Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consumer’s willingness to pay for indigenous meat products: The case of a Spanish sheep breed (Short communication)

European farmers of indigenous local breeds have benefited from European Union economic support in the past and it is forecast to continue being supported in the future. However, it is in the public debate that economic support cannot last forever. Then, for the long-run maintenance of indigenous local breeds to be possible, the derived meat products from these breeds should be demanded by consumers or at least by a group of local consumers. This is the aim of this paper, to study consumers’ demand for indigenous local meat products. In particular, to assess how much consumers are willing to pay for a Spanish lamb meat from an indigenous sheep breed (“Ojinegra de Teruel”). To do that, a non-hypothetical experimental auction with local consumers (those living in a medium-size town around 150 km from the producing area of this meat) was used. Results indicated that consumers were willing to pay, on average, €0.45 (15% of the market price) more for the lamb meat with the “Ojinegra de Teruel” breed claim than for the one without breed indication (as it is now sold in the market). Then, local consumers clearly accept the differentiated meat through the indigenous breed indication. Then, producers in the area could have more opportunities to sell in the local market if they differentiate their meat using the indigenous “Ojinegra de Teruel” claim than using the undifferentiated strategy they are undertaken now.
A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH FOR TRANSITING PLANETS IN THE K2 DATA

Photometry of stars from the K2 extension of NASA’s Kepler mission is afflicted by systematic effects caused by small (few-pixel) drifts in the telescope pointing and other spacecraft issues. We present a method for searching K2 light curves for evidence of exoplanets by simultaneously fitting for these systematics and the transit signals of interest. This method is more computationally expensive than standard search algorithms but we demonstrate that it can be efficiently implemented and used to discover transit signals. We apply this method to the full Campaign 1 data set and report a list of 36 planet candidates transiting 31 stars, along with an analysis of the pipeline performance and detection efficiency based on artificial signal injections and recoveries. For all planet candidates, we present posterior distributions on the properties of each system based strictly on the transit observables.
One Action System or Two? Evidence for Common Central Preparatory Mechanisms in Voluntary and Stimulus-Driven Actions

Human behavior is comprised of an interaction between intentionally driven actions and reactions to changes in the environment. Existing data are equivocal concerning the question of whether these two action systems are independent, involve different brain regions, or overlap. To address this question we investigated whether the degree to which the voluntary action system is activated at the time of stimulus onset predicts reaction times to external stimuli. We recorded event-related potentials while participants prepared and executed left- or right-hand voluntary actions, which were occasionally interrupted by a stimulus requiring either a left- or right-hand response. In trials where participants successfully performed the stimulus-driven response, increased voluntary motor preparation was associated with faster responses on congruent trials (where participants were preparing a voluntary action with the same hand that was then required by the target stimulus), and slower responses on incongruent trials. This suggests that early hand-specific activity in medial frontal cortex for voluntary action trials can be used by the stimulus-driven system to speed responding. This finding questions the clear distinction between voluntary and stimulus-driven action systems.
What Is the Aim of Immunosuppressive Treatment in Patients With Graves’ Orbitopathy?

Purpose: The EUGOGO criteria and the clinical activity score (CAS) have been used as outcome measures to report response rates for patients after pulsed intravenous methylprednisolone (PIM) therapy. This study compares the results after PIM for both criteria and evaluates the number of rehabilitative surgeries performed in relation to treatment outcome. Methods: This was a retrospective review of patients with active moderate-to-severe Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) treated with PIM (cumulative dose of 4.5 to 5 g). The EUGOGO criteria or improvement in CAS (≥2 points) was used as the primary outcome measure. Baseline characteristics were examined to evaluate any determinants of treatment response. Additional immunosuppressive therapy after PIM and rehabilitative surgical procedures for all patients within a 2-year period were also recorded. Results: Thirty-two patients were identified. Using the EUGOGO criteria, an improvement was seen in 38%, no change (stabilization) in 47%, and worsening of the disease in 15%. The response rate using the CAS was 63%. According to the EUGOGO criteria and the CAS, 20% (4/20) and 33% (4/12) of nonresponders required additional immunosuppressive treatment after PIM. None of the responders required additional immunosuppressive therapy. There was a reduction of 0.5 surgeries per patient for responders using either outcome measures. Conclusions: In this study, PIM alone stabilizes active GO in 85% and reduces the severity of GO in 38% of the patients. Despite incongruent response rates obtained using the EUGOGO criteria and the CAS, both outcome measures were good predictors for additional immunosuppressive treatment and additional rehabilitative surgeries in nonresponders.
Funding Constraints and Market Illiquidity in the European Treasury Bond Market

