Comparison of the Parasitization of Chelonus inanitus L. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Two Spodoptera Pests and Evaluation of the Procedure for Its Production

Chelonus inanitus (L.) is an egg-larval parasitoid of noctuids Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) and S. littoralis (Boisduval), whose mass rearing or real potential has not been targeted yet. To improve the rearing in the factitious host Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, we investigated the influence of host age and number of females parasitizing simultaneously on the overall rearing success, the influence of host age on the life cycle, and the influence of host species on the parasitoid body size. The proportion of emerging C. inanitus was higher from young host eggs, but more females emerged from mature eggs. Under high parasitoid competition, we observed a reduction in non-parasitized hosts without reducing parasitoid emergence. The parasitoid life cycle was longer in females, but the mismatch between sexes was smaller in mature eggs. The parasitoid size was smaller in the factitious host than in the natural hosts. Under semi-field conditions, we investigated the competition among parasitoid females on the overall parasitism success. The reproductive parasitism was more successful in S. exigua than in S. littoralis, and the maximum emergence was reached with three and four females, respectively. The control of S. littoralis may be attributed to the high developmental mortality, a non-reproductive parasitism that is often underestimated.

Rapid Response Logistics

Greater internet penetration and ecommerce has led to demand for personalized product development and faster fulfilment. This has increased global competition wherein the manufacturer and retailers not only have to deal with an unprecedented number and variety of products but also makes forecasting and scheduling difficult. To address these problems, rapid response logistics has become a necessity. The current study discusses the role of such rapid response systems and various implementation strategies in both the demand and supply side of supply chains that can be the solutions to the dynamic business environment. It discusses the information sharing technologies based on different level of sophistication which are used by the different echeloned supply chains. The paper reviews the important literature in these aspects and brings forth the challenges of the rapid response systems and the new directions of research which needs to be undertaken to gauge the real potential of rapid response systems.

Penentuan Target, Strategi dan Faktor-Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Optimalisasi Pajak Daerah

The research aimed to analyze the suitability of local tax target setting with real potential, analyze strategies and factors that influence the optimization of the advertisement tax performance, swallow's nest tax, groundwater tax, and Non-Metal Mineral Tax in Pekanbaru City. The object of this study is the Pekanbaru City Regional Revenue Agency and four objects/subjects of local taxes studied in Pekanbaru City. The method used is qualitative with a case study approach. This research shows that the target setting of Advertising Tax, Swallow's Nest Tax, Groundwater Tax, and Non-Metal Mineral and Rock Tax has not been adjusted to the real potential. The performance reports of each Regional Tax studied were inadequate in relation to the strategies implemented, which made it difficult for the Regional Revenue Agency to make effective and efficient decisions. The factors that influence tax optimization are the inadequate organizational structure, updating of the taxation database, human resources, the use of information technology, strengthening regulations, and supporting infrastructure.Keywords: Local Tax; Target; Strategy; Constraints. AbstrakPenelitian bertujuan untuk menganalisis kesesuaian penetapan target pajak daerah dengan potensi ril, menganalisis strategi dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi optimalisasi kinerja Pajak Reklame, Pajak Sarang Burung Walet, Pajak Air Tanah; dan Pajak Mineral Bukan Logam di Kota Pekanbaru. Objek Penelitian ini adalah Aparatur Badan Pendapatan Daerah Kota Pekanbaru dan 4 objek/ Subjek pajak daerah yang diteliti di Kota Pekanbaru. Metode yang digunakan adalah kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi kasus. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa penetapan target Pajak Reklame, Pajak Sarang Burung Walet, Pajak Air Tanah; dan Pajak Mineral Bukan Logam dan batuan belum disesuaikan dengan potensi ril. Laporan kinerja masing-masing Pajak Daerah yang diteliti belum memadai terkait strategi yang telah dilakukan sehingga menyulitkan Badan Pendapatan Daerah dalam pengambilan keputusan yang efektif dan efisien. Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi optimalisasi pajak tersebut adalah belum memadainya struktur organisasi, pemutakhiran data base perpajakan, kondisi Sumber Daya Manusia, pemanfaatan teknologi informasi, Penguatan Regulasi dan sarana prasarana pendukung.Kata Kunci: Pajak Daerah; Target; Strategi; Kendala.

