Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of seasonal variation in different reproductive phases on the cellular response of bursa and testes in Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica).

Received: Revised: Accepted: November 21, 2011 January 27, 2012 April 17, 2012 In this study effects of seasonal variation on the cellular response of bursa and testes in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) have been studied. Thirty mature male Japanese quail, 10 birds in each reproductive phase, namely reproductive active phase, regressive phase and non-active phase were sacrificed. Total leukocyte and lymphocyte counts were performed and serum testosterone levels were measured. The macroscopic and microscopic dimensions of testes and bursa of Fabricius were measured. Automated computer software Image J was used for histometric analysis. The results revealed that morphometrical parameters such as the length, circumference, thickness, and width of the testis showed a variable pattern in different seasonal phases e.g. in the active phase they were significantly (P<0.01) larger and decreased at regular pattern in the regressive and the non active phase. In contrast the immune parameters were significantly (P<0.01) at higher levels during the non active phase and the regressive phase and decreased at regular pattern in the active phase. The serum testosterone levels were also high during the active phase and decreased at regular pattern in the regressive and the non active phase. The histometric analysis revealed similar results such as diameters of seminiferous tubules showing a significant (P<0.01) rise during the active phase as compared with the regressive and the non active phase, and a significant declined was record during the regressive and the non active phase. In conclusion, the increased reproductive activity in Japanese quail coincided with enhanced steroid hormone production during summer which suppressed the immune response. Moreover, during the winter decreased gonadal activity resulted in elevated immune function that helped to combat the harsh environment. ©2012 PVJ. All rights reserved
Effects of Self-regulatory Strategy on Prospective Science Teachers' Chemistry Self Efficacy According to Class Level and Gender

This study aimed at determining the self-regulatory strategies and the chemistry self-efficacies of a total of one hundred and eighty-nine prospective science teachers in a state university in Turkey while studying the chemistry lesson according to the class level and gender factors. An additional goal was to examine the relationship level between the self-regulatory strategies and their chemistry self-efficacies of prospective science teachers. In the study, “Self-Regulatory Strategies Scale” and “Chemistry Self-Efficacy Scale” were used. As a result of the study, it was observed that these strategies used by prospective science teachers while studying for chemistry lesson and their chemistry self-efficacies changed according to the class level and gender factors. It was observed also at the end of the study that the significant of the relationship between self-regulatory strategies and chemistry self-efficacy levels differed depending on the class level.
Does Customer Satisfaction Lead to Customer Trust, Loyalty and Repurchase Intention of Local Store Brands? The Case of Gauteng Province of South Africa

Notwithstanding the increasing researches on consumer behaviour, there is a dearth of studies that have investigated the influence of customer satisfaction on customer trust, loyalty and repurchase intention in the African retailing context. Therefore, using a data set of 151 from retailers in Gauteng Province of South Africa, this study examines these relationships. All the posited five hypotheses are supported. The results indicate that the relationship between customer satisfaction and their trust, customer satisfaction and their loyalty, customer trust and their loyalty, customer loyalty and their repurchase intention and customer trust and their repurchase intention are positive in a significant way. The research paper discusses both academic and managerial implications of the results and future research directions are suggested. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n9p23
Working Paper WP / 15 / 011 Is Poverty in the African DNA ( Gene ) ?

A 2015 World Bank report on attainment of Millennium Development Goals concludes that the number of extremely poor has dropped substantially in all regions with the exception of Sub-Saharan Africa. We assess if poverty is in the African gene by revisiting the findings of Ashraf and Galor (2013, AER) and reformulating the ‘Out of Africa Hypothesis’ into a ‘Genetic Diversity Hypothesis’ for a ‘Within Africa Analysis’. We motivate this reformulation with five shortcomings arising for the most part from the 2015 findings of the African Gerome Variation Project, notably: limitations in the concept of space, African dummy in genetic diversity, linearity in migratory patterns, migratory origins and underpinnings of genetic diversity in Africa. Ashraf and Galor have concluded that crosscountry differences in development can be explained by genetic diversity in a Kuznets pattern. Our results from an exclusive African perspective confirm the underlying hypothesis in a contemporary context, but not in the historical analysis. From a historical context, the nexus is U-shaped for migratory distance, mobility index and predicted diversity while for the contemporary analysis; it is hump-shaped for ancestry-adjusted predicted diversity. Hence, poverty is not in the African gene from a within-Africa comparative standpoint. Policy implications are discussed.
POLYPHENOLS FROM PLANT MATERIALS : EXTRACTION AND ANTIOXIDANT POWER

