Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lessons from COVID-19 can prepare global tourism for the economic transformation needed to combat climate change

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cessation of almost all international travel in the first half of 2020. A return to pre-pandemic growth patterns will take time and depend on the depth and extent of the recession sparked by COVID-19. The recovery phase will overlap with global efforts to deal with the evolving climate crisis. For the tourism industry to thrive in a future world it must look beyond the temptation of adopting strategies based on a return to the pre-COVID-19 normal of the past and instead seek to understand how it should respond to the emerging transformation of the global economy to carbon neutrality. Many of the lessons that emerged from the pandemic can be applied to strategies to deal with climate change. Of most interest is the success of strategies such as “flattening the curve”. Application of similar strategies plus adoption of the circular economy model to wind back Green House Gas emissions will help avert the global environmental disaster that will occur if global temperatures continue to increase. These strategies point to what a future carbon-neutral economic production system might look like, the path to which could offer the tourism industry numerous opportunities to transform from the current model that favours a high resource consumption model to one that is environmentally friendly and resource neutral.
Changes of energy metabolism, thermogenesis and body mass in the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri chinensis Tupaiidae, Scandebtia) during cold exposure

Abstract Environmental cues play important roles in the regulation of an animal's physiology and behaviour. The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that ambient temperature was a cue to induce adjustments in body mass, body temperature and thermogenic capacity, associated with changes in serum leptin levels in the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri chinensis). The results showed that the tree shrew increased resting metabolic rate (RMR), nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) and body mass when exposed to the cold. Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) content of brown adipose tissue (BAT) increased in the cold exposure. Also serum leptin levels were positively correlated with body mass. Together, these data supported our hypothesis that ambient temperature was a cue to induce changes in body mass and metabolism. Serum leptin participated in the regulation of energy balance and body weight in the tree shrew.
Differential sunlight exposure affects settling behaviour of hemlock woolly adelgid crawlers

Previous research demonstrated that elevated sunlight improves carbon balance and growth of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière) seedlings infested with the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand). This study examined the hypothesis that elevated visible and ultraviolet sunlight directly affects the settling behaviour of A. tsugae crawlers. Hemlock seedlings were manually infested with equal densities of A. tsugae and placed into artificial shade treatments (0%, 40% and 80% shade). The density of settled nymphs of the ensuing generation on shaded seedlings was three times higher than the density on unshaded seedlings. Adelges tsugae ovisacs were also attached to hydrated hemlock branches placed beneath acrylic filter treatments that selectively allowed transmission of various sunlight wavelengths. The proportion of adelgid crawlers that settled on the branch (vs. dropping from it) was higher beneath filters that blocked the widest spectrum of solar radiation (opaque and amber filters) than beneath full sun. In the March‐April trial, exposure to full sun and the full visible spectrum only (clear‐UV filter) significantly increased the proportion of crawlers that settled on the bottom (vs. top) side of the branch. Our results suggest that A. tsugae crawlers are negatively phototactic and/or thermotactic, with behaviour influenced more by visible light than ultraviolet light.
Risk of robbery in a tourist destination: a monthly examination of Atlantic City, New Jersey

The purpose of this study is to identify potential changes in crime generators and attractors based on monthly models in a high-tourist destination. ,A risk terrain modeling approach was used to assess spatial relationships between 27 crime generator and attractor types in Atlantic City, New Jersey with robbery occurrence for the 2015 calendar year. In total, 12 separate monthly models were run to identify changes in risk factors based on the month of the year. ,Results indicated unique significant risk factors based on the month of the year. Over the warmer and summer months, there was a shift in environmental risk factors that falls in line with more of a change in routine activities for residents and tourists and related situational contexts for the crime. ,The analytical approach used in the current study could be used by police departments and jurisdictions to understand types of crime generators and attractors influencing local crime occurrence. Subsequent analyses were used by Atlantic City Police Department to direct place-based policing efforts. ,With growing crime and place research that accounts for temporal scales, the authors advance these endeavors by focusing on a tourist destination, Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Constructions of surrogates, egg donors, and mothers: Swedish gay fathers’ narratives

The study explored in detail how Swedish gay fathers (through surrogacy) talked about the surrogate mother and the egg donor. Thirteen semi-structured interviews with 22 gay fathers were conducted and analysed using critical discursive analysis. The surrogates were primarily constructed as a close family member, but occasionally in terms of their instrumental function. They were often described as active and independent, but occasionally as vulnerable or exploited. The egg donors were in some interviews constructed as close family members, while others talked about them as distant acquaintances. Further, donors were constructed either as a significant individual (for the fathers), or as an instrumental provider of the oocyte. While some participants constructed the surrogate and/or donor as their child’s mother(s), others were more reluctant or ambivalent about the mother construct. In conclusion, the participants engaged in rhetorical work that shed a positive light on surrogacy, and their own decisions were depicted as solid, ethical and genuine. The participants’ positive framing can be understood as the production of a counter discourse, in relation to an ongoing debate in Sweden, in which surrogacy is constructed as exploitation, dehumanization and prostitution.
Habitat requirements of Tetanocera elata (Diptera: Sciomyzidae): case study of a dry meadow in western Ireland

