Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological variations on the pronotum of the hispid beetle p. Reichei from eight Mindanao populations

A potential outbreak pest in the Philippines, P. reichei is an understudied coconut herbivore that is morphologically similar to the outbreak pest Brontispa longgissima. This study was conducted to determine variability in eight geographical populations in the pronotum of P. reichei using geometric morphometric tools. Analysis of variance, coordinate mapping, relative warp and Euclidean distance matrix were used to analyze 24 pronotum landmarks. Results of relative warp analysis showed variations among the different populations. Comparisons between the populations showed that the mean shape of most of the populations were close to the consensus shape however some locations show indicating an adaptive capability in new environments particularly along the anterolateral region and basal margin (RW = 39.98%). Euclidean distance matrix analysis coupled showed that 30.4% of the variation occurs in the anterior margin of the pronotum.
Effects of Extraction Solvents on Polyphenol Contents, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Pomegranate Parts

Polyphenols in rinds, membranes and seeds of pomegranates were extracted with acetone, acetone:water (70:30, v:v), methanol, ethanol and water for 12 h at 4C. Gallic acid, punicalin, -punicalagin, -punicalagin and ellagic acid derivatives (EAD) were identified in rind and membrane, while only EAD were identified in seed by HPLC. The rind and membrane contained exceptionally high amounts of polyphenols. Strong correlations were found between antioxidant activity (AOA) and total polyphenol content (TPC) for the extracts of rind (r=0.967), membrane (r=0.976) and seed (r=0.972). Moreover, the highest TPC and AOA were determined in acetone:water (70:30, v:v) extracts. Punicalagins at high amounts in the pomegranate rind and membrane provided the highest AOA and antibacterial activity (ABA). The extracts of rind and membrane showed ABA against Bacillus megaterium and Staphylococcus aureus. Water extracts of rind and membrane may be used as a food additive and preservative due to their high AOA and ABA.
A new tool to treat peak overlaps in electron-probe microanalysis of rare-earth-element L-series X-rays

An empirical method for X-ray data processing is presented for the treatment of peak overlaps in electron-probe microanalysis. The performance of this method has been tested on the complex X-ray L-spectra of compounds containing rare-earth elements. The estimated minimum detection limits are better than 0. 1 wt. % even in the presence of strong spectral interferences. The method can be easily inc1uded in computer software for on-line quantitative analysis. Most problems of peak interferences can thus be solved routinely with substantial reduction of time spent in the preparation of analytical session. Key-words: electron mi croprobe , LiF and PET monochromators, overlap standard, rare-earth-element flu­ orides, monazite.
Data-centric decision support

The paper deals with both methodological and practical aspects of design, implementation and application of data-centric decision support systems powered by the historical process and business data. The paper is written from the product development and corporate R&D perspective and discusses major decisions and traps on the developers' way from the original idea to its commercial use.
A Review Regarding the Biometrics Cryptography Challenging Design and Strategies

As the information age matures, a biometric identification technology will be at the heart of computer interaction with humans and the biosphere in which they reside. Hence, the reliable information security mechanisms are needed to combat the rising magnitude of identity theft. While cryptography is a powerful tool to achieve information security, one of the main challenges in cryptosystems is to maintain the secrecy of the cryptographic keys. Template protection techniques prevent stored reference data from revealing private biometric information and enhance the security of biometric systems against attacks such as identity theft and cross matching. A critical issue in biometric systems is to protect the template of a user which is typically stored in a database or a smart card. The fuzzy vault construct is a challenging biometric cryptosystem that secures both the secret key and the biometric template by binding them within a cryptographic framework. The helper data itself do not leak any information about the biometric template, yet contain sufficient information to align the template and query biometric accurately. This paper reviews the state of the art biometrics Cryptosystems from the Point of Challenging Designs Strategies.
A comparative study of functional outcome of distal tibial extra-articular fracture fixed with intramedullary interlocking nail versus locking compression plate

Background: Distal metaphysical fracture of the tibia has been a challenging situation when mostly treated with Plaster of Paris casts, resulting in ankle and knee stiffness and prolonged immobilization. This affecting quality of life of the patient. For the past decade, nailing and plating for fracture reduction has been successful in treating fractures of lower extremity especially distal tibia Objectives: To compare the functional and radiological results of locking compression plate osteosynthesis over intramedullary nailing. Methods: Patients with closed extra articular distal tibial fractures admitted under orthopedics in KIMS hospital will be randomly divided into 2 groups of 10 patients each. Group-1 was operated by Closed reduction and internal fixation with Intramedullary interlocking nail and Group-2 was operated by Locking compression plate done using MIPPO technique. Patients was followed up at regular intervals of 6 weeks for 6 to 10 months and assessed clinically, functionally and radiologically based in IOWA knee evaluation and ankle evaluation rating system. Conclusion: All fractures united well. Rate of union in patients who underwent plate fixation with LCP had lesser average union time (26 weeks) compared to IMIL nailing (27 weeks). In our study valgus union of >5degrees in two patients and varus union of >5 degrees in two patient in IMIL nail group. But in plating group no malunion was noted. In both groups we achieved good anatomical reduction, stable internal fixation and early mobilization and functional outcome in both groups are comparable with statistically significant difference.
Learning to Learn and Civic Competences: different currencies or two sides of the same coin?

