Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality Matters More Than Quantity: Parent–Child Communication and Adolescents’ Academic Performance

This study examined the effects of parent–child communication, including the quantitative and qualitative aspects of these communications, on young American adolescents’ academic performance by using an Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten dataset. We considered children’s self-concept a mediator in examining the effects. Structural equation modeling was used for evaluating the model. The results revealed that the quality of parent–child communication was positively associated with these children’s academic performance, and this association can be mediated by the adolescents’ self-concept. However, the quantity of parent–child communication did not show a direct or an indirect association with the adolescents’ academic achievements. These findings suggest that efforts to improve the quality of parent–child communication and to strengthen the connection between high-quality communications and adolescents’ self-concept may benefit young adolescents’ academic development.
Dose Responses of Five Broadleaf Weeds to Saflufenacil

Abstract Greenhouse dose–response studies were conducted to determine the effectiveness of PRE and POST applications of saflufenacil on blue mustard, flixweed, Palmer amaranth, redroot pigweed, and tumble pigweed. Weed species did not differ in their responses to saflufenacil applied PRE. Averaged across species, PRE application of saflufenacil at 6 to 30 g/ha reduced weed biomass 82 to 98%, but biomass did not differ among rates of 12 g/ha or higher. POST application of saflufenacil reduced weed biomass by 92%, averaged across species and rates. On the basis of regression analysis, the 90% plant biomass reduction for saflufenacil applied PRE and POST was 9 and 6 g/ha, respectively. Saflufenacil applied PRE reduced population density by 77 to 98%, averaged across weed species; a rate of 9 g/ha reduced population density 90% (DR90) on the basis of regression analysis. Averaged across species, POST application of 6 to 30 g/ha reduced population density by 63 to 93%, but regression analysis indicated that the DR90 value was greater than 30 g/ha. Averaged across rates, saflufenacil reduced the population density of flixweed, Palmer amaranth, redroot pigweed, tumble pigweed, and blue mustard by 49, 64, 67, 73, and 78%, respectively. Nomenclature: Saflufenacil, N′-[2-chloro-4-fluoro-5-(3-methyl-2,6-dioxo-4-(trifluoromethyl)-3,6-dihydro-1(2H)pyrimidinyl)benzoyl]-N-isopropyl-N-methylsulfamide; blue mustard, Chorispora tenella (Pallas) DC. , COBTE; flixweed, Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb. ex Prantl, DESSO; Palmer amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri S.Wats. , AMAPA; redroot pigweed, Amaranthus retroflexus L. , AMARE; tumble pigweed, Amaranthus albus L. , AMAAL.
The availability of credit from the formal financial sector to small and medium enterprises in South Africa

Orientation: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in most developing economies depend heavily on credit from the formal financial sector since financial capital from other sources is insufficient for their growth and survival. Research purpose: Despite SMEs contributing substantially towards sustainable economic development, they have the highest failure rate in South Africa. Thus, the aim of this research is to explore the availability of credit from the formal financial sector to SMEs from a supply side perspective. Motivation for the study: Research on improving SMEs access to financial capital from the formal financial sector will assist in reducing the failure rate of SMEs and boost economic development in South Africa. Research approach/design and method: Using an interpretivistic research paradigm, data was collected from credit and business managers from eight of the largest formal financial sector using semi-structured in-depth interviews and analysed using content analysis. Main findings: The findings revealed that collateral, annual business turnover and audited financial records are the most important factors influencing the formal financial sector to provide credit to SMEs. The lack of investment capital, collateral and financial records are the main challenges faced by the formal financial sector in approving credit to SMEs. Practical/managerial implications: Implications for government and the private sector in policy development were provided. Contribution/value-add: This research highlights the most important factors and challenges faced by SMES in accessing credit from the formal financial sector. Using a qualitative research design further contributed, from a methodological perspective, to the literature on the financing of SMEs.
Addendum to Systematic Review of Remdesivir for the Treatment of COVID-19

