Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Milk protein polymorphisms and effect of herds on cows` milk composition

Kappa-casein (CSN3) and beta-lactoglobulin (LGB) loci affect milk yield traits and the quality of milk protein. Their polymorphisms explain the role of genetic variance and facilitate estimation of breeding value. Our research was aimed at estimating the effect of beta-lactoglobulin and kappa-casein genotypes on milk yield and the chemical composition of milk, for cows bred in three herds in the kujawsko-pomorskie province. We divided the cows into three groups depending on their beta- lactoglobulin and kappa-casein polymorphisms: AA, AB and BB. The percentage of AB LGB heterozygotes in the examined population was the highest, at 44%; whereas the frequency of both gene alleles was at a similar level. In the kappa-casein gene, we found that there was a predominance of AA CSN3 genes (0.69), and a small percentage of BB CSN3 genotypes (0.07). We also observed a higher frequency of the A allele (0.81) as compared to the B allele (0.19), which is desired in breeding. Analysing the influence of the examined factors, we established a statistically significant influence of the barn as well as interactions between the barn and the LGB and CSN3 genotype on the percentage of fat and protein in milk from all examined lactations. Milk yield is influenced by the interaction between examined genotypes and the LGB genotype. The highest fat and protein content in the first lactation was found in animals with the AB LGB genotype: 4.53% of fat and 3.41% of protein. In lactations 2 and 3, the highest values for these parameters were noted for cows with the AA LGB genotype. As to the kappa-casein gene, we observed that cows with the AA CSN3 genotype constituted the largest group. Heterozygous animals produced the highest amount of milk with higher fat and protein yield as compared to the other groups.
China's Exchange Rate and International Adjustment in Wages, Prices, and Interest Rates: Japan Deja Vu?

China keeps its exchange rate tightly fixed to the dollar. Its productivity growth and trade surplus have been high, and it continues to accumulate large dollar reserves. Many observers take this as evidence that the renminbi is undervalued and should be appreciated to reduce the Chinese trade surplus. We argue that an appreciation of the renminbi need not reduce China’s trade surplus but could cause serious deflation in China. To show this, we consider international adjustment between China and the United States from both an asset-market and a labor-market perspective, and compare this to Japan’s unsuccessful appreciation of the yen.
Issues in Valuation of Privately Held Firms

We examine how Danish investors and corporate financial advisers apply present value approaches in valuing privately held companies. We interview 39 corporate advisers and private equity investors who apply present value approaches as a valuation tool for privately held firms. Our findings indicate that many of the participants comply with the recommendations outlined in the valuation literature. However, the findings also indicate that some practitioners apply the present value approaches incorrectly. Our research also confirms that valuation of privately held firms involves a great deal of judgement, especially if the literature does not provide clear cut answers. For example, estimating the marketability discount and control premium often involve guesstimate among the participants. Further, several participants argue that the literature in some cases is inadequate. For example, some argue that beta estimates from peers are imprecise and contain severe measurement problems.
Impact of Capital Expenditure on Exchange Rate within the Period of the Second and Fourth Republic in Nigeria

Government involvement in economic activities through fiscal policy, according to Keynes is very crucial for the growth of the economy. The government uses fiscal policy to regulate the economy through expansion or contraction of its spending consisting of recurrent and capital expenditures. However fiscal expansion tends to lead to increase in exchange rate. This paper examines the impact of government capital expenditure on exchange rate in Nigeria, using disaggregate approach. The finding indicates that Nigerian government capital expenditure, particularly government spending on social and community services has a statistically significant impact on exchange rate in Nigeria, while capital expenditures on administration, economic services and transfer are not statistically significant in respect to their impact on exchange rate. Based on this finding, policy recommendation was made that government should ensure strict compliance with the procurement act in the awards of government capital projects contracts to avoid over invoices. More so, high percentage local content should be ensure in all capital projects to minimize imports which may increase demand for foreign currency and put pressure on exchange rate.
Competition for Agency Contracts

This article introduces a market for the services of agents into a principal-agent model. The principal and the potential agents are risk neutral. The contract trades off adverse selection against moral hazard. In a broad range of circumstances the optimal contract is linear in the outcome. In an incentive-compatible contract the more able is an agent, the larger is his contractual share of his marginal output; thus, a more able agent is induced to work at a rate closer to the first-best.
Consumer Decision-Making Styles: Comparison Between United States and Korean Young Consumers

The purpose is to identify decision-making styles of young consumers in Korea and to find if these styles are similar to those of U.S. young consumers. An instrument, based on previous research in the United States, was administered to 310 college students in Korea. Data are factor analyzed and alpha coefficients are computed for scale reliability. Findings indicate the generality of some consumer decision-making styles. Similarities and differences between cultures are discussed, and implications are provided.
Valuation of CCS-ready coal-fired power plants: a multi-dimensional real options approach

