Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
YIELD AND SOME AGRONOMIC CHARACTERS OF WINTER WHEAT VARIETIES IN THE YIELD TRIALS AT ARDS TURDA

The results of our study are about of yield capacity and stability of different winter wheat variety in Transilvanian Plain conditions, as well as an analysis of the main elements of productivity. Under semi-arid conditions wheat genotipe with a longer grain filling duration give lower yields if occur high water and temperature deficiency. The plant genotype and environment both influence the rate and duration of grain filling, which have a directly influence on the grain productivity. Productivity components and some morpho-physiological traits such as number of grains per spike, grain weight per ear, thousand kernel weight , plant size and plant density are closely related to the production of grain. On the other hand,between grain yield and protein content and wet gluten content there are an negative relationship.The experiments were conducted over two years, 2011 and 2012, at Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda, which are characterized with a high rainfall and temperatures favourable for winter wheat crop. The biologic material used in our study is quite varied, consisting of 25 winter wheat varieties of local and foreign origin.On the bases of results obtained it can say that winter wheat genotypes studied had different reactions to the environmental conditions and agro-technological factors apply.Although most elements of productivity studied are under genetic control, but more or less environmental influence that affect negatively the main elements by increasing or decreasing the production.The best results were registered to winter wheat varieties released by ARDS Turda which means that they have a good adaptability and yield stability to the specific environments.The foreign winter wheat varieties had also a very good behaviour recording high yields, which means they have a good adaptability which recommend them for use in this area. Concluding, on the basis of our results, the wheat growers from Transilvania, have large possibilities to choice the best cultivars for their particular environmental and farming conditions.
Structure and host-receptor recognition studies of Gram-negative bacterial fimbriae assembled via the chaperone/usher pathway

Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), and Yersinia enterocolitica (YE) are the principle etiological agents of acute and persistent diarrhea worldwide including resource-poor and industrialized regions. Adhesion of these pathogens to host receptor is the first important step to deliver toxins and virulent factors to initiate pathogenicity. Coli surface antigen (CS6) of ETEC, aggregative adherence factor-1 (AAF-1) of EAEC, and mucoid Yersinia fimbriae (Myf) of YE are the widely expressed colonization factors (fimbriae or pili) that mediate bacterial adhesion to the small intestinal epithelium. CS6 consists of CssA and CssB, AAF-1 consists of AggA and AggB, and Myf is made of MyfA, which are secreted and assembled on the cell surface via the chaperone/usher pathway. Using X-ray crystallography, we present atomic resolution insight into the fibre forming subunits and show that subunits of these organelles are assembled into a linear polymer by donor strand complementation. Myf is a homo-polymer, AAF-1 is a polymer of AggA subunits decorated by a single copy of the AggB subunit at the tip of the fiber, and CS6 is hetero-polymer of CssA and CssB subunits that are assembled alternately into a single fiber. Using spectroscopic and biochemical studies, we demonstrate that all subunits of these three fimbriae bind to receptors on intestinal epithelial cells, establishing multipoint attachment. The crystal structure of a MyfA-galactose complex reveals the receptor binding site and responsible residues. Structure guided mutagenesis of AggA shows that it binds to fibronectin via a novel electrostatic binding mechanism. Based on our structural and biochemical studies we conclude that CS6, AAF-1, and Myf are adhesive fimbriae of a novel type: they can act as poly-adhesins with rich binding properties. These findings steer the research field forward by revealing insight into receptor-fimbria interactions. This opens a window to search for receptor inhibitor molecules to decrease the infantile death rate and associated malnutrition.
Effect of Idealized Influence and Inspirational Motivation on Staff Performance in State Owned Enterprises in Kenya