Author(s): Musa, Arif; Warbasse, Elizabeth; Baron, David A. ; Pendi, Kasim; Hashemi, Areio; Yousif, Jenna; Blodget, Emily; Stevens, Susan; Aly, Besma; Khambati, Alisha; Kouyoumjian, Sarkis
Agenda Seeding: How 1960s Black Protests Moved Elites, Public Opinion and Voting

How do stigmatized minorities advance agendas when confronted with hostile majorities? Elite theories of influence posit marginal groups exert little power. I propose the concept of agenda seeding to describe how activists use methods like disruption to capture the attention of media and overcome political asymmetries. Further, I hypothesize protest tactics influence how news organizations frame demands. Evaluating black-led protests between 1960 and 1972, I find nonviolent activism, particularly when met with state or vigilante repression, drove media coverage, framing, congressional speech, and public opinion on civil rights. Counties proximate to nonviolent protests saw presidential Democratic vote share increase 1.6–2.5%. Protester-initiated violence, by contrast, helped move news agendas, frames, elite discourse, and public concern toward “social control. ” In 1968, using rainfall as an instrument, I find violent protests likely caused a 1.5–7.9% shift among whites toward Republicans and tipped the election. Elites may dominate political communication but hold no monopoly.
Seed production in cluster clover (Trifolium glomeratum L.). 2 Effect of sowing time and sowing rate on flowering time, abortion, seed size, and hardseededness

An ecotype of cluster clover (Trifolium glomeratum L.) common to the wheatbelt of Western Australia was sown in pure undefoliated swards at rates in the range 2-256 kg/ha, on 2 dates to give growing seasons 13 and 18 weeks in length. Irrigation was phased out at the time of flowering of late-sown plots. The treatments generated a scale of seed production in cluster clover from 148 kg/ha (43 000 seeds/m2) to 1640 kg/ha (389 000 seeds/m2). Delayed sowing was more important in reducing seed production than was increasing sowing rate. By comparison with the early-sown plots, the late-sown plots had less above-ground biomass at flowering (2053 v. 2728 kg/ha); 48-66% fewer inflorescences per m2; a shorter vegetative phase (9 days); fewer seeds per inflorescence (26 v. 31); and lesser seed mass (337 µg v. 436 µg). There was little effect of the treatments on hardseededness except that hardseededness after 1 season in the field was higher in seeds from late-sown swards at high sowing rate (58%) than from late-sown swards at low sowing rate or early-sown swards (40%). Neither sowing rate nor sowing time influenced the within season pattern of hardseed breakdown. The results indicate that cluster clover is capable of massive seed production, and that even under highly stressed conditions seed production is maximised by a high reproductive allocation and small seed size. Despite conditions which reduced seed production by up to 90%, cluster clover is able to maintain its seed quality. Relatively few inviable seeds are produced and hardseededness is either unaffected or enhanced.
Nitrogenase Activity and Oxygen Sensitivity of the Paspalum notatum-Azotobacter paspali Association

SUMMARY: Nitrogenase activity in the rhizosphere of a grass, Paspalum notatum, and its associated soil was measured by the reduction of acetylene. Roots of the cultivar ‘batatais’ colonized by Azotobacter paspali, when taken from the soil, produced 1 to 32 nmol C2H4/g dry wt/h, whereas the cultivar ‘pensacola’, which is not colonized by A. paspali, produced less than 0.5 nmol/g/h. There was a lag of 12 to 24 h before maximum, linear, rates of acetylene reduction were reached. Activity was almost completely inhibited in air or in the absence of O2 and was greatest at around pO2 0.04 atm. Activity of soil cores containing plants with leaves attached was little affected by pO2 and showed no lag. Soil-plant cores maintained in a 16 h day+8 h night showed no diurnal fluctuation in activity; as the dark period was extended, activity decreased but was restored on returning plants to the light. Roots and rhizomes had most activity, the soil very little and aerial parts none. Washing the roots removed less than half the activity. Disturbance of soil-plant cores decreased activity. The soil next to the root surface contained most A. paspali; more were associated with active plants than with less active plants. Sections of roots showed abundant bacteria adjacent to the root surface. Nitrogen fixation by the association was estimated to be up to 90 kg N/ha/annum.
Low Incubation Temperatures Negatively Influence Locomotor Performance and Behavior of the Nocturnal Lizard Oligosoma Suteri (Lacertidae: Scincidae)

