Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
H 19 and Igf 2 monoallelic expression is regulated in two distinct ways by a shared cis acting regulatory region upstream of H 19

H19 and Igf2 are expressed in a monoallelic fashion from the maternal and paternal chromosomes, respectively. A region upstream of H19 has been shown to regulate such imprinted expression of both genes in cis. We have taken advantage of a loxP/cre recombinase-based strategy to delete this region in mice in a conditional manner to determine the temporal requirement of the upstream region in initiating and maintaining the imprinted expression of H19 and Igf2. Analysis of allele-specific expression of H19 and Igf2 and DNA methylation at the H19 promoter demonstrates that this region controls the monoallelic expression of the two genes in different ways, suggesting that it harbors two functionally distinct regulatory elements. Continued presence of the region is required to silence maternal Igf2 in accordance with its proposed role as an insulator. However, it does not have a direct role in keeping the paternal H19 promoter silenced. Instead, on the paternal chromosome, the upstream element mediates epigenetic modifications of the H19 promoter region during development, leading to transcriptional silencing of H19. Thereafter, its presence is redundant for preventing transcription. Presently, this temporal requirement of the silencing element appears to be a unique cis activity in the mammalian system. However, it is likely that other cis-acting elements, positive and negative, have the ability to effect stable changes in the chromatin structure and are not constantly required to give signals to the transcriptional machinery.
The Impact of Internet and ICT Use among SME Agribusiness Growers and Producers

Abstract Much of the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) research examining adoption and use of Internet and information and communication technologies (ICT) has argued that firms adopt and use the Internet-related ICTs to different extents depending on firm size, industry type and CEO education. To understand these issues most studies to date consider firms across industry sectors. The results though are mixed, implying the need to investigate industry-specific issues. While some SME ICT studies do target single industries, only a small percentage target agricultural firms. The study presented here surveyed SME farm operators in a nazrow set of grower/producer sectors. Results indicate wide use of computers and the Internet, especially for functions like email, online purchasing, and online business-related reseazch. Website ownership is less widespread. Results suggest that larger SMEs are more likely smaller ones to adopt some ICTs. The study also surveyed the firms regazding their use of newer social technologies like instant messaging, chat, blogs, etc. Perceptions of ICT benefits and reasons for not investing in ICTs are explained Implications for future reseazch and farm operators are also discussed.
Service providers and customers: social exchange theory and service loyalty

Purpose – This paper extends Lawler's argument (in “An affect theory of social exchange”) that social exchanges can create a sense of shared responsibility to service settings, and predict that inseparability produces customer perceptions of shared responsibility for service outcomes, resulting in greater emotions. When emotions are positive, there should be increased loyalty to the service provider.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was used to obtain cross‐sectional data pertaining to our model's constructs: inseparability, shared responsibility, emotional response, and service loyalty. A structural equation model evaluated the strength of relationships between these constructs.Findings – Support was found for the predicted relationships between inseparability and shared responsibility, shared responsibility and emotions, and emotions and service loyalty.Research limitations/implications – Inseparability and shared responsibility have not been measured before, and more research is needed to v.
Dependence of channel electric field on device scaling

It has been shown previously that the maximum channel electric field E<inf>m</inf>in a MOSFET is the most important parameter relating to all hot-electron effects and that E<inf>m</inf>can be represented as (<tex>V_{DS} - V_{DSAT})/l</tex>, where<tex>l</tex>may be regarded as the effective length of the velocity-saturation region. The dependence of l on device geometries and process parameters is investigated in this letter. From both experiment and two-dimensional (2-D) simulation, it is found that E<inf>m</inf>has a form of (<tex>V_{DS} - V_{DSAT})/ 0.22T\min{ox}\max{1/3}X\min{j}\max{1/2}</tex>. Channel length affects the saturation voltage, thus influencing the maximum channel electric field. The scaling of oxide thickness and junction depth, however, often has even greater effects on channel field. This semiempirical model of E<inf>m</inf>agrees with E<inf>m</inf>deduced from I<inf>SUB</inf>within about 5 percent; it can predict I<inf>SUB</inf>, which has been empirically correlated with hot-electron degradations.
Applying data mining methods to tourist loyalty intentions in the international tourist hotel sector

aDepartment of leisure and Recreation Management, Chihlee University of technology, no. 313, Sec. 1, Wunhua Rd., Banciao District, new taipei City 22050, taiwan, RoC; bDepartment of transportation and logistics Management, national Chiao tung University, 4F, 114 Chung Hsiao W. Rd., Sec. 1, taipei 10012, taiwan, RoC; cDepartment of travel Management, national Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and tourism, 81271 no.1, Songhe Rd., Xiaogang Dist. , Kaohsiung City, taiwan, RoC; dDepartment of international Business Administration, Chinese Culture University, 55, Hwa-Kang Road, Yang-Ming-Shan, taipei 11114, taiwan, RoC; eDepartment of Hospitality Management, University of Missouri, 122 Eckles Hall, Columbia, Mo 65211, USA
Effects of structural complexity on within-canopy light environments and leaf traits in a northern mixed deciduous forest

