Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Cuscuta Campestris Yuncker in UAE: Study of Bar Code Loci- Rbcl, Matk and Trnh-Psba in the UAE and Egyptian Cultivars and In the Respective Host Plants Basil and Jute

Cuscuta campestris is a stem holoparasite. We observed Cuscuta parasite on basil host plant Ocimum basilicum, in Al Mohadub Umm Al Quwain, UAE. The parasite was pale green in color, twined around the host in anti-clock wise direction, with white flowers that had green ovaries at maturity. Based on the morphology and floral structures, we identified the parasite as C. campestris Yuncker. To authenticate the species, three “Bar-code loci” viz, rbcL, matK and inter-spacer region trnH-psbA were studied. A portion of rbcL locus and the trnH-psbA non-coding spacer region seem to be intact, revealed by PCR amplification and sequencing, while three sets of primers failed to amplify the maturase K locus. Although the stem and floral structures were light green in color, RuBisCo protein could not be detected in polyacrylamide gels, indicating its total dependency on the host at that stage of development. To validate thus obtained results, frozen samples of C. campestris were collected from Egypt and the three bar code loci (rbcL, matK and trnH-psbA) were amplified with the same set of primers; the PCR products were sequenced. There was 100% similarity with respect to the sequenced loci (rbcl and trnH-psbA) between the two cultivars of C. campestris Yuncker. Sequences were deposited in Genbank with accession numbers KXO15762 (C. campestris, UAE) and KXO15761 (C. campestris, Egypt). C. campestris is being reported for the first time from Al Mohadub Umm Al Quwain, UAE. There is no difference in both the candidate bar code gene loci rbcL and trn-H psbA between the UAE and Egyptian cultivars of Cuscuta campestris and the region is conserved.
FSS-Based Fully Reconfigurable Rasorber With Enhanced Absorption Bandwidth and Simplified Bias Network

In this article, a fully reconfigurable frequency selective rasorber (FR-FSR) is presented. To establish systematic design guidelines, initially the conditions for full reconfigurability are derived. Then, a specific equivalent circuit model (ECM) is proposed which satisfies all the derived conditions. The circuit model is separately simulated to verify the proposed concept and further extensively analyzed to provide an in-depth design methodology for all three modes of operation. The ECM is further synthesized into a simple planar structure to obtain the design of the rasorber. In the proposed rasorber, both layers are independently reconfigurable with p-i-n diodes embedded in the top layer and varactors in the bottom layer, all symmetrically mounted to achieve polarization insensitivity. P-i-n and varactor diodes are seperately operated to achieve the desired mode of operation with minimum insertion loss. A simple and efficient bias network is proposed in such a way that it does not affect the performance of the rasorber. The sample prototype is also fabricated and experimentally tested where a good agreement between simulated and measured result is obtained.
Primary Students’ School Anxiety: An Initiative Study on Virtual Reality Therapy

School anxiety is an aspect of anxiety that can cause serious consequences on student’s academic results. Anxiety is usually caused by excessive stress about school related experiences. Consequently, over thinking and extreme worrying can lead to skipping classes, or even dropping out of school. Despite the emergence of school anxiety in recent years among junior students, little research on specific situations causing anxiety at school has been carried out. More importantly, very few attempts using virtual reality have been made to prepare students for a new school environment and help students with school anxiety. This study discovered 12 school experiences with high anxiety levels through questionnaires given to 229 fifth year students aged 10-11 and developed several situations into a virtual environment that can be used as a treatment program for students. 20 students with very high anxiety were chosen to experience the virtual reality (VR) treatment program. The findings show that student’s anxiety levels for the situations they have experienced in the treatment program have decreased dramatically. Students become more proactive when they handle the challenges in the program and they can even propose solutions for their problems.
Day-to-day changes in parent-adolescent connectedness: Relations with daily subjective well-being and eudaimonia differ for parents and adolescents

