Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of weight loss on the regression of the reproductive organs of quail Italian induced to molt.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of body weight loss (BWL) on regression of reproductive organs in Italian quails (Coturnix coturnix) submitted to forced moult by two methods. Eighty-four Italian quails (40 week old) were submitted to forced moult by the method of Zinc oxide (ZnO), or fasting (F) in order to obtain the following levels of BWL: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35%. The control group consisted of six quails that were not submitted to TEIXEIRA, R.S. C. et al. Effect of weight loss on the regression of the reproductive organs of quail Italian induced to molt. PUBVET, Londrina, V. 4, N. 25, Ed. 130, Art. 885, 2010. forced moult. The birds moulted by the ZnO method were fed with an egg laying ration added with 25000 ppm of ZnO while birds moulted by fasting were feed restricted. The quails were euthanized for organ collection as soon as they achieved the desired body weight loss. The results showed that there were no significant differences in ovary and oviduct regression between quails submitted to forced moult by both methods (F and ZnO) for high levels of body weight loss (30 and 35%). The body weight loss during forced moult was highly correlated with the regression of reproductive organs of Italian quails for both fasting and Zinc oxide methods. In order to obtain a satisfactory regression of ovary and oviduct the quails had to lose more than 30% of their initial body weight.
Perceptions of ICT Practitioners Regarding Software Privacy

During software development activities, it is important for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) practitioners to know and understand practices and guidelines regarding information privacy, as software requirements must comply with data privacy laws and members of development teams should know current legislation related to the protection of personal data. In order to gain a better understanding on how industry ICT practitioners perceive the practical relevance of software privacy and privacy requirements and how these professionals are implementing data privacy concepts, we conducted a survey with ICT practitioners from software development organizations to get an overview of how these professionals are implementing data privacy concepts during software design. We performed a systematic literature review to identify related works with software privacy and privacy requirements and what methodologies and techniques are used to specify them. In addition, we conducted a survey with ICT practitioners from different organizations. Findings revealed that ICT practitioners lack a comprehensive knowledge of software privacy and privacy requirements and the Brazilian General Data Protection Law (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados Pessoais, LGPD, in Portuguese), nor they are able to work with the laws and guidelines governing data privacy. Organizations are demanded to define an approach to contextualize ICT practitioners with the importance of knowledge of software privacy and privacy requirements, as well as to address them during software development, since LGPD must change the way teams work, as a number of features and controls regarding consent, documentation, and privacy accountability will be required.
THERAPEUTIC PLASMA EXCHANGE AND DOUBLE FILTRATION PLASMAPHERESIS IN SEVERE NEUROIMMUNE DISORDERS

SUMMARY Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is an extracorporeal blood purification technique, which removes large molecular weight particles such as autoantibodies from plasma. TPE is accepted by the American Society for Apheresis as first line treatment for some severe neuroimmune disorders. Double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) is a newer technique in which plasma is not entirely removed, only the antibodies, using special filters. High-dose intravenous immunoglobulins are an alternative treatment for these patients but are much more expensive. We reviewed medical records of 20 patients with severe neurological diseases requiring TPE or DFPP. We analyzed the indications, complications and efficacy of these procedures. After completing the procedures, neurological improvement was recorded in 80% of the patients, 5% had no improvement, and the mortality was 15%. The rate of neurological improvement was similar to other studies. None of the patients presented catheter related complications. Systemic complications were mild, transient and completely reversible.
The Formation Mechanism of Consumer Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility Authenticity: An Empirical Study of Chinese Consumers

Consumer Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility Authenticity (CPCSRA) belongs to the field of micro Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) research. In general, understanding the formation mechanism of CPCSRA could make it better able to play its role in several ways. Firstly, most previous studies do not empirically consider a key factor, i.e., the consumer perceived senior managers’ involvement. We add this key factor into the independent variables of our formation mechanism. Secondly, most previous empirical research studies the relevant factors of consumer perceived CSR commitment as a whole. We study these relevant factors separately instead. Thirdly, we simultaneously choose the consumer perceived strategy-driven motive and consumer perceived value-driven motive as the mediating variables of our formation mechanism. Based on the above innovations, we comprehensively and systematically study the formation mechanism of CPCSRA. We use structural equation modeling to study the formation mechanism. For the convenience of data collection, our data are all from Chinese consumers. The study results show that three independent variables can directly affect CPCSRA. The three independent variables are consumer perceived level of invested resources, consumer perceived CSR efforts matching company and consumer perceived senior managers’ involvement. Consumer perceived senior managers’ involvement has the greatest effect. The two variables consumer perceived strategy-driven motive and consumer perceived value-driven motive play partial mediating effects on the relationship between independent variables and CPCSRA. Based on our empirical research, we put forward some feasible suggestions for company managers to increase company sustainability in market competition by promoting the formation of CPCSRA.
Active steering control strategy for rail vehicle based on minimum wear number

