Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel index to identify unbiased conservation between proteomes

As more genomes are sequenced, their comparative analysis helps to identify conservation between them which provides evidence on the evolutionary history of organisms. Since organisms and organellar genomes/proteomes exhibit significant differences in size and complexity, the comparative analysis requires an appropriate approach to detect an unbiased degree of conservation among them. In order to increase the significance of similarity search, we defined three new parameters; Cumulative Sum of Homologs (CSH), Actual Proportion of Homologs (APH) and Homology Impact (HI) for post BLAST analysis. These parameters were tested using complete chloroplast proteomes and two separate comparisons, one of Poales (similar group) and other of several diverse groups (including algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms) were performed. The number of proteins among these chloroplast proteomes range between 64 and 367. These parameters can be used to evaluate the results of comparative sequence analysis of other organisms’ proteomes using other similarity search tools. Comparison of chloroplast proteomes of similar and diverse organisms shows common and lineage specific conservation. Based on complete chloroplast proteome analysis using CSH, APH and HI, we identified Charales as sister and bryophytes as a basal clade of land plants which validates all three parameters. In addition, our results also support hornworts as the transition link between bryophytes and pteridophytes. Our overall analysis suggests that the above defined parameters are useful to identify unbiased conservation between proteomes.
New Equity ? Evidence from the UK

Earlier evidence has shown that there are substantial time-varying fluctuations in the issuance activity of IPOs and SEOs. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset of 3054 IPOs and 2853 rights issues launched on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) during the time periods (1987-2007) and (1975-2007) respectively, this study aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the main alternative determinants of timing of IPOs and rights issues in a unified framework. Three main theories are tested: (i) favorable business and economic conditions; (ii) stock market conditions: bull market timing versus behavioral timing, and (iii) decreasing adverse selection costs and information spill-over. This study explicitly deals with the methodological and econometric challenges associated with modeling the IPOs and rights issues as time-series non-negative count variables via using auto-regressive Poisson model. The findings are significantly consistent with the adverse selection story; firms tend to make more equity offerings during periods of reduced asymmetric information and market uncertainty, robust to the data frequency and variables tested. These findings stand in line with Gerbich (1996) for UK IPOs and Lowry and Schwert (2002) for US IPOs. For rights issues, the findings exhibit that UK seasoned firms tend to time their offerings mostly during periods of bull stock prices, which is consistent with Michailides (2000) for UK rights issues.
Spatial Distribution and Breeding Performance of Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos in Sicily: Implications for Conservation

Abstract. Understanding ecological requirements of animals is essential to improve habitat management and conservation strategies for endangered species. However, as most studies on Golden Eagle's habitat preferences and breeding ecology have been conducted in northern latitudes (e.g. USA, Scotland, Scandinavia and the European Alpine region), our knowledge of the species ecology in the Mediterranean basin is more limited. Currently, only 16 pairs still remain in Sicily (southern Italy) and in spite of this delicate status of conservation, there were no previous attempts to analyse ecological requirements of the species in the island. Therefore, we monitored Golden Eagles from 1990 to 2012, analyzed habitat characteristics of breeding territories and quantified habitat relationships with breeding performance. We used a case-control design through Generalized Linear Models to examine ecological descriptors at two different spatial scales: (i) “territory” defined as a plot of 4 km radius centered in the nesting area; and (ii) “landscape” by means of the 10 × 10 km Universal Transversal Mercator (UTM) cells where the species was present or absent. At the territory scale, the presence of Golden Eagle was positively related to the ruggedness of the terrain and to the extension of arable land, and negatively to the extension of forests. At the landscape scale the presence of the species was positively correlated with the range of slope and negatively to the aridity of the surrounding landscape and the extension of forest areas. The Golden Eagle has experienced a strong decline in breeding performance during the last two decades in Sicily, which negatively impacted population dynamics. The best model at the territory scale included the surface of sparsely vegetated areas (i.e. a surrogate of prey availability) as the best predictor of breeding output (i.e. number of young fledged). At the landscape scale, the best predictor of breeding output was the average annual temperature (positive effect) and surface of artificial lands (negative effect). Significant differences in environmental characteristics were found between occupied and unoccupied sampling units and between territories of high and low breeding performance. Our results highlight the importance of maintaining the structure of landscape arising from traditional forms of extensive agriculture in the Mediterranean basin, thereby favouring prey availability, and the importance of limiting human activities and changes in land use in rugged mountainous areas.
Biodegradation of volatile CFCs, H-CFCs and VC in compost and marl

