Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A three‐dimensional, multinutrient, and size‐structured ecosystem model for the North Atlantic

We incorporate multinutrient and size‐structured ecosystem dynamics into a three‐dimensional ocean general circulation model for the North Atlantic. The model reproduces the magnitude and general spatial and temporal patterns in nutrients, chlorophyll and primary production seen in in situ (BATS, NABE, and OWSI) and satellite (SeaWiFS) data, showing substantial improvements over prior basin‐scale simulations. Model skill is evaluated quantitatively against SeaWiFS data using a Taylor diagram approach. Model‐data correlation R for the overall surface chlorophyll time‐space distribution is ∼0.6, with comparable model and observed total variability. The agreement relative to satellite‐based primary production is somewhat weaker (0.2 < R < 0.5). The simulations capture observed ecological characteristics, e.g., the dominance of picoplankton and episodic diatom blooms in the subtropics, nutrient‐controlled plankton succession at higher latitudes, and associated seasonal/depth changes in new and regenerated production and particle export. In a sensitivity experiment that mimics behavior of simpler single‐species models, removal of diatom silica limitation leads to major shifts in community structure and export and larger model‐data errors similar to previous model studies. Model results also suggest that episodic diatom blooms at BATS may be related to interannual variations in the southward transport of nutrients, mainly SiO3, and plankton cells.
Patronage Factors In Islamic Banks In Pakistan

Islamic banking has been developing and expanding its network across Pakistan. The study aimed at evaluation of the selection criteria for Islamic banking in Pakistan. To get this aim, pragmatic research design was incorporated. More specifically, qualitative and quantitative study methods were used in the study to explore the selection criteria for Islamic banking in Pakistan. A close ended questionnaire was incorporated to collect data from a sample of 300 customers of Islamic banks in Pakistan. The sample generated 81% response rate. It was found that rate of return, Islamic teachings and bank's reputation influence behavior of customers towards Islamic banks. Specifically, it was found that bank's reputation, rate of return and Islamic teachings strongly influence the general behavior of customers towards Islamic banks. Finally, it has been recommended that marketers of Islamic banks need to promote their good reputation to attract new customers. They can also promote the religious traditions in their advertisements to attract customers who are motivated to avail interest free banking services.
Investigation Of Self-Handicapping Tendencies Of Teacher Candidates According To Demographic Variables By Controlling Self-Esteem Scores

The purpose of this study is to analyze self-handicapping tendencies of teacher candidates as to gender, type of accommodation, place of settlement, level of income, satisfaction with the undergraduate program and as to whether the undergraduate program was their ideal or not by controlling self-respect points. The sample of the research consists 4th grade of 280 voluntary selected through random sampling among 1024 students studying in different departments of Aksaray University, Faculty of Education located in Turkey. 94 students (33.6%) were female, 186 (66.4%) were male. Teacher candidates' ages ranged from 20-29. For collection data of students, a scale developed by Rhodewalt and adopted to Turkish by Akın, Abacı ve Akın (2010), and the Self-Handicapping Scale (SHS) developed by Rosenberg and adopted to Turkish by Çuhadaroğlu (1986) the Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) were used in this study. Analysis of the data, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), Bonferroni test was used to test the source of the difference. The findings obtained from the study show that no significant difference exists in SHS points of teacher candidates corrected according to RSES points as to gender, type of accommodation, settlement they have come from, income level and as to whether the undergraduate program they have studied is their ideal or not. On the other hand, as we examined the means of SHS points corrected according to RSES points, it has been determined that the SHS points of those who were not satisfied with their undergraduate program was higher, but that the effect size of the variable concerning the satisfaction with the undergraduate program on SHS points was small.
The Effect of Enzyme Supplementation on Apparent Ileal Amino Acid Digestibility of Broilers Fed Sorghum or Wheat

In plant products such as sorghum and wheat, 50-70% of total phosphorus is bound in the form of phytin-P, which is unavailable to poultry due to the lack of significant endogenous production of the enzyme phytase. As a consequence, nitrogen retention and amino acid utilisation are reduced due to the reduction in protein digestibility. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of a commercial xylanase and phytase alone and in combination on the apparent amino acid digestibility of wheat and sorghum. The experimental diets were fed in mash form to three replicate pens (6 male birds per pen) for 5 days. On day 42, all birds were euthanatised by an intracardial injection of sodium pentabarbitone solution, and the contents of the lower half of the ileum were collected. Amino acid concentration of ileal digesta samples was determined. The enzymes used were: natuphos phytase (5,000 FTU/g), xylanase (55,000 EXU/g) and b-glucanase (1,200 BGU/g) as well as several side- activities (cellulase and protease); the recommended inclusion rate is 120 g/tonne. Analyses were performed using statistical analysis software SAS. In conclusion, inclusion of xylanase alone in wheat based broiler diets is advantageous through positive effects on the digestibility of all amino acids. In sorghum based diets, there was no improvement in amino acid digestibility with xylanase or phytase supplementation . (Animal Production 12(3): 169-174 (2010) Key Words : amino acid, digestibility, enzyme, wheat, sorghum
Design and Synthesis of APolymeric Prodrug by Solid Phase Modifications of Microspheres Prepared Via Precipitation Polymerization

