Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Diversity in Cotton Assessed by Variation in Ribosomal RNA Genes and AFLP Markers

Variation in the ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers has been used to establish the extent of genetic diversity and relatedness in plants. The utility of these methods to detect inter- and intra-specific variation in cotton (Gossypium spp.) has not been reported and could he useful in cultivar identification and in marker assisted selection. The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the molecular organization of the rDNA genes by restriction enzyme mapping and (ii) assess the level of AFLPs in Old and New World species of cotton. A restriction site map of the rDNA gene structure of G. hirsutum L. ev. TMI was constructed from DNA digested with 12 restriction enzymes and hybridized to heterologous probes. Four EcoRI-MseI primer-pair combinations were used for the AFLP analysis. The rDNA gene structure in cotton was found to be similar to that of most higher plants. The rDNA repeat size was 9.4 kbp in G. hirsutum and G. barbadense L. , and 9.6 and 9.8 kbp in G. arboreum L. and G. herbaceum L. , respectively. No intraspecific polymorphism was detected in the spacer. The presence of two SspI sites in G. arboreum and G. herbaceum and a single site in G. hirsutum and G. barbadense separated Old and New World cottons. The AFLP method produced a 10-fold increase in the number of DNA bands per plant, compared with random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) methods. The AFLP data assigned the species-genotypes into groups that corresponded with their origin and/or pedigree relationships.
Matrix metalloproteinase(s) mediate(s) NO-induced dissociation of β-catenin from membrane bound E-cadherin and formation of nuclear β-catenin/LEF-1 complex

Modulation of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC)-beta-catenin pathway by inflammatory mediators and extracellular matrix may be important in colon carcinogenesis. We have recently shown that nitric oxide (NO) induces the accumulation of cytosolic beta-catenin and subsequent formation of the nuclear beta-catenin/lymphocyte enhancing factor (LEF)-1 complex in conditionally immortalized young mouse colonic epithelial (YAMC) cells. In the present study, we explored the mechanism(s) through which NO exerts its effect on cytosolic beta-catenin accumulation and nuclear beta-catenin/LEF-1 complex formation. We found that NO-induced degradation of the membrane bound E-cadherin at tight junctions. Using an anti-E-cadherin antibody specific for its extracellular domain, we detected a 50kDa degradation fragment of E-cadherin (120 kDa) from the culture medium conditioned by YAMC cells exposed to the NO-releasing drug, NOR-1, for 4 and 24 h. As beta-catenin is normally bound to transmembrane E-cadherin and thus anchored to the cytoskeleton structure, the degradation of E-cadherin induced by NO may cause dissociation of beta-catenin from membrane bound E-cadherin. This was demonstrated by the detection of beta-catenin accumulation in the soluble cytosolic fractions in YAMC after exposure to NO-releasing drugs. Furthermore, the degradation of E-cadherin and the release of beta-catenin to cytosol were accompanied by the formation of nuclear beta-catenin/LEF-1 complex, demonstrating the dissociation of beta-catenin from E-cadherin may be responsible for the activation of beta-catenin/LEF-1 transcription complex. Co-treatment with NO donors and broad-spectrum matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitors TIMP-1 (100 ng/ml), GM6001 (10 micro M) and GM1489 (10 micro M) abolished the degradation of E-cadherin induced by NO as demonstrated by western blot analysis. These MMP inhibitors also blocked the cytosolic accumulation of beta-catenin and nuclear formation of beta-catenin/LEF-1 complex. The sum effect of MMP inhibitors demonstrated that NO-induced activation of MMP may cause the degradation of E-cadherin and the subsequent dissociation of beta-catenin, thereby contributing to the cytosolic accumulation of beta-catenin and nuclear formation of beta-catenin/LEF-1 complex.
Effectiveness of antioxidants in preventing oxidation of palm oil enriched with heme iron: A model for iron fortification in baked products