Experimental results on the extraction of several agricultural byproducts using conventional solvents are presented and discussed. The effects of the main process variables (including solvent polarity, liquid to solid ratio, temperature, time) on the yields and antioxidant activity have been studied for each one. Enzyme-aided aqueous extraction of waste vegetable materials with the aim of improving the polyphenols extraction performance was optimized. Additionally, studies regarding the effect of mechanical pulsation are presented.
Asset pricing implications of benchmarking: a two-factor CAPM

The paper considers the equilibrium effects of an institutional investor whose performance is benchmarked to an index. In a partial equilibrium setting, the objective of the institutional investor is modelled as the maximization of expected utility (an increasing and concave function, in order to accommodate risk aversion) of final wealth minus a benchmark. In equilibrium this optimal strategy gives rise to the two-beta CAPM: together with the market beta a new risk-factor (termed active management risk) is brought into the analysis. This new beta is defined as the normalized (to the benchmark's variance) covariance between the asset excess return and the excess return of the market over the benchmark index. The empirical test supports the model's predictions. The cross-section return on the active management risk is positive and significant, especially after 1990, when institutional investors became the representative agent of the market.
WHEN PERCEPTION ISN'T REALITY: AN EXAMINATION OF CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS OF INNOVATION

Innovation research has received increasing attention as firms attempt to gain an edge over their competitors. Past research has focused on innovation from the organization’s perspective and has yet to consider the impact of consumer perceptions of innovation on purchase intentions. Research suggests firms do not possess an adequate understanding of how consumers interpret firm innovativeness, or the potential benefits associated with being perceived as innovative. This research aims to address the impact of consumer perceptions of innovation on behavioral intentions. A scenario-based study is conducted and the results support the premise that consumer perceptions of innovation lead to increased purchase intentions via the mediating effects of perceived quality and anticipated satisfaction. Implications for managers are presented, as well as areas for future research and study limitations.
Bronchial Necrosis from Mucormycosis: A Case Report and Review

Disseminated pulmonary mucormycosis is an uncommon and aggressive life threatening condition associated with a high mortality rate. Pulmonary mucormycosis can spread to contralateral lung before it is even detected, increasing mortality rate with little chance of cure. Our report describes an aggressive case of disseminated mucormycosis, involving bronchial necrosis leading to a bilobectomy with tissue flap coverage. Although our report describes a fatal outcome, this case evaluates the role for surgery in the treatment of difficult infections.
Natal dispersal and philopatry of Southeastern American Kestrels in Florida

-Sex-biased natal dispersal is common among many bird species, with females usually dispersing farthest. The relative dispersal distances of male and female American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are unknown. We examined natal dispersal in Southeastern American Kestrels (F. s. paulus) in north-central Florida, observing birds marked as nestlings with either color bands or patagial tags. Natal dispersal distances of 34 kestrels ranged from 0.0 to 38.8 km. Mean natal dispersal distance of females (8.6 km) did not differ significantly from that of males (8.3 km) (P = 0.43). We determined that no relationship existed for either sex between dispersal distance and subsequent reproductive success. However, the relationship between hatching date and dispersal distance was marginally significant (P = 0.071); fledglings from earlier nests were more likely to breed close to their natal area than were those from late-season nests. Our results suggest that natal dispersal and site fidelity in Southeastern American Kestrels are determined, at least in part, by interand intra-sexual competition for breeding sites. Received 28 June 1996, accepted 11 Dec. 1996. Sex-biased dispersal is common among many bird species, with females usually the sex which disperses farthest (Greenwood 1980). Females may disperse farther than males as a result of a resource-defense system, whereby males typically defend breeding territories and females choose among many males (Greenwood 1980, Greenwood and Harvey 1982, Pusey 1987). The resource-defense hypothesis assumes that males settle close to their natal area because prior familiarity with the area facilitates the establishment of territories. Social constraints may dictate that males continue to exhibit fidelity to breeding sites because of the importance of familiarity with their neighbors in establishing and defending territories (Payne and Payne 1993). The relative dispersal distances of male and female American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are unknown. However, given the fact that the male of the species establishes and defends the breeding territory (Balgooyen 1976), we might expect that dispersal would be female-biased. In migratory populations of American Kestrels (F. s. sparverius), males return to the breeding ground earlier than females (Bird and Palmer 1988), allowing them the opportunity to establish territories before females return. If females benefit from the opportunity to choose among many males and ' Dept. of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Univ. of Florida, P.O. Box 110430, Gainesville, Florida 32611. 2 Present address: Dept. of Biology, Montclair State Univ., Upper Montclair, New Jersey 07043.
Community assembly mechanisms in river networks : exploring the effect of connectivity and disturbances on the assembly of stream communities