In this paper, we develop a multi-factor real options model for a two-stage investment problem, where a coal-fired power plant is later retrofitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS). A capture-ready power plant with lower retrofit costs is compared with a conventional one and higher CCS retrofit costs. The stochastic variables considered are the price of electricity, the price of CO2 permits, the costs of CO2 capture, transporting and storage (CTS), and CCS retrofit investment costs. Fuel costs are disregarded due to the constant boiler size in the case of a retrofit, resulting in constant fuel consumption but lower electricity output of the retrofitted plant. Two retrofit options that reduce the power plant’s net efficiency from 46% to 30% and 35%, respectively, and an integrated CCS power plant with an efficiency of 38.5% are investigated. In a numerical simulation with realistic parameterization, we find a low probability for a retrofit even after fifteen to twenty years, caused by the high uncertainty and the adverse impact of the electricity price and the CO2 permit price. This renders the capture-ready option unattractive, and calls for investments in conventional coal-fired power plants with later CCS investments at higher costs than in the case of a capture-ready pre-installation.
Quality of life and coping in patients with gynecologic cancer and their spouses.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To examine differences in and relationships between quality of life (QOL) and coping of patients with gynecologic (GYN) cancer and their spouses. SETTING An oncology ambulatory care center in the midwestern United States. DESIGN Cross-sectional. SAMPLE 40 patients with GYN cancer and their spouses. METHODS Patients and spouses completed the Quality of Life-Cancer Version scale and the Coping Scale. FINDINGS Patients with GYN cancer and their spouses recorded similar responses. They were fairly satisfied with their QOL especially regarding family. Similarities and differences existed in the use of coping strategies between the two groups. Patients were more inclined to do something about their situation, whereas spouses tended to hope that problems would go away. For spouses, finding positive aspects of the illness experience correlated with three QOL indicators; correlations also were found between health/functioning and three coping strategies. CONCLUSIONS In this study, no significant differences were found between patients with GYN cancer and their spouses in overall QOL or QOL domains. Family was the highest QOL domain for both groups. Patients reported significantly more use of cognitive restructuring and threat minimization than spouses. For both groups, especially patients, different strategies correlated with different QOL areas. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE Nurses working in GYN oncology ambulatory care centers are in a key position to assess areas of QOL with which patients and spouses are most and least satisfied and the types of coping strategies they are using. Differences in coping strategies used suggest that patients and spouses might benefit by being assessed separately.
The end of the beginning of the ‘Pacific century’? Confucian corporatism and authoritarian capitalism in East Asia

Abstract A closer appraisal of the rhetoric about an impending ‘Pacific century’ is in order. In place of the allusion to miracles, it seems that most of the booming economies in the region have relied upon massive injections of inputs resulting in spurts in growth of output. There are logical and economic limits to the rates of economic expansion under these circumstances. There are also dangers of financial and property bubbles forming in these East Asian emerging economies as in Japan during the 1980s. A ‘global century’ should be anticipated where open institutional and cultural competition begins to mirror the competition in goods and services.
Adult Class III treatment using a J-hook headgear to the mandibular arch.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the treatment effects of high-pull J-hook headgear on the lower dental arch in nongrowing Class III patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fourteen nongrowing Class III patients having an Angle Class III malocclusion and ANB angle of less than 1.0 degree, were treated with high-pull J-hook headgear to the lower arch. Using lateral cephalograms and plaster models obtained before treatment (T1), after active treatment (T2), and after the retention period (T3), the treatment outcome was analyzed. RESULTS The incisal edge of the lower central incisor moved a mean of 1.2 mm to the lingual and 1.7 mm to the occlusal between T1 and T2. The axis of the lower incisor inclined 4.0 degrees to the lingual. The lower first molar cusp moved 1.5 mm to the distal and the root apex moved 2.0 mm to the mesial. Molar angulations were tipped 9.8 degrees to the distal. The occlusal plane showed 4.5 degrees counterclockwise rotation. The mean intermolar width increased 1.5 mm on average. Comparison of the records between T2 and T3 showed minimal changes. CONCLUSIONS Distal movement of the lower dental arch using J-hook headgear was clearly demonstrated, confirming that the application of high-pull J-hook headgear to the lower arch was effective for improvement of the Class III occlusion.
Cell-free DNA is more sensitive than cell-free mRNA as a marker for evaluation of fetal-maternal hemorrhage.

