Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nesting space limits colony size of the plant-ant Pseudomyrmex concolor

The size and structure of the colony of the stinging plant-ant Pseudomyrmex concolor occupying two morphologically distinct Tachigali myrmecophytic host species was studied in order to discriminate between factors limiting the ant colony size; specific hypotheses being a) food, b) territory size and c) nesting space. From intraspecific comparisons it is suggested that the ant colony size is primarily controlled by the total domatia space offered by the host plant. The space-limited hypothesis explains why plant-ants demonstrate host-limited foraging territories. I analyse the space-limited hypothesis from the host's point-of-view by using a cost-benefit graphic model. It is suggested that domatia size can be selected in a way that increases the plant's net benefit from the mutualistic relationship
Selection parameters (heritability, genetic advance, correlation and path coefficient) analysis in linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.)

The maximum value of heritability and genetic advance were found for number of capsules per plant. Grain yield showed highly significant and positive association with capsule size and 1000 seed weight at both genotypic and phenotypic level and highly significant and negative correlation with both number of seeds per capsules. Days to 50% flowering, plant height, days to maturity, seed yield per plant and number of seeds per capsule had negative direct effect on seed yield.
Soil quality assessment of cropping systems in the Western Highlands of Cameroon

Soil nutrient depletion is a major constraint in agricultural development in sub-Sa-haran Africa. A study was conducted in the Western Highlands of Cameroon to assess soil nutrient balance and identify household and farm characteristics in-fluencing soil nutrient balance using the procedures outlined in the NUTMON Tool-box. This is based on the assessment of the stocks and flows of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) through the inputs (mineral fertilizers, organic inputs, atmospheric deposition and sedimentation) and outputs (harvested crop products, residues, leaching, denitrification and erosion). The gross margin was estimated as gross return minus variable costs while the net farm income was estimated as total gross margin minus fixed costs. The nutrient budgeting results revealed that nitrogen mining was very common at all levels with the greatest mining carried out by intercropping systems which generally received little or no off-farm inputs. High positive nutrient balances were found in market oriented crops. A general picture of the study site showed that only nitrogen was deficient while there were surplus amounts of potassium and phosphorus. The gross margins of green peppers, leeks and onions were negative while the others were positive. Legume intercrops could significantly modify the nutrient balance and sustainability in this region.
Research on Inosinic Acid and Intramuscular Fat Content in Muscle of Laiwu Pigs

Inosinic acid and intramuscular fat content of longissimus muscles in Laiwu pigs,Yorkshire and Duroc were respectively determined with HPLC method and technical regulation for determination of pork quality(NY/T821-2004). The results indicated that compared with Duroc and Yorkshire,inosinic acid content in the muscles of Laiwu pigs was remarkably increased 58.96-57.09%(P0.05),intramuscular fat content was evidently enhanced(P0.01).
The Political Culture of Democracy in Jamaica: 2006

For the purposes of this survey, the population of interest consisted of all Jamaican citizens, 18 years or older residing in the country. The sample was self weighted and was designed to be representative of the voting population in terms of gender, age and geographic distribution based on the 2001 Population Census of Jamaica. The survey was a national probability design, with a total N of 1,595 and the island was stratified into three (3) divisions: Kingston Metropolitan Region (KMR), Parish Capitals and Main Towns, and Rural Area. The interviews were conducted in 184 sampling units and the respondents were selected in PSUs of 8 in urban areas and 10 in rural. The complete sample of 1,595 is composed of 50.3% male respondents and 49.7% female, and its estimated margin of error is ± 2.5 (at the 95% level). The maps used were those obtained from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) 2001 Population Census. The full version of the report and the complete questionnaire can be found at " The Political Culture of Democracy in Jamaica, 2006 " , written Containing data gathered in 2006, the national survey report analyzes the attitudes of Jamaica's citizens towards support for stable democracy, corruption, crime, local governments, social capital and voting behavior.
Cooks galore and hairdressers aplenty