ABSTRACT Growing attention is being given to understanding factors that promote individuals’ happiness, life satisfaction, engagement, and meaning in life. This study examined the mutual benefits of a close, connected relationship for parents’ and adolescents’ daily subjective well-being (SWB) and eudaimonia (EUD). Using multilevel actor-partner interdependence models and data from a 21-day daily dairy study of 151 parent-adolescent dyads, we examined the differential role that feelings of connectedness play in parents’ and adolescents’ daily SWB and EUD. Parents’ usual and daily feelings of connectedness to their adolescent were most strongly linked to SWB for parents and adolescents; in contrast, adolescents’ usual and daily feelings of connectedness to their parent were most strongly linked to EUD for parents and adolescents. These findings underscore the importance considering the nature of connectedness in parent-adolescent relationships for understanding their SWB and EUD and point to opportunities for family-based interventions.
Surviving a major crisis: the case of dismissed tourism and hospitality employees

ABSTRACT This study explores tourism and hospitality workers’ unemployment experiences and their coping efforts during a major crisis in the industry. Turkey faced a series of terrorist attacks and political conflicts in 2015 and 2016 that resulted in a severe decline in international tourist arrivals and caused a large number of employee redundancies. This qualitative study was conducted with workers who lost their jobs involuntarily due to the crisis. Thematic analysis of interviews revealed the individual efforts to cope with the economic, social and psychological consequences of the unemployment. The further discussion of findings with contextual factors showed that the crisis in the industry directed people to move into another sector. They have planned to leave the country because of the unstable political environment and, in the absence of meaningful unemployment benefits, they applied for undocumented casual works and relied heavily on their families’ support. These study findings contribute to the literature on coping with job loss by providing evidence from a specific context, and to crisis literature in tourism by concentrating on employees who lost their jobs as ‘victims’ of crises in the industry.
Identifikasi Analisis Kebutuhan Pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris (Non Program Studi Bahasa Inggris) Pada Mata Kuliah Bahasa Inggris Khusus/ English For Specific Purposes (ESP) Di Program Studi D4 Akuntansi Keuangan Politeknik Pos Indonesia

Silabus mata kuliah Bahasa Inggris Khusus (English for Specific Purposes) harus dibuat berdasarkan analisis kebutuhan (needs analysis) agar pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris yang dilaksanakan relevan dengan bidang keilmuan mahasiswa. Silabus mata kuliah Bahasa Inggris Khusus (English for Specific Purposes) untuk mahasiswa program studi D4 Akuntansi Keuangan belum didasarkan pada analisis kebutuhan tersebut. Selama ini pembuatan silabus Bahasa Inggris yang ada hanya didasarkan pada diskusi informal antara dosen Bahasa Inggris dan Ketua program studi sehingga silabus yang ada tidak secara khusus mengakomodir kebutuhan Bahasa Inggris untuk program studinya. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk analisis kebutuhan (needs analysis) dalam pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris Khusus (English for Specific Purposes) untuk program studi D4 Akuntansi Keuangan. Analisis kebutuhan yang dilakukan meliputi meliputi kebutuhan (necessities), kekurangan (lacks), dan keinginan (wants) pembelajar dalam mata kuliah Bahasa Inggris Khusus (ESP). Partisipanpenelitian terdiri dari 100 partisipan yang terdiri dari 88 mahasiswa tingkat 1 dan tingkat 2 mahasiswa serta 12 alumni program studi. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah melalui kuesioner. Penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ketrampilan bahasa Inggris yang paling dibutuhkan adalah ketrampilan berbicara/ speaking, ketrampilan yang menjadi kelemahan adalah ketrampilan berbicara/ speaking, dan ketrampilan yang ingin dikuasai adalah ketrampilan berbicara/ speaking. Kesimpulannya adalah ketrampilan bahasa yang menjadi kebutuhan dan keinginan pembelajarlah bukanlah ketrampilan yang spesifik mengacu pada bidang mereka, namun mengacu pada ketrampilan bahasa yang lebih umum digunakan di dunia kerja dan ketrampilan berbicara masih lemah karena kurangnya kesempatan untuk melakukan praktek.
Dual‐Phase Engineering of Nickel Boride‐Hydroxide Nanoparticles toward High‐Performance Water Oxidation Electrocatalysts

