Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring Field Populations of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) for Resistance to Eight Insecticides in China

Abstract The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is the main destructive insect pest of brassicaceous vegetables around the world. It has developed resistance to various classes of insecticides. However, the current status of insecticide resistance in P. xylostella has not been examined in China. In this study, concentration-mortality responses of P. xylostella to 8 insecticides, including abamectin, chlorantraniliprole, spinosad, beta-cypermethrin, chlorfenapyr, diafenthiuron, chlorfluazuron and the bio-pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Btk) were evaluated. The results showed that almost all of the tested populations had developed high to very high resistance to abamectin and beta-cypermethrin, with resistance ratios ranging from 62.9 to 1494.7-fold. Chlorantraniliprole was very effective against P. xylostella in most tested populations except those from Taihe and Wuxi. Approximately 61% of tested populations displayed moderate resistance to spinosad, while other field populations showed minor changes (3-fold) in their susceptibility to this insecticide. Obvious variation (93-fold) of susceptibility to chlorfenapyr existed in field populations of which 32% displayed low level resistance, and 36% exhibited moderate resistance. Only one field population (Wuxi) showed very high resistance to chlorfenapyr (RR = 260.1). Diafenthiuron and chlorfluazuron were highly effective against all of the tested populations with resistance ratios (RR) ranging from 0.4 to 8.7 — fold. Decreased susceptibility ranging to moderate resistance to Btk was observed (RR = 3.8 – 35.3). Significant correlations were detected between the values of logLC50 of chlorantraniliprole and 4 insecticides (abamectin, spinosad, beta-cypermethrin and chlorfenapyr). The results of this study provided valuable information for choosing alternative insecticides and for integrated resistance management of P. xylostella.
Synthesis of ternary nano composite of MgFe2O4-TiO2 with graphene oxide for synergistic adsorption and photodegradation of methylene blue dye

In the present study, the synergistic adsorption and photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye was studied using synthesized ternary nanocomposite of MgFe2O4-TiO2 with graphene oxide. MgFe2O4 NPs were synthesized by sol-gel method whereas modified Hummer‘s method was used to prepare graphene oxide (GO). The ternary nanocomposite was synthesized by sonication method. The synthesized adsorbents were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, VSM, SEM-EDS, TEM and BET analysis. SEM images showed particle agglomeration. XRD confirmed the presence of TiO2 NPs, MgFe2O4 NPs and GO in the ternary nanocomposite. TEM images taken by water dispersion method clearly depicted the presence of TiO2 and MgFe2O4 NPs over GO sheet. Batch adsorption studies were carried out and the effect of experimental parameters like pH, amount of adsorbents, contact time and temperature were studied. The maximum adsorption of MB was achieved at pH 10. Percentage removal of MB increased with increase in adsorbent dose. ΔH was reported to be positive for MgFe2O4 NPs and ternary nanocomposite which confirmed endothermic nature of adsorption. For TiO2 NPs and GO, ΔH was found to be negative indicating exothermic nature of process. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms fitted the data better than D-R isotherms. The trend for the percentage removal of MB dye by adsorption in the ascending order was TiO2 NPs < MgFe2O4 NPs < Nanocomposite < GO. The photocatalytic degradation of MB dye was performed under UV and Visible light. The photocatalytic degradation of MB dye by TiO2 NPs, MgFe2O4 NPs, GO and nanocomposite followed the same trend as percentage removal by adsorption. The advantage of nanocomposite over pristine i.e. TiO2 NPs, MgFe2O4 NPs and GO is its magnetic separation and role as photocatalyst for degradation of dye.
Developmental plasticity affects sexual size dimorphism in an anole lizard

Summary While developmental plasticity has been shown to contribute to sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in laboratory studies, its role in shaping SSD variation in wild vertebrate populations is unclear. Here we use a field study and a laboratory experiment to show that resource availability influences the degree of SSD among insular populations of Anolis sagrei lizards in the Bahamas. Total amounts of food biomass explained variation in male, but not female, body size on six Bahamian islands, giving rise to significant differences in SSD. Laboratory experiments on a captive colony of A. sagrei confirmed that variation in SSD was mediated by the effects of prey biomass on developmental plasticity in males, but not females. Indeed, males grew faster and attained larger sizes as adults under high-food treatments than under restricted diets, whereas adult females retained similar body sizes under both conditions. Our results indicate that the amount of food available can influence intersexual variation in body size within a vertebrate species. Sex-specific developmental plasticity may be favoured if it allows individuals to take advantage of varying levels of food opportunities offered by different habitats, by reducing competition between the sexes. As such, plasticity in response to food availability may have played a role in the invasion success of A. sagrei. This study adds to our growing understanding of the effect of resource availability in shaping SSD in reptiles and lends further support to the condition-dependent hypothesis, according to which the larger sex should display greater plasticity in growth in response to environmental conditions.
Enhancing the Text Production and Assisting Disable Users in Developing Word Prediction and Completion in Afan Oromo

