Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pathogenicity, Yield and DNA Genome Pattern of the Entomopathogenic Virus Spodoptera littoralis Multicapsid Nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpliMNPV) to Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) Under the Impact of Environmental Stress

The effect of temperature, ultraviolet (UV) radiation and sunlight on the pathogenicity, yield and DNA genome pattern of the entomopathogenic virus SpliMNPV to the Egyptian cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) was studied. The viral pathogenicity in terms of larval mortality, and yield in terms of polyhedral inclusion bodies/g larval body weight, significantly increased with the increase of temperature; with optimal temperature of 30 °C for viral yield. However, the pathogenicity significantly decreased with the increase of the exposure period, under the stress of both UV radiation and sunlight, in case of non-shielded exposed viral samples. In contrast, sunlight and UV had no significant effect on the viral pathogenicity in shielded exposed samples. The viral yield significantly decreased with the increase of the exposure period to UV radiation. The same pattern also held true for the exposure to sunlight in case of non-shielded exposed samples without using a UV filter. The viral DNA genome pattern was not affected under the stress of temperature, UV-radiation (shielded samples), sunlight using a UV filter (shielded or non-shielded samples), and sunlight without using a UV filter (shielded samples). Whereas, the intensity of the viral DNA, in non-shielded samples, decreased gradually with the increase of the exposure period to UV radiation and sunlight without using a UV filter.
Hometown Ties and the Quality of Government Monitoring: Evidence from Rotation of Chinese Auditors

Audits are a standard mechanism for reducing corruption in government investments. The quality of audits themselves, however, may be affected by relationships between auditor and target. We study whether provincial chief auditors in China show greater leniency in evaluating prefecture governments in their hometowns. In city-fixed-effect specifications—in which the role of shared background is identified from auditor turnover—we show that hometown auditors find 38 percent less in questionable monies. This hometown effect is similar throughout the auditor’s tenure and is diminished for audits ordered by the provincial Organization Department as a result of the departure of top city officials. We argue that our findings are most readily explained by leniency toward local officials rather than an endogenous response to concerns of better enforcement by hometown auditors. We complement these city-level findings with firm-level analyses of earnings manipulation by state-owned enterprises (SOE) via real activity manipulation (a standard measure from the accounting literature), which we show is higher under hometown auditors. (JEL D73, H54, H83, L32, M42, O18, P25)
Graphene and Related 2D Materials for Desalination: A Review of Recent Patents

Abstract: The growing population and energy demand, coupled with the depleting fresh water resources resulted in great progress in sea water desalination (SWD) technologies. Nanopores of 2D materials, like graphene and its structural analogs, are the latest innovations in membrane technology for SWD. The performance of these novel atomically thin nanopores, as seen from various experimental and theoretical studies, is highly encouraging with reports of water permeability 2-3 orders of magnitude greater than the conventional reverse osmosis (RO). The potential for high efficiency and the low energy requirements of these nanopores for desalination led to tremendous efforts in fabrication and commercialization. We present here a review of the very recent patents associated with the preparation of these nanopores, the process and the efficiency of SWD. Keywords: 2D nanopores, Graphene, Membrane, Patents, Desalination.
Valoração econômica dos benefícios ambientais percebidos pela população da bacia do Educandos provenientes do PROSAMIM

The environmental pollution observed down through the years in the streams of Manaus, linked to the process of social degradation on the populations which live in these areas was the motive for conceiving PROSAMIM - Programa Social e Ambiental dos Igarapes de Manaus. The Program seeks the environmental recuperation of streams and the social improvement of families that live a risk situation on the stream banks. The main target of this research consists in the economical evaluation of environmental benefits perceived by the population in the Educandos basin proceeding from PROSAMIM, using the Contingent Valuation Method - CVM to estimate individual willingness to pay for the environmental improvement. We estimated a sample size corresponding to 1,070 questionnaires, taking into account an error of 3% and significance level of 5%. In accordance with the results obtained, we concluded that the people were willing to pay R$ 13.73 per month toward implementing the PROSAMIM, for an annual total of R$46,325,074.92 per year. Analyzing the influence of socioeconomic variables on the acceptance probability of paying for environmental benefits, we concluded that the probability was greater among those with a higher income. We also concluded that, the actions of PROSAMIM have generated significant improvements for the population of Manaus from the environmental as well as the social point of view.
Two Rapid Assays for Saponin in Individual Alfalfa Plants 1

