Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Animal Performance and Diet Quality While Grazing Corn Residue

A grazing trial compared the effect of stocking rate on corn residue removal and nutrient quality over a 55 d period. Treatments included no removal (control), light grazing (2.5 animal unit months/ha), heavy grazing (4.9 animal unit months/ha), and baling (bale), that were applied to eight 6.6 ha paddocks (2 replications) on a 53 ha center pivot irrigated field of corn residue from mid-December to mid-February. Residue samples were collected prior to and after grazing at 10 locations within each paddock using a 1/2 m 2 quadrat. After collection, samples were sorted by plant part (leaf, stem, husk, cob, and grain), and analyzed for DM, OM, CP, NDF, and in-vitro organic matter disappearance (IVOMD). No three or two-way interactions were observed for amount of residue OM (kg/ha; P ≥ 0.61), but amount of residue differed by plant part and time collected (P ≤ 0.02). Of residue remaining before grazing, stems make up the greatest proportion (42.1%) followed by leaves (33.8%), cobs (14.1%), and husks (9.9%). Little removal of stems (2% of original amount) was observed. Cobs and leaves were moderately removed from the light stocking rate (41.1% and 35.0%, respectively) and heavy stocking rate (26.8% and 20.0%, respectively) compared to control (17.9% and 0%, respectively). Proportionally, most husks were removed from the heavy stocking rate treatment (87.9%), moderately for light stocking rate treatment (54.3%), and least for control treatment (32.3%). Leaf residue (5.6 to 6.1%%) had greater CP compared to husks (3.5 to
Comparison of 3 measures of physical activity and associations with blood pressure, HDL, and body composition in a sample of adolescents.

BACKGROUND The association of physical activity (PA), measured 3 ways, and biomarkers were compared in a sample of adolescents. METHODS PA data were collected on 2 cohorts of adolescents (N = 700) in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, 2007-2008. PA was measured using 2 survey questions [Modified Activity Questionnaire (MAQ)], the 3-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR), and accelerometers. Biomarkers included systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), lipids, percent body fat (%BF), and body mass index (BMI) percentile. Bivariate relationships among PA measures and biomarkers were examined followed by generalized estimating equations for multivariate analysis. RESULTS The 3 measures were significantly correlated with each other (r = .22-.36, P < .001). Controlling for study, puberty, age, and gender, all 3 PA measures were associated with %BF (MAQ = -1.93, P < .001; 3DPAR = -1.64, P < .001; accelerometer = -1.06, P = .001). The MAQ and accelerometers were negatively associated with BMI percentile. None of the 3 PA measures were significantly associated with SBP or lipids. The percentage of adolescents meeting the national PA recommendations varied by instrument. CONCLUSIONS All 3 instruments demonstrated consistent findings when estimating associations with %BF, but were different for prevalence estimates. Researchers must carefully consider the intended use of PA data when choosing a measurement instrument.
Entangled Financial Systems JOB MARKET PAPER

This paper analyzes counterparty risk in entangled financial systems. The system is “entangled” because banks hedge risks using a network of bilateral over-the-counter contracts. If banks have large exposures to a few counterparties, they do not buy insurance against a low probability counterparty default even though it is socially desirable. This is because they do not take into account that their own failure also drags down other banks — a network externality. Given that banks choose short-term financing, the failure of a single large bank prompts a systemic run. The whole system collapses even though banks have positive equity and are not directly linked through credit exposure. Mandatory counterparty insurance is welfare improving.
Bounded Rationality in the Economics of Organization: Present Use and (some)future Possibilities Bounded Rationality in the Economics of Organization: Present Use and (some)future Possibilities

The way in which bounded rationality enters contemporary organizational economics theorizing is examined. It is argued that, as it is being used, bounded rationality is neither necessary nor sufficient for producing the results of organizational economics. It is at best a rhetorical device, used for the purpose of loosely explaining incomplete contracts. However, it is possible to incorporate much richer notions of bounded rationality, founded on research in cognitive psychology, and to illuminate the study of economic organization by means of such notions. A number of examples are provided. and two anonymous reviewers for discussion and helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper.
A Phenomenological Study of Elementary Principal Experiences with School Improvement in the Age of Accountability