This work presents a word prediction and completion for disable users. The idea behind this work is to open a chance to interact with computer software and file editing for disable users in their mother tongue languages. Like normal persons, disable users are also needs to access technology in their life. In order to develop the model we have used unsupervised machine learning. The algorithm that used in this work was N-grams algorithms (Unigram, Bigram and Trigram) for auto completing a word by predicting a correct word in a sentence which saves time, reduces misspelling, keystrokes of typing and assisting disables. This work describes how we improve word entry information, through word prediction, as an assistive technology for people with motion impairment using the regular keyboard, to eliminate the overhead needed for the learning process. We also present evaluation metrics to compare different models being used in our work. The result argued that prediction yields an accuracy of 90% in unsupervised machine learning approach. This work particularly helps disable users who have poor spelling knowledge or printing press, institutions or government organizations, repetitive stress injuries to their (wrist, hand and arm) but it needs more further investigation for users who have visual problems.
High-sensitivity monitoring of micromechanical vibration using optical whispering gallery mode resonators

The inherent coupling of optical and mechanical modes in high finesse optical microresonators provides a natural, highly sensitive transduction mechanism for micromechanical vibration. Using homodyne and polarization spectroscopy techniques, we achieve shot-noise limited displacement sensitivities of . In an unprecedented manner, this enables the detection and study of a variety of mechanical modes, which are identified as radial breathing, flexural and torsional modes using three-dimensional finite element modeling. Furthermore, a broadband equivalent displacement noise is measured and found to agree well with models for thermorefractive noise in silica dielectric cavities. Implications for ground-state cooling, displacement sensing and Kerr squeezing are discussed.
nsROC: An R package for Non-Standard ROC Curve Analysis

The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is a graphical method which has become standard in the analysis of diagnostic markers, that is, in the study of the classiﬁcation ability of a numerical variable. Most of the commercial statistical software provide routines for the standard ROC curve analysis. Of course, there are also many R packages dealing with the ROC estimation as well as other related problems. In this work we introduce the nsROC package which incorporates some new ROC curve procedures. Particularly: ROC curve comparison based on general distances among functions for both paired and unpaired designs; efﬁcient conﬁdence bands construction; a generalization of the curve considering different classiﬁcation subsets than the one involved in the classical deﬁnition of the ROC curve; a procedure to deal with censored data in cumulative-dynamic ROC curve estimation for time-to-event outcomes; and a non-parametric ROC curve method for meta-analysis. This is the only R package which implements these particular procedures.
Impact of Heterogeneous Consumers on Pricing Decisions under Dual-Channel Competition

This paper studies impact of heterogeneous consumer behavior on optimal pricing decisions under dual channel supply chain competition, which consists of one manufacturer and one retailer. The manufacturer is market leader with two sales channels: one is direct channel facing consumers directly and the other is indirect channel facing the retailer. Consumers decide whether to buy and from which channel to buy products. Purchasing decisions are based on considerations of prices posted on different channels, preference or loyalty to specific channels, and degree of rationality in decision-making process. Due to the complexity of heterogeneous consumer decision behavior, traditional mathematical analysis to the pricing problem becomes quite challenging. An agent-based modeling and simulation approach is then proposed and implemented. Simulation results reveal that consumer behavior influences both prices and profits. When consumers are increasingly loyal to the retailing channel, the retailer can make a higher selling price and more benefits. On the other hand, when consumers are increasingly loyal to the direct channel, the number of purchases from the direct channel increases and the manufacturer is better off. It is also interesting to note that as rationality level increases, selling prices for both channels slightly decrease.
Induction of in vitro flowering in Capsicum frutescens under the influence of silver nitrate and cobalt chloride and pollen transformation

The influence of silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ) and cobalt chloride (CoCl 2 ) on shoot multiplication and in vitro flowering in Capsicum frutescens Mill. was investigated. Exogenous administration of AgNO 3 and CoCl 2 at a concentration of 30 µM resulted in the maximum tissue response in terms of shoot length and number of shoots after 45 days culturing on MS medium. Both silver nitrate (40 µM) and cobalt chloride (30 µM) influenced in vitro flowering after 25 and 45 days respectively. This is the first report on in vitro flowering in C. frutescens. The study also demonstrated successful transformation of pollen obtained from the in vitro flowers. Since capsicum is highly recalcitrant to in vitro plant regeneration, the results of the study may be highly useful in transformation of capsicum using germ free in vitro flowers.
1 ROLE OF P 38 MAPK INHIBITOR IN CONDITIONED FEAR

