Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving external validity of epidemiologic cohort analyses: a kernel weighting approach

For various reasons, cohort studies generally forgo probability sampling required to obtain population representative samples. However, such cohorts lack population representativeness, which invalidates estimates of population prevalences for novel health factors that are only available in cohorts. To improve external validity of estimates from cohorts, we propose a kernel weighting (KW) approach that uses survey data as a reference to create pseudoweights for cohorts. A jackknife variance is proposed for the KW estimates. In simulations, the KW method outperformed two existing propensity‐score‐based weighting methods in mean‐squared error while maintaining confidence interval coverage. We applied all methods to estimating US population mortality and prevalences of various diseases from the non‐representative US National Institutes of Health–American Association of Retired Persons cohort, using the sample from the US‐representative National Health Interview Survey as the reference. Assuming that the survey estimates are correct, the KW approach yielded generally less biased estimates compared with the existing propensity‐score‐based weighting methods.
Transformation of Dimethyl Sulfide and Related Compounds by Cultures and Cell Extracts of Marine Phytoplankton

Dimethyl sulfide (OMS) was oxidized to dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in cultures of five species of marine phytoplankton. Heat treatment (105°C, 5 min) of such cultures rendered the oxidation more effective and the oxidation was stimulated by light. Tetrahydrothiophene was oxidized to tetramethylene sulfoxide by a heattreated cultures of Dunaliella sp. Dimethyl disulfide was reduced to methyl mercaptan only by the nonheated culture. Lyophilized cells of Dunaliella sp. and organic extracts of the cells and denaturalized chlorophyll a were also able to oxidize DMS.
Quality and energetic evaluation of the charcoal made of babassu nut residues used in the steel industry

Brazil is the only country in the world that uses large scale charcoal in steel-making blast furnaces. Meantime, the monoculture plantations of Eucalyptus are not able to meet the demand for charcoal from the steel industries.Therefore, research is necessary, in order to use lignocellulosic residues for the production of charcoal with technological properties which are suitable for the reduction of iron ore. Given the above, the objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of charcoal which was made with babassu nut shell and designed for utilization in the steel industry in the function of the final carbonization temperature. All three layers of babassu nut shell (epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp) were used together. The initial temperature of the test was 100oC and the final temperatures were: 450oC, 550oC, 650oC, 750oC and 850oC. For the charcoals produced, the following properties were determined: apparent relative density, energy density and fixed carbon stock, in addition to chemical compositions (immediate and elemental) and heating values (higher and lower). Charcoal made of babassu nut shell showed high values of apparent density and energy density, and has a potential to replace coal and wood charcoal in the steel industry. The effect of the final carbonization temperature was expressed for all characteristics evaluated, except for the nitrogen content. Babassu nut shell must be carbonized at temperatures higher than 550oC, so that the charcoal produced can be used in steel-making blast furnaces.
SYSTEMATIC REVISION AND CLADISTIC ANALYSIS OF EPIPHRAGMOPHORA DOERING FROM ARGENTINA AND SOUTHERN BOLIVIA (GASTROPODA: STYLOMMATOPHORA: XANTHONYCHIDAE)