In the context of the European Union Framework of Key Competences and the need to develop indicators for European Union member states to measure progress made towards the 'knowledge economy' and 'greater social cohesion' both the competences learning to learn and civic competence have been identified as important, and research projects developed. However, what has yet to be discussed are the links and the overlaps between these two competences. Based on the development of research projects on these two fields, this paper will compare the two sets of competencies. It will describe how the values and dispositions that motivate and inform civic competence and learning to learn are related to each other, both empirically and theoretically. Both these competences are tools for empowering the individual and giving them the motivation, autonomy and responsibility to control their own lives beyond the social circumstances in which they find themselves. In the case of civic competence; the ability to be able to participate in society and voice their concerns, ensure their rights and the rights of others. In the case of learning to learn to be able to participate in work and everyday life by being empowered to learn and update the constantly changing competences required to successfully manage your life plans. The development and measurement of both these competences invoke and require values which promote democracy and human rights. How to obtain EU publications Our priced publications are available from EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu), where you can place an order with the sales agent of your choice. The Publications Office has a worldwide network of sales agents. You can obtain their contact details by sending a fax to (352) 29 29-42758. The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national. LB -N A -2360-EN -C
The Impact of Human Traffic on Wildlife Abundance on a Recreational Trail System in Southeastern Tennessee

Humans impact wildlife in numerous ways. The most serious being direct habitat destruction due to the expansion of urban landscapes, farmland, logging, and other activities that consume natural resources. However, even outdoor recreation in relatively protected areas can exert an influence. While consumptive outdoor recreational activities, like hunting and fishing, directly impact wildlife populations, non-consumptive outdoor recreation, like hiking or mountain biking, can impact wildlife in less overt ways. Simply the presence of humans in a natural area can disrupt normal animal behavior and drive animals away from important resources. In this study we used trail cameras to examine the impact of human traffic on the rate of wildlife detection on a private trail system in southeastern Tennessee during the Fall mating season. 92.9% of total camera sightings were from humans or domestic animals (i.e. domestics dogs) while only 7.1% were from native wildlife with most of these sighting (55.9%) coming from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Analysis using Poisson generalized estimating equations (GEEs) suggested an inverse relationship between the intensity of human traffic and the rate of wildlife detection. Analysis also showed that the portion of the trail system that had been developed the longest (since 2001) had lower cumulative wildlife detection and species richness than the portion of the trails system developed more recently (2016). An analysis of the time of day sightings occurred showed that peak activity for wildlife did not overlap with human activity. Wildlife sightings peaked in the morning while human activity peaked in the later afternoon/evening. Overall, these results confirm previous research that suggests that nonconsumptive outdoor recreation can have significant effects on the abundance and behavior of wildlife.
Volcanic materials as carriers for the formulation of mycoinsecticides using the fungus Beauveria bassiana

Improvements in the formulation of biological insecticides are crucial to increase their stability and competitiveness in the market. The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of volcanic materials with different hydric retention capacities to increase the thermotolerance of B. bassiana conidia. Two pyroclastic rocks and a zeolite clinoptilolite were selected for this study. In addition, a commercial silica gel was used due to its reported capacity to increase conidial thermotolerance. Dry conidia were mixed with the materials to obtain a 2% w/w granular formulation, while conidial powder alone served as the control. Mixtures were stored at room temperature for 30 days and then exposed to 50 oC for two hours, and the viability was measured before and after the thermal exposure. No significant decrease in viability was observed for conidia stored with any of the pyroclastic materials, while the germination was reduced by 10, 17 and 23% for unformulated conidia, conidia stored with silica gel and conidia stored with zeolite, respectively. From these results, a pyroclastic rock was selected to test its capacity to maintain high viability under different temperatures (4, 25 and 35 oC) and humidities (~0 and 20%). A decrease in viability was observed with an increase of temperature, and lower viability was also recorded in humid treatments, but only at 25 and 35 oC. La optimizacion de las formulaciones de insecticidas biologicos resulta crucial para poder mejorar su estabilidad y competitividad en el mercado. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el uso de materiales volcanicos con diferente capacidad de retencion hidrica para incrementar la termotolerancia de los conidios de B. bassiana . Para ello se seleccionaron dos tipos de rocas piroclasticas y una zeolita clinoptilolita. Ademas se uso silica gel comercial debido a su conocida capacidad de incrementar la termotolerancia de los conidios. Los conidios secos fueron mezclados con los materiales para obtener una formulacion en granulos al 2% p/p, mientras que el polvo de conidios sin aditivos se uso como control. Las mezclas se almacenaron a temperatura ambiente por 30 dias y luego se expusieron a 50 oC durante dos horas. La viabilidad se midio antes y despues de la exposicion a alta temperatura. La viabilidad no se vio afectada por las altas temperaturas en los conidios almacenados con materiales piroclasticos, mientras que hubo una reduccion del 10, 17 y 23% en la germinacion en los conidios no formulados y en los conidios almacenados con silica gel y zeolita respectivamente. Sobre la base de estos resultados se selecciono una de las rocas piroclasticas para testear su capacidad de mantener una alta viabilidad bajo diferentes temperaturas (4, 25 y 35 oC) y humedades (~0 and 20%). Se observo una disminucion en la viabilidad al aumentar la temperatura y tambien fue menor la viabilidad en los tratamientos humedos, pero solamente a 25 y 35 oC.
Discovery of very high energy γ-ray emission from the BL Lacertae object PKS 0301−243 with H.E.S.S.

