Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PART OF A SPECIAL ISSUE ON SEEDLING HERBIVORY Specificity of extrafloral nectar induction by herbivores differs among native and invasive populations of tallow tree

†BackgroundandAims Invasive plants can be released from specialist herbivores and encounter novel generalists in their introduced ranges, leading to variation in defence among native and invasive populations. However, few studies have examined how constitutive and induced indirect defences change during plant invasion, especially during the juvenile stage. †Methods Constitutive extrafloral nectar (EFN) production of native and invasive populations of juvenile tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) were compared, and leaf clipping, and damage by a native specialist (Noctuid) and two native generalist caterpillars (Noctuid and Limacodid) were used to examine inducible EFN production. †Keyresults Plants from introduced populations had more leaves producing constitutive EFN than did native populations, but the content of soluble solids of EFN did not differ. Herbivores induced EFN production more than simulated herbivory. The specialist (Noctuid) induced more EFN than either generalist for native populations. The content of soluble solids in EFN was higher (2.1 times), with the specialist vs. the generalists causing the stronger response for native populations, but the specialist response was always comparable with the generalist responses for invasive populations. †Conclusions These results suggest that constitutive and induced indirect defences are retained in juvenile plants of invasive populations even during plant establishment, perhaps due to generalist herbivory in the introduced range. However, responses specific to a specialist herbivore may be reduced in the introduced range where specialists are absent. This decreased defence may benefit specialist insects that are introduced for classical biological control of invasive plants.
Offshoring Production: A Simple Model of Wages, Productivity, and Growth

We examine the relationship between o¤shoring and the labour market in an occupational choice model of trade and endogenous growth where workers are employed on the basis of their individual skill levels. Trade liberalization leads to o¤shoring and reduces employment in the manufacturing sector. Displaced workers move into the traditional and innovation sectors ac- cording to their skill levels, shaping real wages and aggregate productivity in the manufacturing sector. The paper aims to show how inter-sectoral labour market adjustments, highlighted by skill heterogeneity, could be a possible explanation for the simultaneous rise in productivity and reduction in real wages that have coincided with the sharp escalation of o¤shoring activities in the US manufacturing sector since 2004.
Does insurance promote economic growth: A comparative study of developed and emerging/developing economies

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between insurance and economic growth in 20 countries for the period 2006–2015. Insurance activity is measured through three distinctive proxies such as net written premiums, penetration and density. The Hausman statistics confirmed that fixed effect model is appropriate for this data-set. This study found a positive and a significant relationship between life insurance, measured through net written premiums and density, and economic growth for developed countries while the same is true for developing countries when insurance is measured through penetration proxy. The results also reveal that non-life insurance has statistically significant, for all three proxies, relationship with economic growth for developing countries whereas, in case of developed countries, the results are only significant when insurance density is used as a proxy for insurance. Moreover, the role of non-life insurance is more significant for developing countries as compared to developed countries.
Origin of lapse rate changes in the upper tropical troposphere

Vertical motions in clouds arise from a variety of thermodynamic processes, including latent heat release, evaporative cooling, melting, and cloud radiative heating. In the Tropics, the net upward vertical mass flux from convective systems should approximately balance subsidence in clear sky regions associated with radiative cooling, provided the exchange of mass with midlatitudes can be assumed small. Tropical climatologies of temperature, water vapor, and ozone are used to calculate the clear sky radiative mass flux, and the derivative of this mass flux with respect to potential temperature, d Mr(u)/du, is used as a proxy for net convective outflow. Convective outflow increases rapidly at 345 K ( ;11.3 km). This corresponds to the pseudoequivalent potential temperature ue at which air parcels near the surface first attain positive convective available potential energy (CAPE). The rate at which dMr(u)/du decreases above 345 K is similar to the rate at which the near surface ue probability distribution function (PDF) decreases. This behavior is referred to as ‘‘scaling. ’’ It suggests that the timescale for removal of an air parcel from the convective boundary layer is independent of ue (once it has positive CAPE), and that the residual vertical mass flux from convective clouds can be described as if air parcels detrain near their level of neutral buoyancy (LNB). It is also suggested that the mean tropical temperature profile above 345 K is controlled, not by mixing, but by the need for the vertical variation in net convective outflow to be consistent with the near-surface ue PDF, and that this accounts for the fact that the mean temperature profile above 345 K increasingly deviates from a moist adiabat. It is also argued that there are sufficient high ue air parcels near the surface to sustain the Brewer‐Dobson circulation by detrainment at the LNB followed by radiative ascent into the stratosphere.
Dynamics versus energetics in phase separation

Phase separation may be driven by the minimization of a suitable free energy . This is the case, e.g., for diblock copolymer melts, where is minimized by a steady periodic pattern whose wavelength λGS depends on the segregation strength α−1. It has long been known that in one spatial dimension λGS ≃ α−1/3. Here we study in detail the dynamics of the system in 1D for different initial conditions and by varying α by five orders of magnitude. We find that, depending on the initial state, the final configuration may have a wavelength λD with λmin(α)<λD < λmax(α), where λmin ≈ ln(1/α) and λmax ≈ α−1/2. In particular, if the initial state is homogeneous, the system exhibits a logarithmic coarsening process which is arrested whenever λD ≈ λmin.
Dehydration effects on seedling development of four range species.