Bakery products such as biscuits, cookies, and pastries represent a good medium for iron fortification in food products, since they are consumed by a large proportion of the population at risk of developing iron deficiency anemia, mainly children. The drawback, however, is that iron fortification can promote oxidation. To assess the extent of this, palm oil added with heme iron and different antioxidants was used as a model for evaluating the oxidative stability of some bakery products, such as baked goods containing chocolate. The palm oil samples were heated at 220°C for 10 min to mimic the conditions found during a typical baking processing. The selected antioxidants were a free radical scavenger (tocopherol extract (TE), 0 and 500 mg/kg), an oxygen scavenger (ascorbyl palmitate (AP), 0 and 500 mg/kg), and a chelating agent (citric acid (CA), 0 and 300 mg/kg). These antioxidants were combined using a factorial design and were compared to a control sample, which was not supplemented with antioxidants. Primary (peroxide value and lipid hydroperoxide content) and secondary oxidation parameters (p-anisidine value, p-AnV) were monitored over a period of 200 days in storage at room temperature. The combination of AP and CA was the most effective treatment in delaying the onset of oxidation. TE was not effective in preventing oxidation. The p-AnV did not increase during the storage period, indicating that this oxidation marker was not suitable for monitoring oxidation in this model.
Multiscale Habitat Selection by Black Pine Snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi) in Southern Mississippi

Abstract With the historical and continued fragmentation of Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) forests, an increasing need emerges to identify remaining Black Pine Snake, Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi, populations and understand species–environment correlations so that conservation efforts for this taxon are properly directed and appropriate. This study had three main objectives: (1) to use radiotelemetry data in conjunction with GIS modeling to assess multiple scale resource selection for P. m. lodingi; (2) to use occurrence data to validate our habitat suitability model; and (3) to quantify microhabitat characteristics of P. m. lodingi locality records and evaluate differences in land cover between historical and recent records. At the landscape scale, P. m. lodingi selected evergreen forests in upland areas lacking cultivated crops, pasture and hay fields, developed areas, and roads. Within home ranges, P. m. lodingi were found closer to scrub/shrub habitat and open areas than expected. Our Boolean model reduced the area deemed suitable for P. m. lodingi by 84.3%, while accurately categorizing 75% of recent P. m. lodingi occurrences, demonstrating the potential for robust model development despite small sample sizes. We found significant habitat differences between recent and historical P. m. lodingi locality records, which corroborated the findings of our Boolean model. Recent sites of occurrence were, on average, 597 m from areas with a model score of “optimal,” whereas sites with no recent records were, on average, 1582 m from areas with an optimal score. Recent sites were characterized by significantly less canopy cover, less basal area, less midstory cover, greater percentages of grass, bare soil, and forbs in the ground cover, less shrubs and litter in the ground cover, and a more recent burn history than sites with no recent records. Areas containing historical P. m. lodingi populations are simultaneously becoming unsuitable at both the landscape and microhabitat scales. Our Boolean modeling approach represents a cost-effective way to plan for informed management actions for snake taxa of conservation concern.
Performance calibration among youth with visual impairment on a 6-minute endurance run test

Physical activity and fitness have long been associated with health, yet youth with visual impairments tend to be less active and less fit than their sighted peers. Performance calibration (i.e., the degree to which predictions about performance reflect actual performance) may be a useful conceptual framework to investigate the relationships between perceptions of health-related fitness and measured fitness performance among youth with visual impairments. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive and postdictive performance calibration of youth with visual impairments on a test of cardiovascular fitness. Twenty-five participants (12 female, 13 male, aged 10–17 years) completed a 6-min endurance run test. Before and after the test, participants estimated how far they would run. Based on these data, performance calibration scores were calculated, and variables were correlated. Gender and visual impairment level-based differences were compared using t tests. Participants were generally overconfident in their predicted run scores but underconfident in their postdictions. Results of the present study suggest that youth with visual impairments are generally poorly calibrated with regard to cardiovascular fitness.
The Bombycoidea: phylogeny and higher classification (Lepidoptera: Glossata)

