Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytosine methylation and hydroxymethylation at the leptin promoter

Leptin is an important hormone well known for its role in regulating energy intake and expenditure. DNA methylation levels at the leptin promoter in adult tissues appear to correlate with environmental stresses experienced during early life. This suggests that, once established in early life, DNA methylation is stably transmitted over successive cell generations. The aim of the work presented in this thesis was to determine factors that contribute to the establishment and maintenance of this epigenetic mark at the leptin promoter and to investigate the individual roles of cytosine methylation and cytosine hydroxymethylation at this genomic locus. No effect of a high fat prenatal diet was observed on leptin promoter DNA methylation levels in the adipose tissue of pigs. However, this genomic region exhibited intermediate levels of DNA methylation, which is usually associated with gene silencing, even though adipose tissue is the primary site of leptin expression. Double stranded methylation data obtained from DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) mutant mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) was used to investigate the contributions of the three catalytically active DNMT enzymes to leptin promoter DNA methylation patterns. Depletion of DNMT3b resulted in increased methylation levels at the leptin promoter, consistent with preliminary data from mutant DNMT3b mouse tissues where similar increases in methylation levels were observed at specific CpG dinucleotides. Two mESC lines, either hypomethylated or hypermethylated at the leptin promoter, were tested for leptin mRNA expression and neither cell line expressed leptin mRNA, suggesting that some form of methylation may be required for leptin expression. To further investigate the relationship between DNA methylation and leptin expression, in vitro differentiated adipocytes were analysed. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, which do not express leptin, exhibit high levels of DNA methylation and these high methylation levels are maintained after the cells differentiate into leptin-expressing adipocytes. Induction of cytosine hydroxymethylation at the leptin promoter was detected in differentiating and mature adipocytes and evidence is presented to suggest that cytosine hydroxymethylation at the leptin promoter correlates with leptin expression.
Puesta en valor de un sistema tradicional y de sus recursos genéticos mediante una Indicación Geográfica: El proceso de la Carne Caprina del Norte Neuquino en la Patagonia Argentina

El sistema tradicional de produccion caprina del norte de Neuquen (Patagonia, Argentina), desarrollado por “crianceros” trashumantes, es un sistema marginal de baja dotacion de recursos economicos y alta fragilidad ambiental pero que dispone de un alto capital cultural, un recurso genetico adaptado y un producto de calidad superior reconocida pero no diferenciado. A fin de superar esta situacion se propone la aplicacion de una Denominacion de Origen (DO). La propuesta se baso en la organizacion de los integrantes de la cadena de valor de la carne caprina regional y la determinacion de sus cualidades tecnologicas ligado a la raza Criolla Neuquina. Se construyo una vision comun sobre el sistema y su identidad, expresada en el Protocolo de la Denominacion de Origen del “Chivito Criollo del Norte Neuquino”. Los estudios sobre la tipicidad y calidad han permitido establecer indicadores de la misma y la trazabilidad del producto. El fortalecimiento de las organizaciones campesinas y la conformacion de un espacio de articulacion ha permitido niveles de concertacion inexistentes hasta el presente que potencian el desarrollo del territorio y lo capitalizan, dando proyeccion a la sostenibilidad del sistema y del recurso genetico.
Effekte eines sensomotorischen Trainings in der Rehabilitation von Brustkrebspatientinnen

Zusammenfassung Ziel Analyse der Wirkungen sensomotorischen Trainings in Kombination mit einem gerätegestützten Krafttraining auf das Gleichgewicht, die Kraft der unteren Extremitäten sowie polyneuropathische Beschwerden bei Brustkrebspatientinnen in der Rehabilitation. Methoden Brustkrebspatientinnen (n=52) wurden während einer dreiwöchigen stationären Anschlussheilbehandlung in der medizinischen Trainingstherapie (3 TE/Woche) in zwei Gruppen randomisiert. Die Untersuchungsgruppe (n=27) absolvierte ein sensomotorisches Training mit einem anschließenden gerätegestützten Krafttraining, die Kontrollgruppe (n=25) nur ein gerätegestütztes Krafttraining. Vor Beginn und nach Beendigung des Trainingszeitraums wurden das dynamische und funktionelle Gleichgewicht sowie die isokinetische Maximalkraft gemessen. Zudem wurden anhand einer Skala die polyneuropathischen Beschwerden der Patientinnen (n=31 mit diagnostizierter Polyneuropathie; davon: SMT=19; KG=12) erhoben. Ergebnisse Im Trainingsexperiment zeigte sich ein signifikanter Haupteffekt, d. h. , dass sowohl die Trainings- als auch die Kontrollgruppe signifikante Verbesserungen bezüglich der Gleichgewichts- und Kraftleistung sowie der polyneuropathischen Beschwerden erreichten. Allerdings konnte kein Interaktionseffekt nachgewiesen werden, die Kombination aus sensomotorischem und gerätegestütztem Training zeigte folglich keine Vorteile. Demgegenüber erwiesen sich Alter, Körpergröße und teilweise der BMI als relevante Kovariate. Dies erlaubt die Schlussfolgerung, dass einerseits in der Trainingstherapie Methodenvielfalt möglich, andererseits aber das jeweils ausgewählte Trainingsprogramm individuell anzupassen ist. Schlussfolgerung Bei einem geringen Zeit- und Kostenaufwand entsteht durch sensomotorisches Training ein erkennbarer Effekt auf das Wohlbefinden von Krebskranken, speziell bei Polyneuropathie. Insofern ist es erstrebenswert, dass sporttherapeutisches Personal Krebskranke über die Vorteile sensomotorischen Trainings aufklärt und sie in entsprechenden Übungen unterweist.
Are reward polymorphisms subject to frequency‐ and density‐dependent selection? Evidence from a monoecious species pollinated by deceit