Canopy structure influences forest productivity through its effects on the distribution of radiation and the light-induced changes in leaf physiological traits. Due to the difficulty of accessing and measuring forest canopies, few field-based studies have quantitatively linked these divergent scales of canopy functioning. The objective of our study was to investigate how canopy structure affects light profiles within a forest canopy and whether leaves of mature trees adjust morphologically and biochemically to the light environments characteristic of canopies with different structural complexity. We used a combination of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data and hemispherical photographs to quantify canopy structure and light environments, respectively, and a telescoping pole to sample leaves. Leaf mass per area (LMA), nitrogen on an area basis (Narea) and chlorophyll on a mass basis (Chlmass) were measured in red maple (Acer rubrum), american beech (Fagus grandifolia), white pine (Pinus strobus), and northern red oak (Quercus rubra) at different heights in plots with similar leaf area index but contrasting canopy complexity (rugosity). We found that more complex canopies had greater porosity and reduced light variability in the midcanopy while total light interception was unchanged relative to less complex canopies. Leaf phenotypes of F. grandifolia, Q. rubra and P. strobus were more sun-acclimated in the midstory of structurally complex canopies while leaf phenotypes of A. rubrum were more shade-acclimated (lower LMA) in the upper canopy of more complex stands, despite no differences in total light interception. Broadleaf species showed further differences in acclimation with increased Narea and reduced Chlmass in leaves with higher LMA, while P. strobus showed no change in Narea and Chlmass with higher LMA. Our results provide new insight on how light distribution and leaf acclimation in mature trees might be altered when natural and anthropogenic disturbances cause structural changes in the canopy.
Nematicidal activity of (E,E)-2,4-decadienal and (E)-2-decenal from Ailanthus altissima against Meloidogyne javanica.

Methanol extracts of various plant parts of Ailanthus altissima were tested against the root knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica . Extracts of bark (ABE), wood (AWE), roots (ARE), and leaves (ALE) from A. altissima were investigated against freshly hatched second-stage juveniles (J(2)). AWE was the most active extract, with EC(50/3d) of 58.9 mg/L, while ALE, ARE, and ABE did not show nematicidal activity. The chemical composition of the extracts of A. altissima was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, (E)-2-undecenal, (E)-2-decenal, hexanal, nonanal, and furfural were the most prominent constituents. (E,E)-2,4-Decadienal, (E)-2-decenal, and furfural showed the highest nematicidal activity against M. javanica , with EC(50/1d) = 11.7, 20.43, and 21.79 mg/L, respectively, while the other compounds were inactive at the concentrations tested. The results obtained showed that AWE and its constituents (E,E)-2,4-decadienal and (E)-2-decenal could be considered as potent botanical nematicidal agents.
The monosynaptic excitatory connections of single trigeminal interneurones to the V motor nucleus of the rat.

1. We have used the extracellular spike‐triggered averaging method to identify a population of trigeminal interneurones that make monosynaptic connections within the V motor nucleus. The experiments were performed on rats anaesthetized with pentobarbitone (60 mg/kg I.V.; supplementary doses given as necessary to maintain a deep level of anaesthesia). 2. A tungsten microelectrode (tip exposure of some 200 microns) was inserted into the masseter motoneurone pool to allow recording of extracellular activity. A glass electrode filled with DL‐homocysteic acid was used to make simultaneous extracellular recordings of the firing of single neurones in the region immediately caudal to the motor nucleus. 3. Fifty‐eight out of 166 interneurones tested gave unitary extracellular fields in the motor nucleus. The responses consisted of a terminal spike (presynaptic spike) followed by a negative field of duration approximately 3 ms and amplitude 0.4‐10.8 microV. The mean latency between the positive peak of the terminal spike and the onset of the field (synaptic delay) was 0.43 ms (S.D. = 0.10 ms), and the mean latency from the onset of the interneurone spike to the positive peak of the presynaptic spike was 0.35 ms (S.D. = 0.22 ms). Thus the interneurones project directly to the motor nucleus where they then make monosynaptic connections. 4. The negative extracellular fields were taken to reflect an excitatory synaptic input onto neurones within the motor nucleus. The fields were of maximum amplitude at the point of maximum masseter motoneurone antidromic field, suggesting that the connection may be onto elevator motoneurones. 5. The location of the interneurone appeared to the main factor governing the likelihood of obtaining a field. Interneurones located more than 400 microns from the caudal border of the motor nucleus rarely produced fields whereas most of those located within this distance gave fields. This pattern of distribution is strikingly similar to that of trigeminal interneurones labelled by the transneuronal transport of wheatgerm agglutinin‐horseradish peroxidase after an intramuscular injection of the tracer into the masseter muscle. We suggest that this provides electrophysiological support for the suggestion that the tracer does indeed label interneurones by means of retrograde transsynaptic transport.
Audiological status in patients with cleft lip and palate at Srinagarind Hospital.

