Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Public Willingness to Pay for Ecosystem Service Functions of a Peri-urban Forest In Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

The willingness to pay (WTP) format contingent valuation method (CVM) was adopted to elicit monetary values from some respondents in Arakanga forest reserve (AFR) (a peri- urban forest) in Abeokuta. This was to provide monetary estimates of the ecosystem service functions of the reserve. The respondents were randomly selected from both the neighbours and non- neighbours of the reserve. Data were collected with the aid of structured and pre- tested questionnaire administered interpersonally to the respondents. The questionnaire were 200 in number i.e 100 administered to each category of respondents. A total of 92 respondents (46%) were willing to pay money ranging from N100 to N1, 000 monthly. The modal value was N100 with the highest percentage of response (56.5%). An individual mean monthly WTP of N165.22 was recorded in the entire study area. This resulted into an aggregate of N15, 301,245.59 and N33, 263,577.38 minimum and maximum values respectively. These amounts represented the monthly monetary values of the ecosystem services functions of AFR . Income and household sizes are some of the socio-economic factors by which the monetary values of ecosystem services of AFR can be predicted as revealed by the multiple regression analysis. It can be concluded from this study that the respondents valued the reserve so highly to the extent that they are willing to contribute a part of their income to ensure the continued existence of the reserve.
Towards a new regional landscape

This article examines a recently implemented regional reform in Norway and some ongoing regionalization processes in two of the largest city-regions. The point of departure is the assumption that the framing of the regionalization process influences its outcome, and the principal question is to what degree they were aggregative or integrative decision processes. The national reform failed because it developed into an aggregative zero-sum power game with veto-players, as the government challenged many County Councils without creating a framework that could have made compromise possible. By contrast, the strength of the integrative processes in the two city-regions lies in the fact that they contributed to the development of governance networks with a belief in a shared destiny.
Determination of HER2/neu status: a pilot study comparing HER2/neu dual in situ hybridization DNA probe cocktail assay performed on cell blocks to immunohistochemisty and fluorescence in situ hybridization performed on histologic specimens.

CONTEXT Validation of new methodologies for determining human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 gene (HER2/neu) amplification status is crucial for advancing the standard of care and determining treatment for patients with primary and/or metastatic breast carcinoma. OBJECTIVE To compare results of HER2/neu gene amplification status by 2-color chromogenic in situ hybridization (ISH) on cell block material to HER2/neu status by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in the corresponding resection specimen or previous biopsy specimen. DESIGN Formalin, thrombin, and Cellient cell blocks were prepared from cytologic samples obtained from resection specimens from 27 patients with invasive breast carcinoma. In situ hybridization was performed on cell block sections from 18 of the collected cases, on both the Ventana BenchMark ULTRA and the Ventana BenchMark XT, and the HER2/neu gene amplification status was determined. This was then compared to the HER2/neu status by IHC and/or FISH in the resection specimen or previous biopsy specimen. RESULTS Comparison of HER2/neu status by ISH on the quantifiable cell block sections showed 100% correlation with the HER2/neu status determined by IHC or FISH in the corresponding histologic specimens. The results from thrombin and formalin cell blocks were statistically superior to the results from Cellient cell blocks on both Ventana instruments. CONCLUSIONS While further validation and study are needed, preliminary results show that the HER2/neu gene amplification status of breast carcinomas can reliably be determined on thrombin and formalin cell block material by using ISH. More consistent staining and better signal integrity was obtained with the Ventana BenchMark ULTRA than the BenchMark XT.
The Influence of the Expression of Subtle and Blatant Sexual Prejudice on Personal Prejudice and Identification With the Expresser

