Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diets Digestibility, Carcass and Haematological Characteristics of a Dual-Purpose Local Chicken Strain Fed Graded Levels of Cassava-Sweet Potato Meal as Energy Substitute for Maize

| The increasing pressure on maize for human and livestock nutrition, coupled with the cost of maize which keeps increasing, stimulate the use of alternative and locally available sources of energy. This study aimed at contributing to chicken productivity by evaluating effect of pelleted diets with graded inclusion levels of cassava-sweet potato meal (CASPM) as energy substitute for maize on the digestibility, carcass and haematological parameters of Cameroon Kabir chickens. A completely randomised design was used to allocate a total of 315 Kabir chickens (270 hens and 45 rosters) of 23 weeks of age to five dietary formulations T1 (0% replacement of maize with CASPM considered as control diet), T2 (25%), T3 (50%), T4 (75%) and T5 (100%). Animals within the treatments were balanced for weight in each sex, each treatment having 63 Kabir chickens in three replicates of 18 hens and 3 roosters each. The apparent digestibility of metabolizable energy was found to be positive. Lipids apparent digestibility value was negative for diet but positive for other treatments. Crude protein, Ash and crude fibre were all negative irrespective of treatments. The rosters had higher carcass weight than the hens (P<0.05), which in turn had a higher liver to carcass ratio as well as abdominal fats compared to the rosters. No significant difference was observed among other organs. The lowest RBC count was registered for T5 whereas unusual high RBC count was observed for hens from T4. T5 (100% substitution) and T3 (50% substitution) had the highest digestibility mean while T3 (50% substitution) had the lowest FCR. T1 and T3 were found to have the best optimum range blood characteristics. Overall, T3 was the best of the five treatments as neither mortality nor adverse effects on chickens was recorded. Besides, no abnormalities were found upon carcass analysis. It is therefore recommended that 50% substitution of cassava-sweet potato meal as energy substitute for maize shall be used for the improvement and productivity of Kabir chicken production.
The Value-Relevance of Adopting IFRS: Evidence from 145 NGAAP Restatements

Firms listed on stock exchanges within the European Economic Area are required to report consolidated financial statements according to IFRS from 2005. The firms that adopted IFRS in 2005 were also required to restate their 2004 financial statements from national GAAP to provide comparable accounting figures. These two sets of financial statements for 2004 are thus based on identical underlying economic activities and are fully specified according to two different reporting regimes. Our sample consists of 145 restatements from NGAAP to IFRS for firms listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in Norway. We test whether the IFRS accounting figures correlate more strongly with stock market values than the corresponding NGAAP figures. We find little evidence of increased value-relevance after adopting IFRS when comparing and evaluating the two regimes unconditionally. On the other hand, when evaluating the change in the accounting figures from NGAAP to IFRS, we find evidence that the reconcilement adjustments to IFRS are marginally value-relevant due to increased relevance of the balance sheet and the normalized net operating income. By weighting our sample by firm size, intangible asset intensity and profitability, we learn that the increased value-relevance of the net operating income stems from different reporting of intangible assets. Since more intangible assets are capitalized according to IFRS than NGAAP, our finding is consistent with the view that capitalizing intangible assets is more value-relevant than expensing them as incurred or through goodwill amortization.
The Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Chattian Stage (Paleogene System, Oligocene Series) at Monte Cagnero, Italy

The GSSP for the base of the Chattian Stage (Paleogene System, Oligocene Series) is defined at meter level 197 in the Monte Cagnero section, which belongs to the pelagic succession of the Umbria-Marche basin (Urbania, central Italy: 43°38′47.81″N-12°28′03.83″E). This level with an astronomical age of 27.82 Ma coincides with the highest common occurrence of the planktonic foraminifer Chiloguembelina cubensis at the base of planktonic foraminiferal O5 Zone and falls in the upper part of calcareous nannofossil NP24 Zone, in the lower part of dinocyst Dbi Zone, and in the lower Chron C9n. The proposal was approved by the International Subcommission of Paleogene Stratigraphy in July 2015, approved by the International Commission of Stratigraphy in August 2016, and ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences in September 2016.
In silico PCR Verification and Simplex Real-Time PCR Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from East Coast Malaysian Clinical Isolates

