Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Negative predictive value for cancer in patients with " gray-zone " PSA level and prior negative biopsy : preliminary results with multiparametric 3 . 0 T magnetic resonance

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Can Organic Amendments Support Sustainable Vegetable Production

Application rates of synthetic fertilizer to agricultural fields can be reduced through better understanding of N supplied by organic amendments (OA). Field and simulation experiments were performed to quantify the effect of N released from OA application on crop production and selected soil properties in an intensively managed vegetable crop rotation. The SALUS crop model was used to simulate yield, soil N, and soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics under different combinations of composted or raw OA and synthetic N fertilizer application rates. SALUS accurately simulated aboveground crop biomass production (r2 = 0.91, RMSE = 1.7 t ha–1) and crop N uptake (r2 = 0.96, RMSE = 15 kg N ha–1) under different N management strategies as well as SOC level (r2 = 0.51, RMSE = 1 t C ha–1) and soil mineral N (r2 = 0.58, RMSE = 56 kg N ha–1). No difference in crop biomass production was found with N fertilizer reductions up to 27% of the conventional N fertilizer rate when combined with OA application. A 12-yr scenario analysis using SALUS indicated that conventional N fertilizer can be further reduced by up to 50% while sustaining crop biomass production, thereby potentially reducing N losses to the environment. Data gathered from the field study and simulation scenarios highlighted the positive effect of composted OA to maintain soil C levels. This contrasts with average annual SOC losses of 3.7% observed in long-term simulation scenarios in systems with only N fertilizer or raw OA applications.
Why Are Kenyan Teachers Still Using Corporal Punishment Eight Years After a Ban on Corporal Punishment

The Kenyan government banned corporal punishment in Kenyan schools in 2001 and enacted the Children's Act (Government of Kenya, 2001) which entitles children to protection from all forms of abuse and violence. Kenya is also a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1990) which states that discipline involving violence is unacceptable. In spite of this, the use of corporal punishment continues in Kenyan schools. This study therefore sought to identify the reasons behind the use of corporal punishment by Kenyan teachers and teachers' awareness of existing laws on the use of violence on children. Data collected through focus group discussions showed that teachers were aware of existing laws prohibiting the use of corporal punishment in schools. Their reasons for using corporal punishment included the belief that it was the most effective way to discipline children and that parents had authorised its use. This study has shown that, although the Kenyan government has introduced laws to protect children, teachers will readily break them if they believe it is for the children's good. This paper therefore recommends the involvement of the Kenyan government in training teachers on non-violent ways of disciplining children. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Supernumerary epidermal shields and carapace variation in Orbigny's slider turtles, Trachemys dorbigni (Testudines, Emydidae)

The epidermal plates of the carapace and plastron of 51 adults (38 females and 13 males), 07 immature individuals, and 46 hatchlings of the freshwater turtle Trachemys dorbigni (Duremil & Bibron, 1835), originated from the delta of Rio Jacui region, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, were examined. The results showed that 7.7% of males, 10.52% of females, 14.28% of immature individuals, and 6.52% of the hatchlings presented a kind of anomaly on the shell, as well as a presence of supernumerary epidermal shields. Although the modification in the number of epidermal shields presents a high frequency in Testudines, these are the first descriptions of the variation in the pattern of carapacial scutation in eleven individuals from a population of T. dorbigni. The association of several environmental factors acting on the embryonic development of the individual may be responsible for the alteration of the pattern of carapacial scutation in this species.
Rapid plant regeneration of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium L.) through shoot tip culture.

Shoot multiplication of chrysanthemum was achieved from shoot tip explant, using MS media supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators. Different parameters including shoot initiation percentage, average number of shoots per explant, length of shoots (cm), number of leaves per shoot and number of nodes per shoot were studied during the course of study. Low concentration of indole-acetic acid (IAA, 0.1 mg/l) excelled all the other concentrations in almost all the parameters studied when used alone, as maximum shoot initiation (86.6%), shoot per explants (3.9), length of shoots (4.3 cm), number of leaves (10.0) and nodes (4.8) were recorded in it. Intermediate concentration of benzyladenine purine (BAP, 1.0 mg/l) is superior to all the other BAP concentrations used when used alone. MS media fortified with 1.0 mg/l BAP had produced the maximum shoot initiation (93.3%), shoot per explant (4.1), length of shoots (5.0 cm) number of leaves (11.0) and nodes (5.5). Similarly, when the combination of different concentrations of IAA and BAP were used, significant results regarding the regeneration of chrysanthemum plantlets were achieved. MS media supplemented with intermediate levels of BAP (1.0 and 2.0 mg/l) along with lower concentrations of IAA (0.1 and 0.2 mg/l) showed better results as compared to other concentrations and combinations. Satisfactory rooting response was obtained in half strength MS media supplemented with 0.2 mg/l indole butyric acid (IBA).
A design proposal for ultrawide band frequency selective surface