Theoretical studies show that shocks to funding constraints should affect and be affected by market illiquidity. However, little is known about the empirical magnitude of such responses because of the intrinsic endogeneity of illiquidity shocks. This paper adopts an identification technique based on the heteroskedasticity of illiquidity proxies to infer the reaction of one measure to shocks affecting the other. Using data for the European Treasury bond market, we find evidence that funding illiquidity shocks affect bond market illiquidity and of a weaker simultaneous feedback reverse. We also investigate the determinants of the magnitude of these effects in the cross-section of bonds and find that the responses of individual bonds' market illiquidity to funding illiquidity shocks increase with bond duration, with the credit risk of the issuer, and with haircuts.
Refinement of tourniquet-induced peripheral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats: comparison of 2 h vs 24 h reperfusion

Prolonged ischemia of skeletal muscle tissue, followed by reperfusion, leads to ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), which is a feared local and systemic inflammatory reaction. With respect to the 3Rs, we wanted to determine which parameters for assessment of IRI require a reperfusion time of 24 h and for which 2 h of reperfusion are sufficient. Rats were subjected to 3 h of hind limb ischemia and 2 h or 24 h of reperfusion. Human plasma derived C1 inhibitor was used as a drug to prevent reperfusion injury. For 2 h of reperfusion the rats stayed under anesthesia throughout (severity grade 1), whereas for 24 h they were awake under analgesia during reperfusion (grade 2). The femoral artery was clamped and a tourniquet was placed, under maintenance of venous return. C1 esterase inhibitor was systemically administered 5 min before the induction of ischemia. No differences in local muscle edema formation and depositions of immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M were observed between 2 h and 24 h (P > 0.05), whereas lung edema was only observed after 24 h. Muscle viability was significantly lower after 24 h vs 2 h reperfusion (P < 0.05). Increased plasma creatine kinase (CK)-MM and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-bb could be detected after 2 h, but not after 24 h of reperfusion. By contrast, depositions of C3b/c and fibrin in muscle were only detected after 24 h (P < 0.001). In conclusion, for a first screening of drug candidates to reduce IRI, 2 h reperfusions are sufficient, and these reduce the severity of the animal experiment. Twenty-four-hour reperfusions are only needed for in-depth analysis of the mechanisms of IRI, including lung damage.
What's Wrong with the Internet: It's the Economy, Stupid