The aims of this study were to validate the primers developed for molecular-based detection and identification of Malaysian clinical isolates of methicilin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using in-silico Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR SYBR with Green I. Rapid molecular diagnostic and risk assessment of the MRSA are possible by real-time PCR SYBR Green I. However, validation of such primers for real-life samples is expensive and time consuming. Hence, development and verification of real-time PCR primers by in-silico PCR can be the first step in the selection of the most appropriate primers. Three species-specific markers were chosen targeting coa (staphylocoagulase), nuc (thermonuclease) and mecA (methicillin-resistance) and were specifically verified against 35 selected S. aureus strains by using in-silico PCR. For the actual laboratory verification, all of the 3 genes were detected with a single specific melting curve peak (Tm at 76.16 ± 0.8 °C, 78.50 ± 0.4 °C and 74.41 ± 0.6 °C for a coa, nuc and mecA respectively) in 32 bacterial strains including ATCC reference strains. Thus, there is no disagreement between both in-silico PCR and real-time PCR verification and validation of the primers designed for the detection and identification of MRSA in this study. The potential of using a bioinformatics approach ( in-silico PCR ) before selecting primer pairs for a given study may enable researchers to accept or reject the potential primer pairs for downstream experimental ( in vitro ) PCR without wasting any chemicals as well as related cost.
A SAMPLING STRATEGY FOR RECENT AND FOSSIL BRACHIOPODS: SELECTING THE OPTIMAL SHELL SEGMENT FOR GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSES

Recent and fossil brachiopod shells have a long record as biomineral archives for (palaeo)climatic and (palaeo)environmental reconstructions, as they lack or exhibit limited vital effects in their calcite shell and generally are quite resistant to diagenetic alteration. Despite this, only few studies address the issue of identifying the best or optimal part of the shell for geochemical analyses. We investigated the link between ontogeny and geochemical signatures recorded in different parts of the shell. To reach this aim, we analysed the elemental (Ca, Mg, Sr, Na) and stable isotope (δ18O, δ13C) compositions of five recent brachiopod species (Magellania venosa, Liothyrella uva, Aerothyris kerguelensis, Liothyrella neozelanica and Gryphus vitreus), spanning broad geographical and environmental ranges (Chile, Antarctica, Indian Ocean, New Zealand and Italy) and having different shell layer successions (two-layer and three-layer shells). We observed similar patterns in the ventral and dorsal valves of these two groups, but different ontogenetic trends by the two- and three-layer shells in their trace element and stable isotope records. Our investigation led us to conclude that the optimal region to sample for geochemical and isotope analyses is the middle part of the mid-section of the shell, avoiding the primary layer, posterior and anterior parts as well as the outermost part of the secondary layer in recent brachiopods. Also, the outermost and innermost rims of shells should be avoided due to diagenetic impacts on fossil brachiopods.
Changes In Serum Lipid Profiles And Heart Rate In Rats Treated With Aqueous Garlic Extract

