Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Central Bank of Nigeria Contemporary Monetary Policy and Banks Profitability: An ARDL Approach

This study examines effects of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) monetary policy on the profitability of commercial banks in Nigeria. The study was based on country aggregate level annual data that covered a period of 35 years, 1980-2014. Methodologically, the study use a multivariate regression analysis under an econometric framework. The results show that monetary policy rate, cash reserve ratio and exchange rate annually, cause a long and short run increase on banks profitability, while, treasury bill rate and liquidity ratio annually, cause a long and short run decrease on banks profitability. Also, this study revealed that the long run impacts of the CBN monetary policy on banks profitability are similar to the short run impacts. The implication of the findings suggests that the profitability of the banking sector is not a function of banks charges through high lending rates as against maximum rates as their circumstances may allow only, but also, changes in monetary policy This study therefore recommends that, monetary authorities should adopt monetary policies that will help Nigerian deposit money banks to improve on their profitability and there is need to review and strengthen bank lending rate policies through effective and efficient regulation and supervisory framework. JEL classification numbers: E51, G21, C32
A comparative study on the plant odour preferences and learning ability of three solitary endoparaditoids of "Spodoptera" species

Behavioural assays to study insect attraction to specific odours are tedious, time consuming and often require large numbers of replications. Olfactometer and flight tunnel tests can usually only be conducted with one or two odour sources at a time. Moreover, chemical information on the odour sources has to be obtained in separate analytical studies. An olfactometer was developed in which six odours can be tested simultaneously for their relative attractiveness while during the assays, part of each test odour can be trapped for further analyses. The effectiveness of this six-arm olfactometer was tested by observing the responses of the solitary endoparasitoid Cotesia marginiventris (Cresson) to host-induced odours from young maize plants. For statistical analyses, we used log-linear models were adapted to account for overdispersion and possible positional biases. Female wasps responded extremely well in tests where they were offered a single odour source, as well as in tests with multiple choices. The responses of wasps released in groups were the same as those released individually and it was found that females did not attract or repel each other, but males preferred arms in which females had been released. Dose–response tests with varying numbers of plants or host larvae on plants revealed that the wasps responded in a dose-related manner, thus showing that the system is well suited to measure relative preference. The clear choices of the insects amongst six possibilities provided substantial statistical power. Gas chromatographic analyses of sampled air revealed clean and effective odour trapping, which largely facilitates the comparison of results from behavioural assays with the actual blends of volatiles that were emitted by the various odour sources. Advantages and disadvantages compared to other methods are discussed.
Fine Mapping of qroot-yield-1.06, a QTL for Root, Plant Vigor and Yield in Maize

Root-yield-1.06 is a major QTL affecting root system architecture (RSA) and other agronomic traits in maize. The effect of this QTL has been evaluated with the development of near isogenic lines (NILs) differing at the QTL position. The objective of this study was to fine map qroot-yield-1.06 by marker-assisted searching for chromosome recombinants in the QTL interval and concurrent root phenotyping in both controlled and field conditions, through successive generations. Complementary approaches such as QTL meta-analysis and RNA-seq were deployed in order to help prioritizing candidate genes within the QTL target region. Using a selected group of genotypes, field based root analysis by ‘shovelomics’ enabled to accurately collect RSA information of adult maize plants. Shovelomics combined with software-assisted root imaging analysis proved to be an informative and relatively highly automated phenotyping protocol. A QTL interval mapping was conducted using a segregating population at the seedling stage grown in controlled environment. Results enabled to narrow down the QTL interval and to identify new polymorphic markers for MAS in field experiments. A collection of homozygous recombinant NILs was developed by screening segregating populations with markers flanking qroot-yield-1.06. A first set of lines from this collection was phenotyped based on the adapted shovelomics protocol. QTL analysis based on these data highlighted an interval of 1.3 Mb as completely linked with the target QTL but, a larger safer interval of 4.1 Mb was selected for further investigations. QTL meta-analysis allows to synthetize information on root QTLs and two mQTLs were identified in the qroot-yield-1.06 interval. Trascriptomics analysis based on RNA-seq data of the two contrasting QTL-NILs, confirmed alternative haplotypes at chromosome bin 1.06. qroot-yield-1.06 has now been delimited to a 4.1-Mb interval, and thanks to the availability of additional untested homozygous recombinant NILs, the potentially achievable mapping resolution at qroot-yield-1.06 is c. 50 kb.
SISTEMA DE CRUZAMIENTO EN CUATRO POBLACIONES NATURALES DE Pinus greggii ENGELM. MATING SYSTEM IN FOUR NATURAL POPULATIONS OF Pinus greggii ENGELM.

