Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Balanced Scorecard for evaluating the performance of supply chains: a bibliometric study

As supply chain management involves several criteria, its performance evaluation is a challenge for industrial managers. Researchers have proposed several approaches for such evaluations, among them, Balanced Scorecard (BSC) highlights. Academic papers on BSC applications for evaluating supply chain performance has an expressively increased in recent years. Considering that examining published papers on a topic is a way of monitoring the emergence of a new field, this study aims to explore, through bibliometry, papers published in indexed journals (SCOPUS and Web of Science databases). This paper weaves an overview of academic production and study trends on BSC for performance evaluation of supply chains. Findings help researchers and managers to understand the state of the art, to identify gaps and to identify future trends. The results also showed the maturation of studies over the years. The predominance of publications in journals with impact factor (Thomson Reuters) also has been noticed. The development of the theme in emerging countries can be useful for increasing the competitiveness of their companies. In summary, this study is helpful for influencing future studies and publications of researchers interested in performance evaluation of supply chains based on BSC and may orient new researchers so that they directly know which journals to consult and which technical procedures to explore.
Responses of physiological activities and lateral root anatomical structure of Cercis glabra to waterlogging stress

Cercis glabra is a colour-leaf tree with excellent ornamental value, whereas its physiological and morphological responses to waterlogging stress are still unclear. A potted study was conducted to determine the effects of waterlogging stress on antioxidative enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT)), lipid peroxidation (in terms of malondialdehyde (MDA) content), relative electric conductivity, and osmotic substance (free proline) of leaves and aerenchyma, lignification, suberization and Casparian strip of lateral roots of C. glabra. The result showed that the SOD, POD, and CAT activity and free proline content of C. glabra were significantly increased by the different degrees of waterlogging stress compared with the non-waterlogged treatment at 8 and 12 days, and the MDA content and relative electric conductivity of C. glabra leaves were significantly increased under the different degrees of waterlogging stress compared to the non-waterlogged treatment at 16 days, and the degrees of change increased among treatments was ranked as total waterlogged > semi-waterlogged > shallow waterlogged. The lateral roots of C. glabra not only formed developed aerenchyma in the cortex but also formed suberization and Casparian strip in the endodermis under semi-waterlogged treatment at 16 days. These results implied that C. glabra had a certain tolerance to waterlogging stress, which was associated with the increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and osmotic adjustment substance content, and with the formation of aerenchyma, suberization and Casparian strip in the lateral root to adapt to the waterlogged environment.
The Development of Nest-Building Behavior in a Weaverbird

NEST building is often considered a prime example of instinctive behavior in birds, but few detailed and systematic studies of the development of this process in young birds seem to have been made. Our object was to make such a study. The observations and experiments to be described were carried out on a colony of captive Village Weaverbirds, Textor cucul4 latus, at Los Angeles, California. These birds belonged to the West African race of the species, T. c. cucullatus, and the original stock came from Senegal. The value of this species for the present study is that it makes a complex and highly organized nest. We have elsewhere published an account of the breeding behavior of the race T. c. graueri in the wild state in Central Africa (Collias and Collias, 1959), and a detailed analysis of the mechanisms of the nest-building behavior of the adult males, which do all of the weaving of the nests in this species (N. E. Collias and E. C. Collias, 1962). This latter project was extended into the present investigation of the development of the ability of young birds to make a nest, but only a brief abstract of this work (E. C. Collias and N. E. Collias, 1962) has been published. We report herewith some details of our experimental analysis of this problem. The young birds used were all hatched in a large outdoor aviary on the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles. This aviary measured 16 x 30 x 16 (height) feet and contained a palm tree (Phoenix canariensis) and an African acacia tree of unknown species. The birds nested in both trees, but preferred the acacia. The colony was maintained on parakeet seed mixture, lettuce, and mealworms, with grit and cuttlebone continuously present. Mealworms proved inadequate as a diet for the young, but the latter were raised successfully when the mealworms were supplemented with crickets. Mr. Richard Burrows, Mr. Brian Kahn, Mr. Herbert Brown, and Mr. Edward Tarvyd each helped us rear the young brought up in the aviary during one of the three years of the study. We are grateful to Dr. Jean Delacour and Monsieur G•rard Morel for making it possible for us to obtain the birds for our colony. Dr. W. J. Dixon kindly advised us with regard to statistical treatment of the results. We are indebted to the National Science Foundation (Grants G-9741 and G-22236) and to the University of California at Los Angeles (Grant 1623) for financial support of the program.
l‐histidine improves water retention of heat‐induced gel of chicken breast myofibrillar proteins in low ionic strength solution