The development of earth‐abundant and efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is necessary for green hydrogen production. The preparation of efficient OER electrocatalysts requires both the adsorption sites and charge transfer on the catalyst surface to be suitably engineered. Herein, the design of an electrocatalyst is reported with significantly enhanced water oxidation performance via dual‐phase engineering, which displays a high number of adsorption sites and facile charge transfer. More importantly, a simple chemical etching process enables the formation of a highly metallic transition boride phase in conjunction with the transition metal hydroxide phase with abundant adsorption sites available for the intermediates formed in the OER. In addition, computational simulations are carried out to demonstrate the water oxidation mechanism and the real active sites in this engineered material. This research provides a new material design strategy for the preparation of high‐performance OER electrocatalysts.
The potential of Lesson Study in primary physical education: Messages from a longitudinal study in Japan

This paper presents the view that Lesson Study has the potential to make a significant contribution to future developments in primary physical education. To set the paper in context, we explore the concerns that have long been voiced about primary physical education, particularly the nature of the professional development experiences of generalist primary class teachers. Contemporary approaches to teachers’ professional development, one of which is Lesson Study, are presented as having some potential in addressing these concerns as they are focused on teacher collaboration, autonomy and agency. Building on this background, the paper reports on a longitudinal physical education Lesson Study investigation that took place in one primary school in Japan: a country where Lesson Study has been a key feature of teachers’ professional development for more than a century. Working with 30 teachers over a three-year period, the findings highlight how the long-term, collaborative and situated nature of the Lesson Study experience helped create a positive context for the teachers’ professional development in physical education. Specifically, the findings reveal that the shared planning, observation and reflective experiences over time helped the teachers develop a more positive and detailed view of physical education. The paper concludes by proposing that Lesson Study, as a long-term, collaborative and situated endeavour, has the potential to foster productive developments in generalist teachers’ enactment of the primary physical education curriculum.
An efficient survey method for estimating populations of Marsh Tits Poecile palustris, a low-density woodland passerine

ABSTRACT Capsule: A playback survey comprising two visits to woodland in early spring can reliably detect Marsh Tits Poecile palustris and permit reasonable estimation of the number of territories. Aims: To assess the efficacy of an efficient survey method for detecting and estimating populations of Marsh Tits. Methods: Detection probability of colour-marked Marsh Tits, surveyed using playback, was assessed with Cormack–Jolly–Seber models. Reliability of territory estimates was compared between colour-marked and largely or wholly unmarked populations. Results: Playback surveys over two visits in early spring were highly effective in detecting individual Marsh Tits. Territory estimates were similar for woods in years where less than 20% of the population was marked compared to years when a higher proportion of birds were colour-marked, although territories may be underestimated in larger woods with unmarked populations. Conclusion: A playback survey comprising two visits in early spring is recommended as an efficient method of surveying Marsh Tit populations and locating individuals. A survey protocol is suggested.
Older is better? Age-related variation in ornamental and breeding traits in bluethroats, Luscinia s. svecica

Abstract. Age-related variation in breeding performance is well-known in birds. Similarly, plumage ornamentation as a signal of male quality may affect breeding performance. However, because of inter-correlation between age and plumage ornamentation, it is difficult to estimate the relative contribution of these factors on breeding performance in natural variation. In the current study, we examined the relationship between breeding characteristics, age and throat ornament size of bluethroat males (Luscinia s. svecica). The study was conducted on 96 males in the Krkonoše Mountains, Czech Republic, in 2003-2011. The results show that older males had higher reproductive performance: they arrived earlier, were more likely to be territorial, had larger clutches and thus had more hatchlings. On the other hand, ornamentation had a few, inconsistent correlations with breeding performances: well-ornamented males had fewer mates but had more fledglings. Our results suggest that age rather than ornamentation size is the main correlate of variation in breeding performance.
Adoption of services and apps on mobile phones by micro-entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article shows that acquisition pattern analysis is highly suited for research in developing economies. Consumers in such contexts prioritize the adoption of alternative product-services as a result of resource constraints. In the reported acquisition pattern analysis, we provide insights into sequential adoption of services and applications (apps) on mobile phones, for example, Facebook and mobile money, by micro-entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa. We collected survey data from 169 Zambian food vendors, and through Mokken scale analysis we derived an acquisition pattern for 12 analyzed services and apps. Micro-entrepreneurs with more employees, tertiary education, and who were younger tended to be closer to the hierarchy’s apex. These findings imply that the individual’s mobile phone technology maturity and business development drive their adoption of services and apps. After presenting these results, we conclude with a discussion of the theoretical insights, managerial insights, and implications for policy makers resulting from the study.
The phylogeny, biology and biogeography of the Southern African kelps Ecklonia maxima and Laminaria pallida

