Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conditions of formation of ochratoxin A in drying, transport and in different commodities

The major species of fungi responsible for ochratoxin production (OTA) in a range of commodities are Penicillium verrucosum, Aspergillus ochraceus and Aspergillus section Nigri, especially A. carbonarius. P. verrucosum is particularly important in northern Europe where damp cooler conditions occur and where drying regimes need to be efficient and effective for preventing post-harvest contamination with OTA. A. ochraceus can infect cereals including barley, maize, coffee, cocoa and edible nuts. A. carbonarius has been identified as the key species responsible for OTA contamination of grapes, wine and vine fruits. Recent studies have identified the environmental regimes, especially of temperature and humidity, which are conducive to growth and OTA production by these species pre- and post-harvest and during transport. The optimum and marginal interacting conditions for growth and OTA contamination often vary considerably. This has to be borne in mind when effective preventative management strategies are being implemented. Recent studies with cereals have suggested that isolation frequency can be related to OTA contamination of cereals. A logistical model has been developed and identified that 1000 CFUs g−1 grain of P. verrucosum (CFUs) is the threshold limit at which the probability of exceeding the EU legislative limit of 5 µg kg−1 in cereal grain can be predicted under different storage regimes. Controlled atmospheres >50% C02 is required to effectively prevent OTA accumulation in damp cereals. With regard to grapes, preharvest contamination with A. carbonarius has been shown to be a good indicator for regional risk in southern Europe from OTA contamination. The ecological conditions for optimum growth and OTA production have been shown to differ with the optima being 30–35°C and 15–25°C and 0.98–0.99 and 0.93–0.95 water activity, respectively. Studies on vine fruits (drying currants) suggest that OTA contamination and increase contamination levels occur during this drying process of 7–14 days. This will be influenced by prevailing weather conditions and drying rates. Minimizing OTA contamination in these and other commodities including coffee and cocoa require clear guidelines on safe moisture and temperature regimes pre- and post-harvest for the development of effective management strategies based on ecological criteria.
Impulse Purchase Behaviour Among Generation-Y

Impulse purchase or an unplanned decision to buy a product or service, made just before a purchase or on the spot purchase triggered by stimulus. Marketers and retailers tend to exploit these impulses which are tied to the basic want for instant gratification. Generation Y have been found to be materialists, brand oriented, risk takers and keen on business hedonism. The empirical study on impulse purchase behaviour of Gen-Y was conducted with the sample size of 150 respondents, being “youth” in Coimbatore city. Trend, fashion appearance and instant gratification were the factors highly motivated the youth to impulse buy. The impulse buying behaviour of the youth is associated with variables other than their socio economic profile.
Evolutionary Divergence of Exon Flanks: A Dissection of Mutability and Selection

The intronic sequences flanking exon–intron junctions (i.e., exon flanks) are important for splice site recognition and pre-mRNA splicing. Recent studies show a higher degree of sequence conservation at flanks of alternative exons, compared to flanks of constitutive exons. In this article we performed a detailed analysis on the evolutionary divergence of exon flanks between human and chimpanzee, aiming to dissect the impact of mutability and selection on their evolution. Inside exon flanks, sites that might reside in ancestral CpG dinucleotides evolved significantly faster than sites outside of ancestral CpG dinucleotides. This result reflects a systematic variation of mutation rates (mutability) at exon flanks, depending on the local CpG contexts. Remarkably, we observed a significant reduction of the nucleotide substitution rate in flanks of alternatively spliced exons, independent of the site-by-site variation in mutability due to different CpG contexts. Our data provide concrete evidence for increased purifying selection at exon flanks associated with regulation of alternative splicing.
The Beneficial Coexistence of Banks and Markets: The Role of Capital Requirements and Underwriting

We propose a model of financial system architecture that highlights the positive interaction between banks and markets in a setting where each agent believes that she can evaluate information better than any other agent. Banks emerge endogenously and their interaction with markets is facilitated by the use of underwriting and regulatory capital requirements. Bank Capital reassures market investors that the underwriting contract will be fulfilled. The profits they make on underwriting enable banks to fund more projects in the future. Thus, a complementarity loop is achieved which results in the financing of positive NPV projects that were previously denied credit.
Private Equity: Transforming Public Stock to Create Value

The Many Virtues of Private Equity. Valuing the Target Firm. Structuring and Selling the Deal. A Changed Dividend Policy. A Changed Capital Structure. Merchant Banking. Operations: The Other Factor. The Many Virtues of Going Public. A Partial LBO: Almost Private Equity. Metromedia. LBO of RJR Nabisco (1988). Marietta Corporation (1994-1996). The Managerial Buy-out of United States Can Company (2000). Phillips Petroleum, Mesa and Icahn (1984-1985). Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation (1986).
Association of Mean Platelet Volume with Severity, Serology & Treatment Outcome in Dengue Fever: Prognostic Utility.

