Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Common Mechanism of Lignification of Compression Wood in Conifers and Buxus

Woody plants develop a specialized secondary xylem known as reaction wood to enable formation of an ideal shape. Reaction wood in coniferous species is known as compression wood, and that of woody angiosperms as tension wood. However, the genus Buxus which is classified as an angiosperm, forms compression-wood-like reaction wood. We investigated the mechanism of lignification in coniferous compression wood and Buxus reaction wood: 1) Several lignin synthesis genes were upregulated in differentiating reaction wood of Buxus microphylla; 2) B. microphylla possesses a specific laccase gene that is expressed specifically in differentiating reaction wood (BmLac4); 3) laccase activity localization was closely related to lignification of reaction wood, and laccase activity was high in the secondary wall middle layer; 4) in reaction wood cell walls, galactan was present in the outer portion of the secondary wall middle layer, and the level of xylan was reduced. These findings suggest that lignification in B. microphylla reaction wood is identical to that of coniferous compression wood. These may represent general mechanisms of increasing lignin content in various reaction woods.
The effects of the tax mix on inequality and growth

Can reforms that shift the balance among different taxes in the revenue mix lastingly influence the overall prosperity of an economy and the distribution of income across households? The present study takes this question to the data, using the experience of 34 OECD countries over 1980-2014 to assess the effects of changes in the tax structure on the long-term level of average output per capita and the distribution of disposable income across households. Changing the revenue mix while keeping government size constant typically lift long-term output per capita when they involve cuts in the labour tax wedge below or above average incomes, cuts in corporate income taxes or increases in property taxes. The relative-income effects of revenue-neutral reductions in labour tax wedges are broadly in line with intuition: the relative position of those benefitting from them typically improves. In absolute terms, however, nearly all the income distribution benefits from revenue-neutral reductions in labour tax wedges, be they focused on below or average income earners.
Microstructure of Ionomers based on Sulfonated Block Copolymers of Polystyrene and Poly(ethylene-alt-propylene)

Block copolymer ionomers were prepared by lightly sulfonating the polystyrene (PS) blocks of diblock and triblock copolymers of PS and poly(ethylene-alt-propylene) (PEP), followed by neutralization of the sulfonic acid groups with either sodium or zinc. The block copolymers contained between 10 and 50 wt % PS, and as the PS content increased, the mesophase texture varied from PS spheres to hexagonal- close-packed (hcp) PS cylinders to alternating PS and PEP lamellae. The sulfonation level was varied from 1 to 17 mol % of the styrene repeat units, which provided a range of functionalization (NS) of between 2 and 9 sulfonate groups per molecule. The microstructure was analyzed by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). An ion-rich microphase formed within the PS microdomains, and that hindered the development of a well-ordered block texture. Sulfonation of a diblock copolymer containing ca. 20 wt % PS resulted in a transition of the block microphase texture from a hcp to lamellar. The order-to-disorder transition temperature, TODT, of the block copolymer was relatively insensitive to the choice of the cation, and TODT increased as NS increased.
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL FACULDADE DE VETERINÁRIA PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM CIÊNCIAS VETERINÁRIAS IDENTIFICAÇÃO, CARACTERIZAÇÃO E ANÁLISE FILOGENÉTICA DE PESTIVÍRUS EM BOVINOS Autor: MATHEUS NUNES WEBER Orientador: CLÁUDIO WAGECK CANAL Porto Alegre 2013 UNIVERSIDADE