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of Idealized Influence and Inspirational Motivation on performance of staff in State Owned Enterprises in Kenya. The study intended to answer the following research questions: does idealized influence affect performance of staff in SOEs in Kenya? and does inspirational motivation affect performance of staff in SOEs in Kenya? Positivism research philosophy and descriptive research design were used in this study. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 163 senior managers from the target population of 275 senior managers. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the selected members of top management team in SOEs. The study used factor analysis to reduce data, correlation analysis to establish the relationship between staff performance and transformational leadership, chi square test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and multiple linear regression model to test the hypotheses. The study found that idealized influence was positively and significantly correlated with staff performance, r(138) = . 64, p < . 00. Multiple linear regression revealed that idealized influence significantly predicted staff performance, β = . 78, t (145) = 2.99, p< . 004. Inspirational motivation was positively and significantly related with staff performance, r(140) = . 73, p < . 00 and significantly predicted staff performance, β = 1.1, t (145) = 4.54, p< . 00. The study concluded that Idealized Influence and Inspirational Motivation positively and significantly increased performance of staff in SOEs in Kenya. The study recommended that top management teams in SOEs should work towards encouraging delegation of tasks, career mentoring and coaching, and creation of new learning opportunities alongside a supportive climate for their employees. Keywords: Idealized Influence, Inspirational Motivation, Staff Performance, State Owned Enterprises
A Reflection of the State of Mobile Learning in Asia and a Conceptual Framework

In Hong Kong, south of China, a predominantly Chinese speaking society, a financial capital in the world economy, a shopping paradise for mobile gadgets where we bear witness to exceptionally high penetration of mobile subscriptions and high churn of mobile phones, smartphones, 3G-enabled netbook computers and portable game devices, is also home to a relatively mature life-long learning working population and has a plethora of educational service providers catered for kids and youths, yet the notion of Mobile Learning somehow still lacks both clarity and purpose. However, there are increasing evidence that technology enhanced learning experiments which involves mobile services are jumping out of their lab and becoming pilot tests. Furthermore, we also observed an increase in the awareness of location-based, contextaware, and game-based learning theories with handheld technologies. This paper suggests that future research studies with an Asian context would be beneficial to the mobile learning community in the context of language learning, socialcultural, pedagogical implications, knowledge management, collaborative and informal learning. The paper also presents a novel conceptual framework called Heterogeneous E-Learning Portal (HELP) currently being put to trial and incubation at Hong Kong Cyberport IncuTrain Center for class booking under a mobile, open, heterogeneous, web 2.0 and collaborative environment.
Kinship Care and Foster Care

BACKGROUND Children may be placed in either kinship or foster care, forms of out-of-home placement (OHP), if maltreatment is suspected. The American Academy of Pediatrics has identified them as children with special health needs requiring elevated care. While North Carolina has increased support for foster care, it is unclear whether similar support exists for kinship care. Child abuse medical providers (CAMPs) were interviewed regarding their understanding and assessment of the state of the kinship care system in North Carolina, and how it can be improved. METHODS CAMPs were individually interviewed using a semi-structured, open-ended question guide to assess their perspectives on kinship versus foster care in North Carolina. Data were coded, and the analysis was conducted in an inductive manner, allowing themes and then recommendations to emerge from interviews. RESULTS The following three themes were identified: 1) providers have a foundational understanding of the kinship care system, marked by knowledge gaps; 2) children in kinship care and foster care have equivalent, elevated health needs, but children in kinship care do not receive the same level of care; 3) individual and structural changes have to be made to the interprofessional teams working within the OHP system. LIMITATIONS The study sample was small, including eight CAMPs who had relatively homogenous demographic characteristics. CAMPs typically see the worst cases of maltreatment, which may bias responses. Additionally, the majority of children in kinship care are unknown to CAMPs and may not be fully represented in responses. CONCLUSION CAMPs' responses were summarized into a set of recommendations targeting four different components of the OHP team: the general interprofessional team, policymakers and state leaders, medical providers, and social workers.
Composition chimique et dégradabilité enzymatique et in vitro d'espèces ligneuses arbustives utilisables par les ruminants dans les parcours extensifs de la Nouvelle Calédonie. I. Typologie