As a first step towards a comprehensive revision of the South American genus Epiphragmophora Doering, 1874, taxa described from Argentina and Bolivia, inhabitants of the rainforest Yungas (Amazonian biogeographic subregion) Monte, Pre-Puna biogeographic provinces, and Chacoan biogeographic subregion are studied. Special attention has been paid to the morphology of the terminal genitalia with respect to its relevance for systematics. The revision is based on the examination of nearly all type material, plus extensive field work and examination of additional material deposited in several museums. Shell, pallial system and genitalia of each species have been described and illustrated, some of them for the first time. Detailed description on the structure and connections of the dart sac apparatus and associated mucous glands in the terminal genitalia in each species is provided. A total of 27 species, including three new taxa, are described from the region. From the total number of species, the anatomy of seven species is described for the first time. Six unambiguous synapomorphies support the monophyly of the genus: body whorl surface malleated with diagonal ribs (character 1 [2]), umbilicus overlapping but not fused to body whorl (character 2 [1]), peristome thick, widely reflexed (character 4[1]), mucous glands unequal in size and shape (character 15 [1]), insertion of mucous glands ducts in middle portion of dart sac (character 17 [1]), and penial retractor muscle inserting in medial epiphallus (character 23 [1]). Most of the synapomorphies of the generated phylogenetic hypothesis are characters from the genitalia, and shell characters proved to be less informative. The short duct of the bursa copulatrix, a character that traditionally had been used to define the genus is characteristic only of a small group of species. The distribution of the Argentinean species studied is illustrated on maps according to the biogeographic areas. An area cladogram based on the cladistic analysis is presented. According to this hypothesis, the species inhabitants of the Yungas biogeographic province are basal groups of the remaining species inhabitants of the Chacoan, Monte, and Pre-Puna regions. The Monte and Pre-Puna species conform a monophyletic clade. The biogeographic relationships are in agreement to former studies on Latin-American entomofauna (Morrone, 2006).
The biology of moral systems

Despite wide acceptance that the attributes of living creatures have appeared through a cumulative evolutionary process guided chiefly by natural selection, many human activities have seemed analytically inaccessible through such an approach. Prominent evolutionary biologists, for example, have described morality as contrary to the direction of biological evolution, and moral philosophers rarely regard evolution as relevant to their discussions. "The Biology of Moral Systems" adopts the position that moral questions arise out of conflicts of interest, and that moral systems are ways of using confluences of interest at lower levels of social organization to deal with conflicts of interest at higher levels. Moral systems are described as systems of indirect reciprocity: humans gain and lose socially and reproductively not only by direct transactions, but also by the reputations they gain from the everyday flow of social interactions. The author develops a general theory of human interests, using senescence and effort theory from biology, to help analyze the patterning of human lifetimes. He argues that the ultimate interests of humans are reproductive, and that the concept of morality has arisen within groups because of its contribution to unity in the context, ultimately, of success in intergroup competition. He contends that morality is not easily relatable to universals, and he carries this argument into a discussion of what he calls the greatest of all moral problems, the nuclear arms race. "Crammed with sage observations on moral dilemmas and many reasons why an understanding of evolution based on natural selection will advance thinking in finding practical solutions to our most difficult social problems. " U "Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences" "Richard D. Alexander" is Donald Ward Tinkle Professor of Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology, and Curator of Insects, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan. A recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Alexander is the author of "Darwinism and Human Affairs. "
Cardpliance: PCI DSS Compliance of Android Applications

Smartphones and their applications have become a predominant way of computing, and it is only natural that they have become an important part of ﬁnancial transaction technology. However, applications asking users to enter credit card numbers have been largely overlooked by prior studies, which frequently report pervasive security and privacy concerns in the general mobile application ecosystem. Such applications are particularly security-sensitive, and they are subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). In this paper, we design a tool called Cardpliance , which bridges the semantics of the graphical user interface with static program analysis to capture relevant requirements from PCI DSS. We use Cardpliance to study 358 popular applications from Google Play that ask the user to enter a credit card number. Overall, we found that 1.67 % of the 358 applications are not compliant with PCI DSS, with vulnerabilities including improperly storing credit card numbers and card veriﬁcation codes. These ﬁndings paint a largely positive picture of the state of PCI DSS compliance of popular Android applications.
Korean women’s marital distress and coping strategies in the early stage of intercultural marriages

ABSTRACT Many Korean women married to American men have experienced marital conflict and psychological distress. Although some studies examined acculturative distress and marital satisfaction among Korean/American intercultural couples, there is little evidence on the strategies for coping with marital conflict and psychological distress from immigrant women’s perspectives. Thus, this qualitative study aims to explore marital conflict, psychological distress, and coping strategies among Korean women who married American men. In-depth interviews were conducted with eleven Korean wives, 20 years or older, married two or more years with their American husbands. The researchers used grounded theory methods – open, selective, and axial coding – for data analysis. The results show that Korean women adopted four strategies for coping with their marital distress, frustration, resentment, and isolation: (a) accepting differences with husbands and finding good things in the differences, (b) focusing on similar values, (c) participating in religious activities, and (d) focusing on work. The study concludes with implications for intercultural marriage, especially marriages involving immigrant women.
Plant colonisation in small forest–floor patches: importance of plant group and disturbance traits