Brown algae of the order Laminariales, commonly referred to as kelps, are the largest and most productive primary producers in the coastal inshore environment. Three genera of kelps are present on the southern African coast: Ecklonia, Laminaria and Macrocystis, of which the first two are ecologically and economically important and the focus of this study. The taxonomy of the genus Ecklonia is investigated. The genus Ecklonia (Phaeophyceae, Lessoniaceae) consists of seven species with four species in the Northern Hemisphere and three in the southern Hemisphere. Ecklonia was recently transferred to the family Lessoniaceae based on phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and chloroplastic markers, though the type of the genus was not included, and its relationship to the allied genera Eckloniopsis and Eisenia remained unresolved. The present study is the first to produce a phylogeny focussed on the genus Ecklonia. It included sequences from nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplastic DNA, for most of the distribution range of the three current Southern Hemisphere species (E. radiata, E. maxima and a sample of a putative E. brevipes specimen), sequences for East Asiatic species (E. cava, E. kurome and E. stolonifera), as well as the closely related genera Eckloniopsis and Eisenia. Results confirmed E. radiata and E. maxima as two distinct species in South Africa, E. radiata as a single species throughout the Southern Hemisphere (in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand) and East Asiatic species as a distinct lineage from the Southern Hemisphere clade. Results further indicated a close sister relationship between Eckloniopsis radicosa and two Eisenia species (including the type species: Eisenia arborea), and the genus Ecklonia, suggesting that the genera Eckloniopsis and Eisenia are superfluous. A molecular study of Laminaria pallida was undertaken. Along the Southern African west coast, L. pallida is morphologically variable, at the extreme presenting two forms: i) a solid-
Influence of 1-methylcyclopropene on physico-chemical properties of ‘gola’ and ‘surahi’ guava (Psidium guajava L.) under air storage

Guava (Psidium guajava L.; Myrtaceae) locally known as ‘Amrood’ is a nutritionally important tropical fruit in Pakistan. It ranks 4 after citrus, mango and date with respect to area (63739 hectares) and production (488017 tonnes) per annum (GOP, 2016). Guava is hundred percent edible and is considered as ‘apple of the poor’ due to its low cost, easy availability and high nutritive value. Guava is highly acceptable for ‘in nature’ consumption as it has been termed as ‘super fruits’ (Kareem et al., 2013; Kanwal et al., 2016). Guava undergoes physiological changes during and after harvest which accelerates ripening process and prevents fruit from being stored successfully (Bassetto et al., 2005). Guava cannot endure extended distance transportation and reach the market in a soft, over-ripe state, which has less value in the marketplace and compromises prosperity of producers (Steinhaus et al., 2008). After-harvest losses are about 2540% of the guava production (Kanwal et al., 2016). Ripening of climacteric fruits like guava is either triggered by natural production of endogenous ethylene or by exogenous ethylene application (Sisler and Serek, 2003). There is strong relationship between ethylene production and expected postharvest shelf life of horticulture produce (Kader and Saltveit, 2003). Guava is a rapidly ripening climacteric fruit, exhibiting ethylene and respiration peaks within 4-5 days after harvest when harvested at mature green stage (Bashir and AbuGoukh, 2003). High levels of ethylene have negative effects such as excessive softening, fruit decay, discoloration, wilting, mold, scald and scald (Lelievre et al., 1997). To increase the post-harvest storage life of guava, one option is to inhibit or slow down the action of ethylene. 1-MCP is alleged to bind the receptors of ethylene in target plant material, preserving fruit from the effect of ethylene (Sisler and Serek, 2003). 1-MCP is believed to work as a competitive gas to ethylene, occupying the ethylene receptor site so that ethylene cannot bind to trigger its action (Blankenship and Dole, 2003). 1-MCP has 10 times greater affinity to bind with receptor sites than ethylene (Sisler and Serek, 2003) and binds ethylene receptor sites strongly as compared to ethylene (Tatsuki et al., 2007). Even a single dose of 1-MCP can make product insensitive to ethylene effects several for days (Sisler and Serek, 2003). The effectiveness of 1-MCP depends on different factors like storage atmosphere and treatment duration (DeEll et al., 2002), treatment temperature (Mir and Beaudry, 2001; Mir et al., 2001), ‘non-target’ material (Vallejo and Beaudry, 2006), stage of maturity (Watkins et al., 2000), cultivar (DeELL et al., 2002; Blankenship and Dole, 2003) and the time between harvest and 1-MCP application (Blankenship and Dole, 2003; Tatsuki et al., 2007). Pak. J. Agri. Sci., Vol. 55(2), 389-396; 2018 ISSN (Print) 0552-9034, ISSN (Online) 2076-0906 DOI: 10.21162/PAKJAS/18.6453 http://www.pakjas. com.pk
THE EFFECT OF PLASMODIUM FLORIDENSE ON RELATIVE LEUKOCYTE COUNTS OF ANOLIS SAGREI AND A. CAROLINENSIS IN FLORIDA, USA