Overseas student commencements in cooking and hairdressing courses have nearly tripled between 2004 and 2006. This growth reflects the advantages which Migrant Occupations in Demand List (MODL) listing of these two occupations has given for those seeking permanent residence in Australia. The article critically examines the standards of the Registered Training Organisations providing the training. In particular the state and federal regulatory bodies which oversee their operation do not assess the competency of those completing these courses. The article concludes that only a minority of those completing these courses and subsequently gaining permanent residence will actually enter the cooking and hairdressing occupations in Australia. There is an urgent need for reform to the procedures by which occupations come to be listed on the MODL and of the skilled migration regulations which have allowed the situation to develop.
Measuring the Brand Value of Media Platforms in an Equilibrium Framework

This study presents a framework for measuring the brand values of media platforms, and applies it to the data of Japanese women’s magazines between 2004 and 2010. Brand value of each platform is defined as the difference between the equilibrium profit produced by the platform operator under the status quo and the profit if the platform were unbranded. In the framework, the influences of competition among operators and the interactions between readers and advertisers on operators’ profits are considered explicitly. The results show that the total brand value, i.e., the sum of reader and advertiser sides, decreased during this period. Although the brand value on the reader side largely accounts for the total brand value, the brand value on the advertiser side was smaller in magnitude. In addition, while the brand value on the reader side bounced back after falling from 2004 to 2007, the brand value on the advertiser side continued to decline throughout the period. The decomposition of the category-level brand value shows that the reallocation of circulation from magazines with high brand value to those with low brand value, which was accompanied by downward trends of average brand values, resulted in the decline of the category-level brand value. JEL classifications: L11; L13; L82; M31.
Task-Dependent Differences in Learning by Subordinate and Dominant Wild Arabian Babblers

Learning and innovation abilities have been studied extensively in flocking birds, but their importance and relevance in cooperatively breeding birds have been relatively unexplored. We studied the acquisition of novel foraging skills in 14 groups of wild, cooperatively breeding Arabian babblers (Turdoides squamiceps). While in a previous study we found that subordinate individuals were usually the first to learn to remove black rubber lids from a foraging grid, here we show that dominant individuals were the first to succeed in shifting from these black rubber lids to newly introduced white rubber lids. We also found that in all groups where one forager learned to shift to the white lids, the rest of the foragers also learned to do so, suggesting that this behaviour may be transmitted among group members. Although dominant individuals were almost always the first to remove white lids, once starting to remove white lids, dominants and subordinates learned equally well to prefer white over black lids based on differential reinforcement (food was provided only under white lids). Together with our previous study, our results suggest that differences in learning between dominants and subordinates may be task-specific, which may represent different cognitive strategies: subordinates may explore a more diverse range of foraging opportunities, while dominants may be better at generalizing from familiar tasks to similar ones.
Comparison and Evaluation of Seven Animal Models of Ischemic Skin Wound: A Review Article

Focusing on pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment of ischemic wounds is apriority for medical and basic scientists in order to develop new clinical approaches. However it is not always easy for researchers to choose optimal animal models for their particular assessments. This review provides concise information on all currently available ischemic animal models, including rabbits’ ear ischemic models, axial skin flaps (axial pattern flaps), burns, ischemic limbs, localized ischemic wounds, pressure ulcers, and skin flaps, along with their citations as a measure of their acceptance among other researchers. We searched the numerous databases consisting of PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Key words included ischemic wound, skin, and animals alone or in combination. Some important features of the seven types of ischemia as well as their results are presented in Tables 1 -7. Table eight presents the results of entire groups of ischemic animal models, with their number of papers, number of wounds, and total and average Google Scholar citations, and web of science citations. We found that rabbits’ ear ischemic models, localized ischemic wounds, and pressure ulcers have the highest total and average citations amongst the studied groups. It was concluded that the rabbits’ ear ischemic model, rat pressure ulcer models, and localized ischemic wound models, have made the greatest contribution to our understanding of the pathophysiology of the ischemic wounds and increased production of new therapeutic protocols based on the citations reported by Google scholar and the web of science databases between 1977 and 2017.
Mothers’ Misconceptions about Hepatitis B Disease and Hepatitis B Vaccine

