In here, a Modified Diagrid Structural System (MDSS) has been proposed to compare with diagrid structural system, Regular Frame with Optimized Single Tuned Mass Damper (RFwOSTMD) system and Regular Frame without Optimized Single Tuned Mass Damper (RFwoOSTMD) system. To this aim, a rectangular reinforced cement concrete (R.C.C) building and a diagrid R.C.C multi-storey building were considered, and analyzed without controlling device, with optimized TMD, Diagrid Structural System (DSS), and MDSS. All of the models are investigated by using SAP2000. All of the buildings are analyzed and evaluated under El-centro earthquake. The response of proposed MDSS under earthquake is compared with the RFwoOSTMD, RFwOSTMD and DSS. The results show that the proposed MDSS is preferable than the DSS, as well as RFwOSTMD.

This study was conducted in order to examine the egg development in red spotted grouper, Epinephelus akaara and the morphological development of its larvae and juveniles, and to obtain data for taxonomic research. This study was conducted in June 2013, and 50 male and female fish were used for the study. One hundred μg/kg of LHRHa was injected into the body of the fish for inducing spawning, and the fish were kept in a small-sized fish holder (2×2×2 m). Eggs were colorless transparent free pelagic eggs, 0.71–0.77 mm large (mean 0.74±0.02 mm, n=30), and had an oil globule. Hatching started within 27 h after fertilization. Pre-larvae that emerged just after hatching were 2.02–2.17 mm in total length (mean 2.10±0.11 mm), their mouth and anus were not opened yet, and the whole body was covered with a membrane fin. Post-larvae that emerged 15 days post hatching were 3.88–4.07 mm in total length (mean 3.98±0.13 mm), and had a ventral fin with two rays and a caudal fin with eight rays. Juveniles that were formed at 55 d post hatching, were 31.9–35.2 mm in total length (mean 33.6±2.33 mm), with red color deposited over the entire body, and black chromophores deposited in a spotted pattern. The number of fin rays, body color, and shape were the same as that in the adult fish.

In fish, light (photoperiod, intensity and spectra) is main regulator in many physiological actions including growth. We investigate the effect of light spectra on the somatic growth and growth-related gene expression in the rearing tiger puffer. Fish was reared under different light spectra (blue, green and red) for 8 weeks. Fish body weight and total length were promoted when reared under green light condition than red light condition. Expression of somatostatins (ss1 and ss2) in brain were showed higher expression under red light condition than green light condition. The ss3 mRNA was observed only higher expression in blue light condition. Expression of growth hormone (gh) in pituitary was detected no different levels between experimental groups. However, the fish of green light condition group was showed more high weight gain and feed efficiency than other light condition groups. Our present results suggest that somatic growth of tiger puffer is induced under green light condition because of inhibiting ss mRNA expression in brain by effect of green wavelength.

Molecular targeting for the altered signaling pathways has been proven to be effective for the treatment of many types of human cancer, including colorectal cancer (CRC). The dual phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor BEZ235 has shown to exhibit potent antitumor activity against solid tumors. Autophagy is a cellular lysosomal catabolic process to maintain metabolic homeostasis, which has been known to be induced in response to many therapeutic agents in cancer cells. This process is negatively regulated by mTOR and often acts as prosurvival or prodeath mechanism following cancer therapeutics. The current study was designed to investigate the antiproliferation activity of BEZ235 and to evaluate the role of autophagy induced by BEZ235 using HCT15 CRC cells bearing ras oncogene mutation. We found that BEZ235 decreases cell viability, which was mostly dependent on G1 arrest of cell cycle via suppression of cyclin A expression. BEZ235 affects PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway by increasing the phosphorylation of AKT at Ser473 and RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway by decreasing the phosphorylation of ERK at Tyr204. BEZ235 also stimulated autophagy induction as evidenced by the increased expression of LC3-II and abundant acidic vesicular organelles (AVOs) in the cytoplasm. In addition, the combination of BEZ235 with autophagy inhibitor chloroquine, a known antagonist of autophagy, counteracted the antiproliferation effect of BEZ235. Thus, our study indicates that autophagy induced in response to BEZ235 treatment appears to act as cell death mechanism in HCT15 CRC cells.

