Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selection of Trichogramma for inundative biological control

This thesis presents a study of the potential for biological control of lepidopterous pests on cabbage crops in the Netherlands, by means of inundative releases of the egg parasite Trichogramma (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae). The objective of this study is to investigate the usefulness of a predictive approach to the development of a biological control program. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the three basic elements of this study: the principles of biological control, the use of Trichogramma as a control agent and the host species occurring on cabbage crops. The main theme of this study is the selection, by means of laboratory investigations and experimental field releases, of candidate strains of the parasite for practical application. This topic is discussed in chapter 2. Selection experiments were conducted using a collection of sixty geographical strains maintained in the laboratory. The methodology of culturing both parasites and hosts, and of observing female-parasite behaviour are described in chapter 3. Results of experiments on possible selection criteria involving various strains are presented in the subsequent chapters (4-9). Adaptability of parasitization activity to field-temperature conditions was investigated for all strains (chapter 4). Strains with a high performance at low temperature were used for studies on differences in host-selection behaviour between strains, i.e. host- age selection (chapter 5) and host-species selection (chapter 6). Studies on host recognition (chapter 7) and host suitability (chapter 8) were conducted to determine how and why female wasps distinguish between host species. Candidate strains selected on the basis of the laboratory research were released in Brussels sprouts fields with natural pest populations. During four seasons (1982-85) the performance of two strains in parasitism of the major host species was compared, in order to test the validity of the pre-introductory selection criteria (chapter 9). Finally, a comprehensive discussion of the results of this study is provided in chapter 10.
Industry Risk Factors and Stock Returns of Malaysian Oil and Gas Industry: A New Look with Mean Semi-Variance Asset Pricing Framework

This study employs a mean semi-variance asset pricing framework to examine the influence of risk factors on stock returns of oil and gas companies. This study also examines how downside risk is priced in stock performance. The time-series estimations expose that market, size, momentum, oil, gas, and exchange rate have significant impacts on oil and gas stock returns, but effects are heterogeneous depending on an individual stock. The two-stage cross-section estimations provide new insights about investors’ risk-return trade-off when facing downside risks. The results show that downside risk exposures to market, momentum, oil, and exchange rate factors are negatively priced in the Malaysian oil and gas stocks. This implies that investors are penalized for their downside exposure to these risk factors, and such inference is consistent with the risk preference explanation of prospect theory. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is the only risk factor found to be positively priced in the returns of oil and gas stocks. Additionally, we find a negative relationship between LNG factor and total risk. This suggests that as the risk exposure to LNG increases, the total risk decreases, implying that the LNG risk factor is an idiosyncratic risk and not a systematic risk factor. Such interpretation is consistent with the correlation result, which shows no association between LNG and the market risk factor.
Performance and carcass characteristics of growing rabbits as affected by the dietary inclusion of a natural zeolite

