Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physical Blocking Neural Tube Closure Affects Radial Intercalation and Neural Crest Midline-directed Migration in Xenopus Dorsal Explants

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are severe congenital malformation diseases, which occur in 1 out of 1000 births in human. In Xenopus , several tissue movements are involved in the neural tube closure process. Immediately after the neural tube fusion, the neural crest cells get monopolar protrusion toward dorsal midline and migrate to form the roof of the neural tube. At the same time, radial intercalation takes place from the ventral neural tube and forces it to be single-layered. Here, we physically block the neural tube closure to test the cell movements and the following patterning in Xenopus laevis explants. The results show that the single-layered neural tube fails to form and the neural crest cells remain at the lateral regions in the explants with NTDs. However, the patterning of the neural tube is not affected as indicated by the normal expression of the preneural genes. These results indicate a requirement of the neural tube fusion for the radial intercalation and the dorsal midline directed neural crest migration, but not for the dorsal-ventral patterning of the neural tube.
Type D Personality and cardiovascular disease : an exploratory study

Worldwide there is concern about the increase in the level of deaths due to coronary heart disease. In accordance with this global picture, coronary heart disease in South Africa signifies a key health problem. Type D Personality (or distressed personality) was developed as an emerging psychological risk factor in coronary heart disease. It is associated with an adverse prognosis, impaired health status, and a wide range of emotional distress symptoms, such as depression. Type D is defined as the tendency to experience increased negative distress such as anxiety, paired with the inhibition of these emotions in social interactions. Hence this exploratory pilot study aimed to determine the relationship between Type D Personality and coronary heart disease. In addition, this research aimed to observe prevalence rates of Type D Personality and coronary heart disease in a group of patients at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital diabetic clinic. A non-probability convenience sample of 104 Caucasian and Black, Afrikaans and English speaking diabetic patients were approached to be participants. Their ages ranged from 55 to 87 and their socio-economic status ranged from low to high. The Type D Scale–14 and a demographic questionnaire were used to assess for Type D Personality and coronary heart disease, respectively. Due to under reporting of coronary heart disease patients and the added possible confounding variable of a diagnosis of diabetes, the findings from this research indicate that no statistically significant results were found. However, 41.4% of participants could be classified as Type D. Interestingly, although 41.4% of participants were classified as Type D, 68.9% were classified as positive for Negative Affectivity. Of the total sample of 104 respondents, 35.6% tested positive for coronary heart disease and 92.3% for hypertension. Only 18.3% of the 104 respondents tested positive for both coronary heart disease and Type D. A total of 38.5% of the participants tested positive for hypertension and Type D.
Impact of Jaw Orientation on Grip Force Estimation for a da Vinci EndoWrist Surgical Tool

The utlization of accurate grip force estimates during surgical procedures has been widely proposed as a benefit for robotic surgery. Several research publications have proposed varying methods for obtaining this estimate with generally high accuracy [1, 2]. Despite these positive results, many of the proposed methods neglect the impact that the jaw orientation (i.e. roll, pitch, and yaw) has on estimation accuracy. Previous work has shown that grip force in general varies up to three-fold with jaw orientation [3]; we aim to extend upon these raw results by quantifying how accurate our proposed grip force estimation technique is across a wide range of jaw orientations. This work is a further step towards establishing more realistic expectations for applications of grip force estimation in a surgical setting.
Estimation of tree lists from airborne laser scanning data using a combination of analysis on single tree and raster cell level.

Airborne laser scanning produces high resolution data which opens up for estimation methods on individual tree level. However, the detection rate depends on the forest structure, and typically suppressed trees below a dominant tree layer are not detected. This paper presents a method to produce tree lists consistent with unbiased estimates on raster cell level. First, automatic delineation of tree crown segments was performed. The number and attributes of trees were estimated within segments. Second, forest variables were estimated on a field plot level using both laser canopy height distribution and results from tree detection. Percentiles of the stem diameter and tree height distributions were estimated using regression models. Third, the estimated percentiles were used as input for imputation of field trees from similar field plots in order to create a target distribution matrix. The number of trees in this matrix was estimated by scaling with the estimated total volume for each field plot. Finally, the initial tree list obtained from the tree crown segmentation was adjusted by using the estimated target distribution matrix. Random errors and bias for stem volume and stem number estimates could be reduced by combining analysis on tree and raster cell level.
An Exploratory Study of Drivers for the Adoption of Green Supply Chain Management in Small and Medium Sized Tanneries of Northern Tamilnadu using ISM , ANP and Fuzzy ANP