ob Metcalfe, self-described technology pundit, eminently successful engineer-entrepreneur, and International Data Group Vice President and InfoWorld columnist is the subject of this month's Internet Computing interview. Metcalfe's invention of the Ethernet in the early 1970s grew out of work that had begun with his 1973 thesis at Harvard, Packet Communications (republished in 1996 by Peer-to-Peer Communications, San Jose, Calif.), and his study of the Alohanet, a radio packet communications network created by Norman Abramson and Franklin Kuo at the University of Hawaii. With David Boggs, Metcalfe developed the first Ethernet interfaces in 1973 that led to the landmark paper, " Ethernet: Distributed Packet Switching for Local Computer Networks, " to a patent application in 1975, and ultimately to the formation of 3Com and the adoption of Ethernet as an IEEE 802 standard in 1982.
Postprandial Intestinal Blood Flow, Metabolic Rates, and Exercise in Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Following a relatively large meal (2% body mass of dry pellets), intestinal blood flow in chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) increased significantly, up to 81%, between 14 and 29 h postprandially. Also, 15 h postprandially, oxygen consumption (Ṁo2) was elevated by 128% compared with a measurement of routine Ṁo2 made after 1 wk of fasting. The postprandial increase in Ṁo2 (the heat increment) was 33 μmol O2 min−1 kg−1. Because intestinal blood flow is known to decrease during swimming activity in fish, we therefore tested the hypothesis that swimming fish would have to make a trade‐off between maximum swimming activity and digestive activity by comparing the swimming performance and metabolic rates of fed and fasted chinook salmon. As expected, Ṁo2 increased exponentially with swimming velocity in both fed and fasted fish. Moreover, the heat increment was irreducible during swimming, such that Ṁo2 remained approximately 39 μmol O2 min−1 kg−1 higher in fed fish than in fasted fish at all comparable swimming speeds. However, maximum Ṁo2 was unaffected by feeding and was identical in both fed and fasted fish (∼250 μmol O2 min−1 kg−1), and, as a result, the critical swimming speed (Ucrit) was 9% lower in the fed fish. Three days after the fish were fed and digestion was completed, Ṁo2 and Ucrit were not significantly different from those measured in fasted fish. The ability of salmonids to maintain feeding metabolism during prolonged swimming performance is discussed, and it is suggested that reduced swimming performance may be due to postprandial sparing of intestinal blood to support digestion, thereby limiting the allocation of blood flow to locomotory muscles.
Treatment failures after antibiotic therapy of uncomplicated urinary tract infections. A prescription database study

Objectives - The efficacy of sulfamethizole and pivmecillinam in the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI) has been questioned because of an increase in the prevalence of resistant strains. The aim of this study was to describe the risk of treatment failures over the last 10 years. Design - Retrospective cohort study. Material - Data were retrieved from Odense Pharmaco Epidemiological Database and consisted of women receiving sulfamethizole (n = 44716) or pivmecillinam (n =3093) during the period 1990-99. Main outcome measures - Prescription of a new antibiotic drug appropriate for UTI within 4 weeks after the initial treatment was considered as an indicator for a treatment failure. The risk of treatment failure was estimated by calculating the cumulative incidence proportion of new antibiotic prescriptions within 4 weeks after the initial treatment. Results - A new antibiotic followed 8% of sulfamethizole and 9.5% of pivmecillinam treatments. The cumulative incidence proportion of treatment failures did not change during the study period. A logistic regression model showed pivmecillinam to be associated with a higher risk of treatment failure (OR 1.42, CI 1.14-1.77) than sulfamethizole. Conclusion - This study does not support a change in current Danish practice of sulfamethizole being first-line treatment for uncomplicated UVI.
IL-12–Dependent Cytomegalovirus-Specific CD4+ T Cell Proliferation, T-bet Induction, and Effector Multifunction during Primary Infection Are Key Determinants for Early Immune Control

CMV remains an important opportunistic pathogen in solid organ and hematopoietic cell transplantation, particularly in lung transplant recipients (LTRs). LTRs mismatched for CMV (donor+/recipient−; D+R−) are at high risk for active CMV infection and increased mortality; however, the immune correlates of viral control remain incompletely understood. We prospectively studied 27 D+R− LTRs during primary CMV infection to determine whether acute CD4+ T cell parameters differentiated the capacity for viral control during early chronic infection. Unexpectedly, the T-box transcription factor, T-bet, was expressed at low levels in CD4+ compared with CD8+ T cells during acute primary infection. However, the capacity for in vitro CMV phosphoprotein 65–specific proliferation and CD4+T-bet+ induction differentiated LTR controllers from early viremic relapsers, correlating with granzyme B loading and effector multifunction. Furthermore, impaired CMV-specific proliferative responses from relapsers, along with T-bet, and effector function could be significantly rescued, most effectively with phosphoprotein 65 Ag and combined exogenous IL-2 and IL-12. Acute CD4+ T cell CMV–specific proliferative and effector responses were highly IL-12–dependent in blocking studies. In addition, we generated monocyte-derived dendritic cells using PBMC obtained during primary infection from relapsers and observed impaired monocyte-derived dendritic cell differentiation, a reduced capacity for IL-12 production, but increased IL-10 production compared with controls, suggesting an APC defect during acute CMV viremia. Taken together, these data show an important role for CMV-specific CD4+ effector responses in differentiating the capacity of high-risk LTRs to establish durable immune control during early chronic infection and provide evidence for IL-12 as a key factor driving these responses.
Which soil tillage is better in terms of the soil organic matter and soil structure changes