Terrestrial slugs are pervasive pests of agriculture throughout temperate regions and have the potential to disrupt the germination of seedlings, cause damage to fruiting bodies of crops, and vector plant pathogens. Tetanocera elata Fabricius (Diptera: Sciomyzidae), a widely distributed Palaearctic species, is an obligate mesoparasitoid and predator of pestiferous slugs including Deroceras reticulatum Müller (Stylommatophora: Agriolimacidae). It has the potential to be developed as a native natural enemy in a conservation biological control programme as an alternative to chemical molluscicides. To better understand the ecological requirements of this species, a detailed observational study was conducted at a site in the west of Ireland possessing naturally occurring T. elata populations. Comparison of local patches where T. elata were recovered revealed no association with plant community composition. Taller dead vegetation was associated with T. elata presence throughout the site. Within the area of greatest T. elata aggregation, there was a significantly greater percentage cover of dead vegetation where T. elata occurred. Abundance of T. elata was also significantly correlated to hedgerow proximity. Results of this study are directly applicable for the design of a conservation biological control programme, which effectively satisfies the principal habitat requirements of T. elata populations.
Microscopic study of starch gelatinization under high hydrostatic pressure

Starch gelatinization corresponds to a melting phase transition in aqueous medium. Such a transition involves important mass transfer of water. Using a high-pressure bomb including optical ports, the volume variation of starch granules in suspension was related to gelatinization during a high-pressure treatment up to 420 MPa. Microscopic observations of wheat and potato starch granules were compared with macroscopic measurements of compressibility up to 600 MPa and gelatinization intensity using differential scanning calorimetry on treated suspensions. Wheat starch gelatinization started below 300 MPa and was completely achieved at 600 MPa. Potato starch was not altered under 600 MPa. The behavior of the volume variation of starch granules under pressure compared with starch suspensions compressibility could be explained by simultaneous compression and hydration mechanisms.
Weight-Length Relationship for Clupeonella cultriventris caspia (Svetovidov, 1941) in Iranian Waters of the Southwest Caspian Sea

The aim of this study was to record the weigh-length relationship ( WLR ) parameters for Clupeonella cultriventris caspia of Iranian coastal waters of Caspian Sea. Samples were taken during fishing surveys using conical lift nets during the summer and autumn of 2010. Total length (TL in cm) and body weight (BW in g) were measured. The lowest and highest b value was obtained for males, 2.372, and during summer time, 2.699. Linear regressions of length–weight relationships were significant for C. cultriventris caspia. The b value of the length-weight relationships showed negatively allometric growth both in males (b = 2.37) and females (b = 2.57). Similar growth pattern (negative allometric) was also observed in summer and autumn. The Analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA) revealed was significant difference in WLRs between sexes and seasons for C. cultriventris caspia in the Guilan coastal waters (Southwest Caspian Sea, Iran).
Satellite-Observed Soil Moisture as an Indicator of Wildfire Risk

Wildfires are a concerning issue in Canada due to their immediate impact on people’s lives, local economy, climate, and environment. Studies have shown that the number of wildfires and affected areas in Canada has increased during recent decades and is a result of a warming and drying climate. Therefore, identifying potential wildfire risk areas is increasingly an important aspect of wildfire management. The purpose of this study is to investigate if remotely sensed soil moisture products from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite can be used to identify potential wildfire risk areas for better wildfire management. We used the National Fire Database (NFDB) fire points and polygons to group the wildfires according to ecozone classifications, as well as to analyze the SMOS soil moisture data over the wildfire areas, between 2010–2017, across fourteen ecozones in Canada. Timeseries of 3-day, 5-day, and 7-day soil moisture anomalies prior to the onset of each wildfire occurrence were examined over the ecozones individually. Overall, the results suggest, despite the coarse-resolution, SMOS soil moisture products are potentially useful in identifying soil moisture anomalies where wildfire hot-spots may occur.
Heterogeneity of Pseudomonas savastanoi populations infecting Myrtus communis in Sardinia (Italy)