Summary The effects of 5 mm l-histidine (l-His) on water-binding capacity, gel strength, thermal gelling properties of chicken breast myofibrillar proteins (MPs) in 1 mm NaCl or 0.6 m NaCl solutions (pH 7.0) were investigated. l-His could significantly increase the solubility and thermal gelling ability of MPs in 1 mm NaCl. l-His at 1 mm NaCl shortened the water relaxation time and decreased the water mobility of MPs gel. l-His promoted the formation of MPs gel structure with small pores and thin strands at 1 mm NaCl. These resulted in the enhanced water retention and weak gel strength of MPs in low ionic strength solution. The water-binding capacity of MPs gels formed in 1 mm NaCl containing 5 mm l-His was equivalent to that with 0.6 m NaCl. The information could offer certain theoretical foundation to apply l-His as sodium salt substitute for developing low-salt meat gelling product with high yield.
Life History Evolution in Guppies: III. The Impact of Prawn Predation on Guppy Life Histories

Male Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) that co-occur with a large, predatory prawn, Macrobrachium crenulatum, have colour patterns that are striklingly different from those of guppies that co-occur with fish predators. Since many crustaceans are red-blind, Endler suggested that predation pressure by M. crenulatum has reduced all vivid components of colouration in male guppies except the reddish hues that they are unable to detect. If Macrobrachium have had an impact on the evolution of guppy colour patterns, they must prey upon mature size classes of guppies since a male's colouration does not appear until after he reaches sexual maturity. Guppy life history traits are sensitive to size-specific predation and are used here to indicate the importance of Macrobrachium as predators of mature guppies
Važnost percipirane vrijednosti usluga kod

Purpose – In many industries, perceived service value is found to be a signifi cant mediator between perceived service quality and customer satisfaction and loyalty. Therefore, this paper aims to test a conceptual model of perceived service value with its antecedents, such as perceived price and perceived service quality, and consequences, customer satisfaction and loyalty, in the retail banking industry. Design/Methodology/Approach – For the empirical study, a measurement instrument was developed and tested for validity and reliability. Measures were assessed with exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confi rmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). A structural model with fi ve refl ective constructs was evaluated to test direct and indirect relationships among constructs. Findings and implications – Results confi rm a mediating role of perceived value in relationships between perceived price, perceived service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in the case of retail banking services. Limitations – Because the results are directly relevant only to customers and marketing managers of retail banking services, generalizations of the fi ndings beyond the immediate population observed should be made with caution. Sažetak Svrha – U različitim granama djelatnosti percipirana vrijednost usluga istaknuta je kao značajan medijator između percipirane kvalitete usluga te zadovoljstva i odanosti korisnika. Stoga je svrha ovoga rada na primjeru usluga u bankarskome sektoru testirati konceptualni model percipirane vrijednosti usluga i njegovih utjecajnih faktora, kao što su percipirana cijena i percipirana kvaliteta usluga, te posljedica, zadovoljstvo i odanost korisnika. Metodološki pristup – Za potrebe empirijskog istraživanja razvijen je mjerni instrument te testirana njegova valjanost i pouzdanost. Korišteni mjerni instrument provjeren je kroz eksplorativnu faktorsku analizu, konfi rmatornu faktorsku analizu te strukturalno modeliranje. Strukt uralni model s pet refl ektivnih konstrukata analiziran je kako bi se testirale direktne i indirektne veze među konstruktima. Rezultati i implikacije – Rezultati potvrđuju medijacijsku ulogu percipirane vrijednosti u odnosu percipirane cijene i percipirane kvalitete te zadovoljstva i odanosti korisnika kod usluga u bankarskome sektoru. Ograničenja – Kako su rezultati istraživanja direktno relevantni isključivo korisnicima bankarskih usluga i marketinškim menedžerima u bankama, treba se uzeti s oprezom generalizacija rezultata na druge usluge osim bankarskih. Aleksandra Pisnik, Jasmina Dlačić, Borut Milfelner 192 Vo l. 28 , N o. 2 , 2 01 6, p p. 1 91 -2 12 Originality – This paper extends existing knowledge with both direct and indirect eff ects among researched concepts, and shows the importance of perceived service value in achieving satisfi ed and loyal customers in retail banking services.
Modeling changes in energy substrate usage in response to acute stress in birds.