Two assays were developed for screening individual alfalfa (Medicago saliva) plants for crude saponin. Twenty alfalfa leaf samples, selected on the basis of erythrocyte assay results, were evaluated by the fish assay and secondly by a chemical determination for saponins. The correlation coefficients of these assay results were ∝erythrocyte vs. chemical (r = .90), √fish vs. √erythrocyte (r = −.91), and √fish vs. chemical (r = −.81). Results indicate that the two assays may provide rapid and accurate estimates of crude saponin in alfalfa plants.
Mitochondrial DNA Polymorphism and Phylogenetic relationships of proto Malays in Peninsular Malaysia

This study focus on the phylogenetic relationships among six Proto-Malay tribes (Jakun, Temuan, Semelai, Kuala, Seletar and Kanaq) and the effectiveness of using HVSI D-loop region segment and a 9bp deletion of the intergenic region of COII/tRNA of mtDNA in portraying the phylogenetic relationships. The analysis showed high pairwise differences among Kanaq, Jakun and Semelai. Thirty two haplotypes were formed from 89 D-loop sequences of Proto Malay individuals. Deletion on the 9 bp tandem repeats of COII/tRNA was detected in Semelai and Orang Kuala. Neighbor-Joining, Maximum Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood analysis revealed Jakun and Semelai haplotypes are the earliest to split from ingroups and showed that Jakun may be an ancestor for the Malay populations in the Malay Peninsular, which also support the anthropological findings. Nine basepair deletion of COII/tRNA intergenic region had occured in two clades. Results indicates a close relationships among Semelai, Temuan and Jakun. Most Kanaq and Seletar sequences were merged into tribe specific haplotypes, showing close relationships within tribes. The HVS I D-loop region of most Proto Malays are highly variable as 27 of 32 haplotypes were subgroup-specific. The HVS I of D-loop successfully revealed the close relationships among the Proto-Malays but was less effective in discriminating each tribe. Detection of ancestries for the Proto Malays using 9 bp deletion of COII/tRNA intergenic region reveals the Asian origins for Kuala and SemelAI.
Exploring composition and behaviour of fish fauna byin situobservations in the Bari Canyon (Southern Adriatic Sea, Central Mediterranean)

Canyons play a fundamental role in enhancing the abundance and diversity of marine organisms through the transport of organic matter and food resources, the presence of complex physical habitats and the absence of trawl fishing. During four baited lander deployments carried out in the Bari Canyon (Southern Adriatic Sea, Central Mediterranean), at depths of 443–788 m, about 43 h of video records were taken, for a total of 619,200 video frames. A total of 12 benthopelagic fish species (five chondrichthyes and seven osteichthyes) were identified. The blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) was the most often observed fish species. The depth of 787 m represents a new depth record for this fish in the Adriatic Sea. Groups of up to 40 individuals of P. bogaraveo were attracted to the bait and were shown in single frames. The individuals were observed both exploring the area and feeding actively on the bait. The European conger (Conger conger) was recorded at each deployment. Clear scavenger behaviour was also observed in this teleost fish and in the shark Etmopterus spinax. The shark species Centrophorus granulosus and Hexanchus griseus, which are considered ‘vulnerable’ on the published IUCN Mediterranean Regional Red List, were also recorded but, although attracted by the bait, they were never seen feeding on it. Other fish species, harvested on fishing grounds, such as Merluccius merluccius, Helicolenus dactylopterus and Polyprion americanus, were also recorded. This study represents the first in situ documentation, at very low impact, of the fish fauna in the Bari Canyon, providing new insights into its small scale distribution and behaviour, the first in situ direct observation of the variable feeding behaviour of P. bogaraveo and its gregarious habits, as well as indicating that this canyon could act as a refuge area for species that are vulnerable to fishing on the open slope.
The Appearance and Development of Photosynthetic Activity in Etiolated Barley Leaves and Isolated Etio-chloroplasts

The appearance and development of the oxygen exchanging capacity of greening barley leaves were measured using a manometric technique and an oxygen race electrode. An oxygen evolution could first be detected after one hour of greening. During the first hour of greening a light-dependent oxygen uptake was observed. The oxygen evolving capacity, calculated on a chlorophyll weight basis, showed a fast rise in activity during the first hours of greening. A maximal activity was reached after 5 to 10 hours of greening; the oxygen evolution then declined. Using oxygen electrodes different aspects of the electron transport in etio-chloroplasts prepared from the greening barley leaves were also investigated. The activity in photosystem I and II, as well as the cooperation between the two photosystems, were studied by measuring the oxygen exchange from the etio-chloroplasts in the absence and presence of added oxidants and reductants. An activity in photosystem I could be detected already after 5 minutes of greening. The activity of photosystem I, when calculated on a chlorophyll basis, had the same appearance as the oxygen evolution from the intact plant material. An activity in photosystem II and a cooperation between the two photosystems were first detected after 3 hours of greening. After about 15 hours of greening a cooperation corresponding to that from chloroplasts prepared from normal green leaves was observed.
Relationship Between Precipitation Extremes and Convective Organization Inferred From Satellite Observations

