Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Rice Mutant Defective in Si Uptake1

Rice (Oryza sativa) accumulates silicon (Si) in the tops to levels up to 10.0% of shoot dry weight, but the mechanism responsible for high Si uptake by rice roots is not understood. We isolated a rice mutant (GR1) that is defective in active Si uptake by screening M2 seeds (64,000) of rice cv Oochikara that were treated with 10−3 m sodium azide for 6 h at 25oC. There were no phenotypic differences between wild type (WT) and GR1 except that the leaf blade of GR1 remained droopy when Si was supplied. Uptake experiments showed that Si uptake by GR1 was significantly lower than that by WT at both low and high Si concentrations. However, there was no difference in the uptake of other nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium. Si concentration in the xylem sap of WT was 33-fold that of the external solution, but that of GR1 was 3-fold higher than the external solution at 0.15 mm Si. Si uptake by WT was inhibited by metabolic inhibitors including NaCN and 2,4-dinitrophenol and by low temperature, whereas Si uptake by GR1 was not inhibited by these agents. These results suggest that an active transport system for Si uptake is disrupted in GR1. Analysis of F2 populations between GR1 and WT showed that roots with high Si uptake and roots with low Si uptake segregated at a 3:1 ratio, suggesting that GR1 is a recessive mutant of Si uptake.
Responses of selected enterprises to amended broad-based black economic empowerment legislation

Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) has been the epitome of policy reform pervading South Africa (SA) since 1994, the end of apartheid. Often making media headlines, it inherently arrogates itself to all stakeholders engaged in commerce with/within SA. This article highlights the results of a qualitative study conducted to investigate recent (2013) changes to the B-BBEE legislative landscape in Cape Town (South Africa), with the focus being on one market segment: Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSEs). These enterprises operate within the same realm as Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs). The rationale for such a focus stemmed from QSEs/SMMEs seemingly rigid response to B-BBEE legislative change.The study’s findings were in line with the researcher’s precedential assumption upon its initiation: legislative change to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) for Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSEs) led to non-compliance and impeded transformation goals. The results give rise to a plethora of valuable insights into the dynamics of the industry, not only for strategic direction to be set for/by stakeholders on both a micro and macro level, but also providing a solid foundation relative to further research to be embarked upon – a notion highly advocated in supporting the integration of sustainable transformation in modern South Africa (SA).
ANALYTICAL INVESTIGATION OF BOND BETWEEN FRP AND CONCRETE

Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) has a substantial potential in strengthening and retrofitting civil infrastructure. Considerable research has been directed to investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of FRP as near surface mounted reinforcement, primarily for strengthening applications. Test results and extensive research programs indicated that significant increase in stiffness and strength can be achieved using this new and promising technology. Nevertheless, in-depth understanding of debonding failures and the bond mechanisms along the concrete-epoxy interface is still a challenging issue. This paper presents three different analytical models, proposed to evaluate bond characteristics of near surface mounted FRP bars, strips and externally bonded FRP sheets, respectively. The models are validated by comparing the predicted values with both finite element and experimental results. Quantitative criteria governing the debonding failure of near surface mounted FRP bars and strips as well as externally bonded FRP sheets are established.
IL-27 Blocks RORc Expression to Inhibit Lineage Commitment of Th17 Cells

IL-27 is secreted by APCs in response to inflammatory stimuli and exerts a proinflammatory Th1-enhancing activity but also has significant anti-inflammatory functions. We examined the molecular mechanism by which IL-27 regulates TGFβ plus IL-6- or IL-23-dependent Th17 development in the mouse and human systems. IL-27 inhibited the production of IL-17A and IL-17F in naive T cells by suppressing, in a STAT1-dependent manner, the expression of the Th17-specific transcription factor RORγt. The in vivo significance of the role of IL-27 was addressed in delayed-type hypersensitivity response and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). By generating mice deficient for the p28 subunit of IL-27, we showed that IL-27 regulated the severity of delayed-type hypersensitivity response and EAE through its effects on Th17 cells. Furthermore, up-regulation of IL-10 in the CNS, which usually occurs late after EAE onset and plays a role in the resolution of the disease, was notably absent in IL-27p28−/− mice. These results show that IL-27 acts as a negative regulator of the developing IL-17A response in vivo, suggesting a potential therapeutic role for IL-27 in autoimmune diseases.
KEBERHASILAN IMPLEMENTASI PERATURAN PEMERINTAH NOMOR 71 TAHUN 2010 TENTANG STANDAR AKUNTANSI PEMERINTAHAN BERBASIS AKRUAL