Cette etude, realisee sur 45 especes arbustives recoltees en Nouvelle Caledonie, a permis de mettre en evidence six groupes de ligneux fourragers caracterises par leurs teneurs en elements bruts et leurs degradabilites enzymatiques et in vitro. Les especes presentant des teneurs en matieres azotees degradables et des degradabilites de la matiere organique elevees sont les plus interessantes sur le plan nutritionnel. Il s'agit notamment de Gliricidia septim, de Leucaena leucocephala, d'Acalypha grandis, de Samanea saman, d'Albizia lebbeck, d'Erythrina sp. , d'Acacia farnesiana et de Sesbania grandiflora. En revanche, les donnees pour Desmanthus virgatus et, dans une moindre mesure, Acacia ampliceps sont decevantes. (Resume d'auteur)
Capital Structure and Industrial Performance in Nigeria (1999-2007)

The study examined the impact of capital structure on industrial performance in Nigeria. A study of five (5) quoted firms between 1999 2007 was considered. The study employs the use of panel data regression model. The variables used are debt financing, equity financing, debt – equity ratio as well as Profitability index which measure firms’ performance.The findings of the study showed a positive relationship between firms’ performance and equity financing and also a positive relationship between firms’ performance and debt-equity ratio. A negative relationship exists between firms’ performance and debt financing. This is due to high cost of borrowing in the country. In view of the stated fact, the study suggests better use of borrowed funds and emphasizes the importance of efficient management.Key words: Capital; Structure; Industry; Performance; Nigeria; 1999-2007
Tyndall Effect Enables Highly Sensitive Colorimetric Detection of a Variety of Analytes.

This work initially reports the use of a quite familiar optical phenomenon of colloidal solutions, namely the Tyndall Effect (TE) as signal readout for highly sensitive colorimetric chemical and biological analysis. Taking gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as a model colloid, the TE-inspired assay (TEA) is developed based on the conversion of a specific recognition event (e.g., the aptamer-analyte binding) into the aggregation of GNPs leading to a significant TE enhancement. In the TEA, a cheap laser pointer pen is used as a handheld light source, while a smartphone serves as a portable quantitative reader. The results show that the TE signaling strategy achieves a ~1000-fold sensitivity improvement compared with the most common surface plasmon resonance signaling method using GNPs. The utility of the TEA is well demonstrated with the inexpensive, rapid, and portable detection of trace levels of analytes ranging from an important small-molecule drug (cocaine, ~1.5 pM detection limit) to a protein biomarker (interferon-γ, ~2.2 fM detection limit) and a toxic metal ion (Ag+, ~1.4 nM detection limit). In addition, as the TE enhancement simply stems from the aggregation of either bare (unmodified) or modified GNPs, the TEA is universally applicable to almost all of the existing GNP-based liquid-phase colorimetric assays. The TEA method developed herein lights a new way for equipment-free point-of-care analysis in various fields including medical diagnosis, food safety evaluation, and environmental monitoring, especially in the resource-poor areas of the world.
On parallel pre‐conditioners for pressure Poisson equation in LES of complex geometry flows

This paper presents an assessment of fast parallel pre‐conditioners for numerical solution of the pressure Poisson equation arising in large eddy simulation of turbulent incompressible flows. Focus is primarily on the pre‐conditioners suitable for domain decomposition based parallel implementation of finite volume solver on non‐uniform structured Cartesian grids. Bi‐conjugate gradient stabilized method has been adopted as the Krylov solver for the linear algebraic system resulting from the discretization of the pressure Poisson equation. We explore the performance of multigrid pre‐conditioner for the non‐uniform grid and compare its performance with additive Schwarz pre‐conditioner, Jacobi and SOR(k) pre‐conditioners. Numerical experiments have been performed to assess the suitability of these pre‐conditioners for a wide range of non‐uniformity (stretching) of the grid in the context of large eddy simulation of a typical flow problem. It is seen that the multigrid preconditioner shows the best performance. Further, the SOR(k) preconditioner emerges as the next best alternative. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genus 3 normal coverings of the Riemann sphere branched over 4 points

In this paper we study the 5 families of genus 3 compact Riemann surfaces which are normal coverings of the Riemann sphere branched over 4 points from very different aspects: their moduli spaces, the uniform Belyi functions that factorize through the quotient by the automorphism groups and the Weierstrass points of the non hyperelliptic families
Effect of Dietary Organic Acid Supplementation on Egg Production, Egg Quality and Some Blood Serum Parameters in Laying Hens