Convective organization has the potential to impact the strength of precipitation extremes, but numerical models disagree about this influence. This study uses satellite observations to investigate the link between the mesoscale organization of deep convection and precipitation extremes in the Tropics. Extremes in domain‐averaged precipitation are found mostly over the western Pacific and Indian Ocean warm pools, and they primarily depend on the number of deep convective entities within the domain. On the other hand, extremes in local precipitation are found primarily over land, and they increase with the degree of convective organization. Therefore, this observational study shows evidence for a modulation of the strength of tropical precipitation extremes by the spatial organization of deep convection, especially over land.
Policy Implementation of Poverty Alleviation through Unfeasible House Improvement Reside Known as (RTLH) Program in Central Java Province

Poverty is a phenomenon of human life, which generally depicts human inability to fulfill necessities; usually, poverty is synonymous with hunger, inability to control existing resources. Nationally the percentage rate of poverty in Central Java Province results in 2018 is still higher than the national achievement. The percentage of poverty in Central Java Province in 2018 was 11.32%, while the national poverty percentage was 9.82%. This research aims to analyze, identify supporting, and inhibiting factors of poverty alleviation policy through policy implementation of poverty alleviation through Unfeasible House Improvement Reside known as (RTLH) program. The theory used in this study was a theory stated by Grindle [1]. Where in the theory is stated that affecting the policy implementation there are two large variables, namely Content of Policy and Context of Implementation? The research method used in research is qualitative. By selection of informant is using purposive sampling and as a means of testing the validity of data is using triangulation. Preliminary research results show that being a supporting factor in this study is the contents of the policy governing RTLH in the regulation of the Minister of Social Number 20 in 2017 on social rehabilitation, home unfeasible and infrastructure facilities Environment. Meanwhile, the solution is the implementation of the policy environment that is in the middle of the current provincial community of Central Java.
Breeding performance of the Imperial Shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps) in relation to year, laying date and nest location

Abstract The breeding productivity of seabirds usually declines over the course of a breeding season. Breeding productivity in colonial birds has also been found to be affected by the distance from a nest to the edge of a colony, with peripheral nests usually having lower productivity than centrally located nests. We evaluated the influence of laying date and nest location (distance from the edge of the colony) on clutch-size and breeding success of the Imperial Shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps) during three breeding seasons (2004–06) at Punta León, Argentina. There was no relationship between year, laying date or nest location and variation in clutch-size. Further, whereas breeding success did not differ between years, breeding success consistently decreased with laying date. We also found an interactive effect between laying date and nest location. Distance from the edge of the colony was not related to breeding success of Shags that laid either early or at the peak of the season, but the breeding success of late breeders increased with distance from the edge of the colony. Our findings of a seasonal decline in breeding success are consistent with the typical pattern exhibited by seabirds. Our results suggest that low-quality (young or less-capable) pairs that breed late in the season may benefit from nesting away from the edge of the colony, reducing levels of disturbance and risk of nest-predation.
An Efficient 4β-Hydroxylation of Steroidal 5-en-3β-ols and 1,4-Conjugation of Steroidal 4-en-3-ones Using SeO2 Oxidation

Many of steroidal hormone derivatives were introduced oxygen bearing functionalities in a highly stereoselective and regioselective manner. Because of their biological importance, there has been an immense amount of work on the selective oxidation of steroid hormones.Allylic oxidation of steroidal 5-en-3β-ols using Cr(VI) re-agents, 25% Na
High quality educators’ conceptualisation of children’s risk-taking in early childhood education: provoking educators to think more broadly

ABSTRACT Children’s risk-taking is increasingly acknowledged as an important part of early childhood education. Previous research has predominantly focussed on children’s engagement with, and educators’ perspectives on, children’s risk-taking in outdoor physical play. However, little attention has been paid to how educators conceptualise children’s risk-taking more broadly. Our study addresses this research gap. A three-site case study, the research gathered data from educators in high quality early childhood services through observations and interviews. Findings show that educators predominantly framed children’s risk-taking as taking place in physical and outdoor play. However, with minimal provocation, educators extended their conceptualisations of risk to encompass a broader range of children’s experiences. Data suggests that participation in the research provoked many participants to think more broadly about children’s risk-taking.
Fabrication of CoFe2O4 Nanowire Using a Double-Pass Porous Alumina Template with a Large Range of Pore Diameters

In this work, CoFe2O4 nanowire was fabricated by using a self-designed double-pass porous alumina template. The double-pass porous alumina template was prepared by a two-step oxidation method using a mixed acid (phosphoric acid and oxalic acid) electrolyte and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) filler. The combustion of aluminum foil at a high voltage has been effectively resolved by using this mixed acid electrolyte. Additionally, the range of pore diameters has been obviously increased to 230–400 nm by using PMMA as the filler, which can prevent contact between the pore and solution when removing the barrier layer. Subsequently, CoFe2O4 ferrite nanowire arrays were successfully fabricated into the double-pass porous alumina template by an electrochemical deposition method, and show an anisotropic feature of magnetic properties.
Hwabyung: A Mental Disorder Related to Suppressed Emotions and Somatic Symptoms Reminiscent of Being on Fire.