Detection of circulating fetal nucleic acids in maternal plasma is a promising approach to noninvasive prenatal assessment and fetal monitoring. Cell-free fetal/placental (cff) DNA concentrations in maternal plasma undergo transient increases after amniocentesis, suggesting that cff DNA in maternal plasma is a sensitive marker for fetal-maternal hemorrhage (1). However, cff DNA measurement is a sex-dependent marker used only in pregnancies with male fetuses, whereas cell-free placental (cff) mRNA in maternal plasma, recently quantified with real-time reverse-transcription PCR, is considered a sex-independent marker for monitoring placental conditions (2). Evidence suggests that cff mRNA release into the maternal circulation is comparable to cff DNA release, but it is not known which molecular marker is more sensitive for detection of fetal-maternal hemorrhage. To investigate this question, we performed a quantitative analysis of cff DNA and cff mRNA in maternal plasma collected before and 10-min after amniocentesis and evaluated which molecular marker was more sensitive for detection of fetal-maternal hemorrhage. Study participants were 32 pregnant women, at 15–17 weeks of gestation, who underwent amniocentesis at …
Formulation of long-acting nifedipine tablets influences the heart rate and sympathetic nervous system response in hypertensive patients.

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies are usually carried out separately with theoretical linking or interpretations. The pharmacokinetics of short- vs. long-acting formulations of nifedipine is well known, but the pharmacokinetics of different once-a-day formulations of nifedipine is generally not well known by the practising physician. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS This study provides practical patient-based information linking pharmacokinetics to pharmacodynamics in one of the target populations of patients, those with hypertension, who might receive the two different drugs. AIMS The haemodynamic responses to nifedipine vary between short- and long-acting formulations. However, the latter have not been compared despite marked differences in their constitution. Our 1-month randomized, crossover study was designed to compare the 30-mg osmotic, constant-release nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system (N-GITS) with an encapsulated mini-tablet Coracten XL. METHODS Forty-four hypertensive patients aged 63 +/- 7 years were studied. The formulation was changed on day 15 and (for a single dose) day 30. At days 0, 14, 15, 29 and 30, patients were monitored for 6 h after dosing, during which blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and plasma levels of norepinephrine (NE) and nifedipine were measured. The primary outcome was the difference in plasma NE between formulations at the time of peak nifedipine level. RESULTS Systolic BP decreased rapidly after the first dose of Coracten, achieving nadir at 5 h. HR rose by 1.2 +/- 8.8 beats min(-1). After N-GITS HR fell by 2.4 +/- 7.7 beats min(-1) (P = 0.159). Plasma NE was higher in the Coracten- (480 +/- 38.3 pg ml(-1)) than N-GITS-treated patients (343 +/- 75.0 pg ml(-1)) at the time of peak nifedipine concentrations (4 and 5 h, respectively) and their change from baseline was significantly (P = 0.0046) different. A similar difference between the drugs was seen again at days 15 and 30, at 5 h after switching formulations. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that two different formulations of once-daily nifedipine result in different BP and plasma NE responses, and that switching between formulations causes opposite effects upon the sympathetic nervous response to falling BP.
Generalized pain and pain sensitivity in community subjects with facial pain: a case-control study.

AIMS To investigate the existence of pain outside the facial area as well as pain sensitivity in a population-based sample of 34-year-old subjects with facial pain. METHODS Fifty-two facial pain cases (10 men, 42 women) and 52 pain-free controls (10 men, 42 women) included in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort of 1966 underwent a clinical musculoskeletal examination. Pain outside the facial area during the week prior to the examination was defined by means of a pain drawing. Eighteen fibromyalgia points were palpated in response to digital palpation with an algometer. Pressure pain thresholds were measured from the dorsal side of the wrist and from the highest points of the temporalis muscles. RESULTS Compared to controls, pain cases reported significantly more pain in areas outside the face, with the exception of the shoulder and lower back. The number of painful fibromyalgia points was significantly higher in cases than in controls. Mean pressure pain thresholds were slightly lower in cases than in controls; the difference was significant in the left wrist. CONCLUSION Subjects with facial pain reported more pain and had more mascular tenderness outside the facial area compared to controls. Pain symptoms outside the facial area should be assessed in patients seeking treatment for facial pain, and they should be taken into account when treatment is planned.
Crowded Colleges and College Crowd-Out: The Impact of Public Subsidies on the Two-Year College Market

This study assesses the impact of an increase in funding for public community colleges on the market for two-year college education, considering both the effect on community college enrollments and on the number of proprietary schools in a market. I draw on a new administrative dataset of for-profit colleges in California and votes on local community college bond referenda to implement a unique regression discontinuity design. The results suggest that bond passage diverts students from the private to the public sector and causes a corresponding decline in the number of proprietary schools in the market. (JEL H75, I22, I23)
Serbian Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusion.