OBJECTIVE To determine the audiological status in patients with cleft lip and palate. STUDY DESIGN A descriptive retrospective study. MATERIAL AND METHOD Data were retrieved from hospital records of 234 patients with cleft lip and palate and cleft palate who underwent hearing assessment between June 2007 and September 2010 at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University. Descriptive data of the audiological evaluation were presented. RESULTS Unilateral or bilateral hearing loss at the first hearing assessment was encountered among 186 patients (79.49%). Among these, 165 (88.71%) had bilateral conductive hearing loss and 16 (8.6%) had unilateral conductive hearing loss. The degree of hearing loss was greatest to a moderate degree in 181 (50.84%) ears. Most tympanometric evaluations presented with type B (335 ears or 72.67%). The age of the patient was significantly correlated with audiological status. CONCLUSION The current study showed that there is a high prevalence of hearing impairment among patients with cleft lip and palate and cleft palate. Therefore, routine audiological assessment should be performed as early as possible, especially among children. Further prospective investigation of the prevalence of hearing loss in children with cleft lip and palate and cleft palate should be considered, and endorsed as a national healthcare policy priority in order to raise awareness and to prevent hearing loss among these children.
Born Leaders: The Relative-Age Effect and Managerial Success

This paper shows that the time of year of a person's birth is an important factor in the likelihood they become a CEO, and conditional on becoming a CEO, on the performance of the firms they manage. Based on a sample of 321 CEOs of S&P 500 companies from 1992 to 2006 we find that (1) the number of CEOs born in the summer is disproportionately small, and (2) firms with CEOs born in the summer have higher market valuation than firms headed by non-summer-born CEOs. Furthermore, an investment strategy that bought firms with CEOs born in the summer and sold firms with CEOs born in other seasons would have earned an abnormal return of 8.32 percent per year during the sample period. Our evidence is consistent with the so-called "relative-age effect" due to school admissions grouping together children with age differences up to one year, with summer-born children being younger than their non-summer-born classmates. The relative-age effect has been demonstrated in numerous sporting and other contexts to last to adulthood and to favor older children within a school grade. Those younger children who nevertheless succeed by overcoming their disadvantage have to be particularly capable within their cohort. Together, the advantage enjoyed by older children and the particularly high capability of successful young children explain the statistically and economically significant findings.
Genome-Scale Phylogeny of the Alphavirus Genus Suggests a Marine Origin

ABSTRACT The genus Alphavirus comprises a diverse group of viruses, including some that cause severe disease. Using full-length sequences of all known alphaviruses, we produced a robust and comprehensive phylogeny of the Alphavirus genus, presenting a more complete evolutionary history of these viruses compared to previous studies based on partial sequences. Our phylogeny suggests the origin of the alphaviruses occurred in the southern oceans and spread equally through the Old and New World. Since lice appear to be involved in aquatic alphavirus transmission, it is possible that we are missing a louse-borne branch of the alphaviruses. Complete genome sequencing of all members of the genus also revealed conserved residues forming the structural basis of the E1 and E2 protein dimers.
Validation and description of Symbiodinium microadriaticum, the type species of Symbiodinium (Dinophyta)

It has been 55 years since Hugo Freudenthal described Symbiodinium microadriaticum (Dinophyceae), the type species of this large and important dinoflagellate genus found commonly in mutualistic symbiosis with cnidarians, other invertebrates, and certain protists. However, no type specimen was designated by Freudenthal, thus S. microadriaticum was invalid, as was Symbiodinium and every species subsequently assigned to the genus. The original culture was lost, but since 1979, a different culture, CCMP2464/rt‐061, had been considered to represent S. microadriaticum. From this culture, a preserved specimen is herein designated the holotype of S. microadriaticum, validating the binomial and Symbiodinium. All binary designations previously considered to belong in Symbiodinium also are validated herein.
Comprehensive Analysis of Random Telegraph Noise Instability and Its Scaling in Deca–Nanometer Flash Memories

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation of random telegraph noise (RTN) in deca-nanometer Flash memories, considering both the nor and the nand architecture. The statistical distribution of the threshold voltage instability is analyzed in detail, evidencing that the slope of its exponential tails is the critical parameter determining the scaling trend for RTN. By means of 3-D TCAD simulations, the slope is shown to be the result of cell geometry, atomistic substrate doping, and random placement of traps over the cell active area. Finally, the slope dependence on cell geometry (width, length, and oxide thickness), doping, and bias conditions is summarized in a powerful formula that is able to predict the RTN instabilities in deca-nanometer Flash memories.
Bone mineral-osteon analysis of Yupik-Inupiaq skeletons.