Background: Eco Design of supply chain focuses on the responsibility of a firm in evaluating the total environmental effects of products through its entire life cycle, from the acquisition of raw materials to the final usage and disposal of products. Nowadays implementation of GSCM is indispensable, because of public awareness and government commandment. Objective: This project aims to examine lot of drivers which are acting as a prominent factor for the execution of green supply chain management in tannery industries. In this work, drivers have been pinpointed through literature review and also from expert’s opinion. Then the identified drivers are classified depend upon its competency. The relationship among the diagnosed drivers is complex and mutually dependent. Results: So an Interpretive Structural modeling (ISM) is enforced to establish a structural Model. ISM is a computer-assisted learning process that enables individuals or groups to develop a map of the complex relationships between the many elements involved in a complex situation. A dynamic evaluation technique, Analytical Network Process (ANP) and Fuzzy Analytical Network Process (FANP) is used to identify the priorities of drivers for the adoption of green supply chain management in northern Tamilnadu tannery Industries. The Analytic Network Process (ANP) is a generic mode of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) used in multi criteria verdict evaluation. FANP is a Fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tool that has been widely used in many applications related to decision-making problems. Conclusion: In this research it is gleaned that only Stakeholder’s Cooperation has the highest authoritative potential for consummating the GSCM in a lucrative manner.
Excitonic effects in the optical properties of a SiC sheet and nanotubes

Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA(Dated: May 30, 2011)The quasiparticle band structure and optical properties of single-walled zigzag and armchair SiCnanotubes (SiC-NTs) as well as single SiC sheet are investigated by abinitiomany-body calculationsusing the GW and the GW plus Bethe-Salpeter equation (GW+BSE) approaches, respectively. Signiﬁcant GW quasiparticle corrections of more than 1.0 eV to the Kohn-Sham band gaps fromthe local density approximation (LDA) calculations are found. The GW self-energy correctionstransform the SiC sheet from a indirect LDA band gap to a direct band gap material. Furthermore,the quasiparticle band gaps of SiC-NTs with diﬀerent chiralities behave very diﬀerently as a functionof tube diameter, and this can be attributed to the diﬀerence in the curvature-induced orbitalrehybridization between the diﬀerent chiral nanotubes. The calculated optical absorption spectraare dominated by discrete exciton peaks due to exciton states with large binding energy up to2.0 eV in the SiC sheet and SiC-NTs. The formation of strongly bound excitons is attributed tothe enhanced electron-hole interaction in these low dimensional systems. Remarkably, the excitedelectron amplitude of the exciton wavefunction is found to peak on the Siatoms near the hole position(which is on the C site) in the zigzag SiC-NTs, indicating a charge transfer from an anion (hole) toits neighboring cations by photoexcitation. In contrast, this pronounced peak structure disappearin the exciton wavefunction in the armchair SiC-NTs. Furthermore, in the armchair SiC-NTs, thebound exciton wavefunctions are more localized and also strongly cylindrically asymmetric. Thelarge excitation energy of ∼ 3.0 eV of the ﬁrst bright exciton with no dark exciton below it, suggeststhat the small-radius armchair SiC-NTs be useful for optical devices working in the UV regime.On the other hand, the zigzag SiC-NTs have many dark excitons below the ﬁrst bright exciton andhence may have potential applications in tunable optoelectric devices ranging from infrared to UVfrequencies by external perturbations.
Testing a model of undergraduate competence in employability skills and its implications for stakeholders

Despite the development of employability skills being firmly entrenched in higher education's strategic agenda worldwide; recent graduates’ standards in certain skills are not meeting industry expectations. This paper presents and tests a model of undergraduate competence in employability skills. It highlights those factors which impact on competence in employability skills and identifies ways in which stakeholders can adjust curricula and pedagogy to enhance graduate skill outcomes. Data were gathered from an online survey of 1008 business undergraduates who self-rated their competence against a framework of employability skills typically considered essential in graduates. The data were analysed using multiple regression techniques. Results suggest a range of factors influence competence in employability skills. These include geographical origin, sex, work experience, engagement with the skills agenda, stage of degree studies, scope of relationships and activities beyond education and work and the quality of skills development in the learning programme. The implications for stakeholders in undergraduate education are discussed, highlighting their shared responsibility for ensuring undergraduate employability skills are developed to required industry standards. The model provides an important contribution to the multifaceted concept of graduate employability, of which skill development forms an important part.
Human Capital and Economic Growth in Pakistan: A Cointegration and Causality Analysis