The biodegradation of volatile fully chlorofluonnated hydro carbons (CFCs), partly chlorofluorinated hydrocarbons (H CFCs) and vinyl chloride (VC) were investigated in compost and marl in laboratory studies. Trichlorofluoromethane (R11), dichlorodifluoromethane (R12), 1,1,2-trichlorotriflu oroethane (R113), difluoromethane (R32) and VC were bio degradable in compost under anaerobic conditions, probably by methanogenic bacteria. The anaerobic decomposition products of R11 were dichlorofluoromethane (R21 ) and chlo rofluoromethane (R31). The degradation product of R12 was chlorodifluoromethane (R22). R11 and its degradation prod ucts have the inhibiting effects of the R12 degradation under anaerobic conditions. The partly halogenated hydrocarbon R22 and VC were degraded preferentially under aerobic con ditions in marl, probably by methanotrophic bacteria. Under aerobic conditions R22 and VC have inhibited the biodegra dation of methane by methanotrophic bacteria.
A comparison of field and laboratory tests of caisson foundations in sand and clay

Laboratory tests applying vertical and moment loads to suction caissons founded in sand and clay have been conducted to simulate an equivalent series of field tests. The caissons used in the laboratory were 0·15 m, 0·2 m and 0·3 m in diameter, whereas those for the field tests were 1·5 m and 3·0 m in diameter. The loads applied to the caissons in the laboratory tests were scaled from those in the field tests, and the models were loaded in a near-identical manner to the field trials. The test results are presented in non-dimensional form for comparison. The non-dimensional laboratory data from moment loading tests were similar to the field data in most cases. However, the non-dimensional data from vertically loaded caisson tests in the laboratory and in the field show more significant differences, and possible reasons for these are discussed.
An evaluation of thermal hotel websites and the use/non-use of the Internet as a marketing tool by thermal hotels in Turkey

Although a number of studies regarding internet sites relating to the tourism industry and Turkey’s thermal sources have been conducted worldwide, none have been found that deal specifically with thermal hotels and their usage of Internet as a marketing tool. The purpose of this study was to evaluate thermal hotels websites and determine the use or non use of the Internet as a marketing tool by thermal hotels in Turkey. This study outlines that the thermal hotels in Turkey do not currently use the Internet as a productive marketing tool. This study also suggests some solutions to thermal hotel managers for successful cyber tourism marketing, including the establishment of a website, on-line booking, customer support and general cyber marketing on the Web. Limitations and further research are also explored.
Ex-Post Evaluation of Monetary Policy

We employ a model-based approach in an ex-post evaluation of monetary policy decisions taken by the Bank of Israel during the years 2001-2010. Using ex-post information, we test, for each individual year, whether there could have been a Pareto improvement in inflation and output volatilities. This involves simulating counterfactual scenarios under alternative monetary policy shocks, where for each such simulation we compute the Root Mean Squares (RMS) of the inflation and output gaps during and following the evaluated year. We then examine the deviation of actual RMS from simulation-based frontiers. We also compare the actual RMS to a counterfactual RMS which would have been obtained for the case of no policy shocks. In other words, we test whether actual policy shocks were "efficient". The exercise reveals several distinct sets of years: years in which actual RMSs were close to the efficient frontier (2001 and 2009) and years in which they were far away (2003, 2004 and 2006); years in which monetary policy shocks led to an absolute improvement in economic outcomes (2004 and 2008) or an absolute worsening (2003, 2006); and years characterized by aggressive policy shocks (2002, 2008 and 2009), which were usually aimed at narrowing the output gap at the expense of more volatile inflation.
The Effects of Direct and Indirect Corrective Feedback on Accuracy in Second Language Writing

The effectiveness of providing Corrective Feedback (CF) on L2 writing has long been a matter of considerable debate. A growing body of research has been conducted to investigate the value of various types of CF on improving grammatical accuracy in the writing of English as a second or foreign language. This article is mainly concerned with the role of Corrective Feedback (CF) in developing the L2 writers’ ability to produce an accurate text, and argues that CF is considered to be one of the fundamental techniques in teaching second language (L2) writing. Bearing this in mind, it attempts to maintain the effectiveness of CF on the L2 students’ abilities to develop the accuracy of their written output. This topic has recently produced a significant interest among both teachers and researchers in the areas of L2 writing and second language acquisition. A key issue to be addressed is the degree to which CF effectively helps the second language writers obtain long-term accuracy. Currently, the author of this paper has been conducting a PhD study on the effect of direct and indirect corrective feedback on the academic writing accuracy of Kurdish EFL university students, and the data was collected from writing testing samples (pre-test, post-test and delayed post-test) produced by105 undergraduate students of English department from two public universities. The results could be obtained from the study should have important implications for L2 writing practitioners and researchers.
Modeling the co-evolution of cities and networks