Recently, polymer conjugation with biologically active components was proposed to overcome pharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic barriers such as low oral absorption, lack of site specificity, chemical instability, toxicity and poor patient acceptance. This report describes the synthesis of new insoluble polymeric material as potential carrier for biomolecules. We prepared no-swellable microparticles to covalently link drug molecules by means of spacer containing functional groups able to undergo enzymatic or chemical degradation in a specific biological compartment. The microparticles were realized by precipitation polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and divinylbenzene using 2,2ÂÂ-azobis(isobutyronitrile) as initiator. Thus, the obtained beads have epoxy groups on surface which are susceptible of nucleophilic reactions. The microparticles were characterized by FT-IR spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy and dimensional analysis. One of the potential applications of synthesized microparticles is a colon specific release of 5-Amino Salicylic Acid(5- ASA) linked to polymer carrier by azo-bridge. The oxirane opening with 4-nitroaniline allows to introduce nitro groups on the particles surface. Reduction of nitro groups and subsequent copulation reaction of corrispodent diazonium chloride salt with salycilic acid carried out to conjugate. All reaction steps are based on solid phase transformations involving functional groups on the microspheres surface. This synthetic strategy produces solid intermediate easy to purify.
A Genome-Wide Analysis of the AAAP Gene Family in Maize

The AAAP (amino acid/auxin permease) genes encode a large family of transporters. A few members of the AAAP family have been characterized in Arabidopsis thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa). However, little is known about AAAP genes in maize (Zea mays). Therefore, we performed a systematic bioinformatics analysis to characterize all AAAP genes in maize, which included analysis of the genome sequence, conserved protein domains, chromosomal locations, phylogenetic relationships, gene duplications, and gene expression profiles. In this study, seventy-one ZmAAAP genes were identified and named ZmAAAP01 to ZmAAAP71. The number of AAAP genes in maize is more than the number in Arabidopsis thaliana (43) and in rice (58). We found a higher percentage of AAAP gene duplications in the maize genome, which contributed to the expansion of the AAAP gene family. Furthermore, segmental duplications played a major role in the AAAP gene expansion in maize. The AAAP genes are unevenly distributed on the 10 maize chromosomes, and 31 of them are distributed within 12 clusters on segmental chromosomes. Both the EST analysis and transcriptome data indicated that most ZmAAAP genes exhibited abundant expression patterns, suggesting diverse and novel functions of AAAP gene family in maize. The results presented here provide useful information for further functional analysis of the AAAP gene family in maize.
APPLICATION OF PCR BASED ON apx IVA GENE FOR RAPID DETECTION OF ACTINOBACILLUS PLEUROPNEUMONIAE

PCR technique, based on apx IVA gene of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, was used to test both bacterial colonies and fresh lung tissue specimens obtained for routine di agnosis. In total, 365 field isolates (previously r ecognised bacteriologically as A. pleuropneumoniae ) and 129 fresh lung tissue samples were tested. PCR test confirmed that 94.5% of the studied isolates belonged to A. pleuropneumoniae . From all tested tissue specimens, 49.6% samples w ere positive in PCR while only 38% were positive in bacteriological examination. Furthermore, results o f 88.4% tested tissue samples were identical in bot h PCR and bacteriological examinations. In case of 11.6% of tissue specimens only PCR gave positive results. Based on the obtained results, it can be assumed that the apx IVA PCR assay, which is a very specific and sensitive technique, can be helpful in rapid and sensitive d iagnosis of pleuropneumonia.
Role of soil nitrogen for the conifers of the boreal forest : a critical review

Nitrogen is considered the most important element in plant nutrition and growth. However its role and availability for boreal forest conifers is still debated. Boreal conifers have adapted strategies to cope with the reduced availability of N. ECM fungi, associated with boreal conifer roots, increase soil exploration and N nutrition, especially where organic N predominates. Conifers usually take up ammonium at levels comparable to simple organic N, which probably grows in importance as organic matter accumulates with stand age, while estimates of nitrate uptake are generally lower. Conifers, especially slow growing species, may rely on internal N cycling to sustain the development of new tissues in spring. N increases photosynthesis and leaf area and thus increases growth and wood formation, leading to wider radial rings mostly because of increased earlywood production. N-depositions and disturbances (e.g. fire and harvest) may alter the soil N-cycle and affect boreal forest growth. N depositions are considered responsible for the increase in boreal forest growth during the last century. Intensive harvest and high N-depositions may shift limitation from N to another element (e.g. P, K, and B). Climate change should affect the N cycle through complex mechanisms, including changes in the fire return interval, direct effects of warmer soils on N mineralization and stimulating plant growth modifying the balance between N stored in soils and in the living and dead (e.g. wood) biomass. Future research should try to improve our understanding of the possible outcomes of changes in disturbance regimes, N-depositions and climate, including the role of N fixation by mosses, canopy N uptake and the responses of conifers in relation to changes in microbial (symbiotic and not) communities.
An investigative analysis into the saving behaviour of poor households in developing countries: with specific reference to South Africa