3 INTRODUCTION.4 EXPERIMENT 1: Role of p38 MAPK inhibitor on conditioned fear to the Tone.6 METHOD.6 RESULTS.8 EXPERIMENT 2: Role of p38 MAPK inhibitor on conditioned fear to the Context.9 METHOD.9 RESULTS.10 EXPERIMENT 3: Role of p38 MAPK inhibitor on Expression of Fear to the Tone.10 METHOD.10 RESULTS.12 DISCUSSION.13 REFERENCES.16 FIGURE 1.20 FIGURE 2.21 FIGURE 3.22
Morphometry of primary and secondary epidermal laminae in equine hoof

We studied the length of primary and secondary epidermal laminae of the toe and the lateral and medial quarters of horses, distributed into proximal, middle and distal thirds of the hooves. Eight limbs from adult crossbred horses, four females and four males, used to pull carts without pedal conditions. Fragments were taken from different regions of the hooves and subjected to conventional histological techniques. The samples were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and analyzed by light microscopy. The primary epidermal laminae were higher in the hooves of forelimbs compared to hindlimbs in the proximal and middle thirds and the regions of the medial quarter and toe. The secondary laminae were higher in forelimb of the middle third and medial quarter. Comparing the length of the epidermal laminae between hoof parts, it was seen that the primary laminae are lower in the proximal third and higher in the toe, while the secondary laminae are lower in the proximal third and medial quarter. The results suggested that the morphology of the laminae in the different regions of the hooves is influenced through the work performed by the animal, as well as through the different distribution of forces.
INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF RETRO MARKETING ON BRAND LOYALTY OVER GENERATIONS X, Y & Z

The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of Retro marketing on brand loyalty over generations. Descriptive scanning model was used in the study. This research was conducted among 412 respondents 142 of whom were from Generation Z, 134 were from Generation Y and 136 were from Generation X. Simple random sample was used as a method. Data analysis was done in SPSS 16 package program. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage and one way ANOVA and two way ANOVA tests were used. As a result of the research, brand loyalty and Retro marketing perceptions differed from generation to generation. All individuals have the feeling of nostalgia which can affect their relationships with other people, objects and services. However results show that the brand loyalty and Retro marketing perceptions of X generation individuals are higher than Y and Z generations. The fact that they see the similar ads which they see during their youth in different formats makes them increase their brand loyalty. Since nostalgic products remind the individual of a living, an event, a situation in the old history and encourage the individual to buy that product.
12 Quantitative Measurements of X-Ray Intensity

This chapter describes the characterization of several X-ray sources and their use in calibrating different types of X-ray cameras at National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec). The cameras are employed in experimental plasma studies at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), including the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The sources provide X-rays in the energy range from several hundred eV to 110 keV. The key to this effort is measuring the X-ray beam intensity accurately and traceable to international standards. This is accomplished using photodiodes of several types that are calibrated using radioactive sources and a synchrotron source using methods and materials that are traceable to the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The accreditation procedures are described. The chapter begins with an introduction to the fundamental concepts of X-ray physics. The types of X-ray sources that are used for device calibration are described. The next section describes the photodiode types that are used for measuring X-ray intensity: power measuring photodiodes, energy dispersive photodiodes, and cameras comprising photodiodes as pixel elements. Following their description, the methods used to calibrate the primary detectors, the power measuring photodiodes and the energy dispersive photodiodes, as well as the method used to get traceability to international standards are described. The X-ray source beams can then be measured using the primary detectors. The final section then describes the use of the calibrated X-ray beams to calibrate X-ray cameras. Many of the references are web sites that provide databases, explanations of the data and how it was generated, and data calculations for specific cases. Several general reference books related to the major topics are included. Papers expanding some subjects are cited.
Optimal Slope of Touch Panel Comparison between Young and Older Adults

Touch panels are becoming increasingly common alternatives to traditional indirect devices such as mouse. However, older adults are not willing to utilize touch-panel based ATM or ticket machines, because they feel that using ATM properly is too difficult and annoying for them. The aim of this study was to identify an optimal slope of touch panel interface. Whether using a direct input device by older adults would lead to smaller difference of performance between preferred and non-preferred hands was also examined. For both young and older adults, the slope conditions of 30, 45, and 60 degrees, and the target size of 60 x 60 pixels were found to lead to higher performance. With the increase of movement distance d, the movement velocity tended to increase for both age groups. The difference of movement velocity between young and older adults tended to increase with the increase of movement distance d. The difference of performance between non-preferred and preferred hands was smaller relative to their young counterparts. Moreover, the difference of performance between young and older adults was smaller when using a touch panel than when using a mouse.
BURNOUT SYNDROME AND SPORTS: THE TENNIS COACH VIEW