The complexity of interactions between networks and territories has been widely acknowledged empirically, in particular through the existence of circular causal relations in their co-development, that can be understood as a co-evolution. This contribution aims at investigating models that endogenize this co-evolution, in the particular case of cities and transportation networks. We introduce a family of models of co-evolution for systems of cities at the macroscopic scale. Population growth rates are endogenous and interactions between cities are their main driver, with an effect at the first order (direct interactions) but also at the second order (effect of cumulated flows on traversed cities) what allows to capture centrality effects. Network growth follows a demand-induced thresholded growth scheme, that can occur at the global level or locally. The exploration of the model on synthetic systems of cities shows the ability of the model to capture co-evolutive patterns. We apply the model on the French system of cities, with population data spanning 1831-1999 and a dynamical railway network (1850-2000). Proceeding to calibrations locally stationary in time, we extract indirect knowledge on underlying processes and find that the prediction for city populations are in some cases improved in comparison to a static model.
ABX 203 , a novel therapeutic vaccine for chronic hepatitis B patients

Despite the existence of effective prophylactic vaccines, chronic hepatitis B remains a major public health problem, with more than 350 million people infected worldwide. Chronic infection increases the risk of serious liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Available therapies for chronic hepatitis B have limited efficacy and require long-term continuous treatments; that is why the development of therapeutic vaccines has been investigated as promising approach. In this sense, a novel vaccine formulation called ABX203 (HeberNasvac), based on the combination of the hepatitis B virus nucleocapsid and surface antigens, was developed. ABX203 has been studied in phase I, phase II and phase III clinical trial in treatment-naïve chronically infected patients in Bangladesh and in healthy volunteers in Cuba with promising results. In the present work we reviewed the main preclinical and clinical results of ABX203 development. Altogether, the data demonstrates safety and immunogenicity of ABX203 vaccine and support its use as a novel and competitive treatment alternative for chronic hepatitis B. The vaccine has been granted marketing authorization in Cuba.
THE LEVEL AND DIFFERENCES OF AEROBIC CAPACITY IN THREE DIFFERENT YOUNG SOCCER TEAMS IN THE U17 CATEGORY

The purpose of this study was to determine and compare parameters of aerobic capacity as an indicator of physical predispositions in three youth soccer teams of different performance levels in Yo-Yo IRT1 (Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1). The screened sample consisted of the national team (n=14, age: 16.5 ± 0.3 years, body weight: 68.3 ± 7.9, body height: 177.2 ± 7.1 and body fat: 9.2 ± 1.9 %), the best league team (n=16, age: 16.4 ± 0.3 years, body weight: 70.6 ± 8.3 kg, body height: 178.8 ± 6.4 cm and body fat: 9.5 ± 2.1 %.) and the worst league team (n=14, age: 16.6 ± 0.4 years, body weight: 65.6 ± 8.2 kg, body height: 176.1 ± 6.4 cm and body fat: 8.8 ± 2.4 %). To evaluate aerobic parameters, Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test (Yo-Yo IRT1) was used. Based on post-hoc analysis of means in the observed groups we found out significantly longer run distances in NT (national team) and BLT teams (best league team) when compared to WLT team (worst league team) (p<0.01). Comparison of maximum heart rate (HRmax) or heart rate recorded 1 minute after load, respectively, did not indicate any significant difference. Conversely, when comparing the percentage decrease in HRmax we revealed significant differences between the groups (p<0.05). The assumption of significant difference in VO2max between players of higher performance level (NT and BLT) in comparison to players of lower performance level (WLT) was confirmed at a significance level of α ≤ 0.01. The study showed differences in levels of monitored parameters in Yo-Yo test between the team of different performance levels. A high level of monitored parameters is necessary for performing high-intensity physical activities on intermittent character throughout the match.
Marine benthic cartography of the Cap de Creus (NE Catalan Coast, Mediterranean Sea)

The marine benthic cartography of the Cap de Creus and surrounding areas (NW Mediterranean Sea) was obtained by combining classical grabbing methods with more recent imaging methods based on a remotely operated vehicle. The goals of this particular survey can be summarized as follows: 1) to chart the benthic communities (and the area of each one); 2) to evaluate the benthic diversity of the areas; 3) to produce visual documentation of the distributions of the benthic organisms; 4) to identify human-induced pressures on the benthic environment; 5) to make recommendations for future management based on the visual assessment; and 6) to set up a new methodology for making large biocenosis maps that would help to manage marine protected and non-protected areas. The marine environment off the Alt Emporda County was shown to have a very rich diversity of benthic habitats. Twenty community categories were identified from videos and grabs. Though benthic habitats mostly located inside a marine protected area were assessed, man-made objects were seen in 10% of the analyzed minutes filmed. The study led to a comprehensive review of the main biotope systems of this coastal area, as well as their environmental condition, and this will be an essential element for their future management.
Differences between the 7‐spot and 2‐spot ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) in their toxic effects on a bird predator

Abstract. 1. Experiments with nestling blue tits Parus caeruleus L. examined the effects of feeding them 7‐spot ladybird Coccinella septempunctata (L.), 2‐spot ladybird Adalia bipunctata (L.) or controls Tenebrio sp.
Study of Etiology and Clinical Assessment of Crescentic Glomerulonephritis

Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) is a condition of the kidney that is considered by a rapid loss of renal function. The study had prearranged with the purpose to designate the etiological profile and clinical course in patients with crescentic GN. The study was attended in the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna for the period of the 1year in the patients identified with the crescentic glomerulonephritis. The clinical, biochemical and histopathological constraints and primary consequences were allied between immune-complex glomerulonephritis (ICGN) and pauci-immune glomerulonephritis (PauciGN). The total number of glomeruli, crescents, Fibrocellular crescents, Tubular atrophy, Interstitial fibrosis are comprehended more in immune-complex glomerulonephritis. The Hypertension is perceived in the both the glomerulonephritis conditions. Edema is seen more in the PauciGN than in ICGN group. There is for emostalteration in the urine output in ICGN and PauciGN. Total 77% of the Immune-complex glomerulonephritis cases were observed. 27% of the cases also showed the IgA nephropathy as a major cause of the crescentic glomerulonephritis. Lupus nephritis is found in 20% of the study group. From the above study as well as the already published literature it can be determined that Immunecomplex glomerulonephritis is the most communal reason of Crescentic Glomerulonephritis in the selected study group patients with IgA nephropathy existence the principal disease. Keyword: Crescentic glomerulonephritis, immune-complex glomerulonephritis, pauci-immume glomerulonephritis. Introduction Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) is a condition of the kidney that is measured by a rapid injury of renal function [1][2] . It is mainly seen as a 50% decline in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) within 3 months) [2] . Also glomerular crescent development seen in at least 50% [2] or 75% [1] of glomeruli seen on kidney biopsies. If these conditions are not treated then it rapidly progresses into acute renal failure [3] and death within months. In the majority of 50% patients RPGN is linked with an primary disease such as www.jmscr. igmpublication.org Impact Factor 5.84 Index Copernicus Value: 83.27 ISSN (e)-2347-176x ISSN (p) 2455-0450 DOI: https://dx.doi. org/10.18535/jmscr/v5i7.185
Self-promotion vs. backlash prevention: regulatory focus and gender differences in self-advocacy

OF THE THESIS Self-Promotion vs. Backlash Prevention: Regulatory Focus and Gender Differences in Self-Advocacy By CORINNE MOSS-RACUSIN Thesis Director: Laurie A. Rudman Considerable evidence has shown that, relative to men, women are less effective at selfadvocacy, despite its importance for closing the gender gap in professional success. Women fear backlash for counterstereotypical behavior (such as self-promotion, which violates prescriptions for female communality), and engage in defensive strategies designed to avoid it (Rudman & Fairchild, 2004). No research has tested the effects of fear of backlash on performance (e.g., self-advocacy). To address this gap, I propose that backlash threat leads to an inhibitory prevention focused self-regulatory style (Crowe & Higgins, 1997) that subsequently interferes with women’s self-advocacy ability. In contrast, because self-advocacy behavior does not violate masculine prescriptive stereotypes, I expect that men will not experience fear of backlash; as a result, they will employ a successful promotion focused regulatory style, and demonstrate greater selfadvocacy ability. Experiment 1 validated the usage of a lexical decision task to implicitly assess acute regulatory focus. Experiment 2 tested my focal hypotheses by comparing male and female participants on a self or peer-advocacy task. Results did not support the hypothesized gender differences or the predictive utility of the proposed model.
QUIET LEVIATHANS: SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND INVESTMENT, PASSIVITY, AND THE VALUE OF THE FIRM

Using a sample of 802 investments by 18 Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) through November 2009, we examine whether SWFs impact value as investors in listed companies. While SWF investment announcements yield small but significantly positive stock returns, target firms experience much larger, significantly negative abnormal returns over the three years after investment. Despite buying large stakes through direct equity purchases, SWFs play little visible role in target firm corporate governance and rarely take seats on target firm boards. These and other results offer most support for the Constrained Foreign State Investor Hypothesis, predicting that foreign governments will be passive shareholders.
LEG DOMINANCE AND PLANTARFLEXOR STRETCH-SHORTENING CYCLE FUNCTION

Large ankle kinetic asymmetry has been observed during maximal velocity sprinting which is not related to observed kinematic asymmetries. This may be due to underlying physiological and mechanical differences. The aim of this study was to use a recently developed method of isolating the plantarflexors to examine leg dominance in mechanical and stretch-shortening cycle function. Significant differences were observed in the peak force generated, rate of peak force development and reactive strength index of the plantarflexors of nine recreationally active subjects during a cyclical sledge task. This may explain why differences are observed in ankle kinetics during sprinting but further research is needed looking at SSC function in elite sprinters to determine if these trends are also observed in that population.