Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variance Risk Premium Differentials and Foreign Exchange Returns

The uncovered interest rate parity does not hold in the foreign exchange market (UIP puzzle). I use the cross-country variance risk premium differential to measure the excess foreign exchange return. Consequently, similar to Bansal and Shaliastovich (2010), I provide a risk-based explanation for the violation of UIP. The empirical results, based on the monthly data of ten currency pairs among US Dollar, UK Pound, Japanese Yen, Euro, and Swiss Franc, support the model both in-sample and out-of-sample.
Ontology Quality Problems - An Experience with Automatically Generated Ontologies

Ontologies play a major role in the development of personalized and interoperable applications. However, validation of ontologies remains a critical open issue. Validation is fundamentally driven by an âontology evaluationâ, often referred to as âquality evaluationâ, as better explained in the Introduction. This paper reports an experience designed on our previous work on quality evaluation and using ontologies automatically generated from some textual resources. In the previous work, we have proposed a standard typology of problems impacting (negatively) on the quality of one ontology (named quality problems). The experience shows how our previous work can be practically deployed. One a posteriori analysis of experience results and lessons learnt presented in the paper make explicit and concrete key contributions to validation. Finally, conclusions highlight both limitations of the experience and research perspectives.
Genetic similarity of citrus fresh fruit market cultivars

The objective of this work was to assess the genetic similarity of the following citrus fresh fruit market seedless cultivars: Lane Late, Navelate, Navelina and Salustiana sweet oranges (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck), Clemenules and Marisol mandarins (C. reticulata Blanco) and Okitsu satsuma mandarin (C. unshiu Marcovitch), and the hybrids Nova [C. clementina x (C. paradisi x C. tangerina)] and Ortanique (tangor probably derived from C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck x C. reticulata Blanco), utilizing isoenzymatic markers. Electrophoresis analysis of proteins extracted from leaf tissues was utilized to detect polymorphisms at ten isoenzymatic systems. Out of 30 alleles, 16 were polymorphic. The Jaccard coefficient was utilized to estimate the genetic similarity between the cultivars and the unweigthed pair-group method using an arithmetic average (UPGMA) was used to obtain the phenogram (NTSYS 1.7). The cultivars showed high genetic similarity (>72.5%), and were classified in five main groups: sweet oranges, 'Clemenules' and 'Marisol' mandarins, 'Nova', 'Ortanique', and 'Okitsu' satsuma mandarin.
Natural elicitors of plant defense response in strawberry1

Natural substances such as elicitors of plant defense response, has become a promising option for effective management of plant diseases and are a prerequisite for sustainable and ecological agriculture. Recognition of diverse elicitors, effectors and modulators by specific and nonspecific plant receptors activates signalling cascades eventually leading to gene expression and defense responses. Elicited plants or "primed plants" display either faster, stronger, or both activation of the various cellular defense responses that are induced following attack by either pathogens or insects or in response to abiotic stress. The aim of this work has been to develop new elicitor compounds from natural vegetal substrates, and predict its effectiveness in the field by using robust molecular techniques and appropriate biomarkers of plant defense. Thus, Fragaria x ananassa Duch. cv. Chandler cell suspension cultures, and real-time, quantitative PCR analysis (RTqPCR) were utilized to test the elicitor capability of new natural elicitors. This experimental approach was applied to analyze the pattern of gene expression of specific strawberry genes already known to be good markers of SA- and JA-dependent signalling pathways, which were used as defense induced biomarkers in plants. In addition, determination of total phenols and antioxidant activity, and HPLC-DAD-MS analysis of polyphenolic compounds was performed in these cell suspension samples. Susceptibility to C. acutatum of strawberry plants treated with the new elicitor was performed in greenhouse under controlled conditions. In collaboration with AGROMETODOS, S.A. , we have produced new natural compounds that can act as elicitors. We have compared the elicitor activity of a new compound (EH) with the commercial product BROTOMAX ® . The new product EH and BROTOMAX ® activate plant defense related genes in cell suspension cultures. Also, both products induce polyphenol production in this assay. The new product EH and BROTOMAX ® increased the strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch. cv. Camarosa) and olive (Olea europaea L. cv. Picual) resistance against Colletotrichum acutatum and Fusicladium oleaginum plant infections, respectively. We can conclude that new natural bioelicitors can be produced by low-cost procedures based on fermentation of natural substrates derived from plants. The use of suitable, sensitive, appropriate and robust molecular biomarkers also provide an excellent molecular tool to predict the effectiveness in the field of natural compounds with potential eliciting ability, which may be conveniently exploited as ecological bioinducers of plant defense response in strawberry and in many other important crops.
A maximizing model of Bezdek-like spherical fuzzy c-means clustering