Στόχος της έρeυνας αυτής ήταν η διeρeύνηση της eπίδρασης eνός eλληνικού φυσικού ζeόλιθου (κλινοπτιλόλιθος) στις αποδόσeις και τα χαρακτηριστικά του σφαγίου παχυνόμeνων κουνeλιών που eκτράφηκαν κάτω από eντατικές συνθήκeς (ημι-eντατικό σύστημα eκτροφής) σe μια eμπορική κονικλοτροφική eκμeτάλλeυση. Χρησιμοποιήθηκαν συνολικά τρία σιτηρέσια: το σιτηρέσιό C, που ήταν ένα σύνηθeς eμπορικό σιτηρέσιό (μeίγμα ανάπτυξης- πάχυνσης κουνeλιών) και αποτeλούσe το σιτηρέσιο-μάρτυρα του πeιραματισμού και τα σιτηρέσια L και Η, στα οποία eνσωματώθηκe ο φυσικός ζeόλιθος σe ποσοστό 1,25% και 2,5%, αντίστοιχα. Eβδομήντα-δυο (72) New Zealand χ Californian κουνέλια, τα οποία eίχαν απογαλακτιστeί στην ηλικία των 35 ημeρών, κατανeμήθηκαν ισάριθμα μe βάση το σωματικό τους βάρος σe τρeις μeταχeιρίσeις (ομάδeς του πeιραματισμού) αντίστοιχeς των σιτηρeσίων που καταρτίστηκαν (μeταχeιρίσeις C, L και Η). Σe κάθe ομάδα υπήρχαν τρeις eπαναλήψeις μe οκτώ ζώα η καθeμία (υποομάδeς του πeιραματισμού). Η διάρκeια του πeιραματισμού ήταν 8 eβδομάδeς. Οι μeτρήσeις που πραγματοποιήθηκαν πeριeλάμβαναν την καταγραφή της αύξησης των κουνeλιών, της κατανάλωσης τροφής, του δeίκτη μeτατρeψιμότητας της τροφής, καθώς και της θνησιμότητα τους κατά τη διάρκeια του πeιραματισμού. Στο τέλος του πeιραματισμού τα κουνέλια σφάχτηκαν στο σφαγeίο της eπιχeίρησης. Από κάθe μeταχeίριση eπιλέχθηκαν τυχαία έξι σφάγια κουνeλιών στα οποία έγιναν μeτρήσeις που αφορούσαν στα χαρακτηριστικά του σφαγίου. Από τα αποτeλέσματα της έρeυνας αυτής διαπιστώθηκe ότι η eνσωμάτωση του φυσικού ζeόλιθου στο σιτηρέσιό των παχυνόμeνων κουνeλιών δeν eπηρέασe την αύξηση και τα χαρακτηριστικά του σφαγίου τους, eνώ οδήγησe σe υποβάθμιση του δeίκτη μeτατρeψιμότητας και σe αύξηση της θνησιμότητας τους.
The localization choices of Italian family businesses in China: is there an agglomeration effect?

Purpose of the paper: Based on the socioemotional wealth theory, the objective of this work is to investigate the existence of different motivations influencing the localisation choice of the FBs’ investments. We want to explore if FBs agglomerate with other FBs or, more generally, if FBs follow a different pattern rather than NFBs. Methodology : The study was carried out using the mixed method following an exploratory sequential design. The quantitative analysis was conducted starting from a sample of 2,958 FDIs made by Italian FBs and NFBs in China, while the qualitative analysis was carried out by performing an in-depth interview with the Marketing Manager of the Italy-China Foundation and by triangulating the information with written reports. Findings : The results are consistent with the traditional literature that identifies the main drivers of localization choices in the economic-strategic, political and institutional factors. Any different motivations from NFBs due to SEW were not confirmed. Research limitations: A first limitation is that, in the quantitative analysis, we considered only FDIs in China and only by Italian companies. A second limitation is that, again in the quantitative analysis, the measure used to identify and distinguish FBs from NFBs is a dichotomous variable. Implications : From a managerial point of view, what this study implies is that family companies and all the other types locate their FDIs following similar logics and so there is no difference in the strategies of localization that can be traced back to the family or non-family nature. Originality of the paper: to date, very limited knowledge exists about the strategic location choice of FBs and particularly, the agglomeration effect in FBs compared to NFBs.
Towards anomaly comprehension: using structural compression to navigate profiling call-trees

Developers must often diagnose anomalies in programs they only have a partial knowledge of. As a result, they must simultaneously reverse engineer parts of the system they are unfamiliar with while interpreting dynamic observation data (performance profiling traces, error-propagation channels, memory leaks), a task particularly difficult. To support developers in this kind of comprehension task, filtering and aggregation have long been suggested as key enabling strategies. Unfortunately, traditional approaches typically only provide a uniform level of aggregation, thus limiting the ability of developers to construct context-dependent representations of a program's execution. In this paper, we propose a localised approach to navigate and analyse the CPU usage of little-known programs and libraries. Our method exploits the structural information present in profiling call trees to selectively raise or lower the local abstraction level of the performance data. We explain the formalism underpinning our approach, describe a prototype, and present a preliminary user study that shows our tool has the potential to complement more traditional navigation approaches
Low intensity rTMS to the cerebellum : age dependent effects and mechanisms underlying neural circuit plasticity

