Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the Booroola Gene in Egyptian Ewes with Different Reproductive Status Using PCR- RFLP

VULATION CAN BE regulated by a group of genes, termed as fecundity (Fec) genes. The aim of this study is to identify genetic polymorphism in the Booroola (FecB) gene in Barki, Rahmani, and Ossimi sheep breeds with different physiological status diagnosed by ultrasound. Accordingly, animals were early classified into three groups: carrying single fetus, twin fetuses and non-pregnant by ultrasonographic examination. Demonstration of the fetal number was available as early as Day 35-40 post-mating transrectally, and transabdominally. The fetal viability was checked through heart examination with M-Mode. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples of the total number of sheep and two primers were used to amplify 190 and 140 bp fragments of FecB gene. The amplified fragments were digested using AvaII restriction enzyme. All sheep groups were non carriers for the FecB mutation and gave a 190 bp band (++) and 140 bp band (Fec++) for primer 1 and 2, respectively. In conclusion, no genetic polymorphism was detected in the three Egyptian sheep breeds in relation to pregnancy with single or twin fetuses. The study could be continued to search for other major genes.
Hypercholesterolemia Induced Oxidative Stress Is Reduced in Rats with Diets Enriched with Supplement from Dunaliella salina Algae

Dunaliella salina (D.salina), an alga is known as a potent free radical quencher and an antioxidant in biological systems. The present study examined the modulation of hypercholesterolemia and 5’-Deiodinase (5’-DI) activity on D. salina supplementation. Male SD rats were divided into three groups. Group-I rats acted as control and were fed standard pellet diet. Animals in group-II were supplemented with 2% cholesterol in the control diet. Further, the diet of group-III animals was supplemented with 2% cholesterol and 1.25g D.salina/Kg high cholesterol diet (HCD). After two months of diet feeding, significant increase in serum cholesterol and triglycerides in HCD fed animals was found as compared to the control counterpart. Significantly increased activities of antioxidant enzymes viz. catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in HCD fed group were observed as compared to control. Lipid peroxidation levels increased nearly 2 folds. Significant decrease in the T3 (triiodothyronine) and increase in T4 (thyroxine) levels on HCD feeding in comparison to the respective control was observed. D. salina supplementation caused restoration of catalase, SOD, MDA (Malondialdehyde) levels, as well as thyroid hormones compared to HCD group. The present study clearly indicated the protective role of D. salina on various events leading to atherogenicity in terms of maintaining basic lipid profile. The altered levels of 5’DI obtained during high cholesterol diet feeding got normalized on D. salina supplementation. Hence, increased uptake of the D. salina, but within safe limits, in general population may be useful against development of hypercholesterolemia related disorders. Finally, on the basis of present observations, it could be concluded that D. salina protects against atherogenesis and hypothyroidism and could be exploited accordingly as a cheap diet supplement.
The effect of the business environment on pollution

This paper examines the effects of the business environment on pollution in developing countries and the world as a whole, as measured by carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Several reduced form equations are estimated by using cross-sectional data within a theoretical framework that relates the business environment to CO2 emissions. Our empirical finding for developing countries provides strong evidence for a negative correlation between CO2 emissions and the number of procedures to complete before legally starting a business. Control variables of openness, income, and the size of the industrial sector are other significant determinants of CO2 emissions. For developing and developed countries combined, our results show that there is a negative, but statistically insignificant relationship, between CO2 emissions and the number of procedures to complete before starting a business. We find that the control variables have a more dominant effect in the global case. Our empirical results confirmed that CO2 emissions rise as (1) the world becomes more open, (2) global per capita incomes increase, and (3) the size of the industrial sector increases. We concluded that bringing appropriate regulatory mechanisms in place can facilitate business formation and operations, and also aid in pollution reduction. This paper was prepared for presentation at the 19th International Conference of the International Trade and Finance Association, in Beijing, China, May 27-30, 2009.
Banking Markets in a Decade of Mergers: A Preliminary Examination of Five North Carolina Markets

In the 1990s, a wave of merger activity altered the structure of the banking industry at both the national and local levels. While banking remains a relatively unconcentrated industry at the national level, markets for some banking services continue to be primarily local. Concentration looks greater at the local level and generally increased in the 1990s. One can classify the possible motivations for mergers into two categories — those having to do with market power and those having to do with the efficient allocation of capacity among market participants. This article begins an examination of these motives through the behavior of the banking market structures in five North Carolina metropolitan areas from 1990 to 2002.
Do gender and socioeconomic status matter when combining work and family: Could control at work and at home help? Results from the Whitehall II study