Currently, Brazil is the second largest beef and the sixth milk exporter worldwide. To improve the livestock productivity, it becomes important the applying of appropriate and efficient health programs. Viral diseases are constant concerns on any health program due to major economic losses they cause and their correct diagnosis depends of the development of efficient diagnostic techniques. The genus Pestivirus of the family Flaviviridae, has three recognized species which can infect cattle: the bovine viral diarrhea virus type 1 (BVDV-1), BVDV-2 and border disease virus (BDV), and one atypical species putatively named as BVDV-3. These viruses mainly cause respiratory, digestive and reproductive disturbances in cattle, resulting in decrease of production rates. The goals of the present work were: describe the use of a modified procedure in detecting viral agents that may be present on byproducts utilized in assisted reproduction and describe the pathological and phylogenetic frame of pestivirus detected in an outbreak of disease. The data was presented in two papers. In the first study, pooled follicular fluid collected during oocyte retrieval for in vitro embryo production were selected. The samples were analyzed for BVDV, bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BoHV-1) and 5 (BoHV-5) by virus isolation, RT-PCR and nested PCR, using two extraction protocols for DNA and RNA: a conventional and the other with addition of pre-extraction of nucleic acid step, in order to reduce potential inhibitors of PCR and RT-PCR present in the samples. The use of the prenucleic acid procedure allowed detecting a greater number of positive samples. In the second paper, an outbreak of bovine viral diarrhea virus was described and has been tested by immunohistochemistry, ELISA, virus isolation, RT-PCR and sequencing of three regions of the genome. Four different BVDV-3 samples were obtained and major clinical disturbances were found in the digestive and respiratory systems, but skin lesions and corneal opacity were also observed. The results obtained in the works underscore the need in checking for pathogens in biologicals used in assisted reproduction utilizing sensitive techniques and shows that the disease caused by BVDV-3 in cattle is clinically undistinguishable from those caused by other pestiviruses, suggesting that atypical pestivirus may be underdiagnosed in the Brazilian herds.
Identifying patterns of customer response to price endings

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new approach for the identification of price thresholds, which enables learning true thresholds from previous buying decisions recorded in POS scanner data.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology presented herein combines spline regression with generalized cross‐validation. Classical Chi‐square testing confirms the separation of regimes of the price response function by this methodology. Five propositions concerning the consumers' response to odd pricing in a Western‐type market are evaluated.Findings – Despite the widespread retail practice odd prices are unlikely to flag the actual threshold in consumer response. The term odd price refers to prices with a non‐zero ending in the cent digit, e.g. . 95, . 98 or . 99, which are commonly used in Western‐type markets. Moreover, the simple odd price effects are distinguished from odd‐ending prices with the first number left of the decimal point set to an odd number. The results show that even these price.
VARIATIONS OF THE BICEPS BRACHII MUSCLE IN BRAZILIANS

Address for Correspondence: Carlos Alberto Araujo Chagas, Federal Fluminense University, Rua Professor Ernani Mello, 101, São Domingos Niterói Rio de Janeiro Brazil ZIP CODE 24210-150. Phone: +55 (21) 2629-2335, +55 (21) 98821-0066 E-Mail: chagas@vm.uff. br. Background: The biceps brachii muscle usually has two portions: the long portion, which originates from the supra-supraglenoid tubercle and the short portion that originates from the coracoid process. This study aims to determine the incidence of an accessory head of the biceps and its innervation. Materials and Methods: 74 cadavers were dissected and observed in one year at the Anatomy Laboratory of the Gama Filho University and the Anatomy Laboratory of the Federal Fluminense University. Results: There were variations in 10 cadavers (13,5%), nine of them were male and one were female. We found 8 different types of variations in 14 arms: (1) a biceps with four heads in the right side, where the accessory muscle belly fibers converged to the short portion (1 case); (2) a third head that originated from the lesser tubercle (bilateral); (3) a third portion of humeral origin (5 cases); (4) a third portion originating near the insertion of the pectoralis major muscle and a fourth accessory muscle belly situated near the origin of the short portion and converging to the long portion (bilateral); (5) a case in which a third portion allowed passage of the brachial vessels and the median nerve; (6) a single case where the third head originated from the insertion of the pectoralis major muscle; (7) a case where the third head originated between the pectoralis major and deltoid muscles; (8) the long portion originated near the insertion of the deltoid muscle (1 case). All reported cases were innervated by the musculocutaneous nerve. Conclusions: We believe that the biceps brachii muscle is not as variable as reported in the literature and some of these variations may be clinically significant.
The Effect of Ownership Structure on Share Price Volatility of Listed Companies in Tehran Stock Exchange: An Empirical Evidence of Iran

The subject of corporate governance has played an important role in determining the fate of the company, and its observing or non-observing has a direct effect on the operation of the company. The purpose of this research is the analysis of the effects of different aspects of ownership structure (shareholders structure) like individual or institutional, internal or external, being focused or disseminated of the shareholders on the share price volatility of listed companies in TSE. In this research "Shareholders structure" is considered as the independent variable and "Share Price Volatility" as the dependant variable. The results of this research indicate the price of shares of the companies whose more percentage of shares are held by their greatest shareholders may have more volatility and the share price volatility of the companies that the more percentage of their shares is hold by individual shareholders is lower. It should be noted that the measure of ownership of five greater shareholders and institutional shareholders and members of the board of directors might not show any solution for investors interested in share price volatility.
The Application of Cretaceous Clay Minerals of Mjez El Beb (North-Western Tunisia) in Ceramic Industry

The Cretaceous clays of north-western Tunisia have been studied for their use in the traditional ceramic industry (bricks, tiles and pottery). Mineralogical, chemical, thermal analyses, technological proprieties and grain size distribution were carried out on clay samples collected from Jebel El Moura (BM section) and kef Lasfar-Oued El Jebs (MK section) in the locality of Mjez el Beb. The results showed that these clay minerals are represented mainly by kaolinite associated with illite and smectite. Quartz, calcite, feldspars and hematite were also detected as accessory minerals in the whole rock. The amount silica is convenient for the manufacture of ceramic products. So the prepared mixtures were made without admixture of any variety of silicate. The technology tests revealed that the modelled products had small shrinkage during drying and firing, and a high bending strength. For this reason, the clay mixtures were made without admixture of quartz or any other component. As a result, Mjez el Beb clays have high qualities necessary for the manufacture of tiles and ceramic bricks.
Contribution of the WNK1 kinase to corneal wound healing using the tissue‐engineered human cornea as an in vitro model

Damage to the corneal epithelium triggers important changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) to which basal human corneal epithelial cells (hCECs) attach. These changes are perceived by integrin receptors that activate different intracellular signalling pathways, ultimately leading to re‐epithelialization of the injured epithelium. In this study, we investigated the impact of pharmacological inhibition of specific signal transduction mediators on corneal wound healing using both monolayers of hCECs and the human tissue‐engineered cornea (hTEC) as an in vitro 3D model. RNA and proteins were isolated from the wounded and unwounded hTECs to conduct gene profiling analyses and protein kinase arrays. The impact of WNK1 inhibition was evaluated on the wounded hTECs as well as on hCECs monolayers using a scratch wound assay. Gene profiling and protein kinase arrays revealed that expression and activity of several mediators from the integrin‐dependent signaling pathways were altered in response to the ECM changes occurring during corneal wound healing. Phosphorylation of the WNK1 kinase turned out to be the most striking activation event going on during this process. The inhibition of WNK1 by WNK463 reduced the rate of corneal wound closure in both the hTEC and hCECs grown in monolayer compared with their respective negative controls. WNK463 also reduced phosphorylation of the WNK1 downstream targets SPAK/OSR1 in wounded hTECs. These in vitro results allowed for a better understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in corneal wound healing and identified WNK1 as a kinase important to ensure proper wound healing of the cornea.
Examining the Effects of Leadership, Market Orientation and Leader Member Exchange (LMX) on Organisational Performance