Community assembly results from a combination of deterministic and stochastic mechanisms, whose relative effects can vary in response to environmental heterogeneity, connectivity, disturbance regimes and anthropogenic stressors. Understanding how community assembly mechanisms vary in response to environmental changes and connectivity is crucial for the management and conservation of river ecosystems. In this thesis, I tested the effects of connectivity and natural flow disturbances on riverine invertebrate communities by assessing assembly mechanism changes in response to (I) habitat connectivity, (II) seasonal flow intermittency and (III) inter–annual hydrological variability. I also conducted a field experiment to test for (IV) the effects of human–induced nutrient enrichment on community assembly of microorganisms (diatoms and aquatic fungi) and stream ecosystem functioning under different environmental settings. Invertebrate community assembly changed gradually with habitat connectivity. While limited dispersal resulted in higher community variability in the most isolated streams, mass effects caused community homogenization in the most connected ones. Natural and human induced disturbances lead to changes in the relative importance of deterministic and stochastic factors but often through different, or even opposite, mechanisms depending on the natural background of the ecosystem and organism type considered. For instance, seasonal drying and high–flow periods in intermittent Mediterranean rivers promoted deterministic and stochastic assembly processes respectively, whereas environmental sorting and stochastic processes respectively dominated during high and low flow years in boreal streams. Diatom and fungal communities responded differently to nutrient enrichment, with detrital processes and fungal communities responding more in naturally acidic than in circumneutral streams. The results of this thesis highlight the complexity of community assembly mechanisms: they tend to be highly context dependent and temporally variable. Therefore, stream bioassessment and conservation will benefit from explicitly incorporating connectivity and natural disturbance regimes. Assessing the interactive effects of connectivity and disturbances at the river network scale would provide a greater understanding of community assembly mechanisms and river ecosystem functioning.
LPG inscription in mPOF for optical sensing

We demonstrate a long period grating (LPG) inscription in microstructured polymer optical fibers (mPOFs) using a single 248 nm UV laser pulse of 15 ns duration for every inscription point using a point by point technique with total length of 25 mm. The fabrication time indicates shortening for a single coupling point (15 ns against 42 s reported in literature). A grating with 20 dB transmission dip has been fabrication by using two UV pulses for each coupling point. The device has been fabricated in mPOF with a core that has been doped with benzyl dimethyl ketal (BDK) for photosensitivity increase. The strain and temperature responses of the fabricated gratings under different conditions have been characterized in order to assess the viability for sensing applications. Better performance was achieved with suitable post annealing process of the gratings.
One Year Cross-sectional Study of Fundal Changes in Patients with Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension

Introduction: A retinal funduscopic examination by detecting retinal arteriolar spasm might aid in determining whether immediate delivery of the baby is required to revert the preeclamptic state and prevent an adverse maternal and foetal outcome. The focus of the current study is to find out the frequency and spectrum of fundal changes in 100 cases of PIH and to deduce any association between the retinal changes and blood pressure, proteinuria, severity of PIH, maternal age, gravidity and gestational age, so that we could engineer a more efficient and systematic approach towards PIH to ensure maternal and fetal well-being. Aims: 1) To evaluate the frequency and spectrum of retinal fundus changes in Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension 2) To assess relationship of hypertensive retinopathy with maternal gravidity, severity of PIH and blood pressure in PIH. Methodology: Hundred patients with PIH were studied in a one year, cross-sectional, hospital-based study. Detailed ocular examination was done and results were analyzed. ChiSquare, ANOVA and Student T-test were used for statistical analysis. P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: 44% of patients were primigravida and 59% had gestational age > 32 weeks. 53% had severe preeclampsia and 14% had eclampsia. Grade I hypertensive retinopathy was found in 53% patients. Occurrence of retinopathy was significantly higher in primigravida group (84%) and patients with both systolic and diastolic hypertension (84.44%). Conclusions: This study shows that with increasing severity of PIH, chances of development of more severe grade of retinopathy increase. Frequency of occurrence of retinopathy is higher in primigravidae and in patients having both systolic and diastolic hypertension. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure values in patients with retinopathy are significantly higher than those in patients without retinopathy. Mean blood urea and serum uric acid values increase significantly as the severity of PIH increases. Key-words: PIH, Hypertensive Retinopathy, Proteinuria, Blood Urea, Serum Uric acid. *Correspondence to: Dr. Neha Pathak, E-251, Udai Path, Shyam Nagar, Sodala, Ajmer Road, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Expression of Erythropoietin and Erythropoietin Receptor in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: Despite advancement in treatment modalities for oral squamous cell carcinoma, this tumor still represents a challenge for researchers because of great tendency of tumor to metastasize and recur. Many parameters have been previously studied in order to predict the prognosis of such devastating tumor and to achieve the best treatment outcomes. Erythropoietin is multifunctional growth hormones primarily function to stimulate erythropoiesis through binding to its specific erythropoietin receptor. Questions about existence of both proteins have been raised in malignant tumors. This study was planned to investigate the expression of erythropoietin and erythropoietin receptor in oral squamous cell carcinoma and to correlate the expression with various parameters. Materials and Methods: erythropoietin and erythropoietin receptor expression were inspected by immunohistochemistry in 50 surgical cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma. The resulting expression labelling indicies then correlated with various clinicopathological parameters. Results: oral squamous cell carcinoma specimens showed positive expression of erythropoietin and erythropoietin receptor. Erythropoietin receptor expression but not erythropoietin was correlated significantly with gender and tumor site. Non-significant statistical relations were reordered regarding the expression of both proteins with other clinicopathological parameters. Conclusions: current study confirmed the expression of erythropoietin and its receptor in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine in vitro improves several functions of peritoneal leucocytes from old mice approaching their values to those of adult animals

