Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding Security Vulnerability Awareness, Firm Incentives, and ICT Development in Pan-Asia

ABSTRACT This paper investigates how the awareness of a security vulnerability index affects firms’ security protection strategy and how the information awareness effect interacts with firm incentives and country-wide information technology (IT) development level. The security index is constructed based on outgoing spams and phishing website hosting, which may serve as an indicator of a firm’s security controls. To study whether security vulnerability awareness causes firms to improve their security, we conducted a randomized field experiment on 1,262 firms in six Pan-Asian countries and regions. Among 631 randomly selected treated firms, we alerted them of their security vulnerability index and their relative rankings compared to their peers via advisory emails and websites. Difference-in-differences analyses show that compared with the controls, the treated firms improve their security over time, with a statistically significant reduction of outgoing spam volume according to one of the data sources but not phishing website hosting. However, a statistically significant reduction in phishing website hosting was observed among non-web hosting firms, suggesting that firms’ underlying incentives play an important role in the treatment effect. Lastly, exploiting the multi-country nature of the data, we found that firms in countries with high information and communications technology (ICT) development are more responsive to our intervention because they have higher IT capabilities and more resources to resolve security issues. Our study provides cybersecurity policymakers with useful insights on how firm incentives and ICT environments play roles in firms’ security measure adoption.
Implications of Hybridization between Introduced and Resident Orconectes Crayfishes

Abstract: One of the most imperiled taxonomic groups in North American freshwaters is that of crayfish ( Decapoda: Astacoidea): over 30% of the 390 species are threatened or endangered. This situation is globally significant because 80% of the world's crayfish species are North American. Few studies have examined the environmental changes that most threaten crayfish biodiversity, but competition and hybridization with non‐native crayfishes appear to be among the most important threats to native crayfishes. The rusty crayfish, Orconectes rusticus, native to southwestern Ohio has been introduced widely throughout the United States and is displacing two resident taxa, O. propinquus and O. virilis, in northern Wisconsin. Using morphological and allozyme comparisons of crayfish from allopatric and sympatric populations, we tested whether O. rusticus is hybridizing with the resident crayfishes in northern Wisconsin. We found no evidence of hybridization between O. virilis and either O. rusticus or O. propinquus. In contrast, numerous morphologically intermediate crayfish between O. rusticus and O. propinquus occurred at sympatric sites, and many of these individuals possessed allozymes diagnostic for both species in allopatry. Over 6% of the crayfish at one sympatric site were putative F1 hybrids, 4% were putative F2 individuals ( hybrid × hybrid origin), and 13% were putative backcrosses ( product of hybrid × parental matings). This is the first genetic documentation of hybridization between a resident and invading crayfish. Our results suggest that genetic mechanisms play a role in the extirpation of O. propinquus by O. rusticus and are consistent with observations of other researchers suggesting that hybridization with non‐native species is common among crayfishes at many other locations. High rates of endemism and widespread introductions of non‐native crayfish suggest that invasions and hybridization are a major threat to crayfish biodiversity.
Monitoring virulence in Asian rice gall midge populations in India

The Asian rice gall midge, Orseolia oryzae (Wood‐Mason) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is a major pest of rice [Oryza sativa L. (Poaceae)] in India. Breeding resistant varieties and their cultivation has been the main approach to manage this pest. However, the breakdown of resistance conferred by the major genes, deployed one at a time, through evolution of virulent biotypes has become a major setback to this approach. Development of polymerase chain reaction‐based molecular markers for eight of the 10 resistance genes and their possible use in marker‐assisted selection has enabled breeders to pyramid resistance genes for achieving durable resistance. However, the choice of resistance genes needs to be made with a better understanding of the virulence composition of the pest populations in the target area and the genetics of plant resistance and insect virulence, as the rice–gall midge interaction is a gene‐for‐gene one. We adopted a single‐female test and coupled it with a modified F2 screen test to note the virulence composition of gall midge populations and estimated the frequency of virulence alleles for adaptation at three pest endemic locations in India, namely, Warangal, Ragolu, and Raipur. Results on biotype composition showed heterogeneous pest populations in all the tests and at all the locations. Tests at Warangal repeated after 8 years showed a rapid increase in frequency of the virulence allele conferring adaptation to the plant resistance gene Gm2 as compared to that of the allele for adaptation to the resistance gene Gm1. This is probably the first direct measurement of a durability parameter of plant genes conferring insect resistance. Results supported earlier observations that sex‐linked virulence against Gm2 makes it less durable. The sex ratio did not deviate from the expected 1:1 ratio at Warangal, but at Ragolu females outnumbered males.
An updated LLVM-based quantum research compiler with further OpenQASM support