Living adult Eskimos from St. Lawrence Island, North Alaska, and Canada undergo an earlier and more rapid rate of age-related bone mineral loss compared to U.S. whites. Further, it has been shown that Eskimos and Indians differ in patterns of osteon remodeling at the Haversian envelope. Femoral bone cores from adult Eskimos skeletons from St. Lawrence Island (n = 53), Kodiak Island (n = 92), Baffin Island (n = 44), and Southampton Island (n = 69) were analyzed and the results compared with those obtained from cores from U.S. whites (n = 144). Cortical thickness, bone mineral content of cores, cortical bone density, secondary osteon and Haversian canal number and area were quantified for each core. Ages at death were estimated by histological methods and compared with the ages at death estimated by morphological methods for the Eskimo skeletons. Known ages at death were compared with histologically estimated ages at death for the U.S. white series. St. Lawrence Island and Kodiak Island (Yupik speakers) Eskimo cortical thickness values were significantly (P less than .05) greater than Baffin Island and Southampton Island (Inupiaq speakers) Eskimos cortical thickness values but less than the cortical thickness values for U.S. whites. The bone mineral content of the Southampton Eskimos femoral cores was the lowest found in this study. Histological analysis of the femoral bone sections showed that Eskimos contain more osteons per unit area than U.S. whites. No differences in osteon size were noted between the two populations. Differences in patterns of osteon remodeling between Eskimos and whites were inferred. Age at death estimation by histological methods in Eskimos using U.S. white regression equations yielded age estimates in poor agreement with those obtained by morphological methods.
Multimodal Indices to Japanese and French Prosodically Expressed Social Affects

Whereas several studies have explored the expression of emotions, little is known on how the visual and audio channels are combined during production of what we call the more controlled social affects, for example, “attitudinal” expressions. This article presents a perception study of the audovisual expression of 12 Japanese and 6 French attitudes in order to understand the contribution of audio and visual modalities for affective communication. The relative importance of each modality in the perceptual decoding of the expressions of four speakers is analyzed as a first step towards a deeper comprehension of their influence on the expression of social affects. Then, the audovisual productions of two speakers (one for each language) are acoustically (F0, duration and intensity) and visually (in terms of Action Units) analyzed, in order to match the relation between objective parameters and listeners' perception of these social affects. The most pertinent objective features, either acoustic or visual, are then discussed, in a bilingual perspective: for example, the relative influence of fundamental frequency for attitudinal expression in both languages is discussed, and the importance of a certain aspect of the voice quality dimension in Japanese is underlined.
Farmers’ participation in agri‐environmental schemes in Greece

The present paper examines the factors influencing the farmers’ uptake of agri‐environmental measures. Empirical evidence from Thessaly, a prefecture in central Greece where the first agri‐environmental measures in Greece were applied, shows that several factors can affect the farmers’ decision to participate. These factors refer mainly to the socio‐economic and farm characteristics of the surveyed farmers. Agricultural education/training of the farmers, the farm’s economic size, participation by neighbors or relatives, age and general education, can influence participation in the agri‐environmental measures, and more precisely in the Nitrate Reduction program. These variables were found also to be the main factors responsible for the extent of participation in terms of land allocation.
Customer choice of self‐service technology: the roles of situational influences and past experience

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore situational influences on customers' actual choice between self‐service and personal service and to examine the impact of past experiences on self‐service technology (SST) attitudes and behavior.Design/methodology/approach – A supermarket self‐checkout machine is the SST under investigation. A mixed qualitative research design was used and a total of 209 observations and 47 interviews were obtained from customers in five supermarket stores in Australia.Findings – Perceived waiting time, perceived task complexity, and companion influence are the three situational factors that impact on a customer's actual choice between self‐service and personal service. Past experiences influence SST attitudes and behavior in a more complex manner than SST characteristics and other individual difference variables.Research limitations/implications – The findings may not be generalizable to internet‐ or telephone‐based SST contexts.Practical implications – By understanding w.