ABSTRACT Although the negative consequences of subtle and blatant prejudice for the targets of prejudice are clear in the psychological literature, the impact of exposure to subtle and blatant prejudice on non-targets remains unclear. The current work examines how exposure to blatant and subtle sexual prejudice affects non-targets’ personal endorsement of prejudice and their identification with the prejudice expresser. Results suggest that relative to exposure to blatant or neutral expressions of prejudice, exposure to subtle prejudice increased prejudice levels. Individuals were also more likely to distance from the prejudice expresser when exposed to blatant compared to subtle prejudice. The implications are discussed.
Why People Choose Negative Expected Return Assets - an Empirical Examination of a Utility Theoretic Explanation

Using a theoretical extension of the Friedman and Savage (1948) utility function developed in Bhattacharyya (2003), we predict that for financial assets with negative expected returns, expected return will be a declining and convex function of skewness. Using a sample of U.S. state lottery games, we find that our theoretical conclusions are supported by the data. Our results have external validity as they also hold for an alternative and more aggregated sample of lottery game data.
Smell identification function and Alzheimer's disease: a selective review

Purpose of review To provide an update of the recent studies on the olfactory function in Alzheimer's disease, with a focus on the olfactory identification function. Recent findings The studies reviewed here confirm previous reports on the poor olfactory function in Alzheimer's disease compared to health normal controls and also as a marker for conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease. Olfactory identification function has been associated with severity of illness, non-cognitive neuropsychiatric symptoms, and structural and functional MRI measures. There is a possible interaction of apolipoprotein E genotype with olfactory performance in Alzheimer's disease patients and those at risk for Alzheimer's disease. Usefulness of smell identification function in differentiating Alzheimer's disease patients from other types of dementia needs to be established. Summary The need for simple, inexpensive and non-invasive procedures for aiding in the diagnosis and understanding of Alzheimer's disease has led to theories and procedures examining the role of olfactory functions in Alzheimer's disease. Although there is increasing evidence for olfactory dysfunction in general and impaired odour identification in particular in Alzheimer's disease, additional larger and methodologically sound research is needed for testing its clinical utility in day-to-day clinical practice for early, accurate and differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
A New Method for the Evaluation and Prediction of Base Stealing Performance

Abstract Bricker, JC, Bailey, CA, Driggers, AR, McInnis, TC, and Alami, A. A new method for the evaluation and prediction of base stealing performance. J Strength Cond Res 30(11): 3044–3050, 2016—The purposes of this study were to evaluate a new method using electronic timing gates to monitor base stealing performance in terms of reliability, differences between it and traditional stopwatch-collected times, and its ability to predict base stealing performance. Twenty-five healthy collegiate baseball players performed maximal effort base stealing trials with a right and left-handed pitcher. An infrared electronic timing system was used to calculate the reaction time (RT) and total time (TT), whereas coaches' times (CT) were recorded with digital stopwatches. Reliability of the TGM was evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficient of variation (CV). Differences between the TGM and traditional CT were calculated with paired samples t tests Cohen's d effect size estimates. Base stealing performance predictability of the TGM was evaluated with Pearson's bivariate correlations. Acceptable relative reliability was observed (ICCs 0.74–0.84). Absolute reliability measures were acceptable for TT (CVs = 4.4–4.8%), but measures were elevated for RT (CVs = 32.3–35.5%). Statistical and practical differences were found between TT and CT (right p = 0.00, d = 1.28 and left p = 0.00, d = 1.49). The TGM TT seems to be a decent predictor of base stealing performance (r = −0.49 to −0.61). The authors recommend using the TGM used in this investigation for athlete monitoring because it was found to be reliable, seems to be more precise than traditional CT measured with a stopwatch, provides an additional variable of value (RT), and may predict future performance.
Creating Child-Friendly High-Rise Environments: Beyond Wastelands and Glasshouses

Melbourne, like many cities around the world, is in the midst of reshaping its central city landscape. However, there are concerns, particularly in Australia, that “contemporary strategic planning has almost become child-blind, with the new higher density centres being built essentially for the childless in mind” (Randolph, 2006, p. 5). The ‘Vertical Living Kids’ research project interviewed children aged 8–12 to elicit their views on local environments. Public housing children had high levels of independent mobility, but low levels of satisfaction with local play spaces. The private housing children, in contrast, had low levels of independent mobility but enjoyed a much greater range of attractions. Based on a typology developed by Kytta (2004), the public housing children are characterised as living in ‘wastelands’ and the private housing children are characterised as living in ‘glasshouses’. The authors suggest urban planning policies that might address both types of environments.
N-3 long-chain PUFA supplementation prevents high fat diet induced mouse liver steatosis and inflammation in relation to PPAR-α upregulation and NF-κB DNA binding abrogation.