The active galactic nucleus PKS 0301-243 (z = 0.266) is a high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lac object that is detected at high energies (HE, 100 MeV 100 GeV) by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) from observations between September 2009 and December 2011 for a total live time of 34.9 h. Gamma rays above 200 GeV are detected at a significance of 9. 4σ. A hint of variability at the 2. 5σ level is found. An integral flux I(E > 200 GeV) = (3.3 ± 1.1stat ± 0.7syst) × 10-12 ph cm-2 s-1 and a photon index Γ = 4.6 ± 0.7stat ± 0.2syst are measured. Multi-wavelength light curves in HE, X-ray and optical bands show strong variability, and a minimal variability timescale of eight days is estimated from the optical light curve. A single-zone leptonic synchrotron self-Compton scenario satisfactorily reproduces the multi-wavelength data. In this model, the emitting region is out of equipartition and the jet is particle dominated. Because of its high redshift compared to other sources observed at TeV energies, the very high energy emission from PKS 0301-243 is attenuated by the extragalactic background light (EBL) and the measured spectrum is used to derive an upper limit on the opacity of the EBL.
BIG DATA DRIVEN E-COMMERCE ARCHITECTURE

Online businesses are increasingly investing in Big Data Analytics. Not only does it allow them to gain deeper insights into customer behavior and industry trends, but it also lets them make more accurate decisions to improve merchandising, marketing, customer retention, and every other aspect of their business. However, various problems may emerge particularly when the infrastructure of Big Data fails to perform optimally, hence leading to important intelligence and information to become unavailable or delayed. The essence of this study is not only to understand the benefits and challenges of applying Big Data Analytics but also to introduce a reference architecture as an optimum solutions to online businesses. The reference architecture represents the building blocks from which for every customer-specific situation an optimum solution can be designed by combining various technologies.
Impulsive State Feedback Control of the Rhizosphere Microbial Degradation in the Wetland Plant

The rhizosphere microbe plays an important role in removing the pollutant generated from industrial and agricultural production. To investigate the dynamics of the microbial degradation, a nonlinear mathematical model of the rhizosphere microbial degradation is proposed based on impulsive state feedback control. The sufficient conditions for existence of the positive order-1 or order-2 periodic solution are obtained by using the geometrical theory of the semicontinuous dynamical system. We show the impulsive control system tends to an order-1 periodic solution or order-2 periodic solution if the control measures are achieved during the process of the microbial degradation. Furthermore, mathematical results are justified by some numerical simulations.
Microbial additives in the composting process

Composting is the process of natural degradation of organic matter carried out by environmental microorganisms whose metabolic activities cause the mineralization and partial humification of substances in the pile. This compost can be beneficially applied to the soil as organic fertilizer in horticulture and agriculture. The number of studies involving microbial inoculants has been growing, and they aim to improve processes such as composting. However, the behavior of these inoculants and other microorganisms during the composting process have not yet been described. In this context, this work aimed to investigate the effects of using a microbial inoculum that can improve the composting process and to follow the bacterial population dynamics throughout the process using the high-resolution melt (HRM) technique. To do so, we analysed four compost piles inoculated with Bacillus cereus, Bacillus megaterium, B. cereus + B. megaterium and a control with no inoculum. The analyses were carried out using samples collected at different stages of the process (5th to 110th days). The results showed that the bacterial inocula influenced the process of composting, altering the breakdown of cellulose and hemicelluloses and causing alterations to the temperature and nitrogen levels throughout the composting process. The use of a universal primer (rDNA 16S) allowed to follow the microbial succession during the process. However, the design of a specific primer is necessary to follow the inoculum throughout the composting process with more accuracy.
Application of a Blood-based Dynamic Genome Signature: How MAS5/RMA/PLIER Normalization Batches Affect Measured Gene Expression Profiling Stability in Clinical Diagnosis