Quantum computing is a rapidly growing field with the potential to change how we solve previously intractable problems. Emerging hardware is approaching a complexity that requires increasingly sophisticated programming and control. Scaffold is an older quantum programming language that was originally designed for resource estimation for far-future, large quantum machines, and ScaffCC is the corresponding LLVM-based compiler. For the first time, we provide a full and complete overview of the language itself, the compiler as well as its pass structure. While previous works Abhari et al (2015 Parallel Comput. 45 2–17), Abhari et al (2012 Scaffold: quantum programming language https://cs.princeton.edu/research/techreps/TR-934-12), have piecemeal descriptions of different portions of this toolchain, we provide a more full and complete description in this paper. We also introduce updates to ScaffCC including conditional measurement and multidimensional qubit arrays designed to keep in step with modern quantum assembly languages, as well as an alternate toolchain targeted at maintaining correctness and low resource count for noisy-intermediate scale quantum (NISQ) machines, and compatibility with current versions of LLVM and Clang. Our goal is to provide the research community with a functional LLVM framework for quantum program analysis, optimization, and generation of executable code.
Potential use of visible and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy for the estimation of nitrogen fractions in forages harvested from permanent meadows

One-hundred and ninety-two herbage samples from permanent meadows located in the mountains of Leon (NW Spain) were analyzed for total nitrogen (total N), nitrogen in trichloroacetic acid precipitated matter (TCAN), borate–phosphate buffer insoluble nitrogen (BPBN), neutral-detergent insoluble nitrogen (NDIN) and acid-detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN). These data were used to calculate the partition of nitrogen fractions proposed by the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS): A (total N − TCAN), B1 (TCAN − BPBN), B2 (BPBN − NDIN), B3 (NDIN − ADIN) and C (ADIN). Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) technology accurately predicted total N, TCAN and NDIN, as judged by coefficient of determination (R2) and ratio performance deviation (RPD) values greater than 0.90 and 2.5, respectively. The rest of the insoluble N fractions (BPBN and ADIN) were predicted with less accuracy by NIRS. Estimations of CNCPS N fractions (A, B1, B2, B3 and C) using visible–NIR spectra of forage samples did not allow accurate predictions (R2 < 0.90; RPD < 2.5). Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
A study of the physical and chemical properties of the insect cuticle

The morphological, physical and chemical changes in th e cuticle during the formation of the puparium in cyclorrhaphous flies are described. The larval cuticle contains about 60% chitin, the puparium about 47%. Almost all the non-chitinous substance is protein. An explanation is given of the hardening of the puparium.
Revision of the genus Thetidos Hedley, 1899 (Gastropoda: Conoidea: Raphitomidae) in the Indo-Pacific with descriptions of three new species