BACKGROUND Dengue is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease in the world. Dengue fever (DF) with its severe manifestations such as dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) has emerged as a major public health problem of international concern. Thrombocytopenia and bleeding are common complications of dengue fever, hence besides platelet counts, there is a need to assess the role of mean platelet volume. AIMS Studying association of mean platelet volume (MPV) with severity, serology & treatment outcome to assess its prognostic utility, which can be of great help in limiting morbidity & mortality associated with dengue fever. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present study was conducted in Central Pathology Lab of SMS Medical College & Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan from the period of March 2013 till October 2013. Blood samples were collected from 200 patients with NS 1 Antigen positivity experiencing febrile illness, clinically consistent with dengue infection. Evaluation of platelet counts, MPV, IgM and IgG antibodies was done in all these cases. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Categorical data were presented as numbers (percent) and were compared among groups using Chi-square test. Groups compared for demographic data were presented as mean and standard deviation and were compared using student t-test, ANOVA and Post-Hoc Test, Tukey Test using SPSS, version 20 for Windows. RESULTS A total of 200 Dengue fever cases were studied. Out of which, 68% cases were of DF, 23% DHF & 9% DSS i.e. classical dengue fever was most common presentation. Maximum (44%) cases were in age group of 15-24 years. Fever was the presenting complaint in all cases (100%). 98% cases of dengue had thrombocytopenia. MPV showed no significant correlation with severity, serology & treatment outcome, thus excluding its role in dengue cases. CONCLUSION Mean platelet volume is not important as prognostic parameter in dengue fever.
Diagnosability and Diagnosis of Algorithm-Based Fault-Tolerant Systems

Parallel processing architectures are commonly used for signal processing and other computationally intensive applications. These applications are characterized by high throughput and long processing periods. Such characteristics decrease the reliability of high-performance architectures. The erroneous data produced by faulty processors could have damaging consequences, particularly in critical real-time applications. It is therefore desirable that any erroneous data produced by the system be detected and located as quickly as possible. Algorithm-based fault tolerance (ABFT) is a low-cost system-level concurrent error detection and fault location scheme. Methods used in the analysis of multiprocessor systems using system-level diagnosis are applied to the analysis of ABFT systems. A new algorithm for analyzing an ABFT system for its fault diagnosability is developed using these methods. Based on this work, a fault diagnosis algorithm is developed for ABFT systems. >
Discrete-time dynamic feedback linearization of a VTOL using observed states

Abstract This paper addresses the trajectory tracking problem for a remotely controlled quad-rotor vertical take off and landing aircraft (VTOL), under the restriction that only the inertial coordinates are available for measurement. The problem is solved in two steps: first, a discrete-time local exponential observer is designed which allows estimating the roll and pitching angles as well as all the velocities of the VTOL; Second, a discrete-time dynamic linearizing controller is proposed and the VTOL actual states variables are replaced by their corresponding estimates. It is shown that a kind of separation principle holds, in the sense that exponential convergence to the prescribed trajectory is preserved. Real-time experiments show that the proposed observer-controller scheme exhibits good performance.
The Costs of Bank Earnings Management

This study examines the link between bank earnings management and cost of equity and trading volume, using a broad sample comprising 22,217 banks from 50 countries over the period 1990 to 2006. The extent of bank earnings management in a country is measured using three distributional properties of accounting earnings that suggest poor correspondence between observable accounting earnings and unobservable economic earnings: loss avoidance, income smoothing and earnings aggressiveness. A time-series measure for each of these three dimensions of bank earnings management per country is developed and then combined to obtain a panel data set of overall bank earnings management. The study then examines whether and to what extent these measures of bank earnings management are related to the costs banks incur to raise equity and the amount of shareholder trading of bank stocks. The results show that investors punish banks for manipulating their earnings. While the results for the individual measures of bank earnings management differ, overall earnings management is associated with a significantly higher cost of equity for banks and lower trading volume. The effects are generally larger than those observed for nonfinancial firms in prior studies.
Thermal unfolding of ribonuclease A in phosphate at neutral pH: Deviations from the two–state model