We recently came across an interesting article in this journal by Leng and Ng (1) on stagnation syndrome, which is a mental disorder in traditional Chinese medicine (2). The authors described the similarity between functional somatic syndrome (FSS) and stagnation syndrome based on their epidemiological findings in Hong Kong (3) and their valuable knowledge. The article by Leng and colleagues was in response to a special section in this journal (4) on somatic symptom and related disorders (5), which largely overlap with FSS. Leng and Ng (1) interpreted stagnation syndrome in the context of FSS (somatic symptom and related disorder). The authors hypothesized that understanding stagnation syndrome would improve the understanding of FSS (1). FSS is often accompanied with significant distress, with distinct physical symptoms that are not medically explained (6), and to our understanding, stagnation syndrome is associated with suppression of emotions, especially depression. In this letter, we would like to bring attention to Hwabyung, which is similar to stagnation syndrome and FSS but is associated with suppressed emotions, especially anger, and manifests as various somatic symptoms of heat sensation (reminiscent of [being on] fire). The epidemiology, etiology,management, prevention, and treatment of Hwabyung have been established in Korea. As Leng and Ng (1) pointed out, cross-cultural studies on these disorders characterized by significant distress and manifestation of various somatic symptoms would broaden our understanding in this area. Hwabyung is a mental disorder that has been introduced as a culture-bound syndrome in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM; Fourth Edition) (7), and this syndrome is the focus of the Hwabyung Research Center in the Korean
A novel categorisation system to organise a large photo identification database for white sharks Carcharodon carcharias

The white shark Carcharodon carcharias was one of the first elasmobranch species where photo identification was used to identify unique individuals. In this study, we propose guidelines that improve the current photo identification technique for white sharks by presenting a novel categorisation system. Using this method, a high-resolution photograph of the dorsal fin is placed on a standardised three-section grid. Notches associated with the trailing edge of the fin are counted and scored within each grid section. The number of notches in each grid section is then used to produce a three-part code that is utilised to systematically organise the individuals into a database. Our proposed system was tested on sharks photographed in the sampling area over a 27-month period (4 398 photographs) and the method significantly reduced the search time associated with identifying resighted individuals. Using the notches code, we were able to identify 426 different C. carcharias within the Dyer Island Nature Reserve (South Africa). Due to the inherent ease of use, the accuracy associated with this method, and the ability to ‘resight’ individuals rapidly within a large photographic database, this non-invasive technique presents a validated and feasible alternative for future white shark photo identification studies.
The Effect of Defects in Piezoelectric Composite Half-Planes with Surface Electrodes

An analysis for the prediction of the electromechanical field in composite piezoelectric half-planes with attached surface electrode is presented. The composite half-planes are composed of distinct constituents and may include internal defects in various locations. The solution is carried out in a sufficiently large rectangular region, the boundary conditions of which are obtained from the corresponding solution of a homogeneous piezoelectric half-plane. This is followed by the application of the discrete Fourier transform at the domain of which a boundary-value problem is formulated. The solution of this boundary-value problem, followed by the inversion of the Fourier transform, provides, in conjunction with an iterative procedure, the electromechanical field at any point of the rectangular region. Applications are given for a piezoelectric half-plane with defects in the form of a cavity and of short and semi-infinite cracks as well as of a periodically bilayered composite with a crack in one of its layers.
Spatiotemporal Evolution of Heat Wave Severity and Coverage Across the United States

Heat waves have pronounced impacts on human health, ecosystems, and society. Heat waves have become more frequent and intense globally and are likely to intensify further in a warming climate. Across the United States there is a warming trend in average surface temperatures, but concordant increase in heat wave severity appears absent. Limitations in heat waves studies may be responsible for limited detection of a heat wave warming signal. We track daily spatiotemporal evolution of heat waves using geometric concepts and clustering algorithms to investigate how heat manifests on the land surface. We develop a spatial metric combining heat wave frequency, magnitude, duration, and areal extent. We find mixed trends in some individual heat wave characteristics across the United States during 1981–2018. However, exploration of the spatiotemporal evolution of combined heat wave characteristics shows considerable increases during this period and indicates a substantial increase in heat wave hazard across the United States.