ABSTRACT Active steering technology is an effective method to solve the contradiction between curving performance and running stability of traditional bogie. In this study, an integrated active steering device was developed to integrate wheelset constraints and actuators. In addition, to study the minimum wear number control strategy, the existence of an optimal steering level that minimises the wear number was corroborated by a theoretical derivation based on the single wheelset model. Later, this research method was extended to the complete vehicle lateral dynamics model and steady-state solutions at different active steering levels were analysed. The results demonstrate that at optimal steering control, wear number is the lowest. This state is less affected by the running velocity, stiffness of the primary suspension, tread taper, and creep state, which are determined by the wheelbase and track curvature. The lateral forces of rail-vehicle wheels with an active steering function at different steering levels were measured using instrumented wheelsets. Furthermore, the accuracy of the simulation model was verified by comparing the experimental data with simulation results. Finally, the wear number of test vehicles at different steering levels were predicted using this model, and the control strategy proposed in this investigation was validated.
Methane and carbon dioxide emissions from yearling beef heifers and mature cows classified for residual feed intake under drylot conditions

Abstract: This study quantified methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) production from beef heifers and cows classified for residual feed intake adjusted for off-test backfat thickness (RFIfat) and reared in drylot during cold winter temperatures. Individual performance, daily feed intake, and RFIfat were obtained for 1068 crossbred and purebred yearling heifers (eight trials) as well as 176 crossbred mature cows (six trials) during the winters of 2015–2017 at two locations. A portion of these heifers (147 high RFIfat; 167 low RFIfat) and cows (69 high RFIfat; 70 low RFIfat) was monitored for enteric CH4 and CO2 emissions using the GreenFeed Emissions Monitoring (GEM) system (C-Lock Inc., Rapid City, SD, USA). Low RFIfat cattle consumed less feed [heifers, 7.80 vs. 8.48 kg dry matter (DM) d-1; cows, 11.64 vs. 13.16 kg DM d-1] and emitted less daily CH4 (2.5% for heifers; 3.7% for cows) and CO2 (1.4% for heifers; 3.4% for cows) compared with high RFIfat cattle. However, low RFIfat heifers and cows had higher CH4 (6.2% for heifers; 9.9% for cows) and CO2 yield (7.3% for heifers; 9.8% for cows) per kilogram DM intake compared with their high RFIfat pen mates. The GEM system performed at air temperatures between +20 and -30 °C. Feed intake of heifers and mature cows was differently affected by ambient temperature reduction between +20 and -15 °C and similarly increased their feed intake at temperatures below -15 °C. In conclusion, low RFIfat animals emit less daily enteric CH4 and CO2, due mainly to lower feed consumption at equal body weight, gain, and fatness.
A comparative analysis of ontogenetic bite‐force scaling among Crocodylia

Interspecific adult bite forces for all extant crocodylian species are now known. However, how bite forces scale during ontogeny across the clade has yet to be studied. Here we test the hypotheses that extant crocodylians share positively allometric and statistically comparable developmental scaling coefficients for maximal bite-force capacity relative to body size. To do this, we measured bite forces in the Australian freshwater crocodile Crocodylus johnsoni and the Saltwater crocodile C. porosus, and determined how performance changed during ontogeny. We statistically compared these results with those for the American alligator Alligator mississippiensis using 95% prediction intervals and interpreted our findings in a phylogenetic context. We found no observable taxon-specific shifts in the intraspecific scaling of biomechanical performance. Instead, all bite-force values in our crocodylid dataset fell within the bounds of the A. mississippiensis 95% prediction intervals, suggesting similar bite-force capacity when same-sized individuals are compared. This holds true regardless of differences in developmental stage, potential adult body size, rostro-dental form, bone mineralization, cranial suturing, dietary differences or phylogenetic relatedness. These findings suggest that intraspecific bite-force scaling for crocodylians with feeding ecologies comparable with those of extant forms has likely remained evolutionarily static during their diversification.
Effects of temperature and tomato variety on development stages of Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae)

