Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Employee turnover rate and organizational performance in South Africa

Within the business community, employee turnover is widely assumed to affect organizational performance. Different variations of this relationship have been proposed over the years. This study seeks to confirm if a curvilinear relationship exists between employee turnover rates and organizational performance that could inform an optimal employee turnover rate for organizations in South Africa. To this purpose, a cross-sectional study that collected quantitative data through the use of a self-administered questionnaire was employed. Through multiple linear and non-linear regression, the results indicate that voluntary employee turnover rate significantly predicted financial and organizational performance through a cubic function. The optimal functional voluntary employee turnover rate for organizations in South Africa was calculated to be between 14 and 19%.
Histopathology of Male Swiss Albino Mice reproductive system due to Toxic effects of Thiamethoxam

The present study seeks to investigate the effect of thiamethoxam on the histology and physiology of male mice reproductive system. This study was conducted at College of Veterinary Medicine-Baghdad, from August to December 2016. Fifty adult males Swiss Albino mice, aged two months, were divided into five equal groups. The first group was immunized with B. abortus antigen. The second group was given thiamethoxam orally. The third group was treated with the same treatments in group 1 and 2. Group 4 was injected with virulent B. abortus. Group 5 acted as negative controls. All animals were euthanized and blood samples were taken for hormonal analysis. Pieces of testes and epididymis were put in 10% normal buffer formalin for routine histopathological sectioning. Results showed that thiamethoxam significantly decreased the sperm viability, motility and testosterone levels. In conclusion, thiamethoxam has a toxic effect for spermatogenesis in mice. The use of thiamethoxam should be experienced to avoid any harm to human and livestock.
Proximity, Maps and Conflict: New Measures, New Maps and New Findings

This article introduces two new datasets. The first is a new interstate distance dataset. It is recognized that different theories regarding distance and conflict will call for different understandings of “distance” and accordingly, ten different types of distance measurement are presented. Moreover, it is argued that in order for a distance dataset to contain accurate distances, it is necessary for it to be based on maps reflecting state border changes over time. As such, a new map dataset is presented, including annualized maps for all states, stored in KML format. It will be shown that the frequent border changes experienced by states can have large impacts on distance calculations. The significance of the relationship between distance and conflict will be tested for the ten different types of distance measurement, not with the aim of finding a “best measure” but in order to demonstrate that distance remains an important variable and that each different form of distance measure can be significant.
Mechanisms of actions of some bioactive anti-diabetic principles from phytochemicals of medicinal plants: A review

Diabetes is both an endocrine and a metabolic disease affecting large numbers of individuals worldwide. The use of natural products such as herbs in the management of diseases dates back to the prehistoric era. Herbal therapy presents a less adverse side effect when compared with the synthetic orthodox counterpart. The phytochemical components of medicinal plants have been credited for the efficacy of herbal formulations. The aim of this study is to review some common anti-diabetic plants which have been tested experimentally using recent diabetes marker parameters and to highlight the bioactive anti-diabetic principles isolated from their phytochemicals. In addition, anti-diabetic compounds isolated in the process of research in our laboratory have been cited in the review. Such keywords like anti-diabetic medicinal plants, mechanism of actions, phytochemicals, alloxan, streptozotocin, glycosylated haemoglobin, were used on different search engines to generate secondary data used in this review. Data obtained indicated that various phytochemical components of anti-diabetic herbs such as the flavonoids, saponins, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, terpenes, were responsible for the said anti-diabetic activities of the plants. The data equally revealed that these phytochemicals acted in diverse mechanisms to bring about their activities. From the data obtained, it was concluded that phytochemicals from anti-diabetic medicinal plants/herbs are pivotal in the production of marketable novel and efficacious anti-diabetic drug in future.
Effect of Increased Copper Concentrations on Deformations of the Regenerates of Carrot Obtained from Androgenetic Embryos