Work and family are sources of both satisfaction and conflicting demands. A challenge is to identify individuals at risk for conflict and factors that potentially reduce conflict. This study investigated how gender and socioeconomic status (SES) were associated with work–family interference (WFI) and family–work interference (FWI) and how control at work and at home related to WFI and FWI. Data from 1991–1993 and 1997–1999 of the Whitehall II study of British civil servants, including 3484 (827 women and 2657 men) employees in three SES-levels, were analysed. Women reported a higher risk for WFI and FWI. High SES employees reported higher WFI. Less control at home increased risks for WFI and FWI as did low control at work but only for WFI. This suggests that high SES women are especially at risk for conflict and that aspects from the spheres of both work and home should be considered in further research and practice.
Springtime phytoplankton dynamics in Arctic Krossfjorden and Kongsfjorden (Spitsbergen) as a function of glacier proximity

The hydrographic properties of the Kongsfjorden-Krossfjorden system (79 degrees N, Spitsbergen) are affected by Atlantic water incursions as well as glacier meltwater runoff. This results in strong physical gradients (temperature, salinity and irradiance) within the fjords. Here, we tested the hypothesis that glaciers affect phytoplankton dynamics as early as the productive spring bloom period. During two campaigns in 2007 (late spring) and 2008 (early spring) we studied hydrographic characteristics and phytoplankton variability along two transects in both fjords, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-CHEMTAX pigment fingerprinting, molecular fingerprinting (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, or DGGE) and sequencing of 18S rRNA genes. The sheltered inner fjord locations remained colder during spring as opposed to the outer locations. Vertical light attenuation coefficients increased from early spring onwards, at all locations, but in particular at the inner locations. In late spring meltwater input caused stratification of surface waters in both fjords. The inner fjord locations were characterized by overall lower phytoplankton biomass. Furthermore HPLC-CHEMTAX data revealed that diatoms and Phaeocystis sp. were replaced by small nano-and picophytoplankton during late spring, coinciding with low nutrient availability. The innermost stations showed higher relative abundances of nano-and picophytoplankton throughout, notably of cyanophytes and cryptophytes. Molecular fingerprinting revealed a high similarity between inner fjord samples from early spring and late spring samples from all locations, while outer samples from early spring clustered separately. We conclude that glacier influence, mediated by early meltwater input, modifies phytoplankton biomass and composition already during the spring bloom period, in favor of low biomass and small cell size communities. This may affect higher trophic levels especially when regional warming further increases the period and volume of meltwater.
Performance-related fear experiences, coping and perceived functional impact on highly skilled athletes

Melina Puolamäki, 2013. Performance-related fear experiences, coping and perceived functional impact on highly skilled athletes. Master‟s Thesis in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Department of Sport Science, University of Jyväskylä. 68p. Three types of experiences are distinguished in sport: emotional states (state-like), emotion patterns (trait-like), and meta-experiences or attitudes towards one‟s experiences (Hanin, 2004). Most emotion research has traditionally focused on the study of anxiety and its impact on athletic performance. Although unpleasant emotions have been assumed harmful for performance, previous research on anxiety (Hanin, 2000) and anger (Ruiz & Hanin, 2011) has indicated, that they can also be beneficial. However, the impact of fear, another stress-related emotion, is still unclear. This study examined experiences of fear in a purposive sample of 12 (N = 12) high-level sport competitors (4 male, 8 female; age M = 19, SD = 2.8). They were involved in alpine skiing, cheerleading, diving, figure-skating, gymnastics, ice-hockey, karate, and snowboarding, competing at national or/and international level and having achieved good results at major competitions (i.e., national, Nordic, European, and World Championships). An interview guide was developed to examine the content of athletes‟ experiences of fear, coping strategies and perceived functional impact on performance. Deductive and inductive content analyses were used to analyze the data: deductive content analyses used the categories of the IZOF model (cognitive, affective, motivational, bodily, motor-behavioral, operational and communicative; Hanin 2000, 2007) and inductive content analyses were used to identify the emerging themes. The most common experience was fear related to risky motor tasks. Fear of failure was also important to the athletes. High intensity of fear was perceived as harmful for performance; however, most athletes reflected positive perceptions of beneficial effects upon performance. For instance, fear was reflected to enhance concentration. The findings are in line with earlier IZOF-based studies, providing support for the notion of optimal and dysfunctional performance-related fear.
Expérience de visite et construction des connaissances : le cas des musées de sciences et des centres de culture scientifique