Abstract Most deceit‐pollinated species involve floral dimorphisms characterized by the presence of rewarding male flowers and nonrewarding female flowers. It has been proposed that this polymorphism establishes the conditions for the action of frequency dependent selection (FDS). The tendency of foraging animals to aggregate in areas of high resource density suggests that pollination efficiency and fruit production may be positively influenced by flower density (density dependent selection, DDS). In this paper we offer a graphical model describing the effects of FDS and DDS on a monoecious species pollinated by deceit. We test the FDS and DDS assumptions and the predictions of the model using field observations and experimental populations of Begonia gracilis in which population sex ratio and flower density were controlled. We found a marked effect of both FDS and DDS on pollinator visitation, fruit‐set, and on the probability of female flowers to setting fruits. We conclude that these two types of selection have had a strong influence on the evolution of deceit‐pollinated species.
Modern Tendencies and Perspective Directions of Agro-Industrial Complex Development in Russia

—The recent changes in the conditions of Russian agro-industrial complex operation have both positive and negative sides. The positive changes include the creation of more favorable conditions for domestic producers because of the introduced counter-sanctions aimed at restricting the import of agricultural products into Russia. The negative side is the unavailability of the agro-industrial complex and a number of supporting industries to sharply changed operating conditions. Further development of agro-industrial complex and effective overcoming of the problems are possible on the basis of creation and use of innovations and new technologies. In the paper, considerable attention is paid to the identification of innovation activity points of growth that are understood as activities for which either the growth rate or the average level of development exceeds the corresponding average characteristics for Russia as a whole. The level of development of export-oriented production in the domestic agro-industrial complex is considered as one of the indicators of success of innovative development of the industry. The positive effect of reorientation from the sale of raw materials to the sale of deep processing products is shown. Such a replacement is beneficial in terms of increasing the domestic agricultural production of valuable components for domestic consumption, and, accordingly, obtaining higher revenues from the sale of deep processing products. The results of the study can be used to determine the main guidelines for the development of the industry in the near future.
EDUCATIONAL POLICIES AND STUDENTS LEARNING IN PORTUGUESE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

This research aims to study the role that some variables might have for the improvement of student learning. The following variables were considered for the research, namely, students’ engagement, school educational projects and some educational policies, such as the national curriculum, a class-size reduction or the commitment to continuous teacher training, trying to understand the role that they might have in the improvement of learning and personal and social skills of the students in the Portuguese educational system. This presentation is part of a larger research that is still under development and presents some results from a research model proposed by the authors. Regarding the methodology, the research is qualitative, in the line of an interpretative paradigm, although using quantitative techniques of data collection and analysis. The data were obtained through an online survey developed by the authors to evaluate the different dimensions of the proposed research model, using for this purpose a sample of convenience constituted by 1,320 teachers and school directors of non-higher education, public and private, from the first cycle to the high school, of the Portuguese territory. The email addresses were obtained from the official database available on the “Portal of Schools”. In the treatment of quantitative data, a structural equation model (SEM) was used through the SPSS software (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), to investigate the possible relationships between the different dimensions incorporated in the model. The main conclusions of the study, considering the conceptions of the respondents, point towards that the students' school improvement was significantly influenced by the students' study methods and it is also possible to underline the relevance of school educational projects and school-based teacher training. The results of this research will contribute to the definition of new educational policies by identifying the main variables that might contribute to the students’ learning.
Multiplex Technology for Biomarker Immunoassays

