Dataset of lecturer performance appraisel.

The dataset showed in this manuscript belongs to the investigation of determinant of lecturer performance in Indonesia. Semi-closed questionnaires were administered to collect data and 750 questionnaires were distributed by using snowball-sampling method to lecturers, peers, and students in the public and private universities in Indonesia. About 347 questionnaires were returned and could be further analyzed. Respondents were required to indicate their level of agreement on various items with a five-point scale. Exploratory factor analysis was used to test the item validity and Cronbach's Alpha test was employed to examine the instrument reliability. Besides, path analysis was also employed to test research hypotheses. Lecturer performance is an endless issue in education and the data can be used to explore the lecturer performance. Besides, it may also be used in developing an appraisal model of teacher performance other education levels as well.

DNA barcoding of the fire ant genus Solenopsis Westwood (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from the Riyadh region, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The ant genus Solenopsis Westwood, 1840 is the largest in Myrmicinae subfamily having almost 200 described species worldwide. They are commonly distributed in the tropics and temperate areas of the world. Some invasive Solenopsis species are very dreadful. We have already reported a fire ant species, Solenopsis saudiensis Sharaf & Aldawood, 2011, identified using traditional morphometric approaches of species identification. Present study was carried out to develop DNA Barcoding to identify Solenopsis saudiensis and to elucidate genetic structure of the various S. saudiensis populations across their distribution range in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The comparison of DNA barcodes showed no genetic diversity among six populations and a queen from S. saudiensis analyzed from the Riyadh region. This genetic resemblance probably reflects their adaptation toward a specific habitat, thus constituting a single and strong gene pool. Our comprehensive field survey did not provide any evidence of Solenopsis species except S. saudiensis in the Riyadh region. Solenopsis saudiensis populations were only found around date palm trees indicating their strong association with date palm groves. Moreover, S. saudiensis has 83-86% sequence identity to other Solenopsis spp. from other parts of the world. Interestingly, the highest sequence identity of (86%) was with that of Solenopsis molesta Say, 1836, the thief ant, from the USA. This study provides a working laboratory procedure and a reference library for the identification of Solenopsis saudiensis.

Evaluation of some non-invasive approaches for the detection of red palm weevil infestation.

Red palm weevil (RPW) causes severe damage to date palm trees, leading to the death of trees if not detected and treated in time. A major obstacle in RPW control is the difficulty in identifying an early stage infestation In the present study, we measured the efficacy of some non-invasive optical devices including cameras (digital camera and thermal camera), TreeRadarUnit™ (TRU) (Radar 2000, Radar 900), resistograph, magnetic DNA biosensor, and Near-infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to detect RPW infestation in date palm trees under field conditions at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Date palm trees used in these experiments were selected based on visual observations. After inspection of date palm trees with different devices to detect RPW infestation, each tree was taken down and dissected in detail to validate the accuracy of each device. Results indicated that the visual RPW detection approach presented the highest accuracy (87%) followed by Radar 2000 (77%), Radar 900 (73%), resistograph (73%), thermal camera (61%), and digital camera (52%). Moreover, different stages of RPW placed in plastic cups were fastened onto the healthy date palm trunks to judge RPW presence, the magnetic DNA biosensor correctly detected RPW eggs 75% of the time, followed by detection of larvae (64%) and the control (empty cup) (54%). In another experiment where determinations were made in an open area, the efficiency of the DNA biosensor for detecting adults was 100%, followed by 83%, 63%, 60%, and 39% for pupae, larvae, eggs, and control, respectively. Absorption spectra generated through NIRS for infested, wounded, and control samples of date palm tissue showed a remarkable variation in the gradient of the corresponding peaks between 1850 nm and 1950 nm. Based on the detection efficiency of the tested devices, the resistograph and NIRS have the best potential to detect RPW infestation in date palm trees.

Evaluation of Natural Additives to Enhance the Persistence of Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpliMNPV) Under Field Conditions in Saudi Arabia.

Nucleopolyhedrovirus is an effective biocontrol agent but for its biggest disadvantage of short persistence under sunlight conditions. In this study, 10 plant extracts were evaluated as ultraviolet (UV) protectants to improve the persistence of Spodoptera littoralis multiple-embedded nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpliMNPV) against cotton leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis Boisduval). In the primary lab screening test, 5 out of 10 additives (cloves, henna, green tea, pomegranate, and grape extracts) presented a high rate of virus protection with original activity remaining (OAR) percentage of 100%, 97%, 91%, 90.6%, and 77%, respectively, when used at a concentration of 1% and exposed to UVB for a period of 1 h. A secondary screening was then performed with these best five extracts at a concentration of 0.5% and for an exposure timing of 5 h to UVB. Among these, clove and henna that showed highest protection with OAR values of 96.6% and 76.5%, respectively, were selected for the field trials. When applied on cabbage in the field during sunny summer conditions, clove and henna extracts enhanced the persistence of SpliMNPV by twofold. These findings are encouraging to be applied in the field studies.

Effectiveness of carbon dioxide against different developmental stages of Cadra cautella and Tribolium castaneum.

Methyl bromide is an excellent fumigant but has been banned because it has high potential for depleting the ozone layer which leads to many environmental and human health hazard issues. In this connection, effectiveness of carbon dioxide (CO2, 99.9%) was studied as an alternative to methyl bromide under various exposure timings, 25 ± 1 °C, against different developmental stages of the almond moth, Cadra cautella, and red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. In case of C. cautella, the LT99 against adult, pupa, and larval stages was achieved after 37.5, 78.1, and 99.9 h of CO2 application, respectively. While for T. castaneum, the LT99 values were obtained after exposure timings of 29.3, 153.9, and 78.4 h against adult, pupa, and larval stages, respectively. Adults were very susceptible; in contrast, pupae and larvae were more tolerant. The susceptibility order was observed as follows: T. castaneum adult > C. cautella adult > C. cautella pupae > T. castaneum larvae > C. cautella larvae > T. castaneum pupae. This study could be useful in developing the management strategies to prevent stored dates from C. cautella and T. castaneum infestation.

Evaluation of artificial diets for Attacus atlas (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) in Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia.

The objective of this research was to evaluate artificial diets that can be used to successfully culture the atlas silk moth, Attacus atlas L. (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) indoors. Four plant species were evaluated as the basic component of each diet, barringtonia (Barringtonia asiatica), cheesewood (Nauclea orientalis), soursop (Annona muricata), and mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni). Evaluation of the nutritional value of each diet was determined by an analysis of the hemolymph proteins of sixth instars using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay. Survivorship, cocoon quality, and hemolymph protein content of larvae fed the barringtonia diet were higher than those of larvae fed mahogany-, cheesewood-, and soursop-based artificial diets. The average adult emergence of those fed the barringtonia-based diet was 74.5%. The weights of the cocoon in this treatment with the pupa and the empty cocoons were 7.0 and 1.1 g, respectively. Hemolymph of the larvae fed the barringtonia-based artificial diet had the highest concentration of protein with an average of 28.06 mg/ml. The atlas moth reared on the barringtonia-based artificial diet was comparable with those reared only on barringtonia leaves. However, the weight of empty cocoons, adult wingspan, and amount of hemolymph protein were lower than in those reared on barringtonia leaves only. This may suggest that the artificial barringtonia-based diet requires additional protein for maximum efficiency.