The genus Thetidos was established to accommodate a single species Thetidos morsura, a minute turriform conoidean with an unremarkable paucispiral protoconch, but possessing characteristic globose whorls of the teleoconch and three strong denticles on the inside of outer apertural lip. Subsequently, Thetidos was considered synonymous with Lienardia, and has rarely been mentioned in literature until the recent discovery of a remarkably similar species Thetidos tridentata, though it is different in protoconch morphology. Both molecular data and protoconch morphology unequivocally suggested placement of the new species in Raphitomidae. Examination of shells from the Indo-Pacific identified a number of similar forms, all referable to the genus Thetidos. Six species are now recognized within the genus; of them three, Thetidos puillandrei n. sp. , Thetidos minutissima n. sp. , Thetidos pallida n. sp. , are here described as new. Thetidos species are now known from subtidal depths from the Philippines and Sulawesi to French Polynesia. Thetidos morsura is the only species of the genus that possesses a paucispiral protoconch suggestive of a non-planktotrophic development, although it displays a wide geographic range and a high morphological variability. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1F2001CC-6BEA-4B26-AFB8-6B337E101FDB
Adaptations to temperature in geographic races of the Queensland fruit fly Dacus (Strumenta) tryoni

Four populations of Dacus tryoni collected from widely separated regions on the east coast of Australia (Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney, and East Gippsland) were compared in the laboratory to determine how they differed in their adaptations to temperature, and what adaptations have enabled the species to spread into colder areas. The main criteria used for the comparisons were the innate capacity for increase (rm) and its components : speed of development, survival rate, and fecundity. The races were compared at three different temperatures and in two successive years. Differences between the races from Cairns, Brisbane, and Sydney were often large and consistent, and in general they correlated well with differences in the climates of the respective geographic areas. At the lowest temperature the Sydney strain had the highest (rm), while the Cairns strain had the lowest. At the intermediate temperature there were no significant differences between the strains. At the highest temperature the Cairns strain had the highest (rm), while the Sydney strain had the lowest. The strain from East Gippsland behaved in an unpredictable way in most of the experiments, and rarely fitted into the trends set by the other three strains. The major differences appear to have been due primarily to adaptations affecting fecundity. There were also significant differences in the longevity of adults and the survival rates of immature stages, but not in speeds of development. The differences in fecundity may have been related to differences in the proportions of females fertilized in the experimental cages.
Design of passive acoustic hyperbolic-shaped filter for nonlinear ultrasonic inspection method optimisation

Nonlinear ultrasonic methods for non-destructive evaluation and damage detection rely on the measurement of nonlinear elastic effects, such as amplitude of the second harmonic in the frequency response of the sample, to reveal the presence of surface and internal cracks of various scale and nature. These methods require an amplification system and a high sensitivity ultrasonic transducer to measure nonlinear features, since harmonics are typically an order of magnitude lower than the fundamental frequency. In this work, we investigated various geometrical filters to amplify nonlinear signals and improve nonlinear air-coupled inspections: hyperbolic, cylindrical and conical duct. A 40 kHz ultrasonic speaker and standard Air Coupled ultrasound system arranged with 88 transmitting elements and 1 receiving element were used to conduct the experimental test. The results show that the passive hyperbolic-shaped filter was able to increase the second harmonic response of the damage region of 5db, compared to standard nonlinear inspections, and increases the signal to noise ratio of the measured signal of 11 db. Results shows that higher harmonics generated from instrumentation highly decrease as the wave propagates through the converging horn. Air-coupled inspection confirms the increase at the damage location of the second harmonic of the wave propagating though the diverging horn. The proposed setup could allow more accurate nonlinear air-coupled inspection of complex materials.
Hapa-Based Systems for Producing Oreochromis niloticus Fry Suitable for Hormone Sex-Reversal

Two techniques for producing Nile tilapia. Oreochromis niloticus, fry suitable for sex-reversal were evaluated: (1) broodstock placed in 8-m2 fine-mesh (1.6 mm) suspended net enclosures apas from which fry could not escape, and (2) broodstock placed in 8-m2 large mesh (6.4 mm) hapas from which fry could escape into a 0.67-mm deep 20-m2 concrete tank. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the number of fry less than 14 mm produced in the large- or fine-mesh hapas with an average of 286 fry/m2. However, fry produced in large-mesh hapas were significantly larger (10.9 mm; P 0.05) in fry mortality during harvest averaging 1.3%. The large-mesh hapas p.
The Effect Of Tetracera potatoria And Its Constituent Betulinic Acid On Gastric Acid Secretion And Experimentally- Induced Gastric Ulceration