This study aims to determine the factors that play a role in the successful implementation of Government Regulation Number 71 of 2010 concerning Accrual Based Government Accounting Standards. This type of research is a quantitative research with a regression analysis method to the factors of regulation, HR, commitment, supporting tools, and relevant training which are thought to influence the successful implementation of Government Regulation No.71 of 2010 concerning Accrual Based Government Accounting Standards. The research population is the regional financial manager in 33 Regional Apparatus Organizations/Regional Apparatus Work Units within the Mataram City Government, namely the Head of the OPD/SKPD and/or Financial Administration Officials, Treasurers and Planning Staff. The research sample is selected by using the purposive sampling method with 91 respondents out of 99 respondents who are given questionnaires. The results showed that partially the quality of human resources and training have a significant relationship, while regulations, commitments, and supporting instruments do not have a significant relationship to the success of the local government in implementing PP71/2010. And based on simultaneous analysis shows that there is an influence of the relationship between regulations, human resources, commitments, supporting tools, and training on the success of local governments in the implementation of PP71/2010.
Enhancing Flatbed Printer Accuracy and Throughput: Optimal Rational Feedforward Controller Tuning Via Iterative Learning Control

Advanced control methods potentially enable performance improvements in printing systems for minor additional costs. The aim of this paper is to develop a control framework that is capable of delivering throughput and accuracy enhancements for an industrial flatbed inkjet printer. The proposed method involves iterative learning control with a rational feedforward parameterization to enable varying position references which are required for printing. Experimental results highlight the efficacy of the proposed method in a comparison with related pre-existing learning control approaches.
Computer Assisted Implant Surgery: Advanced Implant Surgical Technique

Dental implants have gained wide acceptance in past few decades. The success of implant lies in successful osseointegration. The main challenge for successful osseointegration is proper treatment planning and accuracy in the surgical procedures. The ability of a surgeon to translate the ideal position of dental implant from diagnostic casts to anatomic landmark in the jaw determines the proper implant positioning. However, it is associated with increased failure rate due to lack in accuracy of stent fabrication and use of it during surgery. This led to the advances in imaging technology from 2 dimensional imaging to 3 dimensional imaging. 3 dimensional imaging using computer assists and guides the surgeon to carry out surgical procedures more accurately. Computer assisted surgery is widely accepted in many surgical specialities but its use in dentistry is not a reality till date. Hence this review is an attempt to provide an overview on computer assisted implant surgery (CAIS). Emphasis is placed on the steps in CAIS, advantages and disadvantages of the same.
Higher dimensional fMRI connectivity dynamics show reduced dynamism in schizophrenia patients

Assessments of functional connectivity between brain networks is a fixture of resting state fMRI research. Until very recently most of this work proceeded from an assumption of stationarity in resting state network connectivity. In the last few years however, interest in moving beyond this simplifying assumption has grown considerably. Applying group temporal independent component analysis (tICA) to a set of time-varying functional network connectivity (FNC) matrices derived from a large multi-site fMRI dataset (N=314; 163 healthy, 151 schizophrenia patients), we obtain a set of five basic correlation patterns (component spatial maps (SMs)) from which observed FNCs can be expressed as mutually independent linear combinations, ie. the coefficient on each SM in the linear combination is statistically independent of the others. We study dynamic properties of network connectivity as they are reflected in this five-dimensional space, and report stark differences in connectivity dynamics between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.
Deliberate self-harm: emergency department nurses' attitudes, triage and care intentions.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES This exploratory study investigates emergency department nurses' attitudes towards patients who engage in deliberate self-harm. It examines their attitudes towards, and triage and care decisions with, patients who self-harm. BACKGROUND Emergency department nurses sometimes show unsympathetic attitudes towards patients who present with self-harm and these can contribute to difficulties in assessing and providing appropriate care. DESIGN A modified version of the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire was used. A non-probability sample of 43 emergency department nurses from a large Australian hospital participated in the study. Data were analysed using SPSS. RESULTS Most nurses had received no educational preparation to care for patients with self-harm; over 20% claimed that the department either had no practice guidelines for deliberate self-harm or they did not know of their existence and one-third who knew of them had not read them. Overall, nurses had sympathetic attitudes towards patients who self-harm, including both professional and lay conceptualizations of deliberate self-harm. They did not discriminate against this group of patients in their triage and care decisions. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this exploratory study are important because attitudes can affect care decisions. Recommendations are made for improving the educational preparation of emergency department nurses, for improving awareness and implementation of practice guidelines, and for improving attitudes towards patients with deliberate self-harm. Further research is needed to confirm these results.
Professional Loan Officers’ Information Search Behavior After Reading Audit Report of a Financially Distressed Company: Evidence From Eye-tracking