The effects of temporary drought periods of semiarid regions were simulated by dehydration of germinating seeds of crested wheatgrass (Agrop~~on desertonm), Russian wildrye (E&WIIIS /unceus), alfalfa (iWd&ago suth), and cicer milkvetch (Astrugulus c&m) in 8 constant humidity environments, ranging from -10 to -220 MPa for 4 days. Combined tfftcts of root excision and temporary dehydration al -22 to -160 MPa wtn also studkd. Subsquent growth of seedlings was evaluated in growth performance tests under favorable soil moisture conditions. When the initial roots were killed by dehydration, survival of gratea depended on the development of seminal Iatcrrl root(s) from the scutelkr nodes, and survival of legumes depended on development of a new meristtm at the distal end or along the side of hypocotylroot axis. The tfltct of dehydration was more drastic on the legumes than on the gmsts, putkukrly at more severe conditions. Whik temporary dehydration of -59 MPa had little effect on grasses, it reduced the percent emergence of the ltgumta by about 7%. In the -220 MPa treatment, emergence percentages of crested wheatgrass, Russian wildrye, alfalfa, and cictr milkvttch were 59, 35,6, and 1, respectively, and percentages of rooted seedlings were 58,12,3, and 1, respectively. Under combined effects of excision and dehydration at -160 MPa, emergence percentages of the 4 speciea were 50,34,14, and 0, respectively, and their root lengths decreased by 37, 42, 44, and 100% respectively. Within specks variation in tolerance of dehydration suggested opportunities to sekct and breed for this characteristic.
Nothing in (sponge) biology makes sense – except when based on holotypes

Sponge species are infamously difficult to identify for non-experts due to their high morphological plasticity and the paucity of informative morphological characters. The use of molecular techniques certainly helps with species identification, but unfortunately it requires prior reference sequences. Holotypes constitute the best reference material for species identification, however their usage in molecular systematics and taxonomy is scarce and frequently not even attempted, mostly due to their antiquity and preservation history. Here we provide case studies in which we demonstrate the importance of using holotype material to answer phylogenetic and taxonomic questions. We also demonstrate the possibility of sequencing DNA fragments out of century-old holotypes. Furthermore we propose the deposition of DNA sequences in conjunction with new species descriptions.
Individual Differences and in-Vehicle Distraction While Driving: A Test Track Study and Psychometric Evaluation

The influence of individual differences on driver distraction was examined in this study. Sixteen (16) test participants were trained on destination entry procedures with four commercially available route guidance systems, as well as the dialing task on a commercially available wireless cellular telephone and on manually tuning an after-market car radio. The participants then drove an instrumented vehicle at approximately 45 mph on a 7.5 mile oval test track with very light traffic while concurrently engaging in various tasks with these devices. In-vehicle task completion time, average glance duration away from the road ahead, number of glances away from the road ahead, and number of lane exceedences were recorded. The participants were later given an automated battery of temporal visual perception and cognitive tasks. Performance on the test battery was then correlated to performance on the test track measures to determine the extent to which individual driver differences could account for observed performance differences. Analysis of these elementary test scores as predictors show low but consistent patterns of correlation to test-track performance measures.
Perubahan sosial dan impaknya terhadap pembentukan modal insan menurut Ibn Khaldun

The article will focused upon the concept of social change-Human capital and its connection with the concept of Islam Hadhari. In order to achieve such objective, basically this article will evaluate the nation of human capital within the concept of Islam Hadhari through several grand theories proposed by Ibn Khaldun. Due to such reason, this article will be divided into several sections, including; first, the introduction of the study. Second, Ibn Khaldun and the theory of social change in human society. Third, an analysis of the nation of human capital – Islam Hadhari through several grand theories proposed by Ibn Khaldun. Fourth, summary and conclusion.
Active Oxygen Species (AOS) Generating Enzyme Inhibition upon Generation of AOS in Plant by Single-Molecule Signaling of Ca2+- Dependent Protein Kinase (CDPK) to Suppressor from Phytophthora infestans

