Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Work–Life Balance, Organizations and Social Sustainability: Analyzing Female Telework in Spain

The concept of work–life balance has recently established itself as a key component on route maps drawn up in the pursuit of social sustainability, both on a local scale, represented by individual organizations, and on a more general one, represented by global institutions such as the United Nations. Our article analyzes telework’s use as a political tool within organizations that either boost or hinder the development of social sustainability. Additionally, we propose the notion of “life sustainability” to analyze how female teleworkers describe the link between specific work cultures and the possibility of fulfilling social sustainability goals in local work environments through the achievement of a good work–life balance. Our research was performed following a qualitative approach, drawing from a sample of 24 individual interviews and 10 focus groups with a total of 48 participants, all of which are female teleworkers with family responsibilities. Our main findings allow us to summarize the interviewees’ social perceptions into two categories, which we have dubbed ‘life sustainability ecologies’ and ‘presence-based ecologies’. We conclude by discussing female teleworkers’ claim that work–life balance is directly linked to social sustainability and that the latter goal will remain out of reach as long as the issue of balance goes unresolved.
The Effect of the Beat Phenomenon on the Oscillating Water Column Device

The oscillating water column is the most natural type of wave energy converter because of its simple mechanical structure. To achieve maximum energy conversion efficiency, the incident waves and the natural frequency of the device’s construction have to be in resonance. This paper discusses the beat phenomenon as a form of resonance and several factors that allow the beating to occur, namely the relative depth of the wave (h/L) and the ratio of the submerged front wall length to the water depth (a/h), and their effect on oscillating water column efficiency. The test results show that the beat phenomenon occurs in the wave period T = 1.7 s, with a maximum efficiency of 22.12% achieved at conditions h/L = 0.114 and a/h = 0.4.
Ecological adaptation strategies of annual plants in artificial vegetation-stabilized sand dune in Shapotou Region

Taking annual plant Eragrostis poaeides in the artificial vegetation-stabilized sand dune in the Shapotou Experimental Research Station as example, study has been done on the adaptation strategies of annual plants to random environment through fixed quadrat observations of population changes and fixed plant determinations of individual growth, seed germination, population dynamics, spatial distribution pattern of population, competition and regulation. During the growing season, the survival rate of annual plants depends on the precipitation intensity and precipitation duration which activate the germination of seeds. The optimal germination strategy of annual plants in this habitat during the growing season appears as continuous germination under suitable conditions. Such continuous germination is an adaptive characteristic of annual plants to random environment. In addition, the variation processes of population size and regulation mechanism of E. poaeoides are studied. Statistical results of natural population in four consecutive years show that water condition in the habitat is the leading factor affecting the population dynamics of E. poaeoides. During the establishment period E. poaeoides had a higher death rate, but in the middle to later period they could survive stably. Due to the limitation of soil moisture, the competition among individuals for water inevitably led to self-thinning phenomena. Under very arid condition, the survival curve of annual herbs entirely appears as Deevey III type (C type), but under relatively adequate precipitation condition, the survival curve appears as intermediate type. The strategy of life history obviously appears as r-strategy. Plant species of r-strategy often occurs in the early succession stage of the communities. In the relatively adequate and evenly-distributed rainfall years, E. poaeoides population exhibited a density-dependent, i. e. , survival rate increased with decrease in population density. The main pattern to regulate the population number for the intraspecific competition is to regulate the highly variable initial density into a final density with narrow variation range.
Screening of natural compounds and their derivatives as potential protein kinase C inhibitors

Protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes are important signal transducers in a number of cellular responses that makes PKC inhibition a topical target for drug discovery. In this study, a set of natural compounds and their derivatives (43 in total) were screened to establish their potential inhibitory effects on PKC, exploiting kinase activity and [3H]‐phorbol ester binding assays. Statistical evaluation of the assays yielded signal‐to‐background, signal‐to‐noise, and Z′ values of 16.1, 11.3, and 0.62, respectively, for the kinase activity assay and 47.4, 15.9, and 0.73 for the binding assay, demonstrating their suitability for screening. Of the compounds investigated, the most potent PKC inhibitor was (−)‐epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which had an IC50 of 4.8 µM. In addition, (−)‐epicatechin gallate, dodecyl gallate, and the flavonoids myricetin, quercetin, rhamnetin, luteolin, isorhamnetin, and kaempferol were effective while naringin and scopoletin demonstrated negligible effects. None of the compounds was able to significantly inhibit the binding of phorbol ester to the regulatory domain of PKCα. The highest inhibition, 59%, was observed in the case of EGCG at a concentration of 150 µM. Taken together, nine PKC inhibitors were identified, none of which was able to compete with the binding of phorbol ester to PKCα, suggesting that the mechanism of PKC inhibition could be a result of binding to the catalytic domain of PKC. Drug Dev Res 63:76–87, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reinventing Mobility Paradigms: Flying Car Scenarios and Challenges for Urban Mobility