Pouvons-nous saisir, comprendre et decrire l’experience de visite dans un musee ? Cette etude aborde l’experience des visiteurs a partir d’une perspective enactive comme ce qui fait sens du point de vue du visiteur dans le cours de sa visite. Les principaux resultats portent sur une methode d’investigation originale dans le champ museal qui autorise un nouveau point de vue sur l’experience des visiteurs dans les musees. Nous montrons que l’analyse du cours d’experience realisee a partir d’un entretien en re-situ subjectif permet de decrire et de comprendre les unites elementaires de l’experience des visiteurs, ainsi que l’experience globale de visite avec precision, finesse et profondeur. Nous mettons en evidence les actions et les cheminements cognitifs des visiteurs qui concourent a la construction de leurs connaissances et nous proposons des cours d’experience typiques aux visites de musees.
Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes During Pseudomonas fluorescens Mediated Systemic Resistance in Cabbage

The study of microbial ecology and the microbial interactions with plants provides an insight into the biocontrol of plant diseases using antagonistic microbes. Pseudomonas fluorescens was used as a biological control agent against black rot disease caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. The Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to elucidate the differentially expressed genes in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) upon the application of Pseudomonas fluorescens. A total of 140 expressed sequence tags (EST) were obtained. The analyses of these ESTs showed that many defense related genes like peroxidase, heat shock proteins, were upregulated. Many transcripts related to signalling pathways and pathogen recognition were identified. The important finding of the study is the identification of the unigene belonging to the SWEET protein family in cabbage. The study also resulted in the identification of 10 unigenes which possibly depict the interaction of Pseudomonas fluorescens in combating disease. These unigenes have been submitted to dbEST. The results show that those genes which are upregulated during pathogen attack are also induced upon application of Pseudomonas fluorescens indicating the possible mechanism of systemic resistance induced by P. fluorescens to combat disease.
Influence of consumer-driven nutrient recycling on primary production and the distribution of N and P in the ocean

Abstract. In this study we investigated the impact of consumer-driven nutrient recycling (CNR) on oceanic primary production and the distribution of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the deep ocean. For this purpose, we used and extended two existing models: a 2-box model of N and P cycling in the global ocean (Tyrrell, 1999), and the model of Sterner (1990) which formalised the principles of CNR theory. The resulting model showed that marine herbivores may affect the supply and the stoichiometry of N and P in the ocean, thereby exerting a control on global primary production. The predicted global primary production was higher when herbivores were included in the model, particularly when these herbivores had higher N:P ratios than phytoplankton. This higher primary production was triggered by a low N:P resupply ratio, which, in turn, favoured the P-limited N2-fixation and eventually the N-limited non-fixers. Conversely, phytoplankton with higher N:P ratios increased herbivore yield until phosphorus became the limiting nutrient, thereby favouring herbivores with a low P-requirement. Finally, producer-consumer interactions fed back on the N and P inventories in the deep ocean through differential nutrient recycling. In this model, N deficit or N excess in the deep ocean resulted not only from the balance between N2-fixation and denitrification, but also from CNR, especially when the elemental composition of producers and consumers differed substantially. Although the model is fairly simple, these results emphasize our need for a better understanding of how consumers influence nutrient recycling in the ocean.
Semen characteristics and fertility assessment of Sennar jackass (Equus asinus) in Ethiopia

The aim of this study was to evaluate the semen characteristics and fertility of Sennar jacks. Semen was collected between January and March using Missouri AV model and was subjected to gross and microscopic evaluation. Fertility was evaluated from pregnancy rate after AI was carried out with fresh semen on 12 Abyssinian jennies, 5 Sennar jennies and 17 local mares. Mean (±SD) total and gel-free volume; and spermatozoa concentration were 61.1±12.6 ml, 50.3±12.3 ml, and 257± 8.1 x 106/ml, respectively. Total and progressive sperm motility, sperm viability and abnormal sperm percentage were 84.2±2.1; 67.4 ± 6.1%, 89%, and 10.9±2.9, respectively. There was no significant individual difference in most semen parameters. Pregnancy rate was 40% (2/5) in Sennar jennie, 58.3% (7/12) in Abyssinian jennies and 64.7% (11/17) in mares. The study thus revealed that semen can be successfully collected and evaluated as part of a breeding soundness examination of Sennar jacks during cross breeding using AI. Further study on cryopreservation of semen and improving pregnancy rate after extending semen in optimized donkey semen extender is necessary in the future. Key words: AI, fertility, Sennar jacks, semen, Ethiopia.
Task Type in Reading Span Tests Matters: An Eye Movement Study*

Reading span tests (RSTs) are commonly used to measure working memory (WM) capacity in L2 research. RSTs require simultaneous processing (secondary task) and storage (primary task) of information. However, the type of the secondary task varies from one study to another. Since syntactic and semantic processing in the L2 might be different, this study examined how the eye movements of late L2 learners changed when RSTs in the L2 involving syntactic accuracy vs. semantic plausibility judgment as the secondary task were administered. The findings indicated that eye movements displayed different patterns in semantically and syntactically anomalous sentences. Additionally, eye movement patterns of the participants were similar to those of native speakers reported in previous L1 (English) research in terms of processing semantic anomaly, but not syntactic inaccuracy.
Scalability of DL_POLY on High Performance Computing Platform