Neuroplasticity is essential for the establishment and strengthening of neural circuits during the critical period of development, and are required for the brain to adapt to its environment. The mechanisms of plasticity vary throughout life, are generally more difficult to induce in the adult brain, and decrease with advancing age. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is commonly used to modulate cortical excitability and shows promise in the treatment of some neurological disorders. Low intensity magnetic stimulation (LI-rTMS), which does not directly elicit action potentials in the stimulated neurons, have also shown some therapeutic effects, and it is important to determine the biological mechanisms underlying the effects of these low intensity magnetic fields, such as would occur in the regions surrounding the central high-intensity focus of rTMS. We have used a focal low-intensity magnetic stimulation (10mT) to address some of these issues in the mouse cerebellum and olivocerebellar path. The cerebellum model is particularly useful as its development, structure, ageing and function are well described which allows us to easily detect eventual modifications. We assessed effects of in vivo or in vitro LI-rTMS on neuronal morphology, behavior, and post-lesion plasticity. We first showed that LI-rTMS treatment in vivo alters dendritic spines and dendritic morphology, in association with improved spatial memory. These effects were age dependent. To optimize stimulation parameters in order to induce post-lesion reinnervation we used our in vitro model of post-lesion repair to systematically investigate the effects of different LI-rTMS stimulation patterns and frequencies. We showed that the pattern of stimulation is critical for allowing repair, rather than the total number of stimulation pulses. Finally, we looked for potential underlying mechanisms participating in the effects of the LI-rTMS, using mouse mutants in vivo or in vitro. We found that the cryptochromes, which have magnetoreceptor properties, must be present for the response to magnetic stimulation to be transduced into biological effects. The ensemble of our results indicate that the effects of LI-rTMS depend upon the presence of magnetoreceptors, the stimulation protocol, and the age of the animal suggesting that future therapeutic strategies must be adapted to the neuronal context in each individual person.
Marital Compatibility and Their Relationship To Personality Among Arranged Marriage Couples And Love Marriage Couples – A Pilot Study

The aim of the study is to assess the marital compatibility and their relationship to personality among arranged marriage and love marriage couples. A cross sectional, ex-post-facto research design was adopted for this study. Samples were collected by using convenience sampling. The sample comprised of 70 arranged marriage couples and 70 love marriage couples aged between 20 to 35 years with the married duration of 1 to 9 years. Marital compatibility was measured by using The ABC marital relationship scale (Nappinnai 2006) and personality was measured by NEO Personality inventory scale (Costa and McCrae 1985). Karl Pearson's product moment correlation and Independent sample t-test were used to assess the significant relationship and differences among the variables. The results of this study revealed that Love marriage couples scored higher on personality dimension of Neuroticism, Extraversion and Conscientiousness. Arranged marriage couples scored higher on personality dimension of Openness and Agreeableness. Love marriage couples scored higher on adjustment component of marital compatibility. Arranged marriage couples scored higher on harmony component of marital compatibility. There was no significant relationship between arranged marriage couples and love marriage couples on marital compatibility in the aspects of harmony, satisfaction and adjustment Gopal & Valarmathii (2020): Martial compatibility in arranged marriage Oct 2020 Vol. 23 Issue 15 Annals of Tropical Medicine & Public Health http://doi.org/10.36295/ASRO.2020. 231503
CO2‐Induced Decoupling of Tropical Surface and Thermocline Water Temperature at the Onset of Interglacials

Tropical air‐sea interaction is important in global climate change; its behavior over geological history is poorly understood but can be explored by examining reconstructed sea surface temperature (SST) and thermocline water temperature (TWT). Here, deglacial‐interglacial air‐sea interactions over the past 500 ka were studied by comparing UK'37‐derived SST0‐30m and TEXH86‐derived TWT75m in a sediment core from the southern South China Sea. During deglacials, SST0‐30m and TWT75m varied synchronously toward interglacial peaks, while during the peak interglacials, TWT75m decreased earlier than SST0‐30m. These changes have been found ubiquitously in tropical oceans during the last two glacial‐interglacial cycles. We propose that the prolonged warm interglacial SST was probably sustained by the natural CO2 “overshoot” greenhouse effect at the end of most terminations. The early interglacial TWT decrease following local insolation is driven by the decreasing downward heat transport efficiency induced by weakening wind stirring.
Twitter as a Source of Information? Practices of Journalists Working for the French National Press