Effect of Increased Copper Concentrations on Deformations of the Regenerates of Carrot Obtained from Androgenetic Embryos The experiment aimed at determining the effect of high copper concentrations on the process of regeneration of carrot plants cv. Feria F1 from androgenetic embryos. The starting material consisted of green embryos obtained in anther cultures on a medium for the induction of androgenesis. Five B5 regeneration media of Gamborg et al. (1968) containing 0.1 (control), 1, 10, 100, and 1000 μM·L-1 CuSO4·5H2O were used. The plant material was passaged onto fresh media 3 times after 4, 9, and 15 weeks from culture set-up date. During the passages, the regenerated structures were examined and categorized according to their growth, development and the course of regeneration in the in vitro culture. The B5 regeneration medium that contained 1000 μM·L-1 CuSO4 was highly toxic for the growth and development of androgenetic embryos of carrot. The other concentrations of CuSO4 that were higher than the level of the control medium, i.e. 1, 10, and 100 μM·L-1, had a negative effect on the regeneration from androgenetic embryos of carrot in the second and third passages (after 9 and 15 weeks). They caused deformations of the leaves and the formation of an abnormal callus heel between the above-ground part and the root. Wpływ Podwyższonych Stężeń Miedzi na Deformacje Regenerantów Marchwi Otrzymanych z Zarodków androgenetycznych Badania miały na celu określenie wpływu wysokich stężeń miedzi na proces regeneracji roślin marchwi odmiany Feria F1 z zarodków androgenetycznych. Materiałem wyjściowym były zazielenione zarodki uzyskane w kulturach pylnikowych na pożywce do indukcji androgenezy. Zastosowano 5 pożywek regeneracyjnych B5 według Gamborga i in. (1968) zawierających 0,1 (kontrola); 1; 10; 100; 1000 μM·L-1 CuSO4·5H2O. Materiał roślinny pasażowano na świeże pożywki 3-krotnie po 4, 9 i 15 tygodniach od założenia kultury. Podczas pasaży przeprowadzono obserwacje zregenerowanych struktur, które zakwalifikowano do odpowiednich kategorii pod względem wzrostu, rozwoju i przebiegu regeneracji w kulturze in vitro. Pożywka B5 do regeneracji zarodków androgenetycznych marchwi zawierająca 1000 μM·L-1 CuSO4 była silnie toksyczna dla ich wzrostu i rozwoju. Wyższe niż w standardowej pożywce stężenia CuSO4: 1, 10, 100 μM·L-1, w drugim i trzecim pasażu, po 9 i 15 tygodniach negatywnie wpływały na regenerację z zarodków androgenetycznych marchwi. Wywoływały deformację liści i tworzenie się nieprawidłowej piętki kalusowej pomiędzy częścią nadziemną a korzeniem.
Tighter Financial Regulation and its Impact on Global Growth

The financial crisis that started in mid-2007 enveloped the world economy and caused a serious recession in most OECD countries. It is widely believed that it has also left a scar on potential output because it will have raised perceptions of risk and hence reduced the sustainable capital stock people wish to hold. It is inevitable that policymakers should ask what can be done to reduce the chances of this happening again, and it is equally inevitable that the banks would answer that it is too costly to do anything. There are four questions one must answer before it is possible to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of bank regulation. The first involves asking what are the costs of financial crises? The second involves asking what are the costs of financial regulation? The third involves asking what causes crises? The fourth, and perhaps the most important, involves asking whether regulators can do anything to reduce the risk of crises? Our overall approach to these issues is spelled out in a report written for the FSA in the aftermath of the crisis (see Barrell et al., 2009).
A central limit theorem for the parsimony length of trees