Native Green Anoles, Anolis carolinensis, and invasive Brown Anoles, Anolis sagrei, are commonly found in Florida and may be infected with the malarial parasite, Plasmodium floridense. Because no studies have directly addressed health effects of the parasite on Florida anoles, we collected blood smears of infected and uninfected anoles from Central and Southwest Florida and compared the overall leukocyte (WBC) counts, eosinophil counts, and heterophil/lymphocyte ratios. Eosinophils are generally elevated in response to protozoal infection and heterophil/lymphocyte ratios are often altered due to stress. A generalized linear model that tested contributions to erythrocyte/leukocyte ratios included infection status and locality as significant factors. We found significant differences in WBC counts between infected and uninfected lizards in Central Florida but not in Southwest Florida. Central Florida anoles also had higher mean WBC counts than Southwest Florida anoles. We did not detect significant differences in eosinophil counts or H/L ratios related to infection status. Our project is the first to examine leukocyte effects of Plasmodium infection in anoles and to provide leukocyte profiles of Anolis lizards. It appears that infected anoles sustain some negative immunological effects, at least in Central Florida. The differences in regions may be caused by the fact that Central Florida anoles still are under continuous interspecific competition whereas the Southwest Florida Brown Anoles are not because of low populations of Green Anoles. Additional studies that address leukocyte levels related to Plasmodium infection are needed to tease out the health and fitness effects on the lizards of Florida.
On Robustness of Multi-Modal Fusion—Robotics Perspective

The efficient multi-modal fusion of data streams from different sensors is a crucial ability that a robotic perception system should exhibit to ensure robustness against disturbances. However, as the volume and dimensionality of sensory-feedback increase it might be difficult to manually design a multimodal-data fusion system that can handle heterogeneous data. Nowadays, multi-modal machine learning is an emerging field with research focused mainly on analyzing vision and audio information. Although, from the robotics perspective, haptic sensations experienced from interaction with an environment are essential to successfully execute useful tasks. In our work, we compared four learning-based multi-modal fusion methods on three publicly available datasets containing haptic signals, images, and robots’ poses. During tests, we considered three tasks involving such data, namely grasp outcome classification, texture recognition, and—most challenging—multi-label classification of haptic adjectives based on haptic and visual data. Conducted experiments were focused not only on the verification of the performance of each method but mainly on their robustness against data degradation. We focused on this aspect of multi-modal fusion, as it was rarely considered in the research papers, and such degradation of sensory feedback might occur during robot interaction with its environment. Additionally, we verified the usefulness of data augmentation to increase the robustness of the aforementioned data fusion methods.