statistical analysis was done using a Mann Whitney test at p< 0.05. Results: DOC ranged between 52-95%. FBF composite exhibited the lowest overall hardness numbers. At 2-mm thickness, all the samples achieved an appropriate DOC. However, at 4mm thickness, only the light shades for FBF and TNF samples achieved a DOC very close to 0.8. At 4-mm thickness, the light shades for FBF, TNF and FZ samples exhibited significantly higher DOC compared to dark shades. For 4-mm-thick samples, the DOC of Filtek™ Bulk Fill (dark and light shades (and the DOC of Tetric® Bulk Fill (light shade (were different in flowable type from the sculptable type. Conclusion: The shade and the viscosity of bulk-fill composites influence their DOC at 4-mm depths. Moreover, 20 seconds of light curing appears insufficient for 4mm thickness of bulk-fill composite.
A Proposal for Path Loss Prediction in Urban Environments using Support Vector Regression

—In the last few years, the mobile data trafﬁc has grown exponentially making evident the importance of wireless networks. To ensure an acceptable level of quality of service for users in a wireless data network, network designers rely on signal propagation path loss models. To provide adaptability, the use of machine learning techniques has been considered to predict characteristics of the wireless channel. In this work, we propose a method for predicting path loss in an urban outdoor environment using support vector regression. Simulation results indicate that, depending on the employed kernel and its parameters, the performance obtained using support vector regression is similar and with lower computational complexity to that obtained by a multilayer perceptron neural network.
The Role of Institutional Quality in Enhancing Social Cohesion

Social cohesion is considered to be important for a society. The role of state institutions is to bring state closer to its population. The effective connection between state and society may be possible only through changing institutions. Present study is an attempt to explore the impact of institutional quality in enhancing social cohesion in a society. For analysis purpose, the study uses five year average panel data from 1990 to 2010 of 68 developing countries. For estimation purpose fixed effect and random effect models as suggested by Hausman test have been used in different specification of the model. The results of the study reveal that better institutional quality enhances social cohesion and income inequality is a threat to social cohesion while diversity is not a harmful to social cohesion. Furthermore, equality and prosperity both enhance social cohesion. The study recommends that on one hand efforts should be made to reduce inequality and on the other hand there is a need to build up social cohesion. These can be achieved through redesigning the institutions ensuring that it is better fit to local needs. The study concludes that social cohesion can be achieved through introducing and re-structuring the policy reforms in developing countries.
THE DETERMINANTS OF INVESTMENT IN ISLAMIC SUKUK: A STUDY OF LIBYAN INVESTORS

The devastating effect of the global financial crisis and the urgent need of the Africa countries to achieve strong macroeconomic growth motivate the policymakers in many countries to strengthen their financial institution by providing a more comprehensive, stable financial system that can promote economic growth and stability (Norat, Pinon & Zeidane, 2015). Consistent with this noble objective is the introduction of the Islamic mode of finance which offers different investment services that conform with the Islamic Shari’ah (IIFM, 2018). One of the notable Islamic mode of business finance is the introduction of Islamic Sukuk ((Norat, Pinon & Zeidane, 2015). Worldwide, the growth of Islamic mode of business finance, in particular, Sukuk is becoming more prominent in the present years. The demand for Islamic Sukuk has rapidly grown by about 53.6% in 2017 to 59% in 2018. The need for the product (Sukuk) is anticipated to hit 64.9% in 2019 and even shoot to approximately 71.4% by 2020 and 78.5% by 2021(World Bank, 2018). Correspondingly, the value of Islamic Sukuk increase from USD115 billion in 2017 to USD120 billion in 2018 and is expected to increase to USD124 billion in 2019 and USD129 billion in 2020 respectively (World Bank, 2018).
Combined Effect of Xylanase, Ascorbic and Citric Acid in Regulating the Quality of Bread Made From Organically Grown Spelt Cultivars