This study was conducted to develop a fast and efficient screening method to determine the quantity of fatty acid in peanut oil for high oleate breeding program. A total of 329 peanut samples were used in this study, 227 of which were considered in the calibration equation development and 102 were utilized for validation, using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). The NIRS equations for all the seven fatty acids had low standard error of calibration (SEC) values, while high R2 values of 0.983 and 0.991 were obtained for oleic and linoleic acids, respectively in the calibration equation. Furthermore, the predicted means of the two main fatty acids in the calibration equation were very similar to the means based on gas chromatography (GC) analysis, ranging from 36.7 to 77.1% for oleic acid and 7.1 to 42.7% for linoleic acid. Based on the standard error of prediction (SEP), bias values, and R 2 statistics, the NIRS fatty acid equations were accurately predicted the concentrations of oleic and linoleic acids of the validation sample set. These results suggest that NIRS equations of oleic and linoleic acid can be used as a rapid mass screening method for fatty acid content analysis in peanut breeding program.

Purpose - In order to achieve the organizational objectives, the behavior of the employees and their collaboration with management should be taken into account. It has been shown that strategic behavior depends on a number of different factors. The aim of this article was determining the relationship between factors related to the strategic behavior. Research design, data, and methodology - Accordingly, a conceptual model was developed and tested in the form of a survey. Participants of the study were the employees working in the social Insurance company of Tehran. Data was collected using a questionnaire conducted among managers and the staff. A correlation model was used for data analysis by employing the SPSS software. Results - The findings showed there was a relationship between employees’ engagement and the strategic behavior. Conclusions - Our research has demonstrated the effect of employees’ engagement on the strategic-driven behavior, emphasizing the role of employees’ engagement in health-care service firms. Although previous service research has focused on the factors that drive employees’ performance, it seems that most of this research has been inspired by the idea of the service profit chain, focusing on the effect of employees’ satisfaction on performance.

The anti-diabetic effect of Cirsium setidens water extract and the combinations with Bletilla striata, Cymbidium kanran, and Sparganium stoloniferum Buch.-Ham. ethanolic extracts had been studied. The combination of four extracts (3:1:1:1) showed larger anti-diabetic activity in vitro and in vivo. It is notable that the single water extract from C. setidens exhibited more effective anti-diabetic effect than most of the combinations. We also investigated whether fermentation process was promoted the anti-diabetic activity. The data suggested the fermentation product of combination of four extracts (3:1:1:1) exhibited the strongest activity both in vitro and in vivo, which was higher than the non-fermented group. The result indicated the fermentation and the appropriate combination of extracts enhanced the anti-diabetes activity.

In this study, the inhibitory activities of fifty plant extracts on IgE-mediated degranulation in the rat basophilic leukemia cell line (RBL-2H3 cells) were measured; the release of interleukin (IL)-4 and β-hexosaminidase from IgE-sensitized cells treated with the plant extracts was measured; and the effects of the plant extracts on cell viability were tested. The results of the analysis of plant extracts at 20 ㎍/㎖, including the aerial part of Magnolia sieboldii K. Koch, exhibited suppressive activities upon the release of IL-4. Furthermore, several plant extracts including methanol extracted from Lindera erythrocarpa Makino (aerial part) at the same concentration significantly inhibited the release of β-hexosaminidase. Twenty-six of the plant extracts, including methanol extract of Weigela subsessilis (Nakai) L. H. Bailey (branch), showed a cell proliferation effect of over 80% at 100 ㎍/㎖. In conclusion, the results suggest that the leaf/stem of Geum japonicum Thunb. and the stamen/ovary of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn., which exhibited effective inhibition on β-hexosaminidase release and IL-4 release from mast cells and showed high cell viability, could be useful candidates as anti-allergy materials.

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seeds have long been clinically used in Korea to promote bone formation and prevent osteoporosis. In addition, the safflower buds (SB) were found to have more useful functional ingredients than safflower seed. Thus, we investigated the preventive effects of SB diet in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. The rats were divided into five groups; sham operated group, OVX alone group, OVX plus 17β-estradiol (E2 10 ㎍/㎏, i.p.) and OVX plus SB diet feeding group (0.3% or 1%). Feeding of SB diet (0.3% or 3%) to OVX rats markedly increased trabecular formation in femur compared to OVX rats. Feeding of SB diet (0.3% or 3%) to OVX rats also decreased TRAP activity compared to OVX rats. These results suggest that SB diets have bone sparing effects by the decrease of osteoclast activity. We also observed that OVX rats fed with SB diet (0.3% or 3%) exhibited the decrease of calcium and phosphorus in serum compared to OVX-induced rats. Therefore, SB may be beneficial for the patients of osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women.