Flying vehicles are receiving more and more attention and are becoming an opportunity to start a new urban mobility paradigm. The most interesting feature of flying cars is the expected opportunity they could offer to reduce congestion, traffic jams and the loss of time to move between origin/destination pairs in urban contexts. In this perspective, urban air mobility might meet the concept of “sustainable mobility”, intended as the ideal model of a transport system that minimizes the environmental impacts by maximizing efficiency and travel speed. For transport engineering planning issues, further knowledge is required in this field to understand the effects that a possible urban air mobility system, including the ground traffic component, could have in terms of sustainable mobility in the above meaning. This paper contributes to this topic by providing an analysis of different urban flying car scenarios by using an agent-based approach with different traffic conditions. The preliminary results obtained on some test networks and focusing on travel cost effects suggest that the expected advantages the flying car will depend on trip origin/destination points, average distances travelled in the urban contexts and the location of transition nodes, which are introduced as interchange nodes between aerial and ground mode.
Ethephon effects on barley in central Alberta

Ethephon, a plant growth regulator used to prevent lodging in cereals, was tested on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars representing a cross-section of types grown in Alberta, Canada over a period of 5 yr. The study was conducted in two parts: in the first part (1983–1985), ethephon at 0.48 kg ha−1 was applied at Zadoks growth stage 45 to four cultivars growing under natural-rainfall conditions. In the second part (1986–1987), a more extensive variety test was conducted (12 cultivars), natural rainfall was supplemented with irrigation when necessary, and ethephon was applied at 0.28 kg ha−1 at Zadoks 45. The effect of ethephon on height, lodging, tillering, days to maturity, grain and straw yield, harvest index, 1000-grain weight, and seeds spike−1 was analysed. Ethephon reduced height in all of the cultivars. Where lodging occurred, it was reduced by ethephon treatment. During the first 3 yr under relatively dry conditions, grain yield was reduced and straw yield increased in 2 out of the 3 yr. In the.
Almond Skin Extracts and Chlorogenic Acid Delay Replicative Aging by Enhanced Oxidative Stress Response Involving SIR2 and SOD2 in Yeast

Almond (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb) is one of the largest nut crops in the world. Recently, phenolic compounds, mostly stored in almond skin, have been associated with much of the health-promoting behavior associated with their intake. The almond skin enriched fraction obtained from cold-pressed oil residues of the endemic Moroccan Beldi ecotypes is particularly rich in chlorogenic acid. In this study, both almond skin extract (AE) and chlorogenic acid (CHL) supplements, similar to traditional positive control resveratrol, significantly increased the replicative life-span of yeast compared to the untreated group. Our results showed that AE and CHL significantly reduced the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), most likely due to their ability to maintain mitochondrial function during aging, as indicated by the maintenance of normal mitochondrial membrane potential in treated groups. This may be associated with the observed activation of the anti-oxidative stress response in treated yeast, which results in activation at both gene expression and enzymatic activity levels for SOD2 and SIR2, the latter being an upstream inducer of SOD2 expression. Interestingly, the differential gene expression induction of mitochondrial SOD2 gene at the expense of the cytosolic SOD1 gene confirms the key role of mitochondrial function in this regulation. Furthermore, AE and CHL have contributed to the survival of yeast under UV-C-induced oxidative stress, by reducing the development of ROS / RNS, resulting in a significant reduction in cellular oxidative damage as evidenced by decreased membrane lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyl content and 8-oxo-guanine formation in DNA. Together, these results demonstrate the interest of AE and CHL as new regulators in the replicative life-span and control of the oxidative stress response of yeast.
Rapid evaluation of effective linear energy transfer in heavy-ion mutagenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana

Heavy-ion beams are an effective mutagen for use in plant breeding and analyses of gene function. Heavyion beams have high linear energy transfer (LET) and thus they effectively induce DNA double-strand breaks. To rapidly evaluate effective LETs for inducing mutations, we investigated mutation frequencies in the M1 generation using the Arabidopsis heterozygous mutant of the ALBINO PALE GREEN 3 gene. Leaves of heterozygous plants in which intact alleles were mutated showed white sectors. We irradiated heterozygous plants with heavy-ion beams with LETs ranging from 22.5 to 61.5 keV μm−1 and doses ranging from 0 to 450 Gy. The results showed that the effect of LETs could be classified into three types: first, the LET of 22.5 keV μm−1 did not effectively induce mutations, regardless of the dose; second, LETs of 30.0 or 42.5 keV μm−1 were not effective at low doses (100–200 Gy) but were effective at 300 Gy; third, LETs of 50.0 or 61.5 keV μm−1 produced comparatively high mutation frequencies at all doses. Irradiation with 42.5–61.5 keV μm−1 reduced seed productivity at the dose providing the highest mutation frequencies (300 Gy). We concluded that an LET of 30.0 keV μm−1 was optimal for obtaining Arabidopsis thaliana mutants in the M2 generation.
How Do Foliar Application of Melatonin and L-Tryptophan Affect Lettuce Growth Parameters Under Salt Stress?