Physiological responses to stress, imposed by intrinsic or environmental challenges, result in a rapid mobilization of energy. However, how an organism's current energetic state affects the stress response and the energy substrates used is poorly understood. We measured plasma metabolites (glucose, free glycerol, triglycerides, and the ketone β‐OH‐butyrate) associated with energy storage and mobilization in response to a 30 min long mild stress in five species of free‐ranging birds. We predicted that individuals with greater lipid stores rely more on intrinsic energy stores during stress than individuals with low lipid stores and this difference would be reflected in differential energy substrate utilization. In all species, acute stress was associated with increased total plasma corticosterone and decreased plasma triglycerides. Changes in plasma concentrations of the other metabolites in response to stress reflected differences in phylogeny and/or diet type. Granivorous species (House Sparrows, Abert's and Canyon Towhees) showed a decrease in free glycerol and no change in glucose. By contrast, primarily insectivorous species (Curve‐billed Thrashers and Northern Mockingbirds) showed increased glucose and β‐OH‐butyrate. Metabolic pathways for energy mobilization and usage during stress may, therefore, be related to specific life‐history traits.
Soil, plant and canopy resistance to water flow in bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) as affected by fertigation regimes

The effect of fertigation regimes on water transport properties (soil, plant and canopy resistances) through the plant to the canopy in the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere-Continuum (SPAC) was studied in bell pepper in a Mediterranean climate. The treatments consisted of fertigated drip irrigation in factorial combinations of three levels (amounts) of water application (daily, twice and once weekly) and application frequencies (2, 6 and 10 times per fertigation event). Leaf water potential and stomatal conductance were monitored while whole plant hydraulic conductance was estimated by the evaporative  ux method, using the Ohm’s law analogy (the slope of the water potential difference (∆ψ) versus sap  uxes). Canopy conductance (inverse of resistance) was estimated from vapour pressure de cit (vpd) and transpiration  ux. Differences in the intervals between fertigation events altered the environment for root development and affected soil moisture status, stomatal conductance (gs), leaf water potential (lwp), transpiration (sap)  ux, and xylem and canopy water transport capacities in bell pepper. The components of the resistance elements in the SPAC differed under the fertigation treatments. Total plant resistance (Rp) increased with transpiration  ux in a linear manner in addition to a proportional decrease in stomatal (gs) and canopy conductance (gc). Canopy component constitutes the least resistance (greatest conductance) to the  ow of water, estimated soil resistance was much lower than total resistance to the  ow of water, and the highest within plant resistance is contained in the root system which constituted a predominant part of total plant resistance. Bell pepper has an ef cient xylem sap transport system, maintains gs and plant water status under variable soil moisture regimes. Bell pepper water use is affected by soil environment, plant architectural and xylem traits. The mechanisms underlying differences in water use and plasticity of physiological functions in bell pepper under variable fertigation regimes appeared to be offered through changes in the magnitudes of component resistances of the water transport pathways in the SPAC. The implications of knowledge of the magnitudes of the resistances to water  ow pathway in the SPAC to irrigation management is discussed.
A non-autonomous differential equation to model bacterial growth.

In order to describe the dynamics of growing bacterial cultures a non-autonomous differential equation is applied. The model describes the lag phase as an adjustment period and for the lag-parameter a new definition is introduced. Some mathematical aspects of the model are described and, on the basis of more than 500 growth curves, its statistical properties are compared with the Gompertz-approach commonly used in food microbiology.
In vitro regeneration studies in gerbera ( Gerbera jamesonii Bolus )

An efficient protocol was developed on in vitro regeneration and acclimatization of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus). Seeds were used as the primary explants for in vitro establishment. Early shoot regeneration from in vitro shoots was noticed in MS medium supplemented with 4 mg l BAP + 0.3 mg l IAA within 12.13 days with maximum number of shoots per clump (4.80), leaves per shoot (10.27) and shoot length (3.85 cm) at six weeks of inoculation. Root initiation was early (10.87 days) when shoots cultured on MS medium containing IBA at 2 mg l that also produced highest number of roots per shoot (4.73) and maximum root length (3.47 cm). In acclimatization process highest survival rate was achieved with coco peat alone compared to other media composition. Further tissue cultured plants were subjected to ELISA to confirm that the plants were free from cucumber mosaic virus (CMV).
Sucrose accumulation during grape berry and strawberry fruit ripening is controlled predominantly by sucrose synthase activity

Summary Phloem unloading and the metabolism of sucrose largely determine the content and type of sugars which have important roles in the improvement of fruit quality. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the accumulation of sucrose in grape berry and strawberry fruit remain unclear. The relative contents of sucrose (Suc), glucose (Glu), and fructose (Fru) were analysed, as well as the levels of expression of key genes involved in sucrose accumulation, including those for soluble acid invertase (SAI), cell wall invertase (CWI), sucrose synthase (SS), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), and sucrose transporter 1 (SUT1) during the ripening of both grape berry and strawberry fruit. The results showed that ‘Hamburg’ grape berry accumulated low amounts of sucrose, whereas, ‘Hongyan’ strawberry fruit accumulated high levels of sucrose. Transcription of CWI, SPS, and SUT1 increased rapidly in both fruit, while SAI transcript levels increased only slightly, and remained low, except for a large increase during early ripening in strawberry fruit. Interestingly, the levels of transcription and translation of the SS gene showed opposite patterns in the two types of fruit. High SS enzyme activity with low sucrose contents in grape berry, and low SS enzyme activity with high sucrose contents in strawberry fruit, suggest that SS plays a dominant role in sucrose accumulation during ripening in both types of fruit.
Preliminary processing of the Chaparral-Farnsworth VSP data set with focus on attenuation