In order to respond to the concern about the relevance of auditor reporting when a firm is financially distressed, we examine whether the perceived quality of the signing audit firm (i.e. Big4 or non-Big4 auditor) and going-concern modification affects professional loan officers’ information search behavior. Rather than focusing on the final loan granting decision, it is of interest to examine how loan officers navigate through and integrate the information presented in the related audited financial statements and annual report. Using eye-tracking technology, we are able to thoroughly scrutinize information search of professional loan officers. The findings of this study indicate that not only does the going-concern modification affect lenders’ information search behavior, but also the credibility of the audit report source. Specifically, the results of the first analysis indicate that the presence of going-concern modification significantly increases the attention to the audit report, and especially when it is signed by a Big4 auditor. Moreover, the information most explicitly mentioned in the goingconcern paragraph is accessed quickly, indicating an attention directing effect of going-concern paragraph, and this effect is the most evident when the audit report is signed by a Big4 auditor. Finally, the analyses of this study provide evidence on extensive versus superficial information search, which depends on the source credibility in addition to the presence of the going-concern modification. Information search appears to be most extensive when the lender has read a “clean” report signed by a non-Big4 auditor, suggesting that lenders try to gather more information about the seriousness of the financial problems when the perceived quality of the signing audit firm is perceived low and they do not have the guidance from auditor’s goingconcern modification. On the contrary, lenders search information more superficially after reading an audit report with going-concern modification signed by a Big4 audit firm, implying that the credibility of the source together with the information provided in the going-concern modification are considered higher. However, differences in extensive and superficial information search appear only in the beginning of the search pattern. The effect of audit report content and the signing audit firm on information search is diluting during the search and participants' overall search patterns are converging.
Real-Time PCR and Real-Time RT-PCR Applications in Food Labelling and Gene Expression Studies

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a scientific invention, has revolutionized molecular biology and led to real-time PCR and later, real-time reverse transcription PCR (Real-Time RT-PCR). These two techniques enable scientists to conduct PCR detection of amplified gene products and expression analysis of targeted genes. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), also called real-time polymerase chain reaction, is a recent modification to PCR that utilizes fluorescent reporter molecular techniques to monitor the production of amplified products during each cycle of the PCR reaction, and enables both detection and quantification of specific sequences in complex mixtures. Over the past decade, real-time PCR applications have rapidly changed the nature of molecular science and become widely used tools in molecular genetics research. Real-time PCR permits specific, sensitive and reproducible manipulation of nucleic acids by combining the nucleic acid amplification and detection steps using gel electrophoresis. Hence, it almost eliminates the need for DNA sequencing or Southern blotting for amplicon identification. One of the many versions of PCR is real-time RT-PCR which has become one of the most broadly used gene amplification and expression methods in molecular biology research. Real-time RT-PCR is commonly employed to discover RNA expression levels through the creation of complimentary DNA (cDNA) transcripts from RNA, and it is frequently confused with real-time PCR. Food labelling provides very important information to help both producers and consumers to make informed choices about healthier and safer food. The process that information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product is called gene expression. It enables scientists decipher the functions of genes. Food labelling and gene expression are fundamental to studying the relationships between the human genome, nutrition and health in a relatively new specialist field called nutritional genomics. Nutritional genomics is expected to revolutionize the way health professionals and dieticians treat people in the future. Thus, it is anticipated that the focus of nutritional genomics research will in the future, shift to determining the right type of food for an individual based on his or her genomic compatibility and therefore aid in avoiding foods that are an inappropriate match and could potentially impact negatively on the individual’s health. This paper reviews the importance and power of real-time PCR application in food labelling and nutritional genomics, types of fluorescent-based chemistry procedures developed for real-time PCR detection, real-time RT-PCR application in gene expression studies and the great potential of combining these technologies for animal molecular genetics research in sheep and fish
Public Health Spending and Health Outcomes in Kenya