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe elementary principals’ experiences with school improvement in Northeast Georgia Title I schools. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s (1977) social learning theory, which explains a triadic view of behavioral, environmental, and personal factors. Reciprocal interactions between factors contribute to self-efficacy beliefs associated with future action to achieve goals such as those in a Title I School Improvement Plan. Triadic reciprocal determinism was defined as cooperative, interdependent components shaping principals’ knowledge, skill, and direction to lead changing federal and state mandated school improvement initiatives. This study attempted to answer the central research question: How do elementary principals who serve as leaders in Northeast Georgia Title I schools describe their experiences with school improvement? The move from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to new school improvement requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) revealed a qualitative gap in research including principals’ voice, especially in different contexts such as high poverty elementary schools. I utilized a descriptive self-efficacy survey, interviews, document analysis, and a focus group to discover common themes. Themes were used to meaningfully organize units of information to fully and accurately describe principal experiences. Principals described elements of strategy, support, and progress monitoring to achieve successful continuous improvement cultures. The results of this study provide insight into principal experiences with school improvement to help facilitate stronger leadership for improvement in light of changing federal and state school improvement mandates.
Clinical effects of topical antifungal therapy in chronic rhinosinusitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of intranasal fluconazole

Several studies have been in favor of fungi as a possible pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS); however, to date, there is no scientific consensus about the use of antifungal agents in disease management. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of intranasal fluconazole in improving disease symptoms and objective outcomes of patients with CRS. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted on 54 patients who were diagnosed with CRS and had not been responsive to routine medical treatments. They were randomly assigned to receive either fluconazole nasal drop 0.2 % or placebo in addition to the standard regimen for a duration of 8 weeks. Patients' outcomes were evaluated according to Sino-Nasal Outcome Test 20 (SNOT-20), endoscopic scores, and Computed Tomography (CT) scores. No statistically significant difference was found in SNOT-20 (p = 0.201), endoscopic (p = 0.283), and CT scores (p = 0.212) of the patients at baseline and after 8-week course of treatment between drug and placebo group. Similar to many studies, the use of topical antifungal treatment for patients with CRS was not shown to be significantly effective. However, further studies are needed to obtain high levels of consistent evidence in order to arrive at a decision whether antifungal therapy is effective in management of CRS or not.
A Semantic Theory of Abstractions

In this paper we present a semantic theory of abstractions based on viewing abstractions as model level mappings. This theory captures important aspects of abstractions not captured in the syntactic theory of abstractions presented by Giunchiglia and Walsh [1992]. Instead of viewing abstractions as syntactic mappings, we view abstraction as a two step process: first, the intended domain model is abstracted and then a set of (abstract) formulas is constructed to capture the abstracted domain model. Viewing and justifying abstractions as model level mappings is both natural and insightful. This basic theory yields abstractions that are weaker than the base theory. We show that abstractions that are stronger than the base theory are model level mappings under certain simplifying assumptions. We provide a precise characterization of the abstract theory that exactly implements an intended abstraction, and show that this theory, while being axiomatizable, is not always finitely axiomatizable. We present an algorithm that automatically constructs the strongest abstract theory that implements the intended abstraction.
The Environmental Sensitivity of Hurricane Irene's (2011) Structural Evolution

of a thesis at the University of Miami. Over the past 20 years, tropical cyclone (TC) track forecasts have improved significantly while intensity forecasts have improved little. Part of the reason for this lack of improvement in intensity forecasts is a lack of understanding behind the physical mechanisms that control the size and structure of a TC. Previous studies on TC structure have largely focused on wind shear, or have been conducted using idealized TC simulations. This study examines the influence of synoptic-scale vorticity interactions and moisture on the structural evolution of a real hurricane. Simulations were conducted using the Advanced Weather Research Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF-ARW) in which the initial conditions were perturbed in order to examine which features may have played a role in the structural evolution of Hurricane Irene (2011). Irene was chosen as a case study given the unique forecasting challenges of this storm in which the track was very well forecast, while the intensity and structure were forecast with skill below the five-year average. The experiments showed that Irene showed little structural sensitivity to vorticity perturbations (except in cases of very strong perturbations), indicating that Irene was not exceptionally sensitive to the larger scale synoptics within the model. Irene did however show significant sensitivity with respect to moisture, where even a small perturbation in the core moisture of Irene led to noticeable changes in the track, intensity, and structure of the storm. This study concludes that even storms in which there is little sensitivity to larger scale synoptic features, significant sensitivity may still exist in other fields, most notably, moisture. This sensitivity emphasizes the importance of properly observing and initializing moisture fields within forecast models.
Activity of Primate Orbitofrontal and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Neurons: Effect of Reward Schedule on Task-related Activity