This study is an attempt to investigate the role of human capital in terms of education and health on economic growth of Pakistan during 1974-2009. Using annual data, ADF, PP and Ng-Perron tests are utilized to check the stochastic properties of the variables. Long-run relationship among variables is confirmed through Johansen and Juselius cointegration test whereas the long-run and short-run dynamics are observed by VECM specification. For causality purpose both VECM based causality and Toda-Yamamoto causality tests are employed. Stability of the model is confirmed through CUSUM and CUSUMSQ. The results indicate strong positive impact of human capital on economic growth despite the fact that Pakistan has been spending less percentage of GDP on education and health facilities to create human capital. The study concludes that in order to reap maximum benefits from human capital there is a need to formulate and implement effective economic policies related to the provision of education and health facilities to the people.
A Comparison of Age Structures in Two Populations of a Pond Frog Rana nigromaculata (Amphibia: Anura)

Abstract Using skeletochronology, we compared age structure in the breeding season in two populations (Katata, Shiga Pref. and Shizuhara, Kyoto Pref.) of a pond frog, Rana nigromaculata from central Japan and elucidated interpopulation variation in some life history traits. Newly metamorphosed froglets were larger in SVL, heavier in body mass, and fattier in Katata than in Shizuhara. In both populations, the age at first reproduction was 2 yrs for males and 3 yrs for females. Longevity was estimated to be at least 5 and 6 yrs at Katata and Shizuhara, respectively, for both sexes. Females were on an average significantly older than males in both populations. The modal age in breeding males was 2 yrs in Katata but 4 yrs in Shizuhara, and Katata males (mean=3.27 yr) tended to be younger than Shizuhara males (mean=3.42 yr), although the difference was not significant. Similarly, females did not differ in the mean age in the two populations (4.1 yrs in both populations). In SVL, females were significantly larger than males in both populations. In males, SVL was larger in Shizuhara than in Katata, but females did not differ in SVL. Shizuhara males grew faster than Katata males, but females did not differ in growth rate in both populations. Interpopulation differences in age and size properties of R. nigromaculata seem to be related to degree of interspecific competition and food consumption. We briefly discussed use of skeletochronology in relation to amphibian declining problems.
Evaluation of thiram and cinnamamide for protection of maize seeds against multimammate mice, Mastomys natalensis, in Tanzania

Farmers in Tanzania consider rodents to be the major vertebrate pest of maize, especially at planting and seedling stages and annual losses are high. We evaluated the potential of two seed-dressing compounds, thiram and cinnamamide, as rodent repellents to protect maize against damage by multimammate rats, Mastomys natalen- sis. In laboratory tests, the two compounds showed a strong repellent effect against M. natalensis and thus the potential to protect maize seeds. The two compounds were evaluated in maize fields using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The results show that these repellents are effective for protecting maize seeds against multimammate rats in the field, but in locations with high population of Tatera leucogaster, seedlings are still damaged after emergence. Therefore, in such locations, other control measures, including applica- tion of rodenticides just before seedling emergence may be necessary.
Molecular and chemical immune defenses in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Like all other organisms, ants can be afflicted by a large number of microbial parasites and pathogens. In response, ants have evolved a range of immune defenses. Here we review current knowledge of ant immune defenses, focusing on the genes, proteins and chemicals involved in ant innate immunity. Some pathogen recognition, signaling and effector mole-cules (such as antimicrobial peptides) have been described from a range of ant species in different subfamilies, but a very large number of innate immunity components remain to be identified. Secretions of the metapleural glands have special significance as an ant-specific immunity component. Chemically diverse substances from these glands are known to have antimicrobial properties and hence to play an important part in ant life. In addition to the molecular and chemi-cal defenses of individual physiology, individual and group behavior patterns make substantial contributions to fighting disease. Examples of behavioral mechanisms contributing to disease resistance include parasite avoidance, active inclu-sion of antimicrobial plant resins into nest materials, and increased colony genetic diversity through polyandry, polygyny, or both. We propose that future research links immunity at the molecular level with the ecology of ants and their patho-gens, and studies evolutionary mechanisms to yield a comprehensive understanding of ant immune defense mechanisms.
Exclusive Contracts and Market Power: Evidence from Ocean Shipping