The thermal denaturation of ribonuclease A (RNase A) in the presence of phosphate at neutral pH was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and a combination of optical spectroscopic techniques to probe the existence of intermediate states. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the amide I′ band and far‐uv circular dichroism (CD) spectra were used to monitor changes in the secondary structure. Changes in the tertiary structure were monitored by near‐uv CD. Spectral bandshape changes with change in temperature were analyzed using factor analysis. The global unfolding curves obtained from DSC confirmed that structural changes occur in the molecule before the main thermal denaturation transition. The analysis of the far‐uv CD and FTIR spectra showed that these lower temperature–induced modifications occur in the secondary structure. No pretransition changes in the tertiary structure (near‐uv CD) were observed. The initial changes observed in far‐uv CD were attributed to the fraying of the helical segments, which would explain the loss of spectral intensity with almost no modification of spectral bandshape. Separate analyses of different regions of the FTIR amide I′ band indicate that, in addition to α‐helix, part of the pretransitional change also occurs in the β‐strands.
Fat grafting to the hand in patients with raynaud phenomenon: a novel therapeutic modality.

229e between vasoconstriction and vasodilatation. In our case, fat injection did not help compromised digital perfusion, and it appeared as if it triggered a reaction possibly related to the fat injection. This conclusion could be based on the observation of simultaneous nasal tip ischemia. Another factor that could possibly play a role is chronic use of alcohol and its possible destabilizing influence on digital vasoconstriction/vasodilatation. In conclusion, although Bank et al. presented important issues in their serious study, there are limitations concerning the article’s sample size. Further investigation needs to be performed to determine the nature of Raynaud phenomenon and how it interacts in different Fat Grafting to the Hand in Patients with Raynaud Phenomenon: A Novel Therapeutic Modality Sir: W read with great interest the article by Bank et al.1 published recently on fat injection in hands of patients with Raynaud phenomenon aiming to delay the progression of the disease. Their results appear very interesting considering the fact that important improvement was achieved and no major complications were observed. The use of fat injections in hand therapy or cosmetics is not new.2–4 However, there has been a recent increase of fat injection use for different indications.5 An 84-year-old female patient presented to our service with bilateral, 10-digit ischemia, with no ulceration. The patient gave no previous history of diabetes mellitus or medication that could be associated with Raynaud syndrome. However, the patient’s history reveals alcoholism in the past two decades. She had a history of scleroderma and was on endothelin-1 receptor antagonists and two injection sessions of neuromodulators (botulinum toxin) 6 months before our first consultation. She was scheduled for fat injection 3 days after admission. The patient was injected with 28 ml of decanted fat in the left hand and 27 ml in the right. She presented 10-digit ischemia 36 hours postoperatively that did not respond to neuromodulators or intravenous prostanoids. Eventually, she developed 10-digit necrosis that was treated surgically (Figs. 1 and 2). Interestingly, the patient also developed nose tip necrosis simultaneously, which was also treated surgically. Although many of the present data described are valuable and interesting, we believe that certain factors need further investigation and clarification. It seems that the patient’s age might play a role in the reversibility of digital ischemia, possibly affecting the balance DISCLOSURE The authors have no financial interest to declare in relation to the content of this communication. The LOE grades in this article were provided by the authors, not by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Effects of visible and invisible orofacial defects on self-perception and adjustment across developmental eras and gender.

Self-ratings of satisfaction with appearance and accomplishment of psychosocial tasks were examined by age and gender among school aged children with visible defects (cleft lip and/or palate, n = 272), or invisible defects (cleft palate only, n = 159), and dental patients (n = 128) without clefts. Using weighted least squares ANOVA and logistic regressions, the results revealed that subjects with visible defects expressed greater dissatisfaction with their appearance than those subjects with invisible defects (p < .001). Subjects with invisible defects consistently expressed lower problem solving ability than subjects with visible defects (p < .001) and dental patients with no defects (p < .05). Both groups with clefts expressed less social independence (p < .001); and subjects with clefts reported having more friends than other children (p < .01). Implications for clinicians and further research are discussed.
The Reconfiguration of Mobile Service Provision: Towards Platform Business Models

This paper introduces and analyses four potential business models for emerging mobile service platforms. For each model, a real-life case is described and briefly analyzed. It is found that platform strategies - focused on the control of core assets on the one hand, and on complementarity and open interfaces on the other hand -, permeate the models introduced by the stakeholders vying for dominance in this market. In particular, these strategies and models differ strongly according to the specific set-up and control of crucial, 'gatekeeping' roles. Current dominant stakeholders in the mobile market, i.e. mobile network operators, are confronted with limitations when trying to attract users and service developers to their platform due to a walled garden approach, and are seeking ways to attract larger constituencies. Emergent platform business models championed by other types of actors focus on exposing capabilities and on offering service enablers in a more open manner, while migrating control over some, or all, of the gatekeeping roles away from the operator. Building on some of the strengths of these models, a potential evolution of the current telco-centric model towards a more balanced platform model is outlined.
Computed Tomography Evaluation of Sella Turcica Dimensions and Relevant Anthropometric Parameters in an African Population