The serum lipid profiles and heart rate in rats treated with aqueous garlic extract were estimated in 24 Wistar albino rats. The rats were divided into four groups of 6 rats each. Group A received water and standard feeds for 6 weeks. Group B was fed with hyperlipidaemic diets for 6 weeks, while groups C and D had the hyperlipidaemic diets for 3 weeks and in addition administered 100 and 200 mg/kg aqueous garlic extract for another 3 weeks respectively. The body weights of the animals were simultaneously estimated. The results showed that the rats in all the groups gained weight: 0.03% for group A (negative Control), 6.2% for group B (positive Control), and 1.9 and 2.1% for groups C and D respectively. At the 6th week, the serum levels of Tc, Tg and LDL-c decreased significantly (P<0.05). but the HDL-c value increased significantly (P<0.05) too. The atherogenic risk predictor ratios also increased. The changes in groups C and D followed a dose-related pattern. Garlic extracts are reported to inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methoxy-butyryl-CoA reduetase. This could help to explain the decrease in serum lipid indices. The increase in aterogenic risk ratio confirms the beneficial use of the aqueous garlic extract in traditional medicine practice to manage hypertension and some cardiovascular related problems. The restoration of heart rate by the two doses of the extract tend to validate the hypolipidaemic and antiarrythmic potentials of the garlic extract.
Bariatric Surgery in the Management of Adolescent and Adult ObesePatients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age. Obesity in PCOS patients is associated with significant morbidities. Obesity in PCOS abrogates the menstrual cycle and fertility, and can independently increase the risk of metabolic syndrome and the latter’s long-term cardiac and health complications. The degree of obesity as reflected by the body mass index (BMI) can have a significant impact on the associated risk with its morbidities. Thus, weight reduction is highly encouraged for obese patients with PCOS as early as in adolescence to avoid long-term complications. Conservative methods of weight reduction, such as diet and lifestyle modifications, have been used in PCOS patients but their effects can be short-lived, especially in the morbidly obese populations. To that end, bariatric surgery has been proposed as an alternative modality for the treatment of obese patients with PCOS in order to decrease the risk of metabolic syndrome. Nevertheless, bariatric surgery utilization in the adolescent population of PCOS patients is still not well evaluated. Bariatric surgery is considered in patients with very high BMI levels and those patients who had multiple failed attempts of weight reduction using more conservative methods. In this review, we focused on the metabolic manifestations of PCOS and discussed studies highlighting the usage of bariatric surgery as an attempt to reduce weight in obese patients with PCOS with primary focus on the adolescent population.
The Impact of Implementing a Portfolio Assessment System on Pre-Service Teachers’ Daily Teaching Reflections on Improvement, Performance and Professionalism

Two groups of pre-service teachers (portfolio and non-portfolio) were compared on three factors, Improvement, Performance, and Professionalism. The Student Teaching Reflection Survey (STRS) (Robichaux, 2001) was developed to assess these traits. It was hypothesized that the portfolio group would reflect more on their teaching skills resulting in greater scores on the STRS. Results indicated that the portfolio group scored statistically significantly greater on Professionalism than the non-portfolio group. However, the two groups scored equivalently on both Improvement and Performance. Thus, it appears that requiring pre-service teachers to develop a portfolio leads to reflecting more on their professionalism. This professionalism leads to the development of a more effective educator who can handle the complexities of teaching.
Tail Risk and Hedge Fund Returns

We document large, persistent exposures of hedge funds to downside tail risk. For instance, the hardest hit hedge funds in the 1998 crisis also suffered predictably worse returns than their peers in 2007-2008. Using the conditional tail risk factor derived by Kelly (2012), we find that tail risk is a key driver of hedge fund returns in both the time-series and cross-section. A positive one standard deviation shock to tail risk is associated with a contemporaneous decline of 2.88% per year in the value of the aggregate hedge fund portfolio. In the cross-section, funds that lose value during high tail risk episodes earn average annual returns more than 6% higher than funds that are tail risk-hedged, controlling for commonly used hedge fund factors. These results are consistent with the notion that a significant component of hedge fund returns can be viewed as compensation for selling disaster insurance.
Screening and Merger Activity

In our paper, the target of a proposed merger, by setting a reserve price, is able to screen prospective acquirers according to their (expected) ability to generate merger-specific synergies. Both empirical evidence and many merger models suggest that the difference between high and low-synergy mergers becomes smaller during booms. Thus, a target's opportunity cost for sorting out relatively less fitting acquirers increases and, hence, targets screen less tightly during booms, which leads to a hike in merger activity. Our screening mechanism not only predicts that merger activity is intense during booms and subdued during recessions but is also consistent with other stylized facts about takeovers and generates novel testable predictions.
Temporal and spatial variations in photosynthetic physiology of diatoms during the spring bloom in the western subarctic Pacific