This study was designed to examine possible antiulcerogenic activity of methanolic extract of Tetracera potatoria (MeTp) and betulinic acid isolated from it. Results showed that various doses of the extract (100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg body weight) significantly reduced experimentally induced gastric ulceration in pretreated animals in a dose-dependent fashion. Similarly, animals pretreated with 1 (0.2 and 2.0 mg/kg body weight) had significant reduction in mean ulcer indices recorded (p Key words: Betulinic acid; Indomethacin; Gastric ulceration; Tetracera potatoria, Dilleniaceae. Nigerian Journal of Physiological Sciences Vol.18(1-2) 2003: 21-26
New species of Calcaronea (Porifera: Calcarea) from cryptic habitats of the southern Great Barrier Reef (Heron Island and Wistari Reef, Capricorn-Bunker Group, Australia)

Seven species of Calcaronea (Porifera: Calcarea) are described, six new to science (Sycon capricorn, Leucandra sphaeracella, Leucandra nicolae, Ute ampullacea, Syconessa panicula and Grantiopsis heroni spp. nov.) and one a new locality record (Sycettusa tenuis Borojevic and Klautau), collected from cryptic habitats (caves and overhangs) around Heron Island, Capricorn-Bunker Group, southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. This is the first study documenting biodiversity of Calcaronea in Australian waters in over 50 years, and the first for the world heritage area of the Great Barrier Reef.
Regeneration from Injury and Resource Allocation in Sponges and Corals – a Review

The ability of bottom-dwelling marine epifauna to regenerate injured or lost body parts is critical to the survival of individuals from disturbances that inflict wounds. Numerous studies on marine sponges (Phlyum Porifera) and corals (of the orders Scleractinia and Alcyonacea) suggest that regeneration is limited by many intrinsic (individual-dependent) and extrinsic (environment-dependent) factors, and that other life history processes may compete with regeneration for energetic and cellular resources. We review how intrinsic (size, age, morphology, genotype) and extrinsic (wound characteristics, water temperature, food availability, sedimentation, disturbance history, selection) factors limit regeneration in sponges and corals. We then review the evidence for impaired somatic growth and sexual reproduction, and altered outcomes of interactions (anti-predator defenses, competitive abilities, self- and non-self recognition abilities) with other organisms in regenerating sponges and corals. We demonstrate that smaller, older sponges and corals of decreasing morphological complexities tend to regenerate less well than others, and that regeneration can be modulated by genotype. Large wounds with small perimeters inflicted away from areas where resources are located tend to be regenerated less well than others, as are injuries inflicted when food is limited and when the animal has been previously or recently injured. We also demonstrate that regeneration strongly impairs somatic growth, reduces aspects of sexual reproduction, and decreases the ability for sponges and corals to defend themselves against predators, to compete, and to recognize conspecifics. Effects of limited regeneration and impaired life histories may manifest themselves in higher levels of biological assembly e.g., reduced accretion of epifaunal biomass, reduced recruitment and altered biotic associations, and thus affect marine community and ecosystem recovery from disturbances.
The role of weeds in supporting biological diversity within crop fields

Weeds are major constraints on crop production, yet as part of the primary producers within farming systems, they may be important components of the agroecosystem. Using published literature, the role of weeds in arable systems for other above-ground trophic levels are examined. In the UK, there is evidence that weed flora have changed over the past century, with some species declining in abundance, whereas others have increased. There is also some evidence for a decline in the size of arable weed seedbanks. Some of these changes reflect improved agricultural efficiency, changes to more winter-sown crops in arable rotations and the use of more broad-spectrum herbicide combinations. Interrogation of a database of records of phytophagous insects associated with plant species in the UK reveals that many arable weed species support a high diversity of insect species. Reductions in abundances of host plants may affect associated insects and other taxa. A number of insect groups and farmland birds have shown marked population declines over the past 30 years. Correlational studies indicate that many of these declines are associated with changes in agricultural practices. Certainly reductions in food availability in winter and for nestling birds in spring are implicated in the declines of several bird species, notably the grey partridge, Perdix perdix . Thus weeds have a role within agroecosystems in supporting biodiversity more generally. An understanding of weed competitivity and the importance of weeds for insects and birds may allow the identification of the most important weed species. This may form the first step in balancing the needs for weed control with the requirements for biodiversity and more sustainable production methods.
Investigating the quality of reverse geocoding services using text similarity techniques and logistic regression analysis