It has been proposed that the interaction between life-history attributes of different organisms and disturbance characteristics play an important role in determining the successional pattern following a disturbance event. We compared the responses of vascular plants and bryophytes (mosses and hepatics) to variation in disturbance size and severity in an old-growth boreal forest during a four-year period. The experiment included two patch sizes (0.25 and 2.5 m 2 ) and two levels of severity: humus patches (removal of vegetation) and mineral soil patches (removal of both vegetation and humus layer). Treatments were chosen to reflect some aspects of disturbance by uprooting. Species richness was significantly affected by both disturbance size and severity but the response differed among plant groups. In vascular plants, species numbers were highest in humus patches while mosses were more numerous in mineral soil patches, the most severe disturbance. In contrast, severity had no effect on hepatics. Plant recovery was more rapid in bryophytes than in vascular plants. Species richness of bryophytes had exceeded that of adjacent, undisturbed vegetation after 2-3 yr. We attribute the contrasting response of the plant groups to differences in regeneration strategies. As a group, bryophytes had a greater variety of regeneration methods than vascular plants, with several types of asexual propagules and abundant production of spores in some species. In contrast, clonal ingrowth dominated in vascular plants while seedlings were rare. Thus, our analysis supports the view that plant response to patchy disturbance is strongly dependent on the interplay among disturbance traits and specilic attributes of different plant groups.
Seleção e caracterização de estirpes de Bacillus thuringiensis efetivas no controle da traça-das-crucíferas Plutella xylostella

The aim of this work was to select and characterize the most toxic Bacillus thuringiensis strains, from the Germplasm Bank of Bacillus spp. of Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria, against Plutella xylostella. Strains were characterized by morphological, biochemical and molecular methods. It was observed that seven out of the 203 strains tested showed high toxicity compared to the standard used B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (HD-1), which showed 100% mortality. Selected strains showed features described for lepidoptera regarding the protein of 130 kDa and 65 kDa; profile and features were obtained through the PCR reactions, making possible to identify the presence of cry1 and cry2 genes. Moreover, the scanning electron microscopy showed the bipiramydal, cubed and round crystal forms. The selected strains offer new perspectives to control P. xylostella.
Cloning, Expression, andin VitroActivity of Human Endostatin

Abstract Endostatin, a 20 kDa C-terminal fragment of collagen XVIII, is a specific inhibitor of endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis. In the present study, we have expressed human endostatin in a yeast expression system (10 mg/L). The recombinant protein was expressed in a soluble form and purified to homogeneity. It specifically inhibited the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells. In addition, we report for the first time that endostatin caused G 1 arrest of endothelial cells. Also, we show that endostatin treatment resulted in apoptosis of HUVE and HMVE cells and that all of these effects do not occur in nonendothelial cells. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the expression of a biologically active form of human endostatin in yeast and provide important mechanistic insight into endostatin action on endothelial cells.
Productivity and cost of whole‑tree harvesting without debarking in a Eucalyptus nitens plantation in Tasmania, Australia