This study was performed to evaluate effects of minimum (MT) and conventional tillage (CT) on soil organic matter and soil structure in haplic Chernozems and mollic Fluvisols. The content of soil organic carbon (Corg) as well as parameters of stability and vulnerability of soil structure were quantified. The results showed that soil type had statistically significant influence on Corg. In haplic Chernozems the Corg content near the surface (0–0.1 m) was significantly higher under MT (by 6%) compared to CT, however, in layer 0–0.3 m under CT the average Corg content was by 16% higher than under MT. In mollic Fulvisols under MT, the average Corg content (17.5 ± 5.4 g*kg-1) was significantly less for the 0–0.3 m layer than the CT (22.7 ± 0.4 g*kg-1). In Chernozems, total content of water-stable micro-aggregates (WSAmi) was higher in MT (90.8%) than in CT (69.5%). In mollic Fluvisols, the average content of WSAmi was higher in CT (62.5%) than in MT (53.2%). The low aggregate stability and the high structure vulnerability were reflected also due to the high contents of WSAmi in both soils. The stability of aggregates was a higher in mollic Fluvisols than in haplic Chernozems. In haplic Chernozems, better soil structure stability was under CT than MT, on the other hand, in mollic Fluvisols, the average value of coefficient of aggregate stability was lower by 32% in CT than MT.
Pengambilan Keputusan Petani untuk Tetap Berusahatani Cabe Jamu di Kecamatan Bluto, Sumenep

This research aims to determine the factors that influence farmer decision to keep his long pepper farming in Bluto District. This research was conducted in 5 villages of the long pepper production center. A samples of 86 farmers was analized by an analysis of binary logistic. The result showed that factor influencing the farmer decision to keep his long pepper farming was the experience of farming. Increasing experience of farming will upgrade farmer knowledges in minimizing failure on long pepper farming.
The evolution of brand management thinking over the last 25 years as recorded in the Journal of Product and Brand Management

Purpose By outlining the evolution of brand management research over the past 25 years, as reported in the Journal of Product and Brand Management (JPBM), this paper aims to analyze the changes in the way branding has been approached in research, highlight the current challenges the discipline faces and suggest future research avenues that will hopefully further enrich brand management knowledge. Design/methodology/approach This paper includes internal historical literature review and commentary. Findings After a thorough analysis of the journal’s content, the contribution that the JPBM has made in the development of brand management knowledge over the past 25 years is highlighted. Eight major shifts in brand management research and thought, and three overarching difficulties and challenges, are identified. Research limitations/implications By solely focusing on the contributions published in the journal, by no means this review is exhaustive and includes all the contributions to the discipline. Its contribution is limited to the analysis of the work, and the evolution of brand management thinking, recorded in the JPBM. Originality/value The paper highlights the evolution of brand management thought and presents imperatives and challenges to guide future research in brand management.
User Acceptance of Mobile Payment: The Effects of User‐Centric Security, System Characteristics and Gender