This study investigated the attitudes of 72 Serbian teachers towards the inclusion of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in mainstream schools; they were asked to complete My Thinking About Inclusion Questionnaire (Stoiber, Goettinger, & Goetz, 1998). It was found that Serbian teachers held overall slightly negative attitudes towards the inclusion of children with SEN, with teachers with experience in teaching children with SEN holding more positive attitudes towards inclusion in comparison to teachers without such experience. No differences were observed in teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion according to their years of teaching experience. Findings are discussed in relation to the effectiveness of changes that were implemented recently in Serbia regarding the educational rights and needs of children with SEN.
Association of herpes simplex virus regulatory protein ICP22 with transcriptional complexes containing EAP, ICP4, RNA polymerase II, and viral DNA requires posttranslational modification by the U(L)13 proteinkinase

The expression of herpes simplex virus 1 gamma (late) genes requires functional alpha proteins (gamma1 genes) and the onset of viral DNA synthesis (gamma2 genes). We report that late in infection after the onset of viral DNA synthesis, cell nuclei exhibit defined structures which contain two viral regulatory proteins (infected cell proteins 4 and 22) required for gamma gene expression, RNA polymerase II, a host nucleolar protein (EAP or L22) known to be associated with ribosomes and to bind small RNAs, including the Epstein-Barr virus small nuclear RNAs, and newly synthesized progeny DNA. The formation of these complexes required the onset of viral DNA synthesis. The association of infected cell protein 22, a highly posttranslationally processed protein, with these structures did not occur in cells infected with a viral mutant deleted in the genes U(L)13 and U(S)3, each of which specifies a protein kinase known to phosphorylate the protein.
Line manager involvement in learning and development: Small beer or big deal?

Increasing line manager involvement in learning and development (LD one that the trend is of minimal significance, the other that it is of much greater significance. Increasing line manager involvement in L&D at work is both part of the means of attaining, and one of the ends of, broader changes in work, organisation and HRM. The conclusion here is that there are legitimate concerns about shifting to increasing line manager involvement in L&D at work, where that prejudices the provision and use of specialist L&D at work resources. However, these concerns are outweighed by the greater concern to re‐align work, organisation and management for an era where knowledge management is predominant. The issue of line manager involvement in L&D at work will continue to be an important part of the corporate and critical review agendas.
Screening ADHD Problems in the Sports Behavior Checklist: Factor Structure, Convergent and Divergent Validity, and Group Differences

The Sports Behavior Checklist (SBC) is subjected to a principal components analysis, and subscales are correlated with subscales of the Conners’ Revised Parent Form and the Social Skills Rating System. Both of these analyses are conducted to determine the construct validity of the instrument. A subsample of lower socioeconomic status individuals is used to compare ADHD and control group differences on the subscales of the SBC. The authors find that a six-factor solution, as proposed by the original authors, accounted for 71.5% of the variance. As hypothesized, subscales on the SBC are low to moderately related to subscales on the anchor measures. Significant group differences are found on the Aggression, Emotional Reactivity, and Injury subscales. Implications and limitations are discussed.
Strategic implications of Darwinian economics for selling efficiency and choice of integrated or independent sales forces

Most managers, when confronted with a difficult strategic decision, would like to know what is the prevailing practice in their industry. Prevailing practice interests managers, in part, because it may indicate which decisions are good, even "best. " The rationale is "Darwinian economics," which proposes that competitive markets operate to force at least an approximation of optimal behavior, because "wrong" decisions are extinguished by the market mechanism. If so, the bulk of survivors make good business decisions and their collective practice is worth knowing, meaning it should be difficult to improve upon. This paper tests whether prevailing practice represents "good" decisions. The context is the decision whether to fill a sales district with a company integrated sales force or with outside agents independents. The outcome of the choice is the ratio of sales to the cost of running the sales force, i.e., selling efficiency. A model is described which summarizes industry decisions, and two propositions are developed. Proposition 1, a simple version, states that efficiency declines as firms depart from the industry rule as to when they should integrate. Proposition 2, a contingent version, states that efficiency declines as firms depart from the industry rule in unpredictable selling environments but that conforming to the rule has no impact in predictable environments. The rationale is that firms learn the environment well enough to know when to depart from the rule in predictable settings but not otherwise. The relationship between efficiency and conformity to prevailing practice is examined for 93 sales districts of 11 recognized electronic component manufacturers. The results support proposition 2: the most efficient sales forces conform to prevailing practice and the least efficient deviate, but only in uncertain environments. In more certain environments, conformity and efficiency are unrelated. Implications such as when it pays to be different and suggestions for future research are discussed.