Variations in photosynthetic parameters of phytoplankton during the spring bloom were investigated in the western subarctic Pacific. Light-saturated maximum photosynthesis rate (Pmax) and light-limited slope (αB) in the photosynthesis-irradiance (P-E) curve were almost constant in the first half of the bloom and then concurrently increased by 5 times in the latter half with a constant light-saturation index (Ek = Pmax/α). In contrast, the maximum photochemical quantum efficiency (Fv/Fm) of the algal photosystem II increased in the first half and thereafter decreased. Water temperature significantly affected the covariation in Pmax and αB (i.e. Ek-independent variability), suggesting that dark reaction processes in photosynthesis mainly regulated the changes in the P-E parameters. Although influences of nitrate, silicic acid, and dissolved iron on the P-E parameters were not observed, the elevated ammonium levels found in the latter half of the bloom could contribute to the Ek-independent variability. There was no significant relationship among algal net growth rate, Pmax, and αB throughout the observations. Since most ecosystem models have used a constant αB, parallel changes in Pmax and αB should be taken into account in models reproducing ecosystem dynamics during spring diatom blooms.
BRIGHT AND FAINT ENDS OF Lyα LUMINOSITY FUNCTIONS AT z = 2 DETERMINED BY THE SUBARU SURVEY: IMPLICATIONS FOR AGNs, MAGNIFICATION BIAS, AND ISM H I EVOLUTION

We present the Lyα luminosity functions (LFs) derived by our deep Subaru narrowband survey that identifies a total of 3137 Lyα emitters (LAEs) at z = 2.2 in five independent blank fields. This sample of LAEs is the largest to date and covers a very wide Lyα luminosity range of erg s−1. We determine the Lyα LF at z = 2.2 with unprecedented accuracy and obtain the best-fit Schechter parameters of erg s−1, Mpc−3, and , showing a steep faint-end slope. We identify a significant hump at the LF bright end ( erg s−1). Because all of the LAEs in the bright-end hump have a bright counterpart(s) in either the X-ray, UV, or radio data, this bright-end hump is not made by gravitational lensing magnification bias but by active galactic nuclei (AGNs). These AGNs allow us to derive the AGN UV LF at z ∼ 2 down to the faint magnitude limit of MUV ≃ −22.5 and to constrain the faint-end slope of the AGN UV LF, αAGN = −1.2 ± 0.1, which is flatter than those at z > 4. Based on the Lyα and UV LFs from our and previous studies, we find an increase of Lyα escape fraction from z ∼ 0 to 6 by two orders of magnitude. This large increase can be explained neither by the evolution of stellar population nor by outflow alone, but by the evolution of neutral hydrogen H i density in the interstellar medium that enhances dust attenuation for Lyα by resonance scattering. Our uniform expanding shell models suggest that the typical H i column density decreases from (z ∼ 0) to ∼1 × 1018 cm−2 (z ∼ 6) to explain the large increase.
Motivation in Times of Change: Women and Educational Professions

Motivation is a complex issue, in which theorists have tried to approach. Among the classifications are content theories, process theories and integrated theories. Women’s world is also complex, where multiple roles involve motivations and lead to different actions. This makes women perfect examples for management in times of change. Article discusses examples of motivation and management in times of change. Subjects of this study primarily are women lecturers and middle managers in educational field of professions. This study also involves qualitative means of data collection with two questions to lead discussions: What has driven you to be lecturers/educators? ; What will make you continue become lecturers/educators? Analysis were conducted based on the studies done by Coleman, Ninomiya & Okato,and. Mwamwenda. It is concluded that women have multiple rather than single factors to motivate them in the profession. It is also agreed that leaders with feminine qualities as well as sensitive to culture are more preferable than those who are absent with them.
The impact of children on women’s labour supply and earnings in the United Kingdom: evidence using twin births