The age-related deterioration of the function of immune cells, or immunosenescence, is based on oxidative stress (an imbalance between the levels of oxidants and antioxidant defences with an increase of the former). Accordingly, the ingestion of a diet supplemented with thiolic antioxidants such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a glutathione precursor, by aged subjects improved their leucocyte functions. The aim of the present study was to show if NAC improves in vitro several functions of leucocytes from chronologically old mice and if this antioxidant is able to bring the values of these functions to the levels of those of adult animals. Six concentrations of NAC (in a range from 0.001 mM to 2.5 mM) were investigated on several functions of peritoneal leucocytes from old (78±2 weeks of age) BALB/c mice. These functions were those of the phagocytic process in macrophages, namely: adherence to substrate, directed migration or chemotaxis, phagocytosis of inert particles and superoxide anion levels as a measure of digestion capacity, as well as of the adherence and chemotaxis of lymphocytes. These functions were also studied in peritoneal leucocytes from adult (18±2 weeks of age) mice. The results showed that NAC in vitro improves all the functions studied, especially at the highest concentrations, which had shown impaired values in old mice, approaching those of adult animals. Since the immune functions studied are markers of health and predictors of longevity, the administration to aged subjects of NAC, which shows a direct action in leucocytes, seems to be a good strategy to improve their immune system and, therefore, to reach a healthy longevity.
Impact of Simulated Gaze Gestures on Social Interaction for People with Visual Impairments

Gaze and eye contact have important social meanings in our daily lives. The sighted often uses gaze gestures in communication to convey nonverbal information that a blind interlocutor cannot access and react to. In many examples, blind people’s eyes are unattractive, and often with deformities, which makes the eye appearance less appealing to the sighted. All of these factors influence the smooth face-to-face communication between the blind and sighted people, which leads to blind people’s poor adaptions in the communication. We implemented a working prototype, namely E-Gaze (glasses), an assistive device based on an eye tracking system. E-Gaze attempts to simulate the natural gaze for blind people, especially establishing the “eye contact” between the blind and sighted people to enhance the engagement in the face-to-face communication. The interactive gaze behaviors of the E-Gaze are based on a model that combines a turn-taking strategy and the eye-contact mechanism. In order to test the impact of the interactive gaze model in the face-to-face communication, we conducted an experiment with sixteen participants. In the user experiment, participants had a monologue with a dummy wearing the E-Gaze. Two monologues took place under two experimental conditions (i.e., Interactive Gaze and Random Gaze) with counter balancing to avoid carry-over effects. Results well support the hypothesis that the interactive gaze model of the E-Gaze can enable the sighted to feel attention from the listener, enhancing the level of engagement in the face-to-face communication. We also obtain insights and design implications from participants’ comments.
Promoting Sexual Health and Wellbeing among Elderly Nursing Home Residents

The purpose of this study is to provide research based information on the elderly and sexuality as it relates to the concept of impact on the elderly and competence in handling such cases in nursing care during aged-care period especially. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of aging on the sexual life of the elderly, their sexual needs, and how those concerns are handled by healthcare professionals. The method used is literature review. The search engines include; Cinahl, Elsevier Science Direct, Ebsco Academic and PubMed. The researcher adopted inclusion and exclusion criteria in the article selection for this literature review. The selected articles were based on their relationship with elderly and sexuality. The results were discussed in the categories of the questions under the headings impact, concerns and handling. The impact of aging on sexuality were discussed under biological, psychological, social context, myths about sexuality, male sexual dysfunction, female sexual dysfunction, practical, and delays in seeking help. The concerns include difficulty to consult on sexual problem and results of handling sexual issues among the elderly include inadequate attention, inadequate knowledge and medical Intervention. The research revealed that the impact of aging on sexuality of the elderly exist, but there are underlying factors that lead to decline in sexual activity among the elderly, where those factors do not exist, the elderly enjoy their sexual life as their younger adults do.