In phylogenetic analysis it is useful to study the distribution of the parsimony length of a tree under the null model, by which the leaves are independently assigned letters according to prescribed probabilities. Except in one special case, this distribution is difficult to describe exactly. Here we analyze this distribution by providing a recursive and readily computable description, establishing large deviation bounds for the parsimony length of a fixed tree on a single site and for the minimum length (maximum parsimony) tree over several sites. We also show that, under very general conditions, the former distribution converges asymptotically to the normal, thereby settling a recent conjecture. Furthermore, we show how the mean and variance of this distribution can be efficiently calculated. The proof of normality requires a number of new and recent results, as the parsimony length is not directly expressible as a sum of independent random variables, and so normality does not follow immediately from a standard central limit theorem.
Security Service for Wireless Sensor Network

: Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are gradually adopted in the industrial world due to their advantages over wired networks. In addition to saving cabling costs, WSNs widen the realm of environments feasible for monitoring. They thus add sensing and acting capabilities to objects in the physical world and allow for communication among these objects or with services in the future Internet. However, the acceptance of WSNs by the industrial automation community is impeded by open issues, such as security guarantees. To examine both of these perspectives, we select and survey relevant WSN technologies dedicated to industrial automation. We determine to carry out a threat analysis, which act as basis of our evaluation of the current state-of-the-art. According to the results of this evaluation, we identify and discuss some research issues.
Hecke algebras and $p$-adic groups

This survey article, is written as an extended note and supplement of my lectures in the current developments in mathematics conference in 2015. We discuss some recent developments on the conjugacy classes of affine Weyl groups and $p$-adic groups, and some applications to Shimura varieties and to representations of affine Hecke algebras.
Design and Fabrication of Integrated Microchannel and Peristaltic Micropump System for Inertial Particle Separation

In particle separation applications, conventional syringe pumps are widely used to supply fluid flow into microchannels at a controlled flow rate. However, their bulky structures lack the development of compact particle separation systems which is essential for all LoC (Lab on a Chip) systems. In this study, we designed and fabricated a peristaltic micropump which can be integrated into an inertial particle separation microchannel at the same layer with a compact design. Since inertial particle separation can be done without a need for an external force field, we aimed to develop a μTAS (Micro Total Analysis Systems) system which is able to realize particle separation in an integrated micropump-microchannel system. The circular micropump channel made of two PDMS layers and its width is optimized. The 3D-Printed micropump is actuated by a stepper motor, and the rate of pumped fluid is monitored by an LCD screen connected and programmed to system according to the system parameters. Micropump has a theoretical capacity of supplying particle carrying fluid at the flow rate of 25.47 ml/min when the stepper motor is rotated at 330 rpm.
Exemplary Strategy for Corporate Competitiveness and Wealth Creation: Implications for sub-Saharan African Business Leaders and Managers

The paper begins with a brief review of the nature and historical perspective of strategy. This is followed by discussion of industry analysis as in important step in the strategy development process. The paper continues with an analysis of the strategy development process and the role of strategic leadership to sustain strategy. Also presented in the paper is the analysis of how the appropriate management system can be leveraged to support a successful strategy execution and evaluation. The paper ends with an outline of strategic implications and recommendations for sub-Saharan African business leaders and managers.
Biosorption of Cd, Ni, and Zn with Mixtures of Different Types of Algae

The biosorption process was studied using a mixture of three different types of algae: Codium vermilara (green), Chondrus crispus (red) and Ascophyllum nodosum (brown) as biosorbent. A preliminary study was carried out on the influence of pH and biomass concentration (the experimental values selected were 6 and 0.5 g/L, respectively), first using the algae individually and later in binary and ternary combinations. The three metals selected (Cd, Ni, and Zn) were tested in monometallic, bimetallic, and trimetallic solutions. In monometallic systems with an individual biomass, the Langmuir model predicts that the sorption uptake of the brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum is higher than that of the red alga Chondrus crispus, and this in turn is higher than that of the green alga Codium vermilara. The sequence of metal sorption was: Ni ≈ Zn >Cd. In a mixture of the three types of algae, the results indicated that metal uptake was best with the mixture Chondrus crispus + Ascophyllum nodosum. The mixture Codium vermi.
Effect of selection on genetic variability in yellow passion fruit

The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity in improved (IG) and unimproved germplasm (UIG) of yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Deg), based on ISSR (Inter Simple Sequence Repeat) markers. The genotypes were grouped by neighbor joining clustering and principal component analysis. Regardless of the genotype, a high number of polymorphic bands was observed, aside from several specific fragments of the groups, according to the level of improvement. Unimproved genotypes had a higher number of polymorphic fragments. The hierarchical and principal component clustering coincided in the formation of two rather distinct groups (IG and UIG). The molecular analysis of variance to check the differentiation between groups showed 57 and 43% of the variation within and between groups, respectively. This study demonstrated the potential of ISSR to determine molecular polymorphism in yellow passion fruit and that breeding has narrowed the genetic variability.
Estimating abundunce and single-cell characteristics of respiring bacteria via the redox dye CTC

The redox dye 5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC) is used in aquatic sciences as a vital stain for enumeration of respiring bacteria in situ. Questions concerning its efficacy have been raised. We propose that the abundance of CTC-positive (CTC+) bacteria is a useful parameter in microbial ecology based on the following information: (1) Taxonomically diverse strains of aerobic, heterotrophic marine bacteria reduce CTC to its fluorescent product. (2) The proportion of CTC+ cells in laboratory cultures and in bacterioplankton assemblages varies in meaningful ways: the proportion of CTC+ cells is greatest for bacteria in log-phase growth, and lowest for bacteria in late stationary phase; particle-associated bacteria in various marine environments exhibit a higher percentage of CTC+ ceUs compared to bacteria freely suspended in the water column; the proportion of CTC+ cells in a bacterioplankton assemblage can be increased by an order of magnitude or more by addition of substrate, in the absence of net change in bacterial numbers. (3) Flow cytometric analysis shows a strong relationship between characteristics of CTC+ cells (abundance, size, red fluorescence) and rates of leucine incorporation by bacterial assemblages. We suggest that CTC+ cells represent those bacteria characterized by a high level of metabolic activity, and that cells which show no apparent reduction of CTC have either low or no metabolic activity. Some portion of CTC-negative (CTC-) cells may have sufficient RNA content, andlor ability to assimilate labile substrates at dilute concentrations, to be identifiable as 'active' via indices of cell-specific rRNA content or of rnicroautoradiography. Quantitative differences in metabolism between 'highly active' CTC+ cells, and 'less active' CTCcells have yet to be determined.
Comparative evaluation of polyherbal formulations for anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity in rats and mice.

Polyherbal formulations (MFT09 and MFG09) containing extracts of various plant constituents viz: Boswellia serrata, Commiphora wightii, Withania somnifera, Curcuma longa, Tinospora cordifolia, Zingiber officinale, Alpinia galangal, Cyperus rotundus and Vitex negundo, were evaluated for anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. Antiinflammatory activity were investigated in albino wistar rats using Carageenan induced hind paw edema model, while the Radiant heat tail flick test was used as a model for evaluating analgesic activity. Treatment with MFT09 resulted in significant decrease in hind paw swelling as compared to MFG09. The effect of MFT09 produced significant analgesic activity against thermal induced pain stimuli in mice at various time intervals post treatment as indicating by increased latency to flick the tail which suggests that its activity might have resulted from its central action. Meanwhile, the results of the acute toxicity test, for oral as well as topical preparation of MFT09 and MFG09 respectively indicate that it is relatively safe and/or non-toxic to rats. The findings of these experimental animal studies indicate that MFT09 possesses potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity as compared to MFG09
Selecting the most appropriate maintenance strategies using fuzzy Analytic Network Process: A case study of Saipa vehicle industry