Introduction: Hepatitis B vaccination has resulted in dramatic reductions in the prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection among children since its introduction into infant immunization schedules. However, 45% of Vietnamese mothers did not have their infants immunized at birth in 2013-2014. Aim: To assess mothers’ misconceptions about HBV and HBV vaccinations, as well as barriers to mothers getting their children vaccinated. Study Design: A qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted from April to October 2015 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam among mothers of children under one year of age. This study consisted of one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) designed to collect information on the mothers’ perceptions about HBV and decisions to immunize their child. Methodology: Thirty-five mothers of children under one year of age who were completely or incompletely immunized at the Pediatric Number 2 Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam participated in the study. Eligible mothers were identified and recruited by nurses in the Hospital’s vaccination clinic for 10 in-depth interviews and 5 FGDs comprised of 5 mothers each. Results: With regards to HBV transmission, 25.7%, 22.9% and 34.3% of mothers believed that HBV could be transmitted genetically, through sharing food, or from an unclean environment, respectively. Over half of the mothers (51.4%) were unaware that HBV could be transmitted during childbirth and 34.3% of mothers believed that vaccines which were purchased were more effective than free vaccines from the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). Conclusion: Public educational interventions should be conducted to clear up the misconceptions identified in this study and to reassure parents that the free vaccines offered through the EPI are of the same quality as the vaccines that are purchased in the private clinics at public hospitals.
Corporate Governance, Audit Quality and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act: Evidence from Internal Audit Outsourcing

This study extends current literature related to nonaudit services by investigating internal audit outsourcing to the external auditor. We posit that certain types of internal audit outsourcing (i.e., those which are nonroutine, and thus tend to be nonrecurring in nature) are unlikely to lead to economic bonding, while offering significant potential for improvements in audit coverage and scope when provided by the external auditor. Alternatively, outsourcing routine internal audit tasks is more likely to lead to economic bonding, as well as potentially threatening internal auditor independence. Our results are consistent with firms with independent, active, and expert audit committees being less likely to outsource routine internal auditing activities to the external auditor. However, the outsourcing of nonroutine internal audit activities such as special projects and EDP consulting are not negatively related to effective audit committees. Additionally, outsourcing of either type of internal audit activit.
Accounting Conservatism and Board of Director Characteristics: an Empirical Analysis

Using three different measures of conservatism, we document that (i) the percentage of inside directors is negatively related to conservatism, and (ii) the percentage of outside directors' shareholdings is positively related to conservatism. Our results hold after controlling for industry, firm size, leverage, growth opportunities, institutional ownership, inside director ownership, and unobservable firm characteristics that are stable over time. Overall, the evidence is consistent with accounting conservatism assisting directors in reducing agency costs of firms.
The Structural Basis of Prion Disease Susceptibility and the Transmission Barrier