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of exogenous Melatonin (100, 300 and 500 µM) and L-tryptophan (125, 250, 375 ppm) applications on some growth parameters of lettuce plants grown under salt stress. The study was carried out under semi-controlled greenhouse conditions in spring (March/April) season. The exogenous applications to lettuce plants were carried out two times as foliar spraying. Salt stress was generated by adding NaCl (0 mM, 100 mM, 200 mM) to irrigation water. The complete randomized design was used with three replications in this experiment. At the end of the study, it was found that the highest doses of exogenous applications had the highest effect on the parameters of the number of leaves, salinity necrosis, fresh leaf weight, fresh root weight, and total surface area of lettuce plants under 200 mM salinity condition. When the effects of the subtract on these values were compared, the effect of melatonin was found to be more pronounced. Leaf width, leaf length, and leaf surface temperature values were not affected by the external application. These values only changed depending on salt concentration. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the application of 500 µM melatonin significantly increased salt tolerance in lettuce plants. However, in order to reach a more general conclusion, the dose ranges and genotype/variety numbers should be increased.
Spore morphology as a taxonomic tool in the delimitation of three Asplenium L. species complexes (Aspleniaceae: Pteridophyta) in Cuba

As a contribution to the taxonomic study of Asplenium L. for the new "Flora de la República de Cuba", the spore morphology was studied into three complexes of hardly delimited species. Twenty-two collections have been studied by SEM and eighty-nine by LM. Shape, number of spores per sporangium and perispore ornamentation, specially fine details revealed by scanning electron microscopy, were the most valuable characters in the recognition of taxa. Irregularities in spore shape and size, unusual development of perispore wall surface elements, and collapsed protoplast characterize aborted spores and suggest the occurrence of a possible hybrid species.
Reproductive Potential of the Fairy Shrimp, Branchinella (Branchinellites) kugenumaensis, in an Unpredictable Ephemeral Pool

Abstract Maintaining a sustainable egg bank through rapid maturation and the production of large clutches is an important strategy for large branchiopods surviving in ephemeral habitats, and such egg banks can only be replenished by the recruitment of hatched eggs as a function of fitness (F). The ability to reach a threshold F represents a key adaptation to selection pressures. We investigated daily changes in the population density/size and hatching numbers of fairy shrimp, Branchinella kugenumaensis, and estimated their F values in an ephemeral pool, Siangtian Pond, in northern Taiwan during 2005, and four cohorts were observed. The number of hatchings per cohort ranged from to , representing a hatching density between 1.42 and 2.83 , and the number of newly produced eggs per cohort ranged from to , representing a high level of recruitment, ranging from 10,631 to 37,425 in the sediment, which yielded a mean fitness of 2.05 produced eggs per hatching (CI = 1.82 ∼ 2.35). The threshold F for replenishing the hatched portion of the egg bank was derived theoretically and ranges from 1.39 to 2.36, varying with the probability of reproduction failure and the rate of egg mortality. Because only a small fraction of the egg bank hatches during each inundation episode, the observed F may not be sufficient for replenishing the remaining egg bank. Therefore, additional strategies for long-term persistence are required, which may be achieved by exhibiting occasional indeterminate growth in addition to the regular determinate growth pattern of this species.
Improved Approach for Studying Oscillatory Properties of Fourth-Order Advanced Differential Equations with p-Laplacian Like Operator

This paper aims to study the oscillatory properties of fourth-order advanced differential equations with p-Laplacian like operator. By using the technique of Riccati transformation and the theory of comparison with first-order delay equations, we will establish some new oscillation criteria for this equation. Some examples are considered to illustrate the main results.
Intention to Use Sustainable Green Logistics Platforms

Recently, logistics platforms that facilitate interaction and the exchange and transaction of information have quickly emerged in the Korean domestic market. In order to further advance the development of logistics platforms into green logistics platforms in which participation in the early stages is not active, appropriate checks and balances are needed so that service providers, users, and platform operators can grow together in green logistics platforms. The purpose of this study is to empirically verify the factors affecting participants’ intentions to use green logistics platforms. Out of the 230 questionnaires distributed from 25 June to 11 July 2019, 14 were excluded from analyses due to unsatisfactory responses, while 216 responses were used for statistical processing. The structural equation model (SEM) was used to test hypotheses in this research. The results showed that the network effect and security factors influenced perceived usefulness, and trust did not affect perceived usefulness. Perceived usefulness also significantly influenced the intention to use green logistics platforms. The results of this study present strategies and directions for the future development of green logistics platforms.
The population dynamics of the Eider Duck Somateria mollissima and evidence of extensive non‐breeding by adult ducks

The dynamics of an Eider Duck population have been investigated over 25 years, using census and capture-mark-recapture methods. During the study the population increased two and a half fold, with two periods of major increases in numbers, giving a stepped growth pattern. Mean clutch size showed considerable annual variation, the extremes being 5.40 and 3.78 eggs. The variation in clutch size was greater than that recorded in the Netherlands. Adult female Eiders had a high annual survival rate, averaging 0.895, and varying between 0.75 and 1.00 in individual years. The survival rate decreased markedly in the old ducks. There was no indication of any change in the survival rate during the study. Recruitment of ducks to the breeding group was irregular, with most years showing little recruitment and a few years high recruitment. However, recruitment, associated with good duckling survival, appears to have been the main factor associated with increase in the population. In many years, an appreciable proportion of the surviving ducks, which had already bred in a previous year, failed to nest. The extent of non-breeding increased during the study and in one year, 1973, this reached 65%. Lower clutch size and adult survival were associated with years of high non-breeding. The ‘red-tides’ in 1968 and 1975 appeared to have little effect on the Eider. It is suggested that the Eider missed breeding in years in which its survival was potentially poor, in order to maximize its reproductive output during its life span. This is supported by the smaller clutch size laid by those females which nest in years when many females fail to breed. It is suggested that young ducks may also miss breeding in the year after first nesting but this is not associated with the non-breeding in older ducks, although it may he related to body condition. It is suggested that non-breeding by adults of long-lived birds may be widespread. This has important implications in survey work based on nest counts.
Diversity and activity pattern of wild cats in Way Kambas National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia

Camera trapping was applied for assess the diversity and activity pattern of wild cats in Way Kambas National Park on May 2013 to May 2014. Fifty-seven cameras were systematically set within 480 km2 area covering a total of 4,610 trap nights. Of 4,017 recorded videos, four wild cats species were capture and identified, those are sumateran tiger (Pathera tigris sumatrae), clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi), leopard cat (Pardofelis marmorota) and marbled cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). The highest capture rate (video per 100 trap nights) was sumatran tiger and leopard cat (0.87) followed by marbled cat (0.11) and clouded leopard (0.09). Sumatran tiger and marbled cat were cathemeral. Sumatran tiger was found active during both day (51.6 %) and night (48.4 %) with its highest activity was between 05.00 – 06.00 hours and 05.00 – 06.00 hours, whilst marbled cat was active during the day (41.2 %) and night (58.8 %) with it highest activity found between 12.00 to 02.00 hours and 05.00 – 06.00 hours. The other two cat species, leopard cat and marbled cat were mostly nocturnal with the highest activity recorded at 05.00 – 06.00 hours and 21.00 – 22.00 hours for clouded leopard and 05.00 – 06.00 hours for leopard cat. Our study demonstrates that the Way Kambas National Park is an important habitat for wild cats in Sumatra, although the presence of other rarer cat species in the park, such as golden cat and flat-headed cat still needs to be confirmed by further long-term monitoring study.
Pyrococcus furiosus α-Amylase Is Stabilized by Calcium and Zinc†

The hyperthermophilic archeon Pyrococcus furiosus produces an extracellular α-amylase that belongs to glycosyl hydrolases' family 13. This enzyme is more thermostable than its bacterial and archaeal homologues (e.g., Bacillus licheniformis TAKA-term and Pyrococcus kodakaraensis KOD1 α-amylases, respectively) even without adding Ca2+ ions. Unlike the TAKA-therm amylase that contains no cysteine, the P. furiosus enzyme contains five cysteines (C152, C153, C165, C387, and C430), only four of which (C152, C153, C387, and C430) are conserved in the P. kodakaraensis α-amylase. To test the potential function of cysteines in P. furiosus α-amylase stability, these five residues were substituted with Ser or Alaeither one-by-one or in sequenceto produce eight mutant enzymes. Mutation C165S dramatically destabilized P. furiosus α-amylase. At the same time, the quadruple mutant enzyme C152S/C153S/C387S/C430A (mutant SSCSA) was as thermostable as the wild-type enzyme. Mutant SSCSA and wild-type α-amylases were strongly.