This paper is chiefly aimed at reassessing the limits of four bombycoid families, namely the Eupterotidae, Saturniidae, Lemoniidae, and Brahmaeidae. An incompletely resolved cladogram is proposed for the whole 'bombycoid complex' (Mimallonoidea + Lasiocampoidea + Bombycoidea). Within the Bombycoidea, the primary dichotomy is considered to lie between the Eupterotidae + Bombycidae s.lat. + Endromidae + Mirinidae + Saturniidae, and the Carthaeidae + Lemoniidae + Brahmaeidae + Sphingidae. Sharing at least nine synapomorphies, the Lemoniidae and Brahmaeidae are regarded as reliable sister groups, and the Lemoniidae + Brahmaeidae are proposed as a sister group to the Sphingidae. Another newly proposed clade groups together the Endromidae, Mirinidae and Saturniidae. At family level, the Hibrildidae are synonymized with the Eupterotidae (syn. n.), for which the most significant autapomorphy lies in a previously unnoticed particularity of the female hind leg (distitarsus typically provided with a midventral row of spines). Sexual dimorphism in leg structure also leads to a redefinition of the Saturniidae, a family which must include, with subfamily rank (stat. rev.), the 'Oxytenidae' and 'Cercophanidae' of modern authors. A pair of distal, tooth-like structures on the fourth tarsomere of the female fore leg can thus be ascribed to the ground plan of the Saturniidae, along with a few other convincing autapomorphies. On the other hand, the 'Apatelodidae' are only tentatively placed in the 'Bombycidae sensu lato', a group provisionally resurrected insofar as the Apatelodidae sensu auct. prove to be diphyletic. As a matter of fact, the 'apatelodid' subfamily Epiinae is synonymized with the Bombycinae (syn. n.) in consideration of a rather large number of synapomorphies. When more extensively studied, the morphology of the eighth sternum of the male abdomen might lead to a slightly different, more restricted, concept of the Bombycidae (Le. excluding 'true' Apatelodidae). Often regarded as incertae sedis, the African genera Sabalia Walker and Spiramiopsis Hampson are definitely assigned to the Lemoniidae and Brahmaeidae respectively. Autapomorphies of these two families are recorded and discussed, as are those found to characterize the Sphingidae. Three subfamilies are tentatively recognized within the latter (Smerinthinae stat. rev., Sphinginae, Macroglossinae), five within the Eupterotidae (Hibrildinae, Tissanginae, Janinae, Panacelinae, Eupterotinae), and four within the Bombycidae s.lat. (Apatelodinae, Phiditiinae subfam. n., Prismostictinae [= Oberthueriinae, syn. rev.], Bombycinae). Three of these subfamilies are considered in a new sense, viz. the Panacelinae, Apatelodinae, and Bombycinae. Although the phylogeny of the Saturniidae is not fully taken into account in the present study, the composition of three saturniid subfamilies is critically examined (Oxyteninae, Cercophaninae, Ludiinae), and the Oxyteninae are viewed as the most 'primitive' member of the family.
Location and Capacity Selection Method for Electric Thermal Storage Heating Equipment Connected to Distribution Network Considering Load Characteristics and Power Quality Management

High-permeability distributed wind power and photovoltaic systems are connected to the distribution network, which exacerbates the volatility and uncertainty of the distribution network. Furthermore, with the increasing demand of heating in winter and environmental protection, the wide use of electric thermal storage heating equipment (ETSHE) can promote distributed renewable energy utilization. However, an unplanned ETSHE connection to the distribution network may cause serious power quality problems. A new method of equipment location and capacity is proposed, which considered the improvement of power quality and load demand characteristics of the distribution network. First, based on heat load portrait technology, the node’s thermal load classification prediction was carried out to provide the data basis for the model solution. Second, the multi-objective optimal location and capacity programming model including harmonic distortion rate, voltage deviation, voltage fluctuation, and ETSHE cost was established. Then, the system nodes were preprocessed based on the sensitivity analysis method to reduce the number of installation nodes to be selected, and a feasible alternative set of installation nodes for the optimal configuration model of ETSHE could be obtained. Finally, the improved multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm was used to solve the model, and the data envelope analysis method was used to evaluate the power quality of each access scheme. The analysis of the numerical example shows that it can not only satisfy the user′s heat demand, but also effectively improve the power quality by rationally planning the location and capacity of ETSHE, which achieves the safe and efficient utilization of energy.
Pain and sharing: A re-examination of the findings of Bastian, Jetten, and Ferris (2014)