Objective: A number of studies compare the microarray normalization methods MAS5 (Microarray Suite Version 5), RMA (Robust Multi-array Average) and PLIER (Probe Logarithmic Error Intensity Estimate) with respect to the rate at which genes of interest are identified. Here we evaluate and compare the stability of the measured gene expression when identical or technical replicate arrays are analyzed in batches of differing sizes and composition. These variations in measured gene expression have implications for clinical applications, which have requirements that differ significantly from those of research applications.Methods: We evaluated the samples from data set E-MTAB-1532, available on ArrayExpress, a public repository of microarray data using the MAS5, RMA, and PLIER methods. We then evaluated a sample run as triplicate arrays and compared results among the different normalization methods.Results and conclusion: Our study found that for some applications MAS5 is superior to the other methods, although the MAQC (Micro Array Quality Control) project, which extensively evaluated the performance of the platforms, reached a different conclusion.
Stock market interdependencies

Recent events in the Eurozone ́s southern periphery have directed much interest to the region but only a limited number of studies have targeted the market interdependencies among these counties. This thesis examines the interdependencies among the stock markets in the Eurozone ́s southern periphery, before and after the outbreak of the European debt crisis. By applying the Johansen test of cointegration and the DCC-MGARCH model, both the long-run and short-run interdependencies are examined. The data employed consist of daily stock market index return series from Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, covering the period January 1, 2001 to May 10, 2013. This period is further decomposed into two subsamples to enable an analysis of how the European debt crisis has impacted the interdependencies in the region: the pre-crisis period ranges from January 1, 2001 to October 15, 2009 and the post-crisis period from October 16, 2009 to May 10, 2013. The result shows evidence of stock market interdependencies in the Eurozone ́s southern periphery, particularly in the form of short-run volatility correlation. The result also indicates that the outbreak of the European debt crisis has affected the volatility correlation in the region. The main finding is that the volatility correlation has increased since the outbreak of the European debt crisis between all pairwise comparisons except for these involving the Greek market. The fact that interdependencies exist among all markets in the region is imperative for investors and policy makers and highlights the importance of sound portfolio management and regulatory policies.
Evolving pulsation of the slowly rotating magnetic β Cep star ξ1 CMa

Recent BRITE-Constellation space photometry of the slowly rotating, magnetic β Cep pulsator ξ1 CMa permits a new analysis of its pulsation properties. Analysis of the two-colour BRITE data reveals the well-known single pulsation period of 0.209 d, along with its first and second harmonics. A similar analysis of SMEI and TESS observations yields compatible results, with the higher precision TESS observations also revealing several low-amplitude modes with frequencies below 5 d−1; some of these are likely g modes. The phase lag between photometric and radial velocity maxima – equal to 0.334 cycles – is significantly larger than the typical value of 1/4 observed in other large-amplitude β Cep stars. The phase lag, as well as the strong dependence of phase of maximum light on wavelength, can be reconciled with seismic models only if the dominant mode is the fundamental radial mode. We employ all published photometric and radial velocity measurements, spanning over a century, to evaluate the stability of the pulsation period. The O−C diagram exhibits a clear parabolic shape consistent with a mean rate of period change $\dot{P}=0.34\pm 0.02$ s cen−1. The residuals from the best-fitting parabola exhibit scatter that is substantially larger than the uncertainties. In particular, dense sampling obtained during the past ∼20 yr suggests more complex and rapid period variations. Those data cannot be coherently phased with the mean rate of period change, and instead require $\dot{P}\sim 0.9$ s cen−1. We examine the potential contributions of binarity, stellar evolution, and stellar rotation and magnetism to understand the apparent period evolution.
DYNAMICS OF A MACROALGAL ROCKY INTERTIDAL COMMUNITY IN THE COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN

The macroalgal intertidal community at a tropical location (Punta de la Loma, Colombian Caribbean) was monitored at irregular intervals from 1992 to 1995. The highly diverse macroalgal community was relatively invariant in cover, taxa and biomass from small spatial scales (square centimeters). At larger spatial scales (square meters), however, there was a small but definitive seasonal pulse in dominance and composition. Sand intrusions over the rocky intertidal represents a strong disturbance reducing macroalgal cover during the dry season. Interannual variation was also detected. La Punta de la Loma appears to be influenced by the regional upwelling conditions.