SCOPE Dietary n-3 long-chain PUFAs (n-3 LCPUFAs) supplementation was studied in an HFD-induced (HFD is high-fat diet) steatosis and inflammation in relation to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling. METHODS AND RESULTS Male C57BL/6J mice received (i) control diet (10% fat, 20% protein, 70% carbohydrate), (ii) control diet plus n-3 LCPUFAs (daily doses of 108 mg/kg body weight of eicosapentaenoic acid plus 92 mg/kg body weight of docosahexaenoic acid), (iii) HFD (60% fat, 20% protein, 20% carbohydrate), or (iv) HFD plus n-3 LCPUFAs for 12 wk. PPAR-α, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and IL-1β mRNA expression, acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1), and carnitine-acyl-CoA transferase 1 (CAT-I) protein contents, and NF-κB DNA binding activity were measured. HFD significantly decreased liver PPAR-α, ACOX1, and CAT-I levels with NF-κB activation, higher TNF-α and IL-1β expression, and steatosis development. These changes were either reduced or normalized to control values in animals subjected to HFD plus n-3 LCPUFAs, with establishment of an inverse association between NF-κB activation and PPAR-α mRNA expression (r = -0.66, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Data presented indicate that n-3 LCPUFAs supplementation prevents liver steatosis and inflammation induced by HFD, with underlying mechanisms involving enhanced PPAR-α signaling and diminished NF-κB activation.
Consumers' Perceptions, Attitudes and Willingness to Pay towards Food Products with "No Added Msg" Labeling

This research was carried out in order to determine consumers’ perceptions, attitudes and willingness-to-pay (WTP) towards food products with “No Added MSG” labeling. A total of 200 respondents within the area of Klang Valley were interviewed using a close-ended questionnaire. The Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was used to determine the consumers’ WTP for the consumption of safer beef. A logit model was used to estimate the premium that consumers are willing to pay for food products with “No Added MSG” labeling. The results pointed out that majority of the consumers know and have read about or heard of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and illnesses caused by MSG, but only a small portion of them have experienced these illnesses before. Not all of the consumers have high awareness towards illnesses caused by MSG due to lack of information. However, their perceptions and attitudes towards food products with “No added MSG” labeling were found to be generally positive. Besides, the CV method which was used to determine and estimate consumers’ WTP towards the food products mentioned by using logit model showed that the most important and significant actors that influenced a consumers’ WTP are gender (female), household size, household income, family member with children below the age of 12, price levels and education level (university). Results also revealed that respondents were willing to pay a premium of about RM 0.43 for food products with “No added MSG” labeling. Based on the study, it was found that the demand and consumption of “No Added MSG” is still high and increasing. This current trend will certainly have effects on the present market. Hence, to ensure a better development of these products, there is a need to formulate proper standards, policies and promotion programmes for these products more efforts in research and development (R&D) are needed to improve the production technologies and food safety systems for these “No Added MSG” food products.
High performance Ge CMOS with novel InAlP-passivated channels for future sub-10 nm technology node applications