In this study, a maximizing model of Bezdek-type spherical fuzzy c-means clustering is proposed, which is based on the regularization of the maximizing model of spherical hard c-means. Using theoretical analysis and numerical experiments, it is shown that the proposed method is not equivalent to the minimizing model of Bezdek-type spherical fuzzy c-means, because the effect of its fuzzifier parameter is different from that found in conventional methods.
International supply chain management in an Internet environment

This conceptual paper argues that the emergence of Internet commerce is presenting a significant challenge to traditional internationalization explanations. Given rapid accessibility to customers and suppliers around the world, businesses appear to be turning towards networks of cooperation rather than external control structures. International supply chain management is proposed as a process of internationalization representing the implementation of a global uncertainty‐driven new network orientation. A network orientation is proposed to encourage more integrated levels of I‐commerce adoption which, in turn, further strengthens the relationship between a network orientation and its implementation. A number of propositions are presented along with a discussion of future research issues.
COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF HAEMATOLOGICAL PROFILE OF West African Dwarf and Red Sokoto GOATS REARED IN HUMID SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA

A comparative evaluation of the haematological values of two Nigerian goat breeds reared in humid Southeastern Nigeria was determined in thirty (30) goats, made up of fifteen (15) West African dwarf (WAD) and fifteen (15) Red Sokoto goats. Each breed comprised four (4) adult male, four (4) adult female, four (4) young female and three (3) young male goats. The age of the goats ranged from 6 months to 4 years. Blood samples (5 ml) were drawn from each goat through the jugular vein and placed in labeled sterile bijour bottles containing 1 mg ml -1 of an anti-coagulant, ethylene diamine tetracetate (EDTA) for haematological analysis. The mean values for Haemaglobin (Hb), Packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cell, red blood count, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemaglobin concentration (MCHC) and mean corpuscular haemaglobin (MCH) were 7.92 and 7.23 g/dl, 23.60 and 21.67%, 17.8 (x 10 3 ml) and 15.7 (x 10 3 ml), 5.39 and 5.29 (x10 6 ml), 45.93 and 43.55 μm 3 , 33.24 and 33.31%, 15.32 pg and 14.52 pg for Red Sokoto and WAD goats, respectively. The WBC counts differentials in Red Sokoto and WAD goats, male and female and young and adult goats were similar (p>0.05). The result of the present study revealed that the haematological values of WAD and Red Sokoto goats did not differ significantly (p>0.05). Similarly, haematological values showed non-significant (p>0.05) age and sex differences and were therefore, similar in both adult and young and male and female goats, respectively. This is an indication that the goats were averagely healthy and may have adapted to the study area.
Ripple activity in the dentate gyrus of dishinibited hippocampus‐entorhinal cortex slices