In this paper a three layer FSS is described which provides a ultrawide band (UWB) response. The layers use plain rectangular patches, and rectangular patches with one or two notches which provide multi-band responses; by cascading them an UWB response is obtained covering the band 4.05 - 14.12 GHz, for vertical polarization and the band 5.05 - 15.00 GHz, for horizontal polarization. Transmission properties of the proposed structure were simulated and measured.
Integrating human resource management into lean production and their impact on organizational performance

Purpose - The first goal of this research is to analyse the effects of lean production (LP) on the policy of human resource management (HRM). The second is to determine whether or not implementation of HRM practices associated with LP explains the differences in organizational performance between manufacturing plants. Design/methodology/approach - The paper developed a questionnaire for data collection. Findings are presented from 76 establishments (79.17 per cent of the total sample) that specialise in single-firing ceramic tiles in Spain. Findings - Companies that make the most of LP practices are also those that take care to train workers in using these practices as well as improving their employment security. However, the same is not true for the pay for performance system. The combination of LP with HRM practices reduces inventory and boosts productivity but does not appear to affect the other performance variables analysed. Research limitations/implications - For certain variables very little variation was found between the plants in the samples. The data are cross-sectional, so causality cannot be definitively determined. Practical implications - This paper indicates the HRM practices associated with the LP and the results obtained. It can thus be used to help human resource and production departments in improving organizational performance. Originality/value - The paper extends the work of other researchers by focusing on a sector and a country that have been very little studied to date. The sample consists of a set of plants that are fairly homogeneous, which facilitates the analysis of the relationships between the selected variables, while keeping other variables controlled.
NO EVIDENCE OF SAMPLING BIAS IN A COMPARISON OF TWO COMMON METHODS FOR CAPTURING FREE-RANGING BIRDS

ii Co-Authorship. iii Acknowledgements . iv List of Figures . viii List of Tables . ix Chapter 1 General Introduction.1 What might influence trappability and result in bias? 2 Sex and Morphology . 2 Personality . 3 Hormones . 4 How widespread is the issue of sampling bias? 5 Heterogeneity of capture.6 Differences in capture methods . 7 Capture in avian research . 8 Black-capped chickadees. 10 Chapter 2 Does capture method introduce bias in studies of free-ranging birds? 13 INTRODUCTION . 13 METHODS . 16 Study system. 16 Capture and sampling. 17 Behavioral assays. 19 Hormone assay . 21 Molecular Sexing . 21 Statistical analysis . 22 RESULTS . 23 Morphology . 23 Hormones . 24 Behavior . 24 Hormone-behavior relationships: Response to a predator model . 25
A Folk Theorem for Bargaining Games

We study strategies with oneâ€“period recall in the context of a general class of multilateralbargaining games. A strategy has oneâ€“period recall if actions in a particular period are onlyconditioned on information in the previous and the current period. We show that if players aresufficiently patient, given any proposal in the space of possible agreements, there exists asubgame perfect equilibrium such that the given proposal is made and unanimously accepted inperiod zero. Our strategies are pure and have oneâ€“period recall, and we do not make use of apublic randomization device. The playersâ€™ discount factors are allowed to be heterogeneous.
Financial liberalization and banking sector performance in Ghana

The study examined the impact of financial liberalization on the banking industry in Ghana. The paper reviews what has happened in the pre and post liberalization periods in the banking industry. Using recent data from the Ghana Banking Survey (2008) between 2003 and 2007, the study found that liberalization had many effects on the banking industry in Ghana, including: influx of new banks, increased intensity of competition, reduced profit margins, and increased access to loans. The study also found that the foreign banks have outperformed the local banks over the study period. Key words: Financial liberalization, competition, market share, herfindahl- hirschman index, Ghana.
Optimal Transparency and Risk-Taking to Avoid Currency Crises

This paper reconsiders a central bank's problem of determining rules for information dissemination and risk-taking behavior that minimize the probability of currency crises. In a global-games approach, we find that optimal transparency is adversely related to prior market beliefs. In countries with pessimistic prior beliefs about economic performance, the central bank should commit to disclosing information with maximal precision. In addition, it should increase the risk of economic performance. For good prior expectations, posterior information should be of lower precision, depending on the variance of fundamentals. Here, the central bank can reduce the crisis probability by reducing that variance.
THE ROLE OF THE MEMBER STATES IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION'S CULTURAL POLICY