Tomato is one of the most consumed vegetables per capita in the world; it is grown both in the open and in greenhouses. Under these conditions, the pest is considered a severe problem, especially considering Bactericera cockerelli Sulc. Therefore, in this experiment, the life history of this pest insect in two tomato varieties: “Charanda F1” and “Rafaello” the differences in the development stages of the insect, the mean temperatures of two cycles, and the accumulated heat units determined. The work consisted of evaluating the development of the instars of B. cockerelli during two crop cycles in both varieties, as well as the accumulation of heat units to differentiate the distinct instars. The insect populations developed in the Rafaello variety had shorter lives and showed a higher death rate of eggs than did those that developed in Charanda F1. The temperature was another determining factor; when the temperature remained low, the insect biological cycle was longer. Likewise, heat units were different between the two varieties; in Rafaello, 598.13 heat units needed while in Charanda F1, only 464.98. The differences may be due to the morphological characteristics of each variety, as the presence of trichomes and oils. Thus, we suggest that these variables studied in future research works.
Common reed (Phragmites australis) harvest as a control method in a Neotropical wetland in Western México

Common reed (Phragmites australis) has invaded wetlands worldwide and displaced native vegetation and wildlife. Control measures include herbicides, but their use can cause negative environmental impacts. An alternative is to harvest aerial biomass. We tested harvest as a control for common reed in Mintzita springs, Michoacan in Western Mexico. Results showed that harvest increased native plant species establishment, and that species richness varied with harvesting method. In plots where reed was completely removed every two months, 9 native species established, the same number as in plots where all reed biomass was removed if at least one stem was 2 m tall at the harvest date. When only reed stems 2m or taller where removed, 6 species established, whereas, in control plots only three species established. Species composition correlated with harvesting method (ANOSIM, R=0.4514, p < 0.01). Harvest reduced resprouting measured as standing biomass (F(3,20) = 27, p < 0.000001). After one year of treatment, full removal plots had the lowest aerial dry biomass (108 ± 15 g) followed by plots with full removal once a reed stem was at least 2m tall (197 ± 81 g), followed by plots where only 2 m or taller stems were removed (593 ± 466 g) and control (3296 ± 232 g). Several reed plants died after the first year of the experiment. Although more trials and long term follow up are needed, our results suggest that harvest can be an efficient control method for reed-infested wetlands in Western Mexico.
Financial Development and Economic Sustainability in ECOWAS Countries: the Role of Institutional Quality

The literature explored the relationship between financial development and economic sustainability, taking into consideration the roles played by institutional quality in the ECOWAS region. Most literature still debates on the roles of institutional quality on economic growth. The study used data from 1996-2017 for 15 emerging economies within the ECOWAS by applying two-step SYS GMM (SGMM) estimators. The study discovered that financial development has no significant and positive alliance on economic sustainability in the ECOWAS region. Besides that, regulatory quality and control of corruption, considered institutional quality variables have conflicting results with control of corruption reducing growth as well as regulatory quality increasing growth. Again, the results came out that capital formation has a positive association with growth and labor force influencing negatively on growth. Finally, due to a lack of proper corruption control systems in the region and poor financial sector development, growth cannot improve . JEL Classification : O11, O43, C23 How to Cite: Li, F. , Appiah, M. , & Korankye, B. (2020). Financial Development and Economic Sustainability in ECOWAS Countries: The Role of Institutional Quality. Etikonomi: Jurnal Ekonomi, 19(1), 41 – 50. https://doi.org/10.15408/etk.v19i1. 13709.
Routing in Flying Ad Hoc Networks: A Comprehensive Survey

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is attracting considerable interest in academic research, commercial, and military applications. Multi-UAV systems organized in an ad hoc fashion called a flying ad hoc network (FANET) can cooperatively and collaboratively accomplish complex missions more efficiently compared to single large UAV systems. However, the unique features of FANETs such as high mobility, low node density, and high frequency of topology changes introduce challenges to the communication design, especially routing. Thus, the routing requirements of FANETs surpass those of MANETs or VANETs. In this paper, we present UAV classification, communication and application architectures, and an exhaustive survey of the existing routing protocols for flying ad hoc networks. Furthermore, we highlight the key features, strengths and weaknesses, and different mobility models used for the performance evaluation of the existing FANET routing protocols. More importantly, a proposed taxonomy and a review on the existing FANET routing protocols are presented. Finally, we highlight the existing challenges and open research issues.
Social Media use in Initial Teacher Education: Lessons on knowing where your students are

: The use of social media in initial teacher education offers connection to a community of learners. As teacher educators we planned to use Twitter with pre-service teachers (PSTs). But at the end of the semester it was revealed that PSTs insisted on using a different platform; offering valuable perspectives and insights into the boundaries that are set by PSTs when moving from personal to professional use of social media. Through this paper we share our voices as initial teacher educators who valued the voices of PSTs in navigating the integration of Twitter into a semester of study. Revealed are insights into knowing where your students are when integrating social media to support the growth of a community.
Speculative Attacks and Investor Attention