Fast oscillations at ∼200 Hz, termed ripples, occur in the hippocampus and cortex of several species, including humans, and are thought to play a role in physiological (e.g., sensory information processing or memory consolidation) and pathological (e.g., seizures) processes. Blocking γ‐aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor‐mediated inhibition represents one of the most often used models of epileptiform discharge. Here we found that bath application of the GABAA receptor antagonist picrotoxin (50 μM) to mouse hippocampus‐entorhinal cortex slices induced spontaneous epileptiform activity (duration 536.6 ± 146.1 msec, mean ± SD; interval of occurrence 14.8 ± 3.3 sec, n = 12) with two distinct phases of discharge; the first was characterized, in the dentate gyrus only, by high‐frequency, field oscillations (ripples) at 206.3 ± 23.4 Hz (n = 12), whereas the second component corresponded to afterdischarges in the theta range frequency. Ripples, which were also recorded in “minislices” only of the dentate gyrus, were unaffected by application of the μ‐opioid receptor agonist (D‐Ala2‐N‐Me‐Phe,Gly‐ol)enkephalin (10 μM; n = 6) or the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist 3‐(2‐carboxy‐piperazine‐4‐yl)‐propyl‐l‐phosphonate (10 μM; n = 5). In contrast, the non‐NMDA glutamatergic receptor antagonist 6‐cyano‐7‐nitro‐quinoxaline‐2,3‐dione (10 μM; n = 5) completely blocked all picrotoxin‐induced activities. In addition, application of the GABAB receptor agonist baclofen (0.01–0.5 μM; n = 6) dose dependently and reversibly abolished all picrotoxin‐induced activities. We also found that application of the gap‐junction decouplers carbenoxolone (0.2–0.5 mM; n = 6) or octanol (0.2–0.5 mM; n = 3) blocked the second phase while leaving ripples unchanged. These findings demonstrate that the disinhibited dentate gyrus can generate ripple activity at ∼200 Hz that is contributed by ionotropic glutamatergic mechanisms and is not dependent on either GABAA receptor‐mediated or gap‐junction mechanisms. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and the Risk of Traumatic Deaths Among Vietnam Veterans

Vietnam veterans have been reported to be at increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and deaths due to traumatic causes after service in the Vietnam War. This study evaluated whether an association exists between PTSD and traumatic deaths among Vietnam veterans. Mortality risk of 4,247 Vietnam veterans from the Agent Orange Registry (AOR) with a diagnosis of PTSD relative to that of 12,010 Vietnam veterans from the AOR with no diagnosis of PTSD was calculated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Mortality experience of both groups was also compared with U.S. males. The PTSD veterans were more likely than the non-PTSD veterans to die from suicide (relative risk = 3.97, 95% confidence interval [Cl] = 2.20–7.03) and from accidental poisoning (relative risk = 2.89, CI = 1.03–8.12). The standardized mortality ratio for suicides was 6.74 (CI = 4.4–9.87) among PTSD veterans and 1.67 (CI = 1.05–2.53) among non-PTSD veterans. Among Vietnam veterans on the AOR, PTSD is associated with a significant increased risk for suicide and accidental poisoning.
Natural History and Malignant Transformation in Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis: Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Dysplasia and an Autopsy Review

Introduction: Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a human papillomavirus (HPV) related disease in both children and adults, characterized by recurrent benign squamous papillomas of the respiratory mucosa. Malignant transformation is rare. The present report concerns the natural history of RRP in two children. Materials and Methods: Clinical records, autopsy material and tissue from previous surgical excisions were reviewed in both cases. Select surgical and autopsy specimens were examined using p16 immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridization for low and high risk HPV. Results: Both children had pulmonary involvement with incidental invasive keratinizing squamous carcinoma of the lung at autopsy. Low-risk HPV was present in the papillomas and carcinoma at autopsy in both cases. Conclusions: The autopsy examinations in these two cases emphasize the serious, if uncommon, pulmonary complications of this disease. In conjunction with previously reported autopsies, destructive lung disease may be as frequent a cause of death as disseminated malignancy.
Nonoperative salvage of computed tomography-diagnosed splenic injuries: utilization of angiography for triage and embolization for hemostasis.

OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to determine if angiographic findings can be used to predict successful nonoperative therapy of splenic injury and to determine if coil embolization of the proximal splenic artery provides effective hemostasis. METHODS Splenic injuries detected by diagnostic imaging between 1981 and 1993 at a level I trauma center were prospectively collected and retrospectively reviewed after management by protocol that used diagnostic peritoneal lavage, computed tomography (CT), angiography, transcatheter embolization, and laparotomy. Computed tomography was performed initially or after positive diagnostic peritoneal lavage. Angiography was performed urgently in stabilized patients with CT-diagnosed splenic injuries. Patients without angiographic extravasation were treated by bed rest alone; those with angiographic extravasation underwent coil embolization of the proximal splenic artery followed by bed rest. RESULTS Patients (172) with blunt splenic injury are the subject of this study. Twenty-two patients were initially managed operatively because of associated injuries or disease (11 patients) or because the surgeon was unwilling to attempt nonoperative therapy (11 patients) and underwent splenectomy (17 patients) or splenorrhaphy (5 patients). One hundred fifty of 172 consecutive patients (87%) with CT-diagnosed splenic injury were stable enough to be considered for nonoperative management. Eighty-seven of the 90 patients managed by bed rest alone, and 56 of 60 patients treated by splenic artery occlusion and bed rest had a successful outcome. Overall splenic salvage was 88%. It was 97% among those managed nonoperatively, including 61 grade III and grade IV splenic injuries. Sixty percent of patients received no blood transfusions. Three of 150 patients treated nonoperatively underwent delayed splenectomy for infarction (one patient) or splenic infection (two patients). CONCLUSIONS (1) Hemodynamically stable patients with splenic injuries of all grades and no other indications for laparotomy can often be managed nonoperatively, especially when the injury is further characterized by arteriography. (2) The absence of contrast extravasation on splenic arteriography seems to be a reliable predictor of successful nonoperative management. We suggest its use to triage CT-diagnosed splenic injuries to bed rest or intervention. (3) Coil embolization of the proximal splenic artery is an effective method of hemostasis in stabilized patients with splenic injury. It expands the number of patients who can be managed nonoperatively.
N-acetyltransferase-2, glutathione S-transferase M1, alcohol dehydrogenase, and cytochrome P450IIE1 genotypes in alcoholic liver cirrhosis: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND Only a small percentage of long-term alcoholics develop liver cirrhosis. Genetic and non-genetic factors have been implicated in the risk of developing this disease. Among the genetic factors, case-control studies suggest an association with some polymorphisms at the alcohol dehydrogenase and cytochrome P450IIE1 genes. N-Acetyltransferase-2 metabolizes multiple compounds, transforming some of them to organ-toxic compounds and others into non-toxic molecules. Slow- and rapid-acetylator individuals exist in most human populations, and the mutations responsible for the slow-acetylator genotype have been determined. Slow acetylators, who should be at higher risk of developing breast cancer, and fast acetylators, who have an increased risk of developing colon cancer, can be characterized by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) genotyping. GSTM1 is another detoxifying enzyme for which functional interindividual differences, on the basis of gene polymorphisms, have been described. METHODS We conducted a case-control study in which 120 alcoholic cirrhotics, 30 long-term non-cirrhotic alcoholics, and 200 healthy controls were genotyped for polymorphisms (RFLPs) at the ADH2, P450IIE1, and NAT2 genes. PCR, followed by restriction enzyme digestion, was performed. The homozygous deletion of the GSTM1 gene was also PCR-analyzed. Genotype frequencies were statistically compared. RESULTS Frequencies for the ADH2, P450IIE1, and GSTM1 polymorphisms did not differ between patients and controls. Individuals homozygous for the NAT2*5 allele, which is the most frequent slow-acetylator (SA) allele and shows the lowest acetylator activity, were at a significantly decreased frequency among the cirrhotic patients compared with controls (9% versus 16%; P = 0.042). The frequency of this SA genotype was significantly increased (40%) in long-term alcoholics who did not develop cirrhosis (P = 0.0041 compared with controls; P= 0.000017 compared with cirrhotics). CONCLUSIONS According to our results, NAT2 activity may be a factor that determines the risk of developing alcoholic liver cirrhosis, and slow acetylators would be protected.
Inclusion Body Myositis: What Most Impacts Patients' Lives

Objective: Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is the most common form of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy in adults older than 50 years. Few studies have focused on the functional, physical, and social limitations of this disease. This study identifies pertinent symptoms that impact the health and daily function of patients with IBM. Methods: We used semistructured interviews with 10 biopsy-confirmed adults with IBM to identify the psychological, physical, and functional limitations that have the greatest impact on the lives of patients with IBM. Results: Participants with IBM provided 644 direct quotes identifying issues that have the greatest effect on their lives. Two hundred nine individual symptoms and 17 symptomatic themes were identified by patients as having a significant impact on their lives. The symptomatic themes mentioned most frequently involved mobility and ambulation, emotional distress, and activity impairment. Conclusions: Identifying critical issues to patients with IBM is potentially useful for clinicians whose aim is to provide optimal care to patients with IBM.
eeding mechanics as the basis for differential uptake of the neurotoxin domoic cid by oysters , Crassostrea virginica , and mussels , Mytilus edulis uiz