The present study was carried out to determine the effect of dietary organic acid mixture supplementation on performance (body weight changes, feed intake, feed efficiency, egg production) egg quality and concentration of some blood serum parameters in laying hens. A total 53 week old 44000 white Lohmann LSL laying hens which were allotted into 4 groups, each containing 11000 hens. The hens were fed with diets (17% CP% and 2795 Kcal Kg ME). Supplemented with 0% (control group No. 1), 260 ppm 1 (group, 2), 520 ppm (group 3) and 780 ppm (group, 4) of organic acid mixture (formic acid and salt of butyric, propionic and lactic acids). The dietary organic acids significantly modify live body weight in groups 2 and 3 and non significantly improved in group 4 when compared with control one. Organic acids supplementation at 780 ppm (group 4) significantly increased egg production by about 5.77% compared with the untreated group, while the lower levels (groups 2 and 3) showed non significant effect. On the other hand dietary organic acid had no effect on the average egg weight, while showed a higher percentage of small, medium and X-large egg size and reduction in large egg size compared with control group. The results revealed that no effect of organic acid on feed intake but improvement egg mass and feed efficiencies was observed. Higher inclusion level of organic acids (780 ppm) improved egg shell quality and non significantly increased egg shell calcium and protein content, improved yolk index, while slightly reduce albumen index. The data revealed that linear increase of serum calcium and concentration of total serum protein. From the obtained data can be concluding that organic acid supplementation at level 780 ppm of laying hens diet improve live body weight, improve persistence of lay and from economical point of view we can concluded that organic acid addition (780 ppm) amazing increase the economical efficiency of layer production.
REGISTRATION OF GERMPLASM Registration of Eight Closely Related Wheat Germplasm Lines Differing in Biotype E Greenbug Resistance

TXGBE272, TXGBE273, TXGBE278, TXGBE280, TXGBE281, TXGBE285, TXGBE292 and TXGBE307 (Reg. no. GP-488 to GP-495, P1 591794 to P1591801) are hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) lines developed by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. They resulted from a backcross breeding program conducted by K.B. Porter at Bushland, TX. Owing to the close genetic relationship among the lines, and their variation for resistance to Biotype E greenbug [Schizaphis graminum (Rondani)], these lines should be useful in genetic and biochemical studies regarding the nature of resistance. All the lines have the same pedigree, 'TAM 105'*4/'Amigo'*5 //'Largo'. Amigo is a wheat-rye (Secale cereale L.) translocation line (1 AL: IRS) induced by X-irradiation of wheat x triticale (xTnticosecale Wittmack) FI hybrids (1), possessing resistance to Biotype C greenbug. Largo, an amphiploid (2n = 6x = 42) derived from a cross between Triticum turgidum L. cv. Langdon and Triticum tauschii (Cosson) Schmalh. P1 268219 (2), has resistance to Biotype E greenbug. During the first set of backcrosses, in which Amigo was the nonrecurrent parent, selection was practiced for resistance to powdery mildew (caused by Erysiphe graminis DC. f. sp. tritici Em. Marchal), since mildew resistance is linked to Biotype C greenbug resistance on the IRS translocation (3). Crossing-over has not been observed between IRS and IAS. In the second set of backcrosses, in which Largo was the nonrecurrent parent, Biotype E greenbug was the selective agent. The recurrent parent, TAM 105*4/Amigo, in the second set of backcrosses is a full sib of the cultivar TAM 107 (4).
Smart water-use feedback : options, preferences, impacts, and implications for implementation