This paper presents a case study on the scalability of several versions of the molecular dynamics code (DL_POLY) performed on South Africa‘s Centre for High Performance Computing e1350 IBM Linux cluster, Sun system and Lengau supercomputers. Within this study different problem sizes were designed and the same chosen systems were employed in order to test the performance of DL_POLY using weak and strong scalability. It was found that the speed-up results for the small systems were better than large systems on both Ethernet and Infiniband network. However, simulations of large systems in DL_POLY performed well using Infiniband network on Lengau cluster as compared to e1350 and Sun supercomputer.
Predicting invasions of North American basses in Japan using native range data and a genetic algorithm

Abstract Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and smallmouth bass M. dolomieu have been introduced into freshwater habitats in Japan, with potentially serious consequences for native fish populations. In this paper we apply the technique of ecological niche modeling using the genetic algorithm for rule-set prediction (GARP) to predict the potential distributions of these two species in Japan. This algorithm constructs a niche model based on point occurrence records and ecological coverages. The model can be visualized in geographic space, yielding a prediction of potential geographic range. The model can then be tested by determining how well independent point occurrence data are predicted according to the criteria of sensitivity and specificity provided by receiver–operator curve analysis. We ground-truthed GARP's ability to forecast the geographic occurrence of each species in its native range. The predictions were statistically significant for both species (P < 0.001). We projected the niche models on.
First Measurement of the 14N/15N Ratio in the Analog of the Sun Progenitor OMC-2 FIR4

We present a complete census of the 14N/15N isotopic ratio in the most abundant N-bearing molecules toward the cold envelope of the protocluster OMC-2 FIR4, the best known Sun progenitor. To this scope, we analyzed the unbiased spectral survey obtained with the IRAM 30 m telescope at 3, 2, and 1 mm. We detected several lines of CN, HCN, HNC, HC3N, N2H+, and their respective 13C and 15N isotopologues. The lines’ relative fluxes are compatible with LTE conditions, and moderate line opacities have been corrected via a population diagram method or theoretical relative intensity ratios of the hyperfine structures. The five species lead to very similar 14N/15N isotopic ratios, without any systematic difference between amine- and nitrile-bearing species as previously found in other protostellar sources. The weighted average of the 14N/15N isotopic ratio is 270 ± 30. This 14N/15N value is remarkably consistent with the [250–350] range measured for the local galactic ratio but significantly differs from the ratio measured in comets (around 140). High-angular resolution observations are needed to examine whether this discrepancy is maintained at smaller scales. In addition, using the CN, HCN, and HC3N lines, we derived a 12C/13C isotopic ratio of 50 ± 5.
Effect of Milk Fat Replacement with Vegetable Oil and/or Whey Protein Concentrate on Microstructure, Texture and Sensory Characteristics of Fresh Soft Cheese

The microstructure, texture and sensory properties of control (full fat) and experimental fresh Tallaga cheeses produced by replacing milk fat with Sunflower Oil (SO) and/or Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC) were investigated. Scanning electron micrographs displayed WPC cheese (total replacement of milk fat with whey protein cheese) with a compact and close network. Also, SO cheese (total replacement of milk fat with sunflower oil) showed a compact network with small uniform oil droplets embedded in the protein matrix, but full fat cheese exhibited an open protein matrix containing milk fat globules of various sizes and forms. Textural tests showed that the WPC cheese was harder, more cohesive, gummier and chewier than those of other experimental cheeses. The cheese with 50% sunflower oil and 25% whey protein concentrate was more acceptable than other experimental cheeses and showed a similar texture and structure to those of fresh full fat Tallaga cheese.
Market Orientation and Organizational Performance: Is Innovation a Missing Link?

In recent years, a market-oriented corporate culture increasingly has been considered a key element of superior corporate performance. Although organizational innovativeness is believed to be a potential mediator of this market orientation–corporate performance relationship, much of the evidence to date remains anecdotal or speculative. In this context, the authors present a systematic framework to test the postulated “market orientation–innovation–performance” chain. To this end, the direct causality assumption of market orientation on organizational performance is examined with Narver and Slater's (1990) market orientation framework. Moreover, the authors take a componentwise approach and examine how the three core components of market orientation (customer orientation, competitor orientation, and interfunctional coordination) affect the two core components of organizational innovativeness (technical versus administrative) en route to affecting corporate performance. Using banking industry data, the authors empirically test and substantiate innovation's mediating role in the market orientation–corporate performance relationship.