Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultrastructural identities of Mastigamoeba punctachora, Mastigamoeba simplex and Mastigella commutans and assessment of hypotheses of relatedness of the pelobionts (Protista)

The ultrastructural appearances of Mastigamoeba punctachora, Mastigamoeba simplex and Mastigella commutansare described. All three species have electron-dense membrane-bounded bodies, suggestive of mitochondrial homologues. All species have a single basal body giving rise to conical arrays of microtubules and to a single ribbon-like microtubular root. The proximal portion of the root is associated with a sheet of dense material. All species have ‘9+2’ flagellar axonemes, with basal bodies composed of triplets of microtubules, but axonemal outer dynein arms appear to be absent. All have a cylinder at the base of the transition zone. The transition zone of Mastigamoeba punctachora is elongate and also contains a column of electron-dense material. Ultrastructural data are compiled and analysed to assess two alternative views that the pelobionts are a primitive group of eukaryotes and the source of the other eukaryotes, or that they are related to eumycetozoan slime moulds.
The physiological basis of seed dormancy in Avena fatua III. Action of nitrogenous compounds

Sodium nitrate and nitrite (50–100 mM) induced germination in three out of four genetically pure dormant lines of Avena fatua L. The sensitivity to these treatments was low immediately ater harvest and increased markedly after six months of dry after-ripening. The observation that a fourth dormant line failed to respond suggests at least two metabolic blocks may be involved in expression of dormancy. An inhibitor of gibberellin biosynthesis, 2-chloroethyl trimethylammonium chloride, completely inhibited the dormancy-breaking effect by nitrate and nitrite, indicating a requirement for gibberellin biosynthesis. Among reduced nitrogenous compounds, ammonium chloride and urea failed to break dormancy in all partly after-ripened lines, suggesting that nitrate and nitrite may induce germination through their ability to act as electron acceptors. The sensitivity to all nitrogenous compounds tested increased with the length of after-ripening indicating that the depth of the second dormancy block amy decrease with the time of after-ripening. Other reduced nitrogenous compounds, thiourea and hydroxylamine hydrochloride, promoted some germination in the least dormant, partially after-ripened lines. The function of these compounds as electron acceptors and their similarity in activity to the cytochrome oxidase inhibitor, sodium azide, is discussed with reference to dormancy and the possible involvement of the alternative pathway of respiration.
Components of competitiveness in sterile male boll weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

This study examines the relative importance of age at the time of irradiation on attractiveness, mating ability, sperm transfer, prior mating, and longevity as factors of competitive- ness in sterile male boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman. The amount of sperm transferred by irradiated males appeared to be the most important factor in competitiveness. More sperm was transferred by virgin males irradiated on day 5 than by virgin males irradiated on day 2, and males irradiated on day 5 had greater impact on egg hatch than those irradiated on day 2. The amount of sperm in spermlathecae of females mated to virgin males irradiated on day 5 was indistinguishable from that in females mated to virgin control males. Mating ability of males of all treatments was similar. Comparable numbers of boll weevils were captured in traps baited with males irradiated at 2 or 5 d during the first 4-5 d after irradiation, but thereafter, generally more weevils were captured in traps baited with males irradiated at 2 d or with control males. Attractiveness of males irradiated at 2 d was generally comparable to that of control males. More than 91% of irradiated males individually caged on cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. , plants lived for 10 d in the field, and 40% lived for 14 d; all individually caged control males lived 14 d. When released into cotton fields, however, the numbers of both irradiated and control males declined sharply over 14 d. Thus, the potential for an effective 2-wk life span in the field suggested by the caged study did not appear to apply to laboratory-reared weevils released into cotton fields.
Single one-off dose of Nigella Sativa does not attenuate indirect markers of exercise-induced muscle damage as a model of inflammation