Abstract We investigated the effects of artificial incubation regimes, experimental temperature, and age on the locomotor performance of New Zealand's only endemic oviparous lizard, Oligosoma suteri. Artificial incubation is often used to produce founders of new populations of endangered reptiles and can have significant effect on juvenile phenotype. Eggs of O. suteri were randomly distributed among three incubation temperatures (18, 22, 26°C). Juvenile (n = 117) maximum sprint speed was measured over three trials at 18, 22, and 26°C, and at one and four months of age, and behaviors during sprinting trials recorded. Sprint speed increased with an increase in experimental temperature and age. After removing the effect of individual size, juveniles incubated at low temperatures (18°C) were slower and exhibited locomotor behaviors likely to be detrimental for their survival (running towards stimulus). Individuals were consistently fast (or slow) at any given age or experimental temperature. Our data suggest that O. suteri incubated at warmer temperatures may have higher survival when released to the wild.
Comparison of Seiridium isolates associated with cypress canker using sequence data.

Viljoen, C. D. , Wingfield, B. D. , and Wingfield, M. J. 1993. Comparison of Seiridium isolates associated with cypress canker using sequence data. Experimental Mycology 17, 323-328. Three species of Seiridium have been associated with cypress canker. These include Seiridium cardinale, Seiridium unicorne, and Seiridium cupressi and are distinguished based on conidial appendage morphology. Some authorities believe that S. cupressi is conspecific with S. unicorne as these two species possess appendaged conidia while S. cardinale does not. Others are of the view that only one species of Seiridium with variable morphology is associated with cypress canker. In this study the variable first internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal RNA genes, from isolates of Seiridium associated with cypress canker, was sequenced and compared. Results suggest that species of Seiridium associated with cypress canker are closely related. Moreover sequence data support the view that S. cupressi and S. unicorne are synonyms of S. cardinale.
Evaluation of the potential of functionalised calcium carbonate as carrier for essential oils with regard to antimicrobial packaging applications

Functionalised calcium carbonates (FCCs) are inorganic mineral‐based particles with a high porosity and extended surface area consisting of hydroxyapatite and calcium carbonate crystal structures. Therefore, FCCs have a high potential to be used as a carrier for active substances such as essential oils (EOs), which are well known for their antimicrobial activities, and control their release in antimicrobial packaging applications. In this study, different EOs were loaded on FCCs, and their antimicrobial activities were studied against Listeria innocua in in vitro tests and in food tests using sliced cooked chicken breast. FCCs loaded with thyme or oregano EO (10 wt%) showed the highest reduction in microbial load in in vitro tests at 37°C (≥8.6 log cfu/filter) as well as at 7°C after 6 days (≥7.0 log cfu/filter for thyme EO and 6.5 log cfu/filter for oregano EO). However, in food tests, FCC loaded with either EO did not show any significant antimicrobial activity. FCCs loaded with cinnamon or rosemary EO (10 wt%) did not show any significant antimicrobial activity in in vitro tests. On the other hand, they showed a significant reduction in microbial load (1.7 log cfu/g for cinnamon and 2 log cfu/g for rosemary) in food tests. Differences in antimicrobial activities in in vitro and food tests are probably due to the interaction of the components of the EOs and the components of the food such as fat and proteins.
Spectral–Spatial-Weighted Multiview Collaborative Sparse Unmixing for Hyperspectral Images