Genetic, phenotypic and host range diversity among Pseudomonas savastanoi isolates from Myrtus communis were investigated. Thirty-one isolates from six Sardinian commercial myrtle orchards and three isolates from plants growing spontaneously on the island of Rhodes (Greece) were compared with reference strains of P. savastanoi from olive, oleander, ash and myrtle. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) indicated the presence of a monomorphic population with a very low level of variability. Conversely, Biolog phenotypic fingerprinting and phytohormone production analyses showed a considerable metabolic diversity, as bacteria obtained from single infected tissue differed more than bacteria obtained from different orchards. When pathogenicity tests were carried out on myrtle plants, different types of symptoms were induced: knots, canker lesions with or without tissue proliferations and, occasionally, wilting of the inoculated twig, a symptom never reported before for P. savastanoi. Comparable symptoms were also observed in the natural environment both on spontaneous and cultivated plants. Moreover, the host range of the myrtle population was heterogeneous and not well defined. Some isolates showed a wide host range whilst others were pathogenic only to their natural host. Overall these findings suggest that the diversity of the P. savastanoi population from myrtle does not depend so much on the locality or the natural host and does not allow the Sardinian and Greek isolates, together with previously characterized myrtle strains, to be ascribed to a known pathovar of P. savastanoi, nor to propose their belonging, as a whole, to a new pathovar.
Sequential speciation and the diversity of parasitic insects

A major issue in biology is what generates biodiversity. An important part of the answer may be biodiversity itself. As new species form they may often create new niches, providing an impetus for other organisms to adapt and speciate. This hypothesis of ‘cascading’ or ‘sequential’ speciation has been argued to be particularly relevant for host‐plant‐specific phytophagous insects and their associated parasites. Here, we discuss the empirical and theoretical bases for sequential speciation and its potential significance for understanding the genesis of new life forms. We examine the application of the concept that biodiversity begets biodiversity by palaeontologists, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists to explain current and past distributions of organisms. We look at factors that may promote and restrict sequential speciation and review evidence from phytophagous insects for the process in nature. In particular, we discuss a case study involving the apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae) and its wasp parasitoid Diachasma alloeum (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). We conclude by outlining a research agenda for testing for sequential speciation in the field.
Mergers and the Psychology of the Acquiring: Is It that of Conquest?

This paper is an attempt to understand the psychology of the senior managers of a large acquiring bank in the recently announced merger of public sector banks in India through a case study. The data revealed that contrary to the conventional wisdom, which suggests that employees of the acquiring organisation are likely to have a sense of ‘conquest’ or ‘pride’, the senior managers, in this case, did not display any such feelings. Rather, they had concerns regarding the merger, which are discussed. A few had apprehensions and some showed confidence that the process will be a success. We conclude that each case of merger is impacted by its unique history, HR practices and cultural moorings and needs to be understood in its unique background. The interventions for successful mergers will therefore need to be designed with this uniqueness in mind.
Estimating in situ effective crude protein degradability with cornell net carbohydrate and protein system parameters in energy-rich feedstuffs for ruminants.

The objective of this experiment was to estimate in situ effective crude protein degradability (EPD) with Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) parameters [crude protein fractions (A, B1, B2, B3 and C) and degradable protein intake value (DIP) values] of six energyrich feedstuffs. Four cereals: maize, wheat, barley, rye and two wheat middling (WM-1 and WM-2) were tested. The in situ effective protein degradability (EPD) was calculated using the nylon bag method where the test feedstuffs incubated in the rumen of three Tahirova wethers. The EPD’s were estimated as EPD2, EPD5 and EPD8 assuming rumen outflow rates of 0.02, 0.05 and 0.08 h-1. The crude protein fractions i.e. A=NPN, B1=fast, B2=intermediate, B3=slow and C=not fermented and unavailable to the animal were calculated using the soluble protein (SolP), the non-protein nitrogen (NPN, % of SolP), the neutral detergent insoluble protein (NDIP) and the acid detergent insoluble protein (ADIP=C) values of feedstuffs based on CNCPS. Then, DIP was calculated by using CNCPS crude protein fractions, degradation rate of B fractions (Kd) and coefficients of outflow rate on the different levels of dry matter intake (Kp): (DIP1X=at 1x maintenance level of intake, DIP2x=at 2x maintenance level of intake, and DIP3x=at 3x maintenance level of intake). It was found that there was a significant multiple regression relation between the EPD8 (g/kg DM) and crude protein fractions (g/kg DM) (R2=0.96, n=18, P<0.001), and simple regression relation between the EPD8 (g/kg DM) and DIP3X (g/kg DM) (R2=0.98, n=18, P<0.001). These regression relations did not improve when the different rumen outflow rates were used to estimate EPD. In conclusion, we claimed that in situ effective protein degradation (EPD) can be reliably and accurately predicted from CP fractions and DIP values in cereals and wheat middling.
Characteristics and Circumstances of Falls in theLargest Community Population