ABSTRACT AN INVESTIGATIVE ANALYSIS INTO THE SAVING BEHAVIOUR OF POOR HOUSEHOLDS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: with specific reference to South Africa In South Africa, as in many developing countries, most households are poor and do not save, as a result of which they do not acquire any positive net worth and which also constrains access to formal means of finance. South African is a consuming nation, with increasing ratios of household consumption resulting in dissaving and often unsustainable levels of household debt, which is also stimulated by the current lower level of interest rates. This situation is worse amongst poor households who also often experience financial shocks, for instance because of the death of family members as a result of HIV/Aids. Empirical evidence in South Africa indicates that some of these households do try to save, but that it is extremely difficult to escape from the vicious circle of overspending and debt. The report provides and overview of household saving in South Africa for the period 1983 to 2003. It identifies the main factors responsible for the lack of a commitment to saving which are particularly relevant in the case of poor households. The main factors are: lack of income (due to unemployment), insufficient income, over-consumption (due to conspicuous consumption, procedural rationality and the bandwagon effect) and market failures, such as incomplete or even no information, lack of financial literacy, cultural and political factors. What is also alarming is that more than a decade after democracy, poor households in South African still prefer informal savings institutions. Suggestions are made to build bridges between formal and informal financial institutions in South Africa. A comparison is presented between the success stories of China, Singapore and Malaysia and factors are identified that should be taken into consideration by policy makers in South Africa. It is clear that the government should take on a stronger role in this regard and be committed to the creation of a culture of saving, particularly in the case of poor households in an effort to rule out poverty in South Africa.
Bipolar H II regions – Morphology and star formation in their vicinity

Aims. Our goal is to identify bipolar H II regions and to understand their morphology, their evolution, and the role they play in the formation of new generations of stars. Methods. We use the Spitzer-GLIMPSE, -MIPSGAL, and Herschel-Hi-GAL surveys to identify bipolar H II regions, looking for (ionized) lobes extending perpendicular to dense filamentary structures. We search for their exciting star(s) and estimate their distances using near-IR data from the 2MASS or UKIDSS surveys. Dense molecular clumps are detected using Herschel-SPIRE data, and we estimate their temperature, column density, mass, and density. MALT90 observations allow us to ascertain their association with the central H II region (association based on similar velocities). We identify Class 0/I young stellar objects (YSOs) using their Spitzer and Herschel-PACS emissions. These methods will be applied to the entire sample of candidate bipolar H II regions to be presented in a forthcoming paper. Results. This paper focuses on two bipolar H II regions, one that is especially interesting in terms of its morphology, G319.88+00.79, and one in terms of its star formation, G010.32-00.15. Their exciting clusters are identified and their photometric distances estimated to be 2.6 kpc and 1.75 kpc, respectively; thus G010.32-00.15 (known as W31 north) lies much closer than previously assumed. We suggest that these regions formed in dense and flat structures that contain filaments. They have a central ionized region and ionized lobes extending perpendicular to the parental cloud. The remains of the parental cloud appear as dense (more than 10(4) cm(-3)) and cold (14-17 K) condensations. The dust in the photodissociation regions (in regions adjacent to the ionized gas) is warm (19-25 K). Dense massive clumps are present around the central ionized region. G010.32-00.14 is especially remarkable because five clumps of several hundred solar masses surround the central H II region; their peak column density is a few 10(23) cm(-2), and the mean density in their central regions reaches several 10(5) cm(-3). Four of them contain at least one massive YSO (including an ultracompact H II region and a high-luminosity Class I YSO); these clumps also contain extended green objects (EGOs) and Class II methanol masers. This morphology suggests that the formation of a second generation of massive stars has been triggered by the central bipolar H II region. It occurs in the compressed material of the parental cloud.
The role of RASSF 1 A methylation in cancer