Spectral unmixing is an important task in hyperspectral image (HSI) analysis and processing. Sparse representation has become a promising semisupervised method for remotely sensed hyperspectral unmixing and incorporating the spectral or spatial information to improve the spectral unmixing results under a weighted sparse unmixing framework is a recent trend. While most methods focus on analyzing HSI by exploring the spatial information, it is known that hyperspectral data are characterized by its large contiguous set of wavelengths. This information can be naturally used to improve the representation of pixels in HSI. In order to take the advantage of the hyper spectral information as well as the spatial information for hyperspectral unmixing, in this article, we explore and introduce a multiview data processing approach through spectral partitioning to benefit from the abundant spectral information in HSI. Some important findings on the application of multiview data set in sparse unmixing are discussed. Meanwhile, we develop a new spectral–spatial-weighted multiview collaborative sparse unmixing (MCSU) model to tackle such a multiview data set. The MCSU uses a weighted sparse regularizer, which includes both multiview spectral and spatial weighting factors to further impose sparsity on the fractional abundances. The weights are adaptively updated associated with the abundances, and the proposed MCSU can be solved by the alternating direction method of multipliers efficiently. The experimental results on both the simulated and real hyperspectral data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed MCSU, which can significantly improve the abundance estimation results.
Ultrastructural study on the intestine of Senegal sole, Solea senegalensis

The intestinal epithelium of Senegal sole, Solea senegalensis Kaup is composed of three main cell types: epithelial, goblet and rodlet. The cytoplasm of columnar epithelial cells – enterocytes – has spherical lipid droplets. The dominant feature throughout the intestinal mucosa was goblet cells filled with numerous mucous droplets of high density. The cytoplasm of the rodlet cells contained peripheral filamentous, pycnotic nuclei, and numerous cytoplasmic inclusions (rodlets), with a very dense cylindrical core surrounded by flocculent material. Some physiological implications related to ultrastructural features of the intestine are also discussed.
Survival and Habitat Use of Feral Hogs in Mississippi

Abstract Sus scrofa (Feral Hog) can cause extensive damage to agricultural crops and native vegetation, is a potential disease vector, and competes with other wildlife for food resources. Without site-specific information about survival and habitat use, habitat management and control efforts may not be effective. We examined home-range size, habitat use, and survival of 29 Feral Hogs in central Mississippi using radio telemetry. Dry-and wet-season survival rates were 80.8% and 41.4%, respectively. Hunting (primarily during the wet season) was the major cause of mortality. Dry-season home ranges were larger (6.4 km2) than wet-season home ranges (3.0 km2). During the dry-season, Feral Hog home ranges (2nd-order selection) were associated with dense vegetation types (seasonally flooded old fields, old fields, and managed openings). During the wet season, old fields and agricultural fields were selected, but seasonally flooded old fields and managed openings were not. Within home ranges (3rd-order selection), hogs selected old fields and managed openings during the dry season. All habitats were used randomly within home ranges during the wet season. Flooding of preferred habitats, changes in food availability, and hunting pressure likely caused these changes in habitat use and home-range placement.
Intra- Versus Inter-Sexual Selection on Sexually Dimorphic Traits in Drosophila prolongata

Sexual dimorphism, such as sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and sexually dimorphic exaggerated traits, often evolves via sexual selection. In many species, evolution of sexual dimorphism is thought to be driven by either of the two forms of sexual selection: intra- and inter-sexual selection. In some species, however, intra- and inter-sexual selection act simultaneously on the same sexually dimorphic trait. Therefore, it is important to consider the effects of both forms of sexual selection to fully understand the evolution of sexual dimorphism. Drosophila prolongata is a fruit fly that shows male-biased SSD and has enlarged forelegs only in males. In this study, the relationship between body size parameters and aggression/mating behavior was examined. Our results showed that aggressive behavior was influenced by body weight and foreleg size, whereas mating success was not influenced by any size parameters, suggesting that intra-sexual selection is the primary mechanism that maintains the sexual dimorphism in the current D. prolongata population.
Hemochromatosis gene mutations in the general population of Slovakia

This is an epidemiologic study of the Slovak population with the aim of determining the frequencies of three hemochromatosis gene (HFE) variants C282Y, H63D and S65C known to be associated with manifestation of hereditary hemochromatosis and to assess deviations of these frequencies from those reported elsewhere. Mutations were detected in 359 ethnic Slovaks by real-time PCR assay based on TaqMan technology. The allelic frequencies were 4.03% for C282Y, 12.67% for H63D and 1.25% for S65C mutation. We observed 0.28% of C282Y/C282Y homozygotes, 3.34% H63D/H63D homozygotes, 0.84% of C282Y/H63D compound heterozygotes and 0.56% of H63D/S65C compound heterozygotes. This is the first time the frequencies of H63D and S65C mutations have been reported in the general population in Slovakia. The observed allelic frequencies are consistent with the previous studies of Slavic and Central European populations.
The effect of rubric on rater's severity and bias in TVET laboratory practice assessment: analysis using many-facet Rasch measurement