There is a substantial theoretical literature on the potential effects of loyalty contracts, but relatively little empirical work. We employ the event study methodology to examine the competitive effects of exclusionary contracts in the ocean shipping industry, where they were the subject of an extended legal and political struggle. We find that some of the most important events in this conflict caused significant changes in shipping firms' stock returns, indicating exclusive contracts increased their profits. We then examine the effect of these events on net exporting industries' stock returns, and provide evidence that these contracts contributed to carriers' market power.
Electric field in magnetized inductively coupled plasma

A wave equation has been solved to visualize two-dimensional axis symmetric electric field profiles in magnetized inductively coupled discharge having flat, concentric current loops operated at 13.56 MHz. The DC magnetic induction level of interest is 0-20 gauss. We assumed that the plasma is uniform throughout the discharge volume. The conductivity tensor derived from cold plasma approximation was used to consider electrical properties of the discharge. For a typical operation regime of high density materials processing plasmas (electron density /spl sim/1/spl times/10/sup 11//cm/sup 3/, collision frequency /spl sim/3 MHz, length of the vessel =25 cm), we observed a standing wave structure of RF electric fields.
Evaluation of Acacia gerrardii Benth. (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) as a honey plant under extremely hot-dry conditions: flowering phenology, nectar yield and honey potentiality.

The nature of both bee-plant interactions and pollination ecology critically depends on flowering phenology and nectar yield. These two factors determine whether the plant has the potential to produce honey by honey bees. Here, we characterized flowering phenology, quantified nectar yield and calculated honey potentiality of Talh (Acacia gerrardii Benth.). Talh is a widespread melliferous species distributed in Africa and the Middle East. Field investigations were performed in Rawdhat-Khoraim oasis, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from April to August for 3 years (2011-2013). Flowering phenology, nectar yield and tree canopy area data were used to predict the honey production potential of Talh trees. The bloom season of Talh trees began around mid-May and ended in mid-August. Flower density varied significantly (p˂0.001) among months, while the general mean (±SE) was 148±14 flower heads (FHs) per m2 per day. The total soluble solids (TSS) secreted were 30.4 mg/ FH/ day. Talh trees may produce potential honey weighing 495 ± 60 g/ tree/ day and 45,032 ± 6,359 g/ tree/ season. In conclusion, Talh trees have a high potential for honey production. Further studies are needed to estimate the actual honey production and to understand other aspects of flowering.
Long-term use of potassium fertilizer for vegetable crops in the upcountry intermediate zone

A long-term field experimentwas conducted a t Bandarawela on a Red Yellow Podzolic soil during the ten cropping seasons commencing Maha 86/87. Four levels of potassium a t rates of 0,25,50 and 100 k g q O / h a were appl~ed for each crop. Potato, cabbage, tomato, pole bean, cabbage, potato, cabbage, tomato, pole bean and cabbage were cultivated in this sequence: ~ i r s t three crops potato in Maha 86/87, cabbage in Yala 1987 and tomato in Maha 87/88 did not show any response, even a t 100 kg &O/ha application. This may be due to the high inltial K content of the soil. Thereafter there was response up to 25 kg qO/ha application for the pole bean in Yala 1988 and cabbage in Yala 1989 crops. Potato in Maha 89/90 gave significantly highest yield a t the level of 50 kg K,O/ha. However, cabbage in Yala 1990, tomato in Maha 90191, pole bean in Yala 1991 and cabbage in Maha 91/92 crops showed response to 25 kg qO/ha and even up . to 100 kg &O/ha. Crops such as potato and pole beans can be categorized as "low K-removal" and cabbage as "high K-removal". After cultivationof low K removal crops such as potato and pole bean, the soil showed an increase of exchangeable K when 100 kg &O/ha was applied. Increase of soil K was seen when potassium is continuously applied to the same soil a t the ratf: of 100 kgK,O/ha but the make up of the cropping sequence is a n important factor to be considered. I t appears that high yields of vegetables such as potato, tomato, cabbage and pole bean, could be obtained with 100 kg &€)/ha per season application without any buildup of K in the soil. These results suggest that the application of 100 kg %O/ha to vegetable crops such as potato, tomato, cabbage and pole bean per season is is necessary and it avoids the build up of high soil K i n this soil with the high yields.
The influence of religion on attitudes towards the advertising of controversial products

In a constantly changing and increasingly globalized world, religion still plays a significant role in influencing social and consumer behavior. This study will analyze what influence religion and intensity of belief has on attitudes towards the advertising of particular controversial products and services. A questionnaire was distributed to 1,393 people across six different countries and resulting in samples of four main religious groups. The results indicated some statistically significant differences between the groups, which can have important implications for global marketers.