The present study was aimed at improving bread-making performance of two spelt cultivars from organic production differing in dough rheological properties. For this purpose, a small composite design was employed to study the combined effect of xylanase (XYL), ascorbic (ASC) and citric (CIT) acid on bread characteristics and, finally, to optimize their doses. In both cultivars, XYL exerted improving effects on specific volume and crumb firmness. In stronger spelt cultivar, there was a significant ASC/XYL synergistic effect on improving loaf volume and crumb properties. CIT showed crumb softening effect in both cultivars and increased crumb resilience (weaker spelt being more sensitive). Optimized formulation contained (in mg/kg): 50 ASC/90 CIT/60 XYL for stronger and 20 ASC/10 CIT/120 XYL for weaker spelt cultivar. The optimized formulations allowed substantial increases in specific volume (by 45%) and crumb resilience (30%) for stronger and crumb softening (36%) for weaker spelt cultivar. Practical Applications Spelt wheat is an important cereal in organic cultivation and spelt products are highly demanded by health-conscious customers. Most commonly, spelt is processed into flour and further into bread. Technologically, spelt is impaired in comparison to common bread wheat, although high diversity exists in bread-making potential within cultivars. In practice, it is not rare that spelt bread-making results in production of unappealing, small bread loaves with dense, crumbly structure. Considering the much higher price of spelt bread, low quality of loaves may diminish its valorization in spite of its unique nutritional and health properties. This work presents that by combining improvers based on enzyme (xylanase), ascorbic and citric acid, which are permitted in organic foods, it is possible to substantially improve spelt bread volume and crumb properties.
Seed dormancy and germination characteristics of common alder (Alnus glutinosa L.) indicate some potential to adapt to climate change in Britain

Common alder ( Alnus glutinosa L.) is a British native tree that is well adapted to grow on fl ood plains and along riverbanks of England ( McVean, 1953 ). If necessary, the mature trees tolerate not only year-long sodden soils but also signifi cant winter periods in 30-cm deep standing water ( Mabbett, 2006 ). The ‘ seeds ’ (strictly achenes) are ideally suited to a combination of wind and water dispersal ( McVean, 1955b ). The maximum dispersal of the best quality seeds begins in late Seed dormancy and germination characteristics of common alder ( Alnus glutinosa L.) indicate some potential to adapt to climate change in Britain
Formation of High-Affinity C5 Convertases of the Alternative Pathway of Complement1

Cleavage of C5 by C5 convertase is the last enzymatic step in the complement activation cascade leading to the formation of the cytolytic proteolytically activated form of C5 (C5b)-9 complex. In the present study, we examined the effect of the density of C3b (the proteolytically activated form of C3) on the function of the noncatalytic subunit of natural surface-bound forms of the enzyme. A comparison of the kinetic parameters of C5 convertases assembled on three surfaces (zymosan, rabbit erythrocytes, and sheep erythrocytes) were similar and revealed that the average Km decreased ∼28-fold (5.2–0.18 μM) when the density of C3b was increased from ∼18,000 to 400,000 C3b/cell. Very-high-affinity C5 convertases were generated when preformed C3 convertases were allowed to self amplify by giving them excess C3. These convertases exhibited Km from 0.016 to 0.074 μM, well below the normal plasma concentration of C5 in blood (0.37 μM). The results suggest that in serum convertases formed with monomeric C3b will be relatively inefficient in capturing C5 but will continue to cleave C3 opsonizing the cell surface for phagocytosis, whereas convertases formed with C3b-C3b complexes in areas of high C3b density will primarily cleave C5. The catalytic rate of these convertases approaches maximum velocity, thereby switching the enzyme from cleavage of C3 to cleavage of C5, and production of the cytolytic C5b-9 complex.
Twitter Sentiment Analysis with Emojis

The exponential rise in popularity of emoji usage in informal writing mediums, such as Twitter, over the past few years has rendered many previous studies of Twitter sentiment analysis outdated. We hypothesize that de-liberate strategies for emoji handling increase sentiment analysis performance. After initially training sentiment classiﬁcation models on a commonly used but decade-old Twitter dataset, we construct a “modern” Twitter dataset that prominently features emojis and “ﬁne-tune” our models to utilize emoji-based features. We ﬁnd our hypothesis to be correct, demonstrating that emoji handling clearly and signiﬁcantly increases sentiment classiﬁcation power. We conclude that is essential for any modern Twitter or informal writing application to effectively handle emojis, and we identify multiple areas of improvement for even greater potential gains in sentiment analysis performance.
Coloração de flores na visão de polinizadores