Health is important for sustainable economic performance of a country. This study seeks to investigate the effectiveness of public health spending on health outcomes. This is obtained by estimating a health production function for Kenya. In the study, infant mortality rate is used to measure health outcomes. The study uses time series data running from 1984 to 2015. The data is obtained from World Bank database and Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Economic Surveys. Error Correction Model (ECM) is adopted due to presence of cointegration. The results show that public expenditure on average influence health outcomes in Kenya. These results therefore provide evidence to support that increase in public expenditure improves health outcomes. The other factor that is found to be important determinant of health outcomes in Kenya is child immunization. The major policy implication of this study is that Kenyan government should increase budgetary allocation to health sector. In addition, government of Kenya should allocate more resources to child immunization.
Ganglioside Treatment of Streptozotocin‐Diabetic Rats Prevents Defective Axonal Transport of 6‐Phosphofructokinase Activity

Abstract: This study measured axonal transport of 6‐phosphofructokinase (PFK) and aldolase activities in the sciatic nerves of rats with short‐term streptozotocin‐induced diabetes. The diabetic rats showed deficits in anterograde (69% of controls; p < 0.001) and retrograde (33% of controls; p < 0.01) accumulations of PFK activity as well as its content per unit length of unconstricted sciatic nerve (86% of controls; p < 0.05). There were no accumulation deficits in aldolase activity in the nerves of the diabetic rats, although the activity per unit length of unconstricted nerve was deficient (81% of controls; p < 0.05). Treatment of diabetic rats with mixed bovine brain gangliosides (10 mg/kg of body weight/day, i.p.) did not affect the deficit in PFK activity in unconstricted nerve (84% of ganglioside‐treated controls; p < 0.01), but all the other defects in enzyme activities were prevented completely. The diabetic rats also showed a reduction of 7% (p < 0.01) in sciatic nerve dry weight per unit length, which was prevented by ganglioside treatment. In contrast, the reduced motor nerve conduction velocity, accumulation of polyol pathway metabolites, and depletion of myo‐inositol. characteristic of untreated short‐term diabetes, were unaffected by ganglioside treatment.
The role of measurement, analysis and knowledge management criterion in MBNQA model to manage institutions of higher education

The purpose of this research is to empirically test the role of measurement,analysis and knowledge management criterion on Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA)criteria model for higher education institutions(HEIs). The paper identifies five (5) causal hypotheses from literatures that are related to the measurement, analysis and knowledge management criterion. Structural equation model(SEM)is used to analyse the empirical data that were collected from 118 Malaysian HEIs. The results indicate that there are three(3) significant relations and two (2) insignificant relations within the model. Measurement,analysis and knowledge management have causal positive effect on strategic planning and student,stakeholder and market focus.In addition, leadershiph as causal positive effecton measurement,analysis and knowledge management.However,measurement,analysis and knowledge management do not have causal positive effecton faculty and staff focus and process management. The comprehensiveness of these relationships provides a guide to implement, develop,assess and improve higher education institutions.
Comparative study of ion milling techniques in cross‐sectional transmission electron microscope specimen preparation

With the decreasing structure dimensions and increasing complexity of today's VLSICs, demands for both vertical and lateral imaging have made cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) a standard analytical tool in the semiconductor industry. Microscopy technique and technology has advanced such that practical applications of this method are now solely limited by specimen preparation. Since the development of the conventional methods of specimen preparation (Bravman and Sinclair, 1984; Marcus and Sheng, 19831, many modifications to the basic techniques have been explored (Benedict et al., 1990; Chang et al., 1987; Madden and Crafard, 1989; Rivaud, 1985). The purpose of this study is to examine two recent modifications which have been made to the final thinning step: ion milling. Iodine milling and shallow angle (angle of incidence <lo") argon milling are compared to the more conventional higher angle argon milling for a variety of samples. At least two commercial ion milling systems can now be retrofitted for shallow angle milling or to include iodine as a milling species (Iontech, Gatan). Although some investigations have been made of each of these methods, exploring the milling mechanism and experimental apparatus in more detail than will be presented here (Alani et al., 1990; Barna, 1984; Chew and Cullis, 19871, no comparative study focusing specifically on materials commonly encountered in Si based IC structures that have difficulty being ion milled has been presented. In this paper, we present such a comparison, but acknowledge that some degree of specimen damage is inherent to all ion milling techniques. The materials selected for this study are ones which commonly exhibit one of two conventional argon milling problems: large differences in electron transparencies arising from milling rate variations between dissimilar materials or the occurrence of milling artifacts due to specimen heating. A third factor, long milling times, is also addressed by use of a dimpling technique based on Madden and Crafard (1989), with slight modifications which will be described in the following section.