ABSTRACT Location, usually defined by postal address information or geographic coordinate values, is one of the leading themes in geography. Famous global mapping services such as ArcGIS Online, Bing Maps, Google Maps, or Yandex Maps can provide users with address information of any geographic coordinates using reverse geocoding. The accuracy of retrieved addresses is quite essential for a service user. Several researchers have evaluated the accuracy of the process based on the positional errors between the retrieved and actual addresses. This article proposes a different assessment based on text similarity algorithms. In this study, the authors examine the outcomes of 15 different text similarity algorithms by comparing them with the reference data. They benefit from the binary logistic regression to evaluate the results. At the end of the case study, they conclude that the soft-term frequency/inverse document frequency algorithm is the most appropriate to measure the quality of postal addresses of all tested services. The Jaccard algorithm also produces successful results only for Google and Bing Maps services. Moreover, the study allows the reader to assess the results of reverse geocoding derived from the global map platforms that serve in the test region.
Changes in the median lambing dates and lambing pattern with variation in time of joining and breed of teasers

Abstract Median lambing dates and lambing patterns of ewes joined on 3 March after 14 days' teasing with Romney teasers were compared with those of ewes teased with Dorset teasers and ewes joined on 17 March after teasing for 14 days or 28 days with Romney teasers. Data were also obtained on the percentage of ewes mated in the first 14 days of entire joining (Period 1), conception rates in the first and second 14 days ofentirejoining (Periods 1 and 2), and percentage of ewes lambing. Two flocks of ewes grazed on hill country were used; one consisted of various breeds (Flock A) and the other of ewes selected for various production characters (Flock B). Delaying joining until 17 March caused median lambing dates to be only 4–8 days later, but gave a more concentrated lambing. The 14 days delay injoining increased percentage of ewes mated in Period 1 by 27–58% and conception rate in this period by 12#x2013;22%. In Flock B percentage of ewes lambing was increased by 6–8%. Increasing the teasing period from 14.
Nutritional implications of mould development in feedstuffs and alternatives to reduce the mycotoxin problem in poultry feeds

Fungi may develop in stored grains following field inoculation. In the course of their development fungi utilize plant nutrients, contributing to a reduction in their content. This reduction is obviously related to the degree of fungi development, but may become relevant in extreme cases. During the process of host colonization fungi may also produce toxins that are harmful for humans and animals. This occurs mainly under specific conditions of plant stress, such as those produced by adverse weather conditions, for instance drought has been shown to prompt aflatoxin production in peanuts. Differences in mycotoxin production are also related to plant genotype. Aflatoxin B1 produced by Aspergillus flavus is the most carcinogenic natural substance known. It is frequently charged with the reduction in performance of domestic birds, even when its concentration in the feed is very low. Approaches to eliminate mycotoxins from contaminated grains are not always worthwhile in practical and economical terms. Strategies used to reduce mycotoxin levels in cereal grains include the dilution of infected with healthier grains or the addition of adsorbents to the feeds. Several compounds such as activated charcoal, aluminosilicates and processed cell wall of Saccharomyces sp. (esterified glucomannan) have shown to be effective as mycotoxin adsorbents in poultry feeds. Adsorbent effectiveness has been reported with in vitro and in vivo techniques; however, it is still very difficult to quantify their benefits in commercial operations.