The European Union (EU) is successfully implementing the liberal aspect into the controlling system of the cultural sector with its coercive power. The article is focusing on how the EU institutions force changes in the cultural policy of the member states. The author examines the role of the United Kingdom, France and Germany in the process of the communitarisation for a European cultural policy. The hypothesis is proved with the analysis of the audio-visual sector, the book market and the field of copyright. The author assumes that the institutions of the European Union with their coercive power help the communitarisation process among the member states’ cultural policy.
Risk Aversion and Emotions in DoND

Contrary to the traditional economic school of thought, emotions known to have a huge effect on cognitive processes leading to decisions. In this context, it can be observed that some television shows provide a very appropriate test-bed for examining decision-making behavior under risk. This study attempts to estimate the degree of Arrow-Pratt RRA for a group of decision-makers composed of 101 i°Deal or No Deali± TV show contestants. For further analysis, a i°face-readingi± software was employed in order to identify emotions experienced by contestants at various parts of the game, and the influence of such emotions on the risk aversion behavior. Our findings suggest that emotions have an influence on the decisions of the contestants.
Boundary C ^ { 2 , \ alpha } estimates for Monge-Ampere type equations

In this paper, we obtain global second derivative estimates for solutions of the Dirichlet problem of certain Monge-Ampère type equations under some structural conditions, while the inhomogeneous term is only assumed to be Hölder continuous and bounded away from zero and infinity. These estimates correspond to those for the standard Monge-Ampère equation obtained by Trudinger and Wang (2008) and by Savin (2013), and have natural applications in optimal transportation and prescribed Jacobian equations.
Dependence of Exoplanets on Host Stars' Metallicity and Mass(Origins : From Early Universe to Extrasolar Planets)

We discuss dependence of extrasolar planetary systems on host stars' metallicity (abundance of heavy elements) and mass (equivalently, spectral type), through theoretical arguments and comparison with observational data. The theoretical arguments are based on the conventional giant planet formation scenario: core accretion followed by gas accretion onto the core. The large number (> 150) of extrasolar planets so far discovered is large enough for statistical discussion. Based on the most up-to-date theories of core and gas accretion, planet-disk interaction, and the observed distribution of disk mass, we simulate mass and semimajor axis distributions for systems around host stars with a range of metallicity and mass. Assuming that the fraction of heavy elements contained in host stars is identical to that in protoplanetary disks in which planets are formed, we evaluate the metallicity dependence of fraction of stars harboring planets that are detectable with current radial velocity survey. The detection probability around metal-rich stars would be greatly enhanced because protoplanetary cores formed in them can grow to ∼ 10 Earth masses, which are required for the cores to initiate rapid gas accretion and to transform into giant planets, prior to their depletion. The theoretically predicted metallicity dependence is consistent with the observation. We also extrapolate predictions to planetary systems around different mass stars. We show that around small-mass stars (M dwarf stars), close-in Neptune-mass ice-giant planets may be relatively common, while close-in Jupiter-mass gas-giant planets are relatively rare. The mass distribution of close-in planets generally has two peaks at about Neptune mass and Jupiter mass. The lower-mass peak takes the maximum frequency for M dwarfs. Around more massive solar-type stars (F, G, K dwarf stars), the higher-mass peak is much more pronounced. These predictions can be tested directly with observations in the near future.
PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF A MEXICAN PROPOLIS ON MDBK CELLS EXPOSED TO AUJESZKY'S DISEASE VIRUS (PSEUDORABIES VIRUS)

Background: In this paper, the evaluation of the antiviral effect of a Mexican propolis on Pseudo Rabies Virus (PRV) was performed by infecting cell cultures of MDBK. Materials and Methods: First, the level of cytotoxicity of the ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) was determined, subsequently, infective dose of PRV strain Shope was determined and finally, we performed the interaction of the virus with EEP (two hours before, during and two hours after infection) in MDBK cells. Also, in order to determine the possible effects of propolis on the virus, cell culture samples subjected to the different treatments mentioned above were processed for Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Also, cell culture samples with the same treatments were processed for Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to observe possible alterations of propolis on the virus. Results: It was determined that administration of 0.5 mg / ml of EEP two hours before infection caused a reduction in the number of plaque forming units compared to the rest of the treatments used or with the infected and untreated culture, it is important to note that the difference found was statistically significant (p <0.01). By other hand, viral particles with altered morphology were observed at MET suggesting a possible damage to the viral envelope proteins. We also found virions in an electro-dense layer formed around the cell membrane. This seems to affect the penetration of the virus and its replication cycle. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the antiviral activity of EEP used and its results open perspectives to explore the possibility of using propolis as a preventive method against pseudo rabies
The effects of 1-methylcyclopropene on peach fruit (Prunus persica L. cv. Jiubao) ripening and disease resistance