Cyclodextrin-assisted surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: a critical review

Numerous approaches have been proposed to overcome the intrinsically low selectivity of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and the modification of SERS substrates with diverse recognition molecules is one of such approaches. In contrast to the use of antibodies, aptamers, and molecularly imprinted polymers, application of cyclodextrins (CDs) is still developing with less than 100 papers since 1993. Therefore, the main goal of this review is the critical analysis of all available papers on the use of CDs in SERS analysis, including physicochemical studies of CD complexation and the effect of CD presence on the Raman enhancement. The results of the review reveal that there is controversial information about CD efficiency and further experimental investigations have to be done in order to estimate the real potential of CDs in SERS-based analysis. Graphical abstract

Paving Plant-Food-Derived Bioactives as Effective Therapeutic Agents in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, where social and communication deficits and repetitive behaviors are present. Plant-derived bioactives have shown promising results in the treatment of autism. In this sense, this review is aimed at providing a careful view on the use of plant-derived bioactive molecules for the treatment of autism. Among the plethora of bioactives, curcumin, luteolin, and resveratrol have revealed excellent neuroprotective effects and can be effectively used in the treatment of neuropsychological disorders. However, the number of clinical trials is limited, and none of them have been approved for the treatment of autism or autism-related disorder. Further clinical studies are needed to effectively assess the real potential of such bioactive molecules.

Postmortem Analysis of Baget RTOS Processes

Despite the best efforts of programmers to create high-quality software, some errors inevitably escape even the most rigorous testing process and are first encountered by end users of the software. When this happens, developers need to quickly understand the reasons for the errors that occurred and eliminate them. Back in 1951, at the dawn of modern computing, Stanley Gill wrote that special attention should be paid to those errors that occur after the program is started, and lead to its termination. Gill is considered the founder of the so-called postmortem debugging, when a program or system is modified to record its state at the time of failure, so that the programmer can later understand what happened and why such a situation occurred. Since then, postmortem debugging technology has been used in many different systems, including all major general-purpose operating systems (OS), as well as specialized OS such as embedded systems and real-time systems. To ensure the high level of reliability expected from such critical systems, it is necessary, on the one hand, to implement the possibility of rapid recovery of the system or its part after a failure. On the other hand, it is necessary to provide a mechanism for storing as much information as possible after each failure, so that the cause of its occurrence can be determined later. To understand the real potential of postmortem debugging tools, we will first consider the current state of debugging methods and the role of postmortem analysis tools, as well as the requirements for postmortem debugging tools for critical systems. Next, we will describe the mechanism of postmortem debugging implemented by the authors in the RTOS Baget and formulate tasks for further development.

Aptamer-based assays: strategies in the use of aptamers conjugated to magnetic micro- and nanobeads as recognition elements in food control

An outlook on the current status of different strategies for magnetic micro- and nanosized bead functionalization with aptamers as prominent bioreceptors is given with a focus on electrochemical and optical apta-assays, as well as on aptamer-modified magnetic bead–based miniaturized extraction techniques in food control. Critical aspects that affect interaction of aptamers with target molecules, as well as the possible side effects caused by aptamer interaction with other molecules due to non-specific binding, are discussed. Challenges concerning the real potential and limitations of aptamers as bioreceptors when facing analytical problems in food control are addressed. Graphical abstract

Towards a Critical Understanding of Social Networks for the Feminist Movement: Twitter and the Women’s Strike

The intensive use of digital platforms by the feminist movement has been identified as one of its main characteristics. Numerous studies address the tactical use of social networks by this movement, especially on 8 March in Spain. This paper studies the action repertoires of different actors who participated in the 2019 Women’s Strike conversation, including automated accounts. Empirical results demonstrate that Twitter is not an exclusive field for the feminist movement. Along with activists who promoted and informed the Women’s Strike, political parties proposed concrete policy measures, and conservative factions criticized the movement calling for demobilization. In this sense, for the first time in these M8 mobilizations, bots participated in this polarisation of the debate through partisan hashtags and the dissemination of fake news. The investigation thus confirms that automation techniques and contradictory flows of power are critical elements to understand the real potential of social networks for feminist social change.

Distance learning – a possible form for the development of gifted and talented sudents

Distance / e-learning has real potential to stimulate the development of gifted and talented students. Even if it is not planned, organized and conducted in a format that allows them to manage learning that is relatively independent of the main flow ( main stream students), to enable students to individual control during work, methods for learning and organization of free time. The article raises the question of how distance learning, introduced in an emergency situation, has affected gifted and talented students. The answers are sought through the analysis of a survey conducted with teachers, gifted students and their parents. The different points of view lead to the conclusion that when developing a long – term strategy for working with talented students at school, the opinions and reactions of all participants in the learning process should be thoroughly studied.