Recent studies show that task-related activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is modulated by the quality and quantity of the reward, suggesting that the subject's motivational state affects cognitive operations in the DLPFC. The orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) is a possible source of motivational inputs to the DLPFC. However, it is not well known whether these two areas exhibit similar motivational effects on task-related activity. We compared motivational effects on task-related activity in these areas while a monkey performed an oculomotor delayed-response (ODR) task under two reward schedules. In the ODR-1 schedule, reward was given only after the successful completion of four consecutive trials, whereas in the ODR-2 schedule, reward was given after every correct trial. Task-related activities in both areas showed spatial selectivity. The spatial characteristics of task-related activity remained constant in both schedules. Task-related activity in both areas, especially delay-period activity, was also affected by the reward schedule and the magnitude of the activity gradually increased depending on the proximity of the reward trial in the ODR-1 schedule. More task-related OFC activities were affected by reward schedules, whereas more task-related DLPFC activities were affected by spatial factors and reward schedules. These results indicate that the OFC plays a role in monitoring the proximity of the reward trial and detecting reward delivery, whereas the DLPFC plays a role in performing cognitive operations and integrating cognitive and motivational information. These results also indicate that spatial information and the animal's motivational state independently affect neuronal activity in both areas.
Plasma brain natriuretic peptide level in older outpatients with heart failure is associated with physical frailty, especially with the slowness domain

Objective To determine the association between plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level in patients with heart failure (HF) and physical frailty as well as with each domain of physical frailty. Methods Two hundred and six outpatients of cardiovascular medicine aged 60 years and older who had been hospitalized for HF or had been given a prescription medication for HF were included. Physical frailty was assessed using the following five domains: slowness, weakness, exhaustion, low activity, and shrinking, according to the Cardiovascular Health Study. Patients were divided into nonfrailty and frailty groups according to frailty scores. Plasma BNP level was measured. The 6-min walk test was performed to measure endurance. Results Plasma BNP was significantly different between the two groups (frailty group: 158.0 ± 214.7 pg/mL, nonfrailty group: 65.2 ± 88.0 pg/mL, P < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed log-transformed plasma BNP (Log BNP) was significantly associated with physical frailty (OR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.11–2.56), and Log BNP was significantly associated with the slowness domain (walking speed < 1.0 m/s) of physical frailty (OR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.15–2.67). Additionally, Log BNP was negatively correlated to the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) (ρ = −0.37, P < 0.01), while 6MWD was positively correlated to walking speed (ρ = 0.66, P < 0.01). Conclusions Plasma BNP level was related to physical frailty, especially in the slowness domain. Endurance may intervene in the associations between plasma BNP level and walking speed.
Cellular Membrane Potentials and Contractility of Normal Rat Atrium and the Effects of Temperature, Tension and Stimulus Frequency

Simultaneous recording of membrane potentials and contractility in isolated rat atria by means of intracellular micro-electrodes and a sensitive strain gage has been used to establish the normal characteristics of the tissue as well as effects of temperature, stimulus frequency and initial tension on muscle. Preliminary correlations between duration of the action potential and the degree of contraction indicate that the rate of repolarization is of major importance in determination of the contractile response.
Novel Heuristics for Cell Radius Determination in WCDMA Systems and Their Application to Strategic Planning Studies

We propose and compare three novel heuristics for the calculation of the optimal cell radius in mobile networks based on Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) technology. The proposed heuristics solve the problem of the load assignment and cellular radius calculation. We have tested our approaches with experiments in multiservices scenarios showing that the proposed heuristics maximize the cell radius, providing the optimum load factor assignment. The main application of these algorithms is strategic planning studies, where an estimation of the number of Nodes B of the mobile operator, at a national level, is required for economic analysis. In this case due to the large number of different scenarios considered (cities, towns, and open areas) other methods than simulation need to be considered. As far as we know, there is no other similar method in the literature and therefore these heuristics may represent a novelty in strategic network planning studies. The proposed heuristics are implemented in a strategic planning software tool and an example of their application for a case in Spain is presented. The proposed heuristics are used for telecommunications regulatory studies in several countries.
Regionalized Pathology Correlates with Augmentation of mtDNA Copy Numbers in a Patient with Myoclonic Epilepsy with Ragged-Red Fibers (MERRF-Syndrome)