Introduction Nigella sativa (NS) is widely known to have anti-inflammatory effects on various inflammation models; however, there are no known NS studies that include EIMD as a model of inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of NS on EIMD as a model of inflammation. Material and Methods A total of 33 youth football athletes were assigned to three groups (i.e., NS3000, NS1500, and the control). All groups performed 10 sets of 10 repetitions of CMJ (with a 30-s intermittent rest between sets) by adopting a squat stance in starting and landing positions to induce muscle damage. Immediately after the exercise, they were administered a single dose of either 3000 mg or 1500 mg of NS or a placebo. A set of tests was conducted to measure muscular power, soreness, tenderness, thigh circumference, ROM, serum CK, and LDH at pre-exercise, 30 min, 1 d, 2 d, 3 d, and 4 d post-exercise. Results Changes in these variables over time were compared by a mixed factorial ANOVA. As expected, exercise decreased muscular power and ROM (30 min to 1 d postexercise) (P < 0.05) and increased soreness, tenderness, thigh circumference, CK, and LDH (30 min to 1 d postexercise) (P < 0.05). However, no significant interaction was observed between all measured parameters in three different groups for the measurement sessions (P > 0.05). Discussions and Conclusion The obtained results suggested that the CMJ protocol used in this study was sufficient to induce muscle damage. Thus,EIMD can be used as a model of inflammation; however, a single one-off intake of NS does not attenuate the indirect markers of EIMD. The effective dosage of NS to increase the recovery speed was not determined.
Retinal development and retinomotor responses in perch, Perca fluviatilis L.

The development of the retina of perch, Perca fluviatilis L. , was studied for all developmental stages. The density of cones 100 μm-1 was found to decrease with age, although their actual numbers increased. All premetamorphosed perch had pure-cone retinae, the rods developing at, or after metamorphosis. Retinomotor responses were found to commence after metamorphosis when the rods developed. Visual acuity, measured as the minimum separable angle (α), was observed to improve exponentially with age, and its value was found to depend more on the focal length of the lens, than on the number of cones in the retina. The cones in the unspecialized part of the retina were predominantly of the twin type and were related to single cones in a ratio of 4 : 1.
Differential responses to salinity help explain the replacement of native Juncus kraussii by Typha orientalis in Western Australian salt marshes

The influence of salinity on Typha orientalis and Juncus kraussii was documented in experiments on germination of seeds and on growth of seedlings and adult, rhizome-bearing plants. Juncus was more salt-tolerant than Typha at all three life-history stages, but salt tolerance increased with plant age for both species. Although seeds of both species germinated at 0 and 5 ppt, the germination data overestimated salt tolerance for Typha. Only the newly emerged seedlings of Juncus were capable of growth after removal from the 5 ppt NaCl solution to fresh water. Typha seedlings that initiated growth at 0 ppt grew well at 5 ppt but not at 10 ppt, while Juncus seedlings were tolerant of 10 ppt. Although the 20 ppt treatment caused high mortality of Juncus seedlings, the 10 ppt treatment mainly reduced growth. Adult plants of Typha, which were collected from the field, survived the 20 ppt treatment, while adult Juncus survived the 40 ppt treatment. The presence of salt (10–40 ppt) shortened the growing season for adult, rhizome-bearing plants of both Juncus and Typha, with a lower maximum and earlier peak in total leaf length and maximum leaf number. Thus, the greater biomass in fresh water was achieved primarily through a longer growth period, rather than a greatly accelerated growth rate. Interactions between the two species were explored in mixed-species culture of both seedlings and adult rhizome-bearing plants. Interspecific interactions were present at low salinity, but results differed for seedlings and adult plants. Typha seedlings failed to outgrow Juncus seedlings (at 5 ppt) but adult plants of Typha outgrew Juncus (at 0 ppt). Relative yields (biomass in mixed/pure pots) for Juncus and Typha seedlings were 0.85 and 0.26 at 5 ppt. Relative yields of adult plants were 0.24 for Juncus and 1.20 for Typha at 0 ppt. For both seedlings and adults, the species that ultimately dominated the mixed-species pots produced just as much total biomass as in pure-species pots, even though initial planting density was half as high. Extrapolating findings to the field situation, it appears that Typha has a narrow regeneration niche. The indication is that Typha could invade Juncus stands only following salinity reduction (allowing seed germination and early seedling growth) and after disturbance disrupts the native vegetation. The combined conditions of prolonged low salinity and open habitat occur where street drains are cut through the salt marsh. The probability of Typha becoming established would be highest in such areas. vegetative expansion would follow with continued freshwater influx, as rhizome-bearing plants gain an interspecific advantage.
MOLECULAR REGULATION OF CELLULAR INTERACTIONS BY THE RHO-ROCK-MYOSIN II SIGNALING AXIS IN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS

Pluripotent stem (PS) cells have the ability to replicate themselves (self-renew) and to generate virtually any given cell type in the adult body (pluripotency). Human PS (hPS) cells are therefore considered promising sources for future cell replacement therapy. Embryonic stem (ES) cells are the major type of PS cells that are derived from blastocyst embryos. Germ cells from testis can also become PS cells when cultured for a long period with a combination of growth factors. Alternatively, differentiated somatic cells can also be converted to PS cells by the method called nuclear reprogramming. This includes somatic cell nuclear transfer where a somatic cell nucleus is injected into an enucleated oocyte giving rise to a reprogrammed PS cell, as well as the recently developed technique of reprogramming differentiated somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells by introducing defined transcription factors. Regardless of the sources and generation methods, PS cells share common epithelial structures and maintain tight cellular interactions. Although the molecular mechanisms that regulate self-renewal and pluripotency of PS cells have been extensively studied, the basic cellular interactions that govern how PS cells control cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions are still not fully understood. In addition, there are several obstacles in the current culture methods for hPS cells that need to be overcome in order to achieve the highest safety and consistency required for clinical applications. A Rho-mediated signaling axis has recently been determined to be the core machinery that integrates cellular interactions between PS cells. By chemically engineering this axis, hPS cells are able to self-renew under completely defined conditions while maintaining their multi-differentiation capacities. When combined with the rapid progress in research focusing on iPS cells, these studies on cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion in PS cells may not only contribute to further understanding PS cell biology, but also lead to the development of novel technologies enabling the derivation and growth of clinically relevant hPS cells for regenerative therapies.
Francisco de Vitoria and On the American Indians: A Modern Contribution to International Relations

His mission, as a theologian, was to ensure that the political power will be under Christian ethico-political principles. At the same time, he was widely influenced by the work of the French humanists of his epoch but, above all, by St Thomas and his attempt to reconcile Greek philosophy and Holy writ. On the American Indians , his most famous work, tries to answer the following questions: ‘by what rights were the barbarians subjected to Spanish rule? ’, ‘what powers has the Spanish monarchy over the Indians in temporal and civil matters? ’ and What powers has the Spanish monarchy over the Indians in spiritual and religious matters? ’[2]
Critical role for adaptive T cell immunity in experimental eosinophilic esophagitis in mice

We have previously developed a murine model of allergen‐induced eosinophilic esophagitis (EE), characterized by intraepithelial eosinophils, extracellular granule deposition, and epithelial cell hyperplasia, features that mimic the pathophysiological changes observed in individuals with various forms of EE. We now test the hypothesis that adaptive T cell immunity is critical in initiating experimental EE. We first demonstrate that EE induction is associated with an increase in lymphocyte subpopulations (B+, CD4+, and CD8+ cells) in the esophagus. We induced experimental EE in wild‐type and various lymphocyte subpopulation‐deficient mice by intranasal allergen sensitization. Eosinophil levels and epithelial cell proliferation were determined by performing antimajor basic protein and antiproliferation cell nuclear antigen immunohistochemical analysis. Eosinophil accumulation in the esophagus was ablated completely in RAG1 gene‐deficient mice, but no role for B cells or antigen‐specific antibodies was found, as B cell‐deficient (IgH6) mice developed unabated, experimental EE. In addition, T cell‐deficient (forkhead box N1−/−) mice were protected from the induction of experimental EE. CD8α‐deficient mice developed unaltered, experimental EE, and CD4‐deficient mice were only protected moderately from disease induction. Taken together, these studies indicate a role for CD4+ and CD4− cell populations in EE pathogenesis and demonstrate that experimental allergen‐induced EE is dependent on adaptive T cell immunity.
Trace element concentrations in the tissues of cetaceans from Hong Kong's territorial waters