In this report the Chaparral Farnsworth VSP data was investigated, with the aims of establishing an attenuation profile and identifying difficulties that may arise if anacoustic FWI were applied to the data. Q estimates were generated using both the spectral ratio method and the centroid frequency shift method. These yielded consistent results, prominently featuring nonphysical negative Q. Scattering effects were investigated as a potential cause for this error. Synthetic VSP data generated using the well logs demonstrated that scattering effects do provide effective negative Q forcing in the Q estimation methods, but not in the correct locations or to the necessary extent to cause the apparent negative Q in the measured data. Scattering effects on a smaller scale than the well log sampling could not be discarded as a potential cause for this behaviour however. A capacity to be able to account for both Q induced frequency shifts and sub seismic resolution scattering induced shifts is identified as a desirable property in any anacoustic FWI to be applied to this data.
Clinical features and therapeutic strategies for managing the striated muscle laminopathies

ABSTRACT Introduction: Laminopathies are a diverse and complex group of rare genetic conditions due to mutations in A-type lamins gene (LMNA). Striated muscle laminopathies (SML) are the most frequent type of laminopathies that affect skeletal and/or cardiac muscle, with cardiac disease being the major cause of death of SML patients. There is currently no specific treatment to prevent or slow down the disease progression of SML. Areas covered: Remarkable progress has been made in the description of the clinical and genetic spectrum of SML since the first described LMNA mutation seventeen years ago, that had allowed first deciphering of the cardiac disease mechanisms and identification of therapeutic targets. This review will provide the current status of the clinical features and standards of care of SML as well as the therapeutic strategies under development for a better and specific management of the cardiac involvement of SML. Expert opinion: Current treatment of SML is not targeted and relies on approaches considered standard for any form of dilated cardiomyopathy. Research on pathophysiology with mouse models has been extremely helpful in deciphering critical mechanisms and for proposing potential innovative pharmacological therapies. Still, it appears necessary to have a better grasp on the pathogenesis to develop and propose the first targeted treatment for SML patients and to successfully move from bench to bed.
Mathematical model for early functional recovery pattern of kidney transplant recipients using serum creatinine

Background Commonly used equations for calculating estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are not applicable when serum creatinine (Scr) is rapidly changing like the post-transplant period. A new mathematical model applicable to the post-transplant period is required. Methods All 623 patients who underwent kidney transplantation from January 2008 to June 2018 at a single institute were included to validate the Scr mathematical equations, and 14,360 Scr laboratory results from the time of re-perfusion to 30 days post-transplantation were analyzed. Results In the validation of model equations, linear regression analysis yielded adjusted R2 values of 0.972 and 0.925 for equation 5 (applicable when renal function is changing) and equation 1 (applicable when renal function is unchanged), respectively. In selected cases, the population comprised individuals who presented an adjusted R2 value >0.95 with equation 5. Linear regression analysis showed that adjusted R2 values and Pearson's correlation coefficients for equation 5 and equation 1 were 0.994 and 0.997 (P<0.001) and 0.956 and 0.978 (P<0.001), respectively. Most of the eGFR formulas are mathematically applicable only if the creatinine input rate equals the creatinine output rate when comparing between commonly used eGFRs and creatinine clearance using the modeled equation. Conclusions The proposed equations can provide a new perspective for calculating renal function during the early phase of kidney transplantation. A study of a correlation between the equations and long-term graft outcomes is required.
Reliability and validity of core self-evaluation scale in employees and undergraduates in China

Objective To revise Core Self-Evaluation Scale (CSES) and examine its reliability and validity in employees and undergraduates in China. Methods The adaptation of the scale was gotten by way of translation and back-translation. 400 employees and 272 undergraduates were tested by questionnaires, and their data were used to evaluate reliability and validity of the scale. Results In employees and undergraduates, the Cronbach' s coefficient of the CSES was respectively 0.71,0.81, and the test-retest reliability was respectively 0.81,0.84. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the single factor model was more fit for the revised CSES. The scale had good convergent validity and incremental validity in the samples. Conclusion The CSES has good reliability and validity in employees and undergraduates, which can be used for measuring the core self-evaluation in practical research. Key words: Psychometric; Core self-evaluation scale; Reliability; Validity