Human patients with myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibers (MERRF) suffer from regionalized pathology caused by a mutation in the mitochondrial DNA (m.8344A→G). In MERRF-syndrome brain and skeletal muscles are predominantly affected, despite mtDNA being present in any tissue. In the past such tissue-specificity could not be explained by varying mtDNA mutation loads. In search for a region-specific pathology in human individuals we determined the mtDNA/nDNA ratios along with the mutation loads in 43 different post mortem tissue samples of a 16-year-old female MERRF patient and in four previously healthy victims of motor vehicle accidents. In brain and muscle we further determined the quantity of mitochondrial proteins (COX subunits II and IV), transcription factors (NRF1 and TFAM), and VDAC1 (Porin) as a marker for the mitochondrial mass. In the patient the mutation loads varied merely between 89–100%. However, mtDNA copy numbers were increased 3–7 fold in predominantly affected brain areas (e.g. hippocampus, cortex and putamen) and in skeletal muscle. Similar increases were absent in unaffected tissues (e.g. heart, lung, kidney, liver, and gastrointestinal organs). Such mtDNA copy number increase was not paralleled by an augmentation of mitochondrial mass in some investigated tissues, predominantly in the most affected tissue regions of the brain. We thus conclude that “futile” stimulation of mtDNA replication per se or a secondary failure to increase the mitochondrial mass may contribute to the regionalized pathology seen in MERRF-syndrome.
Putting teenagers on the pill : The consequences of subsidized contraception

This paper investigates the consequences of a series of Swedish policy changes beginning in 1989 where different regions started subsidizing the birth control pill. The reforms were significant and applied to all types of oral contraceptives. My identification strategy takes advantage of the fact that the reforms were implemented successively over time and targeted specific cohorts of young women, in particular teenagers. This generates plausibly exogenous variation in access to the subsidy. The paper first demonstrates that access significantly increased pill use. Using regional, temporal, and cohort variation in access, I then go on to examine the impact on abortions. The estimates show that the subsidy significantly decreased the abortion rate by about 8 percent. Furthermore, long-term access decreased the likelihood of teenage childbearing by about 20 percent. However, there is no significant effect on labor supply, marriage, educational attainment or welfare take-up.
Tumor incidence in normal Sprague-Dawley female rats.

Summary A tumor incidence of 57 per cent was observed in 150 female rats allowed to live out their life-span as normal, control animals on standard laboratory chow. One hundred similar rats on a special fatrich diet developed an 80 per cent tumor incidence. Ninety-five per cent of the tumors observed involved mammary gland tissue. Twelve per cent of all tumors observed were of a malignant type. Eighty-seven per cent of all tumors appeared after the rats were 540 days of age, and the mean lifespan after a tumor was first observed was 140 days. Related studies with a smaller number of animals indicated that male rats of the same strain were 5 times less susceptible to tumor formation than females. However, three of the four tumors that were examined histologically in the males were classified as malignant. The mean life span of normal female Sprague-Dawley rats in this laboratory was 760 ± 21 days, with individuals ranging in life span from 193 to 1100 days.
HIV Screening and Awareness Survey for Pregnant Women in a Remote Area in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China

Objective: The number of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in China has increased in recent years. HIV screening for pregnant women was performed in a remote area in Xinjiang, as an effort to promote universal HIV screening in pregnant women and to help prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Methods: Pregnant women in Burqin and Jeminay Counties in Xinjiang were offered free voluntary HIV screening. Local mid-level medical workers were trained to use Determine® HIV-1/2 kit for HIV screening. All the tested pregnant women signed a consent form, received HIV education material, and participated in an HIV knowledge survey. Results: All the 890 pregnant women receiving HIV test had negative result. Among these women, 67.6% were Kazakh and 40.9% were farmers. Survey of HIV knowledge showed that these women's awareness about mother-to-child transmission was limited. The levels of HIV knowledge were related with ethnic background, age, education and profession of the pregnant women. Conclusion: The results suggested that HIV infection had not become a significant problem among the pregnant women in this remote area of Xinjiang, but continued efforts to improve the awareness of HIV, especially the knowledge about mother-to-child transmission of HIV, in pregnant women were needed.
Content Meets Process: Using Attributions and Standards to Inform Cognitive Vulnerability in Psychopathy, Antisocial Personality Disorder, and Depression

Psychopathic individuals' cognitive vulnerability consists of failing to attend to non-dominant cues (Gorenstein & Newman, 1980; Patterson & Newman, 1993). Weargue thatmultiple attributions and standards are activated by a given situation in varying degrees and that attentional capacity is required to use non-dominant attributions or standards. Thus, constraints in processing moderate the content that underlies behavior. More specifically, we discuss how the process-based variable of dominance can inform understanding of aggression in Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and negative affect in depression. Conversely, we use attributions and standards to clarify how the process-based cognitive vulnerability associated with psychopathy results in dysregulated violence, hostile attributions, lack of responsibility, and violation of standards. We conclude that the dimension of dominance, valuable in specifying the psychopathic cognitive vulnerability, has utility in elucidating other cognitive vulnerabiliti.