Performance assessments such as laboratory practice in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) are difficult to measure because they are subjective in their characteristics, which can cause bias. The use of a rubric scoring scale is suitable for measuring students' practical competency as it could translate the qualitative criteria into quantitative forms on a grading scale. The purpose of this study is to analyse the effect of rater severity for the performance of component installation of an electronic circuit project using Many-Facet Rasch Measurement (MFRM). Nine raters have examined the competency performance of 68 students using a four-point rating scale rubric consisting of 16 items. This study was conducted at three vocational colleges. The results showed that all raters measured with different severities but very high consistency. The effect of rater severity did not exist at the group level but exhibited at the individual level. It can also be examined that all raters were biased on the item and also towards students, either by being severe or lenient. Thus, the rubric cannot eliminate the effect of bias during the assessment. However, it can help raters to be consistent so that they have the same understanding when translating the rubric. These findings have implications for the psychometric quality of the electronic circuit project performance assessment.
Development of high performance amine functionalized zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF‐8)/cellulose triacetate mixed matrix membranes for CO2/CH4 separation

High cost and complex fabrication process of inorganic membranes and lower position of pristine polymeric membranes in the Robeson upper bound curve urged the researchers to develop mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). Cellulose acetate being most commercially used polymer, dominates the market of CO2 separation mainly because of low cost and environmental friendly resource. In the present study, MMMs consists of amine functionalized zeolitic imidazolate framework (NH2‐ZIF‐8) and cellulose triacetate were fabricated for the first time. NH2‐ZIF‐8 was used as a filler because the pore size of ZIF‐8 is between the kinetic diameter of separating gases (CO2 and CH4). Moreover, NH2 group attached on the surface of ZIF‐8 has affinity with condensable gases like CO2. Morphology, crystallinity, tensile strength and functional groups of fabricated membranes were investigated using different analytical techniques. Results revealed that the increase of feed pressure has increased CO2 permeability and decreased permselectivity. However, improvements in gas separation performance were observed with the addition of nanofiller. Best position in Robeson's upper bound curve at 4 bar was obtained with 10 wt% loading with CO2 permeability and CO2/CH4 permselectivity of 218 barrer and 13.84, respectively. The improvement in the gas separation performance with loading is attributed to the increased diffusion coefficients as well as solubility coefficients, which was increased to 33% and 3.8%, respectively.
Adsorption and Separation of Crystal Violet, Cerium(III) and Lead(II) by Means of a Multi-Step Strategy Based on K10-Montmorillonite

A multi-step procedure, based on the employment of K10-Montmorillonite, is proposed for the selective removal of metal ions and dyes from a multicomponent solution. The objective is twofold: decontaminate the effluents and separate and recover the valuable byproducts present in wastewaters. Three common contaminants, i.e., crystal violet dye (CV), Ce(III) and Pb(II) were chosen as “model” pollutants. The main factors affecting the pollutants’ sorption were investigated. The experimental data were correlated with adsorption isotherms and kinetic models to obtain a deeper insight into the adsorption processes. The affinity of the clay toward the pollutants is favored by an increasing pH and follows the order CV > Pb(II) > Ce(III). Whereas Ce(III) metal ions do not adsorb onto clay under strongly acidic conditions, both Pb(II) and CV can adsorb under all the investigated pH conditions. The analysis of isotherms and kinetic profiles revealed that CV adsorbs onto clay through a mechanism consisting of two parallel processes, namely cation exchange on the external mineral surface and in the interlayer and surface complexation at the edge sites, while metal ion uptake is due solely to cation exchange processes involving mineral surfaces. The time required for the complete removal of pollutants follows the order CV > Ce(III) >> Pb(II). The possibility to modulate the adsorption features by changing experimental conditions was successfully employed to propose the best strategy for the progressive removal of different components from aqueous solutions.