In order to evaluate the reproductive system in Pinus greggii Engelm and its role on the structure of genetic diversity within populations, the mating system of this species was analyzed through isozyme markers in this research. To evaluate the effect of population size and density, and the presence of other tree species on the percentage of cross pollination (t) of the species, four populations contrasting in these attributes were evaluated: El Madrono, Qro. , Xochicoatlan, Hgo. , Las Placetas, N. L. , and Puerto San Juan, Coah. The estimated value of t ($ ) tm was above 0.90 in all four populations with no significant differences (p>0.05) among them. Allelic frequencies in the pollen pool indicated adequate movement in three populations, favoring intermating among trees. Mating pattern in P. greggii was not affected by population size and density, or by the presence of other tree species in the populations. Multilocus estimates ($ ) tm differed significantly from single-locus estimates ($ ) ts in two populations, indicating that a family structure exists in those populations, favoring mating between relatives. The paternity correlation coefficient (rp) varied between 0.43 and 0.95 among populations; so, there are large differences in the number of trees providing pollen and in neighborhood size in each population. The implications of these results on the silvicultural management of natural populations of this species are discussed.
Optimizing Organoleptic Properties of Drinking Yoghurt Incorporated with Modified Kithul (Caryota urens) Flour as a Stabilizer and Evaluating Its Quality during Storage

The property of hydration which may function to provide water control by thickening and gelling is the special feature of the kithul flour. This property was used for drinking yoghurt to improve the texture which could be used as an alternative stabilizer for vegetarians. With view this intention this study was focused to improve the recipe for drinking yoghurt with suitable concentration which combined with a better process. Further it was aimed to make appropriate hydration and suitable flour concentration (0.5% and 1%) which gain most agreeable condition on textural and sensory characteristics of final drinking yoghurt product. Physicochemical and sensory attributes for different periods of time (initial, 7th and 14th days) of developed formulation were analyzed. it is concluded that 1% of pre-gelatinized (75o C for 5 minutes) modified kithul flour (Caryota urens) with process for 24 hours refrigeration condition was selected as the best process to maintain most preferable texture condition for drinking yoghurt . Finally, it is also recorded that developed drinking yoghurt could be stored up to 7 days with 242 ppm of potassium sorbate at 4o C storage. Keywords: drinking yoghurt, kithul flour, modified starch, stabilizer
Formation and disappearance of thermal stratification in a small shallow lake

In closed water bodies which the inflow and outflow are usually small, vertical transportation based on the formation of water temperature stratification, the problem of water quality pollution due to the inhibition of mixing easily occur, especially the problems become serious in shallow water bodies. The main reasons that drive the formation and disappearance of water temperature stratification are mechanical disturbance caused by the acting of wind, or solar radiation in daytime, thermal disturbance due to radiational cooling at night. Clarifying the processes of formation and disappearance of stratification response to these two kinds of distur- bance is very important for management and improvement of the environment in the water bodies. So, in this research, a shallow closed water body with the overgrowth of aquatic plants was targeted for field observation and quantitative discussion on the processes of formation and disappearance of the thermal stratification.
Diversity and conservation threats of water birds in and around Barandabhar corridor forest, Chitwan, Nepal