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the uses of Twitter as a source of information and its role in the redefinition of the professional practices of journalists working for national daily print newspapers in France. Our research reveals that Twitter uses can be classified in four distinct categories. The latter correspond to four specific moments of the news production process: the identification of newsworthy content and relevant sources, the collaborative verification of information, the writing of the article. However, journalists unanimously address these uses through very different attitudes, from full acceptance to strong reticence. Specifically, althoughwitter is largely used as a starting point to news identification, reservations are prevalent when it comes to its use as a source, or as a means to identify sources. Reluctance concerns collaborative verification of information and informative crowdsourcing on Twitter. Major reservations refer to the platform’s low credibility and lack of trust. The research draws on testimonies from journalists (semi-directive interviews), which shed light to the way they perceive their practices. Analyses of articles written by the interviewees are also included, with the aim to better understand how Twitter-originated quotes are incorporated in their texts.
Evaluation of biological variations in glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels in healthy individuals

Abstract Objective In this study, we firstly aimed to determine components of biological variations (BVCs) in levels of glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in detail based on guidance from relevant organizations and experts. We also investigated whether reference intervals for both analytes were useful for evaluations, particularly consecutive test results. Methods The study group consisted of 36 healthy volunteers. Samples were collected from each individual 4 times every 2 weeks for 45 days. All samples were assayed in duplicate within a single run. Finally, we estimated BVCs and the analytical performance specifications of both analytes. Results Our results were fairly compatible with current biological variations (BVs) in both analytes reported in a database. It was calculated as within biological variation (CVI)=4.2% and between-subject variation (CVG)=5.3% for glucose while calculating as CVI=1.7% and CVG=4.5% for HbA1c. According to these results, the index of individuality (II) of glucose was higher than 0.6 while HbA1c’s II was lower than this value. Conclusion We thought that guidelines from relevant international organizations should be followed to standardize the study design and to appropriately calculate BVCs for any analyte in BV studies. Finally, reference change value should be used to evaluate meaningful differences in HbA1c levels instead of reference interval.
Imprint of chaotic ocean variability on transports in the southwestern Pacific at interannual timescales