We report the first realization of high performance Ge CMOS using a novel InAlP passivation scheme. The large conduction band and valence band offsets between InAlP and Ge confine electrons and holes within the Ge channel for n-FETs and p-FETs, respectively. The InAlP cap reduces scattering due to high-K/InAlP interface traps and boosts carrier mobility. As a result, a record high electron mobility μ<sub>EFF</sub> of ~958 cm<sup>2</sup>/V·s at N<sub>INV</sub> of 6×10<sup>11</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup> was achieved for Ge(100) n-FETs, and a high peak hole mobility of ~390 cm<sup>2</sup>/V·s was obtained for Ge(100) p-FETs. High on-state currents I<sub>ON</sub> of 39.5 μA/μm and 31.2 μA/μm were achieved at gate overdrive |V<sub>GS</sub>-V<sub>TH</sub>| = 1 V and |V<sub>DS</sub>| = 1 V for the n-FETs and p-FETs, respectively, with a gate length L<sub>G</sub> of ~3 μm. In addition, for the first time, this novel InAlP passivation technique was integrated into Ge n-FinFETs, and good control of short channel effects (SCEs) was achieved.
Long‐term effects of a treatment course with oral alendronate of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Several bisphosphonates are under investigation for the treatment and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Alendronate, one of these compounds, has been shown to inhibit bone turnover and induce substantial increases in bone mass, but little is known about the duration of its effects. This is considered important, keeping in mind the long half‐life of bisphosphonate in bone. In this double‐blind controlled study, two groups of 15 postmenopausal women with spinal bone mineral density (BMD) > 2 SD below adult mean peak without vertebral fractures were randomized to receive either alendronate, 20 mg/day, or placebo for 6 months. The treatment course with alendronate significantly suppressed all indices of bone turnover (hydrox‐yproline, collagen crosslinks, and alkaline phosphatase activity) within 3 months, and a further slight decrease was observed in the subsequent 3 months. After treatment withdrawal, all indices of bone turnover slowly increased, and they attained the pretreatment values within 6–9 months. Lumbar spine BMD rose by 3.7% (± 1.7 SD) after 6 months of alendronate therapy but did not change 6 and 12 months after treatment withdrawal (4.6 ± 2.8 and 4.7 ± 2.6% versus baseline, respectively). In control patients a slow decrease in lumbar spine BMD was observed, but this was significant only at month 18 of the study. Femoral BMD did not significantly change in the alendronate group, but it slowly decreased in the control group at all sites of evaluation. The fractional loss became statistically significant versus both baseline and the active group by the end of the study only at the level of the femoral neck. These results may imply that the positive bone balance induced by alendronate is sustained long after stopping therapy, despite the reestablishment of pretreatment bone turnover.
PRODUCTION OF CROSS-REACTIVE AUTOANTIBODY BINDING TO BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN IN THE D-GALACTOSE-INDUCED AGING MOUSE MODEL

The D-galactose (D-gal)-induced animal model, generated by repeated subcutaneous D-gal injections over approximately 6 weeks, has been frequently used for diabetes and aging research. However, little research has investigated the direct correlation between D-gal and autoantibody formation despite several reports on diabetes-and aging-related autoantibodies. The purpose of this study was to determine whether repetitive injection of D-gal can induce autoantibody production in mice. First, we used Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) and Advanced Glycation End products (AGE)-BSA as the test antigens. The immunoreactivity of serum samples from mice treated with D-gal for 6 weeks was evaluated using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). We found that serum samples of D-gal-treated mice had significantly high antibody titers against both BSA and AGE-BSA. Furthermore, the result showed that aminoguanidine treatment, an AGE inhibitor tended to decrease this immunoreactivity. The results of competitive inhibition ELISA using BSA and AGE-BSA as the competitors suggested that the serum samples from D-gal-treated mice contained antibodies not only against BSA but also specific to AGE-BSA. To assess whether the immunoreactivity against BSA is comparable to that against Mouse Serum Albumin (MSA), we examined the reactivity of D-gal-induced antibodies against MSA. Unexpectedly, D-gal-induced antibodies did not react with MSA. This suggests that the production of antibodies by D-gal is in response to an unknown antigen(s), aside from MSA, in mice and that this unknown antigen(s) may share similar sequences or three-dimensional structures with BSA.
Elevated remnant lipoproteins may increase subclinical CVD risk in pre‐pubertal children with obesity: a case‐control study