The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of children on women’s labour supply and earnings for the United Kingdom. Estimating the causal relationship between family size and economic status is complicated because the same factors that increase family size may also affect the labour market outcomes of women. The birth of twins is used as an instrument to address this problem. Among women with children under age 13, the IV estimates indicate that a larger family induced by a twin birth adversely affects women’s labour supply and earnings. Among women with older children, the IV results show no evidence of a causal effect, despite significant OLS relationships. Finally, we compare these results to estimates produced using a twins’ sex composition instrument. Estimates using this instrument are very close to the estimates using twin births and imply that the labour market consequences of childbearing disappear over time. JEL classifications: J22, J13, J12  This paper was accepted in July 2015 for publication in Oxford Economic Papers.
A Case Study on the Positive Effects of Smartphone Usage in Postgraduate Education

Tum toplumlara bakildiginda akilli cep telefonlari bireylerin birer parcasi haline gelmistir. Bu durum ogrenciler icin de gecerlidir. Egitim ortamlarinda ozellikle de ders sirasinda akilli cihazlarin kullaniminin etkileri uzerine yapilan calismalar, arastirmacilarin dikkatini cekmeye baslamistir. Bu arastirmanin amaci, yuksek lisans ogrencilerinin egitim sureclerinde akilli cep telefonu kullaniminin olumlu etkilerine yonelik gorusleri nelerdir sorusuna cevap aramaktir. Durum calismasi Tip 1 olarak desenlenen arastirmada Ankara’nin koklu universitelerinden birinin Egitim Bilimleri Enstitusunde yer alan 10 farkli anabilim dalinda yuksek lisans ve doktora egitimini alan 29 ogrenci ile calisilmistir. Cogunlugunun gunde 4 saatten fazla akilli cep telefonu kullandigini beyan eden katilimcilardan gorus formu yoluyla elde edilen goruslere gore, bu cihazlari daha cok derste gecen konu ya da terimi arastirma, akademik arastirma, ders materyallerini takip etme, fotograf ya da sesli not ozelligi ile ders notu alma, akran ve ogretim elemani ile iletisim amacli kullandiklari gibi, sikilma nedeniyle ders ile ilgisi olmayan bildirimlerin ya da saatin kontrolu gibi eylemler icin de kullandiklari belirlenmistir.
Reorganization of Dentate Gyrus Microcircuits During Epileptogenesis

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a form of acquired epilepsy characterized by recurrent and unprovoked seizures. TLE often develops following a precipitating neurological insult, such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, infection, prolonged febrile seizures or status epilepticus. These insults can initiate a constellation of genetic, functional, network and systems level reorganization that transforms a normal non-epileptic brain into one capable of generating recurrent and unprovoked seizures. The period of time between neurological insults and the onset of epilepsy is known as the latent period and is believed to be the period of time during which underlying epileptogenic processes occur.The dentate gyrus (DG) region of the hippocampus plays a key role in contextual learning and memory and strongly regulates the flow of neural activity from cortical regions into seizure-prone hippocampal regions through emergent properties of its neural microcircuit. In TLE, this filtering function is disrupted and can contribute to generation of seizures. Recent studies have described pathological high-frequency oscillations (pHFOs) in the DG and identified them as potential biomarkers of underlying proconvulsant network abnormalities. Moreover, pHFOs appear to be harbingers of TLE and are generated in the DG prior to the onset of an epileptic phenotype and therefore may reflect underlying network reorganizationduring the epileptogenesis. Currently, little is known about the emergence of pHFOs after epilepsy-inducing neuronal insults or the pathological microcircuit that generates them. To address this we used a new mouse model of TLE to track the temporal and spectral evolution of pHFOs during epileptogenesis. Moreover, we investigated how disrupted integration of newly generated granule cells into the DG during epileptogenesis contributes to the disruption of DG microcircuit function.We found that DG pHFOs are generated in bursts in vivo during epileptogenesis but that their burst properties do not evolve over time. In contrast, pHFO spectral dynamics appear to evolve during the latent period, suggesting that pHFO properties change according to the epileptogenic stage. In vitro electrophysiologcal and optogenetic experiments revealed that NGCs abnormally integrate into the DG microcircuit during epileptogenesis and that optogenetic activation of these neurons is sufficient to induce pHFOs in the DG.