Building upon customer value theory, it is important to understand customers’ needs and to create customer value in order to stay competitive in business. In spite of an increasing trend in researching customer value, no known researches in the past have examined the constructs as to how market orientation and leadership can affect organizational performance. Market orientation and leadership were conceptualized as 3- and 2- dimensional constructs, respectively. 184 Malaysian companies participated in this study as it attempted to add to the limited research and tried to bridge the gap between leadership style, market orientation and organizational performance. The analysis has shown that different market orientation components had various impacts on organizational performance. Implications of the findings, potential limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed further. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.ee. 26.4. 7656
Changes in indices of physical capacity, coordination, psychomotor activity and selected psychological traits in the driver after preparation to the Dakar Rally

Background & Study Aim: Extreme physical effort and psychical strain are observed during car rallies. Special training is necessary to improve the chances of a success in the sport. The aim of this study was monitoring of specified indicators from perspective of a possible correction of training during several months of driver preparation for the Dakar Rally. Material & Methods: Individual case study involved characterization of a training of a driver before the 2014 Dakar Rally, repeated physiological tests (aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, reaction to thermal stress), psychomotor tests (coordination motor abilities), psychological tests (temperament, personality, motivation, fear). Analysis of competitive effectiveness was carried out based on official documents of the rally and structured interview with the participant. Results: We found the desired improvement in capacity induced by the specific training. We also observed substantial im provement in balance and results obtained in visual-motor coordination tests performed with non-dominant limb, which caused equalization of the asymmetry occurring between the left and right limbs. The account of the rally’s participant reveals the importance of psychological preparation for events with extreme character. Conclusions: Since some weaknesses in physical fitness preparation of the driver were found during the first series of the exam inations, the driver was administered a comprehensive training plan that improved important indices of aerobic capacity, aspects of coordination and psychological variables expected in racing drivers. From the practical standpoint, training and monitoring of its effectiveness in the next preparatory periods should be continued.
Enhanced shape memory and superelasticity in small-volume ceramics: a perspective on the controlling factors

Shape memory ceramics show potential for energy damping and actuation applications. In particular, small-scale structures of zirconia-based ceramics demonstrate significantly enhanced shape memory and superelastic properties compared with their bulk counterparts, mainly because an oligocrystalline or single-crystal microscale structure reduces mismatch stresses amongst grains. In this Prospective article, we review recent experiments that explore the shape memory properties of small-scale zirconia-based ceramics, including the effects of composition, sample and grain size, and cyclic loading. These factors are reviewed with an eye toward rendering shape memory ceramics more useful in future applications.
Restoring Beaches for Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus): A Classification and Regression Tree Analysis of Nest‐Site Selection

To effectively restore wildlife habitat, ecological research must be easily translated into practical design criteria. Clear directives from research can support arguments that promote more appropriate restoration strategies. For the federally threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus), beach stabilization practices often accelerate the degradation of suitable breeding habitat and could be revised to provide more advantageous conditions. Several studies of piping plover habitat selection have been conducted, yet useful and detailed design directives remain undeveloped. In this study, we use classification and regression tree analysis to (1) identify microhabitat characteristics and important variable interactions leading to nest establishment and (2) develop target, trigger, and threshold values for use in effective design and adaptive management of piping plover habitat. We found that nests primarily occur in three distinct habitat conditions defined by percent shell and pebble cover, vegetative cover, and distance to nearest dunes and the high tide line. Nest‐site characteristics vary depending on where in the landscape a nest is initiated (backshore, overwash fan, or primary dune). We translate these results into the following pragmatic target design parameters: (1) vegetative cover: less than 10% (backshore), 13% (primary dune); (2) shell/pebble cover: 17–18%; (3) dune height: ≤1.1 m; and (4) dune slope: ≤13%. We also recommend threshold values for adaptive management to maintain habitat that is attractive to plovers. This technique can be applied to many other wildlife habitat restorations. Future studies on niche parameters driving chick survival are necessary to realize the full potential of habitat restoration in increasing overall reproductive success.
The basal phylogeny of Scarabaeoidea (Insecta : Coleoptera) inferred from larval morphology