Burnout syndrome, known as the syndrome of physical, psychic and emotional exhaustion, is present in pe ople of diverse professional areas. In sport, it is common to evide nce athlete in exhaustion. The main goal of this st udy was to research tennis coaches` opinions about burnout syndrome in juveniles and professionals athletes. Q ualitative method of research was used, where the option for content analyzes was mad e for categorizing data obtained from questionnaire s. To be used as an t a questionnaire was elaborated and 32 coaches parti ci ted on the study. It was verified that 81% of t he coaches have already had athletes presenting signs of burnout. Another data was that physiological signs for ack nowledging the syndrome had 96% of the times mentioned by the coaches. “Practic ing” was quoted 24 times as the precursor for Tenni s burnout syndrome. Results lead to a conclusion that it is very importa nt for tennis coaches to recognize burnout syndrome to be always able to guide their athletes, granting them a very good qua lity of life within theirs sports careers.
Assessment of heavy metals concentration in holothurians, sediments and water samples from coastal areas of Pakistan (Northern Arabian Sea)

*Corresponding author: Quratulan Ahmed, The Marine Reference Collection and Resource Centre, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270 Pakistan. Tel: +92 345 2983586 E-mail: quratulanahmed_ku@yahoo.com Foundation Project: Supported by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (Grant No. IPFP/HRD/HEC/1688). The journal implements double-blind peer review practiced by specially invited international editorial board members.
Understanding Internet Censorship Policy: The Case of Greece

The Greek government has recently initiated large scale content blocking that leads to Internet censorship. In this article we analyze the techniques and policies used to block content of gambling websites in Greece and present the implications of the detected underblocking and overblocking. We have collected results probing eight major broadband and cellular Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that are a representative sample of Internet usage in Greece, and investigate the methods and infrastructure used to conduct the content filtering. The results of this study highlight issues related to how transparently Internet filtering is implemented in democratic countries and could indicate the presence of unfair competition between ISPs.
Joseph Schumpeter and Modern Nonlinear Dynamics

This paper explores the conceptual links between Joseph Schumpeter’s theory of instability under capitalism and both theoretical and empirical research that has been done over the past fifteen years in nonlinear dynamics. Recent work related to chaos and bifurcation theory is shown to be consistent with Schumpeter’s view that instability is an inherent feature of capitalism, and that there is a positive, though difficult, role for stabilization policy as a result. The strong claim that modern research has proven Schumpeter correct is not made, but rather that existing recent research is not inconsistent with his views.
Zero-Shot Transfer with Deictic Object-Oriented Representation in Reinforcement Learning

Object-oriented representations in reinforcement learning have shown promise in transfer learning, with previous research introducing a propositional object-oriented framework that has provably efficient learning bounds with respect to sample complexity. However, this framework has limitations in terms of the classes of tasks it can efficiently learn. In this paper we introduce a novel deictic object-oriented framework that has provably efficient learning bounds and can solve a broader range of tasks. Additionally, we show that this framework is capable of zero-shot transfer of transition dynamics across tasks and demonstrate this empirically for the Taxi and Sokoban domains.
Teacher pay in 12 Latin American countries : how does teacher pay compare to other professions? What determines teacher pay? Who are the teachers?

Throughout the Latin America region, teacher pay makes up 90 percent of national public education budgets, or between two to six percent of the entire Gross domestic Product. In the quest for educational quality and efficiency, there is little doubt that teachers in Latin America have or will become the centerpiece of the new educational reform. Using household survey data from 12 Latin American countries, this paper will attempt to answer these questions: 1) How does teacher's remuneration compare to their counterparts in the labor market? 2) What are the determinants of teacher pay and How does teacher pay structure compare to that of the private sector? and 3) If it is true that teachers are paid less for similar characteristics, why do people go into the teaching profession, who are the teachers?
Earthquake Damage Assessment for RC Structures Based on Fuzzy Sets

A global damage index based on multiple linear force-deformation curves in pushover analysis is presented to evaluate the integrated damage of reinforced concrete structure. The modified coefficient is provided considering the cyclic load and hysteresis energy. The number of inelastic cycles and the coefficient of hysteresis energy concentration are also introduced as damage indices. Hence, multiple damage indices about displacement and energy for performance-based design are considered. The relation of multiple damage indices or factors and the fuzzy damage set is presented by comprehensive fuzzy evaluation; hence, a performance-based multiple fuzzy seismic damage-assessment method for reinforced concrete frame structures is established. The method can be accomplished based on pushover analysis, code spectrum, and capacity spectrum method. The fuzzy seismic damage-assessment method is verified through nonlinear analysis four different structures and the corresponding results and assessment conclusions are accurate.