There is increasing interest worldwide in using tree harvesting biomass as an energy source. Bark retained on logs is commonly used as an energy source, but is generally removed from eucalypt logs during harvest. In order to evaluate the potential use of eucalypt bark as fuel, there is a need for information on the productivity and cost implications of retaining eucalypt bark during harvest operations. The study examined the impact of retaining bark on logs on the productivity and costs of a whole‑tree to roadside harvesting system in a short‑rotation Eucalyptus nitens plantation in Australia being harvested for pulp logs. Trees were felled and bunched with a feller‑buncher in spring, then left infield for four weeks to promote bark adhesion and reduce bark loss. A skidder extracted the trees to roadside where a processor processed them to predominantly 10 m logs. Machine productivities were calculated from estimated tree and log volumes and cycle times recorded from video recordings. The feller‑buncher's productivity (65 m3 PMH0−1) was less than expected as it appeared to be underpowered to handle the larger trees on the study site. The skidder's productivity (56 m3 PMH0−1) was comparable to those reported in studies under similar conditions and with bark retained. The roadside processor's productivity (25 m3 PMH0−1) was lower than expected. This was believed to result from the operator separately stacking 10 m and 5 m logs, and the lower feed speed resulting from slippage due to the reduced feed roller pressure used in the study to reduce bark loss. Future research could identify feed rollers that increase feed speed while retaining bark. Harvest system costs (AUD18 GMt−1) were similar to those reported for a eucalypt roadside processing trial where bark was removed. These results suggest that retaining bark on the logs at roadside did not affect the harvesting system's productivity or costs.
DIFFERENTIAL STAINING WITH ORCEIN, GIEMSA, CMA, AND DAPI FOR COMPARATIVE CHROMOSOME STUDY OF 12 SPECIES OF AUSTRALIAN DROSERA (DROSERACEAE)'

Differential stainings with orcein, Giemsa, CMA, and DAPI were compared in 12 species of Western Australian Drosera. Chromosome numbers of D. roseana, D. barbigera, D. leioblasta, D. oreopodion, D. mannii, D. walyunga, D. sewelliae, D. helodes, and D. echinoblasta are reported here for the first time. A marked difference regarding chromosome number was observed in Drosera dichrosepala (2n = 12) from that of the previous report (2n = 18). The karyotypes of the species showed commonly that degree of asymmetry in chromosome length was directly proportional to the mean chromosomal length whereas the number of chromosomes was inversely proportional. Bimodal karyotypes were observed in D. oreopodion, D. walyunga, D. barbigera, and D. echinoblasta, which perhaps resulted from interspecific hybridization of the former two and fragmentation in the latter two. Sat-chromosomes found in D. falconeri, D. sewelliae, D. helodes, and D. echinoblasta responded differently in differential staining. The C and fluorescent bands at the mostly terminal region revealed that maximum C-positive heterochromatin-rich segments, GC-rich segments, and AT-rich segments were accumulated at the ends of Drosera chromosomes. Some chromosomes could be identified by their specific staining property. On the basis of chromosome number and C- and fluorescent-banding pattern, we suggest that D. helodes and D. sewelliae are closely related. The genus Drosera L. , with 90 species, belongs to the family Droseraceae, which has a world-wide distribution (Diels, 1906). About two-thirds of Drosera species grow in Australia (Kondo, Segawa, and Nehira, 1976). The Australian Drosera taxa are mostly endemic to local areas (Diels, 1906; Conn, 1980; Marchant and George, 1982; Kondo and Lavarack, 1984). Most of the earlier cytologists concentrated on a conventional orcein karyomorphological study of this genus (Kondo, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1984; Kondo, Segawa, and Nehira, 1976). Thus, an attempt was undertaken to clarify relationships among the Australian
Soybean Physiology, Regrowth, and Senescence in Response to Defoliation

Recent studies have shown that one component of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] response to insect defoliation is delayed senescence and increased physiological activity of lower, remaining leaves. The objective of this study was to test the ability of these and other mechanisms of defoliation tolerance to function in drought-stressed plants. Controlled irrigation rates and artificial defoliation treatments were used in a 2-yr study. Defoliation significantly increased soil-moisture percentage in both years, showing that defoliated stressed plants conserve more water than nondefoliated stressed plants. Compensatory regrowth was observed following defoliation, resulting in more leaves in defoliated plants than predicted. Removal of expanding leaves, however, reduced leaf area and also reduced growth potential relative to nondefoliated plants. Senescence of lower leaves was delayed in defoliated plants, as has been found in previous studies. The responses of leaf physiological rates to defoliation were similar in drought-stressed and well-irrigated plots. These data suggest that crop models integrating physiological parameters and defoliation rates could add or subtract the effect of drought stress as a constant or simple function.
Pronophiline butterflies (Satyridae) of the Cordillera de Mérida, Venezuela