When prions are transmitted between species, there can be a delay in pathogenesis due to a phenomenon referred to as the transmission barrier. Some species also show very low susceptibility to prion disease. In this study I hypothesized that the susceptibility of species to prion disease is proportional to the tendency of their endogenous prion protein, PrP, to adopt the β-state, an oligomeric form of misfolded recombinant PrP that is rich in β sheet. Using a novel method of two-wavelength CD analysis, it could be shown that recombinant PrP from prion-susceptible species have a higher propensity to refold to the β-state than resistant species. The crystal structure of rabbit PrPC 121-230 revealed a helix-cap motif at the N-terminus of helix-2 that contributes to the reduced β-state propensity of rabbit PrP. Single amino acid changes in the sequence of PrP can lead to a transmission barrier and/or resistance in species. Mutating single residues in rabbit PrPC to those found in corresponding positions in hamster PrPC, ablated the helix-cap observed in the wild-type and caused an increase in the β-state propensity of rabbit PrP. Conversely, a decrease in β-state propensity was observed when rabbit mutations were introduced into PrP of hamster, a susceptible species. A dimeric association is hypothesized to be involved in the function of PrP and/or the conversion mechanism to infectious prion. In the structures of the wild-type and mutant rabbit PrPCs a dimeric arrangement was observed in the asymmetric unit of the crystals. Using 1-ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl]carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC), a dimer of rabbit and hamster PrPC was crosslinked in solution. The dimer crosslink was specific and dependent on the tertiary structure of PrPC. Crosslinking of the β-state octamer with EDC showed that similar contacts may be present in this oligomeric form. Together these data provide strong evidence that species susceptibility is linked to β-state propensity. %%%%PhD
Effects of paclobutrazol application to soil at the beginning of maturation on sprouting, shoot growth, flowering and carbohydrate contents in roots and leaves of satsuma mandarin

SummaryThe objectives of this study were to verify the effect of a soil application of paclobutrazol on the flowering of satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc. cv. Okitsu), to clarify whether the carbohydrate contents in the roots and leaves are related to flowering. Paclobutrazol was applied to the soil on 6 October at 0, 500, or 1,000 mg per potted five year old satsuma mandarin tree. The carbohydrate contents in the leaves and roots (<2 mm) were measure in early December of the current season. Sprouting, shoot growth, and flowering were measured during the next season. Soil application of paclobutrazol enhanced subsequent flowering, but decreased new shoot sprouting and growth. At 1,000 mg, it increased the total number of inflorescences by 66%, but reduced new shoot sprouting by 48% and shoot growth by 37%. Paclobutrazol increased the total carbohydrates in the roots but decreased them in the leaves. Roots of treated plants had high dry-matter percentages but the percentages for the leaves were unchang.
The genetic landscape of Caribbean Acropora corals

24 Background . 26 Methods.30 viii Page Results and discussion . 34 Conclusion . 63 Availability of supporting data . 63 List of abbreviations . 64 Acknowledgements . 64 Tables . 65 Figures.70 Chapter 3. Diurnal and Nocturnal Transcriptomic Variation in the Caribbean Staghorn Coral, Acropora cervicornis Abstract . 76 Introduction . 78.76 Introduction . 78 Materials and methods . 83 Results . 87 Discussion . 94 Conclusion . 109 Availability of supporting data . 110 Acknowledgements . 110 Tables . 111 Figures.113
Combining ability in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in sodic soil.

Combining ability_for 8 quantitative characters were studied through line x tester analysis involving 11 lines and 4 testers in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The estimates of sca variance/gea variance and their ratio (gea variance/sea variance) indicated non-additive type of gene action for yield and most of its components. Among females WH-157 and UP-2338, and among males H9-1981, were found to be the best combiners on the basis of gea effects as well as per se performance. The ranking of hybrids on the basis of per se performance was not reflected in their ranking on the basis of sca effects.
Endoscopic submucosal dissection for rectal lesions