There have been few studies of trace elements in cetaceans from Chinese waters despite considerable potential for contamination by this class of pollutant. Between 1993 and 1996, blubber, liver and/or kidney tissues were collected from 11 Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphins (Sousa chinensis) and 20 finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) stranded in Hong Kong. These tissues were analysed for 12 trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn and Zn). In general, concentrations of trace elements were similar to those of other cetacean populations and were deemed not to be of any toxicological significance. However, concentrations of mercury in the liver tissues of certain individuals were at levels which could constitute a health risk to the animals (up to 906 mg g-1 dry weight). Cadmium, mercury and selenium were observed to bio-accumulate with age, whereas concentrations of copper were highest in neonatal animals.
Strategic Orientation of Mexican Family-owned Businesses and Its Influence on Corporate Social Responsibility Practices

The aim of this article was to determine whether the strategic orientation of family-owned businesses influences Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices. For this purpose, a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 245 family-owned businesses in the southern part of the southeastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Variables attributed to CSR measurements were environment, society, employees, and customers, as well as business-level strategies of prospector, analyzer, defender, and reactor as defined by Miles and Snow. Results showed that family-owned businesses with a strategic orientation as prospector and analyzer have higher development levels of CSR practices, reactor businesses demonstrated lower development levels of CSR practices. Prospector and analyzer businesses tend to be product developers and innovators in their respective markets.
A Comparative Study of the Biomass of Animals and Seaweeds of the Rocky Shore of Buleji Near Karachi, Pakistan

The studies on the rocky shore of Buleji during the period August, 1993 to July, 1994 revealed that the highest biomass (60%) of animals was in the mid-tide zone and the seaweeds in the low-tide zone (47%), with 56 percent animals and 44 percent seaweeds constituting the standing crop of macro-organisms. Totally 81 species of animals, comprising of; coelentrates, polychaetes, crustaceans, gastropods, bivalves, amphineurans, cephalopods, echinoderms, fish and protochordates and 39 species of red, brown and green seaweeds were collected from this coast. The highest numbers of seaweeds (69.81 and 69.42%) occurred in July and March and those of animals (98.17 and 91.99%) in August and May.
The Alps-Dianrides-Carpathians Connection: a Compilation of Tec- tonic Units as a First Step for Retrodeforming the Pre-Miocene Configuration

DE BRESSER J.H. P. and SPIERS C.J., 1997. Strenght characteristics of the r, f and c slip systems in calcite. Tectonophysics, 272: 1-23. JAMISON W.R. and SPANG J.H. , 1976. Use of calcite twin lamellae to infer differential stress. Bull. Geol. Soc. Am. , 87: 868-872. LACOMBE O. and LAURENT P., 1996. Determination of deviatoric stress tensors based on inversion of calcite twin data from experimentally deformed monophase samples: preliminary results. Tectonophysics, 255: 189-202. MUEGGE O. , 1883. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Strukturflächen des Kalkspathes. Neues Jb. Miner. , 1: 32-54. ROWE K.J. and RUTTER E.H. , 1990. Paleostress estimation using calcite twinning: experimental calibration and application to nature. J. Struct. Geol. , 12: 1-17. TURNER F.J., 1953. Nature and dynamic interpretation of deformation lamellae in calcite of three marbles. Am. J. Sci., 251: 276-298.
ANALYSIS OF YIELD AND YIELD RELATED TRAITS IN SOME SUNFLOWER (Helianthus annuus L.) HYBRIDS UNDER CONDITIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