Bastian, Jetten, and Ferris (2014) reported that shared pain enhances people’s bonding and cooperative behavior, but that shared no-pain has no such effect. They concluded that shared pain is a type of social glue that can improve people’s cooperation. However, in real life, both painful and painless experiences are often nonshared. Logically, the most direct way to determine whether sharing is the important element or not is to compare shared conditions with nonshared conditions. We conducted two experiments to investigate the relative effects of pain and sharing on enhancing people’s bonding and cooperative behavior by adding conditions of unshared pain and unshared no-pain. In experiment 1, we replicated Bastian, Jetten, and Ferris’s (2014) findings, and found that the effect of pain on bonding was mediated by empathy. In experiment 2, we used a 2 (pain/no-pain) × 2 (shared/unshared) design and found that while shared pain still induced more cooperative behavior than shared no-pain, unshared pain did not induce more cooperative behavior than unshared no-pain. Moreover, we found that empathy significantly mediated the relationship between pain and bonding when participants shared the experience. These results suggest that sharing is a necessary component for pain to act as social glue.
From cognition to action: the effect of thought self-leadership strategies and self-monitoring on adaptive selling behavior

Purpose This study aims to investigate salespersons’ self-monitoring and its effect on adaptive selling behavior. As salespeople are constantly facing different customers with various needs and want and engaging in a different sales situation, salespeople must deploy their inner capabilities in practicing adaptive selling behavior during and across sales interactions. This study also investigates the impact of salesperson’s intrapersonal leadership – where leadership stems from the individuals with the purpose to influence oneself. Design/methodology/approach Authors draw on the social cognitive theory of self-regulation to develop our model and examine the relationship between self-monitoring, thought self-leadership and adaptive selling behavior. We empirically test the model using data from 335 pharmaceutical salespeople working across several countries in Asia. Findings The results support the role of self-monitoring and thought self-leadership as antecedents to adaptive selling. Further, the results suggest that self-monitoring positively moderates the relationship between thought self-leadership and adaptive selling behavior. In light of these results, we explore implications and limitations and conclude by suggesting directions for further research. Research limitations/implications The sampling method used was convenience sampling, which may limit the theoretical generalization of our results across all emerging markets. Moreover, this study examines the direct impact of self-management mechanism on adaptive selling behavior and the way it interacts with salesperson's thought self-leadership to strengthen adaptive selling behavior. However, the research model does not include organization-level drivers. Originality/value This study makes an important and original contribution to sales literature by demonstrating the direct and interaction effects of self-monitoring mechanism on a critical component of a business to business sales process, adaptive selling behavior. Results from this study highlight the critical importance of cognitive processes that drives positive selling behavior.
Monitoring planktivorous seabird populations: validating surface counts of crevice-nesting auklets using mark–resight techniques

Least Auklets (Aethia pusilla (Pallas, 1811)) are the most abundant species of seabird in the Bering Sea and offer a relatively efficient means of monitoring secondary productivity in the marine environment. Counting auklets on surface plots is the primary method used to track changes in numbers of these crevice-nesters, but counts can be highly variable and may not be representative of the number of nesting individuals. We compared average maximum counts of Least Auklets on surface plots with density estimates based on mark–resight data at a colony on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, during 2001–2004. Estimates of breeding auklet abundance from mark–resight averaged 8 times greater than those from maximum surface counts. Our results also indicate that average maximum surface counts are poor indicators of breeding auklet abundance and do not vary consistently with auklet nesting density across the breeding colony. Estimates of Least Auklet abundance from mark–resight were sufficiently precise to meet manageme.
STOCK MARKET OPENNESS AND MARKET QUALITY: EVIDENCE FROM THE SHANGHAI–HONG KONG STOCK CONNECT PROGRAM