Abstract. The southwestern Pacific Ocean sits at a bifurcation where southern subtropical waters are redistributed equatorward and poleward by different ocean currents. The processes governing the interannual variability of these currents are not completely understood. This issue is investigated using a probabilistic modeling strategy that allows disentangling the atmospherically forced deterministic ocean variability and the chaotic intrinsic ocean variability. A large ensemble of 50 simulations performed with the same ocean general circulation model (OGCM) driven by the same realistic atmospheric forcing and only differing by a small initial perturbation is analyzed over 1980–2015. Our results show that, in the southwestern Pacific, the interannual variability of the transports is strongly dominated by chaotic ocean variability south of 20∘ S. In the tropics, while the interannual variability of transports and eddy kinetic energy modulation are largely deterministic and explained by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), ocean nonlinear processes still explain 10 % to 20 % of their interannual variance at large scale. Regions of strong chaotic variance generally coincide with regions of high mesoscale activity, suggesting that a spontaneous inverse cascade is at work from the mesoscale toward lower frequencies and larger scales. The spatiotemporal features of the low-frequency oceanic chaotic variability are complex but spatially coherent within certain regions. In the Subtropical Countercurrent area, they appear as interannually varying, zonally elongated alternating current structures, while in the EAC (East Australian Current) region, they are eddy-shaped. Given this strong imprint of large-scale chaotic oceanic fluctuations, our results question the attribution of interannual variability to the atmospheric forcing in the region from pointwise observations and one-member simulations.
Evaluation of Antidiabetic Potentials of Morus mesozygia Linn. Stapf., Leaf Extracts in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Aim: The aim of this study therefore was to evaluate the antidiabetic potentials of Morus mesozygia Linn. Stapf. , Leaf extrcts in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats. Study Design: The study is an experimental case-controlled study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out at the Biochemistry Research Laboratory, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, between June 2018-April 2019. Methodology: A total of 65 male albino rats that weighed between 150g to 200g were used for this research study. Three different extracted solvents; aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic leaves extracts were administered to different groups of the rats. The male albino rats for this study were induced with a single dose of 40mg/kg b.wt, intraperitoneally of streptozotocin in 0.1M of citrate buffer, pH 4.5. The diabetic male rats were those whose fasting blood glucose (FBG) was from 250 mg/dl or 13 mmol/L and above. Results: The results showed that there were significant decreases (p<0.05) in, FBG, increased insulin and increased C-peptide and increased HOMA-IR concentration of induced diabetic male rats treated orally with 400 mg/kg of MMLS. , when compared with the values of the diabetic male rats in treated orally with 200 mg/kg of MMLS. , and non-significant decrease(p<0.05) in FBG, HOMA-IR increased insulin, increased C-peptide concentrations in the diabetic male rats treated orally for 30 days with 400 mg/kg in dose of methanolic leaves extracts of MMLS. , in the group treated with 400 mg/kg methanol, when compared to the concentration of diabetic male in treated orally for 30 days with 200 mg/kg of methanolic leaves extracts of MMLS. Compared likewise with that treated with 100mg/kg of metformin standard drug. There were also significant decrease (p<0.05) in FBG, HOMA-IR, C-peptide and increased insulin concentrations in diabetic male rats treated with 200 mg/kg in dose of ethanolic and methanolic leaves extracts of MMLS. , when compared with the values in the diabetic male rats treated orally with 400 mg/kg in dose of ethanolic and methanolic leaves extracts of MMLS. , compared with values of diabetic male rats treated orally with 100mg/kg in dose of metformin standard drugs compared with the controls. Conclusion: From the findings of this study, we conclude that streptozotocin increased FBG levels, while the Methanolic, ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Morus mesozygia Linn. S improved FBG, C-peptide, insulin and HOMA levels in a dose-dependent manner, with the methanolic extract having the best ameliorative effect, probably due to its more phytochemical composition.
ISOLATION, IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF ANTIBIOTIC PRODUCING BACTERIA FROM SOIL AT Dr C V RAMAN UNIVERSITY CAMPUS BILASPUR (C.G.)

Antibiotics are one of the most important commercially exploited secondary metabolites produced by the bacteria and employed in a wide range. Most of the antibiotic producers used today are the soil microbes. Bacteria are generally used and easily to isolate, culture, maintain and to improve their strains. Microbes are Omni present and exist in environment. Bacillus species, filamentous species, being the predominant soil bacteria because of their resistance endospore formation and production of vital antibiotics such as bacitracin etc. are always found inhibiting the growth of other microorganisms. Actinomycetes are aerobic, gram-positive bacteria that form branching filaments or hyphae and asexual spores. Actinomycetes produce most of the medically useful natural antibiotics. In this, project soil bacteria with the antibiotics activity have been screened and studied for morphological characters which can provide valuable information about the strain.
Development of Sexual Dimorphism and Sexing of Baltic Herring Gull (Larus argentatus argentatus) in Successive Age Classes

Abstract. Discriminant functions based on external body size measurements are widely used to sex different gull species with great accuracy. However, all of them have been derived for adult birds, which puts into question their usefulness for sexing immatures due to possible changes in size as birds mature. To address this issue, discriminant functions that allow sexing of Herring Gulls in immature age classes with an accuracy of 88–100% were developed. In total, 247 males and 111 females of wintering Herring Gulls, including birds in the first, second and third winter plumages and individuals in adult plumage, were measured and sexed in the region of the Gulf of Gdańsk (southeastern Baltic coast). In all age classes, total head length and bill depth were the best traits for sexing Herring Gulls. However, bill depth, but not total head length, increased with age. Hence, in the first and second winter plumages, total head length made a much higher contribution to the discriminant function than bill depth. In the third winter plumage, bill depth became more important. For individuals in adult plumage, however, the contribution of total head length and bill depth were nearly the same. Hence, using discriminant equations derived for adults resulted in erroneous sexing of 4.5–8.9% of immature males, which were identified as females, and illustrates the importance of deriving age-specific discriminant functions.