Larvae of 60 genera representing the following families and subfamilies of Scarabaeoidea were studied and analysed phylogenetically: Lucanidae (Aesalinae, Nicaginae, Syndesinae, Lampriminae, Lucaninae), Passalidae (Passalinae, Aulacocyclinae), Trogidae, Pleocomidae, Geotrupidae (Taurocerastinae, Lethrinae, Geotrupinae), Bolboceratidae, Ceratocanthidae, Hybosoridae, Glaphyridae, Scarabaeidae (Aphodiinae, Scarabaeinae, Melolonthinae, Dynastinae, Cetoniinae). Seventy-eight larval morphological characters were employed in the analysis. Our data confirm that Dascillidae are not closely related to Scarabaeoidea. The monophyly of the superfamily is supported by 20 apomorphic character states, 18 of them unique. Monophyly of the following scarabaeoid clades is supported (with the number of larval synapomorphies followed by the bootstrap value in parentheses): Scarabaeoidea without Passalidae (6/67), Passalidae (9/100), Pleocomidae (11/93), Trogidae (8/93), Glaphyridae (10/96), Lucanidae (9/95), Ceratocanthidae + Hybosoridae (5/74), Scarabaeinae (9/98). The family Ceratocanthidae was found to be paraphyletic with respect to Hybosoridae. Monophyly of the family Scarabaeidae is not supported. The resolution of the basal parts of the strict consensus tree is higher when using Dascillidae + Eulichadidae v. Agyrtidae + Helophoridae as an outgroup, but the differences in topology become insignificant after bootstrapping. It is suggested that larval morphology alone is not an adequate tool to address basal relationships of Scarabaeoidea and a total evidence analysis should be performed.
THE EFFECT OF THE OWNERSHIP AND THE GLOBAL CRISIS ON THE INCOME DIVERSIFICATION OF INDONESIAN BANKS

This paper examines the effect of the ownership and the global crisis on income diversification of Indonesian Banks during the period of 2005 to 2012. We distinguish the income into traditional and non-traditional, where the latter is raised from non-traditional activities, such as service commission, trading revenue, insurance fee, etc. We also distinguish the types of ownership when applying the pooled estimation technique. The result shows the ownership does not affect the income diversification of Indonesian banks. Furthermore, public ownership affects the non-traditional incomes negatively, while foreign ownership effect is positive. This paper finds no evidence about the effect of the global crisis on income diversification of Indonesian banks. Keywords : Income diversification, ownership, global crisis, Indonesian banks. JEL Classification : G01, G15, G21
Carbon cycle data assimilation with a generic phenology model

Photosynthesis by terrestrial plants is the main driver of the global carbon cycle, and the presence of actively photosynthesizing vegetation can now be observed from space. However, challenges remain when translating remotely sensed data into carbon fluxes. One reason is that the Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR), which documents the presence of photosynthetically active vegetation, relates more directly to leaf development and leaf phenology than to photosynthetic rates. Here, we present a new approach for linking FAPAR and vegetation-to-atmosphere carbon fluxes through variational data assimilation. The scheme extends the Carbon Cycle Data Assimilation System (CCDAS) by a newly developed, globally applicable and generic leaf phenology model, which includes both temperature and water-driven leaf development. CCDAS is run for seven sites, six of them included in the FLUXNET network. Optimization is carried out simultaneously for all sites against 20 months of daily FAPAR from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer on board the European Space Agency's ENVISAT platform. Fourteen parameters related to phenology and 24 related to photosynthesis are optimized simultaneously, and their posterior uncertainties are computed. We find that with one parameter set for all sites, the model is able to reproduce the observed FAPAR spanning boreal, temperate, humid-tropical, and semiarid climates. Assimilation of FAPAR has led to reduced uncertainty (by >10%) of 10 of the 38 parameters, including one parameter related to photosynthesis, and a moderate reduction in net primary productivity uncertainty. The approach can easily be extended to regional or global studies and to the assimilation of further remotely sensed data. (Less)