Flower coloration is as intriguing as the ecological and environmental factors behind it. Since the beginning of studies in floral biology, the question of the reasons behind floral coloration has been asked. Many authors have attributed flower colors to sexual selection and pollinator pressure. This is well exemplified by the idea of pollination syndromes: flowers with certain similar characteristics, such as color, are visited by similar groups of pollinators. Such a diverse array of coloration, however, is hardly ever explained by one factor alone. In this study, we aimed at understanding which environmental, ecological and physiological pressures are behind flower coloration, emphasizing, in testing, if flowers predicted by pollination syndromes are in fact conspicuous to their pollinators. We used Apis mellifera (honeybee), Drosophila melanogaster (housefly), Heliconius erato (butterfly) and Sephanoides sephanoides (hummingbird) as models to study how different pollinators see flowers. Flowers were more conspicuous to tetrachromat (housefly, female butterfly and hummingbird) than to trichromat (honeybee and male butterfly) pollinators. Therefore, flowers were not more conspicuous for their respective pollinators, and colors attributed by pollination syndromes do are not supported by empirical data. Probably different factors have shaped the coloration of flowers across time, and pollination syndromes are a piece of the whole picture.
Redistribuição de nutrientes em folhas de pinhão-manso entre estádios fenológicos

Nutrient redistribution from mature leaves to growing structures is an important process in plant physiology. Each nutrient is redistributed in a different rate and time. This study aimed to quantify redistribution of macronutriens and minor nutrients in Jatropha curcas leaves through five phenological phases (expanding leaf, young leaf, mature leaf, senescing leaf, and dry leaf). It was observed that the nutrients P, K, Cu, and Zn are intensively redistributed from older to younger jatropha leaves, while N, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Mn are poorly redistributed. Leaf senescence causes a loss of the nutrients that are not redistributed because they will need to be re-absorbed for supporting the growth of new structures in the plant.
± -Amylases by strains of Candida albicans and Fusarium sp.: Expression and characterization

In this investigation, a defined medium was inoculated with Candida albicans and Fusarium sp. Incubation was at 28 o C. The composition of the medium was potassium dihydrogen sulphate, magnesium sulphate, calcium sulphate, hydrated iron sulphate, manganese sulphate, copper sulphate, zinc sulphate, thiamine, biotin, sodium nitrate (nitrogen source) and galactose (carbon source). Proteins which exhibited �± -amylase activity were expressed by the isolates within a period of eight days. The enzymes obtained on days of optimum activity were precipitated at 90% saturation and dialysed with buffer.The results showed that, by the seventh day of inoculation of the medium, optimum �± -amylase activity was expressed by Candida albicans. Production of �± -amylase by Fusarium sp. was optimum by the sixth day. The �± -amylases constituted by the two isolates, partially purified, were stimulated by Na + but inhibited by HgCl2 and EDTA.
SHORT COMMUNICATION Skink predation by hedgehogs at Macraes Flat, Otago, New Zealand

The stomach contents of 158 hedgehogs captured at Macraes Flat, Otago, New Zealand, over two summers in 2000 and 2001 were examined for the occurrence of lizards. The remains of at least 43 skinks (both Oligosoma nigriplantare polychroma and O. maccanni) and one gecko (Hoplodactylus sp.) were found. Twenty-one percent (n = 33; 8 males and 25 females) of the examined hedgehogs had fed on skinks. Female hedgehogs ate significantly more skinks than did males. Our results suggest that the presence of large numbers of hedgehogs can have a high impact on native reptile populations in New Zealand and therefore they should be targeted in future trapping programmes.
IMPACT OF MOODLE-BASED CO AND SELF-REGULATED LEARNING STRATEGIES ON THE ACHIEVEMENT OF BASIC TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS IN MINNA, NIGERIA