This paper presents the first evidence that retail investors play a central role in a speculative attack. Investigating the attacks that affected several emerging economies in the second semester of 2018, I document a strong influence of investor attention on the price and risk of the currency under attack, and this influence monotonically rises with the increase of the attacks’ severity. Moreover, this association is absent outside of the attacks or for those emerging currencies that did not experience an attack in the sample period. These findings are robust to several alternative explanations and provide further support for the importance of retail investors to asset pricing.
Marketing perceptions of national and nature parks managers – the case of Croatia

The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of Croatian national and nature parks managers of the current role of marketing in creating and managing parks’ offer. Through identifying and evaluating the scope and importance of marketing in national and nature parks, the paper also aims to reveal the possibilities for improving existing practices. The theoretical framework includes a review of contributions from the fields of marketing in national and nature parks' changing environment and the literature on place branding in tourism. Exploratory qualitative research was conducted. An in-depth analysis of secondary data collected from internal materials, print media, and internet resources preceded to a content analysis of primary data collected through personal, semi-structured interviews with 15 key informants. The overall results suggest that umbrella branding emerges as a novel and promising approach. In some cases, the role of marketing in responding to changes in the competitive tourism environment is acknowledged, while in others not, as conservative parks are primarily focused on protection and conservation, which results in fewer resources to implement active marketing management. Research limitations are related to single informant bias and the subjective nature of data (the perceptions of respondents). To the best of the authors' knowledge, the study is the first that enables insight into the umbrella branding approach in the frame of the marketing management of national and nature parks. It brings evidence from one of the Central and Eastern European markets, a domain in which the role of marketing in national and nature parks has been under-researched.
Ireland’s Fiscal Spending Multipliers

This paper estimates government spending multipliers for Ireland. We add to the existing literature on Ireland-specific fiscal spending multipliers in two key ways. First, we focus on measures of economic activity that remove distortions caused by foreign-owned multinational enterprises, thus allowing us to derive truer estimates of the impact on the domestic economy of changes in fiscal policy. Second, we employ a number of statistical approaches in order to sense-check the multiplier estimates we derive, including standard SVAR approaches, an expectations-augmented VAR (EVAR) approach, and estimates based on a large-scale structural model. Our results show that government investment can have positive and significant initial impacts on Irish output, though these effects tend to disappear and/or become statistically insignificant over the longer term. Other forms of fiscal spending do not have a statistically significant effect.
Inhibitory effect of 1-MCP on ripening and superficial scald development in ‘McIntosh’ and ‘Delicious’ apples

Summary ‘McIntosh’ and ‘Delicious’ apple were treated with the competitive ethylene (C2H4) antagonist 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), to evaluate its feasibility as a postharvest tool for use by the apple industry. The threshold concentration of 1-MCP required to inhibit de novo C2H4 production and action was 1 ¼l l–1. 1-MCP treatment completely inhibited C2H4production in apples for 6–10 d at20°C following storage at 0°C in air or controlled atmosphere for 60 or 120 d. 1-MCP-treated apples were significantly firmer (13 to 20 N) than untreated apples following storage and post-storage handling for 7 to 14 d at 20°C. Total soluble solids of apples was not affected by 1-MCP treatment. Inhibition of total volatiles and ∝-farnesene emanated by apples by 1-MCP treatment was parallel to the inhibition of C2H4 production by 1-MCP. Contents of ∝-farnesene and its putative superficial scald causing catabolite, conjugated triene alcohol, in the skin were reduced 60 to 98% by ≥1 μl l–1 1-MCP. Treatment with 1-MCP suppressed the incidence of superficial scald in ‘McIntosh’ and ‘Delicious’ apples by 30% and 90%, respectively.
How Can Taphonomy Be Defined in the XXI Century

Taphonomy, as a branch of learning and a research area, has undergone a tremendous growth in the past few decades. It has extended its application from palaeontology to other disciplines, it has broadened its referential scope and has incorporated humans as taphonomy agents. This has affected the way taphonomy is perceived by its practitioners and requires a modification of its definition, following a process that is common in most evolving natural science disciplines.
Seasonal incidence of parasitoid fauna on groundnut leaf miner, Aproaerema modicella deventer

A field experiment was conducted to find out the effect of different dates of sowing during 2009–2010 at University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur to study seasonal incidence of parasitoid fauna on groundnut leaf miner. Highest leaf miner incidence was recorded during September (15.40 larvae/plant) on groundnut crop sown on 1st of August 2009, and the next peak incidence was observed during August (13.70 larvae/plant) on that sown on 15th July 2009.