Summary In order to learn how 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) affects ripening and disease-resistance of peach fruit (Prunus persica L. cv. Jiubao) after harvest, they were treated with 1-MCP and some were inoculated with Penicillium expansum. Treating peach fruit with 0.2 μL L−1 of 1-MCP at 22 °C for 24 h effectively slowed the decline in fruit firmness. The minimal concentration of 1-MCP able to inhibit fruit softening was 0.6 μL L−1. Changes in other parameters related to peach ripening, such as content of soluble solids, total soluble sugar, titratable acidity, soluble pectin and ethylene production were also significantly reduced or delayed by 1-MCP. Repeated treatment of peach with 1-MCP resulted in more effective inhibition of ripening. Post-harvest decay of peach fruit was reduced by treatment with 1-MCP and disease progress in fruit inoculated with P. expansum was reduced. The activities of phenylalanine ammonialyase, polyphenoloxidase and peroxidase in the inoculated fruit were also enhanced by 1-MCP.
Of voyeuristic safari tours and responsible tourism with educational value: Observing moral communication in slum and township tourism in Cape Town and Mumbai

Sightseeing in the poorest quarters of southern hemisphere cities has been observed occurring in Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Mumbai and many other cities. The increasing global interest in touring poor urban environments is accompanied by a strong morally charged debate; so far, this debate has not been critically addressed. This article avoids asking if slum tourism is good or bad, but instead seeks a second-order observation, i.e. to investigate under what conditions the social praxis of slum tourism is considered as good or bad, by processing information on esteem or disesteem among tourists and tour providers. Special attention is given to any relation between morality and place, and the thesis posited is that the moral charging of slum tourism is dependent on the presence of specific preconceived notions of slums and poverty. This shall be clarified by means of references to two empirical case studies carried out in (1) Cape Town in 2007 and 2008 and (2) Mumbai in 2009.
Application of an analog downscaling technique to the assessment of future landslide activity--a case study in the Italian Alps

Slope stability and hence landslide activity is in many cases related to climate, which influences groundwater and pore pressure fluctuations of hillslopes. An approach is presented which transforms transient GCM output by statistical downscaling to local precipitation scenarios, which together with directly derived temperature scenarios are subsequently fed into a slope hydro- logical/stability model to derive future landslide activity. This model chain is applied to a landslide in the Dolomites, Italy. Validation of the approach against independent observed records suggests its applicability for estimating future landslide activity based on GCM results. One possible way of esti- mating the quality of the approach is to determine sources of uncertainty introduced by the GCM sim- ulations and by different fitting periods of the downscaling technique. Differences between the GCM experiments are found to be more important than differences between the 2 fitting periods. The most striking result is the significant reduction of landslide activity in spring in all cases. This is attributable to the rise of winter temperature which impedes future storage of winter precipitation as snow. As one consequence, less melt water is available for the hillslope in spring, causing the decrease in activity. It can be concluded that differences between GCMs and differences between fitting periods permit quantification of part of the uncertainty inherent in climate change impact assessments. Impacts which emerge in all model combinations, such as the decrease in landslide activity in spring shown here, have a high level of confidence.
State-space representation of a bucket-type rainfall-runoff model: a case study with State-Space GR4 (version 1.0)

In many conceptual rainfall-runoff models, the water balance differential equations are not explicitly formulated. These differential equations are solved sequentially by splitting the equations into terms that can be solved analytically with a technique called "operator splitting". As a result, only the resolutions of the split equations are used to present the different models. This article provides a methodology to make the governing water balance equations of a bucket-type rainfall-runoff model explicit. This is done by setting up a comprehensive state-space representation of the model. By representing it in this way, the operator splitting, which complexifies the structural analysis of the model, is removed. In this state-space representation, the lag functions (unit hydrographs), which are frequent in this type of model and make the resolution of the representation difficult, are replaced by a so-called "Nash cascade". This substitution also improves the lag parameter consistency across time steps. To illustrate this methodology, the GR4J model is taken as an example. The flow time series simulated by the new representation of the model are very similar to those simulated by the classic model. The state-space representation provides a more time-consistent model with time-independent parameters.