A structural change from normal dimensions of sella turcica could be an indication of a pathological condition of the structure itself, the pituitary gland or the extra-sellar structures. The sella turcica is a groove in the sphenoid bone which contains the pituitary gland and this crucial intracranial structure affected both by intrasellar and extrasellar pathological conditions. This study was conducted to find out the normal dimensions of sella turcica among adult Nigerian population in South Western Nigeria with the aid of computed tomography and assess if the dimensions of sella turcica vary with age, gender and some anthropometric parameters. This prospective study evaluated the normal adult sella turcica dimensions from the computed tomography head images of 197 patients that presented at a foremost public tertiary hospital in Lagos State. Other anthropometric data (biparietal diameter, occipito-frontal diameter and patient’s height) were also measured. The data obtained was analyzed with SPSS Windows Version 17.0 (SPSS Inc.). The results shows that the sella turcica has mean length of 9.8 mm, AP diameter of 11.5 mm, and depth of 8.6 mm. The results illustrates that there is no difference between sella turcica dimension and the gender of the patient and there is no relationship between age and sella turcica dimensions. However, a positive correlation was established between sella turcica dimensions and height of the subjects. Linear regression prediction models were developed for the purpose of predicting the dimensions of sella turcica from patients’ height. The baseline sella turcica data obtained would be applied for the more objective evaluation and detection of pathological conditions of the sella turcica and adjacent structures within population studied. The predictive equations established between sella turcica dimensions and height could be used to predict normal sella turcica length and AP diameter in the assessment of the existence of possible intra- and extra-sellar pathologies.
Efficacy of Whole-Lung Lavage in Treatment of Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis

The aim of the study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of whole-lung lavage (WLL) for pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). The cohort studies that investigated the therapeutic effect of WLL for PAP were selected strictly on the basis of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The statistical analysis was performed using STATA statistical software (version 12.0; Stata Corporation, College Station, TX). Twelve studies were included in this meta-analysis. Totally, 206 PAP patients who received WLL were recruited in the 12 studies. We compared the differences in blood gas analysis and lung function before and after the treatment in this meta-analysis. The results indicated that there were statistical differences in the levels of diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced vital capacity, and arterial partial pressure of oxygen after the treatment of WLL for patients with PAP, whereas there were no evident differences in the levels of arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide and arterial oxygen saturation. In conclusion, WLL can evidently improve the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced vital capacity, and arterial partial pressure of oxygen of patients with PAP, thus WLL may be an important treatment of PAP.
Dynamic Responses of Female and Male Volunteers in Rear Impacts

Objectives: Whiplash injuries from vehicle collisions are common and costly. These injuries most frequently occur as a result of a rear impact and, compared to males, females have up to twice the risk of whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) resulting from vehicle crashes. The present study focuses on the differences in the dynamic response corridors of males and females in low-severity rear impacts. Methods: In this study, analysis of data from volunteer tests of females from previously published data has been performed. Corridors for the average female response were generated based on 12 volunteers exposed to a change of velocity of 4 km/h and 9 volunteers exposed to a change of velocity of 8 km/h. These corridors were compared to corridors for the average male response that were previously generated based on 11 male volunteers exposed to the same test conditions. Results: Comparison between the male and female data showed that the maximum x-acceleration of the head for the females occurred on average 10 ms earlier and was 29% higher during the 4 km/h test and 12 ms earlier and 9% higher during the 8 km/h test. Head-to-head restraint contact for the females occurred 14 ms earlier at 4 km/h and 11 ms earlier at 8 km/h compared to the males. For the same initial head-to-head restraint distance, head restraint contact occurred 11 and 7 ms earlier for the females than the males at 4 and 8 km/h, respectively. Furthermore, the calculated Neck Injury Criteria (NIC) values were similar for males and females at 4 km/h, whereas they were lower for females compared to the males at 8 km/h (3.2 and 4.0 m2/s2, respectively). Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the need to further investigate the differences in dynamic responses between males and females at low-severity impacts. Such data are fundamental for the development of future computer models and dummies for crash safety assessment. These models can be used not only as a tool in the design and development process of protective systems but also in the process of further evaluation and development of injury criteria.