The neurotoxin domoic acid (DA), produced by diatoms Pseudo-nitzschia spp. , is transferred to humans via consumption of contaminated bivalves. This study examines feeding mechanisms, namely reduced filtration, pre-ingestive rejection and poor absorption, that might explain the comparatively low DA levels commonly found in oysters during toxic Pseudo-nitzschia blooms. Clearance rate (CR), absorption efficiency (AE) of organic matter and selective rejection in pseudofeces of oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and mussels (Mytilus edulis) were investigated in relation to the DA levels accumulated during 2-wk, simultaneous exposure to toxic Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries. Effects of temperature and P. multiseries cell size were also tested to identify conditions, if any, under which oysters can accumulate unsafe DA levels. Oysters accumulated 3.0–7.5× less DA than mussels from a short-celled P. multiseries clone (length = 24 m) at 12 ◦C. This was related to the 7.4–8.5× lower CRs determined for oysters relative to mussels at this temperature. Exposure to a longer-celled P. multiseries clone (81 m) resulted in up to 70× lower toxin levels in oysters compared to mussels, which was attributed to differential feeding selectivity. Mussels were unable to discriminate between longand short-celled P. multiseries clones from a mixed suspension, whereas oysters were previously shown to preferentially reject long cells (>70 m) in pseudofeces. Both bivalves selectively rejected P. multiseries cells from mixed suspensions containing a flagellate but not another diatom. AE of organics from P. multiseries cells by oysters and mussels was comparably low (42 and 39%, respectively) and thus unlikely to explain their differential DA accumulation. CR and DA uptake by oysters were negligible at ≤4 ◦C but increased with increasing temperature up to 18 ◦C, although mean DA levels barely attained the regulatory limit (20 g g−1) when oysters were exposed to long P. multiseries cells. The maximum DA levels accumulated by mussels (320 g g−1) and oysters −1 (44 g g ) exposed to short P. multiseries cells in our study support the inter-specific differences in toxicity during Pseudo-nitzschia blooms, which are expected to be exacerbated at lower temperatures and when long cells or chains are dominant. Additionally, when alternate, non-diatom phytoplankton species are present, both bivalves can feed selectively and thus accumulate much lower DA levels than those predicted from their overall CRs. Our results provide support for the evaluation of species-specific management of DA-contaminated shellfish and need to be considered in modeling DA toxin kinetics of the two target species.
Pivotal Advance: Eosinophils mediate early alum adjuvant‐elicited B cell priming and IgM production

Alum, aluminum‐hydroxide‐containing compounds, long used as adjuvants in human vaccinations, functions by ill‐defined, immunostimulatory mechanisms. Antigen‐free alum has been shown to act via a previously unidentified, splenic Gr1+, IL‐4‐expressing myeloid cell population to stimulate early B cell priming. We demonstrate that the alum‐elicited and ‐activated splenic myeloid cells are IL‐4‐expressing eosinophils that function to prime B cell responses. Eosinophils are the principal Gr1+, IL‐4+ cells in the spleens 6 days following i.p. alum administration. Alum‐elicited splenic B cell priming, as evidenced by MHC II cross‐linking‐mediated calcium mobilization developed in wild‐type BALB/c mice, was absent in ΔdblGATA BALB/c eosinophil‐deficient mice and could be reconstituted by adoptive eosinophil infusions into the eosinophil‐deficient mice. Moreover, early antigen‐specific IgM antibody responses in alum‐antigen‐immunized mice were impaired in eosinophil‐deficient mice and were restored with adoptive transfers of eosinophils. Thus, eosinophils, leukocytes of the innate immune system that contain preformed cytokines, including IL‐4, have novel, immunomodulatory roles in the initial priming of B cells elicited by the adjuvant alum and in the optimal early B cell generation of antigen‐specific IgM.