Plants are exposed to pathogen attack in their environment and have developed mechanisms to respond to biotic elicitors and toxins from pathogens. Among the earliest host cell responses to such attack and stimuli are the production of superoxide anion [1-4], the hypersensitive response (HR) [5-8] and phytoalexin (PA) production [7,9] and a specific calcium signature is often reported [7,10-12]. It is well documented that pathogens produce either glucans or peptideoligosaccharides that suppress HR and PA production [6,9,13-15]. Suppressor glucans inhibit the generation of AOS during an early period of Pi infection [9,16], yet the receptor that mediates the inhibition of HR in plant cells has not been reported.
REVIEW: EFFECTS OF LEADERSHIP STYLES ON QUALITY OF SERVICES IN HEALTHCARE

Background :There are progressive changes in the work of hospital leaders, included descriptions of how hospital leader work is perceived in a global context. Hospital leaders have had to respond to new technology, new organizational goals and new challenges. The most effective leaders have responded to the dynamism of the healthcare field by altering their leading skill set. Aim: To understand the nature of leadership work of the hospital managers in order to examine their perceptions of the most essential roles, skills and training courses as hospital managers. Also to identify the challenges, obstacles and problems facing hospital leaders. Methods : Hospital leaders were compared to more traditional leaders, highlighting important, yet subtle differences between them. Studies appropriate for inclusion were randomized controlled trials studying the effectiveness of leadership styles among hospital leaders, head nurse managers and healthcare workers. An integrative review of studies from ProQuest, PubMed and Emerald databases was undertaken to explore and analyses studies about leaders and leadership and its effects on outcome.
Regional Disparity in Australia : Analysis of Gender Development Index

Measurement of the level of socio-economic development of a nation is a complex task. However, the socio-economic environment affects overall economic development and business activities. Existence of different types of inequalities such as gender disparities affects the process of development adversely. The UNDP uses two major indicators (HDI and GDI) to measure the achievements of a country’s population and gender disparities. These are primarily national level indicators and do not reflect regional differences. Although most of the academic studies in the area of gender inequality are based on developing countries, there are evidences of gender inequalities in developed countries such as Australia. This paper attempted to estimate gender inequalities in the states and territories in Australia using GDI and HDI following the UNDP procedure modified for regional application. The results indicate that, in terms of gender difference, all the states and territories performed well in Australia in the year 2002. The study found existence of gender inequalities in all states and territories in Australia except in the state of NSW. In NSW, women marginally outperformed men. However, the extent of inequalities was very small in all cases. Inter-state differences were also not very significant. In general, women outperformed men in education and health areas. But achievement of women in income earning abilities was less than men in all states and territories.
A Fast High-Order Total Variation Minimization Method for Multiplicative Noise Removal

Multiplicative noise removal problem has received considerable attention in recent years. The total variation regularization method for the solution of the noise removal problem can preserve edges well but has the sometimes undesirable staircase effect. In this paper, we propose a fast high-order total variation minimization method to restore multiplicative noisy images. The proposed method is able to preserve edges and at the same time avoid the staircase effect in the smooth regions. An alternating minimization algorithm is employed to solve the proposed high-order total variation minimization problem. We discuss the convergence of the alternating minimization algorithm. Some numerical results show that the proposed method gives restored images of higher quality than some existing multiplicative noise removal methods.
Investigation of Land Use Changes in North of Iran Using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (1986-2015)

Deforestation in Iran has been more rapid in the past 50 years than at any time in Iran’s history, and Neka basin located in the north of Iran has been subjected to severe deforestation problems. Detection of ecosystem changes may help decision makers and planners to understand the factors in land use and land cover changes in order to take effective and useful measures. Using remote sensing and GIS technologies are used as efficient tools for monitoring and evaluation land use change. In recent years, a considerable land use changes have occurred in in the Neka basin. This paper presents ﬁndings of an evaluation study that focused on the changes in land use changes in a great basin of Neka. The study was based on a spatial analysis of historical Landsat images (1986–2015) and several ﬁeld measurements and observations. First, geometric correction and contrast stretch are applied. In order to detect and evaluate land use changes, image differencing, vegetation change analysis, principal component analysis and classification comparison have been applied. Finally, the results of land cover classification for three different times are compared to reveal land use changes. Relatively, agriculture, range and urban developed areas increased, respectively 84.70, 31.88 and 54.52 % from 1986 to 2015, while forest decreased 44.35%. With the greatest decrease occurring from 1991 to 1999. The overly analysis of the four land cover maps revealed that there is an imbalance in the spatial distribution of deforestation areas. The west and central part of the study area has mostly changed and deforestrated. From 1986 to 2015, forest, which covered 1245.53 km2 (47.79%) of the total area in 1986 had decreased to 693.60 (25.60.7%) in 2015. However, the rangelands increased from 1120.42 ha in 1986 to 1477.69 km2 in 20015.
The surge in capital inflows to developing countries : an analytical overview