The growth and productivity traits of twenty local sunflower hybrids have been evaluated, during two years, under Moldovan environmental conditions. It has been established that yield and yield related traits of analysed combinations depended both on the year of observation and the genotype. Environmental conditions affected especially the number of leaves, number and weight of seeds per head and 1000 seeds weight. Determination of relationships between seed yield and some morpho-physiological parameters, such as plant height, head diameter, leaf number, number and weight of total and full seeds per head and 1000 seeds showed high positive correlations between some traits. The analyses of Pearson correlation coefficients showed that the number and weight of total and full seeds per head and the weight of 1000 seeds had a high positive correlation with seed yield per surface unite. Also, a positive but low correlation with seed yield was found related the head diameter. In both years a significant positive correlation was established between plant height and number of leaves.
Profitability Determinants and the Impact of Global Financial Crisis

The global financial crisis (2007-2009) had a significant impact on the performance of banking industry worldwide. This paper is conducted to examine economic effects of the global financial crisis on the banking sector in Visegrad countries (V4 countries). In order to examine the determinants of V4 banks ́ performance panel data multiple regression has been applied to find out the relationship between depended variable (banks profitability) and independent variables (banks specific variables and macroeconomic variables). Our results showed that there exist large differences in profitability among banks in our sample and that a significant amount of this variation can be explained by the factors included in our analysis. In particular, bank profitability was mainly explained by the capitalisation, liquidity, quality of credit portfolio, operational efficiency, and market structure.
HISTORY, CULTURE AND CONTRACT FARMING

We investigate whether colonial experiences in the Gold Coast still affect the performance of agribusiness in Ghana today. To this end, we surveyed 400 pineapple farmers in Ghana and connected this new dataset to data on the locations of Christian missionary schools and the performance of colonial cocoa cooperatives, from the first half of the 20th century. We find an effect of both historical variables on the performance of contract farming. The causal channel is a persistent change in culture: the performance of the colonial cocoa cooperatives changed peoples’ belief in their own capabilities to achieve business success (self-efficacy). The Christian missionary schools, in contrast, are found to have reduced village social capital.
An Experience of Bangladeshi Garment Industry

This paper aims to investigate the issues and challenges faced by Islamic banks in implementing Microfinance (MF) in selected Islamic banks in Malaysia. An empirical study is endeavoured consisting of semi structured interviews with senior managers and officers from four Islamic banks in order to address the main research questions. Out of the four selected Islamic Banks, only two are currently providing MF. The MF programs in these two banks are mostly restricted to pensioners, army wives, registered companies and companies operating for a minimum of two to three years. The main challenges facing Islamic Banks when dealing with MF can be highlighted in the following points: the default risk, the lack of funds and the unwillingness of shareholders to take MF risk, the high operating cost, the complexity of MF processing, and regulatory restrictions. Other hindrances include the lack of well trained staff capable of efficiently managing MF. This research concludes with a call for Islamic Banks to seriously participate in economic and social development through greater involvement in MF.
PII: S1062-9769(02)00124-2

Research shows that corporate leverage is positively related to diversification across product lines but negatively related to geographic diversification. Why this difference occurs is an important empirical question since diversification appears to be value destroying. After controlling for geographic diversification, asset turnover, and firm size as well as other variables, we find that diversification across product lines is at best unrelated to debt usage; it may be negatively related to debt usage in some instances. © 2002 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. All rights reserved.
Proteomics profiling asthma induced-lysine acetylation

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that has been extensively studied for many years. However, finding a complete cure remains a significant challenge. Protein acetylation, especially histone acetylation, plays a significant role in the anti-asthma process. Histone deacetylation inhibitors (HDACi) have been shown to have a curative effect on asthma in clinical practice. An asthmatic mouse model was created by ovalbumin induction. Proteome and acetylproteome analysis were performed on lung tissues. HDACi were tested in the asthmatic mice. A total of 5346 proteins and 581 acetylation sites were identified, among which 154 proteins and 68 acetylation peptides were significantly altered by asthma. Many activated and deactivated processes, pathways, and protein groups were identified through bioinformatics analysis. Sequence motif preference analysis gave rise to a novel Kac-related core histone region, -KAXXK-, which was postulated as a key regulatory unit of histone acetylation. Asthma involves a variety of proteome dynamics and is controlled by protein lysine acetylation through the core motif -KAXXK-. These findings provide novel avenues to target and treat asthma.