This paper investigates the effects of user‐centric, security, and system characteristics and the moderating effects of gender on behavioural intention to use mobile payments (m‐payment) services in Tanzania. The study extended the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to better explain and predict the users’ intentions to use m‐payment services. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 292 m‐payment users in Morogoro and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The study used structural equation modeling and multi‐group analysis for data analysis. The study found that compatibility, social influence, and m‐payment knowledge determined perceived usefulness, while m‐payment knowledge, trust and compatibility predicted perceived ease of use of m‐payment services. Moreover, perceived ease of use determined perceived usefulness, and perceived usefulness and personal innovativeness in turn, had positive effects on the behavioural intention to use m‐payment. There were gender differences on the behavioural intention to use m‐payment. The effect of compatibility and personal innovativeness on perceived ease of use, and the influence of ease of use on behavioural intention were moderated by gender such that it is more significant for men more than women. The effects of social influence on perceived usefulness were stronger for female more than their male counterparts. The paper provides empirical findings for mobile service providers to improve their marketing plans, and development of new applications in the Tanzanian culture or other countries with similar conditions.
Credit Engineering for Bankers : A Practical Guide for Bank Lending Ed. 2

More efficient credit portfolio engineering can increase the decision-making power of bankers and boost the market value of their banks. By implementing robust risk management procedures, bankers can develop comprehensive views of obligors by integrating fundamental and market data into a portfolio framework that treats all instruments similarly. Banks that can implement strategies for uncovering credit risk investments with the highest return per unit of risk can confidently build their businesses. Through chapters on fundamental analysis and credit administration, authors Morton Glantz and Johnathan Mun teach readers how to improve their credit skills and develop logical decision-making processes. As readers acquire new abilities to calculate risks and evaluate portfolios, they learn how credit risk strategies and policies can affect and be affected by credit ratings and global exposure tracking systems. The result is a book that facilitates the discipline of market-oriented portfolio management in the face of unending changes in the financial industry. Concentrates on the practical implementation of credit engineering strategies and tools Demonstrates how bankers can use portfolio analytics to increase their insights about different groups of obligors Investigates ways to improve a portfolio’s return on risk while minimizing probability of insolvency
Immunogenicity of a monovalent 2009 influenza A(H1N1) vaccine in infants and children: a randomized trial.

CONTEXT In the ongoing influenza pandemic, a safe and effective vaccine against 2009 influenza A(H1N1) is needed for infants and children. OBJECTIVE To assess the immunogenicity and safety of a 2009 influenza A(H1N1) vaccine in children. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Randomized, observer-blind, age-stratified, parallel group study assessing 2 doses of an inactivated, split-virus 2009 influenza A(H1N1) vaccine in 370 healthy infants and children aged 6 months to less than 9 years living in Australia. INTERVENTION Intramuscular injection of 15 microg or 30 microg of hemagglutinin antigen dose of monovalent, unadjuvanted 2009 influenza A(H1N1) vaccine in a 2-dose regimen, administered 21 days apart. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Hemagglutination inhibition assay to estimate the proportion of participants with antibody titers of 1:40 or greater, seroconversion, or a significant antibody titer increase, and factor increase in geometric mean titer. Assessments of solicited adverse events during 7 days and unsolicited adverse events for 21 days after each vaccination. RESULTS Following the first dose of vaccine, antibody titers of 1:40 or greater were observed in 161 of 174 infants and children in the 15-microg group (92.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 87.6%-95.6%) and in 168 of 172 infants and children in the 30-microg group (97.7%; 95% CI, 94.2%-99.1%). Corresponding seroconversion rates were 86.8% (95% CI, 80.9%-91.0%) and 94.2% (95% CI, 89.6%-96.8%), and factor increases in geometric mean titer were 13.6 (95% CI, 11.8-15.6) and 18.3 (95% CI, 15.7-21.4). All participants demonstrated antibody titers of 1:40 or greater after the second vaccine dose. Immune responses were robust regardless of age, baseline serostatus, or seasonal influenza vaccination status. The majority of adverse events were mild to moderate in severity. CONCLUSION One 15-microg dose of vaccine was immunogenic in infants and children starting at 6 months of age and vaccine-associated reactions were mild to moderate in severity. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00940108.