Childhood obesity plays a fundamental role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes in adulthood. Clinical guidelines for the early management of CVD in children are poorly defined. Traditional cholesterol biomarkers such as low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol usually fall within the normal range in pre‐pubertal children with obesity. Remnant lipoproteins are overproduced by the intestine during obesity and type‐2 diabetes in adults and are an independent risk factor for CVD.
The influence of human resource management on knowledge sharing and innovation in Spain: the mediating role of affective commitment

The aim of this paper is to explain and to test empirically how human resource management (HRM) practices contribute to knowledge sharing and innovation through employees' affective commitment. Results show that HRM practices do not influence knowledge sharing in a direct way, but they do have a positive effect when affective commitment mediates the relationship. We also find a positive relationship between knowledge sharing and innovation performance. That is, HRM practices contribute to knowledge creation and innovation through the generation of the affective commitment necessary for employees to be willing to share their knowledge. The relationships identified have been tested by applying structural equation models to a sample of 87 R&D departments of Spanish innovative companies.
Asymmetric Trading by Insiders – Comparing Abnormal Returns and Earnings Prediction in Spain and Australia

This paper examines whether the ‘external governance’ imposed by comparative financial accounting standards reduces the trading advantage of insiders. We do this by directly comparing insider trading returns and insider’s ability to predict future earnings from accruals in Spain and Australia. Results show higher excess returns and greater prediction of future earnings from conditioned insider trading in Australia that is then utilized by financial analysts to lower forecast errors – particularly in contrarian-based accruals trading. Possible explanations include: (i) a high asymmetric quality for market-based accruals, (ii) information transfer from informed insiders to uninformed insiders and financial analysts and (iii) a more timely dissemination of financial information in Spain through different ownership and governance structures.
The Political Conditionality of Mass Media Influence: When Do Parties Follow Mass Media Attention?

Claims regarding the power of the mass media in contemporary politics are much more frequent than research actually analysing the influence of mass media on politics. Building upon the notion of issue ownership, this article argues that the capacity of the mass media to influence the respective agendas of political parties is conditioned upon the interests of the political parties. Media attention to an issue generates attention from political parties when the issue is one that political parties have an interest in politicizing in the first place. The argument of the article is supported in a time-series study of mass media influence on the opposition partiesâ€™ agenda in Denmark over a twenty-year period.
ITS all right mama: investigating the formation of chimeric sequences in the ITS2 region by DNA metabarcoding analyses of fungal mock communities of different complexities

The formation of chimeric sequences can create significant methodological bias in PCR‐based DNA metabarcoding analyses. During mixed‐template amplification of barcoding regions, chimera formation is frequent and well documented. However, profiling of fungal communities typically uses the more variable rDNA region ITS. Due to a larger research community, tools for chimera detection have been developed mainly for the 16S/18S markers. However, these tools are widely applied to the ITS region without verification of their performance. We examined the rate of chimera formation during amplification and 454 sequencing of the ITS2 region from fungal mock communities of different complexities. We evaluated the chimera detecting ability of two common chimera‐checking algorithms: perseus and uchime. Large proportions of the chimeras reported were false positives. No false negatives were found in the data set. Verified chimeras accounted for only 0.2% of the total ITS2 reads, which is considerably less than what is typically reported in 16S and 18S metabarcoding analyses. Verified chimeric ‘parent sequences’ had significantly higher per cent identity to one another than to random members of the mock communities. Community complexity increased the rate of chimera formation. GC content was higher around the verified chimeric break points, potentially facilitating chimera formation through base pair mismatching in the neighbouring regions of high similarity in the chimeric region. We conclude that the hypervariable nature of the ITS region seems to buffer the rate of chimera formation in comparison with other, less variable barcoding regions, due to shorter regions of high sequence similarity.