Even though phosphorus (P) is essential element for plant growth and development, it is not enough for crop production in soil. To breed more P deficient tolerance rice, screening and selection in rice population is needed. We tried to develop more simple and rough screening method for breeding of P deficient tolerance rice. In P deficient condition, tiller number was dramatically decreased among yield components in rice. Though this result, we confirmed tiller number could be the best marker in screening of P deficient tolerance rice. 480 rice genetic resources were cultivated in rice bed tray filled with P deficient soil for four weeks and each dry weight was measured. Among them, the 55 kinds of genetic resource were selected then cultivated in paddy field with 3 fertilizer conditions. Plant dry weight and tiller number in ripening stage were shown significant difference according to P condition. Plant dry weight and tiller number in ripening stage was highly correlated especially in P deficient condition. Furthermore, the tiller number in ripening stage and plant dry weight in rough screening were shown high degree correlation. Though these results, we might expect measuring of plant dry weight after cultivation in rice bed tray filled with P deficient soil could be a simple and effective screening method in selection of P deficient tolerance rice.

This study was conducted to serve as the basis for establishing a standard cultivation, which enhances the alternative utilization of pig manure, a major cause of environmental pollution, by finding a means for reducing greenhouse gas emissions for eco-friendly cultivation. In a laboratory, CH4 and CO2 emission patterns were investigated corresponding to incremental pig manure treatments in paddy soil. The emissions peaked 12 to 27 days after manure application in the 100~400% applications. It was found that increasing applications of pig manure resulted an increase in CH4 and CO2 emissions. Additionally, application of more than 150% emitted a larger amount of these gasses than applying chemical fertilizer. However, the test application of 100% pig manure emitted a smaller amount of CH4 and hence Global Warming Potential (GWP) than those emitted by chemical fertilizer. If appropriate amount of fertilization is applied in compliance with the standard application rate, the pig manure may be effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the soil environment made more favorable than with the use of chemical fertilizer.

This study was performed in order to provide basic data for predicting the usefulness of Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) as a food raw material. The changes in the physicochemical properties of freeze-dried and hot air-dried Jicama were investigated and analyzed. The moisture content of raw Jicama was 81.84%. The crude protein, crude fat, crude ash and carbohydrate content of hot air-dried Jicama powder were 2.85, 0.79, 7.93 and 88.44%, while those of freeze-dried Jicama powder were 3.93, 0.83, 7.92 and 87.32%, respectively on dry basis. Regarding the color values, the lightness of freeze-dried Jicama (92.86) was higher than that of the hot air-dried Jicama (88.01), whereas the redness (-0.67) and yellowness (3.21) of freeze-dried Jicama were lower than those of the hot air-dried Jicama (0.43) and (11.96), respectively. The brown index was lower in the freeze-dried Jicama (0.029) than in hot air-dried Jicama (0.107). The total sugar content showed no significant differences between freeze (46.49 mg/g) and hot air-dried Jicama (45.11 mg/g). Finally, the amylose content was higher in freeze-dried Jicama (5.66%) than in hot air-dried Jicama (6.63%).

The purpose of this study was to perform a functional components analysis and investigate the physical properties of powders made from the stems or fruit of freeze-dried Cheonnyuncho cactus (Opuntia humifusa). The functional components analysis showed that the stem and fruit powders han vitamin C levels of 42.14 mg and 105.21 mg, respectively. The stems powder contained more lutein than the fruit powder. The fruit powder contained more vitamin C than the stem powder. The SDF (soluble dietary fiber) and IDF (insoluble dietary fiber) in the stem powder were 45.24% and 22.15%, respectively, which were higher then the values for the fruit powder. The stem and fruit powders contained 19.30 mg/g and 25.10 mg/g of crude saponin, respectively. The pH of the stem and fruit powders was 5.34 and 5.07, respectively, both indicating low acidity. The L, a and b values of the stem powder color were 78.28, –3.71, and 19.19, respectively. The L, a and b values of the fruit powder color were 55.56, 24.84, and –3.18, respectively. The stems powder had a higher bulk density, water holding capacity, and swelling power than those of the fruit powder, but water-retaining capacity of the stem powder was lower than that of the fruit powder. In addition, the stems powder had a higher viscous material content and water uptake compared to the fruit powder. Based on the above results, we determined that Cheonnyuncho (Opuntia humifusa) powder had potentially useful functional components and physical properties.