The simultaneous measurement of different substances from a single sample is an emerging area for achieving efficient and high-throughput detection in several applications. Although immunoanalytical techniques are established and advantageous over alternative screening analytical platforms, one of the challenges for immunoassays is multiplexing. While ELISA is still commonly used to characterise a single analyte, laboratories and organisations are moving towards multiplex immunoassays. The validation of novel biomarkers and their amalgamation into multiplex immunoassays confers the prospects of simultaneous measurement of multiple analytes in a single sample, thereby minimising cost, time and sample. Therefore, the technological advancement in clinical sciences is helpful in the identification of analytes or biomarkers in test samples. However, the analytical bioanalysers are expensive and capable of detecting only a small amount or type of analytes. The simultaneous measurement of different substances from a single sample called multiplexing has become increasingly important for the quantification of pathological or toxicological samples. Although multiplex assays have many advantages over conventional assays, there are also problems that may cause apprehension among clinicians and researchers. Hence, many challenges still remain for these multiplexing systems which are at early stages of development.
Entrepreneurial aspirations: economic development, inequalities and cultural values

PurposeThis study aims at shedding light on entrepreneurial aspirations on both developed and developing economies, in terms of contextual and individual values. Among the former, economic development and inequalities are sought after, while among the latter national culture is the variable under study.Design/methodology/approachThe data used are extracted from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for a panel of countries, where the entrepreneurial aspirations of individuals of each country are measured through the Total early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA). The influence of cultural values as defined by Hofstede (individualism-collectivism (IDV), masculinity–femininity (MAS) and uncertainty avoidance (UAI)), moderated by the development level of the country and the existing inequalities are analyzed through artificial neural network (ANN) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) techniques.FindingsResults show that in the post-crisis era, entrepreneurial aspirations are negatively linked to individualism in developing countries. In developed countries, however, entrepreneurship is not linked to individualism but to inequalities.Originality/valueEntrepreneurial aspirations have not been thoroughly studied in the post-crisis era. We prove that entrepreneurial orientations have changed, together with the world, in the last decade. Cultural differences between countries tend to moderate, especially among developed ones, which speak of homogenization of national cultures. In this regard, inequalities are the determining factor. Contrarily, in developing countries, the differences in individualism are noticeable when it comes to analyzing entrepreneurial aspirations.
Coordinating learning analytics policymaking and implementation at scale

Many Latin-American institutions recognise the potential of learning analytics (LA). However, the number of actual LA implementations at scale remains limited, notwithstanding considerable effort made to formulate guidelines and frameworks to support the LA policy development. Guidance on how to coordinate the interaction between the LA policymaking and implementation is mostly missing, leaving a difficult challenge up to practitioners. In this study we propose a coordination model to support future LA initiatives at scale. We explore the problem by comparing two cases in Belgium and Ecuador. Following up we use the LA implementation timeline as a driver for planning the interaction between the policymaking and implementation. We continue by testing an application of the model with LA experts predominantly from Latin-American institutions, asking them to map low-level items of the SHEILA policy framework to four implementation phases. The results of this mapping support that LA policy building can be spread over time, that it can coincide with LA implementation at scale, and that both efforts can be coordinated. It is hoped that this study will provide additional guidance for future Latin-American and other LA initiatives.
Special Education Teacher Shortage: Differences Between High and Low Shortage States

In this study, using Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) personnel data from 2006 to 2014, we identified seven states with consistently low shortages of highly qualified special education teachers and seven states with persistently high shortages. We employed Guarino et al.’s framework to guide our assumptions and selection of demographic, supply, and demand variables and compared two groups in this descriptive analysis. We found significant differences across supply and demand variables. Low shortage states make greater investments in per pupil expenditures; have higher teacher salaries, generally; have greater preparation capacity; and produce more special education graduates. Taken together, our findings suggest that special education teaching is a relatively better job in low shortage states than in high shortage states. We situate the discussion of our findings within policy recommendations that states may use to address shortages. Limitations of our analysis are addressed, and implications for future research are proposed.
Dietary Support of Extended-Duration Bed Rest Studies

Dietary control and nutrient intake are critical aspects of any metabolic study, but this is especially true in the case of bed rest studies. We sought to define nutrient requirements, develop menus, and implement them in a series of three long-duration bed rest studies. With regard to energy intake, the goal was to maintain subject body weight to within 3% of their body weight on day 3 of bed rest (after fluid shift had occurred). For other nutrients, intakes were based on the NASA space flight nutritional requirements (with some adaptations based on the ground-based model used here). A secondary goal was to develop menus with foods similar to those expected to be approved for space flight (however, this was relaxed to attain desired nutrient intakes). This paper also describes the role of the research dietitian as part of the multi-disciplinary team and the importance of the metabolic kitchen staff. It also provides insight into some of the dietary challenges that arise during extended-duration bed rest studies. Regardless of the overall objective of the study, nutrition must be carefully planned, implemented, and monitored for results to be uncompromised.
Split weaning increases the growth of small pigs.