Student’s performances in basic technology over the years have been declining. The reasons for this have been attributed to lack of basic teaching and learning equipment and inefficient instructional media. The use of technology in education has been adjudged as a veritable tool in returning the lost glory. This study assesses the use of MOODLEbased Co and Selfregulated learning strategies on the achievement and retention of basic science and technology (BST) among secondary school’s students in Minna Metropolis. Three secondary schools were purposively selected for the study, the quasi-experimental design which include a pretest, Posttest, non-randomized, non-equivalent and control groups was used for the study. 123 students were used from intact class were used for the study which consisted of 52 male and 71 female. The Basic Science and Technology Achievement Test (BSTAT) was used for pretest, post-test and retention test. The results of the study revealed that that there is no significant difference in the achievement of students’ in Co and self-regulated learning. Also, the study revealed that male and female BST students taught using CRL benefited from the treatment irrespective of their gender. The study therefore recommends that MOODLE individualize learning strategy should be used for classroom instruction in the day – today teaching of BST and BST students should be exposed to the use of individualized learning strategies in order to improve their achievement.
Morphological and isotopic indicators of growth environment: variability in δ13C in Simmondsia chinensis, a dioecious desert shrub

Carbon isotope discrimination is used increasingly in ecological research as an indicator of plant water use efficiency, although field sampling methods may not always consider the genetic and environmental variability, both spatial and temporal, which contribute to the foliar isotopic signature. In greenhouse manipulations of water availability to cloned female plants of Simmondsia chinensis, a dioecious Sonoran Desert shrub, foliar δ 13 C increases 2.3‰ with increased water deficit, while leaf area is reduced 4-fold. Long-term morphological adjustment may be more important than modification of water-use efficiency in response to water limitation in S. chinensis. In contrast with this experimental data, we found a 5.1‰ range in δ 13 C in a natural population of S. chinensis in an apparently homogeneous habitat, despite consistent within-plant values. δ 13 C values were correlated with leaf size, but not consistently with plant size, leaf specific mass, or foliage area density. δ 13 C was also correlated with the seasonal amplitude in predawn water potential. We found no other correlation of 13 C with field measures of plant water status, nor with instantaneous measures of water-use efficiency or gas exchange, most likely due to leaf age. There were no differences in carbon isotope ratios between female and male plants. We attribute this wide variability in isotopic composition in the field at least in part to genotypic diversity within the population of this dioecious species. Sampling technique for stable carbon isotope analysis in field studies of natural populations should consider the implications of potential genetic variability
Kin Selection and the Evolutionary Theory of Aging

Researchers are increasingly recognizing that social effects influence the evolution of aging. Kin selection theory provides a framework for analyzing such effects because an individual’s longevity and mortality schedule may alter its inclusive fitness via effects on the fitness of relatives. Kin-selected effects on aging have been demonstrated both by models of intergenerational transfers of investment by caregivers and by spatially explicit population models with limited dispersal. They also underlie coevolution between the degree and form of sociality and patterns of aging. In this review I critically examine and synthesize theory and data concerning these processes. I propose a classification, stemming from kin selection theory, of social effects on aging and describe a hypothesis for kin-selected conflict over parental time of death in systems with resource inheritance. I conclude that systematically applying kin selection theory to the analysis of the evolution of aging adds considerably to our general understanding of aging.
STUDIES ON TUBERIZATION OF SOLANUM ANDIGENA

Summary The role of various growth-regulating substances in tuberization in Solarium andigena was studied (1) by application of exogenous growth regulators, and (2) by studying variation in the levels of endogenous hormones under tuber-inducing and non-inducing conditions. In short-day induced cuttings tuberization was inhibited by gibberellic acid; indole acetic acid and kinetin (6-furfuryl amino purine) caused slight stimulation of tuber growth at low concentrations, but inhibited it at higher concentrations. Application of (2-chloroethyl) trimethyl-ammonium chloride (CCC) promoted tuberization in plants growing under non-inducing long-day conditions and in buds produced on isolated plugs of tuber tissue. The tuber-inducing effects of CCC were not reversed by simultaneous application of GA3. Levels of endogenous gibberellins decreased markedly under short-day conditions, but there was no difference in the levels of endogenous abscisic acid under long and short days. The reduced levels of gibberellins were maintained for at least 2 weeks when induced plants were transferred from short-day to long-day conditions. Application of CCC under conditions which promoted tuberization caused a reduction in gibberellin levels. The role of growth hormones in the regulation of tuberization is discussed.