Article history: Received January 15, 2013 Accepted October 12, 2013 Available online October 19 2013 It is necessary for companies and industries to select the most appropriate maintenance strategy to increase the reliability and safety level with reasonable cost. The primary objective of this paper is to assess different maintenance strategies and to select the best and the most appropriate alternatives for Saipa vehicle industry in Tehran, Iran. For this purpose, we simultaneously consider numerous conflicting objectives and constraints. In this study to counter with this conflicting and to consider the dependency among the qualitative and quantitative criteria and sub-criteria, an integration of Analytic Network Process (ANP) and fuzzy set theory are considered. Therefore, factors playing important role in selecting the best maintenance strategy are determined by reviewing the research literature and interviewing with the experts by Delphi technique. Considering the relations among different factors, a network with 4 criteria and 28 sub-criteria are proposed. In the next step, ANP technique is applied for ranking effective factors in evolution of appropriate maintenance strategy. Results reveal that the best maintenance strategy for fixture body of pride (setter) is corrective maintenance. © 2014 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Imperatives of Free and Open Source Software in Cuban Development

Many developing countries around the world are frequently confronted with a dual challenge of simultaneously developing IT infrastructure and implementing software solutions. Some countries have successfully created extensive information technology infrastructures, yet software use continues to be reliant on pirated sources. The experiences of licensing regulation violations and increasing virus attacks indicate that part of the problem is a consequence of dependencies created by the use of proprietary software within resource-scarce economies. Recent growth in the use of free and open-source software (FOSS) by various public- and private-sector agencies suggests an alternative path to software self-sufficiency for a resource-scarce country like Cuba. There is, however, an interesting background to current software use within Cuba that makes it unique among several less-developed countries. Apart from the well-known advantages, FOSS use could be essential to shape the future scenario of Cuba. The present paper first delineates some of the Cuban background, basically characterized by lack of freedom in technology ownership and access to external information. The potential of FOSS use within existing conditions in Cuba is then analyzed. Finally, conclusions are provided on the basis of a survey carried out in Cuba, arguing that there needs to be stronger political will to reduce gaps between goals and implementation reality to achieve intrinsic advantages of FOSS use successfully.
Meiotic differentiation in two allopatric population groups of the tetraploid frog Odontophrynus americanus from Argentina

The Odontophrynus americanus species complex is widely distributed in South America and is formed of diploid and tetraploid cryptic species. We studied the meiotic prophase stages of two allopatric tetraploid population groups from southeastern and northwestern Argentina. These two allopatric population groups showed a bouquet polarization in zigotene and pachytene, and in the latter stage a complete synapsis of quadrivalents and bivalents. In diakinesis, the frequencies of the different elements per cell were recorded and compared with two theoretical distributions for an autotetraploid organism. Both model tests showed the same overall results. The frequency of quadrivalents did not depart significantly from the models in southeastern populations, and must be considered autotetraploid of recent origin. However, northwestern populations have a significantly reduced number of multivalents, which can be explained by diploidization or allotetraploidy. The reduction of quadrivalents is relatively low when compared with one of the models. Additionally, different chiasmatic frequencies were observed between bivalents and quadrivalents in both population groups. The presence of extra chromosomes detected in southeastern populations and the mitotic and meiotic irregularities reported from other populations, not observed in the present study, account for a high cytological variability between populations of the tetraploid frog Odontophrynus americanus, which can be ascribed to polyploidy.
How Does the Oil Price Shock Affect Consumers

This paper evaluates the degree of the pass-through effect of the oil price shock to six CPI sub-indices in the US. We report substantially weaker pass-through effects in less energy-intensive sectors compared with those in more energy-intensive sectors. We attempt to find an explanation for this from the role of spending adjustments when there’s an unexpected change in the oil price. Using linear and nonlinear framework, we find substantial decreases in the relative price in less energy-intensive sectors, but not in energy-intensive sectors, which may be due to a substantial decrease in the demand for goods and services in those CPI sub-baskets. Our findings are consistent with those of Edelstein and Kilian (2009) in the sense that spending adjustments play an important role in price dynamics in response to unexpected changes in the oil price.