Tumour suppressor gene inactivation is critical to the pathogenesis of cancers; such loss of function may be mediated by irreversible processes such as gene deletion or mutation. Alternatively tumour suppressor genes may be inactivated via epigenetic processes a reversible mechanism that promises to be more amenable to treatment by therapeutic agents. The CpG dinucleotide is under-represented in the genome, but it is found in clusters within the promoters of some genes, and methylation of these CpG islands play a critical role in the control of gene expression. Inhibitors of the DNA methyltransferases DNMT1 and DNMT3b have been used in a clinical setting, these nucleotide analogues lack specificity but the side effects of low dose treatments were minimal and in 2004 Vidaza (5-azacitidine) was licensed for use in myelodysplastic syndrome. Methylation inhibitors are also entering trials in conjunction with another class of epigenetic modifiers, the histone deacetylase inhibitors and this epigenetic double bullet offers hope of improved treatment regimes. Recently there has been a plethora of reports demonstrating epigenetic inactivation of genes that play important roles in development of cancer, including Ras-association domain family of genes. Epigenetic inactivation of RASSF1A (Ras-association domain family 1, isoform A) is one of the most common molecular changes in cancer. Hypermethylation of the RASSF1A promoter CpG island silences expression of the gene in many cancers including lung, breast, prostate, glioma, neuroblastoma and kidney cancer. Several recent studies have illustrated the diagnostic and prognostic potential of RASSF1A methylation. This presents RASSF1A methylation as an attractive biomarker for early cancer detection which, for most cancers, results in improved clinical outcome. DNA methylation analysis is applicable to a range of body fluids including serum, urine, bronchioalveolar lavage and sputum. The ease with which these body fluids can be acquired negates the need for invasive procedures to obtain biopsy material. This review will discuss the feasibility of using RASSF1A methylation as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in cancer management.
ACCURATE NUMERICAL SOLUTIONS OF 3 D HELMHOLTZ EQUATION

We present the dispersion and local-error analysis of the twenty-seven point local field expansion (LFE-27) formula for obtaining highly accurate semi-analytical solutions of the Helmholtz equation in a 3D homogeneous medium. Compact finite-difference (FD) stencils are the cornerstones in frequency-domain FD methods. They produce block tri-diagonal matrices which require much less computing resources compared to other non-compact stencils. LFE27 is a 3D compact FD-like stencil used in the method of connected local fields (CLF) [1]. In this paper, we show that LFE-27 possesses such good numerical quality that it is accurate to the sixth order. Our analyses are based on the relative error studies of numerical phase and group velocities. The classical second-order FD formula requires more than twenty sampling points per wavelength to achieve less than 1% relative error in both phase and group velocities whereas LFE-27 needs only three points per wavelength to match the same performance.
The improvement of Kansei engineering by using the repertory grid technique

Received: 7 April 2015 Abstract Accepted: 26 June 2015 A customer-oriented approach to product development with particular consideration of emotions is represented by Kansei Engineering. Developed by Mitsuo Nagamachi, Kansei Engineering is characterized by the possibility to capture customer perceptions and to translate them into product features. In order to assess these perceptions, a semantic space is generated. For this purpose it is necessary to identify Kansei words that are gathered up through research in marketing concepts, scientific journals and service reports. This procedure though displays the disadvantage of not being able to identify all emotions referring to the investigated product. One way to improve the identification of Kansei words is Repertory Grid. The Repertory Grid technique makes it possible to gather unaltered perceptions through in-depth interviews from the direct interaction with customers. Thus, the interview phase of the Repertory Grid technique offers an improved approach to identify of Kansei words.
A Snap Shot on Construct Validity in Language Testing: Definitions and Implications

This paper presents an overview of construct validity and its’ definitions and implications in language testing. Construct validity has gained momentum among language testers and teachers for the last decades or so. Unfortunately, not many people fully understand how to conduct a well designed construct validated test. It is hoped that this paper can provide some guidance and support to those who want to embark on construct validity investigations. Topics analyzed in this study included; the concept of validity and construct validity, qualitative and quantitative measures of construct validity; and the review of some studies that applied these measures. Keywords : Language testing, Validity, Construct validity, Qualitative measures, Quantitative measures.
Usefulness, Enjoyment, and Self‐Image Congruence: The Adoption of e‐Book Readers

One challenge when launching new technologies is to overcome consumer resistance to change so as to accelerate market acceptance. This is the case of e-book readers. The present study investigates individuals’ perceptions of the utilitarian and hedonic values of such devices and their congruence with self-image as determinants of adoption. Additionally, consumer profile and familiarity with the new technology as a whole influence individuals’ perceptions of this particular technology and its congruence with self-image. Findings show that perceived enjoyment and self-image congruence complement perceived usefulness in forging a favorable attitude toward e-book readers and adoption intention, and that knowledge proves essential in the adoption process. Moreover, people highly involved with reading tend to perceive e-book readers as useless, which hampers their adoption.
Easier said than done: overcoming challenges in the economic evaluation of internet-based lifestyle interventions

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