Objective To assess the clinical value of endoscopic submucosal dissection（ESD） for rectal lesions. Methods ESD was carried out with the needle knife for large rectal polyps and submucosal tumors as following： （1） injecting fluid into the submucosa to detach the lesion from the muscle layer, （2） pie-cutting the surrounding mucosa of the lesion, and （ 3 ） dissecting the connective tissue of the submucosa beneath the lesion. Results 12 lower rectal lesions ranged from 0. 6 to 4. 5 cm and a mean resected size was 2. 8 cm. Among 12 lesions, 11 were completely resected with lateral and basal resection margins free of tumor tissue. Confirmed by pathology after ESD, one patient was diagnosed as ad with massive invasion into the submucosa, and was treated by additional abdominoperineal resection with lymph node dis- section. The mean ESD procedure time （ from fluid injection to complete dissection） was 52 rain （ ranged firom 30 to 120 min）. Minor bleeding occurred in all of the tumors, and none of patients had massive hemorrhage requiring blood transfusion or emergency colonoscopy due to hematochezia after ESD. 2 patients had subcutaneous emphysema and a little free abdominal air due to deep tearing of the muscle layer, and recovered after several days＇ conservative treatment. 9 patients were followed up with colonoscopy one month after ESD,with confirmed healing of the artificial ulcer. Conclusion ESD is a novel endoscopic surgical procedure that makes it possible to resect whole large lesion and provide pathological information about the whole lesion. Many lesions, such as early GI cancer and submucosal tumor, can now be cured by ESD to achieve the same therapeutic result as surgery. Key words: Rectum; Endoscopic surgical procedure; Endoscopic submucosal dissection
PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF KOMBUCHA TEA ON LIVER DAMAGE INDUCED BY THIOACETAMIDE IN RATS

The aim of this study is to evaluate the possible protective effects of Kombucha tea against thioacetamide induced liver damage in rats. A total of 24 male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Control, treated with thioacetamide (TAA) treated with TAA and then Kombucha tea, treated with Kombucha tea and then TAA; following 3 weeks of treatment. All the animals were killed and liver tissue samples were obtained for histopafhological investigation. The data showed that TAA significantly increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) but not bilirubin. The treatment by Kombucha tea promoted a significant reduction in serum enzyme levels AST, ALT, ALP, LDH and reduction in bilirubin content. The results show that the Kombucha tea has protective effects against the thioacetamide induced hepatotoxicity that might be due to antioxidant activities of these plants. © 2014 Asian Network for Scientific Information.
Growth of Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) Cultivars Under Upland Conditions With Different Levels of Water Supply3. Root System Development, Soil Moisture Changeand Plant Water Status

Abstract A Deep Root System May Be A Desirable Plant Characteristic In Upland Rice Because It Improves The Plant’s Water Extraction Capacity. The Objective of The Present Study Was To Assess The Deep Root Development of Rice Cultivars In Relation To Soil Moisture Change and Plant Water Status Under Upland Conditions With Moderate Water Deficits In The Field and In Simple Lysimeter Experiments. We Used One Upland Cultivar (‘Yumeno-Hatamochi [Yhm]) and Two Lowland Cultivars (‘Lemont’ [Lmt] and 'Nipponbare’ [Npb]) In The Field Experiment, With No Supplemental Water From 88 To 106 Days After Sowing (Das) and 116 To 145 Das. In The Lysimeter Experiment, We Used Yhm and Npb and Imposed Two Water Stress Periods During The Late Vegetative Stages (71 To 104 Das and 88 To 104 Das). In The Lysimeter Experiment, A Higher Deep-Root Length Ratio (Proportion of The Length of Deep Roots To The Total Root Length) In Yhm Was Associated With A Greater Deep-Root Length Than In Npb. The Difference In Deep Root Development Was Associated With Change In Soil Water Content At The Depths of 45 To 70 Cm Between The Two Cultivars Under The Above Conditions. The Drought In The Field Experiment Was Less Intense Than In The Lysimeter Experiment, and We Observed Greater Varietal Differences In Total Aboveground Biomass Than In Root System Development; This Was Associated With The Change In Soil Water Content During The Initial Drought Period. Lmt, With Smaller Shoots, Tended To Save Water and Maintain Higher Leaf Water Potential and Lower Diffusion Resistance As The Drought Progressed. Our Results Suggest That Deep Root Development of Rice Was Primarily Advantageous For Soil Water Extraction and Plant Water Status Under Moderate Water Stress In Uplands, But That The Advantage of A Deep Root System Was Affected By Total Aboveground Biomass, Which Had Strong Effects On Plant Water Status Under These Conditions.