We stored sweet pumpkins at 8℃, 12℃, 12℃ plasma curing and room temperature (control) for 180 days. During this time, the quality characteristics were analyzed within the different groups. No spoiling occurred in either of the storage conditions for up to 120 days, and the marketability was good. After 120 days, spoiling sharply increased by over 70% in the control group, while in the 12℃ group it decreased to 20~60%. Conversely, spoiling was completely absent in the 8℃ and 12℃ plasma curing groups during the overall 180 days of storage. The lowest moisture content was found in the 8℃ group and the quality of the pumpkins was excellent during the entire storage period. The color of pulp was better in the 12℃ and 12℃ plasma curing groups, with best results were found in the latest. Both the 8℃ and 12℃ plasma curing groups maintained their dark green surface colors, while both the 12℃ and control groups turned from green to yellow. All groups showed a reduction in their initial hardness, with the 8℃ group staying the hardest. Soluble solid and mealiness was increased to the storage during 90 days while decreased, that were long to maintain the mealiness texture in the 8℃ storage pumpkin. The overall acceptability from sensory evaluation was higher in the 12℃ plasma curing group, when compared to those of the 8℃, 12℃ and control groups storage conditions.

This study was examined the ovogenesis of Ussurian bullhead, Leiocassis ussuriensis and the morphological development of its larvae and juveniles and to use the results as basic information for the preservation of species and resource enhancement. For artificial egg collection, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) was injected at a rate of 10 IU per gram of fish weight. During breeding period, water temperature maintained at 24.5~26.5℃ (mean 25.0±0.05℃). The process of ovogenesis reached the two-cell stage in 50 minutes after fertilization. In 73 hours of fertilization the movement of the embryoid body became active state and the larvae began to hatch from the tail through the oolemma. Length of prelarvae were 6.33~6.50 mm long (mean 6.40±0.06 mm) just after hatching having yolk with their mouth not opened. After thirty eight days of hatching, juveniles were 30.6∼32.5 mm long (mean 31.5±0.65 mm). The color was dark yellowish brown throughout the entire body, and the number of caudal fin rays developed to thirty six perfectly.

Background: We evaluated the effect of ulinastatin on paw withdrawal threshold (PWT), IL-6, and IL-10 in SD rats after spinal nerve ligation (SNL). Methods: Group C received N/S and Group E received ulinastatin IV for three days following SNL. PWT, IL-6, and IL-10 were measured on the 3rd, 5th, and 7th day. Results: Group E showed higher PWT compared to group C. IL-6 was lower in group E than in group C. No differences in IL-10 were observed between group C and group E. Conclusion: Ulinastatin increased the PWT and its effect appears to be involved with IL-6, not IL-10.

Purpose This study first explores – the possible dynamic relationship between ownership structure and firm performance using a panel of 4,900 Chinese-listed small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 1999 to 2012. Research design, data, and methodology – We address this issue through a dynamic panel model using a method of moments (GMM) technique and dynamic simultaneous equations to alleviate the potential endogenous problem: unobserved heterogeneity, simultaneity, and dynamic endogeneity. Results – Under the framework of dynamic endogeneity, firm performance has a significantly positive influence on ownership, but not vice versa. Ownership and performance can be explained by their owned lagged values, respectively. Moreover, intertemporal endogeneity exists among ownership, investment, and performance through the application of system dynamic equations, which implies that the relationship among ownership structure, investment, and firm performance is dynamic by nature. Conclusions – This study also significantly contributes to a better understanding of dynamic corporate governance by providing further empirical evidence from the largest capital market in the Asian region.

Purpose To mislead shareholders – about a firm’s actual economic performance, managers frequently manage dividends. Earnings management also affects performance reviews. Managers attempt to manage reported earnings caused by current economic events to accurately reflect their current performance. Research design, data, and methodology – The sample consisted of 312 company-years from companies in the pharmaceutical distribution industry listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. A study period from 2004 to 2014 was selected. In this study, a model for measuring the performance of the net profits to total assets of a division of Jones was used to measure earnings management. Results – This study found a negative correlation between corporate performance and earnings management. Conclusions – The results for the earnings management company indicated a significant inverse relationship. Therefore, the company’s performance weakened as its earnings management activity increased. In other words, the results showed that the company’s performance-based accruals earnings management, the actual management of profits, and the general level of earnings management had significant inverse relationships. Thus, as the company’s profits declined, earnings management activity increased.