Wetlands provide major ecological services for feeding and breeding places of a large number of water birds in many parts of the globe and also play a vital role in conservation of threatened species. Wetlands in Nepal support a total of 27% of nationally threatened birds. Barandabhar forest is only one vertical (south-north) bio-corridor that links two different ecosystems, CNP and the Mahabharat hill range. Eight wetlands were selected for water birds monitoring by using area search and point count methods to explore the diversity and conservation threats of water birds in Barandabhar corridor forest. This study recorded 3664 individuals of water birds belonging to 54 species, 11 orders and 13 families in which the highest numbers of the species were belonged to order Passeriformes (17 species). The diversity of water birds in eight different wetlands showed the highest diversity in Rapti river (H= 3.403), followed by Beeshazari lakesystem (H= 3.401), Batulpokari lake area (H= 3.377) and the rest of others. The least diversityof water birds was found in Gundremandre lake (H=2.210). Similarly, the species dominance was more in Gundremandre lake (D=0.189) than Beeshazari (D=0.046) and Batulpokhari (D=0.042). The species richness in various habitats association with wetlands showed that Shorea forest association was utilized very less as compared to its availability. Fishermen (r= -0.391, t = 10.6, P<0.0001) and livestock pressure (r = -0.276, t = 6.63, P = 0.0009) caused the significant negative impact on the occurrence of water birds in many parts of the study sites. The study suggests that annual flooding in the rivers (e.g., Rapti, Budhirapti and Khageririvers), human disturbance (e.g., livestock grazing and fishing), habitat loss and degradation, declining water quality and quantity caused by eutrophication and chemical pollution are the major threats of water bird communities in Barandabhar corridor forest.
Spread of herbicide resistance alleles in Lolium rigidum Gaud. (annual ryegrass).

Herbicide resistant weeds are a major problem in grain cropping areas of southern Australia. Resistance to the acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase inhibiting herbicides is widespread in this area. In order to better understand how resistance to ACCaseinhibiting herbicides in populations of Lolium rigidum in South Australia has changed with time, the carboxyl-transferase (CT) domain of the ACCase gene from resistant L. rigidum populations collected in random surveys over 10 years was sequenced and mutations that cause resistance characterised. Mutations were identified in more than 80% of resistant individuals, indicating target site mutation is the most common mechanism of resistance in L. rigidum to this herbicide mode of action. Mutations at seven previously characterised positions in the ACCase gene were identified, and individuals containing multiple mutations were also found. Mutations at position 2041 occurred at the highest frequency in all years. However, other mutations and individuals carrying two mutations have increased in frequency. This study has shown that target site resistance to ACCase-inhibiting herbicides in L. rigidum is widespread across South Australia and has evolved numerous times.
Corporate Internet Reporting and Firm Performance: Evidence from Malaysia

Anecdotal evidence showed that the portion of internet users to the population in Malaysia is relatively higher among developing economies. However, there are not many Malaysian listed companies that use the internet as a platform for financial information disclosure. Perhaps, the managers do not believe that there is positive association between internet reporting and firm performance. Therefore, this study aims to examine the impact of corporate internet reporting (CIR) on firm performance for a sample of 583 non-financial listed companies in Malaysia over the year of 2013. We use content analysis to retrieve the internet reporting items and test its validity and reliability before running the regression model. The findings showed that CIR has a significant effect on firm value. This means that more related information that is regularly disclosed on the company’s websites can contribute more value to the firms. Meanwhile, company size does not significantly influence firm value. The firm’s leverage is negative and statistically significant, and the growth brings a positive significant effect to the firm’s value. In addition, in this study, the results support the resource-based view theory and the signaling theory between corporate internet reporting and firm value. The findings of the research suggest that companies should disclose more information through the internet in order to ensure the accessibility of financial information for stakeholders, and this will present a better image and reputation of the company’s best practices in financial performance. CIR will help them to have meaningful investment decisions and persuade them to invest in the company.
SONOGRAPHIC DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF JEJUNOJEJUNAL INTUSSUSCEPTION IN A PERSIAN CAT