The objective of the study was to describe falls characteristics and conditions in elderly who resides in community, based on an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study. It was developed in Primary health care, Lleida and Castellan de la Plana, with a resulting sample of 966 people aged 75 and older. The data source comes of the fragility survey in Lleida (FRALLE survey). Prevalence of falls was of 25.9%. The 70% refers have fallen previously. Accidental cause was the most prevalent, in winter season and day hours. The variables with statistical significance by age group were. Did fell the length he is? (p = 0.031), Place of the fall (p = 0,000), fall flattering object (p = 0.039), floor conditions (p = 0.011), type of footwear (P = 0.028). Few studies have delved into the characteristics and circumstances of falls in the elderly of the community, which deserve to be considered in order to guide future preventive strategies.
Student Response Rate and Its Impact on Quantitative Evaluation of Faculty Teaching

Student evaluations of teaching (SET) generate essential information for university administrators and faculty in assessing instruction quality. Lower response rates in student surveys have remained an important technical issue hurting the credibility of SET. This study examined the student response rate and its impact on the results of student quantitative evaluations of faculty teaching in a college of education. It analyzed the quantitative data of course evaluations collected by using the IDEA (Individual Development and Educational Assessment, 2016) survey at a teaching-orientated Midwest state university. Results indicate that 1) the average student response rate of all these courses is 63.6%, 2) there is no significant relationship between the enrollment size of the classes and response rate of SET for these classes, and 3) response rates to the course evaluation survey significantly associates with the overall mean scores of students’ ratings, showing that classes evaluated by students with lower response rates tend to have lower evaluation mean scores. Implications for instruction evaluation policy and faculty practices for valid use of SET and increasing response rate are discussed.
Effect of Selenium Supplementation on Reproductive Performance and Hormonal Profile in Buffalo Heifers

Twenty Murrah buffalo heifers (18–36 months, 239.1±16.5 kg) were divided into two groups (T1 and T2) and fed same concentrate mixture except that animals in T2 were supplemented with 0.2 ppm of selenium through sodium selenite for a period of 120 days. Wheat straw was offered ad libitum to both groups. Blood samples were collected on day 0, 120 as well as whenever the heifers came into heat. It was found that the percentage of estrus (60 vs. 50) and conception rate (66.66 vs. 60) were higher in T2 as compared to T1. Selenium supplementation did not affect the age at first estrus and first service. However, the age at first conception (32.5 vs. 34 months) was reduced in Se supplemented group as compared to control group. Concentrations of estradiol-17b and progesterone were similar (P>0.05) in both the groups. It was deduced that supplementation of 0.2 ppm Se had no effect on serum hormonal profile in buffalo heifers but had some improved reproductive functions.
Orally Bioavailable GSK‐3α/β Dual Inhibitor Increases Markers of Cellular Differentiation In Vitro and Bone Mass In Vivo

GSK‐3, a component of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, is implicated in regulation of bone mass. The effect of a small molecule GSK‐3 inhibitor was evaluated in pre‐osteoblasts and in osteopenic rats. GSK‐3 inhibitor induced osteoblast differentiation in vitro and increased markers of bone formation in vitro and in vivo with concomitant increased bone mass and strength in rats.
The Influence of Food Supply on Local Density and Diversity of Sparrows

A long-term study of sparrows in an arid oak woodland in southeastern Arizona demonstrated that local population density of sparrows is independent of local seed abundance during years of moderate to high seed production. Experimental manip- ulation of the abundance and size distribution of seeds during 2 yr of moderate seed production had no discernible influence on the local abundance or diversity of sparrows. These experimental results support the hypothesis, based on previous nonexperimental observations, that sparrow populations in this habitat are locally food limited only during infrequent years of very low seed production.
Évolution de la régénération après la coupe de peuplements récoltés selon différents procédés d'exploitation

Between 1982 and 1984, 289 sample plots were established on cutovers distributed across the mixed and the boreal forest zones of Quebec. Regeneration surveys before and after clearcutting were used to determine the proportion of regeneration destroyed by four different harvesting systems. Moreover, information on the evolution of the regeneration over the medium term was gathered from surveys realized five and ten years following logging. For all stands combined, harvesting resulted in a reduction of 25 to 40% of the stocking of the regeneration. The lowest decrease in stocking was produced by a feller-forwarder that was more efficient to protect regeneration shorter than 50 cm as compared to harvesting systems using cable skidders. Differences between harvesting systems were no longer apparent after the first five-year-period following logging because establishment of new seedlings was observed in most of the sampled cutovers. The ability of balsam fir to establish under a canopy generally caused an incr.