The 36 species of the tribe Pronophilini known from the Cordillera de Merida, the main Andean mountain range in Venezuela, are listed, together with three others probably erroneously described or labelled as from the range. The general ecological characteristics of the tribe are described, using the Merida species as examples. These include its restriction to high altitudes, endemism in mountain ‘islands’, species partitioning up the altitude gradient, mimicry within the tribe, and seasonality. The evolutionary relationships of the 16 endemic species are analyzed. Two new genera, six new species, two new subspecies and one new form are described. Three new synonymies are established, three new combinations made, new status is given to two taxa and the status of one taxon is revised.
Evaluating performance of different grammar checking tools

Grammar checking is the process of detecting and correcting Grammatical errors present in text. A Lot of online apps are available for grammar checking. How efficient these apps are? To answer this question in this paper we have presented a systematic evaluation of five such most popular apps viz. Grammarly, Ginger, ProWrittingAid, LanguageTool and After the Deadline. To evaluate performance of these apps we have created a dataset of 500 sentences with the grammar error types and subtypes. These erroneous sentences were then fed to these apps, and the ability of these apps to identify each type of the grammar errors were recorded. Grammarly has achieved highest overall accuracy of 44.4%. After The Deadline has achieved lowest overall accuracy of 28.74%. None of the apps were able to achieve accuracy more than 11% in case of Sentence Structure errors. Similarly, in Semantic error no app has achieved accuracy more than 25%. The results of the study suggest that there is a lot of scope for the improvements to be done in automated grammar checking apps.
Türkçe Öğretmeni Adaylarıyla İlgili Yayımlanan Makalelerin İncelenmesi (2014-2018)

Turkce ogretmeni adaylari uzerine yazilan makalelerin egilimlerinin belirlenmesi, bu alandaki akademik yayinlarin genel ozelliklerini, sorunlarini ortaya koymak ve ileride yapilacak calismalar icin oneriler getirmek bakimindan onemlidir. Arastirmanin amaci Turkce ogretmeni adaylari ile ilgili yayimlanan akademik makalelerin egilimlerinin belirlenmesidir. Arastirma kapsaminda 2014-2018 yillarinda 50 farkli dergide yayimlanan toplam 178 makale cesitli degiskenler acisindan incelenmistir. Nitel durum calismasi olarak desenlenen bu arastirmada veriler dokuman incelemesiyle elde edilmis, icerik analizi ve betimsel analizle cozumlenmistir. Arastirma sonuclarina gore incelenen makalelerin cogunlukla tek yazarli oldugu, konu bakimindan en cok yazma becerisinin calisildigi, bircok calismanin gorus belirleme amaciyla yapildigi, nitel calismalarin on plana ciktigi, tarama modeli deseninin siklikla tercih edildigi, calismalarda kullanilan yontembilimsel terimlerin birbirinden farklilik gosterdigi ve en onemlisi de yapilan yayinlarin buyuk bir bolumunun Turkce ogretmeni yetistirme alani ile dogrudan iliskili olmadigi belirlenmistir. Arastirmanin Turkce ogretmeni yetistirme ile ilgili yapilacak calismalara katki saglayacagi dusunulmektedir.
A Review on IEEE 802.11p for Intelligent Transportation Systems

Road safety is an active area of research for the automotive industry, and certainly one of ongoing interest to governments around the world. The intelligent transportation system (ITS) is one of several viable solutions with which to improve road safety, where the communication medium (e.g., among vehicles and between vehicles and the other components in an ITS environment, such as roadside infrastructure) is typically wireless. A typical communication standard adopted by car manufacturers is IEEE 802.11p for communications. Thus, this paper presents an overview of IEEE 802.11p, with a particular focus on its adoption in an ITS setting. Specifically, we analyze both MAC and PHY layers in a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) environment.