The larger the piglet at weaning the better it copes with changes in the nutritional and physical environment. Split weaning, that is, removing the heavier piglets and leaving the lighter ones with the sow for up to an extra week, allows the lighter piglets to gain in weight on their heavier counterparts (Edwards et al. 1985; English et al. 1987). The mechanism(s) for this increased growth is not known but we suggest that the increase in growth of piglets following split weaning is due to increased milk consumption.
El alga marina macrocystis pyrifera como sumplemento alimenticio para cabras

The present study was aimed to evaluate Macrocystis pyrifera (MP) meal as a nutritional supplement for goats. There is an increasing interest to look at nutritional alternatives to guarantee a continuous supply of good quality forage for goats, in many communities around the world. Given its abundance and chemical composition, the algae M. pyrifera is an important potential resource as animal feed. Three diets with 10, 20, and 30% of MP meal concentrations and a control diet, with no algae, were evaluated. Four rumen cannulated goats, housed individually in metabolism cages, were used. The experimental design was a 4 x 4 Latin-Square. Feed and water intake, excreted urine and faeces, were measured. Digestibility in vivo, dry matter (DM) disappearance, and the metabolic variables of pH and ammoniacal nitrogen in the rumen, were determined. There was no significant difference in the feed intake but there was in water intake and urine excreted. No significant difference in digestibility in vivo among diets (P>0.05) was found. A significant difference (P<0.05) for degradability in situ was found for the algae diets containing 10 and 30% MP concentrations at 96 hours of sampling (78.3 and 82.2%). The raw algae in situ digestibility was 77%. A potential degradability of 87.3% was obtained with 30% MP diet. The highest effective degradation was obtained at an estimated rate of 0.02 h . Ruminal pH was higher (P<0.05) in all MP treatments (10% MP: 6.83, 20% MP: 6.85, 30% MP: 6.91). As suggested by the results, M. pyrifera represents a good unconventional feeding as a nutritional supplement for goats.
Partnerships in Birds: The Study of Monogamy

Initial Perspectives introduction - pair bonds and partnerships the battle of the sexes and the origins of monogamy the model family continuous partnerships long-term monogamy in a river specialist - the blue duck do barnacle geese benefit from life-long monogamy? mate fidelity in swans breeding partnership in two new world jays partnerships in promiscuous splendid fairy-wrens part-time partnerships divorce in the European blackbird mate fidelity and divorce in ptarmigan Causes and consequences of long-term partnerships in Cassin's auklets monogamy in a long-lived seabird: the short-tailed shearwaters between and within-population variation in mate fidelity in the great tit monogamy in the sparrowhawk mate fidelity in penguins causes and consequences of mate fidelity in red-billed gulls dispersal, demography, and the persistence of partnerships in indigo buntings concluding Perspectives monogamy and sperm competition in birds mate fidelity and divorce in monogamous birds.
Resonant tunneling and hole transport behavior in low noise silicon tri-gate junctionless single hole transistor

The fabrication of p-type silicon junctionless tri-gate transistors and their temperature dependent transport studies are reported in this work. The fabricated transistors have shown a good transfer characteristic down to a low temperature of ∼ 80 K with an ON/OFF ratio of 106. The threshold voltage and the subthreshold slope were found to be dependent on temperature. In particular, the threshold voltage and the flat band voltage have positive slopes of 2.24 and 1.19 mV K−1, respectively, with temperature. Channel resistance was found to be increasing with decreasing temperature. The devices have shown a typical 1/f noise behavior in the frequency range of (1–50) Hz and 1/f2 type behavior in the frequency range of (50–100 Hz). At a temperature of 4.2 K, current vs. gate voltage characteristic at a fixed source drain bias shows clear coulomb peaks with different intervals for different gate bias voltages and the observed spikes were consistent within the sub-bands. We relate this to the single hole tunneling, mediated by the charged acceptors available in the channel region. Coupling strength of the dopants was also studied.
Phylogenetic Structure of Soil Bacterial Communities along Age Sequence of Subtropical Cunninghamia Lanceolata Plantations

Despite increasing investigations having studied the changing patterns of soil microbial communities along forest plantation development age sequences, the underlying phylogenetic assemblages are seldom studied for microbial community. Here, the soil bacterial taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity as well as the phylogenetic structure were examined to elucidate the community diversity and assembly in three typical ages (young, middle and mature) of Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations, a dominant economic tree species in southern China. Results indicated that the soil bacterial phylogenetic not taxonomic diversity increased with the increasing in stand age. The bacterial community composition differed significantly among the young, middle and mature plantations. Phylogenetic signals showed that bacterial communities were phylogenetically clustered and structured by environmental filtering in all studied plantations. In mature plantation, the effect of environmental filtering becomes stronger and bacteria taxa tend to intraspecific interact more complexly as characterized by co-occurrence network analysis. This suggests that ecological niche-based environmental filtering could be a dominant assembly process that structured the soil bacterial community along age sequences of Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations.