Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Influencing Species Richness and Community Composition of Breeding Birds in a Desert Riparian Corridor

Abstract The San Pedro River in southeastern Arizona is one of the last free-flowing rivers in the southwestern United States that maintains significant stretches of perennial water. While critical for birds, this river is vulnerable to salt cedar (tamarisk, Tamarix spp.) invasion, woody encroachment into grassland, and alteration of hydrologic regime resulting from groundwater pumping. Bird species richness and community composition metrics provide a means to assess effects of management or conservation efforts. To estimate these metrics, we used methods that incorporated species detection probabilities from data collected at 160 points at 23 sites on the San Pedro River during 1998–2001. Species richness, co-occurrence, and uniqueness were estimated as a function of four riparian vegetation types (cottonwood-willow [Populus-Salix], salt cedar, mesquite [Prosopis spp.], and grassland), three hydrologic regimes (perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral), and riparian location (floodplain and terrace). We found significantly higher species richness in cottonwood and mesquite compared with salt cedar and grassland. Intermittent and perennial flow sites had higher species richness compared with ephemeral. Cottonwood and mesquite supported more unique species compared with grassland and salt cedar, and cottonwood or perennial sites supported canopy or water-dependent species, for which habitat is rare on the landscape. Within the intermittent class, salt cedar maintained an estimated 0–2 unique species compared with native woody vegetation types, while cottonwood and mesquite contributed an estimated 20–21 unique species compared with salt cedar. Thus, while maintaining relatively high species richness, salt cedar contributed little to regional avian diversity compared with native woody riparian vegetation. This research has important implications for regional conservation planning and riparian restoration efforts.
Toward Serving MOOC Learners Globally: Focusing on Intent to Continue Using K-MOOCs

: The purpose of the study was to explore the structural relationships between the intent to continue using Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and its determinants based on the information systems continuance expectation-confirmation model. A total of 156 students from five different universities in Korea completed an online survey. An analysis by structural equation modeling revealed that college students’ intent to continue using K-MOOC is partially supported by the model. Although perceived usefulness and confirmation are strong determinants of satisfaction and intent to continue using information systems in general, confirmation was the only significant predictor of satisfaction, the only significant predictor of intent to continue to use K-MOOC. Written responses on the survey were used to interpret the results. Findings indicate significant effects of confirmation on perceived usefulness, of confirmation on satisfaction, and of satisfaction on intent and insignificant effects of perceived usefulness on satisfaction and perceived usefulness on intent to continue. Substantial implications for future research and practices are discussed.
Relationship between self-efficacy and knowledge sharing: systematic review

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to systematically collect and review the research studies that provide empirical evidence regarding the existence of relationship between self-efficacy and knowledge sharing or influence of self-efficacy on sharing of knowledge. Design/methodology/approach The studies were collected through searching in Google Scholar, Scopus, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, LISTA (Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts) and Web of Science. All types of studies, except books, were selected for review. Time limitation was not applied. Findings It can be concluded from majority of reviewed studies that self-efficacy influenced knowledge sharing. This systematic review also establishes that majority of reviewed studies confirmed existence of relationship (positive) between variables self-efficacy and knowledge sharing. Research limitations/implications A language limit was applied, and only English language studies were reviewed. Originality/value This review is first of its kind that systematically collected and reviewed the studies that examined the relationship between self-efficacy and knowledge sharing. This paper is also first in terms of a study which systematically collected and reviewed studies that investigated impact of self-efficacy on sharing of knowledge. Findings of current research paper will be helpful for organizations striving to implement a knowledge-sharing culture. Similarly, this study will also help the readers in understanding the ways to improve their knowledge-sharing practices and learning.
Morphological and molecular characterisation of Helicotylenchus pseudorobustus (Steiner, 1914) Golden, 1956 and related species (Tylenchida: Hoplolaimidae) with a phylogeny of the genus

Morphological identification of spiral nematodes of the genus Helicotylenchus is a difficult task because most characters used for their diagnosis vary within species. In this paper we provide morphological and molecular characterisations of several spiral nematodes, H. broadbalkiensis, H. digonicus, H. dihystera, H. microlobus, H. paxilli and H. pseudorobustus, collected in different geographical areas of USA, Switzerland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, UK, South Korea and Russia. We suggest that H. microlobus and H. pseudorobustus are valid species separated from each other morphologically and molecularly. Seven species with distinct molecular characteristics are also distinguished, but are not ascribed morphologically to any specific taxon because of the low number of specimens available. Phylogenetic relationships of H. pseudorobustus with other Helicotylenchus species are given as inferred from the analyses of 154 sequences of the D2-D3 of 28S rRNA gene and 37 sequences of ITS rRNA gene.
Effect of Drying on Physicochemical Characteristics of Bhut Jolokia (Chilli Pepper)

Bhut Jolokia, chilli pepper has health-benefiting effects for which it is used in foods and pharmaceutical products. It is highly perishable at higher moisture content, and sun-drying of it requires more time in comparison to other modern methods. This article presents the oven drying of Bhut Jolokia at (40 and 70)°C, for the determination of its drying characteristics. The drying conditions, physicochemical properties and the models were studied to describe the drying behaviour. The moisture content reduced significantly (p<0.05) after drying. The sun-drying (ambient, 30°C), and oven drying at (40 and 70)°C, took nearly (27, 20.5 and 13.5) h, respectively, to reduce the final moisture content in each of the samples to 9% (approximately). The half-time (t1/2) for drying of chilli under the sun, and in oven at (40 and 70)°C, was (2.60, 2.43 and 1.84) h, respectively. The pH, ascorbic acid and colour (L*, a*, b*) values were found to decrease significantly (p<0.05) in each of the chillies samples. PAGE was found as the most suitable model to describe the drying characteristics of Bhut Jolokia. It was concluded that oven drying method gave the product with acceptable physicochemical (pH, titrable acidity, ash, capsaicin content, ascorbic acid), colour (L*, a*, b* values) and sensory characteristics.
A REVISION OF THE GENERA OF THE HYPODERMATACEAE

A reclassification of the genera and species of the Hypodermataceae with special emphasis on the conifer-inhabiting species is presented. The 22 genera fall into 7 groups as follows. A. The Lirula complex on Abies and Picea including 3 genera: Virgella, gen. nov., with rod-shaped spores segregated from Hypoderma, Isthmiella, gen. nov., with bifusiform spores from Bifusella, and Lirula, gen. nov., with clavate spores from Hypodermella. B. The Hypodermella complex comprising Hypodermella v. Tub. , subcuticular on Larix, limited to the type species; a group of 3 subepidermal genera on Pinus including Davisomycella, gen. nov., with clavate spores, Ploioderma, gen. nov., with rod-like spores, and Elytroderma Darker with 2-celled spores; and a subhypodermal genus, Lophodermella v. Hohn. on Pinus. C. The Bifusella complex with Bifusella v. Hohn. on Pinus, Duplicaria Fckl. on Empetrum, and a new subepidermal genus, Soleella, on Pinus. D. The Hypoderma complex comprising Hypoderma DC. ex Saint Amans emend. De Not. ,.
Karyotype, morphology and taxonomic Status of Calomys expulsus (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae)

Calomys expulsas a ete considere comme un synonyme junior ou une sous-espece de Calomys callosus. Pour eclaircir sa situation taxonomique, nous avons entrepris des etudes cytogenetiques et morphologiques des echantillons de C. expulsus et Calomys tener provenant de neuf localites bresiliennes, et nous avons effectue des comparaisons morphometriques entre elles et avec C. callosus. Les donnees cytogenetiques montrent que C. expulsas (2n = 66) differe de C. callosus (2n = 36), decrit precedemment sur des echantillons du Paraguay. D'autre part, C. tener et C. expulsas possedent le meme nombre diploide (2n = 66) mais different par le nombre fondamental et la quantite et la distribution de l'heterochromatine constitutive. Les analyses morphometriques ont montre que C. tener differe de C. expulsas et C. callosus surtout en taille, tandis que C. expulsus et C. callosus, malgre une similitude de taille, different entre eux en morphologie. Une congruence des analyses morphometriques et cytogenetiques permet de conclure que Calomys expulsas doit etre considere comme une espece valide.
Synthesis of 1α-Fluorovitamin D3

1α-Fluorovitamin D3 has been synthesized from 6β-acetoxy-5α-cholest-1-en-3-one (2) via 1α-fluorocholesterol (11). The key reaction was the trans diaxial ring opening of the 1β, 2β-epoxide 5 with potassium hydrogen difluoride in ethyleneglycol by heating. The resulting 1α-fluoro-2β, 3β-diol was subjected to regeneration of the 5-ene function and reductive removal of the 2β-hydroxyl group by Barton's method to give 1α-fluorocholesterol (11). Transformation of 11 into 1α-fluorovitamin D3 led to revision of the previously reported stereochemical assignment of 1α, 25-difluorovitamin D3.
THE ADOPTION OF E-GOVERNMENT IN THE TAX ADMINISTRATION: A SCOPING REVIEW

With the spread of information, technology and the Internet, we have found that the tax administration is moving towards online or digital services. The study aims to identify what has worked in the adoption of e-government in tax services. The key aspects include the design of e-government in tax procedures, acceptance and usability factors, impacts, and challenges in the implementation. A scoping review was designed to map the existing evidence on the application of information and technology system in delivering tax services, or known as e-government. Key search terms were developed and mapped. Selected databases and key journals were used in this scoping review. Using the criteria that were determined, we identified 79 articles that most closely demonstrated the purpose of this study. However, we only reported the detailed of the findings from ten included articles. The identified studies reflected the majority of articles investigated the reasons behind the success or failure of e-government projects in the tax administration. This review concludes that in an environment in which the government faced many challenges with the limited resources, e-government adoption in tax administration offers the potential benefit to strengthen the government finances. A greater understanding of the purpose, adoption & acceptance factors, the impact and challenges in the application of e-government projects in tax services is a priority for research, policy and practice.
A Model Selection Approach for Variable Selection with Censored Data

We consider the variable selection problem when the response is subject to censoring. A main particularity of this context is that information content of sampled units varies depending on the censoring times. Our approach is based on model selection where all 2 k possible models are entertained and we adopt an objective Bayesian perspective where the choice of prior distributions is a delicate issue given the well-known sensitivity of Bayes factors to these prior inputs. We show that borrowing priors from the ‘uncensored’ literature may lead to unsatisfactory results as this default procedure implicitly assumes a uniform contribution of all units independently on their censoring times. In this paper, we develop speciﬁc methodology based on a generalization of the g -priors, explicitly addressing the particularities of survival problems arguing that it behaves comparatively better than standard approaches on the basis of arguments speciﬁc to variable selection problems (like e.g. predictive matching) in the particular case of the accelerated failure time model with lognormal errors. We apply the methodology to a recent large epidemiological study about breast cancer survival rates in Castell´on, a province of Spain.
Fencing decreases microbial diversity but increases abundance in grassland soils on the Tibetan Plateau

Fencing usually increases soil organic carbon and nutrients and eventually enhances soil microbial diversity; however with different or even conflicting results, the mechanisms underlying the diversity reduction remain unclear. Aiming to reveal the mechanism of diversity reduction, we explored the soil microbial diversity and community structure in fenced areas (5‐and 10‐years enclosure) and grazing during a growing season in arid and semiarid steppe, using Illumina sequencing of 16S and 18S rRNA genes. The results revealed that fencing and season both substantially increased soil total organic carbon (TOC), while the enhancing TOC substantially reduced soil pH. Fencing significantly increased soil bacterial and eukaryotic abundance due to the enhancing TOC, which was indicated by positive correlation (p < .05). Contrastingly, fencing significantly decreased soil bacterial and eukaryotic diversity. Our results further revealed that fencing‐ and season‐driven change in soil water content and soil pH played key roles in reducing the bacterial and eukaryotic diversity, respectively. Distance‐based linear model demonstrated that fencing dominantly drove the soil bacterial and eukaryotic community variations by explaining 15.64 and 24.88%, respectively, and redundancy analysis showed that the fencing effect was dependent on growing months. Bacteria were dominated by Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria, and eukaryotes were dominated by Streptophyta, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Cyanobacteria relative abundance remained stable from May to September in fencing but substantially increased in grazing. Our findings offer a new insight into the mechanism of the soil microbial diversity reduction, and reveal the season‐dependency of fencing effect in arid and semiarid grasslands.
Fighting COVID‐19 with Agility, Transparency, and Participation: Wicked Policy Problems and New Governance Challenges

Abstract Governments are being put to the test as they struggle with the fast and wide spread of COVID‐19. This article discusses the compelling challenges posed by the COVID‐19 pandemic by examining how this wicked problem has been managed by the South Korean government with agile‐adaptive, transparent actions to mitigate the surge of COVID‐19. Unlike many Western countries, South Korea has been able to contain the spread of COVID‐19 without a harsh forced lockdown of the epicenter of the virus. This essay argues that an agile‐adaptive approach, a policy of transparency in communicating risk, and citizens’ voluntary cooperation are critical factors. It also suggests that the South Korean government learned costly lessons from the MERS failure of 2015. This essay suggests ways that Western countries can manage future wicked problems such as COVID‐19 without paying too much cost and maintaining quality of life in open and free societies.
Comparison of Haemodynamic Response to Intubation with KingVision and C-MAC Videolaryngoscope in Adults

Background: Videolaryngoscopes are now being advocated as the universal device for airway management due to their ability to provide an improved glottic visualisation. Due to their ability to see around the corners, they obviate the need to align the airway axes and thus may lead to less airway stimulation. This may result in less haemodynamic response during laryngoscopy and intubation. The present study was designed to compare the haemodynamic response to intubation with King Vision and C-MAC videolaryngoscopes. Methods: After obtaining informed consent, adults with unanticipated difficult intubation, scheduled to undergo surgery under general anaesthesia were randomised to be intubated with either King Vision (Group K) or C-MAC (Group C) videolaryngoscope. Following a standardised general anaesthesia induction protocol all subjects were intubated with the allocated videolaryngoscope and haemodynamic parameters (heart rate, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure and mean arterial pressure) were recorded at specific time points. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS Software (version 18.0). Results: The changes in the heart rate, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure and mean arterial pressure following laryngoscopy and intubation with the allocated videolaryngoscope were statistically similar between the two groups at all time points. Conclusion: Haemodynamic responses to laryngoscopy and intubation with King Vision and C-MAC videolaryngoscopes were similar.
Liposomes for enhanced cytotoxic activity of bleomycin

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of liposome composition, which affects the nature of vesicular membrane on the cytotoxic efficacy of bleomycin. Formulation A comprised phosphatidylcholine (PC), cholesterol (CH), and dicetylphosphate (DCP). Formulation B employed PC, CH with dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) as the fusogenic component. Formulation C consisted of rigid liposomes comprising dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), CH, and DCP. Preparation D contained dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC), CH, and DCP. Formulation E employed the same components of B, with PC being replaced with Pegylated PC. The cytotoxic efficacy was monitored using the Daudi cell line obtained from Burkitt's lymphoma. Formulations A and B significantly increased the cell death via necrosis compared with drug solution. Formulation D produced marginal increase in the efficacy of bleomycin with the rigid vesicles being similar to the control. Pegylated liposomes (E) were as effective as A and B, but the cytotoxic effect was via apoptosis. In conclusion, the efficacy of liposomes depended on the composition with fusogenic, flexible, or Pegylated vesicles being superior. Drug Dev Res 72: 265–273, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rasch Model Application on Character Development Instrument for Elementary School

This research was motivated by the current conditions that require the younger generation to have good character values or ethics. Even nowadays humans begin to indicate that some professions will be lost and replaced by machines. However, the value of good character and ethics will not be able to be replaced by the machine. The purpose of this research is to ascertain how far elementary school students have good character values or ethics so that we can spot a trend whether character values are degenerating, getting better or simply staying the same. The research respondents were the fifth graders of SDN 1 Cikalang and the sixth graders of SDN Karsanagara. 105 participants took part in this study. A survey was carried out to measure the value of a student's character. The results showed the development of their character lied mostly in the medium category. Scores for reading interest, creativity, curiosity, perseverance (diligence, heart strength, persistence), and devotion (religious) lied mostly in the low category. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19. 3.24
Enraizamento de estacas caulinares e radiculares de cultivares de amoreira-preta coletadas em diferentes épocas, armazenadas a frio e tratadas com AIB

The objective of the present research was to quantify the rizogenic potential of stems and root cuttings of blackberry cultivars, collected in different times, cold storage and treated with indolbutyric acid. In the first experiment, roots and stems cuttings of 'Tupy' blackberry were collected close to it hibernal prune and accomplished in the following times: 07/06, 22/06, 08/07, 22/07, 06/08 and 20/08 of 2009. Already in the second experiment, half of the stems and roots cuttings of 'Tupy' blackberry were submitted to cold storage for 30 days and the other amount of cuttings were placed directly for rooting. The whole cuttings were treated with different concentrations of indolbutyric acid (IBA): 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000mg L-1 for 10 seconds, and control only for water. In the third experiment, roots cuttings of 'Choctaw', 'Ebano', 'Guarani', 'Arapaho', 'Brazos', 'Cherokee', 'Comanche', 'Caingangue', 'Tupy' and 'Xavante' blackberry cultivars were collected in the pruning accomplished in june 22 of the following year. The cuttings were cold storage for 30 days and treatment was not accomplished with IBA. In both experiments, the stems cuttings were buried 2/3 of its length in the vertical position and the roots cuttings were totally immerged in the horizontal position, using vermiculita as substrate, in greenhouse with 50% of light. After 90 days, it can be concluded that the roots cuttings presents better results, owing cold storage and without IBA, but there is difference of propagation potential among blackberry cultivars.
Two NEH Heuristic Improvements for Flowshop Scheduling Problem with Makespan Criterion

Since its creation by Nawaz, Enscore, and Ham in 1983, NEH remains the best heuristic method to solve flowshop scheduling problems. In the large body of literature dealing with the application of this heuristic, it can be clearly noted that results differ from one paper to another. In this paper, two methods are proposed to improve the original NEH, based on the two points in the method where choices must be made, in case of equivalence between two job orders or partial sequences. When an equality occurs in a sorting method, two results are equivalent, but can lead to different final results. In order to propose the first improvement to NEH, the factorial basis decomposition method is introduced, which makes a number computationally correspond to a permutation. This method is very helpful for the first improvement, and allows testing of all the sequencing possibilities for problems counting up to 50 jobs. The second improvement is located where NEH keeps the best partial sequence. Similarly, a list of equivalent partial sequences is kept, rather than only one, to provide the global method a chance of better performance. The results obtained with the successive use of the two methods of improvement present an average improvement of 19% over the already effective results of the original NEH method.