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . v LIST OF PUBLICATIONS . vi TABLE OF CONTENTS . viii LIST OF FIGURES . xi LIST OF TABLES . xii ABBREVIATIONS . xiii GLOSSARY . xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1. RESEARCH BACKGROUND . 1 1.2. OVERVIEW OF THE LITERATURE . 9 1.3. PROBLEM DEFINITION AND RESEARCH GAPS . 15 1.4. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES . 16 1.5. RESEARCH APPROACH . 18 1.6. THESIS LAYOUT . 21 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY . 24 2.1. RESEARCH APPROACH, DESIGN AND OVERVIEW . 26 2.2. SITUATIONAL CONTEXT . 29 2.3. RESEARCH SAMPLES . 31 2.4. INTERVENTION MEDIUMS AND THEIR DESIGN . 32 2.5. RESEARCH DATA (AND LIMITATIONS) . 33 2.6. DATA ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL DISCUSSION . 40 2.7. ETHICS CONSIDERATIONS . 42 CHAPTER 3: MOTIVATING METRICS . 43 MOTIVATING METRICS FOR HOUSEHOLD WATER-USE FEEDBACK . 46 ABSTRACT . 46 3.
Institutional differences in USMLE Step 1 and 2 CK performance: Cross-sectional study of 89 US allopathic medical schools

Introduction The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) are important for trainee medical knowledge assessment and licensure, medical school program assessment, and residency program applicant screening. Little is known about how USMLE performance varies between institutions. This observational study attempts to identify institutions with above-predicted USMLE performance, which may indicate educational programs successful at promoting students’ medical knowledge. Methods Self-reported institution-level data was tabulated from publicly available US News and World Report and Association of American Medical Colleges publications for 131 US allopathic medical schools from 2012–2014. Bivariate and multiple linear regression were performed. The primary outcome was institutional mean USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK scores outside a 95% prediction interval (≥2 standard deviations above or below predicted) based on multiple regression accounting for students’ prior academic performance. Results Eighty-nine US medical schools (54 public, 35 private) reported complete USMLE scores over the three-year study period, representing over 39,000 examinees. Institutional mean grade point average (GPA) and Medical College Admission Test score (MCAT) achieved an adjusted R2 of 72% for Step 1 (standardized βMCAT 0.7, βGPA 0.2) and 41% for Step 2 CK (standardized βMCAT 0.5, βGPA 0.3) in multiple regression. Using this regression model, 5 institutions were identified with above-predicted institutional USMLE performance, while 3 institutions had below-predicted performance. Conclusions This exploratory study identified several US allopathic medical schools with significant above- or below-predicted USMLE performance. Although limited by self-reported data, the findings raise questions about inter-institutional USMLE performance parity, and thus, educational parity. Additional work is needed to determine the etiology and robustness of the observed performance differences.
Usefulness of Hemoglobin A1c to Predict Outcome After Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus and Heart Failure

Patients with diabetes and heart failure (HF) have worse clinical outcomes compared to patients with HF without diabetes after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Patients with HF and diabetes represent a growing population at high risk for cardiovascular events and are increasingly treated with CRT. Although patients with diabetes and HF appear to benefit from CRT, their clinical outcomes are worse than those of patients without diabetes after CRT. The aim of this study was to identify clinical predictors that explain the differential hazard in patients with diabetes. We studied 442 patients (169 with diabetes) with systolic HF referred to the Massachusetts General Hospital CRT clinic from 2003 to 2010 to identify predictors of outcomes after CRT in patients with HF and diabetes. Patients with diabetes were more likely to have ischemic causes of HF than those without diabetes, but there was no difference in the left ventricular ejection fraction or HF classification at implantation. Patients with diabetes had poorer event-free survival (death or HF hospitalization) compared to those without diabetes (log-rank p = 0.04). The presence of
Perception of Occupational Gender-typing: Contrasting French from Maghrebi Origin's and French from European Origin's Viewpoints

The differences in occupational gender-typing between French students of Maghrebi origin, French students of European origin, and French older adults of European origin were examined. The students of Maghrebi origin demonstrated a higher level of occupational gender-typing than the students of European origin or the older adults but the difference in gender-typing was not considerable and the linear association between mean ratings was impressive. In addition, the students of Maghrebi origin demonstrated an equivalent level of occupational gender-typing than the one found just ten years ago among French students of European origin. These results are consistent with previous findings showing that integrationism and individualism were the preferred acculturation orientations among persons of Maghrebi origin living in France.