After being excluded from world capital markets during the debt crisis, many developing countries have experienced large capital inflows during the past five years. The challenges that these inflows pose for domestic policy in recipient countries have generated a substantial literature. This article presents an overview of that literature, describing the characteristics of the new inflows, analyzing the policy issues they raise, assessing their causes and likely sustainability, and evaluating potential policy responses. The desirable policy response is tied to characteristics of the flows themselves as well as to the characteristics of the recipient economy. Copyright 1996 by Oxford University Press.
Linearity and speed optimization in SOI LDMOS using gate engineering

The major challenge the radio frequency laterally double-diffused metal oxide semiconductor (RF LDMOS) faces today is the linearity and switching delay. In this paper, we propose a new, gate-engineered silicon-on-insulator (SOI) LDMOS device to overcome this problem. The proposed device has three gates arranged in a stepped manner, from the channel to drift region. The first gate uses p+ poly (near the source), whereas the other two gates have n+ poly. The first gate with a thin gate oxide achieves good control over the channel charge. The third gate with a thick gate oxide at the drift region achieves reduced gate to drain capacitance. The arrangement of second and third gates in a stepped manner in the drift region spreads the electric field uniformly. Using two-dimensional device simulations, the proposed LDMOS is compared with the conventional LDMOS. We demonstrate that the proposed device exhibits significant enhancements in linearity, switching delay, breakdown voltage, on-resistance, peak transconductance and gate-drain charge making it highly suitable for RF power amplifiers.
The Curse of the Elders? Aid Effectiveness and Gerontocracy in Developing Countries

(english) In this paper we use a simple standard overlapping-generation model to assess the impact of foreign aid. Because of deference to the elders, donors are not able to modify the sharing out of aid between the old and the young in the recipient economy. The model shows that, if aid is considered as a device intended to help attain the spontaneous steady state of the economy, it may lead to a rise or fall in savings, and hence in the growth rate of the economy, depending on a threshold share of aid accruing to elders. Alternately, if aid is intended to help the economy to reach its golden-rule steady state, the relevant level of aid increases with the share of aid accruing to elders, up to a certain threshold. If this share is higher than the threshold, the optimal level of aid is negative. _________________________________ (francais) Nous utilisons un modele a generations imbriquees pour montre que la repartition de l’aide entre jeunes et vieux peut avoir un impact sur l’efficacite de l’aide en termes d’epargne, de croissance et de bien-etre. Les societes en developpement sont generalement marquees par une « deference pour les anciens » profondement ancree dans la culture traditionnelle. Nous supposons que les donateurs sont incapables de manipuler cette part, et nous montrons que la part de l’aide qui revient aux vieux a un impact sur la croissance et le bien-etre positif en dessous d’un certain seuil et negatif au-dela.
Effective Removal of Nitrobenzene under Visible Light by Coupled Grafted Cassava/ZnO in a Closed Photocatalytic Reaction Chamber

Almost 95% oil of mirbane best known as Nitrobenzene is being used for the production of aniline precursor chemicals in pesticides, dyes, rubber and pharmaceuticals processing. Oil of mirbane is regarded highly toxic and easily absorbed through the skin with Threshold Limit Value 5 mg/m. Recently, monitory of drinking water supply by some industries have identified the presence of this compound. The normal conventional methods are yet to achieve efficiently the complete degradation and removal of the nitrobenzene. This study aimed at characterizing and measuring the effective removal ability of this pollutant (oil of mirbane) through visible light photocatalysis by interacting with microwave prepared Coupled Grafted Cassava/ZnO nanocomposite material. Prepared nanocomposite powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscope. -----------------------------------------------------------------------* Corresponding author. E-mail address: hauwamee1@gmail.com
Global Brand Purchase Likelihood: A Critical Synthesis and an Integrated Conceptual Framework

The authors build a model of global brand attitude and purchase likelihood with a nomological net comprised of constructs derived from three theoretical streams in consumer behavior: consumer culture theory, signaling theory, and the associative network memory model. By integrating these diverse theories, the authors provide a conceptual framework, explaining the processes leading to consumers’ attitudes toward and likelihood of purchasing global brands. Global brand authenticity, cultural capital, and perceived brand globalness are constructs based mainly on consumer culture theory, and global brand credibility is borrowed from signaling theory. Global brand quality, social responsibility, prestige, and relative price are included as brand associations, deriving mainly from the associative network memory model. These constructs have direct and indirect effects on global brand attitude and global brand purchase likelihood, reflecting the three-dimensional belief–attitude–behavior model in consumer behavior. The authors also introduce self-construal and cosmopolitanism as two pertinent moderators of some of the model paths.