This paper studies the impact of capital market openness on high frequency market quality in China. The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect (SHHKConnect) program opens China's stock market to foreign investors and offers a natural experiment to investigate this question. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that market liberalization leads to lower bid-ask spread, lower effective spread, lower market depth and higher short-term volatility. Our findings imply that opening the markets to more sophisticated foreign investors is associated with higher competition and more cross-market arbitrage activities, narrowing the spread and reducing liquidity providers' profits, but increasing the price impact and short-term volatility of connected stocks.
Video calls as a nexus of practice in multilingual translocal families

This study explores how daily video calls were used by two multilingual family constellations to keep in contact with members located elsewhere. A three-stage data collection and analysis protocol was developed together with the two main participants, two single mothers each with a 4-year-old child. The results show that active collaboration among all members of the family was needed to get the activity going. The families employed a de facto family language policy where the focus was on successful communication and nurturing emotional bonds rather than developing language skills. At the same time, the regular video calls added a significant amount of time spent together and increased the amount of language input, factors conducive to language transmission. The study shows the urgent need to include digital practices in family language policy research. In dieser Studie wird untersucht, wie tagliche Video-Telefonate von zwei mehrsprachigen Familien genutzt werden, um mit weiter entfernt wohnenden Familienmitgliedern in Kontakt zu bleiben. Dazu wurde ein dreistufiges Datenerhebungsverfahren mit den zwei zentralen Untersuchung-steilnehmerinnen entwickelt, zwei alleinerziehenden Muttern mit ihrem jeweils vierjahrigen Kind. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die aktive Mitarbeit aller Familienmitglieder benotigt wurde, um die Gesprache auf Distanz durchzufuhren. Die Familien nutzen eine Family Language Policy, bei der der Fokus nicht auf der Entwicklung sprachlicher Kompetenz, sondern auf der erfolgreichen Kommunikation und der Unterstutzung der emotionalen Beziehung zwischen den Beteiligten lag. Gleichzeitig bedeuteten die regelmasigen Video-Telefonate mehr gemeinsam verbrachte Zeit und verstarkter sprachlicher Inputs, Faktoren also, die den Spracherwerb begunstigen. Die Studie zeigt den dringenden Bedarf, digitale Praxen in der Family Language Policy-Forschung starker zu berucksichtigen.
Transgenic expression of a rice riboflavin synthase gene in tobacco enhances plant growth and resistance to Tobacco mosaic virus

Abstract Several reactions in the multistep riboflavin biosynthesis pathway in plants can affect plant growth and defences. Here, we report that riboflavin synthase (RS), which catalyses the final reaction in the pathway, has similar functions in transgenic tobacco plants. The RS gene identified in rice has low identities with its orthologues from microbes and other plants, but it possesses biological activities since its expression in transgenic tobacco enhanced plant growth and resistance to Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Compared with the non-transformed plant, the RS-transformed tobacco (RST) line produced greater amounts of riboflavin and its derivates – the cofactors flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide. RST plants also produced more ethylene and were highly enhanced in the expression of growth-promoting expansin genes and ethylene signalling genes involved in the regulation of plant growth. In the RST line, moreover, resistance to TMV was enhanced in correlation with enhanced expression of defence response genes. In addition, TMV multiplication was suppressed and the TMV-induced necrosis symptoms were alleviated in RST plants. Therefore, the transgenic expression of the foreign RS gene enhanced plant growth and defence responses to a viral disease in tobacco.
Mental Health Impacts of Child Labour: Evidence from Vietnam and India

Abstract A number of recent studies have investigated the relationship between child labour and physical health. However, there has been little empirical evidence that child labour affects children’s emotional and behavioural development. This study departs from existing literature by examining the mental health impacts of child labour in Vietnam and India, as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The potential endogeneity of child labour is addressed by using rainfall as the instrument. The findings show that children engaged in child labour suffer from mental health issues as measured by peer problems and reduced prosocial behaviour in both countries. There is a significant gender difference in the impact of child labour in India. Finally, doing household chores, an accepted social and cultural work in developing countries is found to be associated with the better mental health of children in Vietnam.