This is a clinical case report of a 15-month old, 4 kg Persian female cat, which was presented at the Pet Centre, UVAS, Lahore. History reported the anorexia and vomiting since 4-days, and no recovery despite medical treatment. Clinical analysis revealed dehydration, depression and abdominal pain. The vomitus was a yellow-brown color. Tentative diagnosis was intestinal intussusception, based on history, lack of progress and abdominal palpation findings. For further confirmation, B-mode sonography was performed, using 7.5 MHz curvilinear transducer. Intestinal intussusception confirmed in the sonographic scans, owing to typical trident sign on longitudinal scan, and alternating dark and light bands with a piece of mesenteric fat interposed between the intussusceptum, on transverse scans, respectively. Finally, ultrasonography is superior to the abdominal palpation and radiography, in diagnosing intestinal intussusception accurately; also, the intestinal intussusception, being an emergency, necessitates planned and prompt surgical repair through end-to-end anastomosis, which has a high success rate to save and prolong the life of affected pets.
DESIGN FEATURES OF THE SEGMENTAL MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEM: THE EFFICACY OF MONOSYNAPTIC SPINDLE IA CONNECTIONS ONTO THEIR HOMONYMOUS MOTONEURONS (EPSP, SPINAL CORD, COMPOSITE, NEUROPHYSIOLOGY).

In the field of spinal-cord neurophysiology, the nature of and the rules which govern the strength of functional connections between muscle afferents and motoneurons supplying the same muscle are important to delineate. This study addressed a facet of this issue by testing the possibility that the strength of the spindle Ia-motoneuronal connections is stronger (as demonstrated by the differing amplitudes of the mean maximum composite Ia EPSPs) if both neurons supply the same sub-volume of the muscle, providing the various sub-volumes of the muscle are capable of independent action. Intracellular recordings were made of the Ia EPSP responses of semimembranosus (SM) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) motoneurons in anesthetized low-spinal cats to electrical stimulation (Group I range) of nerve branches supplying different parts of the homonymous muscle, as well as different heteronymous muscles. For study of SM motoneurons, stimulated nerve branches included those supplying the anterior (SMa) and posterior (SMp) heads of the SM muscle and three providing heteronymous input from the anterior (BFa) and posterior (BFp) parts of biceps femoris and the distal part of the semitendinosus (STd) muscle. Ia EPSPs were partitioned such that stimulation of the SMa nerve branch produced significantly larger EPSPs in SMa motoneurons than in SMp cells; likewise, stimulation of the SMp nerve branch produced larger EPSPs in SMp motoneurons than in SMa cells.
Effect of post-harvest maturation treatment on germination and potential longevity of pepper (Capsicum annuum) seeds

A study was conducted during 2001 and 2002 to examine the effect of post-maturation treatments on germination and longevity (Ki of the viability equation) of variety 'Sera Demre' of chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) seeds. Fruits were harvested when they were green, orange and red. Seeds were extracted immediately after harvest and dried at 20 degree Celcius for 5 days, 25 degree Celcius for 21 days or allowed to remain in the fruits for 14 days and dried. Maximum advantage was obtained from post-harvest maturation in which seeds were allowed to remain in the fruits for 14 days. This treatment increased germination from 17-21% to 72-80% in seeds of green fruits, from 51-55% to 89-93% in orange, 75-78% to 83-87% in red fruits in 2001 and 2002 respectively. The lowest (Ki) values in all harvest and treatment combinations were found in seeds extracted immediately after harvest from green fruits and dried at 20 degree Celcius as -1.67p0. 19 and -3.19p0. 51. The maximum longevity of 1.38p0. 00 and 1.31p0. 07 was observed in treated seeds of red in 2001 and orange fruits in 2002 respectively. The maximum germination and longevity of pepper seeds were obtained when seeds retained within the fruit for 14 days following harvest.
Predation risks for nesting birds in fragmented coast redwood forest.

Loss and fragmentation of habitat remain the principal threats to most temperate zone birds in the United States. The coast redwood (Sequoia sempivirens) forest ecosystem has been highly fragmented. The purpose of this study was to evaluate predation risk in relation to nest type, distance from the forest edge, edge type, and nest concealment. The study was conducted in old-growth and mature second-growth coast redwood forest stands in northern California from May to August 1997. Forty-one transects were established extending from the edge to 150 m into the forest interior surrounded by 5 edge types: suburb, young forest. prairie, river, and road. A total of 562 artificial nests (half arboreal nests and half ground nests) with quail eggs were placed at 25-m intervals along the transects and were checked after 7 and 14 days. The probability of predation decreased with increasing distance from the edge, was higher for arboreal nests than ground nests, and was higher later in the nesting season (P < 0.05 for all comparisoas). Predation was significantly higher for prairie edge than all other edge types after 7 days (P < 0.05), and was significantly higher than suburb edge after 14 days (P < 0.05). We failed to detect an effect of nest concealment on the risk of predation after 7 days (P = 0.588) and 14 days (P = 0.052). The probability of predation as a function of distance from the forest edge did not indicate a threshold pattern, but rather a gradual decline so that a distance of 115 meters from the edge was required before the probability of predation declined by half. Based on this study, we recommend that edge effects be taken into consideration when planning for the conservation of bird species in old-growth and mature second-growth coast redwood forests.
FUNCTIONAL STUDIES OF THE LC PROTEIN IN VESIVIRUSES OF THE CALICIVIRIDAE

Title of Document: FUNCTIONAL STUDIES OF THE LC PROTEIN IN VESIVIRUSES OF THE CALICIVIRIDAE Eugenio Abente, Doctor of Philosophy, 2012 Directed by: Dr. Kim Y. Green, Adjunct Professor Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics Viruses of the family Caliciviridae are non-enveloped, single-stranded, positive sense RNA viruses. Feline calicivirus (FCV), a virus in the genus Vesivirus, is used as a model to study basic mechanisms of replication of caliciviruses because it grows well in cell culture and it has a reverse genetics system. A feature unique to vesiviruses is the presence of a ~14-18 kDa protein of unknown function designated as leader of the capsid (LC) that is expressed as part of a capsid precursor encoded in open reading frame 2 (ORF2). The ORF2 precursor contains the LC fused to the major capsid protein, VP1, which is proteolytically cleaved by the viral protease to release the LC and the mature VP1. The LC is not found in purified virions, and therefore does not appear to have a structural role, but it has previously been associated with promoting the human norovirus RNA replicon when provided in trans. In order to study the role of the LC in virus replication I employed the reverse genetics system to generate recombinant full-length FCV genomes, and performed transient expression experiments with the LC alone. By applying deletional mutagenesis and scanning alanine mutagenesis to the LC coding sequence I identified regions and conserved residues critical for viral replication and
Assisted Natural Regeneration in slash-and-burn agriculture: Results in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Human impacts on natural tropical forests in Central Africa are to a large extent linked to shifting cultivation and fuelwood ex- traction in peri-urban areas. This is espe- cially true around the city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is why research was con- ducted in 2010 by the Makala Project in the city’s fuelwood supply basin. The aims were to adapt and test Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR), improve slash-and- burn crop systems and contribute to the enrichment of forest fallows. Prior to slash- ing and burning, useful trees were se- lected for protection. Then, during crop- ping, the germination and multiplication of stump shoots and root suckers from ex- isting local forest species were promoted by selective weeding, thinning, and prun- ing. Monitoring of the test areas found low survival rates for old trees conserved be- fore the land was slashed and burned, due to the difficulty of controlling the fires. This means that the technique can only be used for the edges of plots, by gradu- ally enriching hedgerows. In contrast, stumps shoots and root suckers from nat- ural forest species protected by ANR dur- ing agricultural weeding grew rapidly in- side the plots, thus rapidly establishing woody fallows without the need for costly inputs or heavy labour. In 2014, three and a half years after slashing and burning, biodiversity and biomass in these fallows is greater than in non-ANR fallows. Better charcoal and crop productivity and a slower rate of forest transition into savan- nah are expected. However, social accept- ance, a critical factor in the large-scale dissemination of this innovation, must be investigated in the light of potential de- velopments in traditional and modern land tenure rights.